The Storm of Chaos campaign
stands ready to hit like a tidal wave of Warhammer
fury. Gaming starts on July 1 and lasts until the end
of August. By now, you should know that the army
lists are available online, and the entire army
book will be available at Games Workshop Hobby centres
and many Rogue Trader shops starting in early June.
Thus, there has been a lot of time, and
there still is a lot of time to start organizing your
Warhammer units and forming new armies. Hey, don't get
us wrong – we're all a little behind in our own
grand army visions. Still, it's probably time to start
thinking about terrain for your Storm of Chaos
games.
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This article covers the terrain essentials for
Storm of Chaos. We will list the kinds of terrain most
prevalent in the various battle sites, point you to areas
where you can learn to build many of the items, show off a
few specially made pieces that can quickly add some flavor
to your existing terrain, and much more. We even have tips
for gaming clubs or store regulars on banding together to
get some great scenery that will really add to your enjoyment
of all the Storm of Chaos gaming.
The Storm of Chaos campaign presents
Warhammer players with some great opportunities to construct
very evocative battlefields. Archaon's Horde is sweeping down
from the plains of Kislev, and it is advancing at speed through
the Forest of Shadows and the Drakwald Forest. Many key villages,
towns, bridges, and keeps stand in the invaders' way. This
dire situation presents several great opportunities to make
new terrain.
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Structures
Fear not, minions of Chaos – we
haven't forgotten you. Chaos
Monoliths, Beastmen
Herdstones, and other structures of the Dark Gods
will help give your tables that appropriately Chaos
look. Some of these foul icons of the Chaos powers
have been constructed secretly in the wilderness while
others are covertly hidden even in the midst of small
towns and villages. Other trophy trees and unholy places
spring up as the Chaos forces close on Middenheim.
No matter how the monoliths are raised, the forces
of light must counterattack and attempt to destroy
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Foliage
- Thickets -
hedges, low shrubs, nearly impenetrable tangles.
- Woods -
individual trees, forest groves, heavily wooded areas.
The General's Compendium has
a small section on battles in the deep woods and two
excellent forest-based scenarios (Death in the Dark
Woods and Break out from the Forest) as
well as some very fun alternative forest maneuvering
rules to play with. |
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Evocative Extras
Many gamers think that terrain can only be massive
table-wide structures – this belief is just not true.
Sometimes all you really need are a few new pieces here and
there to create a convincing table that really gives you the
feeling of being in the midst of the Storm of Chaos.
- Empire sign
posts are excellent terrain pieces, and, even
better, they are quick and easy to make.
- Hastily built barricades
help keep the monsters at bay.
- A Roadside Shrine is a nice touch. We're working on some
specific Ulric shrines as you read this, but as they are
not ready yet. In the meantime, follow this link to see
a nice view of a more generic Bretonnian
Shrine.
- Roads - dusty paths that lead through the dark heart of
the forest are not only evocative, but can open the door
for great scenarios (like ambushes!).
- Supplies - Baggage
trains, supply wagons, or even large depots make sense.
As armies march to defend their lands, they must be fed
and watered! Some simple piles of barrels or a few wagons
can give purpose to a raid.
The awesome scale of such a monumental campaign
calls for some special actions. After all, the history of
the Warhammer world will be altered by the gaming this summer.
Will the city of Middenheim be reduced to a heap of smoking
ruin or hang on against the Storm?
 With
this context in mind, as well as the 2-month-long window
in
which the campaign will last, you may want to plan something
special to really get into the campaign. Many gamers
will be inspired to build their own Middenheim
wall section or perhaps one of the more evocative battle
sites on the campaign map. Who wouldn't want to defend
(or destroy)
the entire 50+ buildings that make up the walled town of
Grimminhagen or any of over two dozen other locations?
If you are playing
a 10,000-point multiplayer battle in the woods, how are you
going to get all those trees assembled and based in time?
Banding together with your local club, gaming
group, or gang of store "regulars" is a great way
to ensure that a special
event is indeed special! If everyone builds a house or
two, it won't be long before the battle for the entire town
is underway! Even if your gaming friends are not an organized
club, you'll find that by starting early and getting a good
handful of gamers on board really helps when it comes to
planning
a really impressive group game, but you can make it happen
on fantastic terrain, too.
 In
addition to the main action of the Chaos hordes marching upon
Middenheim, there are three subcampaigns that players may
want to get involved in. They are:
Look for future terrain tips for getting the
most out of gaming in these regions. In the meantime, you
can find out more about the subcampaigns by going
here.
The Storm of Chaos offers a great chance
for you and your gaming buddies to play some exciting games
of Warhammer in a global context – you can even change
the fate of the Warhammer universe! By planning out your games
in advance and building suitable terrain based on the advice
above, you can really enhance your enjoyment of the campaign.
Cool terrain adds a level of realism to the game that just
makes it more fun. So get out those terrain materials and
let your imagination run wild!
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