Storm of Chaos Warmaster
Storm of Chaos Warmaster
Storm of Chaos Warmaster
STORM OF CHAOS
By Matt Keefe and Tom Merrigan. Map by Nuala Kennedy
Participation
If you wish to join in the Storm of Chaos campaign and
report your results, all you need to do is register online at
www.Games-Workshop.com/StormofChaos. You can
provide details of your army, which side you will be
fighting for, where you live in the world and other
information, allowing Games Workshop to monitor the
results as they come in, and tally them up to decide the
fate of the Old World. Once youve registered you can log
on to the site at any time to report the results of any
games youve played or make use of some of the sites
other features, such as community areas where players
can discuss combined strategies and discuss all the latest
developments.
Forces
Obviously the main forces involved in the Storm of Chaos
are the Chaos Hordes of Archaon and the armies of the
Empire seeking to defend their homeland. They are each
aided by a number of allies, such as the High Elf and
Dwarf contingents which pledged allegiance to the
Empire of Men. However, you should feel free to play
games using whatever armies you have available the
Games Workshop Army Selection Police wont come
round knocking on your door if you decide to sneak a
Lizardmen army into a game somewhere. However, we
likewise, wont necessarily be covering these races in any
real detail as part of the campaign, since we really dont
feel its necessary and it may result in all manner of
spurious and unconvincing explanations. Understandably,
the focus of our coverage will be the main clash between
Chaos and the Empire.
Right, thats about enough for the introduction. Over the
page, you will find a history of the campaign, detailing
events leading up to the invasion, overviews of the forces
and characters involved, and events from the early stages
of the war. This is accompanied by a map showing the
movement of all the main protagonists, and finally four
scenarios representing battles described in the
background. Since the event runs all summer, you can
look forward to more Storm of Chaos coverage next
month.
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12
To Defend an Empire
If an army so vast had ever before been mustered, I can
only presume that it must have been victorious, for had
it been defeated, and its soldiers slain, Men would today
be a rarity upon the earth.
- Beladoc Tong, Chronicler of Altdorf
There was no other choice left open to him Karl Franz
mustered the army of the Empire in all its might, from the
Reiksguard Knights of Altdorf to the artillery of Nuln to
the Halflings in the Moot. Thousands of soldier marched
to a series of staging points in order to meet up with Karl
Franzs own army as it marched out of Altdorf and towards
a final rendezvous at Talabheim.
Even now, however, amidst this undoubtedly greatest of
needs, not all the fighting men of the Empire could be
spared. Croms advance from the east left the Elector
Counts of Stirland and Averland reluctant to send their
own armies to join with those of the Emperor, for fear of
leaving their homelands unguarded. For his part, Karl
Franz dared not risk leading his own army eastwards to
meet Crom for fear that Archaon himself would begin his
advance before the Empires armies could complete the
march north. A most unlikely saviour emerged when
Ungrom Ironfist, Slayer King of Karak Kadrin, vowed to
hold Peak Pass against Croms horde or die in the attempt.
This powerful pledge of allegiance lifted some of the fear
from the shoulders of the Electors of Stirland and
Averland, who now sent a portion of their own forces to
march to Talabheim.
As the heads of the Empire made good their final
preparations, news came that Archaons Horde in the
north had begun its full-blooded invasion of Kislev. The
Storm of Chaos began to thunder across the Old World
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THE STORM
14
OF CHAOS, 2522.
GRIMGOR IRONHIDE
Coming hard in the wake of Chaos,
Grimgors early attacks brought
fear and destruction to several
Kislevite towns, before his attention
was drawn to the Skaven
stronghold of Hell Pit and the
mutated playthings he could there
do battle with. In time this too would fade from Grimgors
interest and he and his boys set out in search of a new
challenge. They would find it in the shape of Crom, the selfproclaimed Conqueror, who had begun an eastward march
to the Empire, via the Worlds Edge Mountains. Orc and Man
battled at High Pass. Grimgor and Croms battle was
relentless and equal in every measure, yet the Orc hordes
fared rather less well, and, seeing his forces utterly driven
away from him, Grimgor was forced to concede, and
withdraw from battle with nothing more than the honour of
knowing Crom had at least respected his enemy.
advance has already led to clashes with Grimgor Ironhide and his
Orc boys, from which the Kurgan horde emerged the undeniable
victor.
Though his march may seem unstoppable, there is an unlikely
enemy who yet awaits him on the Empires eastern border. Vlad
von Carstein, Vampire Count of Sylvania, has no desire to see
Chaos overwhelm the world and deprive him of his everlife. If
Crom truly intends to cross the Empire and unite with
Archaons force, he may find that the dead are his greatest
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16
Chaos Deployment
Caught Unawares
Chaos units may not use their Initiative. In addition, all
orders by the Chaos army suffer a -1 modifier due to their
state of unreadiness. Both of these effects last until the
Chaos army first wins a combat, after which they cease to
apply.
Raised Ground
Shoreline
landed). Obviously, this means the High Elf break point
will increase throughout the game as more ships arrive.
Other Forces
This battle could be fought with a variety of different
armies. For the attackers, any army with the ability to
attack from the sea (Dark Elves, Marauders, Arabyan
Corsairs, Sartosan Pirates and so on) would make ideal
attackers. The defenders can really be any army
unfortunate enough to have its coast preyed upon by
seaborne raiders!
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troops may leave the table by these edges. Units may leave
the table by either narrow edge. Attacking (Chaos) units
which leave by the defenders (Dwarfs) edge before the
end of the game are assumed to have made it over the
pass and will be free to regroup with Croms main Chaos
force and his assault on the Empire.
As this it is fought along the length of the table, the battle
lasts for eight turns. The Dwarf force is prepared to sell its
lives to honour their races ancient alliance with the
Empire, and, as such, the Dwarf army will not withdraw
and will fight on to the bitter end if necessary, regardless
of how many units are lost throughout the game.
The Armies
Croms march around the edge of the Worlds Edge
Mountains has remained all but hidden from the forces of
good. As with previous Chaos incursions they are
expecting the war to be waged in the north and have few
defences against an attack from the east. Because of this,
some limitations apply to the forces which each player will
use in the battle.
Use the table below to figure out the size of each force.
This represents the limited resources of the Dwarf player
spread across the Worlds Edge Mountains.
In addition to this, the following restrictions also apply:
Dwarfs
The portents of doom have pointed to the gathering of
Chaos and a great war in the north. In response to these
omens the Slayers of the Old World have gone north to
Kislev to seek their doom in what will surely be the
greatest battle of this age. This means the Dwarf player
may not include any Slayers in their force. Otherwise, all
the usual restrictions for the number and type of units
allowed apply.
Chaos
Croms army is composed mostly of Marauders who have
flocked to his banner on his march southeast. To
represent the sheer number of these troops within his
army the Chaos player may not have more units of Chaos
Warriors or Chaos Knights in his army than he has units of
Marauders or Marauder Horsemen. Apart from this, all the
usual restrictions for the number and type of units
allowed apply.
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Chaos Deployment
Zone
20cm
Defenders (Dwarfs)
+250 VP
No attacking units of two or more stands
make it over the pass by the end of turn 6.
Bonuses are given based on 1,000 points a side, and
should be increased proportionately if fighting bigger
battles.
Other Victory Points are awarded normally for units
reduced to a single stand or destroyed, as described on
page 63 of the Warmaster rulebook. The army with the
highest Victory Points total at the end of the game is the
winner. It is even possible for the entire Dwarf army to be
slain but claim victory due to a greater Victory Points total.
In this case, it is assumed that the Dwarf armys triumph
comes from having nobly sacrificed their lives to greatly
delay Croms advance.
Dwarf Deployment
Zone
20cm
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The Objectives
Since this scenario represents a variety of similar attacks
occurring all across Kislev and the Old Worlds northern
border, the goals of individual Chaos armies also varied
somewhat. The actually Battle of Krakjunov featured a
Chaos army intent on destroying the village, but other
similar attacks appeared to be an attempt by the Chaos
armies to break quickly through the enemy lines, or even
just slaughter as many of the Kislevites as they could.
Before commencing play (but AFTER picking the forces)
the attacking player must roll a D6 and consult the table
below to see what their objective for the battle will be.
Completing this objective will help the attacker win the
game, whilst ignoring it will almost certainly hand victory
to the defender.
D6 Roll
1-2
3-4
5-6
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Objective
Break the Enemy
Raise the Village
Slaughter the Enemy
Defenders
40cm
80cm
80cm
40cm
Attackers
Multi-player Games
This game can also be easily adapted to involve more than
one player on each side. In larger games the attacking
army could be split into two forces: one made up of Chaos
and the other of Daemonic Legions. It is quite suitable for
both these armies to attack together during the Storm of
Chaos campaign as Archaons force is sufficiently large to
include both. In this instance there would be two generals
on the attacking side. One would choose a conventional
Chaos army and the other a Daemonic Legion army. The
combined totals of these two forces should match that of
the defending army.
Similarly the defending army could be made up of two
forces. Perhaps the Empire have sent a relief force north
to help contain the marauding hordes of Archaons force
and will fight alongside the Kislevites, or maybe a Dwarf
army of Slayers has journeyed north to seek their doom.
Whatever the combination, it is easy enough to involve
more than two players in the game, and you may even
want to have two or more generals on each side.
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DAEMONIC UNITS
Daemons, by their very nature, vary greatly in appearance, and many different names may be used for even a single
Daemon. As such, the units in the army selector have broad titles which cover a variety of different, specific units. An
outline of what each unit represents is included below.
Greater Daemons are the largest and most feared servants of the Chaos gods, amongst them the Bloodthirster, Changer
of Ways, Great Unclean One and Keeper of Secrets.
Daemonic Hordes represent all manner of lesser Daemons, such as Bloodletters of Khorne, Plaguebearers of Nurgle,
Daemonettes of Slaanesh, Horrors of Tzeentch.
Daemonic Swarms are masses of small, ravenous Daemons, such as Nurglings, evil sprites or even clouds of bloated
Daemonic flies which harass their enemies in great numbers.
Daemonic Cavalry represent lesser Daemons riding exotic mounts of their patron god, such as Daemonettes on
Mounts of Slaanesh.
Daemonic Chariots are horrifying constructs, crewed by Daemons and pulled by powerful Daemonic Beasts. They
include Bloodletters pulled by Juggernauts of Khorne, Plaguebearers pulled by Beasts of Nurgle, Daemonettes pulled
by Steeds of Slaanesh, Flamers pulled by Screamers of Tzeentch, and so on.
Daemonic Hounds are packs of insubstantial Daemonic hunting animals. Most infamous amongst these are the Flesh
Hounds of Khorne, but this category could also include packs of spectral black dogs and other savage beasts.
Daemonic Beasts are sturdier than Daemonic Cavalry, and represent Daemons riding larger, almost monstrous mounts,
such as Bloodletters mounted on Juggernauts of Khorne or Plaguebearers mounted on Beasts of Nurgle.
Daemonic Flyers include all the packs of winged, levitating or magically-flighted monstrosities which blacken the skies
around Daemonic legions, such as Screamers of Tzeentch, Chaos Furies and other unspeakable things.
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5+
6+
5+
5+
5+
5+
5+
4+
-
9
8
-
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
1
1
-
l
ia
ec
Sp
er
3/-/4
-/3
-/2
-/3
-/1
-/1
-/1
1
-/2
-/1
sp
75
45
110
85
95
220
80
300
135
160
100
+50
nt
Co
m
m
an
d
Un
it
si
ze
Ar
m
ou
r
3
4
3
3
3
4
3
6
-
M
in
/m
ax
Daemonic Power
4
2
4
3
3
5
2
8
+2
+2
+1
+1
Po
i
Daemonic Lord
Infantry
Infantry
Cavalry
Cavalry
Chariot
Monster
Monster
Monster
General
Wizard
Hero
Wizard
Monstrous Mt
H
its
Daemonic Hordes
Daemonic Swarms
Daemonic Cavalry
Daemonic Hounds
Daemonic Chariots
Daemonic Beasts
Daemonic Flyers
Greater Daemon
Daemonic Overlord
At
TROOP
Ty
p
ta
ck
un
it
1*
2*
3*
4*
5*
6*
Special Rules
1. Daemonic Swarms cant be driven back by shooting and do
not roll for drive backs. A Daemonic Swarm can never be
equipped with magical items.
2. Daemonic Flyers can fly, and follow the rules for flying units
given in the Warmaster rulebook. Daemon Flyers are an
exception to the normal conventions for basing monsters, in that
they are based along the long edge in the same way as infantry,
rather than the short edge like other monsters.
3. Greater Daemons can fly, and follow the rules for flying units
given in the Warmaster rulebook. Some Greater Daemons have
huge wings, whilst others can teleport or move themselves over
great distances through sheer force of will.
Greater Daemons are terrible creatures to behold, and all but the
bravest warrior would be paralysed to the spot if ever they saw
one. A Greater Daemon causes terror in its enemies, as described
in the Warmaster rulebook.
A Greater Daemon cannot be banished like other Daemons but if
it has accumulated 3-5 hits by the end of the Shooting phase or
Combat phase it is deemed to have been badly hurt. Once a
Greater Daemon is badly hurt all cumulated hits are discounted
and its maximum Hits value and Attacks are halved for the rest of
the battle (to 3 Hits and 4 Attacks).
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Daemonic Spells
Summon Daemon
4+ to cast.................................................Range: 60cm
This spell may be cast on any Daemonic unit that has
lost one stand (ie. has two stands remaining). The
wizard must be able to see his target to use this spell. If
successful, the unit is immediately returned to full
strength (3 stands).
You must be able to place the summoned stand in
formation with the existing stands in the unit. If cast on
a Daemonic unit in combat, then summoned stands
may be placed so they are touching enemy models, and
will count as charging.
Daemonic Rage
5+ to cast.................................................Range: 30cm
This spell affects each friendly unit within range
regardless of whether the wizard can see his target or
not. The spell takes effect for the duration of the
following Combat phase and adds +1 Attack to every
friendly stand within 30cm of the wizard, including
character stands. A unit or character can only have one
Daemonic Rage cast successfully upon it at any time.
Sorcerous Blast
5+ to cast.................................................Range: 30cm
The wizard must be able to see his target to use this
spell and it cannot be directed against a unit engaged
in combat. Sorcerous Blast is treated like three
ordinary shooting attacks, except that armour has no
effect (all targets count as having no armour). A unit
can be driven back by Sorcerous Blast as with ordinary
shooting.
Daemonic Frenzy
6+ to cast.................................................Range: 30cm
This spell can be cast on any Daemon unit that is in
combat and within 30cm of the wizard. The effects last
for the duration of the following Combat phase and
allow the unit to re-roll any failed To Hit rolls in
combat.
Authors
Further
Information
Websites
www.Warmaster.co.uk
& www.Games-Workshop.com/StormofChaos
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Nurgle
Slannesh
Tzeentch
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