The gang got together last month for another game of Shadow War: Armageddon in my basement game room. I was excited to try out my new grimdark battle board, which I had whipped together in a creative frenzy a few weeks back. The board was a bit small for a typical game of Shadow War: Armageddon, but I was confident I could solve that with a few slight modifications to initial deployment — and plenty of terrain, of course!

We were putting Shadow War: Armageddon through its paces with an eye toward embarking on a small mini-campaign using this ruleset. With that in mind, we dredged up a multiplayer scenario that was published specifically for Shadow War: Armageddon. It’s long gone from the official Games Workshop site, but you can snag the PDF at the link below.

The scenario attempts to add some balance to a game mode (multiplayer) that is innately imbalanced. We had four players, which was the ideal number for this published scenario. Let’s see how the game shook out.

Each player chose a corner and deployed their warband. I was running my Dark Mechanicus (kitted out using the Adeptus Mechanicus warband), Rian was running his gorgeous Sisters of Battle, Jim was fielding his Orks, and John brought his eponymous Imperial Guard. Here’s a peek at the warbands in their initial deployment areas.

The battlefield was absolutely choked with terrain: platforms, pipes, walls, barricades, and all sorts of debris. Nobody had a good shot on the first turn, so we spent our time advancing cautiously.

The objective was a promethium valve in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by empty fuel canisters. If the warbands could reach the valve, they could fill a tank and carry off some valuable promethium. We were destined for a mighty clash in the center of the battlefield!

You can see the valve underneath the pipe interchange in the photo above.

It was a wild game. John, to our amazement, employed actual infantry techniques (bounding advance with troopers moving up into overwatch to cover their buddies) and found them to be very effective.

Jim’s Orks had no need for such subtleties — they mostly charged forward, blasting with pistols before charging into close combat with various choppy implements. The victim in the photo below is Ajax 07/4 Ascendant, one of my Dark Mechanicus warriors.

While Jim and I were frantically smashing our forces into each other, Rian was prudently advancing with his Adeptus Sororitas, taking a few potshots (and receiving a few in return). His miniatures looked epic as they navigated the tangle of walkways and pipes in the underhive.

Eventually (and predictably, given our 4-player scenario focusing on a central objective) we all ended up in a giant scrum in the center of the battlefield. Jim’s Orks burst out of cover just as Rian’s Sisters of Battle arrived on the scene, with John sniping from the perimeter and my Dark Mechanicus licking their wounds in the shadows. Another glorious clash in the underhive!

In the end, patience paid off for Rian, as he was able to haul off a couple barrels of promethium while the rest of us were preoccupied with slaying each other. Here’s his Cannoness hoisting her chainsword in triumph!

Once again, Shadow War: Armageddon gave us a great game! It was fun and easy for a new player to learn. It’s very much a GW type of game, so it has zaniness like grenade deviation and poorly balanced wargear options for the various gang lists. But it’s super streamlined and efficient … just one book is all you need. And that’s an approach that really resonates with us here at Comrade’s Wargames.

In any case, we’re interested in using Shadow War: Armageddon for an Inq28 campaign later this summer, so stay tuned for more!