Timeline of the Second Armageddon War

Connecting the dots: an overview of the War

At a conservative estimate, Waa-Ghazghkull landed more than sixteen million orks on Armageddon
@death_of_a_rubricist

Armageddon enjoys one of Games Workshop's most detailed and complete histories – and it's this that frames the project. This article looks at the meat and vegetables of this project: the strategic map and timeline that will allow all of us to work together to inspire new models and write great stories – even if we're on opposite sides of the Earth!

How does the boardgame relate to the project?

While we won't be playing the game for real, Battle for Armageddon does make for a rather excellent campaign map. Here, and in future articles, you'll find information on the 'historical' playthrough of the Second War for Armageddon. This article includes a full timeline, and the initial deployment – read on, soldier...

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The War in Armageddon Secundus

'Thugs, blood and dust'
@the_steel_legion

Pre-war

Armageddon Secundus is the more prosperous and populous of the two inhabited continents. It lies west of the equatorial jungles, which you can see on the left of the map here. (See note on geographical conventions.)

Armageddon Secundus pre-war

Armageddon Secundus boasts five hive-cities, each with a population running into the hundreds of millions:

• Infernus – nestled in the south-east of the Palidus mountains, and at the confluence of the Infernus and Stygies rivers.
• Helsreach – the southernmost hive, on a small peninsula in the Tempest Ocean.
• Hades – northernmost Hive, north of the Eumenidies river and near the coast of the Boiling Sea.
• Acheron – deep in the wastelands and near the source of the Eumenidies.
• Tartarus – surrounded by the Skeletus river, this lies in the far south west.

The 604th Regiment formed part of the 9th Army, raised in Acheron midway through the war. One of their numerous Commissars is pictured observing an armour column as it moves through the wreckage of a burnt-out factory district on the east bank of the Stygies.
@firstlegionminis

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Battle for Armageddon timeline

The rulebook for the Battle for Armageddon boardgame includes the following chronology, which – rather happily – also includes the 'historical' turn numbers. 

Since we've got the date that the orks landed (in Bill King's awesome colour text), I've done my best to work out the relevant dates using the Imperial Dating System – while this isn't directly useful, it adds to the immersion, and I hope that little snippets of info like this help to spark your imagination.

9/882/933.M41 [-8 years]  Ghazghkull Thraka suffers a serious head wound. He wakes up with a stainless steel skull, psychic powers, and the knowledge that he is on a mission from the gods – Gork and Mork.

9/101/938.M41 [-2 years]  Ghazghkull has fought his way up to being the leader of his whole tribe. He is doing his best to start a Waa-Ork, but is finding it difficult to convince the leaders of the other four tribes on the planet that they should do what he says.

9/045/940.M41 [-1 year]  The sun around which the Orks' planet orbits starts to die, and an absolutely huge space hulk appears in system. Ghazghkull convinces the other Orks that this is a sign from the gods, and that they should unite under his leadership – the Waa-Ork is now on!

9/298/940.M41 [-9 months]  The five Ork tribes and all the Wildboyz on the planet board the space hulk and set off into the warp. During the journey the space hulk's power fields fail and it is attacked by all kinds of horrible warp creatures, but Ghazghkull and the Ork Weirdboyz beat them off.

4/466/941.M41 [-7 months]  The space hulk arrives in the Armageddon system, and starts to drift towards the planet. Armageddon's system defence craft attack the space hulk in a futile effort to destroy it, but they fail and are wiped out. Distress messages are sent calling out for help. The only readily available force, three Space Marine Chapters, prepares to move out.

3/550/941.M41 [-6 months: Feast of the Emperor's Ascension]  The space hulk reaches the planet and the Orks invade. The initial invasion blows the Imperial forces out of the way and Armageddon Prime is quickly overrun. A serious warp storm erupts, cutting off the planet from Imperial assistance.

3/802/941.M41 [-3 months]  Two Ork tribes strike north, away from Armageddon Secundus. Imperial forces manage to hold this attack. Herman Von Strab, Imperial Overlord of Armageddon, is convinced that the other three tribes are being held in reserve to reinforce this attack, and says it is impossible for the Orks to move through the thick jungle that separates Armageddon Prime and Armageddon Secundus. Commissar Yarrick is banished to Hades hive for daring to oppose this view. Armageddon is still cut off by warp storms.

The Border Guard was a mix of militiamen and Steel Legion overseers. While there were exceptions, the Border Guard as a whole was poorly-equipped and badly-led, with dreadful morale.
@duckcalledsue

3/054/942.M41 [Invasion of Armageddon Secundus – Game turn 1]  Three Ork tribes smash into Armageddon Secundus' border defences, catching the unprepared defenders completely by surprise. Ork armoured formations penetrate deep into Imperial territory. Two tribes go east of the Diablo mountains, while the third goes west. Ill-conceived and poorly co-ordinated counterattacks, ordered by Overlord Stab, are crushed. Shattered Imperial forces fall back to the Diabolus and Stygies rivers, and attempt to form a new defensive line, but are stretched very thin indeed. The warp storms continue.

Waaagh! One of the endless Bad Moons mobs that brought terror to the north.
@johnpaints

 

3/307/942.M41 [+3 months – Game turn 2]  The Orks crash through the new Imperial line. Sweeping round the Palidus mountains, Ork forces surround Infernos hive, which surrenders without a fight. Ork columns reach the outskirts of both Hades and Helsreach hive clusters. Hive gangs are conscripted and formed into polyglot armies that are hurled into the front line. Overlord Strab unleashes his secret supply of virus bombs, but they are largely ineffective against the hardy Ork hordes. An Ork assault on Helsreach, aided by a psychic storm created by Ork Weirdboyz, smashes its defences and the hive falls. However, an assault on Hades commanded by Ghazghkull is turned back, largely thanks to the efforts of Commissar Yarrick. The warp storms end and communication with the Imperium is re-established.

Ugrak Eadsnappa, Ded Killy Boss, was commander of the 'Ardeadz warband – unromantially termed simply 'Goff Horde 2' by Imperial Strategic Command.
@tiny.workspace

 

3/564/942.M41 [+6 months – Game turn 3]  Ork forces consolidate their positions round Infernus and Helsreach, and start moving south. An offensive is launched towards Acheron hive, but is turned back by the timely arrival of the Space Marines. Hades is surrounded, but continues to hold out, supplied by specially adapted shuttles. This resistance proves to be vital, as more and more Orks are drawn into the siege, allowing Imperial forces elsewhere a vital breathing space.

3/830/942.M41 [+9 months – Game turn 4]  An Imperial offensive, spear-headed by the Space Marines, is launched to relieve Hades hive, but it falls to a huge Ork assault just three days before Imperial relief columns break through the Ork lines. Commissar Yarrick survives the fighting. In the west, large numbers of Ork reinforcements reach the front lines, and the Orks launch a new offensive towards Tartarus hive. The Imperial lines, stripped of units to aid fighting in the east, can't hold the Orks who break through and plunge deep into Imperial territory.

The Fighting First were mauled but unbroken in their attempt to stem the Bad Moon tribe from storming Helsreach.
@the_steel_legion

3/072/943.M41 [+1 year – Game turn 5]  In the east Imperial forces start to push the Orks back past the Diablo Mountains. Ork units form a new line on the Diabolus River, in the west, the boot is on the other foot, as the Ork threes reach the river Skeletus and launch headlong assaults on Tartarus hive. Tartarus holds out – just – and the Imperial forces launch a devastating counterattack. The Space Marines use their drop pods to land behind the Ork spear-heads and succeed in cutting off an entire Ork tribe. Desperate attempts by the Orks to break out are to no avail. Lacking food and ammunition, the tribe is virtually destroyed. In one fell stroke almost half the Ork army is destroyed.

3/307/943.M41–3/921/943.M41– [+1 year and 3 months–1 year and 9 months  – Game turns 6–8]  The defeat at Tartarus hive spells the end of any hopes of an Ork victory. They are pushed back all along the line. Helsreach and Infernos are recaptured by the end of tum 8, and the battered Ork survivors retreat into the jungles to the north. 

3/001/944.M41 – [+2 years – end of Game] The Armageddon campaign is over.

'Drive 'em out!'
@firstlegionminis

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