40K: Warzones of the Future
Games Workshop teased that more new war zones are on the way – but where exactly are they planning on taking us? One war zone might be a lot closer than you think.
The Adepticon Preview had some pretty amazing news. There is lots of stuff to look forward and GW certainly dropped enough teasers to leave us with even more questions than answers. One big question we had after the previews was “what’s the next step for the 40k story now that Vigilus Ablaze is almost here?” Well – they are taking us to a whole bunch of new war zones!
Starting later this year, we’ll be exploring the myriad war zones across the 41st Millennium. The battle for Vigilus was a pivotal one, but such is the dire state of the galaxy that it is just one of the war-torn planets on which the fate of the galaxy will be decided.
This war zone has brought us Primaris Marneus Calgar, the return of the Despoiler, and a huge host of Chaos Space Marines – just think what other war zones could bring…
That DID get us thinking – what ARE they going to bring us?! But to answer that question, we had to wonder WHERE they were going to bring us. Now, all we really had to go on was this art that accompanied the announcement. Well, if you’ve got a Warhammer 40k BRB, some of those planets might look familiar:
Now – it’s still not much to go on, but at least we know GW is not above recycling their art assets (hey, that’s why you make them – so you can use them). But of the 5 planets pictured in the top art, 4 of them are also on this page – along with descriptions of the different types of planets you’d find in the Imperium. Obviously, if there are going to be new war zones, it would make sense that they would be set within these different types of planets.
However, of all the planets, one in particular stands out – and that’s the planet with the metal ring around it. There is another planet that has a similar ring around it and it’s pretty close to home:
Mars – Home of the Adeptus Mechanicus
Ring of Iron/Steel
The Ring of Iron is a chain of construction yards that surrounded the Adeptus Mechanicus world of Mars. The original Explorator vessels were constructed in these orbital factories, and later, during the Great Crusade, the Expedition Fleets of the Imperium of Man.
During the Martian Civil War at the start of the Horus Heresy, the Ring of Iron was attacked and devastated, with fire on it being seen from the red sands on Mars. In M41 Spacecraft and other large constructs are constructed within the Ring’s extensive orbital factories, and many of the ships of the Battlefleet Solar are based in it’s huge floating docks. The Ring of Steel is the largest known man-made structure in the Galaxy.
Advertisement
Could GW be taking us this close to Terra? What if it’s not even Chaos related? After-all, who said these new war zones would need to pick-up exactly after the events of Vigilus Ablaze – there are LOTS of factions in 40k all trying to snuff each other out. Mars is a hot bed of secrets anyhow. We still don’t know what is really going on beneath the surface of Mars. Anyone else remember that story from the Necron’s 3rd Edition codex about a suicide run to planet’s surface – and only one ship managed to touch down?
In M41, Mars itself would come under attack by a bizarre suicidal Necron raid. Somehow, five Necron Shroud Class Light Cruisers managed to penetrate the formidable planetary defenses of the world. After pursuing the invaders to a mining complex in the northern regions of the planet known as the Noctis Labyrinthus, defense ships were finally able to catch and destroy the Necron vessels, though only to great cost to themselves. Moreover, one ship managed to actually land on the soil of Mars before being vaporized. What the Necrons hoped to gain by this remains a mystery.
Hey, we got Forgebane which was Necrons vs Ad Mech. Why not give them a round 2 and up the stakes? We got a bunch of new Marines/Chaos Marines – how about some crazy Void Dragon/Omnissiah models?
There Is More Than One Red Planet
Hey – what if it’s not Mars? There are countless planets that GW could use. It’s a pretty big galaxy after-all, I’m sure there are more than a few that fit the bill. There is another planetary sector I’m personally invested in because it would impact one of the armies I play: Baal.
I’m very curious to see what happens post-Vigilus. I’ve got theories and one involves Baal and the Blood Angels getting completely cut-off from the Terra-side of the Imperium. Can you imagine what could happen to the Blood Angels if they had to take some drastic steps to survive? We already know the Primaris Protocol has replenished their ranks back from the brink – but that also means that there aren’t a lot of “old school” Marines left in their chapter – or their successor chapters. What could that isolation bring out of them?
Hopefully some new models for one…
The prospect of new war zone is exciting. We now know that Slaanesh is getting a revamp and Sisters are also on the way – are we going to see a “Sinners vs Saints” war zone? What about some Xenos Action? I’m still hoping for a Tyranid vs Ork themed war zone to manifest… The options are wide open for the future of 40k. With 5 planets teased, who knows what GW has planned!
If you could pick a theme for one of the future War Zones – what would it be? What forces would be involved?
