Warhammer 40K: What the Glorious Battles of EPIC Looked Like
With talk of EPIC’s return, today we take a look back through the TEENSY retro battle scenes from 40K EPIC scale that inspired gamers decades ago. Come and see the biggest battle from the grimdark’s smallest edition.
So EPIC may come back. GW showed off an image at Warhammer Fest and folks are talking. If there is one thing that gets a gamers blood pumping – it’s a good TEENSY battle scene. Lovingly set up and photographed, with the best-painted TEENSY minis – it only takes a few seconds to capture a gamer’s heart and get that next army started. While GW seemingly wrapping up a new edition of Adeptus Titanicus, Nottingham has been offering EPIC scaled versions of the Grimdark for over 30 years. Today we go back and remember what the 40K Epic game looked like all those decades ago.
Adeptus Titanicus, that game that started it all in 1988. Look at that terrain and infantry advancing across the sands.
White Dwarfs 115 and 116 brought us Space Marine (1st Edition) in 1989, adding infantry and vehicles to EPIC.
Let us take a moment and appreciate the formative Titan Legions and crazy color schemes from these days of unmitigated creativity. Many of these have been reborn in the modern Adeptus Titanicus (2018) to carry on the battles of the Horus Heresy.
White Dwarf got into the action with EPIC battle reports from various factions – such as this IG vs Eldar affair from White Dwarf 160. Take a very close look at the Eldar army list and unit cards to see what all the modern day units originally looked like. Some, like the Wave Serpent, are unrecognizable to recent gamers.
A scaled up Armorcast EPIC Wave Serpent!
I am still in awe of that Squat …erm Leagues of Votann, stronghold terrain piece decades later! Also – GO LAND TRAIN!
EPIC was the birthplace of all the modern Imperial Knights; seen here getting bowled over by Craftworld Eldar – and Harlequins (extreme foreground). Also shout out to that MASSIVE (in EPIC scale) Eldar avatar back there.
Here the Tyranids swarm into Imperial Guard superheavies. I spy tiny little Roughriders back there. We are all trying to forget the memory-holed “ice-cube tray Warlord” titan back on the right.
Ghaz leads a mighty EPIC Waaagh! Note some of the exotic mobs. I am STILL holding out hope for a 40K scale Great Gargant. It’s a crime that the T’au got the Manta so many years ago while the Orks are stuck with only the Stompa!
A tough as nails Squat army faces down the Greenskins. I have a funny feeling that with the hints from modern Necromunda, the Leagues of Votann may get a Land Train one of these months! I think the Overlord Airships got swiped by the Kharadron Overlords.
The Land Train sallies forth to defend the stronghold. Watch out for the Bad Moons Great Gargant.
Blood Angels face down the Goffs in a classic EPIC struggle. It’s been 30 years and I still love this terrain!
A combined Blood Angel and Imperial Guard list. Note the original “lunchbox” Thunderhawk! Eat your heart out Marine dreadnoughts.
Look at all that crazy Chaos Daemon Engine goodness in this list. Magnus too! The Lord of Battles the origin of the latter Lord of Skulls. I was crushed that some of those Khornate warmachines didn’t come back in Codex World Eaters.
Magnus get killed by squads of Grey Knight Terminators! (lower left)
Finally, a look back at one of the oldest Adeptus Titanicus images of a “proto-Stormbird” disembarking Emperor’s Children Legionaires, dreadnoughts, and robots. I’m in TEENSY nostalgia-nirvana!
A Modern Rebirth?
Everyone loves EPIC, but if GW wants to, all the pieces for a grand rebirth are sitting right in front of us. All you have to do is throw together the ranges from Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis – both “coincidentally” the same scale. We would need a new rulebook, but GW kicks those out in their sleep. There are Warhammer Fest teases out there…
~So if EPIC does return, are you in?
