Almost every Warhammer 40,000 hobbyist will agree, making a board full of sweet terrain to play your games on can be one of the trickiest things to get right.* The new Battlezone: Manufactorum terrain kits make that a thing of the past! On Saturday, no fewer than five great boxes go on pre-order, and they’re complete game changers!
The Big One – Battlezone: Manufactorum – Vertigus
Let’s start with the biggest, and frankly best, set in the Battlezone: Manufactorum range – the Vertigus box! Designed to recreate the desolate, derelict world of Vertigus II, this terrain kit is loaded with everything you need to fill a Combat Patrol- or Incursion-sized game board with terrain. It even includes two 22”x30” boards!
The boards are made from durable, double-sided cardboard with stunning detail on each side – one with a grey, rubble-strewn battlefield reminiscent of a cityscape, while the reverse has a rust-red Martian desert theme.
The boards in this set make deploying your battlefield a cinch – unfold, pick a side, and you’re done. Even better, it folds back up into the box when your game’s over.
You also get a veritable mountain of terrain pieces – 24 in total. These include a Storage Fane, Sub-cloister, Engine Shed, Auto-choral Transmitter, Thermo-exchanger Shrine and 14 Thermo Pipes. In short, enough to make the included game board truly awe-inspiring!
In a packed boxed set like this, picking a favourite item can be hard… The WarCom team is split between team Auto-choral Transmitter and team Engine Shed – yes, we’re weirdos.
Our favourite bit about this set is that it’s all push-fit. Getting your war zone battle-ready has never been easier, and it paints up beautifully too! Everything in this set is fully compatible with Warhammer 40,000 Command Edition and the Command Edition Battlefield Expansion Set – in fact adding it to either gives you incredible terrain to fight over.
Yeah, all this in one set! If there’s a better way to start your own Battlezone, we don’t know it.
Sanctuary
As well as the mega Vertigus set, there are several other incredible Battlezone: Manufactorum kits coming out this weekend, including the Sanctum Administratus. This shell-blasted ruin was clearly once a centre of data processing and general Imperial, erm, administration.
The view from the top is one thing, but the advantage of both plunging fire and the observation platform are something else entirely!
The Sanctum Administratus gives your game board some serious height. Not only does it provide a dominating position to pour fire onto the enemy while ignoring Look Out, Sir, but it also affords some cover for your bigger units – Imperial Knights, Wraithknights, we’re looking at you.
What exactly is a Sub-cloister?
We’re not entirely sure, but it’s cool, and in narrative games, you can shelter an infantry unit in the basement.** The Sub-cloister and Storage Fane kit makes the two eponymous buildings you’d expect and gives you some hefty low-level terrain to shield your models.
Excuse me, sir… is this where you store your fane?
Contain Yourself
One of the most popular kits in the history of Warhammer terrain, the Munitorum Armoured Containers are back! The box contains three hulking-great containers (complete with optional storm bolters for narrative play), nine Promethium Barrels, and 12 supply crates! Everyone loves scatter terrain, right? Especially when there’s a chance it might explode if it’s hit by a stray shot…
The exploding barrels ensure this kit will go off with a bang!
All Aboard the Servohauler!
If there’s anything cooler than the funky little Galvanic Servohauler in the Battlezone: Munitorum Conservators kit, we’re yet to see it. This cheeky little traction engine and its Servo-welder friend look adorable (and are fantastic for conversions). In-game, they even have rules for moving around the battlefield. Friendly units can activate them and make a 6” move, which is perfect for towing along the massive piece of cover on the back of the trailer for your warriors to shelter behind. Sneaking isn’t just for sneaky armies anymore!
The idea of moving the hauler with a squad of troops behind it has us thinking of all those call scenes in war movies where they shelter behind improbable cover. In a good way.
Start Preparing…
Everyone in the (virtual) Warhammer Community office is seriously hyped for the Battlezone kits to drop. Not only do they promise to be game-changing for Tactical Deployment games, but their new narrative rules will make a big difference too. It’s now going to be easier than ever to create your own amazing terrain setup.
Whether you’re looking to host battles at your home, aiming to easily build a great Armies on Parade display, or planning on becoming the world champion of Tactical Deployment games,*** you’ll want to get your pre-order in on Saturday.
* If you’re of a certain vintage, you may remember the days when a Warhammer 40,000 board was populated with painted yoghurt pots and polystyrene balls with cocktail sticks poking out of them – a charming piece of hobby history.
** They’re not hiding, they’re just strategically placed out of line of sight.
*** We’re not sure that’s really a thing. But if you want to make yourself a title belt out of cardboard and aluminium foil, make sure that you share it on our Facebook page.