Checkout the inside scoop on Warzone: Pandorax, that Apocalypse supplement that was only included with the Limited “Collectors Edition”.
I happened to pick up the collectors edition when Apocalypse came out, and man I really love this thing. It has some pretty useful aids for playing games of Apocalypse that will really take the burden out of making them myself or lugging the big book around from game to game.
It comes in a small collectors case, about the size of a super heavy model kit, and contains the following;
– A leatherette-bound A5 edition of the rules section of the Apocalypse rulebook
– A double-sided concertina edition of the miniatures showcase, entitled Pluvian’s Fighting Formations & Engines of War 974.M41.
– A set of Apocalypse Formation cards inscribed Index Detestatum.
– A set of 63 elegant black Strategic Asset cards.
– Two Warzone compendiums containing background and additional formations for the wars of Armageddon and Pandorax.
The first thing I really about this set is the sweet “mini” rulebook for Apocalypse. It’s 76 pages big, and is “leather” bound with a page holder as well.
It contains all the rules for the game itself, minus the quick reference sections which themselves come as a laminated fold out “Dungeon Master” type screen that can be laid on the table top to run games of Apocalypse, or just to have handy for rolling game results.
The Datasheets, Painting Gallery, and “Warzone” Armageddon are all separate game aids contained with in this edition itself allowing the rulebook to be just big enough for rules consulting.
Speaking of Datasheets, the Index Detestatum contains smaller thicker cardstock printouts of all the datasheets included with the main rulebook, with index tabs for quick referencing or sorting.
It makes playing with these bigger units easier for sure, as I can just have a few small card on the table to keep track of bigger models and formations now.
This edition also come with a set of the strategic asset cards as well, and a fancy spot to keep them in the box, right next to the spot to hold the “Warzone” books (below).
Speaking of Warzone books, the highly anticipated “Warzone”: Pandorax book contains sets of datasheets that were not included with the initial Apocalypse 40k book, leading some to speculate on it’s “supplemental” status, or whether it was just made as a extra for this collectors set.
Either way it contains 100% new fluff on a campaign that contained the entire might of the Dark Angels chapter of Space Marines and strangely some Grey Knight allies who teamed up against Abaddon himself.
It’s a pretty cool read, that combines some Lord of the Rings elements along with your typical Grim Dark setting to show that things aren’t always what they seem.
Speaking of which, some of the Apocalypse units we’ve all come to know and love got some fluff changes themselves in this book as well.
That’s it for me, but Loken wrote a great article (below) on the new “Warzone”: Pandorax book itself, and I made a video unboxing of the collectors edition for you all to enjoy as well. -MBG
Here are the contents of the “Warzone”: Pandorax courtesy of Apocalypse 40k’s blog.
The Warzone: Pandorax booklet in the Apocalypse “Collector’s Edition” lists new formations.
Pandorax for now is only available in the Collectors Edition (expected in stores for those who pre-ordered, tomorrow). But here are the formations and Strategic Assets you will see.
FORMATIONSChaos
Chaos Space Marines
The Chosen of Abaddon
Daemon Engine Pack
Great Brass Scorpion of Khorne
The Hounds of Huron
Khorne Tower of Skulls
Maelstrom of Gore
Plaguereaper of Nurgle
Trinity of Blood
Daemons
Daemonic Forgehost
Imperial Guard
Deathstrike Vortex missile Battery
‘Emperor’s Mercy’ Commissariat Squad
Storm Trooper Mission Elite
Traitor’s Bane
Xerxes Airborne Support Wing
Imperium
Maruader Bomber
Warhound hunting Pack
Dark Angels
Talon of Vengeance
Thunderhead Squadron
Grey Knights
Assassinorum Murder Squad
STRATEGIC ASSETS
Chaos Space Marines
Death to the false emperor
Kreator Rex (all chaos super heavies start with an extra hull point)
Raiders from the Maelstrom
Chaos Daemons
Chaos Gate
The Damnation Cache
Imperial Guard
Colonel Strike
Jungle Ambush
Dark Angels
Intractable
Grey Knights
Defy the Daemon
So the list of formations grows. Also, you should note that strategic assets that are listed in Imperial Armour books that are not in the new Apocalypse rulebook, are no longer valid. Go ahead and house rule them as you see fit. But technically they don’t exist anymore! We had this come up in our game this weekend. So make sure you have a good rules discussion first before you start playing. We sat down for half an hour and walked through the book and it helped a ton.
Loken
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
