The 1.75 Million Point Game for the Fate of Ichar IV

In 1995 Jervis Johnson launched a global Warhammer 40,000 campaign.

The idea was cooked up by Johnson and Any Chambers. The pair were keen on building player community, something Johnson has talked about in a Filmdeg Miniatures video ^↗ .

All quotes below are credited to Johnson in the magazines.

Setting the Scene

Codex Tyranids had been released earlier that year with a much expanded model range ^↗ . The book is credited to Andy Chambers with stories by Jonathan Green. This book did a lot to popularise the faction. All my Tyranids are first edition, but I got to field them alongside my friend's new army.

In the background section for Hive Fleet Kraken the industrial world of Ichar IV is described as the site of a Genestealer Cult rebellion put down by the Ultramarines. But this is just a prelude to a new invasion.

Tyranid Invasion - White Dwarf 190

Johnson's plan, endorsed by editor Robin Dews, was an ambitious community event that would take place via White Dwarf, fan letters, & Games Workshop stores.

Over the weekend of 30th September and 1st Octobe, Games Workshop stores all over the world will be staging battles between the Tyranid attackers and Imperial defenders of the planet Ichar IV.

The article claimed that it would be the largest war game campaign ever fought. You could participate using either the 40K or Epic game systems.

It is a conflict where you could make the difference between victory or defeat...

The Story So Far - White Dwarf 191

This article describes the battles fought as part of the Ichar IV camplaign at the Games Workshop Design Studio.

The studio fought the battle of Hive City Nemesis across three tables. The core was held by the Ultramarines with Imperial Guard and Eldar on the flanks.

We used a special mission for the three battles where both sides scored points for killing enemy models and occupying areas of the table, rather than use the standard missions that come in the Warhammer 40,000 box.

Memorable moments included a Hive Tyrant killing himself with a misfiring Venom Cannon and Marneus Calgar almost dying to a Spore Mine while hiding behind a Razorback.

The Mail Order department played their own game with an entire Ultramarines First Company. A few reports from players were mentioned too.

The Results - White Dwarf 192

Dozens and dozens of you wrote in, many including detailed descriptions and even multipage battle reports (with maps!) of the games that had been played. To say that I was hugely impressed by the quantity and the quality of the response is an understatement, and I just wish I had room for to list everyone who wrote in.

They received over 450 written battle reports with an estimated 1.75 million points worth of forces involved.

Johnson allocated each city on the planet map a geographic area. Nemesis was north-east England, Dief was Canada, though the full mappings are not listed. Excerpts from the reports were used to build a rundown of what was happening at each city. Battle outcomes were used to decide whether the city had been defended or overrun.

++ NOVA CASTILLE HIVE ++

"I have a Leman Russ ready to paint, this was used as a wrecked vehicle to provide extra scenery in the game."

In the end the defenders won 60% of the battles and Ichar IV was saved with only a billion killed.

After Ichar IV

The commercial success of the first campaign meant additional campaigns followed for 40K, Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Lord of the Rings. Later campaigns had dedicated websites and other supporting material.

The campaigns became more of a product in 40K 3rd edition when they got dedicated codices. They eventually collapsed under the overheads of administering it all.