Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Librarian

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 Stars. The rules are strong. They also allow access to psychic disciplines for all legions, and the use of valuable psychic hoods. For some legions, this is the only psyker available. 

Background.

Once upon a time, all the legions featured psyker-warriors within their ranks. These librarians would be disbanded under the Edict that followed Nikaea (otherwise known as the Trial of Magnus) in the main part, but came back with interest paid during the Heresy. 

For reference purposes, the old Inferno black book listed those legions in favour and against psyker battle brothers. Those legions against the use of librarians are:

Iron Warriors

Space Wolves 

Iron Hands

World Eaters

Death Guard

Candidly, even among these legions there are librarians. The Space Wolves used rune priests to channel the power of Fenris (no doubt causing Magnus to giggle at the claim that they were opposed to psykers) and the last cadre of World Eaters librarians certainly persisted into the Heresy despite Angron finding them more than headache inducing to be around. 

Mortarion hated psykers due to his personal upbringing on Barbarus. Yet psykers persisted even within the Death Guard, and remained hidden in some famous cases. I don't have much to say about the Iron Warriors and Iron Hands avoidance of psykers though. 

Strengths.

The most obvious strength for Librarians is access to psychic disciplines. But there's one item of equipment that is easily overlooked here and that is the psychic hood. Take it. Every time. Yes, it chews up points that you might have used elsewhere, but for that army that you will face every so often that uses psykers, you will be glad that you did.

Weaknesses. 

Not many realistically other than the standard issue of instant death.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral. The rules are comparable. That said, the whole approach to psykers and psychic powers has radically changed -- and changed for the better -- and it is worth stating that. I will look at psychic powers distinctly later on.

Builds.

Legion Librarian with Force Staff, Psychic Hood (120 points).

My baseline offering. Take with a squad in a transport.

Legion Librarian with Force Axe, Psychic Hood, Jump Pack, Plasma Pistol (150 points).

More of a lone star threat, but also good to rock and roll with an assault sqaud.

Legion Librarian in Cataphractii Terminator Armour with Force Axe, Psychic Hood (145 points).

Take a combi-weapon to taste, but otherwise ready to go with a terminator squad.

Tartaros terminator armour will drop the points cost by 10 here, if needed to fit in with such a squad.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Centurion

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 Stars. Great choice and great rules arising from the customization available.

Background.

By necessity, in any legion with many tens of thousands of members, there had to be a strong command structure. Each legion has within it its own champions who have demonstrated their worth, but might not yet have risen to the rank of Praetor. The Legion Centurion is one such character, although there are more specialized roles within the legions that are similarly common given the need to organize and create a smoothly flowing command structure. 

A Note from The Author.

I will not be reviewing Cataphractii and Tartaros armoured Centurions and Consuls distinctly. Instead they will be all bundled together for ease of reference. 

Strengths. 

A Centurion is a fighter - pure and simple. They gain a refractor field to help with their artificer armour along with the relentless special rule. They are very customizable as well in two regard: firstly the base equipment that they can use, and secondly for the Legion Consul upgrades that they can take (in brief, they can be upgraded to Forge Lords, Chaplains, Librarians and far more besides). We will review each of the Consul types distinctly, here we will focus on the Centurion himself. 

For games under 1000 points, a Centurion will be the only commander available if named characters are similarly not being used. Hence the Centurion and the Consul upgrades are important. But they also have their place in higher points games. Note that a detachment can have 3 HQ choices. Therefore it is likely a player could have up to 2 Centurion or Consul choices to go along with a Praetor (or Primarch). This can be very useful indeed. 

Weaknesses.

None really. They are 2 wound HQ selections (3 in terminator armour) that possess a high degree of customization available. As with other Praetors, just watch out for instant death. 

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral. The rules are comparable. 

Builds.

Here we list only the Centurion Builds. We will look at the other consul choices distinctly.

Legion Centurion with Nemesis Bolter (70 points).

In all honesty, I think we are going to see much more nemesis bolter action in the new edition. This centurion sits back with the heavy support and sniper squads and uses his BS=5 to take on targets of choice. Welcome to the Raven Guard or Alpha Legion.

Legion Centurion with Thunder Hammer and Boarding Shield (90 points).

Brutal close quarters fighter. Great for Zone Mortalis, and probably Iron Hands too.

Legion Centurion with Jet Bike, power weapon (lance probably) (105 points).

Charge in and strike with the power lance at AP3, then dash out again. Suited to speedy armies such as White Scars and Emperor's Children.

Legion Centurion with Jump Pack, Twin Lightning Claws, Melta Bombs (105 points).

Death from above to roam with other jump pack squad marines. Nice for armies like World Eaters and others than want to be in combat. [although if its armies like Dark Angels, take bladed weapons instead obviously].

Legion Centurion with Plasma Pistol and Power Fist (95 points).

Quite the traditional build for a Centurion to be candid. Foot slogging and meant to get in a rhino or other transport with his brothers. 

Legion Centurion with Combi-Melta and Chain Axe (75 points)

Upgrade the Chain Axe to Power Axe or Charnabal Weapon to taste. A nice touch to run alongside a squad within combat armies such as World Eaters. 

Legion Cataphractii Centurion with Chain Fist and Combi-Melta (110 points).

Wreck both vehicles and buildings ... plus their contents.

Legion Cataphractii Centurion with Combi-Plasma, Thunder Hammer, Grenade Harness (115 points).

An all rounder that will sit nicely in a larger terminator blob. 

Legion Cataphractii Centurion with Power Fist (95 Points).

Cheap and cheerful!

Legion Tartaros Centurion with Twin Lightning Claws and Grenade Harness (95 points).

Close combat orientated and suitably deadly.

Legion Tartaros Centurion with Thunder Hammer and Volkite Charger (92 points).

Another close combat terminator, but with some interesting anti-infantry ranged threat too. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Tartaros Praetor

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5 Stars. For the same reason as the power armour praetors, it is essential that players have access to Rites of War and taking a praetor of any sort should be a given at points values in the thousands.

Background.

Praetors in Tartarosterminator armour share all the same kinds of boons as praetors in regular power armour, but also have that magic 5+ save and unlike their Cataphractii cousins are able to undertake sweeping advances. Once again, this is the kind of praetor to lead from the front. 

Strengths. 

As with the Cataphractii praetor, the Tartaros praetor has an impressive 4 wounds and is a strong character to contend with. Of course, they also come with Master of the Legion which is all important for access to the Rites of War. Armies including this character don't necessarily have to be built around them to make best advantage of the terminator armour, but consuls that help with close combat such as a chaplain are certainly going to help. 

Weaknesses.

This terminator moves swifter fluff wise than Cataphractii armoured terminators and as a trade off has less defensive protection. This is fine though and a rational transaction for being able to sweep in close combat. Similar to cataphractii armour: look out for instant death. 

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral. The rules are comparable.

Builds. 

There are many different sorts of builds to consider here, and some will depend on not only the kind of army being constructed, but also on the individual legion in question. 

Legion Tartaros Praetor with two lightning claws and grenade harness (125 points).

A nice points cost for a very effective Praetor who will likely see use with many armies, although this one strikes me as particularly nice for Night Lords and even White Scars.

Legion Tartaros Praetor with Thunder Hammer and grenade harness (130 points).

Very little not to like here. Replace the thunder hammer with a paragon blade to taste. 

Legion Tartaros Praetor with Volkite Charger and Lightning Claw (112 points).

Arguably one of the cheapest terminator praetors in the game that is not the "naked" version.

Legion Tartaros Praetor with combi-plasma and Power Fist, with Grenade Harness (135 points).

A very generic praetor that will do well in almost any kind of situation and with any legion.  

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Cataphractii Praetor

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 Stars. For the same reason as the power armour praetors, it is essential that players have access to Rites of War and taking a praetor of any sort should be a given at points values in the thousands.

Background.

Praetors in Cataphractii terminator armour share all the same kinds of boons as praetors in regular power armour, but also get the benefit of some of the best protection available in the game. These Praetors should be thought of as leading from the front and be built accordingly.

Strengths. 

With a whopping 4 wounds, the Cataphractii praetor is a beast to be contended with. Able to withstand an impressive amount of incoming fire power and bladed weapons, this terminator is strong to say the least, and as usual comes with the important Master of the Legion rule. Players should take this terminator if they are fielding an army that can be constructed around him and benefit the unit that he is a part of. Consuls like apothecaries will be important here, along with command squads and perhaps other terminator units who are also wearing cataphractii armour. 

Weaknesses.

This terminator moves slower than Tartaros armoured terminators and may not undertake sweeping advances. Otherwise, look out for instant death incoming and its going to be all good. 

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral. The rules are comparable.

Builds. 

There are many different sorts of builds to consider here, and some will depend on not only the kind of army being constructed, but also on the individual legion in question. 

Legion Cataphractii Praetor with combi-melta and chain fist (160 points).

Take on vehicles and destroy their contents if they are a transport. Great for deep strikes, and works nicely with armies wanting to tear down the world ranging from Night Lords and Iron Warriors through to Imperial Fists and Sons of Horus.

Legion Cataphractii Praetor with two lightning claws and grenade harness (150 points).

A generic close combat praetor. Need to think how he will get into combat though - remember they're slower than other units. 

Legion Cataphractii Praetor with Paragon Blade and Volkite Charger (152 points).

A nice option for armies who like blades (looking at you Dark Angels players). 

Legion Cataphractii Praetor with combi-plasma and thunder hammer (160 points).

Hammer time, backed up with plasma death on one turn. Suits Salamanders (although combi-melta or flamer is probably more tempting) and those with a more technological theme. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Praetor

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5 stars. Essential. Players need to have a Praetor in any game where they are not fielding a Primarch and over 1000 points. Their rules are too strong to ignore.

Background.

Legion Praetors are the commanders just below the Primarchs themselves. Given the sheer number of them, their names and variations are extensive indeed. Inside their own legions they command and lead from the front -- it is likely that almost every army short of a kill team will be lead by such a praetor, and therefore they are probably one of the most important HQ choices available to the budding commander. 

Strengths. 

Apart from being very effective within the game, the main reason for taking a Praetor is to generate access to Rites of War. Indeed it is unlikely that anyone should face off against, or use an army without such a rite, and as such having a Praetor (or Primary) within a Horus Heresy space marine army is essential.

Their stat line is strong, and comes with 3 wounds and has base wargear that includes artificer armour and an iron halo. Their special rules beyond Master of the Legion (which gives the rites of war options) is Relentless which is a nice touch; as well as the ability to take a command squad. 

Weaknesses.

Arguably there are few weaknesses here. The main one is that players can only have 1 Praetor per 1000 points. 

Difference to First Edition:

Neutral. The rules are comparable. 

Builds.

There are a vast array of builds that are possible for Praetors without terminator armour. The following is just a small sampling that will hopefully serve a number of different army styles and legions.

Legion Praetor (120 points).

The "naked" Praetor remains a viable tactic to use for almost any legion and army. You would take this one to generate a rite of war and then do as you please with him - probably take a command squad and rhino maybe? Spend the saved points elsewhere in your army. Candidly, I have never seen anyone play a naked Praetor yet, but it remains very viable.

Legion Praetor with Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer (170 points).

Suited for armies who need a leader at the front along with other jump pack equipped marines and one who is going to make an impact. Seen a Raven Guard army like this. Good also with deep strike armies. Take melta bombs to taste.

Legion Praetor with Bike, Paragon Blade (170 points).

Probably a White Scars Praetor here, but could be tailored to any legion realistically. Bring alongside other fast moving elements to position and cause damage. Take melta bombs to taste. Upgrade to a Jetbike if desired for a further 10 points (recommended).

Legion Praetor with Nemesis Bolter (130 points).

Very much a "cheap" backline leader to sit with heavy support squads or sniper squads. Might be nice for Raven Guard, Alpha Legion, Night Lords and others. 

Legion Praetor with Boarding Shield, Power fist (145 points).

For Zone Mortalis fans. Also does well with more defensive and armoured armies such as Iron Hands. 

Legion Praetor with Charnabal weapon and Disintegrator Pistol (150 points).

Charnabal blades might not be to everyone's taste (if not take a paragon blade), but they seem well suited to certain legions (Emperor's Children and Blood Angels among others). This is a foot-slogging Praetor, but would also do well in a rhino or other transport.

The First Beakie

The first beakie out of the new boxed set finally got built. At this rate it might take me a glacial epoch to get through the rest of the set!

Some thoughts, but not necessarily in any order.

The bonded shoulder pad (the one with the bumps on) comes as two parts! I mean, what the? Couldn't quite understand why to be honest when there was what appeared to be plenty of room on the sprue.

The bayonet (as well as the chain) fixing have their own special rules. This means that these miniatures are some of the only ones in the game that can take advantage of these upgrades. Would have liked if other marks could have used them.

Backwards compatibility is not all it could be - the torsos cannot be mixed and matched with other marks. In one way this is fluffy of course. But in other ways it prevents kit bashing which for so long has been a hallmark of the range.

Speaking of range, there are only 5 poses. There's enough variation within the set to not make this matter though, but this is disappointing. 

Really nice bolt pistol holsters and accessories that are much improved. The detail is amazing. With that said, I still drilled my own bolt gun!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Armoury

Sons of Horus Armoury. 

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. (The rules are average). 

Carosan Power Axe.

This nice upgrade is for anyone with a power weapon. The axe gains Breaching on a 5+ which makes it an attractive option for terminators.

Banestrike Bolters.

Gifted to the Legion by the Alpha Legion, these weapons have a shorter range but make up for it with S+1 and breaching at 6+. This is fundamentally better than first edition. 

Dark Emissary.

This consul upgrade is essentially the eyes of Horus himself. As such, it is a very fluffy character to include in a Sons of Horus army -- or better yet: allied detachment -- which is where this character has been tuned up for. 

If done in this manner, then the Emissary gives stubborn to the Sons in the detachment, along with a staff of dark authority. This staff serves not only as a power weapon at S+1, but gifts Ld=10 in a small bubble around the character when needed for morale or pinning tests. This is nothing to be sneezed at, and is a rather good upgrade for the points. Honestly, this character is great for narrative battles and should absolutely be taken.

Difference to First Edition:

Improved. (Can't ignore the much better banestrike weapon here, and the Dark Emissary is just cool). 

 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Legion Traits and Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. (The rules are strong). 

Warlord Traits.

Chosen by the Dark Gods (Traitor Only).

This Sons of Horus trait has two components: one for the warlord himself, and one for the army. For the warlord, he gets to roll 1d6 every turn. Anything but a 1 means +1S and +1T. A 6 gives a wound back. A 1 subtracts a wound. This, therefore, is a solid personal buff and recommended. The army wide buff is to gain another reaction in the movement phase. My opinion here is that this is a strong trait to take and comes recommended with almost any style of army, but most especially one that is close combat focused -- which players will likely be running anyway!

Wolf of Luna (Loyalist Only).

Great to see a loyalist entry for the Sons of Horus, and fittingly it is attuned to the old ways of thinking that were contained within the former Luna Wolves. A +1A on the charge against traitor legions or when charged coupled with a bonus reaction in the assault phase make this a fitting counter point to the trait above, and equally strong in its own ways. 

The Armour of Pride.

When removed, the player can take a Ld test to bring the warlord back with some remaining wounds instead, but doesn't work against instant death, so don't try it. Add in a bonus reaction to the shooting phase to boot. In all honesty, I don't think this is as powerful as the above traits, but the bonus reaction in the shooting phase is very strong and not to be overlooked. The personal warlord aspect to it is unlikely to get much action since there will be a lot of instant death kicking around in Horus Heresy games, but who knows - if the Warlord can ride in a transport and stay in combat, then those power fists won't be the end of him either. So it can have strong utility when played actively.

Rites of War.

The Black Reaving.

Rage (2), Reavers as Troops, and Justaerin with deep strike makes this rite of war one that will almost be an auto-pick for Sons of Horus players. Negatives are the need to take a master of signal (not much of a negative if you ask me), and that there must be more fast attack than heavy support. This is also fine. I like this rite, and it is very much a good translation of the first edition and arguably fractionally stronger as well. 

The Long March (Traitor Only).

Gaining an increase in movement, and enabling terminators to be non compulsory troops with outflank is a nice touch (remember the outflank assault is now a thing as well). The drawback is that heavy supports have to be in transports or brought in as reserves. Despite the name of this rite, there is not much in common with the first edition. I think this rite is okay, without being outstanding. Not sure it will see as much play as the Black Reaving, but that increased movement rate does have its place, to be clear. 

Difference to First Edition:

Neutral. (On balance, the rules are about the same in terms of raw power ... but I'm gutted for those players who used to love full on terminator armies here - why the heck can't Justaerin find a way to be scoring any more?). 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 stars. (The rules are strong). 

Background.

As the Iron Hands are to shooting attacks, the Sons of Horus are to close combat attacks. They represent almost diametrically opposite sides of the conflict, but both are able to play to their own strengths, and this is the reason that while the Iron Hands may have gone first, the Sons of Horus are not far behind. The Iron Hands are my yardstick for the Loyalists; the Sons of Horus represent a good yardstick for the traitors. These rules and more will be added to the Horus Heresy Reviews Summary Page soon. 

The Sons of Horus are very similar to how they appeared in the first edition, even down to the names of some their special rules. Of course, they are the arch traitors, but there are some in their number who remember well the Luna Wolves of old and cling to the ideals of the Emperor's dream still. I am very glad to see such elements being acknowledged formally in almost every legion detailed in the second edition.

Legion Rules Review.
Merciless Fighters. Retaining the same name as first edition, the core special rule for the Sons of Horus is to reduce by -1S any incoming attacks in melee. This is a great rule and represents a near peerless advantage within close combat. Consider for a moment power fists. They are incoming at S=7, and therefore lose the instant death dealing against marines. Your fighters that have more than one wound will be laughing to say the least. This is incredible really. Naturally, the legion will favour such melee based tactics (take the Reavers- you know you want to!), but is not a slouch in the vehicle department either since this special rule also provides a bonus to ramming actions. Overall then the Sons of Horus are mainly a close combat legion, but don't be surprised by plenty of variation. I long remember a Sons' drop pod assault army I once faced off against backed up by long range tank firepower which was an excellent blend of treats to take care of. 

Their special upgrade for legion centurion is the Dark Emissary which I intend to review distinctly. Alongside this, they gain access to The Warmaster's Armour, and select traits for the warlord from The Warmaster's Own. 

Advanced Reaction.
Death Dealers allows a reaction to being targeted by incoming firepower in the opponent's turn. If triggered and used as a reaction, the nominated unit fires back at +1BS. This then is a strong reaction, but as with other legions the temptation is to horde this until a vital moment. I suggest otherwise: use it as soon as you can since you will find your legion wanting to get into combat and therefore you may not have a chance to play it otherwise. 

Difference to First Edition:
Neutral. (On balance, the new rules provide about the same level of competitiveness). 

Overall, the Sons of Horus have seen changes compared to first edition. The old Merciless Fighters rule worked differently and allowed bonus attacks. Here we see a reduction in strength of incoming attacks instead which will be amazing and an absolute increase in power levels for the legion. Missing here is the Edge of the Spear rule which will be a loss for deep striking armies - I know this will hurt many players out there who like their terminators and this I feel is why on balance I'm approaching neutral rather than a power increase difference level. The loss of Bitter Pride probably won't affect too many players though. Arguably important to note here is that the former need for large blobs of melee units is now gone - the Sons of Horus can function well with minimum sized squads thanks to the new implementation of Merciless Fighters. Hence this is why on balance I think the rules are still strong, but on balance probably about the same power level as first, if rather different overall.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Iron Hands Armoury

Iron Hands Armoury.

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. (The rules are average). 

The Iron-Father.

For a modest points cost a praetor can be upgraded to an Iron Father. This gives battlesmith and feel no pain along with a machinator array and cyber familiar. This is a nice upgrade and one that I might review distinctly as a unit entry.

Blessed Auto-Simulacra.

Vehicles can gain a notch of It Will Not Die for a small points cost. Very much recommended if you have spare points after building an army.

Cyber-Familiar.

An increase in invulnerable save is a good thing and worth the points investment, although the re-rolling of none leadership tests is a mixed bag. Almost worth the points, but best spent on a HQ choice. 

Gorgon Terminator Armour.

It is now the case that this mark of terminator armour can be given to any praetor or centurion. For free if they are already in terminator armour. Take it if you have a retinue of the same.

Graviton Shredders.

In brief: very good. The main difference is Assault 2 instead of pistol. 

Armatus Necrotechnika.

An auto-repair system for a vehicle for when units die nearby. Almost dark eldar in some ways! Its nice, but situational, and potentially a really pain (pun not intended) due to its cost and drawback (Ld implications). I suspect people are not going to select this outside of fluffy armies.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral. (The rules are comparable). 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Iron Hands Legion Traits and Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. (The rules are strong). 

Warlord Traits.

From Hel's Heart (Loyalist Only).

The first entry for Iron Hands warlord traits represents the general grief and failure felt within the legion after the dropsite massacre.

The warlord and his unit get Fear(1) alongside the ability to inflict 1d6 hits against the unit that wiped them when and if that happens in a frenzy of death dealing. This is a reasonably strong trait and perhaps should almost be default for many games where the player is a loyalist. 

The Eye of Vigilance (Traitor Only).

The second one is a similarly interesting option and is one for the traitors of whom there will be a surprising number to those unfamiliar with the background. Indeed, of all the legions who turned traitor, it is often surprising that the Iron Hands did not follow the Warmaster down that route -- although clearly many of them did.

With this trait, the player gets a bonus reaction (very strong!) along with preferred enemy against loyalists. For the traitor Iron Hands player, I think this should be the go-to trait.

Silver-Iron Will.

With no allegiance restriction, this is the trait that many will see on the gaming table. The Warlord and his unit basically never take negative modifiers. They laugh at rad phage as much as fear. Counter balancing this is the fact they cannot make reactions in the movement phase, but gain an additional reaction for one of the other phases. The Iron Hands player should see this as a boon.

Rites of War.

Company of Bitter Iron (Loyalist Only).

Take Medusan Immortals as troops, and they gain Line and Heart of the Legion. All models hate traitors, and can be upgraded with Bitter Iron for free as well. Can't take Ferrus though - he's gone.

The Head of the Gorgon.

Take stubborn when in your deployment zone, and gain access to graviton weapons! Nice. Also the option to take units from the Mechanicum (also nice) with cortex controllers. What shines here is the outflank rule gain which makes this amazing. The negatives are just a shrug by the Iron Hands veteran player. You will see this rite of war very frequently with the Iron Hands all things considered.

Difference to First Edition:

Neutral. (On balance, the rules are about the same).

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Iron Hands Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. (The rules are strong). 

Background.

I am deliberately choosing to start the reviews of the second edition of Horus Heresy by looking at the Iron Hands. The reason for this is both personal and simple: I regarded them are one of the best and toughest legions in first edition - simple as that. 

The Iron Tenth in second edition are presented in the same manner as the first edition of course. Smashed at the dropsite massacre, and then forced into guerrilla warfare against the traitors later on in the heresy. This facet appears more integrated with the new rules to my mind, but there's plenty of options to talk through here. 

Legion Rules Review.

The Medusa's Scales.  With candor, this is the rule that makes the entire legion shine. The ability to take incoming fire with a -1S modifier is simply amazing. The boost of It Will Not Die is similarly attractive for the Iron Hands' vehicles. Sure, it won't work in close combat, but who cares. Players will want to shoot their enemies off the board before that ever happens, and exploiting the new reactions for your own advancing units will make this even more attractive. The Iron Hands therefore remain one of the toughest armies.

The other rules provide access to war gear (The Keys of Hel) which we will review later. The Iron-Fathers is an upgrade for certain characters. And the Sons of Medusa provide access to the legion's warlord traits (of course). 

Advanced Reaction.

The Gorgon's Spite is powerful. In brief, a unit that is about to be charged gets to shoot back not once, but twice at the charging unit, but with the negative of gets hot added to their weapons. This will categorically be super powerful and potentially game changing in the right circumstances. My thought is to play it against a death star unit, or to simply use it early and get it out of the way and done (i.e., don't be precious about it since you will find yourself never using it). 

Difference to First Edition:
Improved. (The rules are stronger than first edition).

The removal of the need to have more infantry is good for the Iron Hands (i.e., rigid tactics is gone). Stand and fight is similarly gone. The Iron Hands were ever a shooting legion, and the rules in second edition tilt toward this style very strongly still, but they don't have some of the previous drawbacks and have the addition of a very strong advanced reaction. This makes the legion a contender for the strongest out of them all, and it retains the place in Warpstone Flux for the benchmark against which others will be judged!

Horus Heresy 2e Reactions

What?

Reactions are the new mechanic involved in the second edition of Horus Heresy.

How?

In the active player's turn the opponent can make moves or undertake actions as a consequence of what the active player does.

Huh?

It took me a few moments to truly "get it" as well. Here's how I thought about it. In older versions of the Warhammer 40,000 game there used to be such a thing as "over watch" (now appropriately called the same, but it is an official reaction in the 2nd edition of Horus Heresy). 

Once I'd figured that out, the rest of it is plain sailing! Reactions are just the same as facing an overwatch when I used to charge in with a unit. There's nothing more to it than that, and after a game or two, this is going to become second nature.

Beyond this, it is just a matter of counting how many reactions a player gets - usually 1 in each phase.

Evaluation.

In the movement phase, a unit can react if the enemy approaches closely. They can either go closer, or move further away. The choice between them depends on what the reacting player has in mind. Get closer to ensure that the charge from an enemy will succeed in some cases. Move further away to avoid a charge, or if you are playing Alpha Legion, to get out of enemy firing range (especially rapid fire range).

In the shooting phase, a unit can either return fire back at them (normal shooting), or can get shrouded at 5+ -- effectively damage mitigation. The choice between these should always be tilted toward returning fire when a unit is at a reasonably high survivor level, or probably use shrouded if there's not too many and if their weapons are relatively useless. Note the Wall of Death rule for flamers and the like here - no need to use templates at all.

In the assault phase, a unit can hold the line and force an enemy to be disordered in their charge which can certainly be very valuable when facing units who like to have bonuses on the charge, or they can overwatch right back at the charge -- again a powerful option. 

There are also Advanced Reactions (once per game antics) which can help in some situations. Interceptor and Death or Glory are now 2 of these advanced reactions and otherwise feel almost like they were in previous editions of the game. 

Overall then, reactions feel like a natural evolution of the game, and provide a smooth way to capture new dynamism that - in a minority of cases - has always existed within the game. Very happy with this development although as stated a bit further up, it will take a game or two to get used to. 

Horus Heresy 30k 2e Reviews Summary

Welcome to the Summary Page for 30k Horus Heresy 2nd Edition here on Warpstone Flux!

Over time, we will be populating this page with our reviews of the 2nd edition of the game, launched on 18th June 2022. Should readers need it, the old 1st Edition summary can be found here. 

Rulebook:
Reactions.

Legio Astartes Army Common Entries:

HQ
Legion Praetor
Legion Cataphractii Praetor
Legion Tartaros Praetor

Legion Centurion -- Legion Librarian -- Legion Master of Signals
Legion Esoterist -- Legion Champion -- Legion Chaplain
Legion Delegatus -- Legion Vigilator -- Legion Pathfinder  
Legion Herald -- Legion Forge Lord -- Legion Primus Medicae
Legion Siege Breaker -- Legion Armistos -- Legion Moritat
Legion Mortificator -- Legion Praevian

Legion Damocles Command Rhino 
Legion Command Squad 

Elites
Legion Veteran Squad 
Legion Terminator Squads: Cataphractii Squad -- Tartaros Squad -- Indomitus Squad
Legion Destroyer Assault Squad -- Legion Mortalis Destroyer Squad
Legion Apothecarion Detachment -- Legion Techmarine Covenant 
Legion Contemptor Dreadnought Talon
Legion Rapier Battery 

Troops
Legion Tactical Squad -- Legion Despoiler Squad
Legion Assault Squad -- Legion Breacher Squad
Legion Tactical Support Squad 
Legion Reconnaissance Squad -- Legion Scout Squad
Legion Rhino Transport -- Legion Drop Pod -- Legion Dreadnought Drop Pod
Legion Termite Assault Drill 

Fast Attack
Legion Seeker Squad -- Legion Outrider Squadron -- Legion Sabre Strike Squadron 
Legion Sky-Hunter Squadron -- Legion Javelin Squadron 
Legion Proteus Land Speeder Squadron -- Legion Xiphon Interceptor 
Legion Storm Eagle Gunship -- Legion Dreadclaw Drop Pod 

Heavy Support
Legion Leviathan Dreadnought Talon -- Legion Deredeo Dreadnought Talon 
Legion Heavy Support Squad -- Legion Predator Squadron
Legion Sicaran Squadron -- Legion Sicaran Arcus Squadron
Legion Sicaran Punisher Squadron -- Legion Sicaran Venator Squadron 
Legion Sicaran Omega Squadron -- Legion Kratos Squadron
Legion Land Raider Proteus Carrier Squadron 
Legion Land Raider Proteus Explorator -- Legion Vindicator Squadron 
Legion Land Raider Spartan -- Legion Scorpius Squadron 
Legion Arquitor Squadron -- Legion Fire Raptor Gunship 
Legion Death Storm Drop Pod Squadron 
Legion Kharybdis Assault Claw 

Liber Astartes (Loyalist) Specialist Entries:

Dark Angels. 
Legion Rules -- Warlord Traits -- Rites of War -- Armoury
Primarch: Lion El'Jonson
HQ: Paladin -- Deathwing Companion Detachment
HQ: Corswain -- Marduk Sedras
Elites: Inner Circle Knights Cenobium -- Dreadwing Interemptor Squad

White Scars. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Jaghatai Khan
HQ: Qin Xa -- Stormseer 
Elites: Golden Keshig -- Ebon Keshig 
Fast Attack: Kyzagan Assault Speeder Squadron 

Space Wolves. 
Legion Rules -- Traits -- Rites -- Armoury 
Primarch: Leman Russ -- Wolf Kin of Russ 
HQ: Pack Thegn -- Speaker of the Dead -- Caster of Runes 
HQ: Geigor Fell Hand -- Hvarl Red Blade 
Elites: Death Sworn Pack -- Varagyr Wolf Guard Terminator Squad 
Troops: Grey Slayer Pack -- Grey Stalker Pack 

Imperial Fists. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Rogal Dorn
HQ: Sigismund -- Alexis Polux -- Fafnir Rann -- Castellan
Elites: Templar Brethren 
Fast Attack: Phalanx Warder Squad 

Blood Angels. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Sanguinius
HQ: Dominion Zephon -- Chapter Master Raldoron 
Elites: Dawnbreaker Cohort -- Crimson Paladins -- The Angel's Tears 
Fast Attack: Contemptor-Incaendius Dreadnought

Iron Hands. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Ferrus Manus
HQ: Iron Father
Elites: Gorgon Terminator Squad -- Medusan Immortals Squad

Ultramarines. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury 
Primarch: Roboute Guilliman 
HQ: Remus Ventarus 
Elites: Invictarus Suzerain Squad -- Praetorian Breacher Squad 

Salamanders. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury and Psychic Powers
Primarch: Vulkan
Elites: Pyroclast Squad -- Firedrake Terminator Squad 

Raven Guard. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury 
Primarch: Corvus Corax 
Elites: Mor Deythan Squad 
Fast Attack: Dark Fury Squad 

Liber Hereticus (Traitor) Specialist Entries:

Emperor's Children. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Fulgrim
HQ: Lord Commander Eidolon -- Captain Saul Tarvitz -- Captain Lucius -- Phoenix Warden 
Elites: Phoenix Terminator Squad -- Palatine Blade Squad 
Heavy Support: Kakophoni Squad 

Iron Warriors. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Perturabo
HQ: Warsmith
Elites: Iron Circle Maniple
Heavy Support: Tyrant Siege Terminator Squad

Night Lords. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Konrad Curze
HQ: Sevatar 
Elites: Terror Squad -- Night Raptor Squad -- Contekar Terminator Squad 

World Eaters. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Angron
HQ: Kharn the Bloody
Elites: Red Butchers -- Rampager Squad

Death Guard. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury 
Primarch: Mortarion 
HQ: Calas Typhon 
Elites: Death Shroud Terminator Squad  
Heavy Support: Grave Warden Terminator Squad 

Thousand Sons. 
Legion Rules and Cult Arcana -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury 
Primarch: Magnus the Red
HQ: Ahzek Ahriman -- Magistus Amon 
Elites: Sekhmet Terminator Cabal -- Contemptor Osiron Dreadnought Talon
Elites: Castellax Achea Automata -- Khenetai Occult Cabal 

Sons of Horus. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Horus Lupercal
HQ: Ezekyle Abaddon -- Garviel Loken -- Maloghurst the Twisted -- Dark Emissary
Elites: Justaerin Terminator Squad -- Reaver Attack Squad

Word Bearers. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury 
Primarch: Lorgar
HQ: Diabolist -- Zardu Layak -- Argel Tal -- High Chaplain Erebus -- Kor Phaeron 
Elites: Gal Vorbak Squad -- Ashen Circle Squad -- Mhara Gal Dreadnought 

Alpha Legion. 
Legion Rules -- Traits and Rites -- Armoury
Primarch: Alpharius (could be Omegon - we're not sure)
HQ: Exodus -- Armillus Dynat -- Saboteur 
Elites: Lernaean Terminator Squad -- Effrit Disruption Cadre
Fast Attack: Headhunter Kill Team 

Liber Mechanicum Entries:

(Not started yet, sorry).

2nd Edition Horus Heresy has Arrived!

A large box arrived in the post this morning weighing in at over 8kg. I was surprised by the sheer weight of it to be honest - but most of that mass is accounted for by the heavy books contained within. 

The main event is the boxed set itself which is massive. So many miniatures contained inside. The reflection is due to the shrink wrap which I removed very quickly.

Buried at the bottom of the box is the rulebook itself. I am yet to fully digest it, but it looks awesome and has a shiny finish quality to parts of the front cover.

The picture above is what greeted me upon opening the box. The sheer amount of minis contained inside is intimidating! 

One of the main reasons I pre-ordered was to get hold of the unique freebie. This is pictured above - a set of cards to go with the game, along with a set of coins which I very much liked the look of. Also pictured are some new paints - I've been in need of a red base for a long time. Alongside this, I've also got hold of the new Liber books, and the new style rhino. 

Lots of things to think through here and digest. Expect more posts on the 2nd Edition of the Horus Heresy in the hours, days, weeks, and months ahead! I will be using the tag "2eHHReview" for the new reviews of the second edition here on Warpstone Flux and retiring the older reviews in due course. In the mean time, lots of reading and assembling to do!

Questions welcome if anyone needs a quick look-up or opinion.

11th Legion Hint from Horus Heresy Warhammer Community

Okay - I decided to bite on the topic of the 11th Legion and the recently published article in the Warhammer Community that is entitled "18 Ways to Celebrate Horus Heresy Day".

Contained in the article are a lot of ways to go about celebrating. Thing is, there are not 18 ways. There are 19 ways plus one "redacted" entry.

There is a strong inference for each of the entries to link to the same numbered legion. For example, point number 8 suggest "8: Turn off all the lights and skulk around the house muttering “I’m Night Haunter" and point number 15 is "15: Give your father a call and fill him in on all your exciting news – just maybe wait until he’s finished with that “super secret” science project down in the basement." both of which clearly relate to the Night Lords and the Thousand Sons.

Entry number 2 is Redacted. Just like Legion number 2.

Here is where it gets interesting.

Entry number 11 reads:
"11: Immediately leave the party, sever all links, and never be heard from again…"

Does this constitute a further hint at the fate of the 11th legion? I'm going to say yes. Largely because I am a raging optimist. No other reason!

Mor Deythan full squad

The fully painted squad of Mor Deythan. Ready to escape the drop site massacre once again for second edition Horus Heresy!

Front view and reverse view -- I am particularly pleased with how the camouflage capes came out in the end. I was aiming for urban camouflage and decided to take a grey-white-black approach with broken lines of paint flowing within the fabric - I think this has worked well. The dusty bases only accentuate the feeling of the miniatures having seen a lot of action on the sands of distant worlds where these Raven Guard are covertly operating.

The equipment set up here is 6 Mor Deythan, 4 with combi-melta guns, and 2 melta guns (I can only hope this is still valid in second edition). 

Liber Mechanicum Reveal

In a word: impressed. The Liber Mechanicum preview revealed today promises the return of many of the favorite 30k units alongside the Knights and Titans that we have grown to love over many years. 

As would be expected, the Mechanicum can be found on either side of the Horus Heresy conflict, and in great numbers. I am delighted to see the contents of the book has retained almost all of what I was wanting to see out of it, alongside what appears to be tasty new rules for advanced reactions for the sects and warlord traits to boot. I think this will be another "must have" for me personally!

Age of Darkness Roadmap

One of the things that I really appreciate as a member of a number of fandoms is when the creators put out roadmaps of the immediate and intermediate future. Games Workshop has done just this today for the Age of Darkness and 2nd Edition Horus Heresy (by the way: we're all calling it 2nd edition now, right?). 

Although this road map is only illustrating the very immediate future, it does seem it is bright! The next couple of black book codex type releases are confirmed (Mechanicum, as well as Forces of the Emperor), alongside multiple downloads that will be available.

While I am somewhat sad that Daemons will not be getting the physical copy treatment, it is great that they are not being ignored either. I think this side of the Horus Heresy has been under-used in the first edition outside of certain army builds with the Word Bearers and narrative campaigns with the Blood Angels. 

The news that certain older models that will no longer be produced by Forge World will still be supported is similarly good news here and one that I certainly applaud. I only wish the list was a little bit longer, with some more estimates and predictions of what we might expect for the rest of the calendar year, and perhaps a rough idea of what 2023 might bring. Otherwise, this is great news and bodes well for the future of the game!

Painted Mor Deythan 6/6

The final member of the squad is a kneeling melta gun toting battle brother. For this marine, I've gone slightly further with the dust and mud on the greaves than some of the previous entries in this series. I think it has paid off since it really starts to show a marine who has been adopting this shooting position regularly on the sands of some forgotten place (maybe the Dropsite Massacre at Isstvan - and yet, I know in the canon it is meant to be black sand, but artistic liberty takes precedent here). 

Very happy with how this marine turned out, including the heat flare on the tip of the melta gun - this looks a lot more natural than some of the previous efforts. The eye lenses are also right here with the red as the base colour, orange for accent, and a slight dot of white in the corner. Highlighting has also worked well along the edges of the white panels (e.g., the hand) and the overall effect is very sound. 

30k Pre-Orders Available

In case anyone is just waking up, the new 30k Pre-Orders are available from Games Workshop right now.

I managed to get in, but there is a queue system in place, and check outs must be completed within 10 mins of logging in, which is a bit of a mad panic if you also want to think about paints, and have lost your password or similar. 

Naturally, I've ordered the new boxed set along with the army rules. Warpstone Flux will be providing a thorough, in depth review of the units contained within the new rules. We will not be rushing this to beat other people out as we will do this in significant depth as we have with the first edition and therefore re-establish this blog as one of the preeminent deep thought resources for the Horus Heresy game available. We look forward to more interactions with you in due course on this front!