Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Librarian
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Centurion
4/5 Stars. Great choice and great rules arising from the customization available.
Monday, June 27, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Tartaros Praetor
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.
Sunday, June 26, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Cataphractii Praetor
Saturday, June 25, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Legion Praetor
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.
Friday, June 24, 2022
The First Beakie
Thursday, June 23, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Armoury
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Legion Traits and Rites
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Legion Rules
4/5 stars. (The rules are strong).
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.
Monday, June 20, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Iron Hands Armoury
Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sunday, June 19, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Iron Hands Legion Traits and Rites
Horus Heresy 2e Review: Iron Hands Legion Rules
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!
Saturday, June 18, 2022
Horus Heresy 2e Reactions
Horus Heresy 30k 2e Reviews Summary
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 picture above is what greeted me upon opening the box. The sheer amount of minis contained inside is intimidating!
Friday, June 17, 2022
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!
Saturday, June 11, 2022
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).
Thursday, June 9, 2022
Liber Mechanicum Reveal
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Age of Darkness Roadmap
Sunday, June 5, 2022
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.