Most Popular Posts of 2023

Its the end of year wrap up! I've done some good progress this year with the Iron Warriors and Alpha Legion for 30k in terms of hobby and painting, alongside some blossoming Mechanicum (Dark or otherwise). Regardless, here's the top 10 posts of the year, and its no surprise that my 30k reviews of the second edition of Horus Heresy are exceedingly dominant. Before we begin, I will give an honorable mention to the White Scars Rules - the only legion to be pushing into the top ten at number eleven. 

10. Legion Terminator Tartaros Squad. Everyone likes terminators apparently!

9. Legion Tactical Squad. The humble tactical squad is essential for many legion builds and its no suprise to see it within the top ten. 

8. Legion Command Squad. And alongside the tactical squad, the command squad's presence in the top ten is easy to understand.

7. Legion Seeker Squad. A nice fast attack choice in the top ten. 

6. Legion Despoiler Squad. Slightly surprised perhaps, but I understand how popular they are. 

5. Legion Veteran Squad. Versatile and regularly looked up by people looking for builds I feel. 

4. Legion Tactical Support Squad. Perhaps a surprise, perhaps not? They're one of my favourite units, certainly. 

3. Successor Chapters of Traitor Legions. A post that I created about which 40k chapters might have traitor geneseed takes number 3 slot. Take with a large grain of salt where applicable!

2. Spoiler-free reading order for Horus Heresy books. A link to the Black Librarium folks who produced the spoiler free reading order for the Heresy books takes number two. 

1. Horus Heresy 2e Reviews Summary. In a surprise to no one - not least myself - the summary page takes the number one slot. I will also be the first to admit that I need to update it! Sorry!

And that's all folks! Happy New Year for tomorrow. I will be taking a short break and back with you in the middle of January! 

Alpha Legion Lernaeans

The final painting post of 2023: Alpha Legion Lernaeans!

Enjoyed painting these up immensely! I have more Lernaeans in the collection that these will join and probably enough for 2 or 3 deadly squads worth. Love the sculpts, and they were a pleasure to paint. 

Lernaean Terminators: Conversion Beamer and Harrower

And just before Christmas, here are two more Lernaean Alpha Legion terminators painted up.

The man on the left is toting a conversion beamer with a power axe. He might or might not get too much use depending on whether I'm thinking of a back line squad, or something much more aggressive.

The man on the right is intended to be the sergeant / harrower of the unit. There's a power dagger hooked on the right of his tabard which in game will generate a handy extra attack -- even with the chain fist that he is wearing. Indeed, the power dagger upgrade is almost always going to be worth taking for a character model in the Alpha Legion. 

And Then There Were Two

Double trouble. A pair of Warglaives have now been assembled!

The machines have opposite arms or handedness, which is something that I like about this build. The poseability is fantastic, and the only real question that I have left is what should I do with the bases. I've not made my mind up with that yet, but very excited to see these pair finally built. Hopefully they will go nicely with what is on order... 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Lord-Castellan Evander Garrius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Although some of the rules are downright odd, Garrius is fundamentally a character to be reckoned with.

Background.

Unification veteran. Unliked by Dorn due to his brutality. Seconded to garrison duty. And then given the opportunity to prove himself (with relish) at the Siege of Cthonia. Which he sets about doing as effectively as any Imperial Fist Lord might!

Strengths.

Garrius has a praetor like stat line but with T=5. More than this though, what stands out is his equipment. The power fist is basically an AP1 S=8 with brutal 2 and reaping blow. This alone is impressive. It gets better with his volkite weapon which gives assault 5, deflagrate along with rad phage! The rad in particular is going to be amazing here. Meanwhile his armour gives him feel no pain in combat and still lets him sweep despite its bulk. He also has several nice special rules including admantium will at 3+ and relentless. 

Weaknesses.
The Unfavoured Son special rule is downright odd. He cannot be part of a detachment containing Dorn. This won't come about unless an allied player is playing Dorn! But if this happens, then he can potentially gain Fearless and IWND - but the likelihood of this ever triggering is zero (but let me know in the comments if you've had it happen?). 

The Butcher of Larissan warlord trait is not necessarily a weakness, but also comes under the category of odd here. When trailing in victory points, he gains rage. This is, of course, nice. There's also some shenanigans where he can cause victory points earned by the enemy to reduce to zero under certain circumstances and die rolls. This cannot be depended upon though. At least the assault reaction bonus is nice. Taken together, the warlord trait can be beneficial to claw your way back to victory in a game, but its just not reliable.

Naturally, he is also a pure loyalist.  

Overall.

A strong character, yet one that is also optimised for the book in which he appears. He is useful, no doubt about it, but the odd rules don't sit well for me. He's probably still worth the points when played aggressively. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Imperial Fists Additional Rules (Siege of Cthonia)

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars, rounded up to 3/5 stars thanks to the new Ferromag shotgun. Leave the new warlord traits at home. 

Ferromag Shotgun.

A free upgrade for a regular shot gun. The reason to take this is the Breaching 6+ shot that you will get from it which gives you a chance at hurting terminators. Obviously this also works in conjunction with the +1 that the Fists already have to hit. Worth taking most of the time.

Warlord Trait: Unforgiven.

A loyalist only trait for those commanders who had somehow offended the Primarch and wanted to return to his good graces. It grants an immunity - of sorts - to instant death and replaces this with d3 wounds. To be candid, this is not as fantastic as it might appear since you will basically be taking a lot of those wounds regardless in a straight up fight with something a touch more challenging. In combat, you also gain fearless, but have to charge where possible. The rub here is there's no bonus reaction. Not really worth it outside of fluffy situations.

Warlord Trait: Bound by Glory.

Choose a legion and gain fearless in combat against that legion. But you cannot sweeping advance them. So maybe take cataphractii armour to seal this. The additional assault reaction is okay. Its not really that good overall.  

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Siege of Cthonia - Overall Impressions

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. There's some really good lore / background here and new rules. But unless you're playing Sons of Horus or Imperial Fists you may well be thinking about skipping this as a purchase?

In our very detailed reviews of the second edition of Horus Heresy, we now turn to one of the subsequent books published: The Siege of Cthonia. 

If players recall the original heady days of First Edition black books, then they may well appreciate what they are letting themselves in for. There is a whole lot of narrative contained inside this book about the siege. It goes into some gruesome detail as it rapidly descends into sheer terror and brings in legions beyond the Sons of Horus and Imperial Fists. 

The narrative alone is really well executed and a highlight of the book. However, I fully recognize that other players and fans might not want this, and desire simply more rules instead. They are here, but not in so much wild abandon as you might like. 

The new lore itself gets a solid 4/5 stars from myself, but some of the rest of the book leaves things to be desired. The missions within are strictly better than the core rulebook, but still a bit "shrug" - 3/5 stars here. Zone Mortalis rules are solid at 4/5 stars from me and much improved over (say) White Dwarf rules for the same. 

There are new units and rules for both the Sons of Horus and Imperial Fists. Although these are to be very much welcomed, let's state the obvious. There's not many rules for other legions in here beyond the Inductii. This is such a massive shame and let down. Doubly so given the narrative of the sprawling war that is contained within the background. So, 4/5 stars for the new rules themselves, but only 2/5 stars for their diversity. 

We will dig into these rules in future posts!

Painted Volkite Culverin Lernaean Terminator

It seems like a long time ago since I posted the conversion I did for an Alpha Legion Lernaean terminator toting a volkite culverin! Regardless, here is the painted up outcome ready for the table top.

The model follows my newer approach to the metallic blue for the Alpha Legion (which is to say using contrast paints). This has come out well but is a touch darker than some of my earlier terminators. I can live with that since the Alpha Legion is notorious for slightly different armourial colours and iconography. 

The silver edgings are reasonable, but I think they could do with a touch more edge highlighting as this is lost in the distance. The Alpha Legion icon on the knee is something that I might come back to to pick out in gold as well. Other than these minor issues, I think that this one is safely done and dusted. I'm very pleased with the base in particular which blends in with the ruined Imperial Sector terrain that I own in terms of colour scheme. 

Warglaive

Back to some hobby this afternoon, and this time featured the assembly of an Armiger Warglaive. I've only put together one of these, there's obviously a second one to do since they come in boxes of two.

What impressed me about the miniature is the poseability. I was a touch confused at Step 5 where the arms attach to the side and then turn around, but it took just a gentle press to get the glueless pose working. All the arms are nicely actuated and can pivot as required. There's clearly been a lot of thought put into this miniature and how it can be assembled.

I've made this one hold the chain sword in the left hand as - to me - this seems more natural if the rider was right handed. The main weapon is on the right. I suppose ultimately with the mind merging that goes on, a bit of ambidexterity doesn't matter. I am not sure whether to assemble the second Warglaive in a similar left / right hand configuration or not, but I do prefer this way around! Overall pretty easy and straight forward to assemble with no real issues other than the choice of a melta gun on the top. A great model and well designed!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Thaumaturgy

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. Quite mixed here. 

Thaumaturgy.

I've often thought of this word as a synonym for spell casting. In the Heresy, the synonym is more like "Use the Warp for Good"? 

Thaumaturgic Succour.

Choose a nearby unit and have them make a psychic test. They regain a wound on a 5+. Nice, fluffy ability to regenerate a friendly unit (multi wound terminators?), but not that great. 

Thaumaturge's Cleansing.

A great template psychic weapon with AP3 at S=4. It also gets the santic rule to hurt daemons on 2+ and force them to re-roll invulnerables. I like this power overall and it is in stark contrast to the otherwise minor power above.

Overall then, a good close range flamer, and a situational and non-guaranteed wound regenerator. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Telepathy

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2/5 stars. I was hoping for more. 

Telepathy.

Hand-in-hand with telekinesis, telepathy is a staple of many science fiction settings. Warhammer has had many variants of this over many years, and the Heresy era sees a re-imagining of some powers.

Telepathic Fugue.

This power confuses your enemy within a bolter range and prevents them from using a reaction. This is a very reasonable power, but also very situational and requires some forethought. 

Telepathic Hallucinations.

The ranged weapon for telepaths has a great range (36 inches no less!) and assault 6. If successful, then the target must take a pinning test with a +1 Ld penalty for every his suffered. This is a great way to cause pinning! But not much use for anything else. 

In short then, telepathy is a neat power, but there are stronger and more offensive powers available in the game.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Telekinesis

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2.5/5 stars, rounded up. The rules are fine, but I'd like something a bit better for telekinesis, not going to lie. 

Telekinesis.

What science fiction setting would be complete without a mild touch of moving objects with your mind? Many in fact, but Warhammer is not one of them thank you very much!

Telekine Dome.

Place a dome to provide a 6+ invulnerable save over a reasonably large area. You cannot move or do much of anything else, but if you pass your psychic check, then the invulnerable save gets an incredible boost to 4+. This is highly situational and defensive, but it certainly has its uses against incoming fire that is not already within the dome. In all honesty, I think a more offensive stance should be preferred most of the time.

Telekine's Focus.

A ranged blast weapon with S=8 and sunder. The AP won't kill marines, but it does provide a reasonable shot for the librarian to use. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Pyromancy

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 stars. The rules are good. 

Divination.
Fire! And more FIRE! Plus a touch of rage perhaps. A very clear discipline that has long since been in the canon of this setting and most others besides. There is a particular way of running this discipline that will require movement and positioning, but it is a good one fundamentally. 

Pyromantic Combustion.
Use a large blast template, scatter it, and inflict a S=6 hit at AP4. Beautiful. Pass a psychic test and you get three pie plates. This is a highly damaging power and one to be used as quickly as possible in the early shooting phases. Yes, the pie plates scatter, but we can't have everything. 

Pyromantic Desolation.

The fire only cares that it consumes. This melee weapon comes with S=6 and AP=3 which is a great combination. The critical drawback here is that it also generates a regular pie plate centred on the user. Hence this is a power that you want to use when you're all on your own, and striking at high initiative. There's a certain art to this. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Divination

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 stars. The rules are good. 

Divination.
Scry the future and determine the best course of action with divination powers! 

Divinatory Aegis.
In place of a shooting attack, add some prevision shots to a nearby friendly unit. Add a psychic check to boost it to 5+. This can be really handy in a game where you are keen to take out specific targets. As such, I rather like it on some support squads with special weapons, or in a command / veteran squad with mixed weapons. 

Diviner's Dart.

This is a ranged psychic weapon. With AP2 at S=6, this is a rather juicy weapon which only gets better with sniper and guided fire - literally shoot around the corner to snipe your target! I rather like this more than I should.  

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Biomancy

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. The rules are good. 

Biomancy.
In general biomancy is the art of enhancing one's own - and others - body and physique. There are two powers within this discipline.

Biomantic Augmentation.
By sacrificing a shooting attach, the psyker can add +1 to Strength for a unit in a small radius - including himself/herself for the remainder of the player turn. 

In general this is a reasonable buff, but questionably at the price of not shooting. Hence this is going to only be used just prior to a charge of a large unit I would anticipate. 

Biomancer's Rage.

This is a psychic weapon. When successfully activated, the psyker gains a S=10 attack in close combat with 4+ rending. This is just amazing for what you could otherwise do. The only downside here is that the AP is a measly 4 and therefore does very little to help rip apart space marines beyond the rending. Very handy for tackling light tanks though!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Aetheric Lightning and Force Weapons

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
The rules are average.

Psychic Powers is a topic that my readers have long petitioned me to review formally. Given that I've now finished with the Mechanicum faction, it is high time that I looped back to redress this omission from much earlier on.

We begin our Psychic Powers review with Aetheric Lightning and Force Weapons. More will follow. 

Aetheric Lightning.
In short, the psyker unleashes lightning bolts from their hands at their target. This is very much a classic of the grim dark, and indeed many different science fiction settings that have psychic beings within them.

The range of the power is 18 inches but it is only at S=3 and AP4. Handily you get 4 shots with it to make up for the lack luster profile. 

The kicker here is the force keyword. With this, the psyker can make a psychic test prior to attacking. If successful, the the strength value is increased to 6 (but a fail is a perils of the warp as per usual). 

Some minor math-hammer then. Against marines (and used by marines), 2.67 shots will hit, and at S=3, 0.88 wounds will result and translate into 0.30 unsaved wounds. If you are successful with the psychic test, then of those 2.67 shots, 2.22 will wound and this results in 0.74 unsaved wounds. Hence a successful psychic test here is likely to be the difference between gently tickling and a palpable wound. Therefore the advice is to always attempt the force option. 

Force Weapons.
Physical force weapons come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. They all do the same thing as the lightning bolts: doubling of strength when a psychic test is passed. The general rule from above is the same here: always try to activate the psychic force weapon to double your strength. This is even more important for marine on marine action since when doubled you get to S=8 (baseline marine being S=4) which is critical for those multi-wound monstrosities. Of course, this doesn't affect AP, so choose the type of weapon appropriately. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knights Household Ranks

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (individual rankings follow for each upgrade - this is just a rough average).

4/5 stars. The rules provide some excellent flavour to knight armies and should be used by all players at least in part.

Seneschal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The boss. The head of the house. Massively experienced. And a big price tag. This provides increased WS and BS which can be very important, but also a warlord trait that permits reactions within a local radius and gains a bonus shooting reaction. Great stuff! Suggested Knight: Lancer.

Arbalester. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain BS, and roll an additional scatter die when you have to and choose which result you want. This upgrade is almost a no brainer for longer ranged knights. Suggested Knight: Asterius, Knight Questoris (especially melta).

Aspirant. ⭐️

Not truthfully recommended due to the negatives on WS, BS, and movement. Has utility if you are short on points, willing to give your opponent a bigger chance, or generally want something fluffy. Otherwise avoid. Suggested Knight: None!

Aucteller. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain WS. Also gain further WS and A when engaged in a challenge with certain other units (knights, monsters, primarchs, and so forth). This is also a no brainer for your dedicated melee knights that you will get to the front lines very quickly. But you have to get there first. Suggested Knight: Knight Questoris, Acheron, Lancer

Dolorus. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain WS and can sweep. A really solid upgrade for melee knights. Suggested Knight: Castigator

Implacable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain a hull point. Attacks against you can't cause more than 1 hull point of damage. Even exoshock! Useful for when you want a survivable knight. Suggested Knight: Unclear. 

Preceptor. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gain BS. Help out your armiger buddies by giving them improved Ld within a small radius. Can be very useful in the right circumstances. Apply it to a ranged knight and it will be good. Suggested Knight: Knight Questoris

Uhlan. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gain a ridiculous movement boost, as well as character, outflank and scout. Well worth it for the shock of turn 1. Suggested Knight: Lancer, Atrapos

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Acastus Knight Asterius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average.

Background.

The machine spirit is said to be all consuming fire and rage. It is therefore of no surprise that only the veteran pilots in a household will bond with this type of knight. Doubly so given that it is a very long range knight and lacks any glory in melee given its armaments. It remains exceedingly rare in any given household. 

Strengths.
I'm going to talk about the secondary armaments first here. The volkite culverins on the front are a reasonably good weapon for finishing troops off. But to do that, the knight probably wants to opt for the Karacnos mortar battery to fire first. This beast might only be AP4, but with S=6 and a range a special rules that most notably include fleshbane and radphage (let alone shell shock and pinning, plus it ignores cover), this has the potential to be a squad killer overall. 

The main weapons here are the two twin linked heavy conversion beam cannons. At maximum range, these weapons have an eye watering S=12 and AP=1 coupled with a large blast. Truthfully, this is an anti-titan (and anti-knight) weapon at long range. As such, you will want to be targeting enemies at the longest range possible. But the issue here is the minimum firing range to obtain S=12 is 42 inches. The strength decreases as you go below. Still above 18 inches, it is a S=9 cannon, but the AP of 4 is an issue. Up to 18 inches is a paltry S=7 which just doesn't justify the points cost. 

Weaknesses.

I will freely confess to being a fan of the conversion beamer. The main issue with it is that it is most suitable to big game boards. i.e., Apocalypse game boards. Therefore this knight is not really recommended outside of such games. More than this, the points cost of this knight is within shouting distance of a scout titan which might serve you better depending on the scenario.
 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of here. The points cost is probably just about worth it, but only when you know you will be firing at long range for most of a game. 

To Whom Does the Blood Belong?

Finally finished painting most of the Lernaean Terminator squad for the Alpha Legion. This particular battle brother seems to have splatters of blood streaking down an otherwise freshly washed and ironed cloth hanging between his legs. The main question is whether this blood is his own, or that of his enemy. And if the latter, which enemy was it? So many questions!

Reasonably satisfied with the paint job here even if the photograph doesn't quite do it justice. The colours are nice and crisp, and the base has come out exactly how I wanted it to, including the tuft of grass that has been squashed by the steel plating falling on to the ground. I will have to photograph the whole squad together at some point!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knight Atrapos

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are great!

Background.

Exceedingly rare. The Atrapos is typically a gift for a blood debt, or a spoil of war. They are designed to be enemy knight killers and it is considered a major honour to pilot them, although such outings are only at the command of the head of the household him or herself.

Strengths.
The Atrapos is a knight killer - and monster slayer - mounted on a Cerastus body. Thanks to the macro extinction protocols rule, its weapons are counted as twin linked when firing at knights, titans, and super heavy analogues. 

The singularity cannon is an extreme form of graviton weaponry. Occasionally you will get a vortex result out of this, and sometime you will also hurt yourself. Regardless, the large blast with haywire makes sure that you are going to cause some mighty damage here. Meanwhile the phase cutter is armour bane for close combat at S=10 and AP1. Ouch.

Weaknesses.

No real weakness other than the requirement to get up close and personal with this knight. The flank speed here is your ally.
 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of here. The points cost is worth it, and the potency of this knight should not be doubted when played to its strengths. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knight Megaera

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are great!

Background.

Rare to unknown for many households, the Megaera is a marvel of a forgotten age. It is piloted by only the worthy, or those who have won the right in battle or duels. Bonding with this machine is as much an honour as it is deadly: the leaking radiation will eventually damage the pilot regardless of any matter of prestige. 

Strengths.
Although sharing the same weaknesses as the Styrix in the stat line (low I and A), the lightning cannon is worthy of a good examination. With S=7 and AP3, this is a marine killer. Although there's only 1 shot here, it is a large blast and comes with added rules like rengins and exoshock (let alone shred) which makes it viable across a large array of targets from lighter tanks to tankier infantry. This is backed up by the phased plasma fusil which also has the AP3 line.

The knight can take the standard reaper chain sword, but I feel the upgrade to the siege claw is well worth it here. 

Weaknesses.

I actually like this knight!
 

Builds.
Megaera, Lightning Cannon, Siege Claw (410 points).

Well worth the points here. Take out marines or transports from range (don't forget the irad cleanser if within range). Charge in with the claw and take care of more vehicles. 

Lernaean Progress

I've made quite a bit of progress on painting the Lernaeans over the weekend. This marine is just one example of many. 

To state up front: they're not finished yet.

Tasks left to do include, but are not limited to: fine highlights, gun lenses, base shading and highlights as well as finishing, decals, blood for the blood god technical paint accents, and doing something with those white clothes between the legs. 

But regardless of all of those tasks, I'm pleased with the progress made so far considering how many I've been processing in parallel as part of the painting process!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Questoris Knight Styrix

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are average.

Background.

The Styrix apparently did some really nasty and bad stuff during the Age of Strife. Accordingly, their machine spirits are perfectly capable of reducing even the iron will of the typical noble householder to madness that forces them to conduct massacres. They are therefore held in low regard and a bit of a stain of dishonour. 

Strengths.
Back to the regular questoris knight profile here, except for I=2 and A=3. In exchange, we have a volkite chieorovile gun. This has a good number of shots at high strength, but lacks the vital AP3 against space marines. This is more than made up for by the reaper chainsword of course. 

I see a reasonable battlefield role here as whittling down numbers before charging in an finishing a space marine blob. Against mechanicum and other lesser armoured beings, they will do exponentially better. 

Weaknesses.

I want to like this knight, but if I'm being brutally honest, there might be similar [Castigator] and alternative [Basic Knight] choices.

Builds.
Styrix, Volkite Chieorovile, and Reaper Chainsword (380 points).
The classic design.

Styrix, Volkite Chieorovile, and Siege Claw (405 points).

Graviton gun the light tank, blast with volkite, charge in and finish with the claw. Can probably take care of the transported units next turn. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Acastus Knight Porphyrion

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

What is the machine limit that a single human mind can safely interface with? Apparently it is the Porphyrion, after which you will need more minds to take care of the scout class titans. This is a different class of knight altogether compared to the ones thus far visited. It is not only rare, but often taken to be the symbol of a household and few are ever seen.

Strengths.
Two magna las cannons, two autocannons, and an iron storm missile pod. This beast is a long ranged threat that does not necessarily need to move for most of the game. 

On top of this, the stat line is very impressive with 14 on the front, no less than 9 hull points and an innate S=10 coupled with a still respectable movement rate of 12. 

Weaknesses.

You take the risk of a catastrophic explosion here, and the I=A=3 isn't good at all. But what do you care? Sit back and take lots of shots all game.

Also, you can only ever take one of these full stop. This is, of course, sensible game design. This said, the points cost alone is a significant issue here as well. It is on the borderline of being worth it if one thinks about taking a few whirlwind style tanks and other batteries of lascannons somehow -- your playstyle and mileage may vary. 

Builds.
Porphyrion, Magna Lascannons, Hull Lascannons, Hyperios Whirlwinds (655 points).
I've upgraded the autocannons to lascannons here to better match the high strength output. The Hyperios warheads are deliberately selected for the anti-air role. Of course, you can keep the non-upgraded version just as readily as it will output more shots over a larger area which will kill plenty of mechanicum and Imperial Guard units. But if you're facing marines, then I think the above is a better option. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Knight Acheron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

Deployed as a sign to the enemy that they intend extermination, these knights are sinister and and spell utter death and cleansing flame. Their pilots tend to be either those of iron wills, or those damaged souls that relish the massacre, such is the machine spirit of that contained within. Few elect to pilot them. 

Strengths.
The flame storm cannon has ordinance and shred making it of utility in a number of scenarios. But the real beauty here is the reaper chainfist at S=10, AP2 and with shred. 

Take advantage of flank speed and charge headlong into the fray. You are wanting to be targeting dug-in enemy formations and tanks here. Especially transports!

Weaknesses.

AP4 on the flame is not going to kill space marines outright. But it is still useful against those pesky cover saves. 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of. Instead I will note here that the base points cost is reasonable for what you are getting.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Knight Castigator

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. The rules are solid.

Background.

The Castigator is typically piloted by those venerable scions of a Household who can be relied upon to hold the line and to conserve ammunition when required. The machine spirits of these machines are stoic but no less able than the more impetuous ones in other knights. These knights are favoured by households who face multiple and lesser foes.  

Strengths.
The high movement rate and flank speed are your friends here. The bolt cannon spews out an impressive 18 shots per turn which anyone will find daunting. At S=6, they will certainly do damage, but the AP is not enough to counter space marines - you are literally relying on the rate of fire here to do the work for you. 

Let's do a small amount of mathhammer at this juncture against space marines. At BS=4, 12 out of those 18 shots will hit their targets. 10 out of those 12 will wound. And (rounded down) 3 will kill. Its not enough really, but when followed up by a charge and the tempest warblade whirling around, it could certainly cause a rout. And therein is the key. Get into position. Expend your ammo, and charge right in. The tempest's S=10 and AP2 will certainly add to your tally and cause a Ld test (or wipe) against a smaller space marine squad. But against Imperial Guard or Mechanicum equivalents, this combination is simply golden. 

Weaknesses.

This knight has its place in the roster and it very effective. It might not win every time against a blob of 20 marines in one round, but you might as well try it! I've seen blobs tied up for several rounds against the might of this knight and it is highly effective.

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of. Instead I will note here that the base points cost is reasonable for what you are getting.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Knight Lancer

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are very good.

Background.

The Cerastus Knight comes in several different configurations. The Lancer is the best known. They race ahead of their forces to engage enemy champions in single combat and are regarded as impetuous, yet simultaneously held in high regard. 

Strengths.
Strictly better than the Questoris Knight, the Ceratus has a greater movement rate of 14, a higher strength of 9, and one more attack. 

The Lancer comes with the Shock Lance and Ion Gauntlet Shield combination. Heavy 6 on the shock lance is really good, but it is at very close range. The S=7 and AP3 are still great, but concussive makes it even tastier. In close combat the S=10 and AP1 are just phenomenal. That's before we mention the added rules of reach and exoshock. It sits in an incredible sweet spot. 

Weaknesses.

Get your positioning and timing right and you will love playing with the Knight Lancer. Get it wrong and you will quickly be eliminated. 

Builds.
There are no builds to speak of. Instead I will note here that the base points cost is reasonable for what you are getting.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Knight Questoris

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.

Background.

The Questoris Knight is the most common form of knight in the Imperium. It saw vast use during the Heresy and comes in a variety of different configurations.

Strengths.
With 7 hull points and 13 armour on the front, they have a very reasonable stat line (although the 12 armour on the other facings will make the player think harder about positioning and angle). They are able to be configured in every manner (Paladin, Errant, and so forth). Hence the flexibility that this knight offers is good and when combined with the relatively quick movement of 10, they really do pose a good threat to most things on the table. 

Weaknesses.
Massed firepower can and will bring down knights with this chassis - make no mistake. Although it won't explode, the controlling player really does need to think carefully about optimizing the build and purpose of these beasts. 

Builds.
There are many builds available here. I'll go through some of the more common ones. 

Knight Paladin, Reaper Chainsword, Batle Cannon, Stormspear Rocket Pod (405 points).
A classic set up which is mid range and a bit of a swiss army knife able to take on many roles. I added the storm spear because why not. 

Knight Errant, Reaper Chainsword, Thermal Cannon (380 points).
Up close and personal. Tanks and heavy infantry are your targets here. Take the front mounted melta gun for added fun.

Knight Crusader, Battle Cannon, Gatling Cannon, Twin-Linked Icarus Autocannon (415 points).
Long range fire support, and anti-air to boot. 

Knight Gallant, Reaper Chainsword, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Ironstorm Missile Pod (410 points). 
Melee knight.

Knight Warden, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Gatling Cannon, Ironstorm Missile Pod (415 points).
A mixed bag. Good against lighter vehicles and infantry. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Armiger Helverin Talon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. A great long range shooting threat.

Background.

Piloted by lesser retainers and wannabes, the human on board strives to one day be worthy of an entry level job in a Household. These are long range armigers and can happily sit at the back taking shots at others all game. 

Strengths.
As with the Warglaive, the stat line reads well with S=T=7, and six wounds. Perhaps the only thing lacking here is the WS=BS=4, but this is a reflection of the fact that the pilots might be veterans outside of noble lineage, but are otherwise ordinary human beings. 

The main weapons here are the Phaeton Autocannons. These pump out two shots each (four shots per model) at a truly impressive 64 inch range at S=7. Sure, the AP3 is a slight issue, but there is rending to help a little bit. There are also two types of rounds, one for ignoring cover and one for sundering. Both are excellent. 

Weaknesses.

You will need either this unit, or the Warglaive alternative, in order to field Knights. This is more of a comment than a weakness overall though and represents arguably the biggest change to the army list from first edition: specifically 2 troops choices give you a Lord of War. A real weakness is not being able to take Moirax with your knights (sigh). 

Rules wise, they can be pinned, and they can be swept after an unfortunate combat. Best to think of them as mini-monsters from this point of view perhaps. With a mere 3+ armour save as well. 

Builds.
2 Helverins, Phaeton Autocannons (400 points).
Using them in a unit of two gives a fantastic 8 shots per turn at S=7 which will prove a threat to many things on the board. Sure, a lone Helverin is also useful, I just like increasing the number of long range shots myself. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Armiger Warglaive Talon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. I really like the warglaives. 

Background.

Some targets are rightly beneath the notice of other Knights. The Warglaives' job is to take care of these threats such as infantry trying to clamp on some melta bombs and the like. 

Strengths.
The combination of the reaper chain blade and rthe thermal lance makes the Warglaive a good proposition against a lot of units in the game. The high strength and low armour penetration combination is a winner. The heavy stubber can be swapped out for a melta gun for more melting fun if required. 

The stat line reads well with S=T=7, and six wounds. Perhaps the only thing lacking here is the WS=BS=4, but this is a reflection of the fact that the pilots might be veterans outside of noble lineage, but are otherwise ordinary human beings. 

They're going to be great against elite enemies like terminators and characters, but are likely to struggle in melee with true marine contemptors (best to shoot these!). 

Weaknesses.

You will need either this unit, or the Helverin alternative, in order to field Knights. This is more of a comment than a weakness overall though and represents arguably the biggest change to the army list from first edition: specifically 2 troops choices give you a Lord of War. A real weakness is not being able to take Moirax with your knights (sigh). 

Rules wise, they can be pinned, and they can be swept after an unfortunate combat. Best to think of them as mini-monsters from this point of view perhaps. With a mere 3+ armour save as well. 

Builds.
Warglaive, Reaper Chainblade, Thermal Lance, Melta Gun (215 points).
I like the multiple melta threats here even if it is slightly expensive. Go hunting some enemy armour or take down some terminators before you close to destroy the rest of the unit. Not sure of the ideal number in a unit here as it will depend on your points limit for a given game. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Warlord Battle Titan

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Pure win.

Background.
The mainstay of the titan legions. More responsibly for Unity and Heresy than the space marine legions themselves - arguably. They can lay waste to both armies and cities alike, and can do so on airless rocky moons and verdant planets alike so long as the ground beneath them can support their mass. Their only true enemy is others of their kith and kin. 

Strengths.
See the notes that I made about the Warhound Titan in the previous post to begin with. 

I last reviewed the Warlord Titan in 2016, at that point it cost 2750 points (now 3000 points which is still more than fair) and cost GBP 1240 - now costs 1185 before the weapons which would take it up to the region of GBP1537.50 (volcano cannons and missile launchers). As I stated in 2016, I would like you to have a good hard look at those numbers. Are you going to use it in a game? Are you rich enough not to care? Or merely display it in your home somehow and hope that your toddlers (if you have any) don't try to play with it as an equal (in size at least)? I don't yet own one myself, but have often toyed with the desire to purchase one, I will freely admit. 

With a game breaking AV=15 on two faces, a whopping 30 hull points, 6 void shields, 5++, and all the usual titan rules you've come to expect, I'm not even sure how to bring a Warlord down short of fielding one against it myself. Other than that, we get to choose two arm weapons and two carapace weapons. And yes: there is choice here. The weapons are all viable in various combinations. For the arms, I like the sun fury plasma annihilators and the bellicose pattern volcano cannons most myself. I don't like the close combat weapon (the shooting is better, and you've got a great stomp attack anyway and can't be locked in combat regardless -- even by another titan. Hence I think taking ranged weapons is better, but equally, it is the size of my own hand, and also works well in full sized games of Titanica). For the carapace, I like all options. However in second edition, we are missing the vortex option - why oh why???

Weaknesses.
None. Even the fact that it explodes magnificently upon engine death can be a strength. 

Builds.
To be clear: you can not truthfully go wrong here. These builds are merely suggestions.

Warlord Battle Titan, 2 Laser Blasters, 2 Belicosa Volcano Cannons.

Lots of ranged D class weapons to cause headaches. Big pie plates too. Nothing not to like.

Warlord Battle Titan, 2 Apocalypse Missile Launchers, 2 Sunfury Plasma Annihilators.

More dakka. I actually prefer the above build, but this one is still totally viable. 

Warlord Battle Titan, 2 Laser Blasters, 1 Arioch Power Claw, 1 Mori Quake Cannon.

Absolutely viable as well, the only issue here is the minimum range on the quake cannon if you're closing with another target? But you don't care and can shoot at something else. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Warbringer Nemesis Titan

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Excellent

Background.
The Nemesis has a reputation for a restless machine spirit with ghost sensor artifacts that sometimes enable it to lock on before a threat is even sensed by the crew. It is in effect a "heavy support" choice (my words) for the Titan legions and brings heavy weapons to bear in order to bring down enemy titans. Hence the name.

Strengths.
Again, I will refer the humble reader back to the general notes that I made concerning the Warhound Titan in the previous post. 

The Nemesis comes with improved front armour (AV=15) compared to even the Reaver a whopping 6 void shields along with gatling blasters and the carapace mounted quake cannon. The autocannon batteries are not to be sniffed at either. All told this is a very dangerous titan that has an apocalyptic mega blast with the quake cannon and can take out targets with uneasy regularity. 

All this in mind, the same caveat applies here as it does to the Reaver: you're not taking it in regular games. Its either massive games, or specific Titan games. The upgrades are all good. 

Weaknesses.
None really. Maybe AV=12 at the rear needs to be thought about in terms of positioning?

Builds.

Warbringer Nemesis Titan, Nemesis Quake Cannon, 2 Gatling Laser Blasters.
Naked, and specifically for removing power armour enemies, or enemy mechanicum?

Warbringer Nemesis Titan, Nemesis Volcano Cannon, 2 Volcano Cannons.

Lots of AP1 from volcanoes all round. The nasty anti-titan build. Replace the arms with melta cannons for a bit of a closer ranged threat?

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Reaver Battle Titan

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Nothing not to like here!

Background.
A battle titan in name, and in role. The Reaver is a most ancient design of Mars, and sees use throughout all of the Titan Legions.

Strengths.
I will refer the humble reader back to the general notes that I made concerning the Warhound Titan in the previous post. 

Look, if you're taking a Reaver Titan, then you are probably playing either a super massive points value game of Horus Heresy, OR you are taking part in a specific tournament / titan walk event. Otherwise, you're probably using it for the most massive objective imaginable? There's void shields here, there's lots of armour, and there's three titan weapons to choose between. Take your pick. It is actually all good here - there are no bad choices. 

Weaknesses.
I'm not sure what to write here since the Reaver is just wonderful to my biased eyes! That said, see my notes below about permitted builds in this edition versus the previous one.

Builds.

All of the four weapon choices here are great. But why we are not permitted to have a carapace mounted laser in this edition is beyond me. Please FAQ this! And what about the carapace vortex??

Reaver Battle Titan with Apocalypse Launcher, Laser Blaster, Titan Close Combat Weapon
This is probably a base line Reaver. It contains a mix of D weapons, large blasts, and the close combat weapon to make sure you move the thing to take advantage of it. 

No longer valid in this edition WHY??? Reaver Battle Titan with carapace-mounted vortex missile, 2 laser blasters
Very nasty turn 1 launch with the vortex missile to take out any close clumps of things you dislike, followed up by lots of D class shots. And lots more D class blast shots every turn thereafter. Nasty. Just nasty. Replace the vortex missile with a carapace mounted double-barrelled turbo laser destructor if you like, for sustained D shots every turn.

No longer valid in this edition WHY??? Reaver Battle Titan with carapace-mounted double-barrelled turbo laser destructor, 1 melta cannon, 1 volcano cannon.
Sit back. Blast away. Replace the volcano cannon with a laser baster to taste. But beware: this is one titan that you will forget to move around.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Warhound Scout titan

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Its a titan. You can bring it to games under 3000 points. Splendid!

Background.
The smallest of the true titans! It is classed as a scout as it moves quickly and can be deployed as such by the legions.

Strengths.

I'm broadly copying my notes from First Edition here since they still apply. So let's be honest about something. If we're taking a titan, we're probably going to be opposed with titans. Therefore, I strongly would recommend that any titan is equipped with at least one strength D weapon to try to counter any enemy titans or super heavies. Admittedly, S10 is a close second, but its not quite the same. The ability to take these weapons should not be overlooked!

Titans are treated as gargantuan creatures in assault and can therefore make stomp attacks which is easy to forget when you're playing with all that shooting power. The final "strength" to remember is that titans can move. Yep. Seriously. They have legs. They walk, jog and run. Remember to think about this: it is a mobile weapons platform after all.

Weaknesses.
It is the smallest class titan, so "only" has 2 void shields. You can live with this. The reactor meltdown should also be a weakness, but in all honesty, it is fun when they go boom and Princips shout "Engine Death" - as you should. 

Builds.
Warhound Scout Titan, 2 Vulcan Megabolters
Don't bother unless you know for certain there are no other super heavies or land raiders on the enemy side. Pumping out 30 AP3 shots every turn will rapidly decimate any space marine army otherwise. No fun for the opponent in this regard (but then, you're taking a titan!).

Warhound Scout Titan, 2 double-barrelled turbo laser destructors
 D weapons with a 5" blast every turn is serious business. This is the kind of titan that is ready for anything. Nothing in the game cannot be handled by it. Take it.

Warhound Scout Titan, 1 plasma blast gun, 1 double-barrelled turbo laser destructor
A more balanced titan (if such a thing exists! lol!), the massive blasts from the plasma gun is amazing at range and fun to play. Its also high strength and is flexible (depending on if you're facing hordes for instance). And the laser destructors are for the enemy titans to contend with.

Warhound Scout Titan, 1 plasma blast gun, 1 vulcan mega-bolter
A more "standard" configuration, but one this is frankly, not as effective as the two previous examples unless you are playing full scale Adeptus Titanicus.

I cannot say I'm a fan of the inferno cannon, but can see some of its merit in flushing out power armour opponents for a swift moving war hound.