Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Hermes Veletaris Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. A slow moving volkite wall with reasonable ballistic skill.

Background.

This is a Hermes with extra armour that means it is slower than its brothers. In the background, they are used to flank enemies and destroy their key encampments before the main force gets there. 

Strengths. 

The 4+ armour save is certainly better than the regular Hermes sentinel, as is both the WS and BS which are upgraded to 4 here. 

The volkite calivers are sound in principle, although as with all volkite weapons, you should take as many of them as possible. 

The heavy flamer upgrade is interesting. If you have a way of getting into position quickly, these could cause immense damage. But getting there is an issue with a movement of 8.

Weaknesses. 

The movement of 8 is comparatively slow for what you are getting here. The WS=4 puts them on par with regular space marines, but the enhanced T and S means that they should do okay in melee. Hence the heavy flamer upgrade might actually work. But I prefer the volkite. 

Builds.

Hermes with Volkite Caliver x6 (156 points). 

As with all volkites: take as many as you can. For the points cost, this is very reasonable.

Hermes with Heavy Flamer x6 (156 points).

Slow movement is the issue here. Ideally, you would have a way of getting them to where they need to be that doesn't rely so much on movement (i.e., infiltration, etc., if possible - and its not too possible either, so use terrain). 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Solar Auxilia Hermes Light Sentinel Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded down. A mobile multi laser or grenade launcher. Cheap and cheerful. 

Background.

The Hermes is meant to be a fast moving scouting unit. They are able to fire away at minor targets and take them out of the way before the main force catches up. They are cheap and cheerful.

Strengths. 

With a movement of 10, and a multi laser, this is a unit that is cheap enough to take, even though it won't be the most effective shooting platform in your roster. 

They are useful for taking away some wounds here and there though. And in numbers can be used as an effective blocking unit (for either movement or lines of sight) and this should not be overlooked. 

The upgrade to the grenade launcher makes things a bit more deadly considering the presence of krak grenades which can do some serious work against lighter tanks. 

For the price, this unit is entirely reasonable. 

Weaknesses. 

They explode pretty quickly given T=5 and W=2. And the BS is only 3, which is what you would expect for such a unit in the Solar Auxilia. The price is still about right though. 

Builds.

Hermes with Multi Laser x6 (122 points). 

Make the most of the points cost for the upgrade by taking 4 more Hermes in the unit. 

Hermes with Grenade Launcher x6 (147 points).

I like this one for the close range krak grenades that can take a light tank out very quickly, and prove a pain to light infantry with the frag grenades since they will cause pinning in addition to a wound or two here and there. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Shattered Legions Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️

1.5/5 stars. Rounded Down. Mainly unplayable. Sorry. 

Background.

The shattered legions originally represented the survivors of Isstvan 5 - the Raven Guard, Iron Hands, and Salamanders who were all but destroyed on those sands. They have banded together and forged new units and tactics in order to survive and exact a price from the traitors. Others would follow this set up eventually, perhaps abandoned by their legions, or set tasks that meant they could not rejoin the main forces. Thus the shattered legions rules are applicable far and wide.

Rules Evaluation. 

The Version 1.0 rules for the Shattered Legions were solid. In Second edition, they simply are not. I would go as far as saying they are generally (but not exclusively) unplayable. Even the designers note that they should not be used for tournament play. Seriously. What on earth (what on Isstvan) were they thinking to issue such a caveat? I'm really annoyed by the existence of such a caveat that they shouldn't be used in competitive play, and I'm aggrieved that the rules are so poor. 

In second edition, rather than seeing small units of different legions come together under a single banner, we see each unit composed of different legions. This leads to the creation of majority and minority members of a unit. And each unit gains the major trait of the majority, the minor trait of the minority, and the flaw of the minority. Heroes gain a distinct hero trait. 

This is all well and good - and could be a lot of fun potentially, until you realise that you have to calculate the majority and minority rather often. Not just every turn. But every single phase. Absolutely nightmare of book keeping. I've played a few games with these rules, and I detest them. My long time readers know that I'm unusual in preferring lower points games, but I can safely attest that even in small points games featuring strong narratives, this approach is a wreck with so many pauses in the game that it makes things very ... un-fun and lacking in flow. 

Individual Legion Notes.

I grade all legions as "Playable", "Meh", or "Not recommended" herein. 

Dark Angels: strong major and minor traits with bonuses to melee outcomes and snap shots, but the flaw is steep with a Ld loss. Not worth having as the minority to say the least. Not recommended to Meh.

Emperor's Children: Both major and minor might help in melee (the major might not since it grants 4+ to hit always). The flaw is actually tolerable since refusing challenges is not something you will do often. Hence this is a good legion for use with these rules. Playable. 

Iron Warriors: the traits are strong, granting bonuses against armour for the major and Ld=10 for morale checks for the minor - well worth being in the minority! The flaw of gets hot is steep for reactions, so I'd suggest just a couple of Iron Warriors is well worth it. Playable.

White Scars: Shrouded at the major is great if you're running, and I=6 for sweeps is very strong for the minor. The -1 to Ld for not moving enough is very tolerable outside of combat, but ridiculously damaging inside combat if you're dying. Not recommended.

Space Wolves: +1 to wound is great for the major, snap shots from bolt weapons when running is also strong enough. Disordered charges for the flaw is terrible though. Not recommended.

Imperial Fists: +1 to wound with bolt weapons is wonderful, and a bonus to cover saves for the minor is similarly strong. Being forced to make a reaction is actually okay. Playable. 

Night Lords: +1 to hit when you outnumber them is fluffy, and sweeping advance bonus roll is sweet. However, the flaw makes single units like dreadnoughts unplayable. Not recommended.

Blood Angels: +1 to wound on the charge is sound, as is hammer of wrath. Being forced to charge is tolerable. The bonuses are reasonable, but you have to get there. Meh.

Iron Hands: +1 to all to wound rolls is nice in shooting, and feel no pain is great. Being disallowed runs and sweeps is not great. Meh to Not recommended.

World Eaters: An extra die to roll for charges is reasonable, and ignoring the first failed save is okay. Not declaring charges resulting in pinning is terrible. But you're World Eaters, so you were charging anyway. Meh.

Ultramarines: forcing your opponent to make a Ld test for a reaction is super strong (perhaps game breaking). +1 to hit in a shooting reaction is good. Making your own Ld tests to do a reaction is not so great. Meh.

Death Guard: Don't move more than 7 inches and you are counted as not moving. Great for those heavy weapons on the fly. A 3+ save against dangerous terrain is good, but circumstantial. I=2 for sweeps, runs, and reactions is not so good. Meh unless you retain the majority all the time.

Thousand Sons: The extra psychic ability is actually okay with AP=3 and rending. The minor of having I=6 when falling back is good. Taking perils of the warp in addition to anything else when getting 11 or 12s for morale checks is just harsh! Meh.

Sons of Horus: +1 to hit in shooting is good. Outnumbering like night lords is also good. Not being eligible for reactions as a flaw when you outnumber them is stifling. Meh to Not recommended.

Word Bearers: winning combat by 1 when it is drawn is circumstantial and not as big a boon as you might imagine. Rolling an additional die for morale and pinning is actually great as the minor trait. Having an extra wound when failing morale is terrible. But overall its Meh from me to actually being Playable. Take as the minor component for fun.

Salamanders: +1 to wound with the flammable weapons is super. Feel no pain when charged is also great. Not being able to shoot or charge those falling back is tolerable, as is no sweeping advances. Take as the majority. Playable. 

Raven Guard: Allocating the first wound yourself is powerful in the right circumstances. Shrouded for being >18 inches away is also good. -1 to Ld for not being in terrain is worse than it sounds. Not recommended to Meh. 

Alpha Legion: precision strikes when charging is strong. Gaining shrouded is also cool. Allocating wounds to non-alpha legion members of the unit is not only fluffy, but really cool concept too. Playable. 

World Eaters Tartaros Terminator with Lightning Claws

Another World Eater today, to add to the growing terminator squad. This one is decked out in twin lightning claws which in game go well with the armour type to try to get that sweep in. 

The painting follows the standard pattern that I've established for this legion, replete with the blue shoulder pads and the grime look that has accumulated in the recesses of the otherwise off-white armour. The blood for the blood god paint is dribbled over the claws and down the marine's side suggestive of recent action. Decals from the official range are on both shoulders and both shin pads here (roman numeral, along with the crossed chains which indicates a gladiatorial win against a fellow world eater). The black splotches were added with a sponge application in a similar manner to the dreadnought from dreadtober earlier in the year. 

The base meanwhile is relatively simple with technical paint and dry brushing to give it the overall effect. A black base rim rounds out the miniature - largely because I can't imagine it being another colour (let's not mention goblin green in the 1980s/1990s, okay?). 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: The Weapons Of Desperation

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. Very fluffy and such a great conversion opportunity if you ask me. There is an obvious negative here though. 

Background.

The marines are making use of alternative weaponry. This might be because their usual ones are tainted in some way, or more likely because they have no way of replenishing their stocks, or have been forcefully disarmed of their bolt guns and similar. They are now wielding lesser arms that would ordinarily be found among regular mortals!

Rules Evaluation. 

Models must exchange their bolt guns, and bolt pistols for lesser weapons on a one-for-one basis. Heavy stubbers come for every three models, but otherwise you can mix and match whatever weapons you like within a squad on a model by model basis. Interestingly, you can upgrade before being made to swap which provides a way for veterans to still take plasma weapons for instance which is nice. But my thought here is that you might as well go all out for the fluff - and this is doubly fluffy in small points value games (which I am very fond of). 

There are some positives though. Pistol (X) substitutes in for Assault (X). Similarly Assault (X) comes in for Heavy (X). And Rapid Fire is just Pistol (X). This enables some good rates of fire and movement to be had. Be let's be honest here, the hit to the S value of the weapons is a massive issue despite the rates of fire that might be available. So yes: this is a very fluffy rules for those who love the narrative play style, but ultimately it isn't hyper competitive for ranged combat. 

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. I like the combination despite it being circumstantial. I can readily imagine a group of marines being deprived of their weapons by a different legion that causes resentment. 

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Short ranged weapons are fine here. But long range weapons are ones you will have to give up. So not really great. 

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. A bunch of sub-standard armed marines who seek atonement works very nicely in my view. 

 

The Spoils of Victory: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5/5 stars. An almost ideal combination in my eyes. Of course they will loot others - they need the upgrades! 

An Eternity of War: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Crazy with desperate ranged weapons works. But that's about all I can say here. Average overall.  

The Flesh Is Weak: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars. Another average combination that sees desperately armed robots take to the field. Perhaps some deranged Forge World adjuncts?

The Legacy of Nikaea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars. Desperate psykers? Sure! These are obviously ones who ignored Nikaea and have escaped imprisonment by more hated Primarchs perhaps?  

The Broken Helix: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. Mutants and clones who were deprived of their weapons seems to make a lot of sense to me in a narrative way. Go for it - with either variant. 

In Disgrace All Are Equal: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. This works: they are already disgraced and their use of lesser weapons marks them out as such I guess?

Pride Is Our Armour: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. I just don't quite buy the premise that a bunch of veterans like this would be so poorly armed. Sure, it can happen, but there are better narrative choices to my mind. 

The Taint Of The Xenos: 0/5 stars. Yes, you could get Xenos Halo Blades, but the ranged weapons results in a crazy mix of desperate weapons and xenos weapons. Okay, I just read that back and it could actually totally work since your force is just picking up every weapon that they can. Its just very extreme. Not a fan. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: The Taint of the Xenos

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are reasonable, but not as outstanding as they might otherwise could be. The combinations with other oaths are like marmite: either great, or terrible. 

Background.

The Imperium said not to touch. The Mechanicum said to just destroy such things. But you, a Blackshield, are no longer bound by such pettiness. You will happily scoop up that Eldar blaster thing, or other technology and use it to fight with. They are effective, after all. But at what price?

Rules Evaluation. 

I really like the narrative of this rule and the conversion opportunities. Eldar (Aeldari, and Drukhari alike), Necrons, and perhaps even Orks and - in extremis - Tyranids are all viable conversion opportunities for a force that is wielding alien technology like its not a big deal. 

You can exchange weapons if you would ordinarily have plasma guns (which honestly might be better to just keep unless you get in 18 inch range); nemesis bolt guns (which might be better at range); a combi weapon (which is a viable and sound swap); a plasma pistol (which is also a viable swap); or a power weapon (which is a great swap for the S bonus) for xenos weapons. 

The Deathlock weapon has a solid 18inch range with assault 2. Although the plasma gun is strictly better in terms of S, the rate of fire from the deathlock is superior, and deflagrate makes up for the S loss somewhat. The loss of AP compared to the plasma is a bigger issue though and this is what makes swapping plasma guns for deathlocks a bad move. Nemesis bolt guns are a viable swap if you don't care about the range. The combi bolt guns are another story, and I'd strongly take this option. 

The Doomlock weapon is half the range, and is basically the pistol version of the Deathlock. As an exchange for a plasma pistol, it works in terms of the rate of fire, but again suffers from the AP loss which is a concern. A bit of math hammer here is needed, but I think the result is that the plasma pistol is better.

The Halo Blade for the power weapon is a great choice due to the S+3 and AP=3 characteristics in comparison to the usual power sword. Not so great compared to the power axe in terms of AP, but the S gain is impressive enough to do this wholesale. 

The downside of the ranged weapons is the Lethal Exposure rule. You will lose models to this until your unit is small. Hence this rule calls for multiple small units where possible (but this invokes the hidden "tax" on buying such small units - making small units bigger is cheaper than multiple small units in Heresy games). 

So, what to do then. I think Veterans are where this option really shines brightly, as well as terminator squads, and perhaps assault squads. I'd be keeping plasma guns otherwise. 

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️. 1/5 stars. Doesn't work for me, sorry.  

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Also doesn't really work for me. Two sources of alternate weapons might be interesting, but it is confusing too. 

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. This one continues a line of secondary choices that doesn't fit the narrative for me. Sorry folks!

 

The Spoils of Victory: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Finally we come to the first pairing that really works! Pirates using xenos weapons is very fitting. How about some Eldar weapons that you stole? It'll be just like the Rogue Trader description of what the Eldar were like!

An Eternity of War: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Another good combination to my mind! 

The Flesh Is Weak: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. Dornian. Heresy. Iron. Hands. Need I say more. This is all shades of awesome. Do it. I need to see this done. Please? Pretty please? You've got me begging. 

The Legacy of Nikaea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. Psykers using Xenos weapons fits extremely well. I can see all kinds of Thousand Sons or Blood Angels corrupted forces for this one. 

The Broken Helix: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. Mutants and clones who picked up alien weaponry? Sure, why not! I could even imagine some kind of genestealer cult aberrant conversion here potentially. 

In Disgrace All Are Equal: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Disgraced already? Then there's absolutely nothing stopping you grabbing those xenos weapons is there? A great combination. 

Pride Is Our Armour: ⭐️. 1/5 stars if you care about narrative. Why would veterans of the Great Crusade who still hold on to those ideals pick up alien weapons? However. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars if you are just looking at those juicy rule combinations. Those veteran squads were made for the taint of the xenos. I'm sure there must be a narrative of why veterans are using such weapons. I know: they fell in with the Interex! Narrative sorted. 

The Weapons of Desperation: 0/5 stars. No need for this combination - you already have xenos weapons and you MUST swap weapons according to this second oath. Take something else. This combination doesn't work. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: Pride is our Armour

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are solid. 

Background.

These blackshields are likely to be original Great Crusade warriors. They are the elite veterans of the legions and likely long since forgotten by their parent legions. If it were not for the civil war, they probably would still be meandering around the outer reaches of the Galaxy. But now, they're bringing their convictions back to the centre. 

Rules Evaluation. 

No troops. They don't exist here. Instead, you get one compulsory elite, and 2 extra elites slots. This, of course, calls for an all terminator army to my mind! 

But its better than that: you can pay 50 points to upgrade legion veteran squads to have Line, Heart, and Fury of the Legion. 

So take your veterans, terminators, and some auxiliary units and you now have your elite of the elite of the great crusade coming back to haunt the galaxy. I could easily imagine something like pre-primarch legionaries for this oath. 

The main issue I see here is which other oath (if any) to select. Many have narrative challenges to my mind. 

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Appropriate and fluffy. But rules-wise is lacking in applicability.  

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. For those of you who really want to go down the road of pre-primarch legions, this combination stands out. War Hounds instead of World Eaters is an obvious one to my mind!

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. The narrative is strong here, and I could genuinely give it 5/5 stars on a good day.  

 

The Spoils of Victory: ⭐️. 1/5 stars. I really do not like the narrative here at all. It might work with some of the more, shall we say, evil legions elites (Night Lords?). I just can't quite picture it really as it is in direct contest with the ethos of this oath. 

An Eternity of War: ⭐️. 1/5 stars. Elite veterans who have turned mad. Yet are prideful of their armour. Maybe they still think the Great Crusade is in full swing? Its sadly another combination that works with the rules, but for the narrative isn't great. 

The Flesh Is Weak: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars. Gorgon terminators from the Iron Hands who went a bit too far? Sure, that can work. 

The Legacy of Nikaea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars. This is what happens when you have your Thousand Sons (or others) going around the outer reaches for too long and discovering what happened back home whilst they were away. They've gone a bit mad. 

The Broken Helix: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars. I freely admit to being lost with this narrative. They are veterans, but also either clones or aberrant? Are they maybe early Emperor's Children clones? There are some combinations that work here, but the narrative puzzles me. I'm sure others will have different takes.

In Disgrace All Are Equal: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Yes, this one works nicely. Think of Dark Angels and I think the vibe here is obvious. The rules mesh nicely enough as well. 

The Taint of the Xenos: ⭐️. 1/5 stars. Those of you who care about narrative like I do will find this combination hard to stomach. 

The Weapons of Desperation: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. I want to like this more, but it strikes me that veterans should also have great arms. Perhaps they were in the cells of enemy starships and escaped? Who knows. Its an average combination at best for me. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: In Disgrace All Are Equal

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. A sort of middle-of-the-road oath that is neither intrinsically amazing, nor totally poor.

Background.

This oath is all about warbands who have simply fallen from grace. They might hail from either side of the civil war, but they are now little more than roving petty warlords. They have banded together through common purpose, but I would assume that such an arrangement is only going to be temporary. 

Rules Evaluation. 

No Warlord! What? 

Seriously: you are not taking any warlord here. There's no one in overall command! Very fluffy and appropriate to this oath if you ask me! Dig a little deeper and you'll see that its not just warlords: its HQ selections full stop. 

Instead, character types gain a bonus to their stat line (Ld, W, and one of WS, BS, or I). This is truly excellent and makes for very interesting play. I would advise deploying minimum sized units to make the most of this oath overall. But there's a price: all other models have their Ld docked by 1 pip. This is expensive if you are facing an Alpha Legion or Raven Guard force full of snipers who can take down your squad characters readily. But hey, there has to be a penalty for the boon. Apothecaries and tech marines are noted as being slightly different: they don't gain anything, and don't lose anything. 

From a modelling point of view, there might not even be a need to paint your models different. You just declare that they've fallen from grace! I'm thinking Alpha Legion and Dark Angels for a start. 

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Situational. Could work with some thought, but can't say I recommend it. 

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. This one works very nicely and is consistent with the narrative of falling from grace. Would love to see some Space Wolves like this. 

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Okay this works, but is also distinctly average. 

 

The Spoils of Victory: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Works very well in combination with both rules and your narrative. Who wouldn't like some petty space pirates ravaging the galaxy. Fallen Dark Angels might just be this. 

An Eternity of War: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. I don't mind this combination at all. I know I gave it 3/5 the other way around, but I just thought of this: raging Blood Angels who succumbed to the madness! Come on, that's worth one additional star. 

The Flesh Is Weak: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5 stars. Not one that I can get behind as a combination. Unless you're thinking necron dynasties for extra strange Iron Hands conversions?

The Legacy of Nikaea: 0/5 stars. I would love this combination to function. But it does not due to the requirement of a HQ choice. Drat. 

The Broken Helix: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars. I will refer readers back to the previous blog entry for this combination. There's some strength (literally) to be had, but also strong negatives. I do like this idea though - mutants and clones cobbling together with each other because they've nowhere else to turn. 

Pride is our Armour: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Veterans who have fallen from grace? Sure, why not. This sings to me of Dark Angels to be honest. 

The Taint of the Xenos: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. You're disgraced, so you presumably don't care about touching and using filthy xenos weaponry, right? Works for me. 

The Weapons of Desperation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Another strong narrative build can be had here I think.  

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: The Broken Helix

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Reasonable and balanced rules combined with a very attractive narrative.

Background.

What do you do when you've turned your back on everything, but you need new recruits? Space marines are carefully selected and implanted with novel organs in very select and expensive labs, let alone conditioned through expensive techniques. 

Why, you either use cloning technology (which results in drones that are mere echoes of the originals) or you use forced progenoid replication (which results in hideous mutations). 

The former is very nice for many legions, but I often think of them as being associated with the Emperor's Children. The latter is one that I associate primarily with the Raven Guard. Neither are exclusive to either legion, obviously. 

Rules Evaluation. 

You are sacrificing a lot by taking this option, including Heart, Fury, Spite, and Inexorable. 

The clones get hit for Ld and I on top of this, as well as reactions being impossible, but gain in return an immunity to pinning, and a 5+ mitigation roll. The clones are not great to be honest. But as a shambling wall of death they will get where you want them to be I suppose. 

The mutants (or aberrants as they're called) are better. They get hit for Ld and BS, but gain S+1 in return. They get another S+1 for a turn when they successfully charge which is wickedly good. You have to charge anything in range, but hey, you wanted to do that anyway. Hitting at S=6 for the standard marine is a unit killer when they get in combat. You just need to get them there. 

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Very situational. I could understand Raven Guard and Emperor's Children being chosen here, obviously. Beyond that, I'm not so sure. 

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Very appropriate. Take some chain axes from the World Eaters for a start? Or anything that helps you out in close combat really! 

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Feels like a steep price to pay, but I can see this working very well with Aberrants. 

 

The Spoils of Victory: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. I actually like this option, but stacked against this thought is why not just go for the sweeping advance. Its a tough choice. 

An Eternity of War: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. I like this for your mutant crazy World Eaters and similar. 

The Flesh Is Weak: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5 stars. Works with Aberrants to an extent (but why are you ripping off your limbs to replace them with bionics?). But for clones I don't see the need at all sorry. 

The Legacy of Nikaea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. This actually works despite the improbability of it. Clones with psychic powers are an interesting twist on (e.g.) Thousand Sons heritage. Psychic monsters could come from any legion, but I'd be excited to see some Night Lords heritage here. 

In Disgrace All Are Equal: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars. I don't mind this combination. And with the clones the bonuses to Ld can make up for the loss. But consider this: the S bonus for Aberrants would take you up to S=7 on the charge. Wow. Or WS=5 and S=6 perhaps? Choices choices. It works well. But the overall Ld-1 hurts you even more, but perhaps Clones are the way to go here?

Pride is our Armour: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Gain back some of your rules here like Heart and Fury? I think that's how the rules would interact anyway given you are paying 50 points for them. I'm a little lost with the narrative here though!

The Taint of the Xenos: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Works well in combination and narrative I think. 

The Weapons of Desperation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Yet another compelling choice and narrative! 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: The Legacy of Nikaea

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded down. Gain additional psychic powers thanks to not caring.  

Background.

Okay. So the Emperor said some stuff at the Council of Nikaea. Magnus, the Khan, and Sanguinius said other stuff. Mortarion chimed in. And then you're no longer allowed to channel warp powers. But you don't care any more because you went rogue and don't agree with either the loyalists or the traitors and you will use the warp powers as you see fit even if they're dangerous. Think that about covers it.  

Rules Evaluation. 

The Warp Torrent ability is gained by both characters and independent characters. This is a nice additional shooting attack to be very candid. Some S=5 bolts that also deflagrate are cool. The range is small, but it gels well with a close combat orientated force that have transports. By taking a Perils test, you can also get AP=3 which is especially tasty, but at a price I suppose. 

Finally those independent characters can pay a premium to gain access to a proper discipline. This is very handy! But you don't get lightning at all. Your HQ must be a psyker and two other characters. This is a reasonable balance that encourages you to go big. Overall then, this is a reasonable choice for your Thousand Sons wannabes, but don't choose Thousand Sons - their rules are already cool. Go for something unexpected like, erm, Imperial Fists or something? 

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Too situational. But perhaps fluffy with Death Guard, White Scars, Blood Angels or Thousand Sons? 

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Useful depending on your choices. 

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. A little bit average to be honest. You're already risking wounds to get AP=3, you don't need more casualties. 

 

The Spoils of Victory: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Pirate psychics could actually be really cool. Maybe they got trained by some eldar? Not sure what the narrative might be here, but there's tasty stuff to be had. 

An Eternity of War: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. This is okay. They're mad psykers that want to be in combat. There might be better choices for your psykers though. 

The Flesh Is Weak: 0/5 stars. You cannot have psykers. This combination is useless to you. 

The Broken Helix: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Psychic mutants and clones? Oh yes. This is a solid combination that I can see working really well!

In Disgrace All Are Equal:  0/5 stars. Psychic warbands not giving a hoot? Yeah, that can work! Unfortunately, you have to select a HQ, and those disgraced cannot select a HQ, so you can't have this combination sorry. 

Pride is our Armour: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Veteran psychics? Yes! This works splendidly well in my opinion. The only drawback is that the points cost is stacking up here fast with this combination. 

The Taint of the Xenos: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Psykers who have been trained by Xenos is one way of interpreting this very useful and interesting combination. I'd be tempted by this one. Especially in an Eldar direction. Some entertaining conversion opportunities are present here, along with another potential connection to the Dornian Heresy if you are tilting in that direction. 

The Weapons of Desperation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. This combination works very well as well in a narrative sense. You could imagine marines escaping from their parent legion cells or something like that?

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: The Flesh Is Weak

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Replace your flesh with metal. Because either the war demands it, or you've discovered forbidden (necron?) technology. Bonus marks for the rule of cool. 

Background.

In the very long war, you're going to find that your flesh is (sic) weak. You will therefore need to replace it with bionics. Or maybe forbidden technology from those Forge Worlds you conquered. Or those necrons that you totally didn't wake up. Seriously, this has so many interpretations its wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of DORNIAN HERESY Iron Hands arise because of this. You know you want to do those delicious conversions. I certainly am tempted!

Rules Evaluation. 

Infantry and cavalry becoming automata might not seem to be so great, but you get a delightful 5+ feel no pain roll to make matters better. However, you also have to shoot and charge the nearest opponent if you can. This is actually fine, and you don't have to take on opponents that you cannot hurt which makes things much better. But no psychic powers either, oh well. 

Augmetic transport bays in your rhinos and so forth also have their capacity increased. This is very beneficial for larger blobs to get where they are needed. I see this as a mobile infantry force which you point at things and go click, backed up with dreadnoughts as well potentially. 

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Average combination that is weighed down by being very situational. There's probably better ones, but I suspect you will want Iron Hands here potentially?

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. More Iron Hands stuff here? I'm just guessing. 

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. You are already robots. You might as well make it even better by being programmed for eternal war duties! Glory to the Tenth! Wait, what?

 

The Spoils of Victory: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Pirate robots! Those survivors from Isstvan went wild...

An Eternity of War: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Not a combination I can get along with. 

The Legacy of Nikaea: 0/5 stars. You cannot have psykers. This combination is useless to you. 

The Broken Helix: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Aberrants and clones that maybe ripped off their mutations and replaced them with bionics? The perfect merger of Emperor's Children and Iron Hands? I don't know where I'm going with this argument, but rules wise you don't need another damage mitigation roll via clones, but bionic monsters could work. 

In Disgrace All Are Equal: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Automatons shouldn't really care that much about petty warlords. Unless they're full of scrap code! Hello bizarre Word Bearers combinations!

Pride is our Armour: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Maybe you love being automatons and are proud of this fact. Obviously gorgon terminators who went too far. This Oath really is Iron Hands heavy isn't it. I really should try to think of other things. 

The Taint of the Xenos: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Necron automatons! Dornian Heresy Iron Hands! 

The Weapons of Desperation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Desperate robots? Alright, I can dig that. Things got out of hand on that Forge World. 

Dreadtober 2024: Completed World Eaters Leviathan

The World Eaters Leviathan is done!

I genuinely love the final stages of painting World Eaters. To some it might seem like I've ruined a particularly crisp and nice paint job. I disagree. I set out wanting to have a battle worn and bloodied leviathan. The only way to achieve this is with weathering. And blood. For the blood god. The weathering features two toned grey and black speckles using a sponge applicator. I've made chips using silver inside of significant wear and tear to emphasize this aspect. The blood has been both painted and sponged on in a consistent manner to hopefully show some up close and personal work. This features most prominently on the chest (close range fire I suspect), and on the shins (he kicked his foes, clearly). There's a lot less blood on the rear of the miniature for obvious reasons (don't turn your back on your foes!), but the weathering features both wear and tear as well as explosive impacts on the rear. 

And for reasons I am unable to explain adequately, gravitons are green. Too bad. I've decided. 

Hope you've enjoyed following along with my Dreadtober leviathan project! I'm really pleased with the outcome here and I hope you've enjoyed seeing the progress week after week! Very glad I did this, and even happier with the end result. 

My original plan was to sell this miniature on eBay, but now I'm not sure! 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: An Eternity Of War

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. Madmen who want to be in combat, but suffer when they are not. I'm not convinced the benefits quite outweigh the drawbacks, but extra marks for fluffiness?

Background.

These are marines who have totally lost it. They might as well be chanting blood for the bloody god. But they've not trod that path - arguably. They're just battle mad. Ideal for any blackshields that might have fell to Khorne outside of the World Eaters, proto-chaos space marines, or just crazies. 

Rules Evaluation. 

The benefits of this are really interesting. If your unit fails a morale check due to incoming fire, then you get to make a consolidation move. Great! You also count any wounds from (successful) charging reactions in the player's favour for combat determination. Also great: you get cut down but actually that's a big bonus. However, the penalty here is severe. After turn 1 unless you're in combat that round or locked, then you're taking wounds. Invulnerable saves can help, but there are several questions to be addressed here.

The main question is how you are going to get into combat in the first place. And stay there. You've got to think about those speedy opponents as well who will run circles around you all day. And those that are spread out a lot. The consolidation moves will only get you so far. Otherwise, how are you going to survive? Maybe lots of cataphractii? I don't know honestly. I'd give this oath less stars out of 5, but I do like its fluffiness factor!

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. This one gels really well, albeit at the cost of limited applicability which is why it only gets 3 stars from me. 

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Go on, take those chain axes from the World Eaters armory. Khorne insists. Or how about some power daggers from the Alpha Legion for those extra attacks in close combat. Great value to be had here across many legions. 

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. If you're going to lose wounds, you might as well lose lots of them. Good luck! But compelling!

 

The Spoils of Victory: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. I like this a whole lot. Plenty of oath breaking all around and stealing from the dead. You are a crazy pirate with this combination. 

The Flesh is Weak: ⭐️⭐️. 2/5 stars. Crazed automatons that just want battle. Not sure how I feel about this overall. Khorne necron conversion opportunities perhaps. Someone must have a better interpretation of this combination than me. 

The Legacy of Nikaea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Crazy psykers is a reasonable combination. Not so sure about the warp torrent psychic power being too useful though. 

The Broken Helix: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Crazed clones and monsters works splendidly to my mind. Corax really stuffed up didn't he. 

In Disgrace All Are Equal: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. An average combination that might well work. Petty warbands all collecting together as mad men to bring about their own end? Sure, why not. Not top of my list, but its actually okay. 

Pride is our Armour: ⭐️. 1/5 stars. Renowned veterans who go crazy is not unreasonable. Its just the word "pride" here - why are you proud of your armour, and then you're also crazy. Not working well for me. 

The Taint of the Xenos: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Crazy marines who like xenos weaponry is very reasonable! Lots of xenos halo blades in a veteran squad would be very nice I suspect. 

The Weapons of Desperation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. Crazy desperadoes? Yes. Lots of yes. Just not much overlap with the ranged weapons and the close combat upgrades you'd ideally want though. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Blackshields Oath: The Spoils of Victory

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars, rounded down. I like these rules and there's some terrific combinations to be had!

Background.

Having abandoned their oaths of allegiance, these warbands exist for the sheer plunder! They're in it only for themselves and have become little better than pirates that prey on those who have what they want. I actually really like this premise and it suits potentially a lot of different styles. 

Rules Evaluation. 

By sacrificing sweeping advances throughout the army completely, roll 1d6 when you would otherwise would have made such a sweep. On a 4+, you gain 1 victory point. i.e., you are not chasing them down, so much as plundering what they left behind! Very fluffy. And, in all probability, something that can change the course of an entire battle potentially. Assuming that you can play it right. It might not happen all the time - to be clear - but doing such sweeps often enough can pay massive dividends. Let alone think of the cool conversion opportunities there might be for true space pirates! I'm anxious to see a skull and crossbones on the battlefield myself. Don't let me down, chat!

Combinatoric Analysis. 

The Eternal Vendetta: ⭐️. 1/5 stars. Doesn't work for me in a narrative sense since you've eliminated your previous oaths already in favour of being pirates. Sure, you might have a particularly despised enemy, but I'd steer clear of this. 

Panoply of Old: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Obviously they started their thefts by stealing from another legion's barracks. Perhaps their own?

Only in Death Does Duty End: ⭐️. 1/5 stars. Another combination that is oath-bound, versus having abandoned oaths. Doesn't work for me from a narrative perspective. 

 

An Eternity of War: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. This goes really well! Lots of breaking of oaths and not caring! Equally, you want to be in combat all the time so there's a need to think about how to accomplish that. 

The Flesh is Weak: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. An average combination, but has some really cool conversion possibilities. Pirate automatons are just cool.  

The Legacy of Nikaea: ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5 stars. If you like pirate automatons, then why not pirate psychics? Sounds good to me. 

The Broken Helix: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Pirate clones and monsters. I really like this!

In Disgrace All Are Equal: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Disgraced pirates? Yes. Absolutely yes. 

Pride is our Armour: ⭐️. 1/5 stars. Doesn't work with the narrative really. Pirates are unlikely to be the most renowned veterans of their legions adhering to the old ideals. But who knows. Maybe this could work in extremis?

The Taint of the Xenos: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 4/5 stars. Pirates that use Xenos kit? Yes! This really works as well! Give me those awesome conversions! 

The Weapons of Desperation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5/5 stars. Another excellent combination of pirates using desperate weapons! Loving this. No wonder they are scavenging from other forces when they sweep. They just want weapon upgrades! A brilliant narrative combination.