Over this weekend, there have been rumours flying around about a new boxed set for the Horus Heresy game. Usually these rumour crop up every couple of months with people claiming to have some kind of inside knowledge or scoop, which, although they might be accurate, always strike me as assertions of some kind. This time it is much better. There are actual photographs of the miniatures being used in play, likely from the box itself. I won't link to them or display them here as I'm not the copyright holder.
However, they look great!
Ranging from what appears to be new Mark 6 armour (yes please: love some new Alpha Legion alpha mark 6 marines please!), a new contemptor (already got several, but surely one more won't hurt, right?), a plastic spartan (hell yes!), coupled with cataphractii (could be good if they're new sculpts?) and characters maybe (not sure at all), this set appears very legitimate and exciting.
For a long time, I have felt that Horus Heresy once again needs to be brought into line with the existing edition of 40k. Without that connection, there is less impetus for gamers to play each other from 30k to 40k (certainly I've enjoyed those battles very much indeed!) and I'm optimistic that the new release might be done alongside a "version 2" of Horus Heresy to update all of the rules.
In terms of the Black Books, we have been hearing for a while that there might not be any more. Certainly with all of the legions being published, I only see room for Xenos armies (Orks, Eldar, etc.) for crusade purposes, and perhaps support for the Siege of Terra (come on, give the Emperor some rules?). Or maybe something about the scouring? (Although Book 9 does a bit of that I guess). So the release of a new version is a good way to re-invigorate the Horus Heresy scene to my mind. Despite repeated rumours of the death of the sub-game, I have always felt Horus Heresy is the premium version of the game for the veterans and collectors that is (arguably) better than 40k in a number of ways. Therefore I'm hopeful that this represents a good way forward to forge new links between 30k and 40k and simultaneously promote both.
Equally, I've ever been the raging optimist!
1 comment:
I have to disagree I'm afraid. I personally loath the 8th and 9th editions of 40K with all the over complications that whilst 'realistic' in some ways e.g. degrading the effectiveness of tanks as they sustain damage took more and more of the random element out of it for me. Will that plasma bolt just singe the armor of your Deadnought or render it functionally useless ?, that and the seemingly endless updates that make it difficult to keep track of XYZ.
I'm not against rule changes per se, I'm old enough to remember seething at having a termi squad wiped out by Banshees when Power Weapons ignored all saves, and introducing the AP rule for CCW was something I wholeheartedly approved of, but I've gone off 40K.
I'd be all for introducing rules for orcs, eldar (light and dark), and even perhaps the Necrons (Tau and 'nids' are out for obvious reasons) so that Traitor Legion players could play as loyalists in the crusade. That would also mean that there would be more reason to collect Army Auxuilla and mechanachem armies as well as Auxilla armies are naturally going to fight uphill against marines, and when they and half machines constitute the only opposition well there's not much incentive to take them.
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