Monday, November 7, 2022

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Word Bearers Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2.5/5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars. The rules are average but some are certainly below par.

Background.
The traitor's traitor legion. Once held in high regard by all, and venerating the Emperor as a deity, the legion was laid low by the same man at Monarchia when he demonstrated the error of the legion's ways through a rather extreme censure. This ultimately caused them to explore beyond their faith in the Emperor and to (re)discover the chaos gods. Lorgar, his close friends, and the legion more widely spread the rot from which the Heresy would flourish and wrote their names in infamy from Isstvan to Ultramar and beyond. Welcome to the Primordial Truth that existed long before the Imperial Truth.

Legion Rules Review.
True Believers. The Word Bearers return to second edition with a minimum leadership of 6 (ever) and the ability to win tied combats by 1. Both of these facets are not very good on paper compared to other legions. They will come up a few times per game in all likelihood though. 

The Arms of Colchis grants access to the wargear, while Priests of Forgotten Gods enables both the selection of Diabolists as a consul upgrade and the Burning Lore upgrade for praetors. Disciples of Lorgar grants a selection from the appropriate Warlord Traits. 

Advanced Reaction.
Glorious Martyrdom. This is a curious advanced reaction and when timed well is simply superb and potentially game defining. When they are the victim of a shooting attack, they can sacrifice one member of the unit (no saves) and the shooting ends there and then. Doesn't affect blasts or templates admittedly, but still amazingly good.  

Difference to First Edition.
In First Edition, the Word Bearers all got a slightly different bonus to Ld thanks to that variation of True Believers. Cut Them Down is absent here even from the Traits and Rites (no more re-rolling low rolls on sweeping advances - sigh). Equally Charismatic Leadership is also gone. On balance, I feel they have had a nerf compared to First Edition. With that said, their new advanced reaction is tasty!

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