Horus Heresy 2e Review: Grey Slayer Pack

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average for the points cost, although I can certainly see a case for a higher number of stars here depending on your tastes and builds. They're not as fundamental as in First Edition though which is why they're getting a slightly lower rating from me. 

Background.

The background to this Space Wolves unit sees some tweaking for Second Edition. It is now presented as an unusual evolution of the combination of Terran doctrines of battle pre-primarch, and the sheer fury of the Fenrisian approach to war which created autonomous troop units tasked with overcoming whatever target they were directed at. Tacticals still exist within the Space Wolves in second edition and we're no longer forced to take slayer packs as compulsory troops. 

Strengths.

They're nothing particularly special in the stat line, but they do come with a couple of key advantages. Number one is Relentless, Counter Attack, and Heart of the Legion. Number two is the baseline Fenrisian Axes and Combat Shields. 

Weaknesses.

Tactical squads are cheaper. Hence you need to make the most of the close combat nature of this squad such as counter attack and the weaponry load out. Take those rhinos and land raiders. 

Difference to First Edition.

Compulsory troops has gone. Warriors mettle has gone. Not going to ground has gone. This squad has had a massive overhaul in general. 

Builds.

10 Grey Slayers, 2 plasma pistols, legion vexilla, Huscarl with artificer armour, thunder hammer, melta bombs (220 points).

Very much kitted out for close combat duty here with a sting in the shooting from the plasma before charging. Put another plasma pistol on the Huscarl for laughs. 

10 Grey Slayers, Bolters with Chain Bayonets, 2 Power Fists, Huscarl with artificer armour and power fist (235 points).

Triple power fist threat combined with chain bayonets.

10 Grey Slayers, 2 Hand Flamers, Huscarl with Hand Flamer, Artificer Armour, and Power Fist (190 points)

Burn them. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Varagyr Wolf Guard Terminator Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. The rules are good.  

Background.

The personal guard of Russ, hand picked, and to a man each a legend in his own right. They forego the right to lead their own squads and no longer seek glory for themselves but lay down their lives for the primarch of the Space Wolves and act where he direct his personal pack.

Strengths.

Double wound cataphractii terminators with WS=5 makes for a strong squad to begin with. They get a selection of a frost weapon, and have a small slew of special rules including fear hammer of wrath and the unique Lordsbane. This grants them the ability to undertake challenges of their own as you would expect from the fluff, and a bonus to combat resolution if they win a challenge. 

Weaknesses.

I am mildly surprised at the Ld=8 characteristic given their background fluff. Other than that, this is a reasonable customizable squad with few weaknesses other than the usual instant death issues for T=4 marines. 

Difference to First Edition.

Approximately the same give or take. 

Builds.

5 Varagyr, 2 Thunder Hammers, Thegn with grenade harness (290 points).

A baseline squad ready to charge out of a land raider. Take a legion vexilla to taste?

5 Varagyr, 4 Chain Fists, 2 Combi-Meltas, Thegn with grenade harness (340 points).

Dreadnought killing duty.

5 Varagyr, 4 Power Fists, 2 Reaper Autocannons, Legion Vexilla, Thegn with Great Frost Blade and grenade harness (350 points).

Getting expensive here, but I like the feel of this generalist squad leading the charge. Add 5 more models to make them last longer!

Chain Fist Lernaean Conversion

A hobby update this evening with a freshly built Lernaean terminator sporting a chain fist for the left arm. The chain fist comes from the plastic boxed set and fits nicely with the resin from Forge World. Indeed, so much so that this conversion is in effect very minor and more of a kit bash without any serious modelling work required. If I had a bit more time, I might clean up the dangling leather to match on both sides of the body, but otherwise this is a great and easy conversion. I am tempted to add a power dagger for obvious reasons(!).

Beyond the miniature, the base is made out of spare Imperial Sector (old school) plastic base replete with ruined grit around the edges where the plastic doesn't reach. I like the post of this marine, mid swing and attention clearly focused and achieving great foot work. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Deathsworn Pack

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. The rules are good.  

Background.

The Space Wolves dirty little secret. In the background, it is noted that many legions have such dirty little secrets: those marines who have killed too many and grown hollow inside. Some legions love it and will promote them. Others hide them in shame or corral them into certain units to expire as quickly as possible. Yet further destroy them. These marines are the ones that will become Wolfen in 40k, but here in the Heresy that hasn't had enough time to happen yet.

Strengths.

Two wounds combined with the Ymira class stasis bombs makes for a reasonable close combat squad. Those grenades provide flesh bane at the cost of gets hot. Melta and Rad bombs are a good addition. 

Even if they die, they will always still get to hit in close combat thanks to the Dreams of the Death Wolf rule which will help them in melee very nicely. 

Weaknesses.

Ld=8 is an issue. T=4 is similar and they lack invulnerable saves. In effect, they're a modified destroyer squad and probably should be played as such. 

Difference to First Edition.

The stasis grenades have been weakened here and lack pinning. 

Builds.

Note here that the "naked" version of the squad is entirely viable. Its a solid distraction that can regularly go under the proverbial radar. 

10 Deathsworn, Rad Grenades, 2 Thunder Hammers (385 points).

Not much not to like here. Take melta bombs to taste. Add on a speaker of the dead to round it out.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: The Wolf-Kin of Russ

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average.

Background.

There are no Wolves on Fenris. 

Except the humans who might or might not have mutated into new forms. Freki and Geri are two of the largest versions of them, whatever the Fenrisian Wolves origin. 

Leman Russ takes these beasts to battle along with his Space Wolves to act as his body guard pets.

Strengths. 

Great movement, good stat line overall, and breaching 6 combingin with fear and fearless plus other juicy rules makes them a decent threat.

Weaknesses.

The 5+ save is an issue. They will get shot to death rapidly without significant thought about placement. Perhaps its better to think of them as adding 8 wounds to Russ when you take them in some ways. Their bulk is also an issue. 

Overall.

A reasonable unit for the price to accompany Russ. You will need to consider what you're doing with them and how they're getting there. Otherwise you are going to be very vulnerable to small arms fire. 

Difference to First Edition.

Roughly the same. A lot of rules have been changed (cf., look out sir), but overall they come out as about equal to before. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Leman Russ

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars, rounded up. The rules are very strong.

Background.

Leman Russ returns to second edition a the fore of the Space Wolves legion. Bred on Fenris, and one of the three trifoil legions, his own legion serves as the nominal "executioner" for the Emperor. Presumably he carried out some of this task with the II or XI legions in the past which prepared him to undertake Horus' altered orders to destroy the Thousand Sons in the true first volley of the Heresy (although it was not recognised as such at the time). Feared as much as Angron or Konrad, the darkness never touched him, and instead of a blood soaked savage as some would portray him, he was canny and had a great sense of self-awareness of himself and possessed utter loyalty to the Throne. 

Strengths. 

Let's start with the stat line and the impressive WS=8 alongside S=7, I=7, and A=7. Alone these mark him out as a bit better than some of his brothers. As Sire of the Space Wolves he gives his sons S+1 in a successful charge (including himself which is rather insane for a yield of S=8). Once per battle has also grants movement+1 for the turn which is cute and traitor space wolves take a pinning test (should there be any on the table). Nice and fluffy!

His armour provides an increased invulnerable to flame, melta, and plasma which is highly useful. It also imposes -1 to hit in the turn that he charges which turns Russ from good to very good in combat. His Balenight weapon grants a further S+1 for a total of 9 if he charges and imposes an extra die for moreal tests while the Helwinter axe grants S+2 for a total of 10 if you're still keeping up with the mathhammer at this point. His side arm isn't so great by strength comparisons, but does have AP3, so you won't care. 

Weaknesses.

Honestly, he doesn't have that many weaknesses. His points cost is fab for what you're getting. 

Overall.

Short version: Well worth it.

Difference to First Edition.

Feels taken down a fraction here compared to First Edition to be honest. You probably won't notice, but he's not quite number 2 on the power list any longer (that's firmly Ferrus Manus in my opinion). I would give him number 3 spot though. This is a direct result of Balenight being nerfed and his armour also brought into a much more sensible configuration. He is not guaranteed victory over Horus, but unlike many of his brothers, he does have a shot at defeating Horus much like Ferrus Manus does.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Caster of Runes

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good.  

Background.

They may protest that they are channeling the heart of Fenris all they like. The truth is that they are just as much a psyker as the Thousand Sons are. Except they lie about it. Does this make them worse?

Strengths.

The special Space Wolves psykers are called Casters of Runes. They come with 2 special powers under the Winds of Fenris powers which consist of a template weapon attack that has deflagrate (psychic test to boost to a whopping S=10!), and a second one to grant shrouded at 5+ (psychic test to boost to 3+). Both are excellent. Adamantium will is the icing on the proverbial cake. 

Weaknesses.

The upgrade costs the same as a regular librarian, hence there are zero weaknesses in comparison to other legions here. 

Builds.

Caster of Runes in Cataphractii Armour, Force Axe, Psychic Hood (145 points).

Exactly the same build as the regular librarian. 

Caster of Runes in Aether-Rune Armour, Psychic Hood, Jump Pack (150 points).

I really love the aether-rune armour for Space Wolves characters. Its just rude without compare - always take it where you can. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Speaker of the Dead

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. The rules are good.  

Background.

The Cult of Morkai is the cult of the Wolf aspect of Death. These dark characters are priests of Fenris and inspire their comrades in arms by making chants before the battle which enhance their abilities. 

Strengths.

Hatred (everything!) and Stubborn combine to be passed along to any unit they join. In addition, there's also Ld=10, a narthecium, and a master crafted power maul. All of these are really nice and clearly make up for the lack of ability to select chaplains and primus medicae within the legion.

Weaknesses.

The points cost is steep. It is probably just about justifiable, but equally: how else do you get the equivalent of a primus medicae into the Space Wolves? You will be paying this tax in all likelihood. 

Builds.

Speaker of the Dead, Cataphractii Armour (150 points)

To go with your terminator squads charging out of a land raider. Really this should be the default configuration. 

Speaker of the Dead, Aether-Rune Armour, Jump Pack (170 points)

I actually like this build more than the above. It is for a strong, airbourne, close combat assault squad. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Pack Thegn

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2/5 stars. Cheap enough to be useful, but hardly a great HQ pick outside of small points value games. You might slot one in alongside other characters if you have space in your roster?

Background.

Potentially being the only survivor of their original squad, or maybe even disgraced, the pack thegn is a veteran of many campaigns. They will tie themselves to an accepting Jarl and lead troops to further victories for them. 

Strengths.

For a very small points cost, this centurion consul gets counter attack, alongside an option on skirmish. Both might or might not be useful depending on the battle in hand. 

Weaknesses.

It is what it is. A very modest and small upgrade to a consul. 

Builds.

Pack Thegn in Cataphractii Armour, Chain Fist (110 points). 

Standard configuration really. Nothing special.

Pack Thegn, Aether-Rune Armour, Thunder Hammer (125 points).

More expensive than the above, but you do get that amazing extra wound!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Space Wolves Armoury

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars, rounded up to 3/5 stars. The rules are average.  

Although not quite as thin as some other legions, the Space Wolves armoury is hardly crowded either. 

Fenrisian Axe. Feels a bit like the chain bayonet upgrade, but this one gives S+1 and reaping blow. Take it for assault squads I guess if you're not taking chain bayonets? Honestly, I prefer the chain bayonets.

Frost Blades. Another reaping blow add-on, buy for your power weapons this time. The great frost blade feels nice for a power weapon upgrade, but might not be so great depending on the enemy. The rest are meh, except for one frost claw (can't fathom why you'd take 2). Very situational.

Aether-Rune Armour. This is good. Its artificer armour with a bonus wound and adamantium will rolled into one. Well worth the points cost investment for your independent characters. A no-brainer include.

Jarl. Gain counter attack and an option to take skirmish. Its cheap enough so probably worth it most of the time. 

Overall.

Loving the aether rune armour. Liking the Jarl. The rest I don't really care much for. Your mileage may vary, obviously. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Space Wolves Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average.

Rites of War.

The Rites of War for the Space Wolves feature no fewer than three distinct entries, which is more than what is found in other legions.  

The Black Watch. For the Loyalists in the post Prospero era, these Space Wolves are a detachment sent to carefully look after allies and make sure that their assumed loyalty is not wavering. Of course, those assigned to the legions who turned traitor were never heard from again. This rite grants traitor hatred, and primarch preferred enemy (good luck with that). Helping them is fearless in close combat against traitors and +2 charge distance to enemy primarchs (do you have a plan yet?). Hampering them is a lack of vehicles and no Russ. Its very, very fluffy. But ultimately, you really need a plan for this detachment. 

The Pale Hunters. Grey Slayers and Stalkers gain hit and run and can run up to the distance rolled rather than the full amount. This is strong, but also calls for the army to use these units extensively to make maximum benefit. Flankers gain fleet and rage when they come into play as well which is great, and up to three units gain outflank automatically. They have to use flanking for one unit, and only gain one heavy support. Overall, this is a very reasonable rite, without being over powered. 

The Bloodied Claw. Declare a bloodied claw once per game to gain +1 combat resolution, fleet, furious charge, stubborn (or fearless if they already had it). This is a one turn boon that can be very strong if played at the right moment, but is otherwise fairly standard. The drawback is that the turn in question forces charges where possible, which might not be so great - so build accordingly. 

Overall.

The final two are standard rites which can be good, but require thinking about army builds. The Black Watch is fabulous, but there is a concern it won't see too much play! Perhaps it might be good with loyal Alpha Legion allies (Mobius rite)?

 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Space Wolves Traits

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. The rules are good overall.

Warlord Traits.

We are going to deal with the Warlord Traits distinctly from the Rites of War for the Space Wolves due to the increased number of Rites compared to other legions in a break from tradition. 

The Space Wolves have three warlord traits to decided between. 

Howl of Morkai. I find this one very interesting, albeit situational. The army gains S+1 for a successful charge. This is amazingly strong, but needs to be played at the right moment (probably turn 3 ish, but maybe turn 2). The bonus movement reaction strongly aids with getting at least some units into position early. 

Hunger of the Void. Gain a wound back when you inflict a wound, or alternative S+1 and A+1 for one turn if you are at full wounds. Not very inspiring, and might be more suited to Blood Angels in my own biased opinion since this one feels very vampiric!

Crown Breaker. If players don't quite fancy the situational Howl of Morkai, then Crown Breaker will no doubt be the default choice (I favour the Howl myself, but that's just me). The warlord and his unit gain preferred enemy and can also gain feel no pain if their enemy has an independent character. This is good, and the movement reaction icing on the cake. At least this one is not situational and happens all the time.

Overall.

I don't like Hunger of the Void much either from a fluff or a rules points of view. The other two are solid, and in the right hands I can't help but feel that Howl of Morkai can be game changing. 

 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Space Wolves Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average.

Background.

The Space Wolves arguable had the first act in the Heresy. With twisted orders from Horus, they set about not merely bringing the Thousand Sons to task about their sorcery, but were tasked with significantly more. This saw their numbers significantly reduced by the start of the Heresy, and they became harried by the traitors on a regular basis, and were unable to reach Terra in time for the grand show down. In the background, they are portrayed as a legion apart and and the call of the Emperor should the need arise. 

Legion Rules Review.

B.Savagery grants the ability to run and then snap shot and charge where applicable. If they can't run, they gain WS+1 (i.e., cataphractii terminators). Vehicles gain S+1 for ramming purposes. 

Vaults of Morkai grants access to the wargear options, Lords of Winter gives (compulsory) alternatives to Chaplains, Librarians, and Primus Medicae consuls, and Wolves of Fenris grants the usual trait access.

Advanced Reaction.

No Prey Escapes the Wolf allows a unit within a large bubble of an enemy to move toward them according to their maximum initiative, and then charge. This is great overall!

Difference to First Edition.

Despite the relatively small amount of time since First Edition, there are significant changes here. Gone is the antidote to night fighting and the Savagery and Hunters Gait have been rolled into the reaction and the new Savagery. Together they are very reasonable, but I do feel that the Wolves have been fractionally nerfed in comparison to where they once stood. 

[The Blogger Community flagged this post as in breach of their guidelines. I'm struggling to see where. Hence I've altered wordings where I think an automated spider might flag. Apologies if some sentences are less meaningful?] 

Lernaean Conversion: Volkite Culverin Terminator

One possible upgrade for Alpha Legion Lernaean Terminators is the Volkite Culverin. The range produced by Forge World only supplies the conversion beamer as an upgrade though. Therefore to create a culverin wielding terminator, I have turned to the heavy weapons upgrade sprue. 

The hard part of this conversion is getting the wrist to sit flush with the resin part of the Lernaean. A lot of filing and dry fitting is required to get the correct angle and make sure that the weapon is not pointed downward which I think would not look quite as good. I have also deliberately selected a pair of legs where the right leg is forward, which felt like the more natural pose compared to the opposite way around. 

Completing the look is some plastic bits from the old bits box and gravel. Overall I am very happy with this conversion and the way it has worked out here. Certainly better than trying to get a Night Lords Contenkar terminator volkite look-alike on the same hand. 

Exodus Revealed

To say that I'm excited about the announcement on Warhammer Community for today's Heresy Thursday slot would be an understatement. I have waited for this model for literally years.

Exodus is looking terrific in the full tease available online today. The pose - although reminiscent of certain noise marines - is amazing and that sniper rifle (The Instrument) is simply glorious. The detail given to the helm and other aspects of the model is similarly more than pleasing. I mean, just let me buy him (or multiples) already!

The only real question that I have is whether I now need to "retire" my converted Exodus, or retain him as a secondary Exodus?

Choices, choices. I might just keep my conversion in circulation. After all, there are multiple Exodus's around. 

Normal service will resume soon - please allow me this indulgence to gush over the new model reveal for today!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Calas Typhon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars. He costs a lot. But he remains vulnerable to instant death as a strong counter.

Background.

First Captain of the Death Guard and the one who would become Typhus the Traveller in later life aboard his flagship the Terminus Est. A Librarian who subsequently repressed his gifts, he was also among the first to fall to Chaos and spread his taint through the legion thanks to the seven pillared lodge. 

Strengths.

Typhon is a Grave Warden terminator with extra buffs. Or at least that's the best way to think about him. He comes with most things you would expect from that sect of terminators. He has a full grenade harness in place of an assault grenade launcher, some rad grenades as well as the chemical loaded pistol. He is replete with a strong stat line that has WS=6 along with 4 wounds and I=5 which is amazing for this legion. 

His scythe has flesh bane attached to it, and it also swings at initiative which is very strong. His Warlord Trait, Comes the Reaper, buffs flesh bane even further along with poisoned. This is spread to his unit as well, which begs him to be placed with a large blob of grave wardens himself. Movement reaction bonus is amazing here as well. 

He is also a repressed psyker. Witchsense gives him a bonus buff to WS and A which is strong. While Toxin Cloud is a massive blob of flesh bane and pinning. Both are great. But he can't use them with Mortarion on the board. 

Weaknesses.

There are 2 very major points to consider about Typhon. The first one is the price tag. He costs a bomb. Perhaps literally. The points cost is mainly justified, but it is worth considering if a plain praetor might be better if you are at lower points levels and (or) not running Mortarion.

The second major negative is T=4. He is very vulnerable to instant death and to sneaky snipers who can clear him off the board. Seriously invest in a land raider to keep him alive until he's needed!

And just for fun, in 30k, he doesn't have any plague zombies hanging around him yet. 

Overall.

Do NOT take him with Mortarion since he cannot use his psyker powers and this results in points value being not worth it. He is a great choice for a Mortarion lacking army though, albeit an expensive one. 

Difference to First Edition.

No more calling down a chemical bombardment from orbit. Equally, almost every orbital bombardment has been removed from second edition for reasons that I haven't explored too deeply. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Grave Warden Terminator Squad

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

Background.

The second special terminator unit from the Death Guard, these marines were originally synonymous with Typhon and the Terminus Est, but became more of a talisman for the entire legion over time. They specialize in lethal and Geneva Convention defying arms to provide a truly grotesque end to their enemies in the Great Crusade and the civil war of the Heresy. 

Strengths.

I want to pick out their "Shrouded in Death" special rule first. They produce a thick toxic gas offensively and defensively. In game, this means that any charge against them is disordered. This is therefore one terminator squad that people will always have second thoughts about charging. Add to this a standard stat line with 2 wounds and you have a strong squad.

This is beefed up more with relentless, firing protocols (which is absolutely amazing here), and shrouded (plus stubborn of course). Their death cloud projector provides a handy template poison weapon and the assault grenade launcher is a great krak or toxin medium-short range assault weapon. Power fists round off this unit nicely.

My immediate thought is to put a librarian in here, but that wouldn't be very fluffy if Mortarion is on the table. Otherwise, treat them as you would most other cataphractii squads: use them up close and personal to take out other units. Consider a land raider proteus for transport. 

Weaknesses.

WS=4 is problematic here if you are thinking of close combat against many other legion terminators (even Alpha Legion Lernaeans will have an advantage here if they select against the Death Guard). 

Difference to First Edition.

A bit shuffled around here but mostly rather similar despite the time between editions. 

Builds.

5 Grave Warden Terminators, 2 chain fists (260 points).

Baseline unit. Consider a grenade harness if you are going to be charging. Might also be entertaining to give them Line (e.g., with a Herald) and sit on an objective, but I feel this is a waste.

10 Grave Warden Terminators, 2 heavy alchem flamers, chem master with combi-melta and grenade harness, 4 chain fists (525 points).

The overkill unit to charge out of a land raider with. You're not going to make friends with this one. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Deathshroud Terminator Squad

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

Background.

The best of the legion, and often selected as survivors of squads where all else failed. They effectively give up their identities and remain all but silent as the personal bodyguards of Mortarion himself. A couple of them are never more than 49 paces away from the Death Guard Primarch at any one time.

To add a bit of old school spice to the above statement, 7 is the "sacred number" of Nurgle. And 49 is 7 times 7. QED. 

Strengths.

Triple wound terminators are terrifying. Marry this up with the Death Guard special rule, relentless and stubborn, and you have a recipe for a very tough unit here. They also come with a natural BS=WS=5 which is more than handy. The alchem pistol is a nice touch to have here, and the power scythe screams out to get into base to base contact with as many enemies as possible.

Weaknesses.

Power scythes are not reliable AP2 weapons. The option to take a power axe along with the legion standard when making a retinue will therefore be tempting. The points cost is also very steep. But balance this statement against battle hardened and realize that they will not be instant death victims. They will stick around a long while for the points cost and tar pit characters for the entire game given the opportunity.

Difference to First Edition.

An extra wound, at the price of no deep striking. They retain their key roles as retinues and escorts, as objective sitters, as tar pits, and as blob killers. Great ablative wounds for praetors and Mortarion alike. 

Builds.

5 Deathshroud Terminators, 1 grenade harness (360points).

If this is a retinue, add on the legion standard upgrade to make for a total of 375 points. There's not many other options here, but melta bombs can be nice given the opportunity. Might as well take a couple?

Hobby: Xiphon Assembled

The Xiphon has taken shape now. The build was relatively straight forward, although the wings and some of the thinner bits did require a touch of the hair dryer to straighten out. Most of the build was pretty easy and everything slotted together much as expected.

I've used several good scoops of liquid green stuff as can be seen in the image above. The tail fin especially had a poor fit to the main fuselage and I couldn't get it perfect, so the green stuff came to the rescue. The sides of the cockpit also were slightly (as in barely noticeable) warped even after heating so the green stuff there is filling in only for my own visual benefit (because I would know even if everyone else didn't). This is going to be primed with lead belcher, before being painted in Alpha Legion colours. I will leave the pilot until last to put into place. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Mortarion

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 stars - just. The Primarch of the Death Guard casts his sinister shadow over the Second Edition of Horus Heresy with malice and strong rules. 

Background.

Of all of the Emperor's sons, Mortarion had the toughest upbringing of the lot. Cast on Barbarus, he lurched from being adopted by a necromantic giant, through to escaping and forging an army to take on the darkness out of the brave souls that were preyed upon by the dark overlords of that world. He failed. The Emperor had to save him and slay his would be adoptive parent. The darkness never really left him, and Horus persuaded him that the Emperor was really just another tyrant to bring to justice. Mortarion and his own sons paid an exceptionally high price for their heresy. 

Strengths.

The warlord trait (Sire of the Death Guard) is an army boost that ensure his sons don't worry about Fear or Shell Shock. This is excellent and harks back to first edition very nicely indeed. The added assault phase reaction is fine. 

Mortarion comes with the usual armour (which surprisingly provides no other boons). Poison, rending, and flesh bane have a much reduced effect thanks to another rule though. His weapons are fine without being outstanding. That scythe does have reaping blow (2) though - so ensure his targets are nice and tightly packed.

His stat line is mostly good, with the exception of initiative which will see him swing last most of the time - this is a significant negative. This is made up for by the 4+ It Will Not Die rule, along with a small list of other special rules like adamantium will at 3+ (beautiful and fluffy!) as well as hatred of psykers. 

He signature move (sic) is the Shadow of the Reaper. This allows him to redeploy up to 10 inches - intervening terrain be damned - during a shooting phase AND he can make a disordered assault right after it. I cannot underscore this ability enough. Mortarion has some of the best movement among his brothers. This will allow him to easily choose his targets, and herein is his purpose: he is fundamentally a killer that gets to choose his targets. Select a big blob of back line enemies perhaps? Grind that contemptor to spare parts? Take your pick. Literally. With this ability, you can afford to choose your targets every time. Take him with a unit of terminators or Death Shroud and you're good to start turn 1 with them, but then you will want to depart and get him doing his own deadly thing. 

Weaknesses.

Like some of his other brothers, he is not quite the dueling super star. In fact, he is wasted in this role as much as Alpharius might be and is probably not in the top half of his brothers overall either. Hence he has to be played to his strengths. To be blunt: he has to select his targets and chew through them quickly and in succession. Use an escort to begin with, and go from there. Don't get into Primarch duels with him. He is utterly wasted doing that, although given his toughness and It Will Not Die, he might be able to tar pit them for several turns in the hour of need.

Overall.

Mortarion is strong against large mobs, and backline targets. In fact, he's great against everything that isn't a Lord of War or his brothers. Plus he has army wide boosts and 7 juicy phosphex bombs to let rip (try not to forget about those bombs!). 

Difference to First Edition.

He no longer re-rolls It Will Not Die, nor is he totally immune to poisons, nor spreading stubborn to his sons. Arguably he is therefore a tiny bit weaker in second edition overall.  But it doesn't matter. He will still smash through a unit per turn when played right. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Death Guard Armoury

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
3/5 stars. I was a bit torn here. 

The Death Guard have what feels like a miserly choice of 3 items in their armoury, and not a single special consul in sight. The items they do have veer between fine, to rather good, to not sure. 

Alchem Munitions. Swap out flamers to alchem munitions to gain fleshbane at the price of gets hot. This should be an automatic upgrade for every Death Guard armed with such to be candid. The Gets Hot rule is unlikely to do massive damage to you, but the fleshbane - especially when fired by larger squads - will have a bigger impact. 

Toxin Bombs. Almost over powered, these bombs cause a wound against a charging unit 1 in 6 times and only invulnerables count against it. They do cost a modest price, so its worth taking a few here and there in an army. Quite rude really. 

Power Scythes. AP3 at S+2 with some rending and reaping blows. This is fine overall, but can only be taken by characters. Might not be worth it if you're facing lots of terminators. And given this is Horus Heresy, you probably are. 

Difference to First Edition.

Some tweaks, but things are thematically similar. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Death Guard Traits and Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars, rounded down. Only 1 trait out of 3 will be seen on the battlefield outside of specific builds, and only 1 rite out of 2 will be played at all. That rite is hideously over-powered as well, and only for the traitors. 

Warlord Traits.

Death Guard commanders have 3 warlord traits to pick between, with one of them being traitor only.

The Reaper's Visage. They look like death and are able to channel the Primarch's terrible gaze. As a result, the enemy gets -2 to Ld tests within a large bubble. This is surprisingly strong but doesn't affect those accompanied by independent characters or other Primarchs. Nice assault reaction bonus too, but I suspect the utility of this won't be high since it demands an assault based army which the Death Guard are generally not. Suitable for a front line praetor I guess? From experience though, it can shine in lower points value games. 

Witch Hunter. Very fluffy for the Death Guard. But also very situational. The bonuses against psykers during combat (WS and T) are great and the large bubble invulnerable save against powers cast at them is superb. But unless you're facing Thousand Sons, or maybe certain Word Bearers builds, its not going to be that great. Bonus for assault is fine, but again, this feels like an assault trait for a gunline army. 

The Blood of Barbarus. Fluffy again, and this time much better. This destroys bonuses due to rending, murderous strike, and fleshbane on a roll of anything but a 6 against the warlord and his unit. The bonus in the shooting phase is strong. This will be the default trait for all Death Guard commanders. 

Rites of War.

The Reaping. Get heavy support squads as non-compulsory troops as well as veterans as troops. This is a great way of loading up on the heavy weapons as well as toolkit veterans. Beautiful really! Rad grenades for a steal of points available to all characters is amazing - get it on all your terminators. But the problem here are the downsides. No deepstriking, flanking, underground assault, no run moves, and NO REACTIONS IN MOVEMENT are a terrible combination. You're just not going to take this rite of war in anything other than a static gunline army. Perhaps you like the idea of a static Death Guard gunline. I don't - I feel it needs to take advantage of some of its terminators myself. Hence this rite probably won't see much play sadly - the negatives are just far too strong in comparison to the boons.

Creeping Death. The Death Guard bombard the battlefield before play and turn all those nice trees and forests into hideous death traps. The Death Guard don't mind this because they grew up on Barbarus in the main part (certainly after the events of Isstvan 3 where the Terrans were expunged, this became the norm). It results in passing dangerous terrain checks, making their deployment zone difficult and dangerous and those marines in it get a shrouded save; all area terrain becomes dangerous, and grave warden terminators get to be chosen as troops. The army has to have a Centurion or a Siege Breaker, and this rite is for Traitors only. Honestly, this is really strong, and pretty much in the category of you're not making any friends. It is your default choice.

I wish there were a half-way house between the above two, the first is poor, the second is over-powered. 

Difference to First Edition.

Lots of change present here since the original Death Guard was released the maximum number of years ago (i.e., in 2014!). I therefore won't be commenting in depth considering those rules were also in 7th edition 40k style. Suffice to say that I'm mainly unimpressed with the selection here and there's only 1 trait and 1 rite you will be taking in the main part unless you're building a witch hunter Death Guard or something?

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Death Guard Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars. The rules are rather strong in the right situations and with the right army builds. Just make sure to build to the strength of this army and create a remorseless horde that never stops advancing and shooting its big guns. 

Background.

Seen by Horus as one of the few on his side of the conflict as being ever-reliable. Not hard when you have the savagery of the World Eaters or the preening of the Emperor's Children to pick between to start out with I guess? The Death Guard was once a byword for resilience and courage, but toward the very end of the conflict got stuck in the warp and had to take the proverbial knee to Nurgle to survive. They assaulted the throne world in a very different form to when they began this course of action, and probably not to Mortarion's liking either. 

Legion Rules Review.

Remorseless. The core rule for the legion is very interesting and strong. It allows them to shrug off any movement modifier. This means that they pass through terrain with ease. It also explicitly states they get to ignore being pinned for the sake of moving. This is really strong given that a lot of the meta hinges around pinning for many space marine builds. More than this, they always count as stationary for when they shoot their weapons. This is amazing: just think of those heavy weapon squads advancing without worrying what their BS might have been otherwise. And don't forget Fury of the Legion. As often as possible. Cavalry and artillery don't get this though. This rule calls for the Death Guard to consider taking plenty of heavy weapons coupled with core bolt gun marines to maximally exploit its fire power potential. I like the idea of the heavier volkites all round here as well. Go heavy realistically. Including tanks, but infantry heavy is also perfectly viable if they have big guns. Creep forward and make the enemy pay for every mis-step against them. 

The Reaper's Aresenal provides the unique wargear options, while Sons of Barbarus grants the warlord traits for the Death Guard.

Advanced Reaction.

Remorseless Advance. This is a shooting reaction that not only grants a 4+ feel no pain to the intended target, but also makes them pass morale and pinning test plus allows them to move 7 inches after this. Considering that some terminators move slower than this, its just rude. Facing off against this sort of army is scary when you're trying to gun down close combat enemies and they just got all the closer for you trying!

Difference to First Edition.

It has been a very long time since First Edition for the Death Guard - they appeared in the first Black Book: Betrayal right at the beginning. It might be useful to just regard this as wiping the slate clean and re-writing for second edition than to make a meaningful comparison. I will say that previously they had the closest thing to "And They Shall Know No Fear" out of most of the legions (perhaps alongside the Salamanders). They've lost slightly in terms of never taking fear or pinning tests in second edition, but there remains so many boons here that it arguably doesn't matter too much. Welcome back to second edition the Sons of Barbarus. 

Xiphon - in progress

Happy New Year!

My first hobby project this year is a Xiphon Interceptor. This is a complete resin kit by Forge World and correspondingly heavy - particularly when held on the see-through flying stand that is provided. The kit is relatively simple though with well under 50 parts to fit together. Although some of the parts required scrubbing (never an issue), some came with a slight warp in them and required the use of a hair dryer and warm water to straighten them out a little bit. 

The first few parts slot together well enough: the nose tip on the main fuselage, as well as the left and right engines to either side. The nose has a very tight join that required no holding together in order to allow the glue to set. For the engines, the connection was not nearly as tight. In the image above, I am using my "cheap" alternative method to clamps in order to help the glue have time to set. Thanks to people with long hair in the house, there is an over-abundance of bobbles (elasticated hair ties). I quietly grabbed a few of them that were the right diameter and tied the Xiphon components together. Beware of this method though if you don't want to upset the people that you live with: don't get the glue on the bobbles! Just saying. More on this project once everything is set from this early stage!