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!