Horus Heresy Review: Saturnyne Pattern Aurox Armoured Transport

Background.

The Aurox is to the Imperial Army what the Rhino is to the Space Marines. The design philosophy of both are incredibly similar: they needed to be able to be mass produced, and to be able to be repaired and allow for additional load outs in the field. 

Beyond that, this is the standard transport solution for the troops of the Imperial Army, Solar Auxilia, as well as the Cultist armies in 30k.

Strengths. 

I regard the points cost of the Aurox as cheap and cheerful and therefore an asset not to be over-looked.

Weaknesses.

In a case of "you get what you pay for", the Aurox is not well armed or armoured in the grand scheme of things. These transport boxes will blow up regularly, and that's just to be expected.

Builds.

The Aurox comes in two baseline flavours: one for the Solar Auxilia and one for everyone else. The only difference is that the Solar Auxilia get the Explorator Adaption upgrade included, and have slightly more options. 

Aurox (Solar Auxilia) with multi-laser (35 points).

I kind of like the multi-laser, but by all means keep the heavy stubber instead, or take the heavy flamer. The extra armour is a nice optional upgrade here. 

Aurox (Everyone Else) with heavy stubber (25 points). 

Not much to say here. The heavy flamer is tempting against some armies, but otherwise stick with the heavy stubber.

 

Horus Heresy Review: Mutant Spawn

Background.
With the Warp pulsating through them like blood, these creatures have been extensively mutated by exposure its powers. Some of these mutations are unintentional, but there are those that try to actively bring it on themselves via dark ritual.

Strengths.
For me personally, I really like the conversion opportunity that the Mutant Spawn offers. Sure, they could be represented by miniatures such as the plague ogryn range, or even chaos spawn, by for modellers and converters, the possibilities are wide.

In game, they gain a slew of special rules including both fear and fearless. I cannot underscore enough what these rules are doing. In 30k, both of them are not common, and fearless in particular is very rare.

When we add them in concert to a powerful stat line and other rules like "It Will Not Die", this is a unit built for close combat.

Weaknesses.
There are strong negatives here, in addition to the obvious one that only armies with Tainted Flesh can take this unit. The random number of attacks will be familiar to chaos players already - and the chance of rolling a "1" for a combat will mean that they're not going to perform at their best. Their random gifts that are determined at the deployment stage are also a bit of a hit and miss affair. I would have preferred these to be purchasable upgrades myself, but the rules are what they are.

Finally, the blind aggression rule is a big negative. Having to always attempt a charge, even if it is vastly improbably (12 inches or something!) means that there could well be a whole lot of overwatch shots going their way. Positioning -- even right from the start -- is important. If infiltration is possible, then this unit is one to consider infiltrating or outflanking with.

Arguably the best way to turn these negatives to an advantage is to think of the unit as a "distraction" unit that needs to be dealt with if the opponent wants to progress.

Builds.
With only extra models to be added here, the only choice is to select how many models you want in the squad. A minimum choice (of three) is sound and cheap enough to cause a solid distraction. But as with many things in 30k, I would think that one would want to go slightly bigger than the base size. Five or six seems about right if the points are available. 

Horus Heresy Review: Auxilia Heavy Ordnance Battery

Background.
What do you get if you have a big weapon mounted on a basilisk or a medusa, and you remove the tank treads? You get this: an immobile ordnance battery. Placed in strategic locations, they can certainly prove their worth with some big guns and nice survivability if treated well.

Strengths.
The ability to take an Earthshaker cannon or Medusa siege gun at a reduced cost compared to the tank treaded version is certainly a strong temptation for a big-guns style of play. And its one that would certainly appeal to me, if I were a strong Auxilia or Cults player.

Both the Earthshaker and Medusa are strong weapons with the barrage rule and a big pie plate to cover a large area. The breacher shells that are available as an upgrade impose a S10 AP1 hit over a smaller area that can dominate the battlefield in the right conditions.

Weaknesses.
Clearly these things are immobile. And more crew would be a wise investment here as well. The four crew are going to die very quickly if they come under sustained fire to be honest. On the other hand, the siege weapon itself is rather survivable with T=7 and multiple wounds coupled with a save that actually exists!

Builds.
A few things to consider.

3 Artillery carriages (Earthshaker) (225 points).
Subtle this is not. I hope that it'll get off at least 2 rounds of firing before the crew come in for a bit of attention.

3 Medusa with Breacher Shells, 8 crew each (351 points).
High strength and capable of putting a dent even in a superheavy. This is a set of weapons that should be looking to take out a tank every turn and survive multiple turns in to the game.

3 Medusa (300 points).
The more baseline variant of the above.

Horus Heresy Review: Militia Auxiliary Battle Tank Attack Squadron

Background.
The Leman Russ was arguably relatively new at the time of the Heresy. Horus has the foresight to ensure that those he thought would declare for him had plenty of them as well. In the Heresy era, they're deployed in number -- up to three tanks per heavy support slot.

Strengths. 
On Warpstone Flux, we have covered Leman Russ tanks several times before. When we looked at the Solar Auxilia, we had both the Leman Russ Assault Squadron and the Leman Russ Strike Squadron.

Between these, we have already covered the main variants. In this army list for the Imperial Militia and Cults, we can take a combination of the basic Battle Tank, the Annihilator, the Exterminator, the Demolisher, and the Vanquisher.

Weaknesses.
Unlike our previous reviews, these tanks don't come supercharged. They do not necessarily infiltrate, outflank or move fast. They're basic.  No armoured ceramite either for that matter.

Equally, they're still Leman Russ tanks and they're the right price for what they can do.

Builds.
I've taken these builds from the previous ones we've looked at here on this blog but removed things that aren't available elsewhere. They're functional and effective. I'd recommend taking 3 of the same if you're going for multiple to ensure that the range and function of the weapons is the same.

Leman Russ Demolisher (160 points)

Leman Russ Annihilator, Lascannon (150 points)

Leman Russ Exterminator, Lascannon (150 points)

Leman Russ Demolisher, Extra Armour (165 points)

Leman Russ Vanquisher, Extra Armour (160 points)

Horus Heresy Review: Imperialis Auxilia Sentinel Scout Squadron

Background.
Arguably the lightest of the walker class of vehicles, the Sentinel was used on both sides of the Heresy to varying degrees, and more by planetary governors to keep the unruly citizens in line and obedient. (and suppressing them when rebellion did occur).

Strengths.
They're really rather cheap overall. And that, in a nut shell, is their primary strength.

Okay, they've also got move through cover and scout to make them mobile which is certainly an attractive bonus (based on how the board might plausibly be set up). Their configurability is good and they can pack a punch if they're ignored too long on the playing field.

Weaknesses.
Imperial Guard players will be accustomed to their drawbacks. The AV=10 armour combined with being open topped and low hull points mean that they are very easy to remove from the board. Indeed, even bolter shots can glance an entire squad of these to death in good time.

Not so sure that the combat blades are a worthwhile upgrade, but hey, we might as well explore the idea.

Builds.
They're cheap enough, so why not spend some points on them. Here's a few ideas.

3 sentinels, additional combat blades, heavy flamers (105 points).
Find a way to get them close (e.g., Master of Ambush) and they're probably going to be a great tar pit for a round or two. I hope.

3 Sentinels, heavy flamers (90 points).
A distraction unit to be deployed against units in cover. Take your chances and see if you can kill them?

6 sentinels, lascannons (240 points).
So long as you have first turn, you should be able to put these to at least some reasonable use. Switch to missile launchers by the same logic if preferred (for less points).

6 sentinels, autocannons (210 points).
Lots of firepower should be able to do something before you get blown away.

Horus Heresy Review: Auxilia Ogryn Brute Squad

Background.
There really is something about Ogryns that appeals to me: mutated abhuman giants of men that have been either created or native to high-g worlds. Imported for labour, and to the army to do some brutal work, their strength and durability is superior to an Astartes. Its just a pity that they cannot be implanted with the Astartes genes really. Or can they? Perhaps that's a thought for a different day (e.g., can you imagine an Ogryn teen being implanted with Angron's gene seed? What about Fulgrim's? Okay, I'd better drop this and get on with the review).

Strengths.
Great strength and toughness, combined with triple wounds make these brutes a force to be reckoned with on the table top -- especially in close combat.

The real challenge here is to think how to kit them out without paying too much in terms of points.

Weaknesses.
The rather low leadership is a cause for concern here. You're going to need some way of dealing with this (e.g., discipline collars or similar). And the low ballistic skill means that we probably want to keep the Ogryns focussed on close combat rather than ranged shooting … regardless of how tempting it might be to have a heavy bolter being treated as assault 3 in their hands. The other problem is how to get them in position for an assault. They don't have access to a dedicated transport, so one will need to be specifically bought for them -- and they're classed as very bulky. Its tough to decide what to do with them in this regard.

Builds.
A few ideas.

3 Ogryns, power axes (180 points).
The power axes are to give a low AP for their comparatively high strength attacks. I'd suggest trying to roll Master of Ambush for the warlord trait (or similar) to get these guys in to position. They're a distraction, and a pest if ignored that can cause significant damage.

10 Ogryns (365 points).
This is a pure meat shield squad. Find a way to keep them from routing and have them soak up any wounds and give cover to others behind them. I actually wouldn't run this build, but am just including it for laughs.

5 Ogryns, 2 heavy bolters, 1 lascutter, Carapace Armour (255 points).
A balanced squad with multiple threats at both range and in close combat. 

Horus Heresy Review: Imperialis Auxilia Medicae Detachment

Background.
Locally trained and responsible for the warriors under their care, as opposed to the proper Imperial Army, these men and women look after the troops and patch them up as best they can.

Strengths.
As with their legion counterparts, these orderlies can be assigned to specific squads within the army and are bought as elites to the army. In doing so, they bring the feel no pain rule to that unit at 5+. That's really all there is to these troops.

Weaknesses.
They're mortals with a mortally poor stat line and baseline equipment. At least they're cheap enough that each squad that needs to have one should be able to purchase one. Assuming you have enough elites slots to spare in the force organisation chart. There's little reason not to take them overall, so long as there's slot space and they tie in to the army well.

Builds.
There are no builds here to mention. The only upgrade possible is to take more of the Medicae Orderlies. 

Deathwatch Overkill Genestealer Army List for 30k

Today, I'm going to continue a trend that we started on Warpstone Flux with the release of Betrayal at Calth. We're going to see if we can build an army list for Horus Heresy 30k from the components contained inside the Deathwatch Overkill board game! Given there there are so few marines, and that they already come with data sheets to cover their use, I wanted to specifically focus on the Genestealer faction.

Arguably the optimum faction to represent the Genestealer Cult in 30k is the Imperialis Militia and Cults army list presented in Horus Heresy Book V: Tempest. Although the Solar Auxilia could be used, I think the Cults army is designed for this kind of force. 

Let's first do a head count of Deathwatch Overkill though. The boxed set contains the following miniatures:

1 Genestealer Primus;

1 Genestealer Patriarch;

1 Genestealer Magus and two Familiars; 

2 Purestrain Genestealers;

4 Aberrants;

28 Genestealer Hybrids.

From this, we're not going to make a high points level force, but let's see what we can do.

Firstly, we want a Force Commander. To characterise our force, we want to take some Provenances that will resonate with the Genestealer Cult. I think for this, I cannot go past Abhuman Helots (which provides a bonus to toughness, at the expense of initiative) and Tainted Flesh (to provide fear, feel no pain, as well as access to Mutant Spawn -- these will be the Aberrants). The only problem here is the Tainted Flesh. Although I really want to get Mutant Spawn, the fact that we would have to take heaps of Inducted Levy squads makes this a non-starter if we only have one lot of the Deathwatch Overkill Genestealers. Equally, I also want access to Rogue Psykers so we can use the Magus. That means we have to take either Cult Horde or Tainted Flesh. So, we're effectively stuck with one of these. Of these two, Tainted Flesh seems a lot more appropriate, so we will live with this one.

We will represent the Force Commander with the Genestealer Patriarch. Its either him, or the Primus to be honest.  We can use the Primus as a squad commander instead, and then take some other squads. Either way, we are looking at buying additional squads from Cadians (or similar) regardless. The only way around this would be to take an army that's just got Abhuman Helots and therein take Grenadiers. We'll look at the separately in the second half of this post. 

First Army List:

Force Commander, power weapon (replacing pistol), infra-visor, carapace armour, iron halo, planetary overlord rule; Provenances: Abhuman Helots plus Tainted Flesh (175 points).

The options here have been selected to represent the patriarch. They're all "counts as" in this context rather than WYSIWYG. 

Rogue Psyker, Alpha Psyker (60 points).

This one will represent the Magus.

Inducted Level Squad, lascarbines, discipline collars, frag grenades, vexilla, Custodian with hand flamer (90 points).

Sadly, this squad is 20 strong. It will therefore fill up with the vast majority of the hybrids. And we need yet another one of these squads to meet the minimum number of troops.

Inducted Level Squad, lascarbines, discipline collars, frag grenades, vexilla, Custodian with hand flamer (90 points).

We will need to purchase at least 12 other squad members to complete this squad (8 hybrids, plus maybe a box of cadians, the Primus could be thrown in here as the Custodian to take the number down again, and possible the familiars as well?). 

Mutant Spawn (85 points).

One squad of 3 spawn. Perhaps this is 2 aberrants plus 1 purestrain?

Mutant Spawn (85 points).

Another purestrain plus 2 aberrants! Obviously we could put these two squads together, but there's no reason to do that.

TOTAL COST = 585 points.

Suitable for an ally perhaps, but little else in 30k!

Alternative Army List:

Force Commander, power weapon (replacing pistol), infra-visor, carapace armour, iron halo, planetary overlord rule; Provenances: Abhuman Helots (140 points).

Again, this will be represented by the Patriarch.

Platoon Command Cadre, Commander with Melta Bombs, Refractor Field, Plasma Pistol, Bodyguards with close combat weapons, 1 extra body guard all with carapace armour (65 points).

These squad members will be represented by the Primus (Commander), Magus (Vox or Standard Bearer); A hybrid as the other out of the Vox or Standard bearer; Purestrains and Familiars as Body Guards.

We now have 27 hybrids and 4 aberrants left. We could use them as follows:

3 Grenadier Squads, Sergeant with Melta Bombs, Power Weapon, 1 Vexilla, Bolt Guns, 2 Melta Guns (145 points)

These will be represented by the Hybrids and Aberrants. One of these 3 squads will take an extra member, for an extra 5 points, making for a total of 440 points.

TOTAL COST = 645 points.

These two army lists are just suggestions of course. And they need a lot of "Counts As" permissions. But I kind of like them. They're not uber effective, so don't expect to win games or tournaments with them. Just enjoy them for what they are: a way to represent Genestealer cults on the battlefields of the Great Crusade potentially!

Horus Heresy Review: Auxilia Gorgon Heavy Transporter

Background.
The Gorgon is a super heavy tank that is designed to be a massive armoured transporter. Its use in the annals of the Great Crusade are noted to be primarily to secure breach heads and generally overrun enemy positions where the survival of troops would otherwise be nil.

Strengths.
Its a super heavy tank! With excellent AV on the front and sides, coupled with a huge amount of hull points, this is a serious vehicle for serious armies!

As if to demonstrate just how serious it is, there is space for a whopping 40 troops to be transported on board. Indeed, so huge is the capacity, that even the rules note that the model itself can only fit something like 15 on the tabletop -- just leave the others to one side for when they're ready to be disembarked! Also, its worth noting that only two squads can disembark per turn from the vehicle.

The Heavily Armoured Prow makes the vehicle very impressive with an inbuilt invulnerable save. The mortar battery, although one use only, is not too bad an armament either.

Weaknesses. 
The rear armour is a bit of a concern at AV=10. Outflanking can cause problematic holes in the rear of this tank. Its also open topped, hence the rear armour is of top concern to defend against opportunist attacks.

Builds.
There are actually a number of options here, depending on how one wants to run it. I primarily see two things to do: make the weapons strong and long ranged, or shorter and focussed (e.g., in an anti-infantry sense).

Gorgon, Armoured Ceramite, Mortar Battery (300 points).
This is probably the baseline build. The auto cannons and mortar combine well to give a good anti infantry role, although I could be tempted by some heavy flamers or multi lasers to replace the mortar.

Gorgon, Armoured Ceramite, 2 Twin-Linked lascannons, replace the battery with Lascannons as well (340 points).
Plenty of lascannons here to play around with! This is one that can blow up tanks and then disembark its own contents to take care of any troops that were riding on board. Add hunter-killer missiles to taste.

Horus Heresy Review: Imperialis Militia Reconnaissance Squad

Background.
These are the scouts of the Imperial Army, the trackers and the outriders who reconnoitre the way ahead.

In many ways, they're like the space marine legion recon squads. Except they're mortals.

Strengths. 
To be clear, this is a relatively cheap squad with access to weapons like sniper rifles and shotguns. As such, they are functionally almost identical to the space marine recon squad and have some of the same advantages such as built in "move through cover", as well as "infiltration". Of course, they also have scouts which lends itself very nicely to combine with infiltrate.

Weaknesses.
As with almost everything in this army, these scouts are mortals. They are strictly worse than space marines in almost every statistic apart from wounds! That said, they do have BS=4 which makes this squad well worth the (low) price tag associated with them. They're going to be shooting just as well as space marines. I'd therefore use their special rules to get them into position and try to release a suitable volley of shots in the first turn or two of a game before their (almost) inevitable demise.

Notice as well that they're not scoring -- they have the support squad special rule. Treat them accordingly.

Builds.
Quite a few options to think about here, but they're analogous to other scouting units. I'll therefore keep to only two examples: the snipers, and the distraction.

5 Scouts, sniper rifles, cameoline (95 points)
A nice build that many people will probably be tempted by. Functional and probably worth the price tag as well. Just make sure to get off a volley or two in the early turns. Take infra visors to taste.

5 Scouts, lasrifles, sergeant with melta bombs (60 points)
A bit of a distraction squad. Use via either outflanking, or position them at range to make some long shots (recall the 30" range on the lasrifles), or perhaps even get close to a tank to use the melta bombs on. They're expendable, and that's part of the point and the attraction.

Horus Heresy Review: Imperialis Militia Fire Support Squad

Background.
The fire support squad are the Imperial Army equivalent of the Space Marine Legions heavy support squad. As such, they're able to take a variety of heavy weapons.

Strengths.
As they're operating as a team, each team has two wounds. This means a trifle more survivability, but don't forget that a S=6 hit will mean an instant death. They are mere mortals, after all.

The variety of weapons available is comparable to the Space Marine Legion heavy support squad: lascannons, heavy bolters, heavy flamers, and so forth. In addition, they get access to twin-linked heavy stubbers as well as mortars.

Weaknesses.
They're pricier than normal mortals - presumably because the weapons they tote are more valuable than the entire earnings of their whole career put together. And they still die like mortals, have a poor Leadership value and a poor save. As such, they need to be placed in a good position from the start of the game and get off at least two turns of significant firepower to ensure that they're worth their points.

Builds.
Some suggestions on builds. Some are more appealing than others.

10 Fire Teams, all with Lascannons (300 points)
A pricey investment, but the sheer number of shots is needed here to counteract the poor BS and cause serious damage on enemy vehicles. There are probably better ways to kill vehicles than this in 30k Imperial Armies though.

5 Fire Team, all with Heavy Flamers (125 points)
Hunker down on an objective and flame anything that comes close. Alternatively, go on the run and try to flame enemies hunkered down in shelter of their own. Since they're templates, you're not too worried about the BS of the wielders.

6 Fire Teams, all with missile launchers, Flak missiles (180 points)
Anti-air, combined with punching power with krak missiles, and anti-infantry power with the frag shells. All round well worth it.

6 Fire Teams, all with Mortars (120 points)
I like mortars in the Imperial Army. They're cheap and cheerful and provide strong suppression that can be important in many situations.

Whilst other weapons are available, I personally like the above a lot. Certainly, multi-lasers are a great idea here, as are heavy bolters. I'm not sold on the basic heavy stubbers in this environment though. They're just a touch too expensive and just a little too ineffective. Autocannons are certainly viable though, and should be taken in number if you're going down that route.

Horus Heresy Review: Imperialis Militia Grenadier Squad

Background.
Although they might be called `Grenadiers', this term has been authorised in the administration to mean well trained soldiers. These are the elites - so to speak - of the Army. The professionals. The nobility. As with other elements of the army though, they can be as varied as the worlds that they come from.

Strengths.
In terms of their stat line, they are basic human mortal levels with one additional pip in their BS. This is critical as it takes them up to the same level as space marines. Therefore when armed with something like laslocks, or even bolters they're just as deadly.

With an option to take two special weapons, they can also be customised to a good degree. This makes the squad very versatile and able to fulfil a wider amount of roles in the army compared to other troops choices.

Weaknesses.
As with other mortals, they die rather easily. A transport option is probably a virtual must here unless the player has a better way to transport them (or if they're just going to knuckle down on an objective).  Twelve or less is good for an Arvus, or the Gorgon otherwise. To help with their flimsiness, they're cheap. So its easy to fit plenty of them in an army.

Builds.
Several entertaining thoughts here. See what you think.

12 Gernadiers, 2 plasma guns, all with bolt guns, 1 Vexilla, Sergeant with blast pistol (140 points).
Put in an Arvus and go shooting the plasma weapons at viable targets!

12 Grenadiers, 2 melta guns, all with bolt guns, 1 Vexilla, Sergeant with blast pistol and melta bombs (145 points).
A tank hunting variant of the above. Melta bombs for extra effect hopefully.

20 Grenadiers, 2 grenade launchers with either gas OR fire burst upgrades, all with laslocks, 1 Vexilla (160 points).
A large squad to use as sacrifices to keep the grenade launchers going.

20 Grenadiers, 2 flamers, 1 Vexilla, Sergeant with hand flamer (135 points).
Sit on an objective and try to look threatening with all those flamers to deter incoming charges? Sit in a Gorgon tank as well preferably.

Horus Heresy Review: Inducted Levy Squad

Background.
Where people commit crimes that are not worth of the death sentence, then they can be drafted in to the Army. Where people are from a low tech background or a gang wants them to prove themselves, they join the Army. Where near abhumans needs to be got rid of, they're sent to join the Army.

The inducted levy squad includes all of these, and which one precisely will depend on the nature of the army being created.

Strengths.
They're cheap. Dirt cheap. You might like to think Tyranids are cheap. These are cheaper.

Weaknesses.
They are strictly worse than the mortal human stat line with one less pip in Leadership, WS and BS. And they have a worse save. No wonder Tyranid Gaunts are better. At least Discipline Collars are possible here.

Builds.
50 Inductees with lascarbines or laslocks, Discipline Collars (120 points)
A humongous blob of troops. They're a meat shield at best. At least some massed shooting could take out a few space marines if push comes to shove. Add frag grenades for fun. And probably a Vexilla (but that won't truthfully help all that much - fearless would be better if you have an option).

20 Inductees, Custodian with hand flamer, 1 Vexilla, frag grenades (70 points)
Rather expensive for what they are really. But hey, you can afford 70 points, right?

50 Inductees, 1 Vexilla, Discipline Collars, Frag Grenades, all with auxilia pistols, Custodian with blast pistol (135 points)
The maximised squad built for close combat. Cheap enough and cheerful. An entire army could be constructed with 6 lots of these. Does your opponent have enough fire power to take care of them all?

Horus Heresy Review: Imperialis Militia Infantry Squad

Background.
At the core of the Imperial Army are the Infantry Squads. Large, mortal and armed with standard fare, these men and women can be built in a small number of combinations, that ultimately shine (or not) dependant on the rest of the army and the choices made for Provenances by taking a force commander.

Strengths.
Twenty bodies for a cheap price is nothing to be sneezed at. They're very reminiscent of Imperial Guard or Tyranids in 40k -- lots of bodies that are weak in isolation, but in great number present an issue for many armies to supply sufficient fire power to deal with them all.

Weaknesses.
If their cheapness and their numbers are their strength, then their obvious weaknesses are their mortal stat line combined with a save that even a bolt gun will melt away. They're going to die in droves against Space Marines and run screaming. Hence a dedicated transport option is advisable here not only for survivability but also for getting them in to position.

Builds.
20 Militia, with 2 close combat weapons, sergeant with power weapon, 1 vexilla, krak grenades (75 points).
Fundamentally a close combat orientated squad that could potentially be a tar pit for a turn of two. Give them a transport. Hook up with other elements. Hope you've got some good Provenances (Gene Crafted? Jackers? Hordes?).

20 Militia, all with laslocks, 1 vexilla (80 points).
With a S=4 gun, this squad can shoot as well as space marines. They still die like mortals, so take a transport.

20 Militia, all with larcarbines (or auto guns --they're functionally the same), 1 vexilla, krak grenades, sergeant with melta bombs, blast pistol (90 points).
Almost a fully upgraded squad to provide full tactical flexibility. Take a transport, plus some half decent Provenances. And then multiple other squads. 

Horus Heresy Review: Imperialis Auxilia Platoon Command Cadre

Background.
This Cadre is a collection of the best troops, officers and advisors available to a commander in the Imperial Army (or cult army). For those still loyal, it might be ganger members, or perhaps family of the commander. But for those who have turned traitor, they could be representing the ambitious and deceitful bunch who congregate around a tyrant. Or worse.

Strengths.
The Cadre comes with 6 people, of which the platoon commander has two wounds. As a baseline unit, one has to remember that they're in need of some upgrades and transports.

Weaknesses. 
Poor leadership (despite pseudo-stubborn bodyguards thanks to the standard). Weak in combat. Not particularly outstanding in melee. Why would you take this squad? Presumably because they're really cheap and they're ablative wounds available for the real HQ! I'd actually entertain placing them in a transport like a Gorgon even, alongside other close combat exponents who want a ride and can provide a lot of wounds. Out in the open, they'll perish on the first turn if they're not careful: platoon standard bearer and all.

Builds.
Command Cadre, Commander with power fist (45 points).
The points cost for this baseline unit is absolutely amazing - the "hidden" power fist combines well with other squads for a ride in a transport, whilst this squad is reasonable at what it does (soak up wounds) for other HQ choices.

Command Cadre, 4 extra bodyguards, Commander with melta bombs, refractor field, power fist; bodyguards with grenade launchers; carapace armour all round (155 points).
This is the near-fully upgraded version can be deadly in the right circumstances, and has a bit more staying power than the baseline version thanks to better armour. Its still not going to hang around too much, and hence needs transportation or effective positioning. But its now a squad to be a little more wary of for the enemy. 

Horus Heresy Review: Rogue Psyker

Background.
The Rogue Psyker is a bit of a classic character in Warhammer 40,000. In short, they're cult leaders or shamans who directly communed with the powers of the Warp. As such, they're for the traitor side only - as emphasised by the detachment already having the Tainted Flesh or Cult Horde provenance.

Note that in Tempest, the points value of this HQ selection was omitted. The Forge World FAQ updates this explicitly to note they're costed at 35 points (base).

Strengths.
They're actually remarkably weak in the stat department - at least at the base level. This is offset by the cheap points cost, multiple wounds, and access to level 1 psychic powers. The feel no pain rule will help them to stay alive, but not for too long.

I'd certainly recommend upgrading to the Alpha Psyker just to improve the stat line.

Weaknesses.
They don't have too many upgrades available. Interestingly, they already come with the likelihood of possession. This means that when they die they have a 2 in 6 chance of being replaced by a Possessed model. If they die due to perils of the warp, this increases to 5 in 6. This is amazing - don't be afraid of rolling lots of die for him or her, in the hope of generating a possessed replacement from perils of the warp.

Builds.
There's really not too many upgrades to discuss here. My recommendation is:

Alpha Psyker (60 points).
No other upgrades to be bothered about to be honest. Take a tainted weapon or don't - I don't think it'll help this HQ too much. Take malefic demonology perhaps. Or place near a big blob of troops that might benefit from some biomancy or pyromancy. Telekinesis is probably a secondary option in comparison (maybe). 

Horus Heresy Review: Discipline Master Cadre

Background.
Before there were Commisars, there were Discipline Masters. They function in exactly the same way you might think they should. They're assigned to squads for whom the Imperium is a new master (or even an old one) and are there to uphold the ideals of the Imperial Truth and the distant Imperial rule. And of course, they do that by shooting anyone too cowardly to stand up for the Imperium. But not other HQs or medical staff, naturally. Their targets are going to be regular squad members.

Strengths.
Their obvious strength is associated with their leadership boost and the ability to re-roll failed leadership tests. The latter, of course, is where the shooting of the cowards start.

Not so obviously, they are also a way to sneak in an extra weapon in to a squad: whether this is a hand flamer or a power weapon, or something else.

Weaknesses.
Like most of the militia, these guys are just mortal humans, and likely to suffer in a space marine dominated environment. They need to be inside big blobs of troops, inside transports, or otherwise in a quality supporting position. Their relatively cheap points cost helps with this and the ability to take 5 in a single HQ choice is excellent, and indeed: a must for 30k gaming.

Builds.
Some example builds to toy around with.

Discipline Master, needle pistol (25 points).
I must admit that I like the needle pistol. The low S is more than made up for by the rending and the poisoned nature of the weapon. It can hurt enemy space marines - which is what we want here.

Discipline Master, Carapace Armour, Refractor Field, Hand Flamer, Power Axe (47 points).
A more full build designed for close combat and sneaking in a hand flamers and power weapon to the deal to make sure they can scare space marines.

Discipline Master, melta bombs, bolt pistol (27 points).
Might as well take a bolt pistol for improved S in ranged attacks. This melta bomb equipped master is for going with a squad who is wanting to explode tanks basically - and is therefore kept deliberately cheap.

Horus Heresy Review: Militia Force Commander and Provenances of War

Background.
Today, we're going to start to look at the Imperialis Militia and Cults Army List. To understand this list, we need to simultaneously look at the Force Commander entry (i.e. the main HQ selection) alongside the major benefit it can give to the force he or she commander. In particular the force commander has the "Muster of Worlds" special rule which permits up to two Provenances of War to be selected.

Strengths.
Given the above, the chief strength of the Force Commander is to grant access to an army-wide boon, for an appropriate points value.

On top of this, they are highly customisable, as one might expect of a Force Commander from any number of worlds in the Imperium.

Weaknesses.
In effect, their strengths are also their weaknesses. By selecting certain Provenances, others become unavailable. Some have strong restrictions that will affect the army build. Ultimately, the character of the Force Commander, and the Provenances they take will almost determine the focus of the army entirely and how it should be deployed. Perhaps this is not surprising, but my point remains: any strength is offset by some restriction or other that needs thought.

Builds.
Here are a few "standard" builds to toy about with, before we progress to the Provenances themselves.

Force Commander, Power Fist, Melta Bombs, Digital Lasers, Power Armour, Iron Halo, Planetary Overlord (120 points).
For a force commander, this is expensive in terms of points. But it is one that is dedicated to survival and close combat in particular. The Planetary Overlord rule has been bought so that the army can gain access to a specifically selected warlord trait. Ruthless Tyrant is useful for the bonus Ld. But I actually think a Merchant Princeling might be superior! But the there's the Connoisseur of Alien Curios which could be vital in a 30k game for causing fear.

Force Commander, Power Armour, Iron Halo (75 points).
This one is probably the baseline one that I would consider, built primarily for survival and hiding out in a big squad, or inside a transport.

Provenances of War.
The player can select up to two of these. But which ones are any good?

Warrior Elites: By increasing the Ld score of each squad, this makes the warriors much less likely to flee in terror from power armoured superhuman space marine brutes. This can be vital in this arena. For squads like grenadiers, it also means that discipline masters are no longer strictly required. Use for close combat, or in-the-open shooting armies.

Gene Crafted: I really like this one. The bonus to S and I is absolutely amazing. But the penalty of not benefitting from medical staff is a significant draw back. I'd take this one for a close combat orientated army.

Cyber-Augmetics: An increase in an invulnerable save will keep units alive longer than they otherwise would. Equally, I'd prefer feel no pain from a medic to be fair. A suitable upgrade for Iron Hands influenced worlds perhaps?

Alchem-jackers: The ability to not suffer negative modifiers to Ld is simply amazing in this environment -- recall that the stubborn rule is at a premium for all 30k armies. Outside of combat, a unit becomes pinned instead of falling back, which is also really good. This makes the rule good for close combat armies with fire support. In addition, the ability to take Frenzon is a solid boon too. Armies with this will be close combat ones. The World Eaters will respect these mortals and might even work alongside them.

Survivors of the Dark Age: With a bonus to their armour saves, this is an army that will be filled with superior warriors. Indeed, the "drawback" of having to take grenadiers is not a drawback much here: they get an impressive 3+ save. They're therefore just like space marines in that regard. The advanced weaponry upgrade is a good one too. The bonus S cannot be overlooked - but only for things like laslocks and lasrifles to get better than bolters range, but comparable S. The grenadiers might as well have bolters in most other cases.

Feral Warriors: Clearly much conversion work can be undertaken for all of these options, but I'm particularly taken with this one. With bonus WS, and the option of taking the Blade and Fury upgrade for bonus attacks, this is clearly a close combat army.

Abhuman Helots: The genetic mutants gain a toughness bonus, which across the board is simply amazing! Who cares if they get a negative initiative? The discipline collars can take care of some of the issues associated with striking later in combat perhaps.

Cult Horde: Turn your commander in to a possessed daemon; and gain zealot across the board. You'll be allying with the Word Bearers and Emperor's Children no doubt.

Tainted Flesh: Another traitor provenance, the combination of fear, feel no pain and rending in melee is strong and means a close combat orientated task force, combined with lots of conversion possibility thanks to being mutated by the warp. Being able to take Mutant Spawn is nice, but there are strong restrictions in other provenances, as well as unit selections.

I personally like the way that two of them can be combined: feral warriors with survivors of the dark age or even alchemy jackers is a nice one. Gene-crafted is a nice one to combine with some of these as well. Feral warriors and/or abhumans will work nicely with the traitor ones too. Long live the beast men for the abhumans, frankly.

Horus Heresy Review: Auxilia Malcador Heavy Tank

Background
A flexibly built tank that seems to have been a second class vehicle in the Horus Heresy compared to the more populous Leman Russ tanks. The Malcador here is certainly worth of attention.

Strengths
From the outset, it is important to note that this tank is in the heavy support section and not the Lords of War like the Space Marine version. For most of the other points, I will simply refer the reader back to that article.

Weaknesses
One of the obvious weaknesses here is the BS=3 and the inability to take a space marine crew to improve upon that in comparison to the Legion variant.

Builds
The following are suggestions, based on the Legion variant. I'd encourage readers to refer back to that article for more details.

Malcador with battle cannon, hull mounted auto cannon, auto cannon sponsons, armoured ceramite, two hunter-killer missiles (275 points)
Plenty of dakka here as well as the ubiquitous armoured ceramite and the hunter killer missiles. Take a flare shield to taste.

Malcador with twin linked lascannon, demolisher cannon, lascannon sponsons, armoured ceramite (305 points)
An anti-tank variant here. Take a flare shield to taste.

Horus Heresy Review: Auxilia Thunderbolt Heavy Fighter

Background
The Thunderbolt is supposed to be a heavy fighter that wind over its opponents in dog fights due to superior weapons and firepower. And it can do this to a certain extent. But whether one classifies it as a heavy fighter is another matter entirely. That said, it certain is a "workhorse" as described in the background and I can see it being played by Solar Auxilia players quite readily.

Strengths
The fighter can be kitted out as anti-infantry as well as anti-aircraft, and anti-tank. In this regard it is highly flexible and can take on most things in the game short of Lords of War and certain monstrous creatures.

It has an interesting rule called "Combat Interdiction" which requires it to re-roll failed reserve rolls if there's an enemy flyer on the board already. This is very cute and will mean that the fighter will come on when required most of the time.

Add on top of this a flare shield, chaff launcher and the supersonic rule, and we have the makings of an excellent aircraft here.

Weaknesses
Sadly, despite the name, the Thunderbolt is rather flimsy with AV values comparable to a rhino. The chaff launchers and flare shield upgrade can help with this clearly, as can the armoured cockpit. Even more than this, it can ignore glances on a 6+ which will help once in a while, possibly. But it remains the case that this is a vulnerable fighter than needs some expert positioning and deadly quick flight runs to operate correctly.

Builds
A few builds here to cater to the roles it could be put to.

Thunderbolt, Ground-Tracking Auguries, Flare Shield, Sunfury Missiles (250 points)
This is an anti-infantry (mainly anti-space marine) build.

Thunderbolt, Ground-Tracking Auguries, Flare Shield (230 points)
This is an anti-tank build. Swap the weapons to taste depending on the opponent.

Thunderbolt, Flare Shield (220 points)
This is the anti-aircraft build - and the cheapest of the lot. Drop the flare shield to save points if needed.