Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Decurion Lanius

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. A very reasonable vehicular upgrade.

Background.

Somewhat like a commissar for the Sons of Horus. This guy will shoot at friendly Sons of Horus in whom the unacceptable seed of fear blossoms. 

Strengths.

As a tank upgrade, it is cool to see he comes with a banestrike bolt cannon as standard. The range, rate of fire, strength and possible breaching is significant here.

There are 2 special rules to take note of. Firstly he comes with an impressive banner that grants Ld=9 to all who gaze upon it for morale and pinning purposes. Secondly, he will shoot any Sons of Horus unit within a reasonable range that fail a morale check for d3 wounds and thus amend that failure!

Weaknesses.
I mean - yes. He will kill your own men. But this does have a place in some circumstances.

Overall.

A solid, if double edged upgrade to ensure morale remains high!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Vheren Ashurhaddon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. While he has some peculiar rules, he is very good at what he does.

Background.

Vheren really didn't like it when the Sons of Horus were falling to the ruinous powers. He just wanted his legion back to being simple humble reavers and traitors - and to hell with warp spawn. So he chose to invade Cthonia and take it back for the greater glory! Aside from that, he perfected the reaving warfare technique that many would later aspire to and generally held the terrans of his legion in disdain.

Strengths.

The warlord trait is very interesting, but also kind of strange. When he allocates a wound to himself (not by the choice of the opponent) he gets to re-roll his invulnerable save. This makes him great as an ablative wound character (perhaps there's another character in the squad you want taking over from him?!) and potentially as a good soak for heavy incoming fire. But really. You don't want him doing this. With T=4 he might die outright. He also grants stubborn which is valuable.

His axe is basically an AP=2 weapon that swings at his initiative (I=5) which is amazing. His sidearm pistol has breaching on a 6+ which is nice and entertaining. His armour is 2+/4++ and seems to have an almost Alpha Legion effect of making him further away than you think he is when his unit is relatively small. 

As the first reaver, he unlocks a reaver squad as a retinue squad - take it. He can readily slay enemy characters in combat (and much else that he selects thanks to his precision strikes and all). 

Weaknesses.
Traitors only here. The really strange warlord trait is something that you probably don't want to activate too much to be honest. Perhaps against plasma guns where you won't die to instant death? But the real issue here is how to get him into position. He has a bunch of nice melee rules like precision shots and strikes, let alone counter attack. You're going to need transport. 

Overall.

A great character for the Sons of Horus, and very fluffy for the re-taking of Cthonia. I can see he might get played outside of the Cthonia campaign, but there are other choices available - the Sons of Horus aren't short of character choices!

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Additional Rules (Siege of Cthonia)

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Nice, strong boons for the Sons of Horus. 

Carsoran Power Weapons.
There are two variants of these which can replace power weapons at no cost. The axe version is excellent for making short work of space marines thanks to AP3. With being a specialist weapon its also a good choice to pair up with other things (e.g., hammers!). The tabar version comes at S+1 and is unfortunately two handed. But given breaching at 4+, a unit armed with these could potentially be quite deadly if a charge is pulled off at the right moment in a game.

Warlord Trait: True Son.
Available to only traitor forces, this trait is for those who want to fight with traditional honour, rather than go down the route of chaos inspired corruption. The warlord gains a leadership boost for morale and pinning, as do units who can see him. This bonus alone is fantastic and makes the trait worthwhile. There's an added armour save boost against psychics, which is nice but situational. The bonus assualt reaction is sound. Overall a great trait.

Warlord Trait: Cast in Gold.
Gain A+1 and S+1 when in a combat challenge where the opponent has equal or greater WS. This is a nice boost, but the real gain here is the additional victory point if you win. The bonus movement is great. Rooted in Cthonian tradition, this trait is available to all Sons factions - traitor or loyalist. Its a really nice trait, but obviously suited to an aggressive build. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Dark Emissary

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. Somewhat niche, but playable Sons of Horus HQ for allied detachments.

Background. 

Eyes, ears, examples of the skills that Horus demanded of his traitorous allies, and executioners for those who fell short. The dark emissaries were sent by Horus to keep tabs on his allies and guide them along the required path.

Strengths.

I rather like this unit as it is not only fluffy, but provides an interesting option to the traitor player. 

If part of an allied detachment, then that whole detachment gains stubborn. This is a nice boon which means that the entire detachment is probably going to be using the emissaries Ld throughout at minimum. 

The staff of dark authority (probably a big staff with an eye of Horus on the top in modelling terms?) gives Ld=10 in a small bubble for pinning and morale. This is a great boon. It also functions as a power weapon striking with AP3 and therefore this emissary is ready to tackle other power armour enemies. 

Weaknesses.

This consul has to be built with the allied detachment in mind. What is it going to be: regular tactical squads, breachers, etc? I kind of like the thought of breachers here, but this could go a lot of ways. I'm honestly thinking here of an allied detachment consisting of little more than 1 HQ and 1 Troops, but of course that could be expanded. 

Build.

Dark Emissary in Tartaros Armour, Grenade Harness (105 points).

Unless you're taking terminators in the allied detachment, cataphractii armour is probably sub-optimal so stick with tartaros. Take a thunder hammer to taste? 

Dark Emissary, Boarding Shield (85 points).

Cheap. Cheerful. To be placed with a breacher squad.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Garviel Loken

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 Stars. Absolutely playable.

Background.

The loyalist's loyalist and survivor without peer. Loken was betrayed at the events in the Isstvan system by Horus but subsequently rose to exact revenge. And rose again. Almost the star of the early books in the black library series, Loken was a Captain in the Sons, but renounced them to reclaim the ideals of the Luna Wolves of old.

Strengths. 

A reasonable stat line combined with paragon blade and the Master of the Legion. What he brings to the table is the ability to gain +1A on charges and when charged by chosen legion traitor enemies. What is better though is the ability to take additional reactions during the assault phase which is very strong.

The born survivor gives him a Ld test to remain on the board with d3 wounds left when he is first removed. This is solid, without being outstanding.

Weaknesses.

Naturally, he can only be taken by the loyalist side of the conflict. Also T=4, so beware, but note also the Sons of Horus legion rules.

Overall.

A solid character without being outstanding, and ideal for loyalist Luna Wolves and Sons of Horus players. He will do well in many games and is reasonably priced. Just make sure he gets into combat. 

Difference to First Edition:

Neutral. The rules are mainly comparable. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Ezekyle Abaddon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Very good! 

Background.

The legendary First Captain of the Sons of Horus is rumoured to be a gene-clone of the great man himself. Yet is isn't just in appearance that he resembled Horus. His fighting style, and ultimately loyalty to Horus saw him tread the pathway toward infamy in lockstep with his Legion's sire. 

Strengths.

Excellent WS, and a stat line otherwise not dissimilar to a praetor in terminator armour, Ezekyle is a force to be reckoned with. He comes armed with a power claw that provides the needed AP2 at double strength and a bunch of bonus rules such as shred. Banestrike ammo and the paragon blade is just the icing on the cake.

His own personal buffs include an exceptionally rare Fearless (same as First Edition) along with Deep Strike and precision strikes. 

The warlord trait allows him to spread feel no pain to his unit when they deep strike into play along with a bonus movement phase reaction - which is nice to see and will be powerful.

Weaknesses.

He is still a marine at T=4 and this carries the usual problem.

On top of this, his points cost is steep. 

Overall.

A great character that will still see a lot of play in second edition!

Difference to First Edition:

Neutral. He is about the same all things considered, although granted there are some changes present.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Maloghurst the Twisted

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars. Playable. Fluffy. Nothing particularly bad, and strong reaction bonus, but nothing spectacular to see here either.

Background.

Equerry to the Warmaster himself, Maloghurst was almost killed in earlier action which left his body shattered and earned his moniker. With little left but to serve his Primarch, he became ever more the shrewd operator and trusted on the battlefield to carry the icon of Horus and thus also became known as the Bearer of the Eye. 

Strengths.

The warlord trait, Bearer of the Eye, is an entertaining one as it provides an edge for objective based missions in favour of the Sons of Horus. Ensuring that his unit is scoring and requiring an enemy more than just a denial unit, but a line unit to contest is situational, but can be played to its strengths. The bonus reaction is simply strong. Of course, being a master of the legion comes as standard here. 

Weaknesses.

Naturally, this is a HQ choice for the traitor faction only. Slightly slower movement is fluffy, and expected. 

Overall. 

A reasonable stat line, but arguably not amazing, I think the points cost is just - and only just - worth it. Treat as a backline objective holder, or else put him in a tank with a unit to go forth to a more front line objective (and potentially risk losing the reaction bonus).  

Difference to First Edition:

Slightly Worse, subjectively. He has lost the ability to make veterans and reavers troops which was originally a big part of his attraction. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Reaver Attack Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. This is a very strong choice for the Sons of Horus. 

Background.

An evolution of the despoiler squad, with Horus' name and the Cthonian ganger background writ large across it. The Reavers are the other half of the Sons of Horus elites and an opposite/complement to the Jastaerin. 

Strengths.

This is a very flexible squad, but one tuned up for close combat. Relentless, counter attack, combined with precision shots and strikes make the new iteration of Reavers a force to be reckoned with. Take with a Rhino or Dread claw drop pod for transport and they're good to go hunting most things in the game depending on the play style that the gamer is wanting to enact.

Weaknesses. 

Few. This is, in fact, a very strong unit. Combined with the lack of vulnerability to power fists in close combat thanks to the legion rules, this squad is realistically just fearing long range powerful weapons and characters with the potential to wipe them.

Difference to First Edition:

Improved. And when I say "Improved", I mean massively improved. In First Edition, I hardly sighted this unit at all outside of fluffy builds. This unit now has the potential to radically alter the approach to army building for Sons of Horus it has improved that much. Play them as an improved despoiler squad and go hunting. They've lost jump packs and banestrike, but so what. 

Builds.

I am deliberately only considering 10 strong squads here. Take them up to 20 if you are playing higher points cost games, or to taste. 

10 Reavers, 1 Nuncio Vox, 1 Vexilla, 2 Plasma Guns, 4 Power Fists (345 points).

Take a rhino and go forth. 

10 Reavers, 1 Nuncio Vox, 1 Vexilla, 2 Melta Guns (295 points).

Blow up some light tanks and assault the contents if it is a transport. Take power weapons to taste.

10 Reavers, 2 Flamers, 3 Hand Flamers, 4 Power Axes (320 points).

Best for deep striking armies. Take the nuncio vox and vexilla to taste. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Justaerin Terminator Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Great rules all round. This is a very playable unit, but due to lack of Line, we won't see as much of them as we used to in First Edition sadly.

Background.

The Justaerin are the elite of the elite within the Sons of Horus. They are the literal embodiment of the tip of the spear that Horus was so fond of adopting and their purpose is simply that: the destroy the enemy heart and leave nothing standing in their wake.

Strengths.

Double wound terminators in cataphractii armour are always going to be hard to dislodge. These terminators come with banestrike as standard along with the Carsoran axes. Relentless is good, along with furious charge, and naturally stubborn makes them great. 

Weaknesses.

Unlike in first edition, I cannot fathom an easy way to make them all scoring (or Line, if you prefer). This represents a loss compared to the first edition in my opinion as the option for an army of them no longer exists.

To get AP2 requires a little bit of sacrifice as well, and this needs thought and consideration.  

Difference to First Edition.

Improved. +1BS, and +1A make them categorically better than they were. They have had a mild points increase (compared to the revised points cost previously), but the increase in points is more than offset by what they are gaining. 

Builds.

5 Justaerin, 1 with heavy flamer, 1 with thunder hammer (295 points).

A baseline offering - no more. Grab a vehicle and go hunting. 

10 Justaerin, 2 Multi-Meltas, 4 Combi-Meltas, 2 Chain Fists (625 points). 

Yes, things are expensive here, but arguably worth it for hunting enemy light tanks and infantry. 

10 Justaerin, 2 Reaper Autocannons, 4 Power Fists (595 points).

One for hunting down the enemy terminators perhaps. The combination of bane strike and the firepower of reapers should hit reasonable well, but the power fists are needed for that low AP. Take thunder hammers to taste. Lightning claws are a nice alternative for sheer volume of close combat attacks. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Horus Lupercal

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. He is the character for which the game is named, after all.

Background.

There is little to say about the big guy himself that cannot be found elsewhere. He is the Primarch responsible for the entire series, the Heresy, the Civil War, and more. The most favoured son, the Warmaster, and the Breaker of Tyrants. Call it how you will: Horus is the crux of the entire setting moreso than any other character. 

Strengths.

Undoubtedly the best stat line in the game combined with some really rather outrageously good rules makes Horus a force to be reckoned with. But in the Second Edition, it could be even better since there is an upgrade cost that can be paid to obtain "Horus Ascended" - an even better stat line combined with further rules for the man.

Lupercal's warlord trait grants all infantry +1 Ld which for this game can be immense. The addition of the Stubborn rule is excellent too. 

The ability to deep strike is not one of overlook either and might be played by the more tactical Sons of Horus players. Better though is his ability to increase the reaction allotment by +1 in every phase in which he is the reactive player. This has the potential to be near game breaking and for this alone the increase in points cost versus the first edition is almost worth it (don't forget the Advanced Reaction for the Sons of Horus here too). 

Splitting his attacks in close combat is excellent, and his weapons are solid. The Worldbreaker maul is the go-to weapon of choice here since it has benefitted from having Sunder and Brutal (2) added to the profile compared to first edition. Meanwhile the Talon has got slightly worse since it no longer affects an opponent's WS. Not to worry though - the Warmaster will be hard to beat in combat regardless. 

Weaknesses.
None.

Regarding the Ascended version - I would contend that this is not quite worth the points investment. Yes, the stat line improvement is excellent. His personal buffs are good as well - feel no pain and rage are excellent, A Dark Fate enables him to come back (and the opponent reap Slay the Warlord twice!), obtaining T=S=10 once per game is near broken, and the ability to grant the Corrupted sub-type is okay I guess. Just not sure its worth the points. But I can see fluffy players going for it. 

Overall.

Excellent! The rules here are superb, and are a significant departure to the First Edition.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral to Improved. Can't quite make my mind up if the changes in the rules mean that things have improved here, since alongside this, the points cost has gone up a few notches as well. We will therefore be seeing slightly less of Horus in games since he will not appear in games below 2500 points -- and Horus Ascended won't appear below 4000 points (which is truly Apocalyptic scales!). 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Armoury

Sons of Horus Armoury. 

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. (The rules are average). 

Carosan Power Axe.

This nice upgrade is for anyone with a power weapon. The axe gains Breaching on a 5+ which makes it an attractive option for terminators.

Banestrike Bolters.

Gifted to the Legion by the Alpha Legion, these weapons have a shorter range but make up for it with S+1 and breaching at 6+. This is fundamentally better than first edition. 

Dark Emissary.

This consul upgrade is essentially the eyes of Horus himself. As such, it is a very fluffy character to include in a Sons of Horus army -- or better yet: allied detachment -- which is where this character has been tuned up for. 

If done in this manner, then the Emissary gives stubborn to the Sons in the detachment, along with a staff of dark authority. This staff serves not only as a power weapon at S+1, but gifts Ld=10 in a small bubble around the character when needed for morale or pinning tests. This is nothing to be sneezed at, and is a rather good upgrade for the points. Honestly, this character is great for narrative battles and should absolutely be taken.

Difference to First Edition:

Improved. (Can't ignore the much better banestrike weapon here, and the Dark Emissary is just cool). 

 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Legion Traits and Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. (The rules are strong). 

Warlord Traits.

Chosen by the Dark Gods (Traitor Only).

This Sons of Horus trait has two components: one for the warlord himself, and one for the army. For the warlord, he gets to roll 1d6 every turn. Anything but a 1 means +1S and +1T. A 6 gives a wound back. A 1 subtracts a wound. This, therefore, is a solid personal buff and recommended. The army wide buff is to gain another reaction in the movement phase. My opinion here is that this is a strong trait to take and comes recommended with almost any style of army, but most especially one that is close combat focused -- which players will likely be running anyway!

Wolf of Luna (Loyalist Only).

Great to see a loyalist entry for the Sons of Horus, and fittingly it is attuned to the old ways of thinking that were contained within the former Luna Wolves. A +1A on the charge against traitor legions or when charged coupled with a bonus reaction in the assault phase make this a fitting counter point to the trait above, and equally strong in its own ways. 

The Armour of Pride.

When removed, the player can take a Ld test to bring the warlord back with some remaining wounds instead, but doesn't work against instant death, so don't try it. Add in a bonus reaction to the shooting phase to boot. In all honesty, I don't think this is as powerful as the above traits, but the bonus reaction in the shooting phase is very strong and not to be overlooked. The personal warlord aspect to it is unlikely to get much action since there will be a lot of instant death kicking around in Horus Heresy games, but who knows - if the Warlord can ride in a transport and stay in combat, then those power fists won't be the end of him either. So it can have strong utility when played actively.

Rites of War.

The Black Reaving.

Rage (2), Reavers as Troops, and Justaerin with deep strike makes this rite of war one that will almost be an auto-pick for Sons of Horus players. Negatives are the need to take a master of signal (not much of a negative if you ask me), and that there must be more fast attack than heavy support. This is also fine. I like this rite, and it is very much a good translation of the first edition and arguably fractionally stronger as well. 

The Long March (Traitor Only).

Gaining an increase in movement, and enabling terminators to be non compulsory troops with outflank is a nice touch (remember the outflank assault is now a thing as well). The drawback is that heavy supports have to be in transports or brought in as reserves. Despite the name of this rite, there is not much in common with the first edition. I think this rite is okay, without being outstanding. Not sure it will see as much play as the Black Reaving, but that increased movement rate does have its place, to be clear. 

Difference to First Edition:

Neutral. (On balance, the rules are about the same in terms of raw power ... but I'm gutted for those players who used to love full on terminator armies here - why the heck can't Justaerin find a way to be scoring any more?). 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Sons of Horus Legion Rules

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

Background.

As the Iron Hands are to shooting attacks, the Sons of Horus are to close combat attacks. They represent almost diametrically opposite sides of the conflict, but both are able to play to their own strengths, and this is the reason that while the Iron Hands may have gone first, the Sons of Horus are not far behind. The Iron Hands are my yardstick for the Loyalists; the Sons of Horus represent a good yardstick for the traitors. These rules and more will be added to the Horus Heresy Reviews Summary Page soon. 

The Sons of Horus are very similar to how they appeared in the first edition, even down to the names of some their special rules. Of course, they are the arch traitors, but there are some in their number who remember well the Luna Wolves of old and cling to the ideals of the Emperor's dream still. I am very glad to see such elements being acknowledged formally in almost every legion detailed in the second edition.

Legion Rules Review.
Merciless Fighters. Retaining the same name as first edition, the core special rule for the Sons of Horus is to reduce by -1S any incoming attacks in melee. This is a great rule and represents a near peerless advantage within close combat. Consider for a moment power fists. They are incoming at S=7, and therefore lose the instant death dealing against marines. Your fighters that have more than one wound will be laughing to say the least. This is incredible really. Naturally, the legion will favour such melee based tactics (take the Reavers- you know you want to!), but is not a slouch in the vehicle department either since this special rule also provides a bonus to ramming actions. Overall then the Sons of Horus are mainly a close combat legion, but don't be surprised by plenty of variation. I long remember a Sons' drop pod assault army I once faced off against backed up by long range tank firepower which was an excellent blend of treats to take care of. 

Their special upgrade for legion centurion is the Dark Emissary which I intend to review distinctly. Alongside this, they gain access to The Warmaster's Armour, and select traits for the warlord from The Warmaster's Own. 

Advanced Reaction.
Death Dealers allows a reaction to being targeted by incoming firepower in the opponent's turn. If triggered and used as a reaction, the nominated unit fires back at +1BS. This then is a strong reaction, but as with other legions the temptation is to horde this until a vital moment. I suggest otherwise: use it as soon as you can since you will find your legion wanting to get into combat and therefore you may not have a chance to play it otherwise. 

Difference to First Edition:
Neutral. (On balance, the new rules provide about the same level of competitiveness). 

Overall, the Sons of Horus have seen changes compared to first edition. The old Merciless Fighters rule worked differently and allowed bonus attacks. Here we see a reduction in strength of incoming attacks instead which will be amazing and an absolute increase in power levels for the legion. Missing here is the Edge of the Spear rule which will be a loss for deep striking armies - I know this will hurt many players out there who like their terminators and this I feel is why on balance I'm approaching neutral rather than a power increase difference level. The loss of Bitter Pride probably won't affect too many players though. Arguably important to note here is that the former need for large blobs of melee units is now gone - the Sons of Horus can function well with minimum sized squads thanks to the new implementation of Merciless Fighters. Hence this is why on balance I think the rules are still strong, but on balance probably about the same power level as first, if rather different overall.

Warhammer World: Sons of Horus of Horus Heresy

And today, some shots of the Sons of Horus that were on display at an earlier exhibit in Warhammer World. I love the subtle green paint scheme that these miniatures exhibit -- it really offsets nicely with the red elements and the eye of Horus of various parts of the miniatures.

Horus Heresy Review: Tybalt Marr

Background.
Featuring in the early Horus Heresy novel series from the Black Library, Tybalt Marr's name (also known as "The Either") will be familiar to many readers. It is therefore very good to see him in Forge World's publications too, with rules!

Post Isstvan, he was charged with hunting down loyalist survivors. He thought he had Meduson dead. He was wrong and was subsequently charged with being a lone wolf to slaughter the Shattered Legions once and for all by Horus.

Strengths.
Marr is something of an enigma to play. His warlord trait seems to be one of denial. Any enemy deployed within 24 inches of him suffers a pinning test. To be fair, this could be very strong, but without any modification to leadership, most units will pass on approximately a "9" or less on 2d6 I would think. Therefore the temptation to deploy close to the enemy if one has infiltrate or scouts is still present and not hindered by Marr's presence. Of course, one could try to give Marr scouts himself somehow (don't ask me how) to improve the number of enemy units taking such tests, but that's about the extent of it that I can see.

His equipment is okay for a praetor. A decent close combat weapon with artificer armour and an iron halo make him a reasonable threat all round. Banestrike ammunition combined with preferred enemy: loyalists is very neat as well. He's therefore a sound replacement praetor for a fluffy choice to obtain Master of the Legion.

Weaknesses.
As discussed above, the pinning test is not all that strong and not much of a deterrent or threat to the enemy at large. I wouldn't be so bothered, for instance, if playing loyalist Alpha Legion to not infiltrate close to him. Take the gamble that I will pass the pinning test and get going with my tactics regardless.

Overall.
Marr is probably worth the points value -- just! I simply don't think his unique warlord trait is all that good though -- it is very tough to make use of, and he's still going to get ambushed by Raven Guard, Alpha Legion and others who will gamble against passing a pinning test. His weapons don't have terrific AP, they're there for the bane strike and for the instant death rule overall. Perhaps team up with veteran squads or terminator squads (or Justaerin) for the preferred enemy rule from Marr?

In other words: play for the fluff, and act accordingly. 

Horus Heresy Review: Maloghurst The Twisted

Twisted in mind before he became twisted in body, Mal is Horus' equerry and as such carries the authority of Horus wheresoever he goes.

His rules are nice: he is able to make both veteran tactical squads and reaver attack squad in to troops. But he pays for this for having a broken body: he doesn't move fast at all and as such probably does not want to be attached to front line melee style units. Hence he is only really suitable for back field units like support squads. This is something of an enigma as he would otherwise be quite a reasonable beat stick in combat. But since he is also a scoring unit, then one could imagine placing him in such a unit on top of a back-field objective for the entire game. His presence is then a deterrent against being charged there whilst the faster elements of the force go forth and conquer.

On top of this, he has the same abilities as a Praetor in the sense of being able to activate rites of war, and also carries a legion standard.

In short, I feel that Mal is a great addition for a certain style of Sons of Horus army that focuses on Reaver Attack Squads and Veteran Tactical Squads. But there is an enigma here as well in the sense that Mal is not well suited to front line work, so much be maintained at the back in all likelihood (unless drop podded in and then leaving the squad he joined before combat commences). And his price tag is attractive as well considering his equipment. Hence I think he's not only a fluffy choice for a traitor force (or pre-heresy Luna Wolves), but also an effective one if handled well.

Horus Heresy Review: Reaver Attack Squad

One of the specialist units available to the Sons of Horus, the Reavers grew out of the Cthonia gang warfare and more than despoiler squads or assault squads are the essence of the Sons of Horus' way of warfare: rapid attack and merciless slaughter of their opposition.

Their boons are outflank coupled with precision shots from all squad members (not just the sergeant -- or chieftain as he's called here).  But the upgrades can also make a difference. Given that every shot is a precision one, bane strike ammunition is very tempting for this squad to make sure it is going to be taking out power armour equivalents reasonably regularly.

Unlike regular squads, a reaver one can take a drop pod or a rhino as it pleases (so long as they're not wearing jump packs - which they can as well). In short, I feel there are multiple ways one can build this squad depending on what one wishes to see it do.

Here are a few examples.

Reaver Attack Squad, 15 members, all with bane strike shells, 4 powerfists, chieftain with artificer armour, entire squad with jump packs (480 points)
Excessive certainly, but able to tackle most things in the game. The jump packs enable the player to get the charge in (we hope) on the opposition after decimating them with bane strike and precise shots, and coupled with the Sons of Horus special rules, should be bringing down enemy squads with regularity.

Reaver Attack Squad, 5 members, 5 combi-meltas with bane strike shells, chieftain with artificer armour (195 points)
This is a squad to outflank and take down some back-field tanks, and then use their precision shots to take care of some squad sergeants and then to force leadership checks.

Reaver Attack Squad, 10 members, 2 flamers, 5 power axes (280 points)
Take these guys in a drop pod. On landing, flame the local area, and then subsequently look to charge in with the power axes to take care of anything up to and including terminators.

Horus Heresy Review: Garviel Loken

Ascending to the Mournival - Horus' closest advisors that included Abaddon - in the latter parts of the Great Crusade, Loken is not only a character of note, but arguably one of the prime characters in the first three Horus Hersey novels produced by the Black Library (Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames).

Loken, naturally, is a loyalist who holds himself to the highest standards of the Luna Wolves of old. In the Isstvan III campaign, he can only be selected by the Loyalist side, and is noted for having led the loyalist Sons of Horus to take a bloody toll out of his former brethren for their traitorous actions.

His rules and statistics are interesting, with I=6, he's going to be attacking first quite frequently (one would hope), and the paragon blade should be doing some damage to enemy troops. Although he is in standard power armour, he does have an iron halo to help keep him alive.

Speaking of keeping alive, the unique rule that Loken has is the "Born Survivor" rule. Basically, he has a 5 in 6 chance of ignoring the first death caused to him in a single game. This ties in very nicely with his survival exploits in the black library serialisation and is a great characterisation in my opinion.

Other than that, he is a Master of the Legion and can function in the same manner as a praetor by being able to deploy certain rites of war should he choose.

I regard him as a characterful HQ selection. He's not a specialist in the same way as Abaddon (i.e. terminator assault), but rather, he is a troopers trooper. Take him with a large mob and get stuck in to the enemy. He won't be disappointing, but equally he is cheaper than Horus or Abaddon, but slighter pricier than a praetor but without the artificer armour. I actually think a praetor is probably more bang for the price tag. But Loken will survive longer in all probability. So there are pros and cons here. 

Horus Heresy Review: Ezekyle Abaddon

Long before he became Abaddon the Despoiler, Ezekyle was a hero of the Imperium with a fanatical loyalty to Horus himself. Believed to be a direct clone progeny, Abaddon's rules attempt to live up to this in a number of ways.

Firstly, he is a master of the legion. This means like a Praetor, if you have him as a HQ, you can select any rite of war that you like. This is handy if you wanted to (for example) choose the Pride of the Legion and field a Justaerin terminator based army.

His statistics are impressive in the WS department, but then distinctly average (much like a chapter master or equivalent) for the rest. And, he does not have eternal warrior, so can be single shot killed. If you're campaigning in a narrative series of events, this may be less important as he has the "marked by dark fates" rule and can re-roll any result so that he has a better survival chance to the next game.

What he does have (that is lacking in many other characters) is fearless. This can clearly be a great boon! He also has a teleport homer which can re-roll any deep strike mishap -- unlike Horus, he does scatter when he comes on to the board. But he can deep strike in any game, regardless of the mission (normal terminators cannot do this unless the mission allows it).

His equipment is an eclectic mix. He is inside enhanced terminator armour (2+/4++) with a power fist, combi-bolter and grenade launcher. I would much sooner him be wielding a bladed weapon to be honest, but I guess powerfists are the norm on characters anyway. And in challenges, he's going to do okay regardless, should he come across some lightning claws by chance. I'd be a bit concerned about force weapons, but otherwise, I think Abaddon is going to win very well against other characters and squads -- particularly if he is inside a squad of terminators himself.

I regard him as a very capable HQ selection for the Sons of Horus, but somewhat pricey at the same time. As with Horus, his use is clearly going to be dependant on getting him in to the fray where he is needed. A few turns out of combat, or being run around by assault / fast troops and he won't be collecting his points back. But otherwise, he's an excellent choice.

Horus Heresy Review: Horus the Warmaster

Horus Lupercal. Sire of the Luna Wolves, later known as the Sons of Horus. Horus the Warmaster. Tactical Genius. Charismatic. And ultimately: Heretic.  But do the rules presented in Betrayal do him justice and is he worth the points cost?

Its always a risk putting numbers to legends such as Horus and the other primarchs. Indeed, before Betrayal, the only primarch that I know of with published statistics is Angron in daemon prince form through an apocalypse data sheet. But in the Horus Heresy 30k books, we will (I hope) eventually have statistics for all 18 known primarchs. (Well, 19 if you think there's more than one primarch in the Alpha Legion…! heresy!).

As a primarch, Horus has the "standard" primarch rules associated with him that includes "eternal warrior" and "it will not die" (amongst others). As with his brothers, he is exceptionally tough. But he is far from immortal and can be brought down with highly concerted efforts. Equally, as a Lord of War, he's really only going to be present in large army lists (and presumably, when the opponent allows it).

His other rules are very nice. They range from deploying on the turn of his choice via deep strike (with no scatter!), granting outflank to other units in reserve, +1Ld to his sons, seizing the initiative bonuses, making some of the army count as troops if desired (think: a full army of Justaerin terminators), precision orbital bombardment once per game, excellent armour, awesome weapons (world breaker and the warmasters' Talon which he can split his attacks between at will).

To be clear: he is pricey! But he is also a single handed army wrecker should he get in to the right position. And why wouldn't he when he deep strikes on the turn of his choice with no scatter (along with any body guard). And on the same turn he comes in, he can then call down an orbital bombardment.

There's nothing he can't handle, perhaps with the exception of fliers, when embedded in a strong body guard unit and can readily be used to single-handedly crush all comers. The only defence that I can see are (a) fliers (he'll have a tough time shooting them out of the skies) and (b) rapid armies (he's still fundamentally a terminator and doesn't move as fast as assault elements - he'll have to rely on other elements of his force to catch them, or he'll have to shoot them to bits). Everything else is pretty much fair game to him. And will probably lose. But can he do it in 6 game turns? Maybe not. He can only be in one place at one time. He therefore must rely on other elements of the army to finish the job, or encircle opponents sufficiently to wipe them out. Massed weapon fire directed at him can finish him off, but assuming he has a bodyguard unit (you did give him that, right?) he should survive the entire battle. I suspect most opponents wouldn't waste the ammo shooting at him -- getting rid of the rest of his army is a better priority frankly).

Summing up: he's awesome. He's a one man army in some respects. But he needs other elements in the force to make up for what he lacks (due to inherently being in terminator armour with not much of a shooty weapon). I regard him as worth the points (as are the rest of the primarchs) and he is a modest force multiplier (due to what he can give to other Sons of Horus units -- outflank for anything in reserve, bonus Ld). Used wisely and in concert with other elements, he's going to win battles. But take care. Don't get over-confident. Know his (few!!!) weaknesses and plan accordingly.