Horus Heresy 2e Review: Remus Ventanus

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars, rounded up. The rules are fractionally below average.

Background.

The hero of Calth and its saviour, Remus was the commander of the 4th company of the 1st chapter of the Ultramarines. He not only rallied the remains of the legion on Calth but also evacuated as many as possible, including civilians whom ultimately entered the underground arcologies. 

Strengths. 

As a praetor level character, Remus Ventanus has a stat line that is slightly lower than a standard praetor. He comes with a warlord trait that allows automatic passing of morale and Ld checks required when in the presence of an objective. This is fine, but not every game is objective based. He sports a rending power sword as well as a variety of special rules such as Adamantium Will along with equipment such as a legion standard (very handy!) and a nuncio vox. 

Weaknesses.

The lower WS than the standard praetor will hurt in the long term. This is a mildly sub-standard HQ selection that tries to make up for it with some nice equipment and special rules. I do like the adamantium will rule here. But he still falls short for me personally.

Difference to First Edition.

Nerfed. I cannot understand why. 

Overall.

Take a regular praetor instead unless you are intent on modelling a force for the Battle for Calth. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Praetorian Breacher Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are slightly above average, but they compete against other more valuable uses of the elites slot.

Background.

Before admission to the Invictarus Suzerain squads, Ultramarines typically rise through the ranks of the Praetorian Breacher squads to hone their skills a bit. 

Strengths.

Very much like regular breacher squads with the exceptions of increased WS, 2 wounds, and power swords instead of ranged weapons. They are also chosen warriors and carry a handy hammer of wrath. 

Weaknesses.

Given that this squad is also an elites choice, it competes directly against the Invictarus Suzerains for a slot in the force organisation chart. The Invictarus Suzerains will win this comfortably. As I suspect other terminators (etc) would. If they were troops, I think we'd be seeing a lot more of them to be candid. To give them legatine axes makes their points cost more than the Invictarus Suzerains in fact. Nice for hammer of wrath potentially I guess. 

Builds.

5 Praetorians, Primus with Power Fist (150 points).

The baseline. Nice for boarding actions / Zone Mortalis. Need a transport otherwise.

10 Praetorians, 5 with legatine axes, nuncio vox, legion vexilla, primus with power fist and artificer armour (340points).

A flexible squad who uses the baseline marines as ablative wounds where necessary. Again, good for Zone Mortalis, but I would honestly be looking to take Invictarus Suzerains instead. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Invictarus Suzerain Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. The rules are very good! Almost overpowered if anything. 

Background.

These are the Lords of Ultramar and destined for higher things. They are the elite and marked for command in the future. For the moment though, they are learning everything they can about warfare from multiple angles, but mostly chopping with axes, shielding, and otherwise glittering in starlight as their armour inspires all around. 

Strengths.

In some ways, it is simple to think about these marines as being pseudo-terminators. Its all there: bonus WS, 2 wounds each, as well as a 2+ save and a boarding shield to give an invulnerable save. The 3 attacks baseline is amazing though. 

Beyond this, they give out a bubble of increased Ld to other friendly units (NB: not just Ultramarines!!) and can be a retinue squad with access to a legion standard. And they also have Line! They're an amazing squad really. 

Weaknesses.

They are not quite Fire Drake Terminators, but they are very impressive and come recommended. Think about taking a transport option though as movement is always going to be required. I doubt you will see many Ultramarine builds without this squad in some form or other. 

Builds.

5 Suzerains (175 points).

Take the "naked" squad. It is well worth it! I'm a bit mixed on whether to take the plasma pistols. The thunder hammers are great though. 

10 Suzerains, all with thunder hammers and plasma pistols (525 points).

The maximum squad! The thunder hammers can prove amazing for this squad. The plasma pistols can soften up targets and light tanks readily. In fact, I'd go as far as saying there's not much in the game that such a squad couldn't handle on a good day and with a charge. Add in the Ultramarines rite of war and you will have a good time I suspect; albeit at the price of not making many friends. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Roboute Guilliman

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars, rounded down. The rules are very good.

Background.

His accomplishments before, during, and after the Heresy are a tough pack to pick between. Here Guilliman is presented as the leader of Ultramar, a statesman, a warrior, a leader, a wise man and intellectual, and master strategist. He is all of these things on the battlefield too.

Strengths. 

His stat line comes with the handy WS=7 for sibling battles. Re-rolling to hit rolls of 1's thanks to Calculating Swordsman on the second round of combat onward gives him yet another edge here. Sure, he is not Horus. He isn't even Russ or Ferrus. But he is certainly highly capable among his siblings. 

The armour is good enough, and the re-roll of the first invulnerable save is powerful. His weapons in melee are great - choosing between S+1 or S=10 with different special rules to help amazing, and the brutal x2 for the Hand of Dominion is going to be powerful in all situations coupled with AP=1. The arbiter is very handy as a side arm, but with AP=3, its in the territory of being okay without being amazing.

His warlord trait grants an army wide boost to Ld, as well as selection of a phase in which to play an additional reaction. Both are powerful boosts to the army. His preternatural strategy takes what Alpharius and his sons should have and makes it Ultramarines territory (yes, I'm bitter). Fleet, counter attack, furious charge, and stubborn are all there to choose between, just not on consecutive turns.

Weaknesses.

Tanks and tar pits like Vulkan might prove an issue. Horus (and Ferrus, and Russ) still whips him into submission quickly enough. But he is powerful among his brothers, and brings amazing boosts to the army. There's little not to like here. 

Overall.

Categorically one of the more powerful primarchs. His army boost in combination with the rite of war makes for some game defining moments. 

Difference to First Edition.

His weapons from first edition are here, but the calculating swordsman aspect is not what it was. He's different, for sure, but here in second edition, I regard him as excellent overall. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Ultramarines Armoury

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average.  

The Ultramarines are looking a bit thin on the ground in the armoury department, but what they have is reasonable enough.

Legatine Axe. For a small points cost, get rid of Unwieldy on power axes owned by independent characters. Categorically worth taking every single time! Do it. 

Argyrum Pattern Boarding Shield. 5+ and 4+ against ranged and melee is good. Pretty good, but not outstanding. Availability to any independent character is good enough. 

The Mantles of Ultramar. Artificer armour that is both battle hardened and immune to blinding is nice. The points cost is frankly a bit steep though. 

Overall.

No special consul for the Ultramarines, and not a very wide range of selections here either. I like the axe very much. The first two entries are standard for the Suzerain squads as well which illustrates their power. I've not much to say here other than its all a bit average except for the axes which are amazing for what you're getting with the price tag. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Ultramarines Traits and Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded down. The rules are very reasonable and some are above average to be clear. 

Warlord Traits.

Ultramarines return to second edition with 3 warlord traits - one of each loyalty.

The Burden of Kings. For the Loyalists, the warlord gains fearless and It Will Not Die when a wound is allocated until the end of the next turn. This is solid, but not outrageous -- the opponent can and should focus fire until the warlord is downed in a single turn preferably. The single extra reaction by the warlord is similarly good.

The Aegis of Wisdom. Friendly Ultras with line of sight can use the Warlord's Ld for regrouping and ignore the usual restrictions for post regrouping. This is excellent for the all rounder trait and I can see good use being made of this. The additional shooting reaction is fine.

Pride's Dark Power. Finally something for the traitor Ultramarines! [And please do note: in 40k, most traitor chapters are likely to be successors of the Ultramarines, so even if its not that present in the fluff, I totally support them having a traitor trait!] In short: swap the warlord's Ld for T in any phase. I would anticipate this will result in T=10 against some important shooting or close combat phase. This one can be game defining if used right. The bonus assault reaction is great. In some ways this could be the most powerful trait of all three of them. Time to show what the Ultramarines can really do?

Rites of War.

The Logos Lectora. The solo rite of war for the Ultramarines - but very apt and appropriate with the feeling of Ancient Rome. At the cost of more HQs, more Troops, and zero infiltration or deep strike, the player can gain a different boon per turn (no two on consecutive turns though). Full March gives bonus movement, but lower BS and WS. Hold Fast gives better Ld and re rolling of shooting to hit rolls, but no run and move. Retribution Strike gives bonus WS and charge range at the expense of BS. And Regroup gives Ld and reserves re-rolls. This is a tremendous rite of war that puts other legions to shame (poor Alpha Legion). Worth taking in almost any battle to be honest, but I guess the solid blocks of infantry will pose a transportation problem in the early turns and the army could be vulnerable to certain counter styles of play. 

Difference to First Edition.

Yes, there are differences here to first edition. But overall, it has the feel of first edition and will readily slot well into old veterans hands and new players alike. There's little not to like, but some warlord traits are stronger than others, and the singular rite of war is nice enough, but the restrictions can be harsh. 

 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Ultramarines Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars -- rounded up to 4/5 stars. The rules are certainly above average.

Background.

The largest of the legions (assuming you miscount the Alpha Legion) were drawn in by Horus' plan and betrayed by the Word Bearers at Calth. There followed the underworld war, the Ruinstorm, and the Shadow Crusade. Alongside this they also built Imperium Secundus along with the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and elements of the shattered legions. When all was said and done, they crusaded to destroy Davin, push the traitors to their limits, and rebuilt the Imperium proper. Although arguably not at the forefront of the Civil War, their wider forces contributed significantly and mopped up after the event in a way other forces simply were not able to do.

Legion Rules Review.

The Strength of Wisdom grants a bonus pip to hit against a unit if they have already been targeted by another unit in the shooting phase. They have to be within a small bubble of the first unit, but this rule is very strong. To use to maximum effect, I would consider employing "tracer" units to open first first. Arguably the humble rhino has an excellent role to play here, as do regular drop pods. Don't underestimate such cheap tracer units - when adjacent to a heavy support squad this is a truly significant boon to the legion

Arsenals of Ultramar grants access to the unique wargear options from the armoury whilst Lords of the 500 Worlds provides the warlord traits. There are no unique consul choices to be found here though.

Advanced Reaction.

The Unity of Purpose is an excellent advanced reaction. In essence, when shot at, the reacting player can shoot back with not just one unit but two units at the enemy. Timing this one well has the potential to destroy enemy units. 

Difference to First Edition.

There's been a lot of clean up here. The older Rigid Chain of Command rules have had their negative points entirely removed while preserving much of what came before. Sure, the re-rolls of wounding dice are gone, as is armour penetration rolls, but the bonus to hit (which I originally had as a typo in 2015 for Interlocking Tactics) is still very strong. The advanced reaction is powerful when played well. They're doing so much better than the White Scars or Alpha Legion!

Horus Heresy Review: Ultramarines Nemesis Destroyer Squad

Editorial Interlude. With the announcement of the new rules for the Horus Heresy, I was a little undecided as to whether to review the final few units published on Warhammer Community for the current rules set. I decided I'd do it for the sake of completeness as it would otherwise hang over me as being utterly incomplete otherwise and that would not sit easy with me. Rest assured that once the new rules come out, I will commence a new set of reviews under the new rules set - this will be a future grand endeavor though. 

Background.

As with other "chapters", there exists within the Ultramarines entirely dedicated squads who train for one purpose. The Nemesis chapter is once such sub-division and features primarily bolt guns rather than regular armaments for destroyer squads. Happily, these bolt guns come with experimental ammunition.

Strengths.

The "standard" ammo here is a Nemesis round. although S=4, they come with the Harrower rule which means that they inflict a leadership test as if they suffered 25% casualties. Moreover, wound rolls of 6 are resolved at AP=2. With assault 2, it is therefore likely that massed firepower could win the day here against many opponents. Rad grenades are the icing on the proverbial cake here and make a good unit into one of rather high quality to say the least.

Weaknesses. 

Very little other than being regular marines with a 3+ save and 1 wound!

Builds.

20 Nemesis Destroyers, 4 Rad Missile Launchers. Sergeant with Thunder Hammer. (460 points).

There's just something about massed firepower that I can't move past here!

10 Nemesis Destroyer, 2 Melta Guns, Melta Bombs, Sergeant with Power Fist and Artificer Armour. (270 points)

Take phosphex bombs to taste, and a rhino to get places. 

Ruinstorm

Its not a big secret that I am an avid reader. This obviously includes the Horus Heresy series that has been released by the Black Library for more years than the Heresy lasted for. The latest release in the series is Ruinstorm.

The book centres around the closure of the whole Imperium Secundus story arc. That's the one where Guilliman thought that Terra was probably extinguished already and where he got together with two of his brothers, Sanguinius and the Lion, to build a new Imperium in the core of Ultramar. 

I do not wish to write about any spoilers here. So I will keep my comments generalist in nature. Firstly, I think that the Black Library made the right choice in the author of the book, David Annandale. I like the way that he has approached the whole arc and how the various different threads have been woven together in to a successful and cohesive whole. 

Ranging from the guilt felt by the Primarchs about the founding of the Imperium Secundus, through to how they act within their own fleets and tackle the obstacles presented in front of them. Ruinstorm presents a good yarn for the long time readers of the series.

The positives for me include the perspectives on the Rainstorm and what it means for Chaos to encroach on the material Universe in general. The literal chaos that results in deep space is well described and provides an evocative ensemble of blasphemous material to draw upon for game terrain creation for example. Remarkably, as well as being a book to bring the Secundus plotline full circle, the book also links in to the Damnation of Pythos. I was not expecting that really. 

Each of the three Primarchs is "tested" in some way or other. Sanguinius wrestles with his fates (turn left and its bad, turn right and its worse). Guilliman and the Lion also wrestle with their own demons (or daemons, not sure which way that should be spelt any longer, sorry!). 

The culmination of the book deals with the "Why" and "How" of the Blood Angels making it back to Terra in time for the final battle. In that way, it provides nice closure to this known fact alongside the "Why" of the Dark Angels and Ultramarines not making it back in time. Similar to how the White Scars made it back, I was pleased with the way that the story developed around this narrative. It might not be to everyone's tastes though -- but I liked it.

The major negative is the huge amount of back-material needed to properly enjoy this book. Jumping right in to the series here is probably not a big recommendation by me. Its possible, but readers will probably scratch their heads about a few items along the way. To be honest, not even I've read the full series (I tend to skip the anthologies for instance unless there's a chapter that I really, really want). So overall, a good tale, but a specialised one in relation to the Secundus arc, yet at the same time accessible for addressing the "Hows" and "Whys" behind the Blood Angel's presence on Terra when Horus came.

The Battle for Angelus Prime -- Video

I made a brief video at Warhammer World whilst there was nobody in The Battle for Angelus Prime exhibition. Replete with music and sound effects recorded in the exhibit.

This is especially for those of you who have never had the chance to ever visit. Whilst there is no substitute for actually visiting, I hope this will somewhat make up for it. Please enjoy!

Warhammer World: Betrayal at Calth

In the special exhibit room of Warhammer World is currently dedicated to the Horus Heresy. One of the main exhibits and diorama's is that of Calth. This diorama in particular featured heavily in the art work for the 5th Horus Heresy rulebook: Tempest. It contains iconic images of the broken railway train, as well as dockland cranes being the backdrop as a deadly confrontation plays out between the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers Legions.

This diorama was smashing to see in real life, and my photographs probably don't quite do it enough justice. Equally, I think a generous smattering of dry ice and post-photography touch up was applied for the photos that appear in Tempest, so they're never going to be totally identical! Hope you like them!

Horus Heresy Review: Roboute Guilliman

Background.
Thanks to the Black Library books, we now know that the Primarch of the Ultramarines should have his name pronounced as Roe-BOO-Tay Gill-Uh-Man. Beyond that, Tempest gives the 30k overview of the primarch that much has already been written about. Surprisingly to me, he got a little bit more grim-dark than how he has been portrayed in 40k. Specifically, he is noted to have run a kind of secret police to ensure the 500 worlds were loyal. Sure, he was intelligent, and conquered many worlds (second only to the Sons of Horus) and left them easy targets for the iterators to install the Imperial Truth in.

Strengths.
On the tabletop, Guilliman is both a force multiplier, and a character that can handle himself in one-on-one combat situations.

For the former, he increases all of his sons Ld values by one notch whilst providing any unit he joins with some valuable bonuses. This alone argues that Guilliman should have a command squad (or equivalent) around him.

He is able to mess around with the opposition in a comparable (but not as complete) way as Alpharius is capable of. This includes the forcing of seize the initiative rolls to be re-rolled. He can grant a a single unit entry in his detachment one of implacable advance, interceptor or tank hunters. Clearly this can be a great boon for his army and I would strongly council having options for each of these choices that does not already possess it (e.g., lascannon equipped heavy support squads for either tank hunting or interceptor (similarly for all predator units); dreadnoughts other than mortis ones for interceptor, and so forth). I think this is a great boon that needs careful planning about what units will come on to the board with this primarch.

Should he need it, he actively learns during combat and increases his WS by one every round after the first up to WS=10 after the fourth round. This will re-set though if someone else challenges him. On top of this, he never suffers negative Ld modifiers due to deny the witch. Hence he's capable of standing up to even Lorgar. But perhaps not Lorgar plus blessings.

For his one-on-one combat he has 2+/4+ armour to rival both Vulkan and Perturabo. This allows him to re-roll the first failed invulnerable save in each phase (not turn: phase!). For weapons, he has two specialist ones: a paragon blade that shreds up enemies and has murderous strike, coupled with a concussive "hand of dominion" for S10 AP1.

Unlike some of his brother, he also has a ranged weapon in the form of "The arbiter". Although only 18 inch range, it does have a valuable AP3. Pity it is not AP2 to be fair though. Hence I can see him loaning his BS to an attached unit thanks to his Cognis Signum.

Weaknesses.
Although he can handle himself in a fight, he is vulnerable to swarms due to his low number of attacks. Hence the only way to play him is as part of a bigger unit. He needs his sons around him and this is arguably going to be something like an Invictarus squad (which along with terminators, he makes count as troops).

Overall.
His is certainly worth his points cost. In many ways he is an analogue of Alpharius (which may explain why they didn't get along). Alpharius does the army buffing much better, but Guilliman does the individual combat much better.

Take him as part of a large squad and deploy him accordingly. Use the Cognis Signum to help with shooting. Aim to take out any and everything short of Horus embedded in a unit of Justaerin Terminators.

Horus Heresy Review: Damocles Command Rhino

Background.
Demonstrating that the Ultramarines are capable of innovation, the Damocles is effectively a special communications tank capable of many nifty features, but is ultimately still a rhino chassis.

Strengths. 
Not scattering within a large radius when deep striking in to play; allowing the controlling player to tweak their own reserves rolls by +/-1; causing more serious deep strike mishaps to enemies; and a bombardment to top it all off!

The last of these is critical: a S8 AP3 large blast is terrific, even if its only once per game. A few of these kind of blasts from other sources can be a game changer for obvious reasons.

In an army that is dependant on deep striking (and perhaps messing around with enemy reserves -- see Remus Ventanus, or Alpha Legion Rite of War) it can be a great asset.

Note: Ultramarines can carry two of these in an army list as a unique bonus, the second coming from a dedicated transport choice for a Master of Signal.

Weaknesses.
This tank is still a rhino. It still has AV=11 and suffers accordingly.

Builds.
Damocles (no upgrades).
This tank is worth the costs so long as you manage to get off the focused bombardment in early turns.

Damocles, extra armour, hunter-killer missile (120 points).
A bit more upgraded, with a fun missile and a bit more durability. Add in a dozer blade to taste depending on your own preferences and play style. 

Horus Heresy Review: Captain Remus Ventanus

Background.
Remus Ventanus of the Ultramarines made a name for himself on Calth. Gathering the remnants of the 4th to him, he allowed the surviving tech-priest to finish regaining control of the orbital defence grid and then went straight on the rally the Ultramarines in an impressive fight back against the Word Bearers. In the later underground war, he became known as the Saviour of Calth and his name rings through the background history of 30k because of it.

Strengths.
Ventanus puts enemy players at a disadvantage by toying with their reserve rolls by one pip negatively, at the expense of the enemy player being able to re-roll.

His warlord trait allows Ultramarines to gain the stubborn rule when they're basically on top of an objective. This is a great boon for the team and can be a late-game game winner for the Ultramarines.

Along with a legion standard, nuncio vox, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Weaknesses.
Fundamentally, he still has only a 3+ armour save. In effect, he is a legion centurion with the bog-standard power sword and bolt pistol combination. Its nothing to write home about to be honest. Controlling players should therefore regard him as a cheap-ish HQ - or a legion centurion with master of the legion rule.

Overall.
Ventarus allows two things to happen. The first is that he can cause the Ultramarines to have two legion standards on the board at once (when combined with a command squad or Invictarus squad). Secondly, he can mess around with the enemies reserves. This is superbly effective in concert with a land raider proteus upgraded with exploratory augury web. Add in a Damocles command rhino and it starts to look bad for enemies that are relying on deep strikes!

Horus Heresy Review: Fulmentarus Terminator Strike Squad

Background.
One day, Guilliman looked around and deigned to notice his brother, Perturabo and his Iron Warriors. He saw his Tyrant Siege Terminator Squads and decided that it looked good. And in a very none-40k move decided to adopt it. And make it better. Because that's the kind of thing that went down in 30k. Innovation. Sharing of ideas. And so forth.

Strengths.
At a base level, these marines are cataphractii terminators with power mauls, combi-bolters and something that is called a "Peritarch targeter". To be clear, the Peritarch is not the missile launcher system that the Tyrant Siege Terminators have -- its just the targeter. To get the cyclone missile launcher, you have to pay extra. Or perhaps you'd like reaper autocannons instead.?

The Peritarch has advanced solutions the depend on the entire squad making scanning sweeps of the battlefield. It therefore functions at higher levels of operation the more models there are in a squad. At or above 8, cover saves are diminished by one pip. At or above 5, tank hunters. At or above 2, night vision. It therefore means that having a full strength squad is a must here to be maximally effective. Other than that, the Peritarch is basically a cyclone missile launcher.

And I almost forgot to state that these marines have increase BS which means they're going to be hitting more than they're brothers on average. Compared to the Iron Warriors they're based on, these Ultramarines are going to be much better at taking out tanks. But not better against buildings.

Weaknesses. 
I don't rate the power mauls well. I would therefore encourage players to think about upgrading to power axes - which are free - when they build their squads for the valuable AP2 they provide. A power sword could be entertained as well, but an axe is probably what they want to be wielding.

These guys are also heavy support squads and not elites. They're not going to be holding positions.

Other than that, they don't have a great range of upgrades. No combi-plasmas -- only meltas. No chainfists - only power fists. And they get expensive very quickly. The price issue is what is they big draw back here. I feel other squads can do similar things better and more efficiently.

Builds.
There are a number of ways to build this squad, depending on what you want to do with it. Here are some ideas.

5 Fulmentarus, all with combi-meltas, power fists (275 points).
Take with a land raider proteus, or in an army capable of deep striking them in to play. The melta is there to take care of tanks on the turn they enter play (i.e. they still have tank hunters and have not lost any members). The fists back this up and help mop up any contents. They're also rather good against enemy terminators. Do not forget interlocking tactics here -- its great! This squad is worth it, but arguably a base terminator squad is more points effective.

10 Fulmentarus, all with cyclone missile launchers, power axes (700 points).
The maximum squad. But look at the cost. Realize that they can take out the equivalent of a land raider every and each turn. But then look at the cost again. Is it worth it? I'm not sure. Add in combi-meltas for each of them to take the cost up to 750 points and realise they can and will take out land raiders every turn. Ouch. Both on the effect and the price. The Iron Warriors do it better at this point to be honest. Consider taking half their number if you can do without affecting cover saves and just want one round of shooting to take out a valuable enemy tank (via tank hunters).

10 Fulmentarus, all with reaper auto cannons, power axes (600 points).
The issues above remain here, but the reaper auto cannons are slightly different in strength overall. 

Horus Heresy Review: Locutarus Storm Squad

Background.
These are the Ultramarines' vanguard: the best of the assault squads selected to form their own squads of elite jump-pack equipped fighters who excel in the timing and application of pistols and swords. I feel they could have made very good Emperor's Children personally (apologies to Ultramarines players).

Strengths.
When these marines arrive on the board of play from deep strike, they get to use all their pistols twice in an opening salvo. This is powerful, potentially, but can be somewhat over-rated depending on how they land. Hence this is balanced by having a precision intervention that allows them to re-roll their deep strike roll should they wish to.

The other main distinguishing feature here is the presence of power swords and a 2+ armour save due to every one of them having artificer armour. This is a great boon for an assault squad and turns them from something that is simply okay and a potential to take, into something that is totally worth considering spending the points on to my mind.

Weaknesses.
Not many weaknesses really, other than the random nature of deep striking in to play.

Builds.
A few builds to consider.

10 Locutarus, strike leader with power axe (285 points)
This actually only costs a little bit more than standard assault marines and is therefore the baseline squad. The power axe provides a valuable AP2 for the leader.

10 Locutarus, 2 hand flamers, strike leader with hand flamer and power axe (315 points)
Very much a dedicated flamer squad. Aim for taking enemies out of cover with this one when you get 6 flamer shots when you come on to the board.

10 Locutarus, 2 plasma pistols, strike leader with plasma pistol and power fist (335 points)
Getting pricier now, but the plasma pistols give 6 plasma shots on deep strike and the power fist gives S8 attacks. A lightning claw can be substituted here to taste. Add in a combat shield if required on the leader. 

Horus Heresy Review: Honoured Telemechrus

Background.
A decade in to service, and this marine found himself interred inside a contemptor. Although he slumbered when the Betrayal at Calth happened, the sheer level of violence woke him up and he then had to figure out how to master fighting as a dreadnought.

Strengths.
The bonus that Telemachrus gains to assault resolution can be game changing in many situations - particularly tar-pitting situations for nearby Ultramarines Legion units.

His hatred of traitor forces is a nice touch and very fluffy.

The equipment he comes with is fairly standard, as with other named contemptors such as Rylanor and nothing particularly to write home about. At least the Kheres and fist combination is tactically flexible. And the d3 hammer of wraths on the charge is very nice indeed.

Being resilient is the icing on the cake by forcing re-rolls of damage results.

Weaknesses.
Note that Telemachrus does not have the Ultramarines Legion special rules. Hence he does not grant the combat resolution to himself. Therefore he is vulnerable to tar pitting himself.

Overall.
There are not options here, so I won't bother with build combinations. Overall, Telemechrus is a solid choice, if not an outstanding one. If you're going to be purchasing a contemptor dreadnought for an Ultramarines Legion force, then Telemechrus is actually a good option thanks to his buffing of nearby units for combat resolution and sweeping advances. I regard him as worthwhile and characterful, but he must be at the forefront of the combat along with other Ultramarines. He therefore will need some kind of drop pod to get him where he needs to be in all likelihood.

Horus Heresy Review: Invictarus Suzerain Squad

Background.
The Invictarus Suzerains serve Guilliman in a direct manner, rather than going through the usual chain of command that the Ultramarines Legion is known for. In effect, they are Guilliman's chosen: selected for special roles and armed appropriately. They are selected for greatness, and in effect this warrior cadre is for those marines who are in command training to a greater or lesser extent.

Strengths.
These space marines not only have an extra pip in WS, but all are armed with Legatine Axes -- that means an AP2 weapon going at initiative with a chance to automatically wound on a natural roll of a 6. This is very powerful considering that most other AP2 weapons go at I=1 in melee (e.g., terminators with power axes). Continuing the terminator analogy further, these guys are simply better due to not being bulky, having grenades, boarding shields, and being able to sweep enemies. In addition, their armour is 2+ which makes them the equivalent of terminators in terms of raw armour save.

Their special rules shine as well. The bonus to Ld for units within 12" due to Lords of Ultramar is fantastic. As well, they are chosen warriors and able to be taken as command squads as well (in which case they swap out their shield for a legion standard).

Weaknesses.
They share a lot of the same features as terminators. Hence they need to look out for AP1 weapons from things like vindicators (as well as certain Mechanicum units in general).

Possibly a weakness is the only dedicated transport available is a land raider. In a small points value game, one would probably want something different. Equally, not being terminators, they are not bulky and therefore take up less room in transports.

Builds.
There are a couple of upgrades here: plasma options, thunder hammers, as well as extra bodies. Here's a few ideas.

10 Invictarus Suzerains (450 points)
One curious thing here is that extra Suzerains cost more than the baseline squad. Hence for this build, it is CHEAPER to purchase two lots of 5 marines, rather than a squad of 10. This bucks the general trend in 30k of having cheaper stuff for larger members.

5 Invictarus Suzerains, all armed with Thunder Hammers (275 points)
Fairly straight forward swap of Legatine Axes for thunder hammers to be deadly to a wider range or targets in the game. I actually like this build a lot and could see my Alpha Legion stealing it for Coils of the Hydra!

5 Invictarus Suzerains, all armed with plasma pistols (275 points)
Take a dreadclaw drop pod (or equivalent) and team up with an HQ selection to burn righteous plasma death upon landing to foes all around.

Horus Heresy Review: Ultramarines Legion Rules

Background Material Evaluation.

The background for the Ultramarines is what can be expected for this most glorious of legions. Not satisfied with simply conquering and destroying, the Ultramarines were a legion very keen on rebuilding an empire once intransigent leaders and popuplaces were subdued. In addition to this, it is noted in numerous locations within Tempest and other Horus Heresy sources that the Ultramarines legion is the largest of all the legions, larger than even the Word Bearers.

There are many little Easter Eggs and gems contained within Tempest about this legion. This includes for instance the existence of a lot of "Chapters" that would later be formed in to 40,000 chapters from the gene-seed of Roboute Guilliman such as the "Aurorans".

More than this, their domains cover an entire sector, popularly referred to as the 500 world. For this reason, and their relative strength, Horus calculated correctly that a hammer blow had to be landed against them to take them out of the coming civil war. The Word Bearers would be the ones to do this at Calth, and the World Eaters would later join them in the Shadow Crusade.

Legion Rules Review.

The Ultramarines special rules reflect that they will eventually become the prime example of codex space marines in 10,000 years time. They result in the Ultramarines being a curious hybrid of 30k and 40k space marines, but neither wholly. They lack the specialisations of other legions, but make up for it by being able to be good at most things.

Their first rule is Interlocking Tactics. This means that to wound rolls & armour penetration rolls of "1" can be re-rolled if a target has already been hit, and other units charging in must re-roll their charge distances if they don't make it in to close combat. This begs the Ultramarine player to take small units that are going to usually hit their target (even if they don't necessarily harm or can harm it). For example, a legion reconnaissance squad would be perfect to set this up with. Take a minimum number, and have them hit the target. Then go all out with a fully armed and upgraded unit (maximum tactical squad with Fury of the Legion perhaps, or how about lots of volkite shots from a support squad, or even lascannons from a heavy support squad against a tank that was merely hit by a sniper rifle?!). 

Certainty and Resolve means that the Ultramarines are taking fear and regrouping rolls on the maximum Ld of 10. This can be really useful should they be up against Night Lords for instance. 

Given how amazing these two rules can be, they have a counter balance in the form of a Rigid Chain of Command. Should all HQ units be slain, the enemy gains +1 victory points. This is kind of an analogue of what can happen to the Alpha Legion in some ways. But it is actually worse. If the warlord is slain, then all units without an independent character must take a pinning test. This can be crippling (recall that the Ld of space marines isn't always 10! -- several units will fail here and this can completely alter the course of a battle). Naturally, one way around this is to take multiple HQs. Ensuring some Centurion is knocking around is therefore a good idea for the Ultramarines in addition to their primary HQ selection.

Wargear.

Selecting between all the forms of power weapons, Guilliman came up with the Legatine Axe. This is a terrific AP2 axe that goes at initiative and a hit of a "6" automagically wounds! This is well worthwhile for an independent character and worth the points cost. Do it.

The Mantle of Ultramar is for praetors only and gives an artificer save as well as feel no pain. This is in addition to blindness immunity (should you be facing some Iron Hands' Gorgon Terminators).  Its cost is moderate and probably worth it just for the feel no pain bonus (just). 

Rite of War.

The Logos Lectora is an interesting rite of war that merits thought as to whether a player should take it or not. On the one hand, it can certainly provide of quantum of versatility and a special rule when it might matter most. But the downsides are steep including no deep striking and infiltrating. Yet the ability to reroll some runs, make snap shots on a higher BS and gain counter-attack could be huge. It just depends if the player is willing to take the hit in terms of army building capacity which can be significant (and might mean a legion player using the Alpha Legion or Raven Guard could readily gain a great edge over them).

Summing Up.

The special rules associated with the Ultramarines calls for at least some of the army to be composed of small units. And several of them. This "multiple small unit" approach will be familiar to many Warhammer 40,000 list builders and players across numerous editions. But here in 30k, its something of an anomaly where going big is usually the way forward since it provides more things for cheaper points. Therefore some balance has to be built in. A few small recon squads for activating interlocking tactic's bonus to hit with ranged weapons seems sensible. Add to this some maximum squads to take out tanks highlighted by the recon squads, or volkite spamming units to take care of infantry and you get the idea. A tar-pitting unit like terminators may also sound good for taking on large enemy squads to gain a bonus for others to pile in, but I don't think this is the way to go here -- focus on the shooting and take out enemy units sequentially. 

The main weakness here is some inflexibility. Against hordes, the Ultramarines are not going to do so well in all likelihood. And spare points to spend on nice upgrades might be limited since there is going to be multiple small units that chew up points (as opposed to expanding already existent units). This needs a careful approach to balancing an army.

All this said, the Ultramarines are a force to be reckoned with. Just because they're the "vanilla" chapter in Warhammer 40,000, they can still really shine in 30k. Focus on taking out enemy units with shooting one unit at a time by highlighting said unit with something like a recon squad and rinse and repeat. Combine this with some (rather good!) melee units that are specific to the legion and its a good basis for a force. Add in some tanks (or ally with Solar Auxilia, or Iron Hands) and you're good to go. Just beware of other legions being able to be more specialised than you, and then play to your strengths against them. 

And finally, laugh at the Night Lords legion and their fear tactics (should you get the opportunity) when you tell them about Certainty and Resolve!

40k Legends: Marneus Calgar

Hi All, Eldrad Vect here. I'm trying a new thing this year, I thought I'd test how well the rules of some of 40k's biggest names can match up to their legendary fluff, kind of like a Mythbuster-esque thing. I don't always have conversions, battle reports, projects or other stuff, so I thought this would be a fun thing to do. First up is the God of War himself, Marneus Augustus Calgar.

Calgar has done some insane things from breaching and slaying the Tyranid Hiveship Behemoth Primus to holding the gate against waves of Orks, but there are one thing that really stands out in the fluff as a full on act. This  act is from 'The Battle of the Sepulchre' where Calgar essentially Falcon Punched an Avatar of Khaine to pieces. This event is the one I'll be proving, can Marneus Calgar slay an Avatar.

First up, the Avatar. There will be six tests, three with a basic Avatar and three with my common Avatar setup (Disarming Strike and Fast Shot). The average of each test will be used so I'll be doing some hard math... not really, just some basic calculations, also all references to Wounds mean unsaved ones.

Test one, Calgar charges the Avatar (basic). If Calgar charges into an Avatar of Khaine expect to see some terrifying results, the average wound output of the Avatar who strikes first due to Initiative is 1.3 wounds which isn't enough to kill Calgar outright so Calgar gets to fight, his average damage output is 2.1 Wounds on an Avatar this solely came down to the fact that the Avatar's Invulnerable Save is a mere 5+, so prolonged combat would definitely see Calgar slaying the Avatar. Test two, locked in combat. Locked in combat is and interesting one were both of them have the same average of 1.2 wounds so it's going to be a fist fight to the end and a long one which can swing either way. Test three, Avatar's charge. 1.6 for Calgar and 1.7 for the Avatar, what I found interesting was that the Avatar loses purely because of the Invuln. Save being so bad.
Anyway on too the real stuff, my Avatar. Test four, Calgar charges. First of all the Avatar's Disarming Strike, which 'disarms' the opposing character, rending one of the disarmed characters Close Combat Weapons (i.e. Power Fist, Lightning Claw, Force Weapon, stuff like that and even unique gear too) completely useless. The test for Disarming Strike is simple, each player rolls a dice and adds it to the character's WS if the Eldar player wins or gets the same, he chooses a weapon to nullify, if the other player wins however it's effects are negated. Also the Eldar player gets a +1 to this roll, obviously the Avatar never fails to disarm Calgar (WS10 +1 with a roll of 1 still beats WS6 with a roll of 6), so Marneus has no more Gauntlets of Ultramar. Calgar inflicts 0.4 wounds, now this means on those really lucky occasions Calgar still hurts the Avatar, on his side, the Avatar still only averages 1.3 wounds, hey that matches the first one so at least he is consistent. Test 5, Locked is Combat. Avatar's results are identical to the last 'Locked in Combat' test with an average of 1.2 wounds, however Marneus has a abysmal average 0.1 wounds! he is not going to kill the Avatar like that. Test 6, Avatar Charges. Avatar stands up with a nice 1.8 average wound ratio, in 2 out of the 10 rolls the Avatar inflicted 3 wounds on Calgar too. Calgar got a 0.2, which to be honest should also apply to the last result too, but averages are averages and he just had better luck this time around.

Final Thoughts. In all honesty Marneus Calgar is quite capable of taking down an Avatar of Khaine, as long as he is wearing his Gauntlets of Ultramar and even still the fights against my Avatar aren't really fair, not because of the dirty Disarming Strike trick but because when this fluff first came up in the codex was before Disarming Strike was even invented. Either way, it's quite possible that Calgar can kill an Avatar, it still all comes down to the luck of the dice.