Horus Heresy 2e Review: Stormseer

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars rounded down. The rules are good without being outstanding. 

Background.

It is fitting that one of the "big three" that established the librarians have their own consul for psykers to bring to the battlefield. Combining old shaman like belief systems and the librarian training has yielded spectacular results for the White Scars in the form of the Stormseers who are valued as much for their psychic wrath as they are for their wise counsel to the Khans. 

Strengths. 

The Stormseer comes with a small (four) variety of psychic disciplines available to them. One of these is unique to the White Scars: the Storm's Fury. This gives two powers, the first is a massive range, large blast attack called the Unseen Bolt with the force rule at S=4. This is great all round. The second is The Call of the Wind which can grant fleet(2), but that can be upgraded to fleet(4) with a successful check. Finally, adamantium will is good to have. 

Weaknesses.

The Stormseers are the only type of psyker available to them - they replace the Librarian consul upgrade entirely. Not much is lost here to be fair though. They are limited in disciplines though. 

Builds. 

I would recommend something reasonably fast moving for this consul where possible, but this doesn't necessarily exclude some terminator builds. The psychic hood is a good choice here as well.

Stormseer, jump pack, psychic hood (140 points).

Not overthinking things here. I like the idea of getting into position and using the force weapon on opponents.

Stormseer, jet bike, psychic hood (150 points).

I think this is probably the "go to" build and will slot in with a similarly equipped unit very nicely.

Stormseer in Tartaros Terminator armour, psychic hood, grenade harness (140 points).

Works well enough, but you might not be taking terminators to run with?

Stormseer in Cataphractii Terminator armour (140 points).

An interesting static option -- double entendre. This marine sits at the backline and uses Unseen Bolt every turn. Perhaps assign to a sniper squad.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Qin Xa

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. A strong terminator praetor level character. 

Background.

Qin Xa was a supreme warrior who fought alongside the Khan on Chogoris even before becoming a space marine. Pure fury combined with a keen intellect; if he were in another legion, his legend would be more widely known, but here in the White Scars, he is an excellent commander.

Strengths.

Strictly better than a regular praetor, Qin Xa has a bunch of special rules including furious charge, counter attack and relentless which make him stand out as a great commander for when you are not taking the Khan himself. His weapons are strong too: both blade options (The Tails of the Dragon) are at AP2 and grant a valuable strength increase.

As previous from First Edition, his warlord trait enables the player to bring in a unit from reserves automatically (no reserves rolling). This can be very good for a deep striking style of army. Beyond that, Qin Xa is very good in melee and can rip through enemy terminator squads given the opportunity. The bonus assault phase reaction is good too.

Weaknesses.

He takes to the battlefield in terminator (Tartaros) armour. Therefore he might not be the most appropriate HQ for some White Scars play style, but this is fitting given that he is basically the lord of the Keshig and he is entitled to take a terminator bodyguard when he goes to war. This unit can even take power glaives for a cost. There are no real weaknesses here other than considering what play style is important.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral. 

Overall.

An excellent HQ choice, but keep in mind what kind of army you want to build and also note that Qin Xa is a Loyalist only. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Kyzagan Assault Speeder Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. I like this unit more than I should.

Background.

This is the White Scars solution to ensuring heavy weapons keep up with the rest of the legion! Essentially it is a flying anti grav platform form those heavy weapons to fly to where they are needed and do some shooting with. They should be played like that accordingly.

Strengths. 

With a 15 inch movement combined with two reaper autocannons and one Kheres assault cannon, these speeders can readily pump out a good amount of fire power. They have the mandatory hit and run to escape problem situations along with deep strike, firing protocols, and some further special rules to keep them going.

Difference to First Edition.

This vehicle has lost its armour values and instead have a T=7 value along with 4 wounds. This will keep them going for a while, but they are no longer as tough as they potentially once were and I'd be concerned about seeing massed reaper autocannons targeting them more than I previously once was. Especially in the hands of certain other legions.

Weaknesses.

With the heavy rule, they can't get access to shrouded sadly. See also my note above about the difference to first edition.

Builds.

There are no massively unit altering upgrades to discuss here other than adding in more speeders (which comes suggested), and adding on hunter killer missiles (I'm on the fence about these - take to taste). I still like this unit a lot, but I think it got just a fraction more vulnerable in this edition. You will still see it when playing for or against mounted White Scars armies though, no question. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Ebon Keshig Cohort

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars, rounded up. The rules are good.

Background.
Exiled and seeking atonement through an honourable death, or by surviving and returning to their original roles, these terminators are essentially a vanguard for the White Scars, or at best ablative wounds screening units. 

Strengths. 

As tartaros terminators, they can take advantage of the quick moving systems of the armour and also make sweeps which is good. Coming as standard with power glaives is nice enough, but I would suggest that some should be upgraded to power fists and combi-bolters to be honest. Stubborn and feel no pain is great to have though, as are the 3 attacks base all round. 

Important to note here that enemies don't score points for killing them. Plus the rule of cool applies: the miniatures look excellent. 

Weaknesses.

They could really do with the power fist upgrades for the AP=2. The Karash special rule meanwhile merits a mention here as this is a unit that cannot be joined by others without the rule. Still, this gels well with the rite of war and represents a fluffy way to play White Scars when needed. The lack of transportation is a big issue here potentially though. They are not cheap either and there's a mild argument that regular Tartaros terminators do the job better and cheaper? (Jury is out for me on that). 

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral.

Builds.

5 Kharash, 2 with power fists and combi-bolters, vexilla, grenade harness (250 points).

A basline entry unit. But note that points cost. Ouch.

10 Kharash, 5 with power fists and volkite chargers, vexilla, grenade harness (505 points).

Getting in to the regime of the price not being worth paying here, but there's something to be said for this kind of fast moving, charging, and shooting unit I think.

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Golden Keshig Squadron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are very good overall and play to the White Scars strengths.

Background.

At the tip of the spear of the White Scars attacks are these heavy jet bikes. Ridden by superlatively skilled battle brothers, they are equal parts swift and deadly. 

Strengths. 

I like the power lance here which means in combat the rider is striking at a massive I=8. This is enough to wipe out lesser units before they have a chance to hit back, and this cannot be under sold. Brutal 3 is simply amazing. The scatter bolt launcher on board is solid as well for both pinning and shredding. This calls for a swift assault play style that the White Scars are famed for. Just watch out for reactions. 

Weaknesses.

Being heavy means that the Golden Keshig has no way to get hold of shrouded. This is a problem, but one that can also be worked around with the right foreplanning. Use that hit and run rule as well as much as possible to gain the maximum benefit of the power lances.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral.

Builds.

3 Golden Keshig, vexilla (150 points).

The baseline unit.

6 Gold Keshig, vexilla, champion with thunder hammer (295 points).

Pretty much a maximum upgraded squad. I don't strongly feel the need to buy power weapons or charnabal weapons for this squad to be honest. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Jaghatai Khan

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are strong and support a quick moving play style.

Background.

The Warhawk returns in second edition with the same enigmatic background: spirited away to a life of Chogoris, he learns about rapid and devastating ways of warfare which he brings to his sons in bulk. Regarded as a recluse, but really just never felt the need to show off to anyone, the Khan is a leader that paved the pathway forward for the Great Crusade and made the victories of other legions seem all the greater for it. 

Strengths. 

If the rules for the White Scars are poor, then the Khan will make up for it. Granting furious charge in turns they move is excellent (just try not to get pinned down, okay!) and a bonus reaction in the movement phase is strong.

He has a 2+/4+ save in the shooting phase but gets the invulnerable save beefed up in movement and assault phases which is very pleasing. He can also come into play from reserves whenever the controlling player wants. 

His armaments are good (AP=2 in combat) and whilst he is not be best fighter among his brothers, with the addition of his Sojutsu jetbike he is looking speedy, deadly, and going at I=8 is strong. The jet bike that he comes with is worth the small points cost addition to my mind.

Weaknesses.

At the time of writing, there is no model for the Khan mounted on his jetbike. I can't over emphasize how much this sucks as many players want this. As above, he is not the best primarch out there, but when played to his strengths of fast movement (etc.), he is a force to be reckoned with, make no mistake. 

Overall.

Great army wide buff combined with being one of the fastest primarchs available mark out Khan as unique. Take the jet bike and enjoy.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral overall I think. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: White Scars Armoury

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average. 

Legion Shamshir Jetbike. This provides a free swap of a jet bike for independent characters (but not unique ones). This provides nice access to shrouded to my mind which is a good boon to have. The scatter bolt launcher is nifty enough. 

Scatterbolt Launcher. A variant bolt gun that comes with a template, shred and pinning. Not bad at all really. 

Power Glaive. For a cheap cost, characters can upgrade their power weapons and get breaching along with S+1 at AP=3. This is certainly worth considering. 

Cyber Hawk. Re-rolling 1's to hit against an enemy is worth the cost to get the hawks for any character and this should be considered an almost standard upgrade to be candid. Adding +1 to charge rolls is just the icing on the cake. 

We will look at the Stormseer distinctly.

Difference to First Edition.

Neutral. Not much to see here. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: White Scars Traits and Rites

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average. 

Warlord Traits.

There are three different warlord traits to choose between and fittingly one is loyalist only, one is traitor only, and one can be taken by both.

Heroes Never Die. What an interesting trait this one is. While alive, there is a bonus assault reaction and the warlord's unit gets stubborn which is very nice. But if and when he dies, all White Scars who witnessed it gain Fearless. This is truly a strong trait.

Born to the Saddle. Ignoring difficult terrain is solid, and an invulnerable against dangerous terrain wounds are great. The bonus reaction here is for movement. Overall this is a solid trait without being game breaking but will resonate very nicely with the rest of the army for builds that focus on rapid movements.

The Forgotten Sons. For the traitors, they gain bonuses when there is an ally detachment of Sons of Horus around such that they pass morale and pinning checks. This is very strong, but requires the Sons of Horus in there. They also gain access to the Death Dealers reaction from the Sons. Flavorful and reasonably good, but at the price of needing that extra detachment. 

Rites of War.

Chogorian Brotherhood. Unlock those sky hunters and outrider squadrons as troops (or non-line elites) and give your infantry outflank for free. This is very nice and will pay dividends for the Saim Hain play style that can be pulled off with the White Scars. The price here is that there are no heavy supports available unless they fly, and infantry must be mobile or held in reserves. Very fluffy overall.

The Sagyar Mazan. Those who have transgressed are exiled and these penitents are the Sagyar Mazan. In brief, they seek but an honourable death. This unlocks Ebon Keshig as troops and all infantry must have the Kharash rule which is nice in the sense of not giving away points to the enemy. Gaining fearless on the charge is also powerful. On the flip side, having nothing in reserves can be a problem as is the lack of heavy support (and primarch or fortification to a much lesser extent). 

Difference to First Edition.

There are lots of differences here, both subtle and less subtle. I think overall, these rules make up for the worse legion rules overall, but they are comparable to first edition in many ways. Unfortunately for fans of this legion, overall they are not looking anywhere near as good as they once were in my opinion. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: White Scars Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️

1.5/5 stars. Rounded down. They have lost a lot of their power compared to first edition and I am sad to see this. Hope that my 1 star rating doesn't prove hyper controversial?!

Background.

The White Scars were ever the outriders of the Great Crusade of humanity. They were nowhere near the centre of the action when it all started to kick off. As a result, their loyalties were initially unknown by both sides of the conflict. But once contacted, there were many elements within the legion who pushed to join Horus and the rebellion. He remained fierce in his loyalty and ultimately stood defending Terra itself at the end of all things. 

Legion Rules Review.

Swift of Action means the Scars gain +1 movement to everything. This is nice, but hardly game defining. In addition, they gain an extra die for going first and seizing the initiative. This is stronger, but given the existence of reactions in second edition is not as strong as it might have once been. I regard this legion rule as one of the worst ones out of the 18 legions. Sorry folks. 

The Lords of the Storm prevent the White Scars from having Librarian Consul upgrades, but instead provide their own psykers in the shape of a Stormseer consul which we will review distinctly.

The Chogorian Panoply gives the armoury options while the Sons of Chogoris gives the warlord traits.

Advanced Reaction.

Chasing the Wind is a great reaction for the White Scars and is triggered when an enemy gets within 12 inches. When activated, all White Scars within the same bubble can make an immediate move. I think this is a very strong reaction and will leave a lot of enemies scratching their heads as to how to deal with it - especially if the Scars keep on running away! 

Difference to First Edition.

Worse. The White Scars have lost their re-rolls that they were accustomed to making and instead have a flat +1 to movement and a great chance to go first. My thoughts on this are to play the White Scars in the same manner as the Saim Hain - swoop on objectives at the last turn to win an objectives game, or to give the enemy the run around and force them to play your game with the advanced reaction which will help the Scars keep out of rapid fire range for a while. You were intending to play with bike any way right? Thing is though, if you built the same or similar army with (say) Sons of Horus, they would perform better. The White Scars have been truly nerfed in this edition I am sorry to say. 

Horus Heresy Review: White Scars Dark Sons of Death Squad (Karaoghlanlar)

Editorial Note. With the announcement of the new rules for the Horus Heresy, I will regardless finish all the reviews of all units from the previous edition for completeness sake. We already know that these units were retrofitted for the new edition hence their inclusion is assured regardless.

Background.

The Dark Sons focus on the "unmaking" of enemies who have fallen so far as to deserve both physical destruction and spiritual oblivion. They are regarded with unease by their battle brothers and adorned with appropriate talismans and wards. 

Strengths.

As well as being able to be a Librarian's (Stormseer's) retinue, once per game they can gain fleet and rage which is a nice touch for one of their invocations. Their more unique rule is the Ritual of Unmaking is to automatically fail sweeping advances in exchange for units with models with 6 inches to take a Ld test or suffer -1WS until the end of next turn. Honestly, I don't think this is too powerful, but it is flavourful in the sense of inducing fear in the enemy. I'd sooner be sweeping come what may. 

The jump packs are a great feature here though, along with the plentiful options.

Weaknesses.

I think I would have sooner have seen this unit with similar rules to the Thousand Sons brotherhoods, but it is what it is. Fundamentally, these are still 1 wound jump pack marines, but given that they tote rad grenades, they make for a tremendous asset for the White Scars. 

Builds.

15 Dark Sons, 3 Melta Guns, Champion with power fist, Melta Bombs (425 points).

A bit of a maximum squad, but one that would be rather powerful and a vehicle plus crew hunter.

10 Dark Sons, 2 Hand Flamers, Champion with Hand Flamer, artificer armour and power weapon (290 points).

Flamers all round, or just sit on an objective.

5 Dark Sons, all with Power Glaives, 1 Plasma Pistol, Champion with plasma pistol and artificer armour (235 points).

Plasma distraction carnifex, with power glaives. 

Horus Heresy Review: Jaghatai Khan

Background.
The Great Khan was the laughing killer. The one who scouted ahead of the Great Crusade, unsung, largely un-noticed, but categorically vital to the success of the Emperor's vision for humanity at large. Like his brothers, he had his preferences (lightning swift strikes), likes (psykers / storm seers, Horus, Vulkan), and dislikes (Mortarion?). Underestimated by many, unknown to most, but far more than a berserk barbarian -- he was cultured, and knew precisely what he was doing.

Strengths.
There are two options to consider with the Khan. The first is known as "The Khan Afoot" and the second is "The Khan Mounted". They are precisely what you might expect: one version on foot, the other on a special jet bike.

The jet bike version costs more, but obviously provides bonuses in terms of speed, and heavy bolter fire. 1d3 hammer of wrath attacks with this is very nice, but whether you take him on this, or on foot depends on the build of the legion force he takes with him largely.

His bonus rules are nice overall though. He always (always!) strikes first in combat. No matter what (barring hammer of wrath and other "always strikes first" models). He has shooting that can actually take down opposing space marines and (as you might expect) is good in close combat (and won't be tar-pitted like some of his brothers thanks to permanent hit and runs, which he also grants to accompanying units). His weapon (the White Tiger Dao) is an AP2 with a bonus to strength on the charging turn. Although not unwieldy, it is not as fabulous as some of his brothers (cf. Russ).

The Khan also provides a buff to the army (not as good as Alpharius, to be clear), but giving everyone the scout rule will also provide the outflank rule which can lead to all kinds of fun for the White Scars player.

There's a few other bits and bobs here as well (move through cover, etc.) that I won't go in to detail with. Instead, I wanted to end the strengths by noting his relatively cheap points cost. He is one of the lower points value primarchs. Crazy deadly against regular marines, to be clear. Not one of the stronger primarchs though, but perfectly sufficient in his own way -- for instance he can tank very well indeed when on his bike. And no doubt the White Scars player will be positioning him very well indeed and running circles around their opponents. Play to his strengths and you will not be disappointed in my opinion.

Weaknesses.
He is a Primarch. Enough said.

Overall.
Cheap enough. Not the best Primarch in the game. Good army wide buff. Good with hit and run. Fast on his special bike if needed, and tanky to boot. Very nice indeed, and flavourful too. 

Horus Heresy Review: Tsolmon Khan

Background.
As with many other legions, there are characters who at first glance would be better suited to other legions. Tsolmon is one such person. In this case the Iron Hands would have been a better bet for him. Oddly for the White Scars, this Khan was also known more widely beyond his host legion as well.

Strengths.
In brief then, this Khan is a praetor with an extra pip in strength with access to a scimitar jet bike upgrade (worth it!) and interestingly thanks to his peculiar history, the option to take a single sister of silence oblivion knight cadre (could be worth it potentially, but is mutually exclusive with the jetbike). When with these ladies, his Ld score is intact, plus he has a nice bonus to glorious interventions involving them too.

When charging, he has a neat trick to ignore the initiative step of the thunder hammer, which is really nice, but only a single attack.

Weaknesses.
His warlord trait is fixed as inspiring presence. Not the best, but okay.

Otherwise, he is standard fare, and may only be taken by loyalist forces.

Overall.
There are two overall options here.

I'd personally take the jet bike option and build a speedy list around him.

The other option is to consider an allied Sisters of Silence force with White Scars. This could work really well if smartly constructed, but candidly: I'm yet to give this a lot of thought. 

Horus Heresy Review: Qin Xa

Background.
This is a master of the legion who knew The Khan from before the coming of the Emperor. As a youth, he fought with him on Chogoris and even back then he was formidable.

Later in the Great Crusade, he was not really known much outside the White Scars legion, but within it, they knew him to be a veritable force of nature.

Strengths. 
Oddly for the White Scars, this is a character who takes to the field in terminator armour -- in this case the Tartaros variety. Of course, this is fitting given that he is basically the lord of the Keshig and he is entitled to take a terminator bodyguard when he goes to war. This unit can even take power glaives for a cost.

His warlord trait enables the player to bring in a unit from reserves automatically (no reserves rolling). This can be very good for a deep striking style of army.

Beyond that, Qin Xa is very good in melee and can rip through enemy terminator squads given the opportunity. He is strictly better than other praetors too, with en extra wound and initiative pip.

Weaknesses.
For what Qin Xa is (a terminator praetor level character with better stat line), there are no real weaknesses here at all. Arguably others shoot better than him. But I'd wager you're not playing him to be a shooty character.

Overall.
Good. Really good. The only question is whether Qin Xa suits your army build, and whether you are playing a loyalist list (traitor White Scars cannot take him).

Horus Heresy Review: White Scars Kyzagan Assault Speeder

Background.
In demand by the White Scars since they combine being rather fast (and thus able to keep up with the rest of the legion!) with rather decent firepower. The Speeders are a blend of quality, celerity, and sheer fire power that should not be under-estimated. I think we will all be seeing these units in White Scars builds at some point.

Strengths. 
Speed (fast skimmer type). Firepower. And strictly better than a regular javelin (look to the extra pip of AV at the front for that). They come with the regular rules you might expect such as deep striking and outflanking. The sheer amount of firepower that 3 speeders in one unit can pump out would put an Ork Boy to shame quite frankly. Unlike an Ork Boy, they hit a long more reliably...

Weaknesses. 
Watch the rear.

Builds.
There is not much to talk about here since there are not too many options to contemplate. They come with a Kheres assault cannon and two reaper auto cannons each, but neither type can be replaced with anything else.

The only options are more speeders in the squad (a good thing that should be thought about!), search lights (situational), and hunter-killer missiles (to taste -- some people swear by them, others will tell you they're a waste of points. I can see it both ways). 

Horus Heresy Review: The Falcon's Claws

Background.
What do you get when you cross the Alpha Legion with the Raven Guard? No, I'm not sure either, but one possible answer is the Falcon's Claws. In brief, they are the White Scars advanced team who try to assassinate key targets before the main battle is joined. They are very skilled at this, and at laying traps. Their rules reflect this, albeit lacking infiltrate.

Strengths. 
The best way to think of these marines is as scouts with extra stuff. Or maybe as scouts that the Alpha Legion or Raven Guard turned down, but the White Scars were simply not as fussy.

Look, they have lightning claws, cameleoline, shroud bombs, hatred of characters, precision strikes, move through cover, and a special rule that let's they redeploy up to an amazing 18 inches. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that is the best redeployment in the entire game?

To my mind, they are ideally suited for some crazy back line adventures to try to take out some of the enemy before they become a threat. They are also going to be under-rated by opponents who have never seen them in action before. Multiple units of these are going to prove a headache.

Weaknesses.
They have recon armour, rendering them as being especially vulnerable to smaller arms fire. Equally, their points cost reflect this lower survivability.

Builds.
10 Falcon's Claws (170 points).
The basic, maximum body count unit. Redeploy and press your threat across the board. Take several of these to scare your opponent. Take a 5 man squad to surprise them.

10 Falcon's Claws, all with power weapons and bolt pistols, Champion with cyber-hawk and thunder hammer and single lightning claw (200 points).
As well as being able to model these as (more or less) regular scouts, they have their pick of power weapons. Take some power axes to really surprise your opponent in the mix to provide a threat to terminators.  Strictly the cyber hawk is not needed. But when there's several of these on the board, they can add up to something rather amazing. 

Horus Heresy Review: The Ebon Keshig

Background.
The Ebon Keshig are one of the more flavourful units in 30k. Whereas most legions regard their terminators as some kind of elite units or special formation, the White Scars have the Ebon Keshig as the place where their men go to atone for perceived sins or breaches of honour. If they survive their time in the Ebon Keshig, then they go back to where they once were, or find a newer role within the legion. I really like the flavour of this immensely.

Strengths.
They come as standard with power glaives -- these are awesome melee weapons which have the versatile special rule, and when used two-handed will give these terminators AP2 at S=5. This is really rather good.

In addition, they get their choice of terminator armour from any of the types available (I think I'd recommend tartaros here simply because of the rules that go along with it). The natural feel no pain means that we're not losing out much on taking cataphractii instead, but I can see an argument for cataphractii regardless. The stubborn special rule is great here as well. Chosen warriors I can live without, but it is nice here.

Weaknesses.
Not only are these units a support unit, but they also have the Kharash special rule. This means that they do not score, but can never earn an enemy any victory points either for their destruction. I guess this is a blessing and a curse.

The most glaring weakness here is how they get in to close combat. The controlling player will have to figure out the delivery method for themselves. It might be through a rite of war (e.g., an army made from deep striking terminators would complement the Ebon Keshig nicely), or it'll have to be a transport bought separately. This is okay at lower points values, but spells trouble at higher points where one would want to take different units in those other valuable slots. How about you're actually Alpharius and you get these units via Coils of the Hydra so that they infiltrate? Problem solved.

Builds.

10 Kharash (450 points).
I like the basic build, but a max squad of them. If you can find a transport or insertion solution, they will mop up enemy infantry (including other terminators, but maybe not Salamanders ones with shields) rather nicely. Tartaros armour suggested here. I would also consider adding 2 lots of grenade harnesses here as well if charging an enemy in terrain might be an issue.

Of course, half the number of terminators is still fun and viable for the above build. I would still recommend one or two grenade harnesses, but maybe think about cataphractii armour instead.

5 Kharash, all with power fists and combi-bolters (275 points).
I regret removing the power glaives, but if these terminators are in cataphractii armour, then they demand attention from the enemy and can be employed as a distraction unit; plain and simple.

Horus Heresy Review: The Golden Keshig

Background.
Beginning our examination of specialist White Scars units in 30k, we turn to The Golden Keshig. These men are the "replacement" for terminators -- instead of massing large walls of slow moving armoured marines, the White Scars like fast moving, heavy jet bikers to ram in to their opponents. (Note: they're not actually replacements for terminators, its just stated as a fielding preference in their background). Their role is to literally ram in to the centre of the enemy. And at this task, they are good.

Strengths. 
The Kontos power lance means that this unit will be striking at an impressive S=7 and AP2 at the top initiative notch when charging in to an enemy. This should be enough to see off a smaller squad (assuming that they might break and flee). They do have hit and run as standard as well, should they get bogged down or tarpitted.

The scatterbolt launcher that they have is a template weapon that comes with a reasonable strength value, but only AP4. It does have shred and pinning though which is a nice touch to soften up an enemy before charging in.

Weaknesses.
This unit relies on getting the charge in. If they do not, then their attacks are pathetic -- only at the base strength of the user and at AP4. They can die to this if not played well. Beware! Hit and run does help out, of course, but the controlling player simply must get the charge in. No excuses here.

Watch out as well for any enemy that will reduce their initiative, otherwise they are similarly going to not make their points back.

Builds.
3 Golden Keshig (160 points).
Keeping it cheap, I rather like the base build. Add on some extra bodies to taste -- I'd suggest 4 or 5 might be around the golden number here; pun not intended. Keep it at 3 for a jetbike-cide squad.

6 Golden Keshig, all with melta bombs, 5 with power axes, champion with thunder hammer (375 points).
This is not recommended, but it is the maximum build possible here. It is a fully kitted out squad to take out big transports and then deal with the occupants. Don't use it - there are better ways for the White Scars to take out heavy transports. I include it here as a suggestion for some builds where other options might be in short supply.

Warhammer World: White Scars of Horus Heresy

Only a single image of Legio V, the White Scars, from Warhammer World when they were on display in the cabinets of the special Horus Heresy exhibition earlier in the year. This squad uses the Forge World resin upgrades for the White Scars and is painted in the traditional colours accented with gold.

Horus Heresy Review: White Scars Legion Review

Background Material Evaluation.

The first legion that I'm reviewing from Retribution is the White Scars Legion. Now, the key thing to realise is that Retribution does not give a full overview of the three legions it presents like the other volumes in the Horus Heresy. Hence, we're lacking the key battles that they've fought in, how their Primarch was found, and all that juicy kind of detail that I sincerely hope gets published right after the Space Wolves and Thousand Sons in the next volume.

That said, we already know from "Scars" (Black Library) that the White Scars Legion were the path finders of the Great Crusade. They harried the bigger targets whilst destroying the easy ones. This left a great vacuum in their wake that subsequent follow-up by other fleets and components of the Great Crusade then exploited as the White Scars moved rapidly on to their next target. 

We also know of this Legion's predilection for riding bikes and moving very quickly in general. This, I feel, is very well encapsulated in the rules presented within Retribution. 

Legion Rules Review.

The first of their special rules is Swift Action. By moving their full range in the movement phase (6 inches for infantry, 12 inches for vehicles) the White Scars can re-roll to wound rolls of 1 and gain a +1 to their cover save for the entire game turn. This is very powerful in its own right, but merits strong planning. One has to remember that units like jet bikes for instance must move in a straight line, hence a little bit of planning at deployment can pay dividends on turn one. Of course, the inference of this special rule is that heavy weapons that can't be moved and fired at full ballistic skill in the same turn should probably be avoided. Leave such weapons to other legions and play to the strength of your fast moving White Scars!

Eye of the Storm provides a pip bonus to seizing initiative, going first, reserve rolls (only the first per turn) which is a very nice boost that can compete with Alpha Legion rites of war when combined with other methods of doing this (cf. Land Raider Proteus). 

As might be expected, the White Scars are all skilled riders thanks to Born in the Saddle. 

Finally, To Laugh in Death's Face means that a fast attack choice must be taken before a heavy support one. Fair enough really considering how one might typically build a White Scars army list any way. 

Strikingly, there are no negatives for this legion which makes them incredible and unique in so many ways. 

Wargear.

There are two items here to discuss. 

The prime one is the Power Glaive. For the same option as a power sword, a White Scars characters can get a versatile weapon that can be AP3 or AP2 (with +1S) depending if you use it one or two handed. This is a great boon and should almost always be taken by a character if they're not going to go down the power fist route. And indeed, with a bonus to re-rolling wounds, the AP2 with bonus strength is going to be wounding most of the time!

The second is really interesting, and in the form of a Cyber Hawk. This is for a Praetor level character only though. What it does is to place a marker (the Hawk) anywhere on the battle field. White Scars then get a bonus to hit against any unit with 6 inches of this marker. Plus it can provide a re-roll to charge distances. This is incredibly powerful (particularly in combination with the Swift Action rule) and should almost always be taken by a praetor. It is also incredible strategic and should be thought about clearly. Place it next to the first target for shooting on turn 1 and the Swift Action toward that target and shoot at it. This is almost better than comparable shooty legions to be honest. 

Summing Up.

I will look at Legion Rites of War later in a different article as Retribution provides a new proliferation of these above and beyond what previously existed within the other tomes.

Overall though, the White Scars are an excellent and swift moving legion that begs to be used on bikes, jet bikes, and with cyber hawks from a praetor to take out a target unit every single turn whenever possible. I can see them being a huge pain for slower moving legions and armies that just can't keep up. They will even give certain Eldar builds a good run for their money despite being the top 40k codex (at the time of writing). I'll write up example army lists at a later date. This army is incredibly powerful, make no mistake, and I believe one of the top tier Horus Heresy armies when built well and played well.

Horus Heresy Board Game Report: A Traitor Victory

The Horus Heresy Board Game can be played in a variety of modes across six different missions.  This is a report from one of the advanced scenarios entitled "Cry Havoc".  The main difference between the later scenarios and the earlier ones are the extent and power of the event cards and the way in which the game is set-up.  In this scenario, there are multiple game board areas that are inaccessible to both sides.  This means that each player needs to plan out their moves in a bit more chess-like detail in order to navigate through the maze to their desired destinations.

The set-up is similar to previous games otherwise, but it did take a bit of time to get it all done.  As the traitor player, I had Angron and Fulgrim on the planet's surface supported by the rank and file of their respective legions ... ready to pounce.  The Loyalist player had Dorn an the Imperial Fists tucked up in a nicely fortified looking palace.  Meanwhile, the Khan kept to the out-field with his legion. 

As I made a move to attempt to secure one of the space ports in the game, the Khan swept in from nowhere (one of his special abilities) to completely lightning strike Fulgrim's forces out of the way.  In the image, you can see the Khan gloating over his victory with his troops, supported by a loyalist tank company.  To the upper left, you can see some traitors looking quite isolated and weary.  They were the next units to be elimiated by the Khan.  Fulgrim himself even fell to the Khan by two thirds of the way through the game.

However, the "real" battle (if I'm allowed to call it that) was not taking place in the out-field where the Khan was amassing victory after victory over the traitors (poor Fulgrim!)... but rather: it was nearer to the palace walls itself.  Pictured, Angron has secured one of the Space Ports through an overwhelming force of World Eater legionaires, titans, and daemons.  The Blood Angels who were nearby got slaughtered and those that survived limped back to the Imperial Palace, routed.  Sanguinius himself fared little better.  Although some Loyalist marines can be seen surrounding the space port (Imperial Fists top left, White Scars top right), their numbers were far too small to do anything about Angron in full fury.  Indeed, I let Angron assault the palace himself whilst Mortarion and his Death Guard served to back them up and mop up the remaining resistance around him. 

Of course, the Emperor himself was holed up in his fortress / palace all along.  By the time Angron was a few board squares away from tackling the Emperor, a powerful event card was drawn: the loyalist fleets that were in the Warp on transit to holy Terra were lost -- Horus' prayers to the darker powers had paid off!  In game terms, this meant that the Loyalists could no longer "hold out" until their reinforcements arrived.  Help wasn't coming and a drawn game wouldn't mean victory for the Emperor.  Hence, the Emperor took a gamble and teleported on the the Vengeful Spirit -- Horus' battle barge in orbit.

Taking with him several squad of custodians and what remaining troops he could, the Emperor encountered both Magnus the Red and Horus aboard the catacombs of the battle barge.  Still a little bit miffed about the whole Nikea thing, Magnus really took it out of the Loyalist forces.  The Thousand Sons were glorious: accounting for multiple units of custodians and army regiments.  The daemons that they had allied with also helped change things up.  Desipte wounding Horus himself, the Emperor was alreaded greviously wounded himself from Magnus' assault.  Horus then came along to join the party.  A few combats later, and the Emperor was dead.

The shields immediately were raised over the battle barge once more, leaving Angron and Mortarion to mop up the remaining resistance on the planet-side.  The Khan and the Fabricator General escaped, but Dorn and Sanguinius were both gone; their legions shattered.  Horus had won.  An new era beckoned.