Warhammer World: The Fall of Outpost Sigma-12

One of the newer displays (to me at least) at Warhammer World was the fall of Sigma-12. This is Cthonia. And it is also one of the last battles of the Heresy since immediately afterward the Siege of Terra began. Traitor forces of the Sons of Horus undermine (literally) the defensive positions of the Imperial Fists as their subterranean forces emerge. The loyalists fight on to extract as high a toll as possible and make the traitors victory Pyrrhic. 

The whole scene (above) is a rather incredibly put together diorama. I liked the assault being conducted by the Sons of Horus - it looks exactly like the tip of an armoured spear as I might envisage it. 

The Imperial Fists won't like the holes in those walls!

Nor will they like the termites that are coming!

But the loyalists are clearly making the traitors pay across the board and backline!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Sons of Horus Reaver Aggressor Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are quite good considering the jump packs. Much like their on-foot analogues, their flexible builds mean you can have access to lots of deployment options. 

Background.

An evolution of the despoiler squad mixed with assault squads, with Horus' name and the Cthonian ganger background writ large across it. The Reavers are individuals clubbed together in their own squad which is a war band in and of itself as you might expect of their Cthonian origins and specialize in hit and run tactics designed to decapitate the enemy. 

Strengths. 

Chain axes and bolt pistols as standard coupled with WS=5 a nice complement of attacks and 2 wounds each. 

The squad features a high level of flexibility in builds and can take lots of sergeant weapons and pistols if you have the points value available, along with special weapons to boot. 

Weaknesses. 

The armour save of the reavers remains at 3+ and means that they are vulnerable to the more elite shooting and melee attacks of other units. 

Builds.

10 Reavers, 1 Nuncio Vox, 1 Vexilla, 3 Power Weapons, 2 Thunder Hammers, Sergeant with Lightning Claws (370 points).

A go-to build, but quite expensive points wise. Given WS=5, I think this is a squad that should be focused on melee. Sure, you can go melta-cide if you wanted, but I still like this one. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Sons of Horus Chieftain Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The rules are good. 

Background.

Chieftain was a term taken on by the gangs of Cthonia to designate and grant honour to an individual who showed loyalty. Now within the Sons of Horus, the same title has carried over and marks individuals such as squad leaders out as worthy. They are sometimes assembled into squads themselves to safeguard a leader. 

Strengths. 

WS=5 and 2+/5++ is a strong combination with 2 wounds each. 

They come with bane strike bolters, boarding shields, bolt pistols and the ubiquitous chain swords. They are marked out by the special rule "Honour above all else". This grants +1 to wound for the entirety of the squad when one of them is engaged in a challenge. This is excellent! And it really calls for this unit to get into combat as swiftly as possible. 

The upgrades are all worth thinking about: chain axes are solid enough, power weapons handy, and power fists great. The ability to take the legion standard is an almost auto-upgrade. 

Weaknesses. 

Not too many weaknesses realistically for what you are getting, but the points do escalate quickly. 

Builds.

5 Chieftains, 2 Power Fists, 2 Power Weapons, Legion Standard (225 points).

Something of a baseline build to provide access to whatever tools are required in a situation. 

10 Chieftains, 2 Power Fists, 8 Power Weapons, Legion Standard (410 points).

A fully upgraded squad. Nice and deadly and not merely there to serve as ablative wounds for a character. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Reaver Attack Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. They are okay overall and their flexible builds mean you can have access to lots of deployment options. 

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. They are individuals clubbed together in their own squad which is a war band in and of itself as you might expect of their Cthonian origins. 

Strengths. 

Chain axes and bolt pistols as standard coupled with WS=5 a nice complement of attacks and 2 wounds each. 

The squad features a high level of flexibility in builds and can take lots of sergeant weapons and pistols if you have the points value available, along with special weapons to boot. 

The "Aggressor" variant from the Legacies update allows them to take jump packs for a modest points increase which comes recommended. Indeed, all the builds below are quite viable in this configuration as well. 

Weaknesses. 

The armour save of the reavers remains at 3+ and means that they are vulnerable to the more elite shooting and melee attacks of other units. 

Builds.

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 (310 points).

Take the nuncio vox and vexilla to taste. Take as an aggressor unit?

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Justaerin Terminator Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The classic Sons of Horus terminator squad. 

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. 

WS=5 and T=5 cataphractii terminators with 4 attacks to boast about and bane strike ammunition as standard. These are the elite soldiers kitted out with the best toys possible. 

There is some flexibility with builds available here, and they can have multiple battle field roles as a result. They are probably best used as the proverbial tip of the spear though. 

Vanguard (4) is really handy. It can literally swing games when played correctly. 

Weaknesses. 

The Justaerin don't really have too many weaknesses other than their sheer points cost. Even a basic unit costs like a land raider. And you will probably want the same to transport them I'd imagine. Short of figuring out a good deep strike method. It is interesting to note that they do NOT have Carsoran power axes as standard here. Equally, there's a good argument for not spending points value on these axes in third edition. 

Builds.

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

A baseline entry squad with little to talk about. Grab a vehicle and go hunting. 

10 Justaerin, 2 Multi-Meltas, 4 Combi-Meltas, 2 Chain Fists (575 points). 

The free combi bolters are an entertaining option in third edition and can make a unit specialised without trying too hard. 

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, but giving up bane strike (especially with the re-worked legion trait) is tough to do for these terminators.

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Dark Emissary

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars. Rounded up. The rules are acceptable. 

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. 

A relatively cheap command character for the Sons of Horus. The stat line has 4's and 5's in the places you might expect, with Leadership of 10 and Cool of 10 as well. 

He comes armed with a mere bolt pistol, a staff of dark authority, and a special rule called Eyes of the Warmaster. 

The Staff is essentially a power weapon with +1 for strength and critical hitting. It is okay overall without being overpowered. 

The Eyes of the Warmaster allows the character to join other factions (like other legion allies) and the leadership and cool are not lost here. This is fluffy and appropriate I think. 

In legacies, he can also be placed into terminator armour which is a solid enhancement and worth considering. 

Weaknesses. 

I want to like the Dark Emissary more than I do. He is very fluffy, but ends up being just a bit niche. Even the humble bolt pistol lacks bane strike here sadly (and the only way to get it is to exchange a bolt gun which he doesn't have - take the terminator option with the combi bolt gun and you have a deal though!). You could upgrade to a plasma pistol I suppose. 

Overall.

A cheap character. A fluffy character. He should be doing more than he is. I want a single instance of him within other traitor forces, but there's no point in doing so unless you really want to be as fluffy as humanly possible. Other characters are strictly better and do more. He's honestly a bit of a drag on resources for the third edition force organization chart. Can't see him being played as even the fluffy players will struggle to slot him in without a lot of soul searching. 

[Author's note - This is the final entry for characters from the Sons of Horus! This legion has far too many playable characters in comparison to other legions now - command and high command are bloated.]

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Maloghurst The Twisted

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are okay. 

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. 

A reasonable stat line, but with reduced movement as you might imagine. 

He carries the Icon of the Warmaster into battle. This provides +1 to Line and Vanguard for the unit he is attached to. This is actually really nice and can pivot his use in games entirely - and possibly help to win.

Bane strike ammunition in a bolt gun and a regular issue power sword round out the character.  

Weaknesses. 

Mal's days of glory in single combat are over. Over. He doesn't have to take part in challenges. And no one would blame him. 

Overall.

The points cost here is average for what you are getting. Yes, there are some draw backs overall. But they are tolerable. He is also certainly fluffy for the Sons of Horus. No denying that. But he's probably not your first pick for a command character either. That Line +1 rule is very tempting though, even if it is kept on the back lines. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Vheren Ashurhaddon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The Either continues our leader heavy exploration of the Sons of Horus. 

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. 

A praetor level character with WS=7 here. 

He comes with a pair of bolt pistols that can be fired as the Bane Strike Fusillade. This gives you four shots at S=5 and with breaching. This is great, but the range is obviously short. The Axe Serpentis is reasonable and gives you critical hitting with AP=2 built in. The gain in initiative is also good to have.

He also has a vexilla to round out his character which is fitting given how he rounded up his men to his own (no chaos traitor) banner I suppose. 

Weaknesses. 

In truth, Ashurhaddon doesn't really have anything special about him beyond the stat line WS enhancement and the unique equipment. No special rules to be seen here sadly. A bit of a missed opportunity to make him more characterful in my opinion. 

Overall.

You are paying a good increase in points value for the extra pip in WS combined with that vexilla and special equipment. I suspect you probably would have the vexilla elsewhere in a retinue squad if you had the option. Other than that, Ashurhaddon is a very reasonable character and extremely fluffy for the attempt to re-take Cthonia for the Sons of Horus. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Tybalt Marr

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. The Either continues our leader heavy exploration of the Sons of Horus. 

Background.

Tasked with hunting down the rogue elements of the shattered legions, Marr got embroiled in a three year campaign against non other than Shadrak Meduson of the Iron Hands. He succeeded in the end, but it cost a lot of men and time to do so. 

Strengths. 

A praetor level stat line, but with a sword that helps him stand out. The Culling Blade grants an entertaining combination of breaching, critical hits, and poisoned to allow him to fell many of his erstwhile loyalist cousins with ease. The bane strike bolt gun is merely the icing on the cake here. 

Hatred against the Shattered Legions is an interesting special rule to have, and clearly situational yet also very appropriate. 

Weaknesses. 

A fairly solid character overall with no general weaknesses, but obviously might not be everyone's proverbial cup of tea, but I like him. 

Overall.

Fluffy to be very clear. His hunting down of the Shattered Legions is well depicted here and his Culling Blade entirely appropriate. The points value for Marr is also spot on for what he does. There's little not to like, except for the fact that the Sons of Horus are over-run with character choices. Hence I suspect Marr will be seen only in fluffier elements of the Sons of Horus who have been tasked with anti-shattered legion duties, which for me is a bit sad. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Garviel Loken

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Solid and fluffy for the Loyalist Sons of Horus or Luna Wolves amongst you.  

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 praetor level stat line and a loyalist to boot. 

Loken comes with a Paragon Blade which will certainly assist with close combat. His special rule is of some note though. Born Survivor means that when he dies for the first time in a game, he has a 50/50 chance of immediately coming back on with 1 wound remaining. You just can't keep the guy down until he's through with all the traitors! 

Weaknesses. 

Loyalist only of course. Not necessarily a weakness of course. He is also a sort of mirror image of Little Horus Aximand in the game. Certainly a fluffy choice. Hatred against Traitors is worth noting here as well for the bonus to wound. 

Overall.

From a points value point of view, Loken costs only fractionally more than Aximand for which you get the Born survivor rule. But his paragon blade is strictly worse than Mourn-It-All, and therefore Aximand has the edge statistically, but that's before you factor in Hatred - its a delicate balance but I think that the damage = 2 on Aximand still takes the day overall? (Let me know if you've ran the stats? I'm going on gut instinct here!). Loken isn't looking too crash hot against Abaddon either due to the WS difference. But so what. If you are playing Luna Wolves or loyalist Sons of Horus, he is as ideal as they come!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: "Little" Horus Aximand

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. A fluffy choice for a high command entry in the Sons of Horus. 

Background.

Little Horus looked exactly like his gene sire in appearance. He chose to follow the same into Heresy and became a traitor, but was never too sure about his choices. He became wracked with guilt about it, and sought to justify his choice to himself repeatedly, ultimately fighting on Beta-Garmon.

Strengths. 

The stat line here looks and feels like a Praetor level character - which is exactly what Aximand is at a fundamental level. He comes with Mourn-It-All as his close combat weapon which is a power blade with S+1 and critical hitting which is very nice to have. The bane strike on his bolt gun is also similarly nice. He carries a shield, but I'm not too sure you would make use of it unless you are running him with a Breacher squad. 

His special rule is exceptionally circumstantial: Haunted. You gain extra victory points for taking out Loken. 

Impact on (I) is very nice overall though - and makes him worth it. 

Weaknesses. 

Activation of the special rule will be a very unusual event in any given game or tournament. This is a character that is basically wanting to be used and chosen in a fluffy style game. And I for one don't mind that!

Overall.

From a points value point of view, Aximand is worth the points cost. As noted above, the special rules are a little circumstantial to say the least and the shield trait is probably not going to get used that much. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Ezekyle Abaddon

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars but rounded up. Master of the Justaerin and First Captain of the Sons of Horus. He followed his gene sire into damnation and went on to have a legacy like no other.  

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. 

With WS=7, 5 wounds and cataphractii terminator armour, the basic gear and set up of Abaddon is impressive and intimidating. 

He comes as standard with a Cthonian Power Claw which gives S+4 with shred and AP2 which is just plain nasty even with the initiative modifier. Add on to this the grenade harness and banestrike bolt rounds and he is a beast on the table. 

On top of this, he has native deep strike that he can share with his Justaerin, as well as the ability to share feel no pain for the turn when they've all come on to the table via deep strike. This is absolutely excellent. 

Beyond this, eternal warrior is nice. 

Weaknesses. 

Not many realistically. He is a force to be reckoned with. The points cost is steep, but he fundamentally is a fantastic character. 

Overall.

Pricey? Undoubtedly. 

Fluffy and usable? Totally. 

There's little not to like other than the sheer points value, but if you invest in the deep strike strategy I feel good about it paying off hence the large number of stars from me!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Horus Ascended

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5 stars. Swollen on Warp Power, this version of Horus is exceptionally deadly and likely the most powerful (close combat) character in the game now. 

Background.

Drunk on the power of the warp, Horus became a swollen and towering version of his former self second only to the Emperor himself. It was not only his physique that changed though. His very personality altered. Gone was the consummate commander and honourable comrade who could get others to spin on a pin head through his words alone. Instead, he started punishing even minor infractions with serious consequences. His mental aspects became a dark reflection of the power that surged through him. 

Strengths. 

Let's start with the stat line. Horus gains bonuses almost everywhere. WS=9 is crazy, but when combined with 8s in many other places and 7s in A and I, he is truly exceptional. Even Vulkan would be put to shame now. His leadership (not so counter intuitively for the rebels) grows to 14 too. 

For the special rules, he retains deep strike, and gains feel not pain, fear, improves his eternal warrior stat, and retains his reaction bonus (+1 per turn). In addition to this, he gains The Spreading Corruption which means he is malefic and can join similar squads if he wishes. 

The Warmaster's Talon provides remains the same as before with 24 inch shots at S=5 with breaching, and also the lightning claws at AP=2 with reaping blow and shred. This is reasonable (better when you think about volleys at full ballistic skill), but once again, I suspect you will want the Worldbreaker as the favoured close combat weapon due to S+4, AP=2 and 3 damage (plus critical hitting). You take a bit of an initiative penalty, but you won't care too much I think. Those S=12 hits are going to wreck everything in the game pretty much. 

Weaknesses. 

He loses access to Sire of the Sons of Horus here as you might expect. So no bonus prime slots or similar I'm sorry to say. And no first turn movement bonuses any longer. 

Overall.

For the points cost, he is pretty much worth what you are paying. The native deep strike is expensive, yes, so you might want to think how to make the most of that, or give Horus a transport solution and run him with some malefic allies for maximum effect. And with the Ascended upgrade, Vulkan is no longer a match for him. I haven't ran his stats against Angron or Fulgrim as Daemon Primarchs, so not yet formed a view on the ascended rankings, but he seems to my initial reaction he is top of the pile there as well. Hence I'm giving Horus Ascended top ranking in all of the Horus Heresy! 5/5 stars from me. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Horus Lupercal

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Great, but no longer the top placed deadly primarch in my new controversial opinion!

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 more so than any other character. 

Strengths. 

To the stat line first. WS=8 is excellent indeed, and W=7 is strong with the advanced characteristics peaking in leadership and cool. 

He comes natively with deep strike, which explains the points cost. What really matters in terms of special rules though is the Master of War rule. This grants an almighty +1 reaction in each turn. This is not only fluffy and appropriate, but very strong when played well. 

The Warmaster's Talon provides 24 inch shots at S=5 with breaching, and also the lightning claws at AP=2 with reaping blow and shred. This is reasonable (better when you think about volleys at full ballistic skill), but I suspect you will want the Worldbreaker as the favoured close combat weapon due to S+4, AP=2 and 3 damage (plus critical hitting). You take a bit of an initiative penalty, but you won't care too much I think. 

As Sire of the Sons of Horus, you gain extra prime slots for 4 or more tacticals or despoilers which is easy to fulfil. And you also get movement+1 in the first turn thanks to your men really wanting to prove themselves in front of you. This is very helpful and calls even more strongly for a melee orientated force. 

Weaknesses. 

In all honesty, Horus is no longer quite as powerful as he was in other editions wherein I would give him a 5/5 star rating without hesitation. Some of his brothers are strictly better and will beat him up in a challenge. Most obviously Vulkan (equally, Vulkan always was noted to be the physically strongest primarch, so perhaps that's no surprise any longer). 

Overall.

Worth the points cost thanks to the army wide boons and the reaction bonuses. But he is no longer the number 1 primarch on the block - sorry folks! Vulkan takes the prize (ignoring chaos ascended daemon prince versions of primarch). 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Sons of Horus Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5/5 stars. Rounded up. The rules are relatively good. 

Background.

The Sons of Horus have a reputation for alpha-strikes: cutting out the heart or weak point of an enemy in a decapitation assault from which they will never recover. Such is the Cthonia legacy. Within the Heresy, their name is synonymous with the treachery itself. There were instrumental in the rebellion and the alliance with Chaos, right from the Betrayal of their own legion through to the Siege of Terra. They were at the forefront of everything. Whether Horus was deluded, seduced by chaos, or whispered to a little bit too much by certain Word Bearers is another matter entirely. 

Armoury. 

Banestrike. A gift from the Alpha Legion as evidence of their loyalty, the Sons of Horus are able to make good use of Banestrike ammunition. Breaching is good and generally worth it for a sub-set of squads. 

Carsoran Power Axes are a modest points cost upgrades to regular power axes. They are generally worth considering, but so are Thunder Hammers.

Martial Supremacy grants a prime advantage slot for both Duelist's Edge and Champion special rules. This is okay overall without being overpowered. 

Decurion Lanius. This is weaponeer upgrade for various tanks that gives you a banestrike bolt cannon on a pintle which is a nice weapon to have thanks to the relative strength and breaching. Thanks to Brutal Enforcement, you can also target your own men to stop them routing. Nasty. And also: Ouch. 

Tactica. 

Death Dealers is the third incarnation of a special rule for the entire legion in as many editions. The writers just can't seem to decide where the balance lies it seems. In Third Edition, it means making volley attacks at full ballistic skill. This is very useful for your close combat orientated squads - perhaps even tactical squads, and certainly banestrike squads. Of course, it comes with the provision that you need to be making volley attacks which in turn means getting up close and personal - as you have come to expect with Sons of Horus. 

Gambit.  

Merciless Strike is actually excellent. Phage on Toughness can swing an entire challenge and it is well worth using. Honestly, this is the stand out rule in the Sons of Horus for me!

Additional Detachements. 

Supremacy Cadre brings you extra heavy assault and troops to quell any foe. Quite nice, and very appropriate to the background. 

Advanced Reaction. 

Warrior Pride is unusual and lets you avoid a challenge if you have a WS that is greater than the challenger, and all other members of the reacting unit also have a better WS. Your enemy simply does not deserve death by your haughty superior hand apparently. Used judiciously, it can win entire combats. 

The Sons of Horus mutate again in Third Edition which sees yet another new core rule. And it isn't called tip of the spear either. It plays a little different as well, but those full BS volley shots are valuable, even if they only activate once in a while (you will want to activate them as much as possible, particularly on powerful weapons, or banestrike). 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Tybalt Marr

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Tybalt Marr is relentless in hunting down the Shattered Legions, but his rules are quite good against others as well!

Background.

The Either. The Hunter of the Iron Heart. Tybalt Marr was charged by Horus himself to take down the Shattered Legions and the remains of the Massacre at Isstvan. He did this very relentlessly and almost saw off Meduson himself. But didn't quite. He came to despise the Iron Hands as well as respect them eventually, and proved that the Shattered Legions could not act with impunity. 

Strengths. 

Tybalt Marr is a praetor with some nice special rules and equipment. Let's briefly talk about his equipment first. The Culling Blade is an AP=2 fleshbane affair with murderous strike to boot. It is quite a character killer when in the right position and can equally devastate entire enemy squads. His stat line is on par for a praetor so there's no real complaints here.

He has a special rule (warlord trait) that once per battle he can undertake a shock assault and force every unit in a large range to take a pinning test. This is really amazing - and when done right can turn the tide of an entire battle. That said, you'd better have something to reduce the leadership of enemy squads handy if you can since most units can be expected to pass this outside of mortal forces. 

Weaknesses. 

Hatred of shattered legions is fluffy and appropriate. However. You will almost never play against shattered legions, so it is a waste realistically. Yet another reason that Shattered Legions being unplayable is a terrible thing in second edition. 

Overall.

Worth the points overall and the warlord trait is amazing when deployed at the right moment and your opponent has some unlucky die rolls! Very fluffy as well. 

Horus Heresy 2e Review: Horus Aximand

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. Little Horus comes the the Heresy wracked with haunted guilt about the side he has chosen, and armed with Mourn-It-All which is fantastic. A very fluffy choice for the Sons of Horus! 

Background.

Little Horus looked exactly like his gene sire in appearance. He chose to follow the same into Heresy and became a traitor, but was never too sure about his choices. He became wracked with guilt about it, and sought to justify his choice to himself repeatedly, ultimately fighting on Beta-Garmon. He also has a knack for staying alive despite the most grievous wounds. 

Strengths. 

Purely from a points cost point of view, Little Horus is about right for what he brings. He is fundamentally a praetor with a stat line to match. He has a few special rules which are worthy of mention.

His warlord trait let's him return to the game with +1d3 wounds when he first "dies", but not against instant death and similar. 

Mourn-It-All is a very nice blade with a valuable AP2 along with bonus S, and a few special rules which make Little Horus great in close combat against even elite enemies. 

The Castigatus close combat shield on the surface looks good with a 5+ invulnerable save that reflects back attacks at S=4 if he successfully saves with it. But that's about it. It is more of a draw back if you ask me. 

The Haunted special rule is exceptionally circumstantial and represents bonus victory points if Loken is on the opposition. Two bonuses if Horus Aximand does the deed up close and personal. Honestly, it won't happen outside of a narrative game, or that once in a while 3 sigma event!

Weaknesses. 

The warlord trait obviously only effects himself, rather than being a force multiplier. 

The shield should probably just be dropped. He can do better realistically, and it hampers him having two close combat weapons.

Haunted won't happen most of the time unless its forced.

Overall.

Very fluffy! Little Horus is worth the points, and is particularly effective in close combat. You need to get him there. And you need to face off against Loken if you can! It won't happen, but hey, when it does its a dream narrative! 

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.