Wargames Gallery: Iron Warriors Attack

Sprinting out of the land raider spartan, the Iron Warriors terminators prepare to attack the decimated forces of the World Eaters! But who should they target first?

More internecine battles between these two forces in future weeks! 

Praetor Challenge: World Eaters Jungle

Welcome Praetors! 

It is the start of the World Eaters turn on a jungle planet replete with Eldar ruins and hostile native flora, and dead megafauna. Once thought to be worthy of joining the Imperium, it is now fought over for scarce resources. 

The loyalist World Eaters need to optimize this turn. What should they do?

World Eaters Force:

Despoiler Squad: 8 strong, sergeant with power sword, vexilla.

Praetor (unwounded): Power fist, archeotech pistol.

Veteran Assault Squad x8, sergeant with falax blades, 1 power maul.

Iron Warriors Force:

(right of frame) Tactical Squad x10 (sergeant with power fist and plasma pistol), bayonets, vexilla.

(left of frame, north of rhino) Tactical Squad x10 (sergeant with power fist), chain bayonets, vexilla.

Rhino (full hull points) with havoc launcher.

Heavy support squad in terrain, 5x las cannons, augury scanner. 

Where are the World Eaters moving to, shooting at, and charging into? Are they worried about reactions? Are they going to deploy (advanced) reactions of their own? Over to you, Praetor. 

Gaming Gitz: Lectio Primus Vorias

I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Gaming Gitz over the past little while to generate ideas and discussions. It is a superlative YouTube channel that I have followed for some time, so you can imagine my delight when we started talking properly about all things Horus Heresy.

When asked whether I had a character in mind who might be under-explored in a short, I eventually settled on Lectio Primus Vorias of the World Eaters: their chief librarian during the Heresy. He occupies a particularly grim position within the Legion. The World Eaters librarians were lucid enough to witness their brothers descend further and further into blood-madness (largely since they didn't take the Butcher's Nails without perishing), even as they themselves remained loyal to Angron and to the Legion’s wider cause. It is a bleak and fascinating vantage point, and, as ever with the World Eaters, it does not end well.

Gaming Gitz tells that story in Lore Told Poorly here.

A big shout out to Rafiq and the team at Gaming Gitz. If, like me, you are a something of a Horus Heresy and Warhammer fanatic, then this is a channel that I really favour and can whole heartedly recommend to you! Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@gaminggitz/featured , click subscribe, and give the team support over there with some likes! 

Praetor Challenge: Iron Warriors vs World Eaters

Today's Praetor's Challenge is brought to you by the Iron Warriors and the World Eaters legions. It is the Worlds Eaters to play and the question is as usual: what is the optimal (or most characterful) choice/s possible?

Iron Warriors:
10x Tactical Squad (sat on an objective). Sergeant with power fist.
3x Cataphractii Terminators (2x twin lightning claws, 1 with reaper autocannon and chain fist).
1x Cataphractii Terminator Praetor (1 wound remains, twin lightning claws).
1x Contemptor Dreadnought with las cannon and power fist (2 wounds remain). 

World Eaters:
5x Tartaros Terminators (all with twin lightning claws); two of them have 1 wound remaining. 
1x Tartaros Terminator Praetor (paragon blade); two wounds remaining. 
5x Tartaros Terminators (3 with chain fists, 2 with power mauls); two of them have 1 wound remaining. 

What are the world eaters going to chase: a praetor kill? the objective under the tactical squad? finish the dreadnought? And why?

Internet kudos points (worth nothing but bragging rights!) await!

Praetor Challenge: Word Bearers vs World Eaters

On a near airless moon, Lorgar leads his mutated followers against Angron and his crazed World Eaters! But what should they do?

It is the Word Bearers to play. The set up is as see at the start of the Word Bearers movement phase. 

Word Bearers:

1x Angron. [He has a summoning reading for a unit of 5x daemons - NB]. Unwounded. 
5x Gal Vorbak. 1 of them is down to 1 wound remaining. 

World Eaters:
1x Leviathan Dreadnought with grav flux bombard and storm cannon. 2 wounds remaining. 

1x Angron. 4 wounds remaining. 

6x Tartaros terminators. 5x Lightning Claws [1 has 1 wound remaining], and 1x Praetor with Paragon Blade (counts as) with 2 wounds remaining.  

The dreadnought LITERALLY is sat on top of an objective. Not that many of the participants seem to care!

What is the best play for the Word Bearers?

Internet kudos points await! (Only redeemable with your own friends when you boast to them about Warpstone Flux's Praetor Challenge ;).

Winter Break

Dear Readers,

It is that time of year again and I will be taking a short Winter Break from blogging. Thanks for reading along so far this year! I will try to have an annual review before the end of the year and then get back to more hobby goodness in 2026 alongside yet more Horus Heresy reviews and thoughts. I hope that Santa brings you some hobby goodies if you have been good girls or boys(*)!  

Merry Christmas from Warpstone Flux!

(*) Angron helping paint everything red in honour of the season. 

Meteor Hammer Conversion for World Eaters Sergeant

A bit of a conversion piece today in the form of a Meteor Hammer for a World Eaters assault squad sergeant.

The meteor hammer is made out of several distinct parts. At the lower end (the meteor part) is the head of a power maul / mace. This works out quite nicely as the heavy end as it communicates the weight nicely even though it is not just a spherical mass. 

Attached to the maul's head is a chain taken from spares of the Noctilith Crown portal scenery piece. These are suitably spike laden (and if you press to hard will indent into your skin - ouch). I've pinned the power maul head to this and also drilled through the sergeant's hands to get the positioning spot on. The other end of the chain is from the same range and terminates in a small spear like tip. 

Joining both hands is a curved chain that I think is from the older chaos range - I can't be certain as it has been sat in my bits box for years on end being unused! Possibly the old chaos tank accessories frame? Again, I'm guessing, but let me know if I'm wrong. 

It took quite a bit of shaving and clipping to get the positioning correct on this curved piece regardless, but I think it connects to the hands quite well after a lot of dry fitting and fiddling around. 

Finally the eagle eyes will notice that the head is also a conversion. Here I've used a head front from an eight bound and the rear of the head from a standard helmet and glued the two together and used green stuff to hide everything. In hind sight, I would not choose to do this again and would buy a regular head from the Khorne range to depict the nails. Still - it works very nicely and I am pleased with the overall result here. 

 

Wargames Gallery: Target Priority?

What would you do? What are your target priorities?

Here's the situation:

Left to Right Status:

(1) Alpha Legion Heavy Support Squad. 5x Missile Launchers. [No wounds taken all game long].

1x Master of Signals. [No wounds taken all game long].

(2) World Eaters Tartaros Terminators:
2x combi-bolter and chainfist [No wounds taken]

1x combi-bolter and power maul [1 wound remains]

1x Sergeant with thunder hammer (counts as). [1 wound remains]

[This squad started at 10 strong]

(3) World Eaters Leviathan Dreadnought with storm cannon and grav-flux bombard. [5 wounds remain]. The Leviathan is sat (literally) on top of an objective. 

(4) Alpha Legion Tactical Support Squad. 2x Melta Guns [Squad was 5 strong at the start of the game]

1x Alpha Legion Centurion with Power Fist and bolt pistol [No wounds taken all game long]

It is the Alpha Legion's turn. They are at the start of the shooting phase. No World Eaters reactions remain having used them up in the movement phase at the approach of the melta gun squad. The missile launchers have not moved. 

What would you do??!!??

Kudos and Honour to the best answer/s...

That's a large chain axe!

A bit of modelling this weekend saw another jump pack assault squad marine assembled with a large chain axe in hand!

What I found a little bit tricky about this model was aligning the arms and hands so that everything connected well. Even though I dry fitted it several times over, the truth is that I didn't get the alignment perfect. It is not that noticeable, but if you look closely at the left hand (his left hand) wrist, it is not quite correct. The paint job will cover this up very adequately since this will ultimately be a World Eaters model, but all the same, the assembly was certainly frustrating exercise in three dimensional Tetris with glued together finger tips! 

Wargames Gallery: Red Tide

The World Eaters charge across the surface of an icy world toward their next target. The nails thrum in their skulls. Maybe they can find some peace - sleep even - if they cause enough destruction?

I'll have to post about constructing Angron and his painting in the near future - but that's a job for another day!

Wargames Gallery: Alpha Legion Snipers against World Eater Fury

The Alpha Legion snipers have already sapped the World Eaters terminators at this point in the game. As the terminators get closer, they have a few final volleys left before contact. They'd better make the most of it - those lightning claws look sharp to say the least. 

Outcome: World Eaters victory, but by a much narrower than expected margin. 

Wargames Gallery: Lord of the Red Sands

Uh oh. It isn't looking good for the Iron Hands. 

Angron and some of his World Eaters terminator escort have reached the shield wall of the Iron Hands and are ready to charge in.

I have three perspectives of this: one from each side, and top down.

Want to know the outcome?

Spoilers ahead.

Angron and the World Eaters won. By a large margin. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Rampager Squad

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average. 

Background.

Fitted with the butcher's nails, and selected for their sheer savagery even within the World Eaters legion, the rampagers were a group of warriors too far gone, or those that chose to funnel their rage through feral weapons and enhance their martial gifts. In short then: nasty shock assault troops for the front lines. 

Strengths. 

Impact in strength gives them a bonus when charging in which is great to have. On top of this, they all come with some Caedere weapons.

Please refer back to the World Eaters Legion Rules entry for some thoughts on the Caedere weapons. In short, in third edition they are all viable. I like the Falax blades for sheer attack volume, barb-hook lash for phage, meteor hammer for strength and damage, and the excoriator as an inbetween option. In short then, they are all viable (and there may still be a preference for falax blades as per second edition due to the attack volume, but in third, its not as crystal clear first place all of the time every time). 

Vanguard (3) is also impressive along with the modified stat line the reads like a veteran, even if will power and intelligence are distinctly average. 

Weaknesses. 

Remember that with the Legacies update, you get bolt pistols for free as well. Hence you also have some ranged. 

Note that the points cost can climb to terminator squad levels very easily, but also note that these are more like veterans that you are paying points cost for. They just have a routine and regular 3+ save as the real weakness. And the lack of jump packs in third edition is a massive issue. 

Builds.

10 Rampagers, All with Falax Blades (245 points). 

The sheer volume of attacks at S=5 on the charge is impressive and can dice more regular squads. 

15 Rampagers, Caedere Weapons of all types to taste, Champion with Lightning Claws (365 points).

The maximum squad for foot slogging like a wall of weapons across the battlefield. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Red Butchers

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3/5 stars. The rules are average. 

Background.

When World Eaters utterly succumb to their inherent madness, as happened from time to time before the coming of Angron, but very much so after the Butcher's Nails and at the Betrayal, they become savages of little more than rage. The techmarines fashioned mobile prisons for them and released them from their chains in the ship's hold when needed.

Strengths. 

WS=5 along with T=5. A surprising leadership of 12 (so that they don't rout), but unsurprisingly low will power and intelligence. These are rampaging terminators made for killing the enemy. 

They come with ravening madmen as standard. This means they have WS=3 for opponents attacking them - they just don't care about themselves. 

The Butcher power axes and chain fists are both worthy. The axes grant I+1 and A+1 which is nice. The fists penalize I, but grant S+4 and 3 damage which is great. 

They have eternal warrior which is an interesting one as well. Don't forget the Legacy options here either. 

Weaknesses. 

Heedless means that they cannot claim objectives. But this is also fluffy! See also Ravening Madmen above as a weakness. 

Builds.

5 Red Butchers, 2 Thunder Hammers, Devoured with Grenade Harness (265 points). 

Entry level butchers. Very effective and worth the points. Take a chain fist or two to taste.

10 Red Butchers, 2 Thunder Hammers, 2 Chain Fists, Devoured with grenade harness and combi-flamer (520 points).

A maximal squad! Take advantage of extra bodies costing less than the original 5. 

8 Red Butchers, 8 Combi-Bolters, Devoured with Grenade Harness (390 points)

Take Khorne's sacred number ... or something. Take lightning claws to taste instead?

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Lotara Sarrin

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2.5/5 stars, rounded up. Solid performer, but easy to pick off due to being mortal which is in turn reflected in her points cost. I want to actually give her 5/5 stars thanks to the reserves manipulation, but you may not survive that long.

Background.

You would have to be someone special to be the Captain of the Conqueror, flagship of the World Eaters. Sarrin rose rapidly thanks to her near innate comprehension of void warfare. But more than this, she was respected by Angron and Kharn for her tactical genius, coordination skills, as well as calm presence. The latter likely won many battles for the legion as they later descended into nail induced madness. 

Strengths. 

You can use her advanced characteristics if you need to thanks to the Level Headed special rule. 

The real reason to take Sarrin though is the Shadow of the Conqueror special rule. On a successful intelligence test you get to do one of two things. Firstly you can manipulate reserves by +1. Great for that drop pod you want down on turn 2 I would suggest. Or, you can use the guns of the Conqueror and rain down mayhem. This is almost akin to the old Orbital Bombardment special rule that we used to have, but it is a reaction if an enemy comes within 24 inches. It is a short range barrage 2 with large blast and breaching at S=10 and AP=3 with 3 damage. This is enough to wipe out entire squads frankly. 

Weaknesses. 

If an enemy has got precision, you will be dead on turn 1 if they think about it. Exodus and similar will want to take you down quickly. You are also very, very mortal with T=3 and a 6+/5++. You are not going to survive long on the ground. Sure, you also have a power blade, and a bog standard fleet pistol, but your average space marine enemy kills you before you have chance to do anything with either. 

Overall.

You are taking Sarrin for the Guns of the Conqueror special rule. You will make the intelligence test most of the time (but not all the time) to activate it at Int=8. If successful, you get to use it, and it will certainly kill stuff. But she is exceptionally vulnerable to precision shots against her. I would personally see her as a high value target to pick off before charging in myself. Yet balancing all this up is the relatively cheap points cost for her which makes Sarrin ultimately very playable. That, and she is really, really fluffy. I wish other legions had orbital bombardment back again to be honest! I want to give her more stars than I have, but I wound up sitting right on the fence and thought 3/5 was about as balanced as she could get given the uncertainty about the Intelligence test, the vulnerability, and the reserves manipulation you might want to undertake. Hence this is a complex case for me to resolve to give stars to ultimately and one that I'm sure many players will disagree with me about. 

Painted World Eaters Centurion / Praetor Conversion

This one has taken too long to bring to fruition. Here we have the World Eaters conversion that was made with Age of Sigmar arms and weapon combined with Khorne Berserker body and regular Heresy era helmet. He has been painted up in a slightly modified World Eaters colour scheme. 

I have added extra blue accents on the upper end of the gloves, as well as the lower extremity of the greaves. I then got messy. Nuln oil has been applied very inconsistently around the rest of the raised areas - especially noticeable on the top of the greaves / just below the knee, but also in a variety of other locations like the helm. This gives the idea of armour that has been so well used that the owner (or ship crew) have not serviced it in a while. Accumulated grime. Dirt from so many worlds that the killing didn't really stop. Accents of Guilliman Flesh have been applied in number of the joints as well to give variation to the inking. 

The dirty approach is then accented by application of black using a sponge, as well as some silver edge highlights very selectively. The blood meanwhile has a two stage approach. The first is flicking contrast paint to create a spray in different locations. Blood for the Blood god is then applied liberally elsewhere to show collected gore. Some decals have also been applied (prior to this process) for kill counting (right wrist) and the legion numeral (right shoulder pad - not very visible in the image). 

Overall the goal of creating a World Eater who has either been on campaign too long, or who has really started to have the nails bite as their amour steadily turns wholly read by late Heresy is one that I think has been achieved nicely enough. Happy with this one. The next enterprise will be a despoiler squad to deliver him. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Kharn the Bloody

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. Kharn is an excellent beat stick praetor-level character. 

Background.

Although but a line captain when Angron was found, it was Kharn who brought him about. He served as his equerry and was one of only a few people that Angron ultimately listened to. Kharn brought him back from insanity and managed to curb the worst of his violence on occasion. For all his contributions though, Kharn was not immune to the effects of the nails either. Once a great swordsman and duelist, he also became a dark harbinger of what was to become, and later betrayed his own. 

Strengths. 

WS=7 combined with lots of attacks immediately makes Kharn a close combat master. He comes with The Cutter, which is a S+1 critical hitting power weapon ... thing. But in all honesty, if you are not playing Angron, upgrade Kharn to take Gore Child Reforged for a small points cost increase to also gain shred at 5+ - this is worth the upgrade. 

Other than the equipment, he also has reaping blows, eternal warrior, and precision which combine to make him worth the points cost that you are paying for him. 

Weaknesses. 

He doesn't do much aside from close combat, and the occasional plasma pistol shot. That is it. That's all you get for your points. But you should have expected this for a World Eaters classic. 

Overall.

Worth the points. Worth taking the upgraded Gore Child chain axe if Angron isn't around. He's a beat stick and you need to treat him like that!

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Angron Transfigured

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4/5 stars. 

Background.

The nails were killing him. He was doomed from when they hammered them into his gene enhanced skull. Even the Emperor couldn't save him. And he had tried. Luckily, Lorgar knew a way to help him survive: by getting him ascended to daemonhood and becoming a daemon prince of Khorne! This ensured that the nails would not destroy him, but at what cost? Glorious wings on his back is certainly part of the answer!

Strengths. 

The stat line here is improved over an above the standard mortal Angron. We have 7's in S, T, W, and I, whilst the attacks are boosted at source, and the movement reflects the wings. He drops a bit of intelligence to gain willpower though. 

He comes with various weapons that can act as either AP=2, D=2 reaping blows (2) at base characteristics, or crush stuff with a D=4 attack and S+4, but at a lower initiative and with limited attacks (4). No good against his brothers thanks to eternal warrior of course, so you'll want the base level blades. 

He is, of course, only a traitor, and comes with things like deep strike and fear, along with being malefic and anti-grav. 

Fundamentally he is a massive beat stick. And good at it. But no longer lord of the red sands who is able to pivot from one combat to the next. 

Weaknesses. 

You cannot play Angron Transfigured in the same army as regular Angron. This is not a weakness though.

The real drawback is that he does nothing for his army. Absolutely nothing. All that he exists for is as a killing machine. That's it. That's literally all there is to Angron Transfigured. You should not be surprised by this. 

Overall.

As a daemon prince, Angron Transfigured is very worthy and will win many battles. However, he is no force multiplier, and faster armies can still out-position him. Is he worth the points cost? Just about. But it is steep. I'm going to go out on a branch here and suggest to you that I actually prefer mortal Angron for the set of rules and fluffiness. I do still like Transfigured Angron though, to be clear. 

Horus Heresy 3e Review: Angron

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars. Rounded down. Not quite as powerful as he should be in my personal opinion. But very, VERY close.

Background.

Landing on a planet in the Ultramar sector, he was quickly sold into slavery and unfortunately had the Butcher's Nails hammered into his skull. Perhaps he could have been a warrior empath in another life. Sadly, he became a monster. Yet in the early days, he showed signs of coherence such as organizing the slave revolt from the gladiatorial pits. He didn't like meeting his Father, nor particularly liked his brothers. Or his sons for that matter either. Except Kharn eventually. All he cared about soon was the blood lust driven onward by the Nails. He carved a bloody path with Horus to Terra and later ascended to Khorne's daemon prince. 

Strengths. 

WS=8 will give him the edge that he desperately needs in many combats. This can and should be enough to get him through things. 

He uses his chain axes, gore father and gore child, in unison to get A+1 at AP=2 and 2 damage with critical hits and shred. These help immensely to get through the enemies in close combat that he needs to. 

His side arm is the Spite Furnace which allegedly he hardly uses. It is, however, really rather nice with S=7 at AP=2 and 2 damage. And 2 shots. Use it. 

Lord of the Red Sands allows Angron to pivot from one challenge to the next, and the next in a single turn. This is unique in the game and allows him to slaughter his way through entire units worth of characters if he needs to. You just stack the combat resolution points until you run out of enemy characters. 

Sire of the World Eaters give the prime bonus if 4 slots are filled with despoilers or assault troops. This is good. 

Additionally, everyone in the army gets Fast (2) for the first turn if you are infantry or paragons. This'll help you get to where you need to be at. 

Worth mentioning at this point as well that he has Impact for Strength. This means you get S+1 if you successfully charged. So for goodness sake, get the charge in. Finally, you must remember that he is also a World Eater so he will also get A+1 fairly reliably (and very reliably under the traitor trait). 

Weaknesses. 

I have to be honest here - the stat line isn't as good as it otherwise could be. T=6 is not going to keep him alive too long versus some opponents. Against Alpharius (who remember, has phage with his weapon and has higher native initiative) he can lose -- as I proved in a game several weeks ago where phage was a major factor along with Alpharius' gambit. Hence, for all his fluff about being the master of the gladiatorial pits, his abilities in game don't always quite stack up. But when you get that charge in, he is appropriately deadly with A=8 (melee weapon bonus and World Eater trait) and S=7. 

Overall.

He's still a primarch. He will still slaughter entire squads given half the chance. He will go from one character to the next - short of his own brothers and select major other characters - and destroy each of them in sequence. But he isn't quite as good as he should be in my opinion. Just another pip in S would tilt it if you ask me. I'd even drop a pip in Cool or Intelligence for that. This said, it is important to try to remember the Impact rule (easy to overlook). Fundamentally he is worth the points, but just remember to watch out for some of his brothers and their own special rules.  

Horus Heresy 3e Review: World Eaters Legion Rules

Warpstone Flux Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5/5 stars and rounded up. I have a soft spot for the tortured World Eaters, but here in third edition, their rules work, and they are also nicely fluffy whilst giving attention to units who have really fell far to the Nails.  

Background.

I feel sorry for the World Eaters. They were particularly doomed by the arrival of their flawed Primarch. Then, wanting to somehow become more like him, hammered the damned nails into their heads to heighten their rage. Their fall from grace could have been prevented at multiple turns, but most notably if the Emperor had actually helped Angron with his little slave rebellion. Who knows how things might have turned out differently (cf., Dornian Heresy). Later in the Horus Heresy, Angron ascended to daemonhood and became something else thanks to Khorne. Blood and skulls followed in the World Eaters path like never before. 

Armoury. 

Blades of the Fighting Pits. As per usual, you get to exchange chain swords for chain axes. This is good and comes recommended. It is also highly fluffy. 

Caedere Weapons. Select from meteor hammers, excoriator chain axe, paired falax blades, and barb-hook lash. I remain a fan of the falax blades. Yet in all honestly in third edition all of them have potential. Even the barb-hook lash now gets not only a critical hit, but also a strength phage. On top of this [Legacies], your commanders, sergeants and so on can all take them as a replacement for a power weapon for a small points cost increase. This is to taste as the points cost does rise - sometimes too high, but it is fluffy. 

Chain-Bonded. Select a Prime. Someone else in your army is his chain bonded brother who fought alongside him in the pits. Both get +1 to hit if in the same combat, so stick close together. This is super fluffy!

Tactica. 

Violence Incarnate gives A+1 in combat in the turn you charged. 

The Nails Bite is for the traitors. Fail a Ld test and you can become lost to the nails. This is good in some ways since you can get +1 to your set up moves, A+1, 10 on your advanced characteristics, but always have to make a charge move. You also get to remove all tactical conditions which is amazing. 

Gambit.  

Violent Overkill allows your additional wounds in combat to simply spill over outside of the combat. Beautiful!

Brutal Dismemberment gets you 2 additional combat resolution points if you remove your opponent, which is very nice for the show off wannabe champions of Khorne. 

Additional Detachements. 

Berserker Cadre adds 4 units but the 2 heavy assault ones must be rampagers. Useful. 

For the traitors, Sons of Bodt gives you 2 supports that have to be apothecaries - or butcher surgeons as they should be called. 

Advanced Reaction. 
Brutal Tide is fluffy and appropriate and takes place when you are shot at. You get eternal warrior (1) which is nice and you must make a charge roll if you can which then results in you being locked in combat. 

Furious Charge (they seem to have run out of original names at this point) is for the traitors and allows a unit to become lost to the nails after a volley step of a charge. 

Overall, the rules for the World Eaters combine fluffiness and effectiveness. They're really good!