Horus Heresy: Building Narrative Armies in the Age of Darkness

Introduction: Lists And Stories

The new edition of Horus Heresy has brought with it a new, more flexible, method of assembling an army. Gone is the old force organisation that demanded compulsory troops selected from a dwindling number of potential squads. In it’s place comes a system of detachments and corps that can be selected as you like to fit your army’s theming. Add on top of that a far more developed and open method of adding allies and some Legion specific upgrades, and the is the core for making some really unique narrative driven forces. Which funnily enough, is the focus of this article.

Yes, we’re leaving our competitive spirit at the door and going full speed into story telling today.  I’m going to walk you through just how flexible the new force org can be by recreating some armies from pivotal moments in the Black Library’s Horus Heresy and Siege of Terra novels – from the shattered remnants on the sands of Isstvan, to the final assault on the Vengeful Spirit. And hopefully you’ll be able to walk away with a little bit of inspiration, be it for a new army or an existing one!

So, relax, pull up a Liber (because I’ll no doubt get something wrong), and let’s take a look at what we can make.

A note on list structure: For each of these forces, I’m going to be making an approximately 3,000 or 3500pt-point list drawing from both the Libers and the Legacies document, and whilst I won’t have the word space to explain every possible choice in great detail, I’ll be sure to justify the majority of selections. These lists are being based on the narrative of these events as explained in their constituent novels or existing canon publications (I.e. Libers/Black Books). Where relevant, I’ll naturally mention where a player could swap out for named characters, or look to expand further. For a deeper dive into general army construction, check out our article on this topic here.

The Drop Site Massacre

Whilst the first shots of the heresy were mostly fired at Isstvan III (or Prospero, depending on who you ask), the massacre on Isstvan V is a truly momentous moment. And with it being the focus on the new starting edition, it seems only fair to start our narrative journey here.

The aim of this army is to recreate a ‘shattered legions’ force after the traitorous hammer blow has been felt. A representation of those small, fragmented, pockets of resistance all over the Urgall depression that fought tooth and nail as the traitors draw in.

Let’s start with the new loyalist poster boys, the Salamanders. They’ll be our primary detachment. We want a force that represents the scattered remnants of the legion, not a cohesive fighting force. To that end the command elements of the detachment are filled with a Praetor, a Herald (because the banner is the last to fall), and a line Centurion whose dogged determination prevents him from dying too easy. We’ll use the troops section to represent the bedraggled but determined core of the legion, a 20-man squad with Duty unto Death in particular being quite an impressive anchor to steady the line, and a clearly Veteran sergeant holding them together. Another tactical squad and a despoiler squad round off here, allowing some flexibility in gameplay and making a strong central core to the whole army.

Moving on, the shock assault detachment allows for a unit of Pyroclasts, who are just too cool and iconic for Salamanders to not include, whilst the heavy support detachment allows for a monstrous Saturnine dreadnought, still standing strong despite the arrayed firepower of the traitor hosts.

Salamanders

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However, to make this a truly Isstvan force, we’ll need to include the other poor loyalists. The new way of handling allies means that not only can we do that, but we aren’t restricted to just taking more tactical squads. In this way, the allied detachments can really be used to specialise our army’s narrative or objectives. Here the Ravenguard allied detachment is clearly a cut off recon unit, still bitterly taking shots at the enemy leadership and key positions from behind the thin green line of Salamanders. By taking a Vigilator in the allied Command slot, we can unlock the Recon Demi-Company as an Auxiliary detachment, stocked with reconnaissance squads. Unlike then Raven Guard’s Decapitation Strike Detachment, the Recon Demi-Company has a Prime slot, allowing one of those recon units to utilise the Raven Guard unique Wraiths advantage, selling their lives in a pinpoint ambushes against enemy attackers! (Only because you can’t take the Interdiction Cadre advantage on a recon squad).

Raven Guard

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The Iron hand detachment meanwhile represents those support units that Ferrus and Clan Avernii had not carried into the heart of the massacre. Duly a lone Praevian and his Castellax guards, a heavy support squad, and a venerable Ironclad dreadnought.

Iron Hands

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Army Total: 3000pts

If you wanted to tinker with or expand a force like this, there really are so many options. I’ve intentionally not included any armour, but if you wanted to use a similar list to represent the shattered legions post-Isstvan there’s no reason you couldn’t add in some tank support. Or if you wanted a real narrative feeling, swapping out the Salamanders Praetor for the venerable Cassian Dracos would both look and feel amazing!

Defenders of Calth

Another loyalist army with a very different tone, the combined forces of Remus Ventanus in the final act of the book Know no Fear are a great image to build a force around, with tonnes of area for expansion. In this battle at the Lanshear port, Remus commands elements of the 4^th, 111^th, 112^th, and 19^th Companies, supported by further forces; one led by Tetrarch Tauro Nicodemus, one by Tetrarch Eikos Lamiad and the Honoured Telemechrus. Remus also draws on support from allied Skitarii, auxilia Shadowswords, and the fury of the Legio Praesagius. Quite the force!

One of the key components of Remus’s assault was his use of heavy armour, and that’s what the core of this list will be about. Starting with a Herald to be our ‘Remus’ (I’ll come back to the High Command slot in a moment) and supported by two Centurions that represent the supporting Captains Aethon (with the Paragon of Battle Advantage) and Sydance. The core of the force is a trio of 10-man tactical squads, one of whom are combat veterans of the Great Crusade. They’ll be carried by a trio of Rhino APCs with havoc launchers (all the better for stunning Word Bearer scum). In support of this force, the first Auxiliary detachment brings a pair of Land Raiders (whom Remus uses extensively throughout the final assault), with further auxiliary detachments including Aethon’s terminator squad (although not mentioned in the novel, his later characterisation does utilise terminator armour), and a Praetorian Breacher squad to accompany our ‘Remus’.

The inclusion of Sergeant Anchise and the remnants of 111^th and 112^th Companies gives us a chance to use the Ultramarine specific Line Demi-Company detachment, with the Optae representing Anchise. With his Logisticae Prime advantage allowing for an additional Rhino, our Anchise will also be bringing a tactical support squad armed with their original anti-ork Volkite chargers.

Now to represent another reinforcing force, the high command slot is used as a Praetor, the only suitable model to depict Tetrach Lamiad. Alongside Lamiad comes a Heavy Support Auxiliary detachment with a Contemptor (Telemechrus), as well as allied detachment of Solar Auxilia to represent the Imperial Army forces Lamiad recruited on his march to Lanshear. Further auxiliary detachments of the Auxilia can also be used to represent Colonel Sparzi’s forces, who helped support Remus throughout the second and third act of the novel.

Then finally a Lord of War detachment is needed to bring one of Remus’ last shadowswords to the fight!

Ultramarines

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Solar Auxilia – Ultima Pattern Cohort

Legiones Auxilia – Ultramar High Guard

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Army Total: 3480pts

The real narrative of this army can be made in how you choose to deploy it. For maximum authenticity, start the game with only Remus, his Land Raider and Praetorians, Sydance, the core tacticals in rhinos, Sparzi and his tactical support detachment, and the shadowsword on the table. Hold everything else in reserves and pray for their arrival – really recreating the tense final moments in the guildhall!

Assault on Molech

Horus’s final battle on Molech in Vengeful Spirit is one of those truly pivotal moments of the heresy, even if many of the characters involved have little idea of the magnitude of the events, they are a part of. This force aims to be an abstract representation of that final assault, where the forces of the Warmaster (assisted by the Deathguard and the traitorous knights of house Devine) viciously come into combat with the Imperial army and titans north of Lupercalia.

As is due for such a combat, for the Primary command slots I’ve used similarly equipped standard officers to represent the three members of the ‘New’ Mournival that fought at Lupercalia (Noctua having been sent back to the Vengeful Spirit). If using the actual named characters in game both Aximand and Abaddon would be vying for the High Command slot unless we used the Special Assignment prime advantage, so for this list I’ve stuck to using unnamed equivalents. The only unit of troops is a standard tactical squad with Combat Veterans to represent some of the veterans of Aximand’s 5^th company. Other than those tacticals, every other unit in this army is designed to represent the pinnacle of Abaddon and Aximand’s companies – a strong aggressive force of Reavers and Justaerin that slam straight into the imperial lines on Molech’s plains. From a gameplay perspective, all these units having Vanguard pushes you to play narratively like the Sons, using fast and punishing assaults to demolish key parts of the enemy line.

Sons of Horus

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To represent the allied sons of Mortarion, we’ll use a squad of well-armoured Grave Wardens, led by a Centurion in Terminator armour with the Unnatural Resilience advantage. In the novel the Deathguard use the likes of Grulgor and a gruelling slow assault to smash the preceptor line, and an alternative list could just as easily have a regular centurion in a rhino, followed by a few armoured pieces to fit a similar feeling. The last part of the army is also not of the XVI, but instead a basic knight lancer of House Devine. Albard Devine’s actions were pivotal to the Warmaster’s success on Molech, and to have a narrative army without a nod towards the treacherous swine would be entirely unreasonable.

Death Guard

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Questoris Household – Freeblade

Lord of War Detachment

Lord of War: Knight Lancer (House Devine) [Prime Adv. Scion Uhlan] – 480

Army Total: 3000pts

Tallarn

The war on Tallarn has too many amazing visuals not to involve or cover in some way, and with the new force org the ability to make an all armoured/mechanised legion is pretty impressive! The Iron warriors threw everything they had at Tallarn for somewhat nefarious ends, and even fewer returns. But the imagery of such a truly colossal tank battle that stretches of continents, with armour, aircraft, and titan legions brought to bear on both sides, is absolutely fantastic. And the lack of named characters involved in the assault (Peturabo and Forrix remaining in orbit the entire time near enough) means it’s very open how you can make a list and army for this conflict.

This army does highlight the one current negative of the existing force org too, the lack of a dedicated armoured commander. We will use the Decurions to represent armoured squadron leaders in the field, but the actual command section of the detachment will need to contain a pair of centurions, just so we can actually select auxiliary detachments. To that end, and in respect of the way of the IV Legion, both these officers are equipped as basic as possible, cheap and expendable. Each one rides with a tactical squad in a rhino, and they’re supported by a Forge Lord. A third troops with an unfavoured despoiler squad is purely there for fun, because what’s the IV without some expendable sacrifices?

The real kick of this force is in the armoured corps, naturally. With an Ironfire Cohort leading up the selection the brings two Arquitors and a heavy support squad in a rhino, as well as an always-useful techmarine to provide further repairs. Following that comes a full squadron of Sicarans, which the Tallarn novel notes as being well used during this conflict; the Decurion Locus is a great way to mark a squadron commander, and then the Sicarans themselves mix a collection of anti-infantry and anti-armour weaponry ready to clear up those pesky imperial army wretches. A squadron of predators follows that, with a similar mix of weaponry that allows them to tackle any situation. Finally, most impressively, the tank company is reinforced by a Falchion superheavy tank destroyer, just in case of running into any particularly tough enemy titans.

Iron Warriors

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Army Total: 3500pts

Operation Anabasis

The final showdown, the last gamble of a failing emperor against a rising god. Or the final stand of a corrupted son against his wronged father. This force aims to represent the strike force sent by the Imperials into the Vengeful Spirit, as depicted in The End and the Death. Naturally this army is split into three parts, the Custodian elite, the Imperial Fists, and the Blood Angels, each bringing their most elite and capable strike units in a small but aggressive force, perfect for a Zone Mortalis game.

Unfortunately, the perfect narrative is somewhat disrupted by the rules as they currently stand. A list drawn from the Custodian guard may not take allies that are not Talons of the Emperor. Consequently, to make this list work, it is the VII Legion who get to be the small Primary detachment, whilst the Custodes and Blood Angels are allies.

For the Imperial Fists, it is quite straightforward to represent Dorn’s elite units. A Warmonger with the ability to teleport leads a squad of Tartaros siege terminators, whilst a Champion in Cataphractii representing poor Diamantis advances with a unit of elite Huscarls. Adding to the deepstrike theme, the allied Custodians bring two Centurions each with Arae-Shrikes allowing them to deepstrike a full unit each. They lead a force of two Custodian Guard squads, a Sentinel Guard squad, and a heavy unit of Aquilons. The Master Sergeant prime advantage on the one Custodian guard squad nicely means that almost every unit has a model that can issue challenges – all the better for calling our the treacherous Sons of Horus on the flagship. The final ally is the Blood Angels, whose Delegatus allows us to take a full unit of Dawnbreakers, and a squad of Legion Veterans with disintegrator rifles, representing Raldoran’s attached forces.

Imperial Fists

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Legio Custodes

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Blood Angels

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The ‘one deepstrike per turn’ rule creates an element of narrative play for this army, as just like in The End and the Death your Anabasis strike is unlikely to ever go quite as planned! Expanding this force further wouldn’t be too hard either, and you have two primarchs and a captain general you could choose!

Final Thoughts

And just like that we’re done (Four novels, several Black Books, and a couple of rulebook re-reads later). There’s not too much to say in conclusion to this article, only that this is just a brief and in places limited glance into what you can do with the new styled force organisation, especially with the changes to allies and the removal of compulsory units (although yes, I did still include tactical squads in 4 of the 5 lists…) Hopefully though you walk away from this will a little bit of inspiration for what you can do in the future.

I, for one, certainly look forward to seeing your varied and narrative armies across the table!