Horus Heresy Exemplary Battles of the Age of Darkness - Volume I

[Marshal Loss]

1 hour ago, SkimaskMohawk said:

So quick observations:

 

they changed the unit photography slightly from the 1st edition exemplary battle pdfs. In some it's a downgrade in terms of making out the details of the conversions, others it's in upgrade. The salamanders do have a showcase too, though it's mk3 with a mix of weapons and otherwise nothing interesting (paint scheme is nice though). 

 

They have some new colour plates, which is cool for the dominators since it uses the siege tyrant conversion as a base. Less cool is that both the Ultramarines and World  eaters are mostly black destroyers. The salamander unit plate is very boring, as it's just the new mk3 with decals.

 

They definitely padded the book by a few pages, simply by wasting space with the formatting.

 

They did change at least some of the missions, so it's not quite a complete reprint; that being said, I'd bet it's only zone mortalis that changed due to their overhaul of it. It's worth pointing out the salamanders do not get a mini-campaign like the other units.

 

The Atrementar changes are 5 points off each lightning claw option; everything else is the same as the free pdfs rules wise. 

 

The salamander unit rules is veterans with stubborn instead of chosen warrior, and a chainsword. Base, it costs the same as vets with chainswords, but is oddly 2 points more per model than them. Also, they can only take land Raiders as dedicateds, in what might be a throwback to pyroclasts terrible options in 1st. Option wise you can take a vexilla, augury and nuncio, melta bombs for the unit, the option to trade the bolter for a second pistol (why, when that loses you a shot at long and wastes Relentless?), or both bolt weapons for double flame/volkite pistols and get around the pesky warlord trait restrictions on destroyers. You can also take a a special rotor cannon (less range, less shots, no shell shock, but breaching) per 5, and separately, a chain axe/power weapon/thunderhammer per 5 (except the power weapon is twice what a vet pays for it). This unit basically exists to have Destroyers at home for salamanders players who wanted to take the loyalist warlord traits or covenant of fire; vulkan making the army stubborn just makes veterans a better choice for anything else. 

 

Daemon primarchs (fulgrim) are not fearless; instead they auto-pass pinning, but take wounds in the same way as daemons/corrupted units. They count as daemons for any special rule/effect that affects daemons and have fear 2.

 

For fulgrim specifically, the guy (thing?) Is 600 points and is basically...a primarch. 7s on the str toughness and wounds aren't exactly novel when you have mortarion and Horus at that base; otherwise fulgrim gained wings, +1 it will not die, +1 movement, and +1 attack (but lost the 3+ invul in melee and increased attacks for initiative difference). He swings at base STR with murderous strike 4+ ap2, which is....similar to what fire blade fulgrim was doing, or he can do 3 attacks at STR 10 ap1 brutal 2 unwieldy (if only it was pressing to fight vehicles ever, guess it's fine for huge daemons). He's forced to always charge a unit with a ws6 model regardless of shooting target and must issue a challenge, which is funny, because even with flat hitting on 2s, normal fulgrim is just better in challenges due to the attack boost, master crafted and invul. He's actually just straight worse than loyalist fulgrim in almost every way, with the sole exception of piling out of a Spartan with a crew and leap frigging into units faster (since only thallax or venetarri jump packs actually block being transported). 

 

The corrupted EC rules are very odd; you lose a lot and gain some very context dependant bonuses. Most combat res bonus synergy and the initiative increase are gone for the option to shrug off blind, pinning and concussive, gain 6+ pseudo FNP, gain +1 STR, but be disrupted on the charge. +1 STR is usually not worth losing an attack mathwise, but it can be very helpful for scoring, completing charges, and not getting debuffed by your opponent for an oncoming charge. The rites are basically 5 hqs that provide preferred enemy everything and forced allies that get stubborn close to marines (there's more to this one, but not if you want to have a game). Say goodbye to old augments as well, you get hammer of wrath (with a +1 to the value of pre-existing) with rending 5+, precision shot/strikes 5+, and fleshbane and blind flamer template; precision on Pheonix terminators/palatines is good to dodge any character tanking, otherwise they kinda suck. 

 

Also, for what amounts to a new faction, subfaction, and unit type, there's barely any art (one colour plate, one page of daemon fulgrim) and no fluff other what's on the sides of unit entries. 

 

I'm a little confused why they didn't just have all the exemplary battle units from 1st. It's not like they're going to trick people again into buying rules and fluff that are out for free and 13 pages of disappointing Legion Hereticus stuff.

 

Thanks Skimask. Do the Legiones Hereticus EC rules allow for the use of existing rites of war? As per the discussion above, initial reviews had seemed to say that they didn't, but if they do then at least there's probably some use from playing 3CE and spamming the new augments even if it's a net loss over the existing rules. Seems pretty disappointing.

At least there's a single colour plate for EC. I hope it's a good one?

Edited October 28, 2023 by Marshal Loss
formatting

[SkimaskMohawk]

1 hour ago, Marshal Loss said:

 

Thanks Skimask. Do the Legiones Hereticus EC rules allow for the use of existing rites of war? As per the discussion above, initial reviews had seemed to say that they didn't, but if they do then at least there's probably some use from playing 3CE and spamming the new augments even if it's a net loss over the existing rules. Seems pretty disappointing.

At least there's a single colour plate for EC. I hope it's a good one?

 

It's really clunky in the wording, but the rules basically say that the Legiones Hereticus are new factions, count as LA:EC for intents and purposes during army building, any LA have to be allies, and to transplant the special units in as Hereticus. Since your faction isn' LA:EC, you don't unlock their rites. 

 

It's rather weird; thematically sure, the army is less coordinated and synergistic and all that, but there should then be upsides to going full chaos. Like the Path of Heaven shows some very significant power from Eidolon and Cario when he starts allowing some possession; lurching around in a fugue state and being more or less disadvantaged wasn't really the draw of embracing the warp. 

 

The colour plate is nice, in that it's a palantine and i really enjoy the aesthetic. 

 

 

Is it an any way corrupted and poster boy for the depravity of the Legiones Hereticus Emperors Children? No...

[Marshal Loss]

37 minutes ago, SkimaskMohawk said:

 

It's really clunky in the wording, but the rules basically say that the Legiones Hereticus are new factions, count as LA:EC for intents and purposes during army building, any LA have to be allies, and to transplant the special units in as Hereticus. Since your faction isn' LA:EC, you don't unlock their rites. 

 

It's rather weird; thematically sure, the army is less coordinated and synergistic and all that, but there should then be upsides to going full chaos. Like the Path of Heaven shows some very significant power from Eidolon and Cario when he starts allowing some possession; lurching around in a fugue state and being more or less disadvantaged wasn't really the draw of embracing the warp.

 

Hmm OK. I guess the intent may be that "For the purposes of building an army, treat this special rule in the same manner as the Legiones Astartes (x) special rule..." gives access to rites of war as they're used to build an army(?) but it doesn't sound very clear, and a quick scan of the liber hereticus/rulebook doesn't show anything helpful. Or maybe the intention is that Legiones Hereticus are only meant to have access to corrupted rites and the early EC release means we've jumped the gun and don't' have access to some basic ones that could come later. I'm still struggling to imagine how rules writers could think that less access to Kakophoni and augments across an army represents more corrupted EC, which is what we've got if we can't use 3CE...

 

Hopefully they tweak these rules at some point but won't hold my breath.

 

And thank for posting the plate! Gorgeous, but yeah would have preferred one showing some of the crazy colours or nonsense described in the novels

[Mandragola]

I've had another look at Fulgrim's Warlord trait and it isn't quite as bad as I thought at first. He doesn't always have to challenge. If he's within 12" of a unit containing something with WS6+ then he has to charge it and then he has to challenge. If there isn't anyone suitably good in melee then he can do what he wants. This is quite a big improvement as it means he won't constantly be stuck killing one sergeant at a time. He is still a bit stuck if he runs into a Praetor with a command squad, as he'll have to go through all those chosen warriors.

 

I've edited my original review at https://www.goonhammer.com/goonhammer-reviews-exemplary-battles-of-the-age-of-darkness-volume-one/#:~:text=I find it difficult to,decent amount of meaningful content. to reflect this. Sorry about this. We do our best to understand the rules for 30k but it really isn't easy.

 

The end result is that Fulgrim Transfigured is probably ok in game. I think he's slightly overpriced, probably to keep him out of 2k games, but his model is spectacular and he's certainly playable, in a game where there isn't really a lot of balance to start with.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Mandragola

[son of the forest]

Sounds like one to avoid if you don't play and just get the books for the lore

[Matcap86]

1 hour ago, son of the forest said:

Sounds like one to avoid if you don't play and just get the books for the lore

 

I prefer books over pdfs so just on that account it's worth it to me tbh.

[Joe]

After a quick flick through it isn't the worst book; some of the new colour plates are nice, and the new Mark III art is very welcome (especially the Salamanders highlight at the front of the book). I expect we'll see the rest of the EBs bundled into books with a handful of changes here and there, with the PDF armies getting a similar treatment before long as well.

 

The big question will be whether or not the rest of Simon's planned Daemon Primarch sculpts are released in these printed EBs, or if they wind up elsewhere.

[01RTB01]

2 hours ago, Mandragola said:

I've had another look at Fulgrim's Warlord trait and it isn't quite as bad as I thought at first. He doesn't always have to challenge. If he's within 12" of a unit containing something with WS6+ then he has to charge it and then he has to challenge. If there isn't anyone suitably good in melee then he can do what he wants. This is quite a big improvement as it means he won't constantly be stuck killing one sergeant at a time. He is still a bit stuck if he runs into a Praetor with a command squad, as he'll have to go through all those chosen warriors.

 

I've edited my original review at https://www.goonhammer.com/goonhammer-reviews-exemplary-battles-of-the-age-of-darkness-volume-one/#:~:text=I find it difficult to,decent amount of meaningful content. to reflect this. Sorry about this. We do our best to understand the rules for 30k but it really isn't easy.

 

The end result is that Fulgrim Transfigured is probably ok in game. I think he's slightly overpriced, probably to keep him out of 2k games, but his model is spectacular and he's certainly playable, in a game where there isn't really a lot of balance to start with.

I'm quite glad that he'll be useable but isn't broken.

 

It's not something I'd want to place on the table and hear groans for him being used.

 

I do think that original Fulgrim is "better" in game but the Transfigured sculpt is genuinely mind blowingly good. I just need to see some online painting guides as I've no idea where to start lol.

 

Thanks as always for the balanced reviews as some out there seem to be blinded by the concept of free and lack any level of balance.

[Taliesin]

7 hours ago, matcap86 said:

 

I prefer books over pdfs so just on that account it's worth it to me tbh.

 

Me too. But this release does really give me mixed feelings.

 

I dont play and only read the lore and see the new models as they release, and I havent read any of these pdf's yet, so thats why I will buy this. But as Skimask says, why not include all the pdf's in it with a bit of art like they did here? Its a massive, MASSIVE cash grab what GW is doing here by charging 40 EUR for this book which is half the size of Siege of Chtonia, which is almost the exact same price. 

 

So by the looks of this release, they will see how well it does and then release 3 of such books. I would much, much rather have more campaign books like SoC then.

[Marshal Rohr]

Now that Volume 1 is out I wonder if Volume 2 will accompany the Spring releases and be focused on World Eaters, Ultras, and Shattered Legions as some of the saltier rumors stated. 

[SkimaskMohawk]

2 hours ago, Taliesin said:

I dont play and only read the lore and see the new models as they release, and I havent read any of these pdf's yet, so thats why I will buy this.

 

Some people really prefer books over pdfs, but if you don't mind them you can still just download the original pdfs.

 

Sotha: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/10/04/launch-a-daring-strike-into-the-heart-of-ultramar-with-the-night-lords/

 

Armatura: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/12/07/plug-in-your-butchers-nails-and-destroy-the-loyalists-in-this-horus-heresy-exemplary-battle/

 

Hydra Cordatus: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/11/02/prove-that-the-iron-warriors-are-the-true-masters-of-siege-warfare-in-this-horus-heresy-exemplary-battle/

 

Calth: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/02/11/fight-the-underground-war-with-new-horus-heresy-missions-and-an-ultramarines-unit/

 

Save yourself some cash.

[lansalt]

1 hour ago, SkimaskMohawk said:

 

Some people really prefer books over pdfs, but if you don't mind them you can still just download the original pdfs.

 

Sotha: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/10/04/launch-a-daring-strike-into-the-heart-of-ultramar-with-the-night-lords/

 

Armatura: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/12/07/plug-in-your-butchers-nails-and-destroy-the-loyalists-in-this-horus-heresy-exemplary-battle/

 

Hydra Cordatus: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/11/02/prove-that-the-iron-warriors-are-the-true-masters-of-siege-warfare-in-this-horus-heresy-exemplary-battle/

 

Calth: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/02/11/fight-the-underground-war-with-new-horus-heresy-missions-and-an-ultramarines-unit/

 

Save yourself some cash.

Don't forget their updated rules for the current edition of the game: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/01/warhammer-the-horus-heresy-classic-units-rejoin-the-age-of-darkness-with-these-free-rules-downloads/

Here's the latest version: https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/n10JM7pGRr4EyfIh.pdf

 

I wouldn't be surprised if GW removes them from the Legacies PDF like they do with 10th indexes.

 

Edited October 28, 2023 by lansalt

[ChargingSoll]

Hey the book contains the new MK III in the showcase style 

[Etruscan]

Thanks for posting that. Salamanders with a spiked helmet just looks plain wrong to me though. Also really not a fan of the 'new' Mark III armour but that's a subjective take. Regardless, still looking forward to reading the book when it eventually arrives.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Etruscan

[Marshal Rohr]

Got my Copy today and it’s great for what it is. Hopefully an expanded Militia and Daemon list will come out in one of these volumes (with an actual Skitarii list). 

[Stitch5000]

I do remember quite a lot of people posting "I would buy these Exemplary Battles PDFs if they printed them in a book" or words to that effect. A bit of a search back through the forum will probably reveal a few instances. 

 

[Gorgoff]

20 minutes ago, Stitch5000 said:

I do remember quite a lot of people posting "I would buy these Exemplary Battles PDFs if they printed them in a book" or words to that effect. A bit of a search back through the forum will probably reveal a few instances. 

 

I am one of them because I thought GW will re-work the units and add or remove stuff but when I saw it I instantly cancelled my order.

This book is a lazy cash grab unfortunately. 

[skylerboodie]

3 hours ago, Stitch5000 said:

I do remember quite a lot of people posting "I would buy these Exemplary Battles PDFs if they printed them in a book" or words to that effect. A bit of a search back through the forum will probably reveal a few instances. 

 

 

Yeah given their brevity, all the exemplary battles could easily have been printed in one volume, rather than just five.

[Noserenda]

Yeah I think an updated reprint, without new stuff in there as a hook would have been boring but fine, it's the mix of lazy and fomo (wrong word I know) that's disappointing, just do fulgrim in pdf until you can release a full corrupted legions book, or just do a corrupted legion book first :D

[SkimaskMohawk]

7 hours ago, Stitch5000 said:

I do remember quite a lot of people posting "I would buy these Exemplary Battles PDFs if they printed them in a book" or words to that effect. A bit of a search back through the forum will probably reveal a few instances. 

 

 

As a few people here have said, the assumption was that units going from a pdf to a printed book would get overhauled and updated to fit into the game properly as Core units. The big reason being, a lot of the 1st edition exemplary battle units were downgrades of generic or special units, giving them no current purpose. 

 

A literal 1:1 reprint of the various pdfs would not have garnered that support.

 

Here's some comparisons from 1st. when malevolence came out Custodes players were frustrated that they had to pay for what was a second faq for the faction. It was seen as shameless padding, even though there were far more changes and better artwork than was seen in this exemplary battle book. In contrast, when the original army list redbook was replaced in 2016 with a new one, there were so many changes to points and unit abilities, as well as compiling almost every generic unit released to that point, that it wasn't seen as a cashgrab and was celebrated. 

 

This book is poor value. If you don't play salamanders or emperors children, it arguably has no value past what the new colour plates offer. Unlike siege of Cthonia, there isn't anything else for people to appreciate on their own terms; there isn't a plot to follow along with, there isn't a series of new narrative missions, there isn't a bunch of new art, there isn't generic units, and there isn't generic new missions. It almost all already existed, accessible to anyone off the official site.

 

 

[Marshal Rohr]

There is a lot of new art. The page vignettes are art. There’s an updated map in the back of the book. 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Marshal Rohr

[SkimaskMohawk]

Not all the vignettes are new; a lot of them are reused from the original pdfs. 

 

But let's be fair and update the value proposition: if you don't play salamanders or emperors children, it arguably has no value past the colour plates, new vignettes and the map at the back. 

 

So get it if you're a wannabe Warhammer art collector? I'm pretty sure the value of art is wildly inflated, so the book fits in nicely to that niche.

[Stitch5000]

1 hour ago, SkimaskMohawk said:

Not all the vignettes are new; a lot of them are reused from the original pdfs. 

 

But let's be fair and update the value proposition: if you don't play salamanders or emperors children, it arguably has no value past the colour plates, new vignettes and the map at the back. 

 

So get it if you're a wannabe Warhammer art collector? I'm pretty sure the value of art is wildly inflated, so the book fits in nicely to that niche.

It is £30... I saw some people paying more than that to have the PDFs colour printed and bound in a presentation folder. 

I agree the book is of debatable general value to the player, but it is an optional purchase... I'm not sure where this idea that HH players HAVE to keep up with every single book purchase is coming in from. 

[Deakz28]

53 minutes ago, Stitch5000 said:

It is £30... I saw some people paying more than that to have the PDFs colour printed and bound in a presentation folder. 

I agree the book is of debatable general value to the player, but it is an optional purchase... I'm not sure where this idea that HH players HAVE to keep up with every single book purchase is coming in from. 

It’s not optional if you want to play daemon fulgrim though :( and damn… I wish his rules even remotely lived up to the model. It’s a shame nonetheless, but tbh I got the book, I got the rules, I got what I paid for, I just wish it was a little better, after an faq it might even be so

[Marshal Rohr]

5 hours ago, SkimaskMohawk said:

Not all the vignettes are new; a lot of them are reused from the original pdfs. 

 

But let's be fair and update the value proposition: if you don't play salamanders or emperors children, it arguably has no value past the colour plates, new vignettes and the map at the back. 

 

So get it if you're a wannabe Warhammer art collector? I'm pretty sure the value of art is wildly inflated, so the book fits in nicely to that niche.

It’s not “wannabe” Warhammer art collecting. I collect all the books. There is new art in here, and some people don’t just buy things to win on the table. The lore in there is pretty important if you’re trying to have a collected set of what’s going on in the Heresy and it’s nice to have something Physical when they inevitably go the way of the dodo in ten years. It would be kind weird to just hand someone printed sheets of paper when they ask which books have the lore for this stuff after GW moves on. 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Marshal Rohr