Richie’s Horus heresy

[richmarine]

Bit of a preface, I’ve been collecting Horus heresy for a long time. As seen here; 

it has grown somewhat since 2017 and I stopped posting because work blocked access, which was my only computer at the time. Since then I’ve had two kids and although my free time has been Reduced it didn’t stop me collecting ultramarines and thousand sons. 
 

I had an excellent campaign which followed the prospero black book which I will show here. It involved all the major engagements from the book.

 

however my first love is the sons of Horus and the events on Istvaan III, so kids willing I can get the campaign going soon and play ˋCometh the Red Angelˋ. In which Angron defies Horus and makes plantfall to assault the loyalists.  

hopefully this will be more interesting to people on here and get feedback rather than nothing on instagram. 
 

heres some later sons of Horus. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24 by richmarine
Flickr images

[richmarine]

 

Edited April 23 by richmarine
Flickr

[LameBeard]

I love that metallic red on the Thousand Sons. Close-ups please!

[WAR]

Stunning!

 

[Pearson73]

Great to see some larger photos of these, love your armies!  The gradients and highlights on the eyes of Horus are ace.

 

The red, blue and gold of the Ultramarines/Mechanicum force complement one another really well.

[richmarine]

Thousands sons for prospero campaign between 2021 & 23. My friends played custodes and space wolves. My thousands sons below. Culminating to about 4k in first edition. 
 

Praetor 

librarian on a jet bike. 

Ahriman

 

Ahriman’s cabal

osiron contemptor 

1st vet squad plasma

 

2nd vet tactical power swords 

 

20 man tactical

 

10 sehkmet terminators 

 

Fast attack jet bikes 

 

10 man volkite

 

5 man lascannon

 

land raider

Rhinos

 

[WAR]

Very nice

[StratoKhan]

These are absolutely gorgeous! Very nice work on all of these!

[richmarine]

First up in the Burning of prospero campaign was phase one: Ferocity; which was initial landing of the space wolves. 
 

Famously, Magnus the Red hid in his tower awaiting the judgement of the emperor,  withdrawing or sending troops away rather than defending Tizca. Even going as far as clouding prescience of Amon and Ahriman. 
 

In the story the Thousand sons didn’t really appear until mid battle. Holding back on their father’s orders. Those of the Raptora occult providing a kine shield over the city, forcing the “Loyalists” to approach by sea to attack the space port. 
 

so I planned a few ZM games to show the loyalist attacking key structures. Most notably those that the warmaster would utilise later when the depths of his betrayal was revealed. And. I wanted to use the thousand sons I spent ages painting. 
 

I also had militia to represent those defending old Tizca. The initial landing of the space wolves. and mechanicum representing Zhao Arkhad who serve their own interests rather than be wiped out. 
 

The final battle would be the defence of the space port…

 

opening game below;

 

1250 points. Draw 4-4

 

 

[richmarine]

Part 2, we really hit our stride with the games and I first met “Hatefully scummy space wolves praetor” which in first Ed rules was a killing machine and at the end of the campaign far in excess got the most kills.

Also got my Osiron done and used him in this game and wrote a bit based on his performance in the battle. I lost magnificently 3-0

 

 

Hateful scummy space wolves praetor leads the charge into the Sehkmet.   

 

Alone the Osiron charges in 

 
Fluff;

For a century I’ve been interred in the Osiron dreadnought. During my slumber I dreamt of the baying of wolves, now in the archologies of Tizca i hear them. I hear them in the tunnels ahead. 

My brothers assemble with power swords and plasma guns lighting the banks of cogitators in a eerie blue glow. The sekhmet flank our commander, he’s inexperienced but keen to show his worth against the wolves. My schooling in the corvidae shows no future for him past this day. I will try to change that. 

I turn my attention back to sound of the wolves. They are closer now. My commander holds back my brothers in tactical armour, despite their experience in warfare they respect their commander and obey. I advance with my sekhmet brothers, their training in the corvidae like my own signals their pre planned doom. But maybe not today. 

I take my place at the end of a long corridor. I do not need my precognitive powers to know to cycle my plasma cannon to ready. The first of the dog skull helmeted wolves round the corner, Wary at first but then relish in possibility of a glorious death upon seeing me. They charge down the corridor. I warn my brothers and they approach behind me, summoned by my physic call, plasma guns charging to fire. 

As I melt the deathsworn in blue plasma my telepathic link with weapon masters of the 4th fellowship ends violently. Visions of  a maddened wolf wielding a frost blade like a world eater possessed lingers in my vision. 

The deathsworn are on me, melta bombs in hand. Spurred on by a scream of a wolf in the dark my brothers meet them in battle. But I sense the tides of the great ocean betray them. I swing my blade and the deathsworn fulfil their promise to die. 

I am alone now. But I sense the same end approaching my commander. I must reach him. 

I round the corner in time to see him fall. A lone sehkmet holds back the grey tide. The maddened wolf lays dead alongside my commander. 

Death is here. But Maybe not today…

 

Edited April 25 by richmarine

[richmarine]

Game 3

A brothers blood. 

Units in the enemy deployment zone +1VP. Attrition, first blood, slay the warlord. 

Space wolves vs mechanicum. 

Zone mortalis; Zhao Arkhad Facility; Prospero. 

Draw 1-1. 

 

Folgsten fjoltssen stared into the fire, wind howled at the entrance of the cave that wasn’t just the wind. The neophytes gathered round the fire clad in heavy firs. 

Folgsten had a glint in his eye. A saga kind of glint that heralded a story that could either instruct, thrill or bore even the most gene enhanced mind to be a Deathsworn. 

“Did I ever tell you about the time I fought the witches on Prospero?” 

One of the neophytes spoke up. “Didn’t you get stuck in one of the Adeptus Mechanicus facilities outside of Tizca”. 

Folgsten growled. “It was the Mechanicum back then. Zhao Arkhad to be exact and I was… delayed”, he growled again,“Maleficarum” he said under his breath and spat into the fire. 

“It was on the first day of landing” continued Folgsten, one of the neophytes laughed. “Stuck on the first day”. 

Folgsten ignored the insult and continued. “Jarl Skane Pendervrak led my pack. He was a fine warrior. Fought like the Allfather. We had to go in destroy the facility, anything that was robot shaped and leave”.

“Sounds simple enough” said a neophyte,

“Ah you see nothings ever simple when maleficarum is involved” replied Folgsten.  This prompted spits from all gathered round the fire. 

“Was there any maleficarum?” Asked a neophyte and there was Another round of spitting. 

Folgsten paused, staring into the fire regretting telling a story with no magic. “No, The facility was dark, but we could smell the oil of their machines, They had these hunter killer drones. Terrifying to behold, circular blades for hands. Blades for forearms. Daggers for toes. They thought they could hunt the wolves but we Hunted them. A good pack of my brothers fell to them.”

“Did you fight them?” Asked another neophyte. 

“No” said Folgsten 

“What did you see, if anything?” asked a neophyte,

“Rubble of Tizca” chuckled another.

Again Folgsten ignored the jibe. 

“I saw my glorious Jarl engage the largest Mechanicum construct you ever saw…”

“A knight?” asked a neophyte,

“A Titan?” Asked another,

“No…” said Folgsten. “I’m not sure what it was but it was big. Killed nearly my entire pack.” 

“How?” Asked a neophyte, “in glorious melee?”

“No” said Folgsten. “He had two big arms with some kind of gravity guns that crush you inside your armour.”

“So how did Jarl Skane kill the beast?” Asked a neophyte, Folgsten was definitely regretting his choice of saga. 

“He plunged his frost blade in his back and slew the beast with one blow” exclaimed Folgsten, putting on his best dramatic tone. It wasn’t working. 

“So the Jarl severed a red wire, What happened after that?” Asked a neophyte half interested. 

“The biggest mechanical beast you ever saw” said Folgsten. 

“Wasn’t the last construct the biggest?” Asked a neophyte,

“This had a man in it, well, Bits of a man. These mechanicum are a weird bunch” Folgsten shrugged. “This had 6 arms riding a platform of some sort which had more arms with weapons, like a iron priest after too much Mjod. It was truly a terrifying sight!” Folgsten was looking wistful, his long years past the greatest saga in human history showing. “My Jarl turned and faced this monster. Corridors aflame, all our brothers and machine in ruins amongst us.”

“What did you all do?” Asked a neophyte. 

“What any true son of Russ would do”, he had them now and Folgsten pause for effect. “We charged”. 

“And you slew the mechanical beast?”

“No…” growled Folgsten.

“The ceiling collapsed and I never saw the Jarl again”.

mechanicum list 

map

  
end of battle. 

 

[TheArtilleryman]

Loving the models and the lore. Looking forward to more!

[richmarine]

30 minutes ago, TheArtilleryman said:

Loving the models and the lore. Looking forward to more!

You’re in luck. I have a lot from Instagram thats basically wasted there. There is at least 12 more for Prospero 

[richmarine]

Game 4

A calculated slaughter 

first blood, death of honour. 2VP to the side that slays the honour guard. 

Instant win for slay the warlord. 

Thousand sons vs Talons of the emperor. 

Zone mortalis; Zhao Arkhad Facility; Prospero. 

Outcome: Draw. 
 

had surprising fun against custodes despite their overpowered rules. The funnest part was their captain repeatedly failed to assault a door. 
 

fluff;

 

Aarthrat hefted his heavy Bolter onto the suspensor web for firing on the move, The rest of the squad were preparing their bolters and checking ammo. He turned to look at the Osiron dreadnought that was having its burnt out plasma cannon replaced with an assault cannon by a Magos. The ammo box was fitted and the barrels of the cannon span in approval. Now finished with the work a series of mechanendrites gently lifted the Magos back into his abeyant. He seemed to freeze for a second, apparently communing with some unseen device, then voxed over the local battle net so the assembled force of thousand sons could hear. “Perimeter breached, sector 564 compromised, we must secure the work and retreat”. 

The work was the curious black rocks that the forge world Zhao Arkhad had been fitting to their automata and on some of the legion Orison contemptors and Castellax. Aarthrat was pretty sure that the imperium, after the edict of Nikea, would not tolerate their use, though at this point it wouldn’t have mattered. 

The Magos turned and dissappeared down the corridor. Apparently defending this area was an order. It didn’t matter to Aarthrat anymore, the wolves were here and this was his home. It’s defence was paramount, the thousand sons would not become the next Legion to be un remembered. 

The assembled warriors continued to  check weapons and armour. 

The sekhmet stood tall, backs towards the  far wall, Presumably where elements of “the work” were. the facility was silent apart from the odd rumble of shelling from far above. <I hope the Spire guard are faring well> sent Phasmos telepathically, who was also equipping a heavy Bolter. 

<No> answered Nezchad the squad leader. <Magus recalled all Spireguard>

<And us> retorted Phasmos. 

<yes but we must protect our…..> Nezchad didn’t finish the sentence. 

The lead magister interrupted their communion. < teleportation transponders detected 1km north>

<terminator assault?> asked Nezchad,

<they’re not 6th legion, they hate tele….> the psychic link broke immediately and a sense of dread swept across the assembled thousand sons. 

“The sisters of silence are here. And they’ve brought friends.” Said Nezchad out loud.

Aarthrat pressed the quick release on the suspensor web of the heavy Bolter, kicked open the weapons locker and took out the two plasma guns within, he threw one to Phasmos and kept the other for himself. 

“They’re close” Phasmos stated looking down the corridor. 

“Don’t worry about the sisters, worry about the custodians”. Nezchad replied. The magister voxed orders to the squads. The Osiron and the sehkmet set off  towards primary blast door. The magister watched them leave. 

Aarthrats brothers began stalking off down the far right corridor. He paused and turned to look at the magister. He was no longer there and the locker containing the black stones was empty. 

Aarthrat shook his head and said to himself “if the custodians are here none of us will make it out alive”. 

Aarthrat caught up to his brothers. The muffled sounds of bolters and a kheres assault cannon was firing to his left. Presumably at the custodians, hopefully killing the sisters. The floor then lurched with an explosion that must have been the destruction of the Osiron.

Suddenly, up ahead, a squad of golden warriors filled the corridor and Aarthrat fired his

Plasma gun. He thought he glimpsed one fall as they charged into his squad. 

Then He saw a guardian spear tip through his chest. He wasn’t sure how it got there or how he was facing the way he came. The spear then disappeared and sharp pain swept through his body. He collapsed to the floor and fell into darkness. 

Aarthrat woke in the same darkened Corridor he fell in. 

<got to you just in time> a voice in his head stated. He took off his helmet and surveyed his surroundings. Phasmos and  Nezchad were clearly dead; Torsos split in half completely, definitely the work of a guardian spear. 

The apothecary followed Aarthads gaze, <even pavoni can’t fix that kind of damage>, the apothecary was shaking his head, <we need to regroup at the space port south of Old Tizca. we can’t allow the wolves to land unimpeded>. 

<Agreed> answered Aarthad, searching for the plasma gun. <Magnus will join us soon>.

The Apothecary Stared at him, his aura troubled. <hope that he does>. replied the Apothecary. 

 

Army list

Deployment. The volkite guys never fired a shot. 

 

 

Eventually the shield captain knocked down that door. 

 

end. 

 

[JeffJedi]

Amazing paint jobs!

[richmarine]

Militia up next in the campaign. Some army pics. I couldn’t justify the cost for spireguard. 
 

 

[TheArtilleryman]

Love the ogryn with the concrete lamppost hammer.

[richmarine]

29 minutes ago, TheArtilleryman said:

Love the ogryn with the concrete lamppost hammer.

Wish these were all available still. 

[richmarine]

Game 5

 

This game is focused around the initial defense of the old district on Tizca in between the space port and the sea port. 

 

The loyalist fleet commenced orbital bombardment over the city. But the kine shield threw up by the Raptora occult repelled any attack. The loyalists would have to fly under the defensive auspex on the anti air via the sea port and fight their way to the space port. Securing the space port objective would allow the deployment of the loyalists proper. Russ would lead the assault. (Though he didn’t appear in this battle).

 

With the bulk of the thousand sons protecting the pyramids the space wolves would easily sweep through old Tizca, as I saw in this game. Looking back I think for the entirety of the game I killed maybe 5 space wolves. 

 

Fluff (explains why the militia look a tad bit chaosy)

 

General Katon Aphea surveyed the assembled troops. They were a rag tag bunch but all had served with distinction in the great crusade. Captain Hathor was a particularly honourable officer, he stood looking at the tremendous display of firepower being thrown at the kine shield above, plasma pistol and chainsword sitting idle in his hands. 

Magister Azmoth appeared behind him. “Who’d dare attack our home magister” Katon asked, afraid to know the answer fully aware that the thousand sons were currently forbidden to use the very kine shield that protected them. 

The magister did not look at him and took in the square filled with militia in the market square of old Tizca. “These troops will not live out this day”, he turned to Katon, “we need to improve our position”. 

“I could improve it more if I knew what we were fighting, is it imperium? Have we broken the edict Azmoth?”.

Azmoth shot him a look at the use of his name. “We did what we needed to do for the future of the imperium. Just like I need to do this” his eyes glowed green as he spoke. 

What Katon saw horrified him. He saw Pavoni at work before, fixing bones and healing wounds, but all he could do was watch in horror as every trooper assembled squealed in terror. Each of them bending over with inhuman bone cracking noises, expanding and mutating into hideous human forms. 

Then it was over. Captain Hathor was no longer holding the chainsword. It was fused to him. His expression frightened him. It was impassive like nothing had happened, a sigil was burned into his breastplate where the imperial eagle was once before, but it hurt his eyes when he tried to make it out. 

He turned to the magister but he was gone. He realised then that ‘they’ were right and it was too late, they’d have to pay for whatever the thousand sons did, but not at the head of this chaos, these abominations. He marched off away from the square. No orders given. He did learn later that the once honoured warriors were wiped to a man. But they should have died as men. Not the mutants they had become. 
 

 

 

 

 

Last turn, 3 ogryns left. 

[Pearson73]

Those look like some great games! Liking the accompanying fluff pieces too.

[richmarine]

Game 6

Phase 1 Conclusion; Out of time mission. 

 

The loyalists are committed. The Thousand Sons can do nothing now but fight to the last.  All failed invulnerable saves re-roll on a one. 

 

2500 points. Space wolves vs Thousand sons. 

 

Thousand sons win 10-5

 

Special rules: perils on a double 5/6 

 

“When prey is cornered, run down or utterly hopeless, we must expect it to strike. Not out of desire for victory, but out of terror and delusion. They desire a death in battle, which will be granted by our blades”.  ~Leman Russ. 

Runihura did not like the space wolves, since the fighting on Aghoru he’d developed a loathing for them. But that was when they fought the same enemy. Now they were here, killing his brothers. It had taken some time to rally the other thousand sons, too much time and the spire guard and prosperine militia had paid that price. But now was the time to stand and fight. 

The Volkite Culverin was an old weapon, but an effective one. One that Runihura had shunned in previous engagements because of the rarity of the parts required to maintain the high tech weapon. But today it didn’t matter. Today was as good as any. Lascannon teams flanked their squad, jetbikes roared in the rear, the Sekhmet waited in their landraider and far ahead; two veteran squads laid in the old townbruins waiting for the attack. Runihura could feel Ahrimans presence in the ruins below and a Osiron took up position to his front. Ahriman had foreseen the attack and positioned the squads accordingly. 

The herald of wolves was not a cry of a wolf but the familiar scream of a drop pods retros firing. It’s contents a dreadnought, a dead dreadnought, it’s chassis unable to deflect the sheer volume of fire from the volkite weapon his squad carried, behind the ruins of the drop pod came the wolves. The master of the 4th great company exited his storm eagle in a combat drop. Terminators in grey armour surrounded him. But thousand sons’ veterans perfectly timed assault meant the rest of the wolves could not protect their master and Hvarl was cut off. 

Sehkmet of Ahriman’s fellowship exited their land raider, striding forth to kill Hvarl. The Osiron joined them, purple psychic energies gathering around their forms. But it was too much. The Osiron ballooned in strength and might, but before it engaged it blew apart, reactor detonating as enemy lascannons blew it apart, Hvarls deathsworn had entered the battle at the  osirons rear, blowing the dreadnought apart. But they did not last long. 5 lascannon shots hit the deathsworn land raider with the precision only precognition could summon. Runihura laughed as He mowed down the deathsworn with his volkite, revenge was a hand.  

The space wolves slowed. Their momentum lost, their savagery checked. Runihura hefted his weapon to rest, the power cells hissing with relief only to see Hvarl fend off blow after blow from the sehkmet. Again the power of the ether flowed unrestrained through the sehkmet and still Hvarl lived, but blow by blow his squad was killed, with the storm eagle smashed and thwarted attempt on Ahriman the wolves stopped and slunk back in to the filth of old Tizca. 

Satisfied, Ahriman turned from the battlefield. Something wasn’t right, the power of the ether was flooding the battlefield. It was rare to see it so. But twice. In a battle was unheard of. Ahriman did not turn to see the limping form of Hvarl escaping from battle. He had seen his failure, but he had not seen the wolf kings whose battle cry now bit into the souls of all on Prospero.

Deployment  

 

 

 

Hval goes down. 

 

 

Edited May 3 by richmarine
Photos

[Ripper.McGuirl]

Everything about everything in this thread is absolutely awesome.

[richmarine]

SpacePort control. Prospero campaign. 

Legendary mission Prospero campaign end of phase one. 

Thousand sons vs space wolves & Talons of the Emperor.  

Thousand sons 3k plus 25% fortifications representing the edge of the space port. 

 

Space wolves: 

Praetor, speaker of the dead, 

5x Cataphractii, 

2x10 grey slayer squads. 

Storm eagle, 

land raider Phobos. 

 

LOW: Russ

 

Talons of the emperor;

Oblivion knight centura

3x custodian guard squad

3x sentinel guard squad

3x Agamatus jetbike squadron. 

Telemon heavy dreadnought

 

Thousand sons

Ahriman

Librarian on jetbike

Praetor 

Osiron dreadnought 

2x5 sehkmet 

20x tactical marines

3x jebikes 

5 lascannon heavy weapon support. 

 

LOW: knight Styrix 

 

Fortification: 2x bastions with void shields and 3x aegis defence lines with all the trimmings. 
 

this was a big team game, so I didn’t write any fluff as the game seemed to be too epic. Seeing Russ in all his glory was awesome on its own. The outcome however was not unexpected. 

space port map, 

 

Thousand sons deployment. Sehkmet and jet bikes deep striking in reserve,

 

Loyalist deployment, most of the Custodes are in reserve  

First turn saw the telemon destroy the right bastion, then the custodes teleported in behind my line. 
 

 

Saw off the intruders in the back field. Launched my knight at the wolves land raider. Lost the remaining bastion to the telemon and custode jetbikes. My jet Bikes came in with the outflanking sehkmet in the land raider. 

 

the wolves are encircled. 

 

Ahrimans cabal moves to meet the Wolf king (bad idea)

 

 

Russ turns his attention to the knight s Ahriman uses good old magic to escape. 

games over when no more thousand sons defend the space port. 

Edited May 4 by richmarine

[richmarine]

The next phase was to focus around Tizca proper. With the space port under the loyalist control all was apparently lost. With still no sign of Magnus the thousand sons rallied what forces they could to defend the Pyramids and more importantly move the knowledge contained within them off planet through Portals. (To which the 13th great company got lost in)

 

there are some fantastic stories in this phase. Including Canis vertex. I’d need a war hound titan for this and luckily I have a chaos one. It was in dyer need of repair. So I re pinned and rebased with weights to get a better balance. 
 

 

 

 

Edited May 7 by richmarine

[TheArtilleryman]

1 hour ago, richmarine said:

The next phase was to focus around Tizca proper. With the space port under the loyalist control all was apparently lost. With still no sign of Magnus the thousand sons rallied what forces they could to defend the Pyramids and more importantly move the knowledge contained within them off planet through Portals. (To which the 13th great company got lost in)

 

there are some fantastic stories in this phase. Including Canis vertex. I’d need a war hound titan for this and luckily I have a chaos one. It was in dyer need of repair. So I re pinned and rebased with weights to get a better balance. 
 

 

 

 

“Luckily I have a Warhound Titan”

 

I mean, haven’t we all had that moment like this? With me it’s usually down the back of the sofa…