Horus Heresy: Roleplaying Game

[Sothalor]

That article really does give the whole thing big Band of Blades vibes.

[ThePenitentOne]

This game, I presume is subject to the same flaws as all Heresy era games, namely:

 

Any game that doesn't include Xenos and Sisters is ultimately more boring and dull than any game that does, and as such, shouldn't be allowed to take staff, resources and release slots away from more interesting and inclusive games. I know that this hot-take will sound offensive to the ears of people who ARE fans of the era, so to walk it back a bit, at least in the table-top miniature game, some of the models still have 40k utility- I loves me some Spartan (for Deathwatch and GK- the only two marine factions that I'm remotely interested in) and Arvus. And the preexistence of Marine/ Admech/ Guard models in LI scale does provide a basis for an eventual 40k (ie. interesting) game in that scale.

 

And I suppose it is possible that elements of this RPG game might similarly enrich the more interesting and inclusive 40k RPGs made by the same company.

 

 

[StratoKhan]

I like this news, back in the day we had the Deathwatch RPG in 40k, that was another marine-only game, now this has a mix of marines and baseline humans, which could be interesting. I do wonder how characters from multiple legions could work beyond the Istvaan V shattered legions scenario.

 

As for those comments about Heresy taking away resources, etc. I’m a bit confused by this stance - where is the corner of the hobby that you like, so I can go there and complain about it being a drain on more Heresy resources?

4-5 years ago Heresy was languishing hard in terms of support and I don’t recall any Xenos RPGs being released back then with all those extra freed up resources. There was a dedicated HH community that kept things alive, and now Heresy is getting releases and attention (and is allegedly a commercial success) that are more significant, but not on par in comparison to 40k/AoS.

 

This binary of win/lose seems misdirected if in good faith. Or is it just baiting?

 

[ThaneOfTas]

  On 3/26/2025 at 12:06 AM, StratoKhan said:

This binary of win/lose seems misdirected if in good faith. Or is it just baiting?

Expand  

I dont believe that its baiting, just a mix of bitterness and envy being as you said, misdirected.

 

And as for Xenos focused RPGs, Wrath and Glory just released an Aeldari sourcebook last year, and if they follow the pattern set by WFRP And Soulbound then there'll likely be more Xenos books coming, I would be very surprised if the Tau and Orks at the least dont get similar sourcebooks, Kroot are already officially playable, and I imagin that seeing as they have existing stats the others would be simple to homebrew until official options come along. Genestealers for either Imperium Meledictum or W&G seems quite reasonable as well.

[Lord Marshal]

  On 3/19/2025 at 11:44 PM, ThePenitentOne said:

This game, I presume is subject to the same flaws as all Heresy era games, namely:

 

Any game that doesn't include Xenos and Sisters is ultimately more boring and dull than any game that does, and as such, shouldn't be allowed to take staff, resources and release slots away from more interesting and inclusive games. I know that this hot-take will sound offensive to the ears of people who ARE fans of the era, so to walk it back a bit, at least in the table-top miniature game, some of the models still have 40k utility- I loves me some Spartan (for Deathwatch and GK- the only two marine factions that I'm remotely interested in) and Arvus. And the preexistence of Marine/ Admech/ Guard models in LI scale does provide a basis for an eventual 40k (ie. interesting) game in that scale.

 

And I suppose it is possible that elements of this RPG game might similarly enrich the more interesting and inclusive 40k RPGs made by the same company.

Expand  

 

The problem with any "well they should stop wasting resources on X thing I dislike!" discussion is that it inevitably circles back to the logic that GW should bin off literally everything that isn't Matched Play 40k because that's clearly the most popular way to play. I'm sure there's plenty of competitive players who'd argue Crusade content is wasting release slots that could be used for more interesting Matched Play content.

 

Dropping support for something doesn't guarantee those resources would be freed up anyway, they simply wouldn't have been allocated in the first place.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 12:45 AM by Lord Marshal

[ThePenitentOne]

My post was heavy handed. What I'd really rather see is a gradual, narrative based intro of Xenos factions into Heresy era games. You can maintain the timeline- both Eldar and Orks existed during the Heresy if I'm not mistaken. I'd pick one of those two species and add them for an edition- not this one... That's too soon. The game needs to work the narrative to a post Heresy Era where the absence of the Warmaster leaves room for the Imperium to deal with other threats.... And then add whichever Xenos faction is most appropriate to the Lore of the Immediate Post-Heresy.

 

Meanwhile, LI could be given Xenos factions faster- this is the precedent with Epic if I remember correctly. I didn't play it, so memory is imperfect at best, but I believe it was pure Imperial VS. Chaos to start, and Xenos were added later; I'm not sure if Eldar and Orks were added separately or all at once, but I think Tyranids were a later stand-alone release. I find the style of the Epic Hierophant to be far superior to the FW 40k interpretation... And if a faithful reproduction came to LI, I'd be severely temped to buy in.

 

And if BFG ever happens, it can launch with Xenos.

 

Normally I'm better about suggesting the elimination of any content, because obviously, somebody loves it. Apologies for being that guy.

 

As for going matched only: because the best Crusade content is imbedded in the BRB and dexes, it doesn't really take up release slots. When it comes to the Crusade campaign books, I actually sort of agree; all dexes should always be published before any campaign book, Matched or Crusade. In truth, 9th's campaign books were better for including both formats, the issue is that there were too many: every Crusade season got two Hardcover books that covered both systems, two Crusade mission packs and one Matched mission pack. One campaign book per season with content and missions for both Matched and Crusade PLZ, with none of them being released til the end of the dex cycle, and a minimum of two full seasons before the edition change.

 

And you know what? Yes, my motive for the over-the-top hot take WAS jealousy. The new Heresy Admech is SOOOO good! I'd kill to use it in 40k, where Admech only has a couple of units I like anywhere near as much (Sicarians, Ironstriders). Similarly, as often as I post anti-marine, I do love me some Grey Knights and Deathwatch, and the transport capacity of the Spartan really lends itself to a mobile Watch Fortress or GK Hunter Cell. I'm toying with the idea of using Solar Auxilia for Counts-As-Guard with an allied Inquisition force where the Auxilia models, while using guard rules, would actually fluff up as the dedicated house troops of the Inquisitor.

 

I'd rather just have Heresy become something that I can either participate in directly, or at least use in 40k (selected units only if need be), but preferably both. Heresy IS a net-good for the 40k universe- it just needs to be more accessible to me than a small handful of usable Legends cards in order for me to be able to celebrate it as much as it deserves.  Truth be told I am kind of excited about a new edition, but it's bitter sweet- beautiful models that make me so grateful they exist (and in plastic!), but the knowledge that'll only ever be able to use a few if any.

 

I DO want to see where they go.... I just feel excluded, and sometimes that comes across more than any enthusiasm.

[apologist]

  On 3/26/2025 at 1:46 AM, ThePenitentOne said:

My post was heavy handed. What I'd really rather see is a gradual, narrative based intro of Xenos factions into Heresy era games. You can maintain the timeline- both Eldar and Orks existed during the Heresy if I'm not mistaken. I'd pick one of those two species and add them for an edition- not this one... That's too soon. The game needs to work the narrative to a post Heresy Era where the absence of the Warmaster leaves room for the Imperium to deal with other threats.... And then add whichever Xenos faction is most appropriate to the Lore of the Immediate Post-Heresy.

 

Meanwhile, LI could be given Xenos factions faster- this is the precedent with Epic if I remember correctly. I didn't play it, so memory is imperfect at best, but I believe it was pure Imperial VS. Chaos to start, and Xenos were added later; I'm not sure if Eldar and Orks were added separately or all at once, but I think Tyranids were a later stand-alone release. I find the style of the Epic Hierophant to be far superior to the FW 40k interpretation... And if a faithful reproduction came to LI, I'd be severely temped to buy in.

Expand  

 

That's very much the model I'd like to see. While I like the '(not really) good versus (definitely) evil' narrative of the Horus Heresy, humans versus aliens is far more interesting to me. I'd love to see Eldar and Orks appear in both scales; if not immediately, in the medium term.

 

Codex Titanicus was hot on the heels of the original Adeptus Titanicus, and brought Eldar Titans and Ork Gargants in. Epic: Space Marine was Marine on Marine, while Epic: Space Marine 2nd edition was released with Marines, Eldar and Orks. Those three factions are iconic, and would be a great way to expand the setting into the Great Scouring (or back into the Great Crusade).

 

 

[Petitioner's City]

If we ever do get to the Scouring that seems a good opportunity - but if the situation is the IP separation or financial speration between the games needs to be crystal clear, I'm not sure how they can include 40k races/models in 28mm Scouring at least?

[Deus_Ex_Machina]

  On 3/19/2025 at 11:44 PM, ThePenitentOne said:

This game, I presume is subject to the same flaws as all Heresy era games, namely:

 

Any game that doesn't include Xenos and Sisters is ultimately more boring and dull than any game that does, and as such, shouldn't be allowed to take staff, resources and release slots away from more interesting and inclusive games. I know that this hot-take will sound offensive to the ears of people who ARE fans of the era, so to walk it back a bit, at least in the table-top miniature game, some of the models still have 40k utility- I loves me some Spartan (for Deathwatch and GK- the only two marine factions that I'm remotely interested in) and Arvus. And the preexistence of Marine/ Admech/ Guard models in LI scale does provide a basis for an eventual 40k (ie. interesting) game in that scale.

 

And I suppose it is possible that elements of this RPG game might similarly enrich the more interesting and inclusive 40k RPGs made by the same company.

 

 

Expand  

Back in the day I have been a Ravenloft DM (AD&D & 3rd D&D) for ten years. The most prevalent race encountered were humans as other race were rare and often viewed as unnatural freaks. So if Ravenloft can be run effortlessly with adventures only consisting of humans and creatures of the night so can this upcoming Horus Heresy tabletop game. Just exchange creatures of the night by strange warp entities and the military arm branch of your Explorator Fleet will have the joy of smelling each morning the crisp scent of genocidal barbecue upon landing on Immaterium 666.

 

 

[Unknown Legionnaire]

Well, if people want Xenos and SoB and whatnot, then they should be playing the games from the era / cycle of 1st ed. Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, etc.

Still rules supreme over the pittance that was 2nd ed. DH.