Imperial Armour Modelling Masterclass Review

G'day guys, Macca here and I have for you a review for both Imperial Armour Modelling Masterclass books. Since the Horus Heresy Modelling Masterclass is supposedly at the printers, it seems like a good time to look back at these babies. (I actually only got two new copies of my own this week)

An Introduction To 30k For 40k Players: Part 2

In Part 1, we looked at how the Force Organisation Chart and force selection in general worked. Today, we are going to look at how to actually play the missions, because it isn't quite the same as 40k, and I'm going to explain why. There are some subtle differences, but mostly the confusion lies in how units score/are able to score, and I want to shed some light on this.

Deployment Types:

First off, I want to go in to deployment types. In the Horus Heresy, the missions have 6 different deployment types. Sometimes these are specifically stated in the mission, other times they are randomly rolled for. These deployments, measurements and such are all aimed at the 2500-3000 point per side game, and as such they use the 6x4 table and corresponding measurements.

An Example Mission:

This mission is from Book V: Tempest (Word Bearers vs Ultramarines at Calth). The points of note are as follows:

-The armies selected are to use the Battles in the age of Darkness rules and FOC's. This means that you cannot bring over bizarre rules from 40k, except where stated expressly.
-The deployment type is random in this mission, selected as per the previous six options listed above.
-The terrain is placed/
-The warlord traits and psychic abilities are rolled, then the players roll off to see who will deploy first (and take first turn).

However...

You want to understand the mission prior to deployment. This mission has several special rules, namely Night Fighting and Reserves (as per 40k) but also Heavy Armour (a Heresy special rule for this mission, which makes all vehicles with the Tank type, as well as Super-Heavy Vehicles and Walkers SCORING UNITS). Now the fact that the available scoring units most likely increased for both players will change how they play the mission.

As per 40k, there are Secondary Objectives, however, these are specifically listed in the mission, in this case, Slay the Warlord and Last Man Standing. This means there is no Linebreaker, no First Blood etc. in this mission.

From here, the mission is set up and played out as per the objectives for the mission. From this point on, it will play out identically to 40k.

Notes On 40K Missions In 30k:

In 30k, only Troops and units specifically listed as scoring, are actually scoring. The Obj. secured rule only applies to these units, not to their transports, or any other units. This limits the amount of scoring, and can make some missions incredibly more difficult than for a similar 40k army. For example, a Maelstrom of War mission will severely handicap the average Heresy force, with most only averaging 3-4 scoring units below 2000 points.

As for the missions themselves, I personally prefer to ignore them in favour of the 30k missions, as they are more interesting and are designed to link together in order to form a larger narrative (for example, you can literally play from the start of the Istvaan V massacre all the way through to a skirmish level game involving the surviving loyalists tackling the traitors and all the way into the Last Stand of the Raven Guard before their rescue, needing around 18 missions to play out in full!).

Conclusion:

Although not a lengthy article, I felt it was important to demonstrate to the community how 30k deviates from 40k, and where the two systems can potentially clash. This isn't designed to demonise 40k, just to let people know the perils of cross-system gameplay. At the end of the day, play what you like, in fact, I would house-rule it so that 40k units had to score the same as a 30k army, in order to balance it out a little, but that's just me...

~Macca

Maintaining Your Drive

Sometimes, the hardest thing of all when it comes to the hobby is maintaining your drive. G'day everyone, Macca here, and today I want to talk about one thing: Motivation. I will probably talk about other things, but that's ok, it's all loosely related.

I find sometimes that I really lack the drive to complete a project. This can be due to any number of reasons, I may be tired, or had a rough week, lots is going on in my life or with my family even. It can be hard to get out of a hobby slump, but I thought I'd share a few of the things that motivate me.

Readers Thoughts.. "Betrayer" written by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT

 

Howdy all, Wadey here! So AGIF has been up and running for some time now and we have seen some excellent posts so far from Macca and Keepy. Due to being geographically challenged I have thus far been unable to contribute anything… until now!

 

I have just finished reading Betrayer which was written by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. So figured I’d mix things up a bit and write, not so much a review but more of a readers thought on it. Before I begin I’d like you all to keep in mind the thoughts and views contained within this review are purely my own and are not in any away affiliated or associated with Games Workshop, Forge World or the Black Library.

 

I chose to write my thoughts about this novel as I feel it is an excellent insight into both the XII and XVII Legions and their place amongst the heresy, and the first port of call for anyone who is thinking about playing as either of these two legions.

 

Betrayer is set in the Ultramar system after Isstvan V and the Word Bearers attack on Calth. In Betrayer we see the XII Legion World Eaters and the XVII Legion Word Bearers join forces to eradicate the Ultramarine War World of Armatura then onto Angrons’ home world of Nuceria.

 

Betrayer left me with a new found respect but also feeling of sorrow for the XII Legion World Eaters. Aaron Dembski-Bowden really highlights the true nature of the World Eaters and their admirable and loyal dedication to their gene-sire, the Primarch Angron and how this unwavering loyalty combined with the constant desire for their fathers’ approval would see them down a dark path instead of rising to be one of the greatest of the Emperors legions. This true virtue is seen greatly in Kharn and I personally now have a HUGE respect for him not only as a warrior but also for the man he is.

 

As for the XVII Legion Word Bearers... that’s a different story all together. Aaron Dembski-Bowden has done an excellent job of illustrating the level of control the XVII Legion Primarch Lorgar has over the heresy as a whole and that perhaps the Word Bearers were destined to become servants of the Chaos Gods. Head of the Vakrah-Jal and loyal battle brother to Kharn, Argel-Tal was in my opinion the only son of Lorgar who still showed traits of honour and loyalty within the ranks of the XVII Legion Word Bears even given his new found “possession”. This is shown foremost in his commitment to his battle brother and dearest friend, Kharn.

 

To sum up, Betrayer hooked me right from the very beginning and although the end felt a little rushed where the first third of the book could perhaps have been a little shorter it was still an excellent read. Aaron Dembski-Bowden has done an excellent job of bringing the heart and soul of the Heresy to life and I recommend Betrayer to any fan of the Horus Heresy.

 

Cheers for checking in, I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!