Warhammer Community has been hosting a round table series for the new edition of The Horus Heresy. Today we get insights from the Rules Team.
If you’re like me then you’ve been keeping tabs on the upcoming edition of The Horus Heresy. Technically, it’s Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, but I’m just sticking with The Horus Heresy from here on out.
Anyhow, if you’ve been following along then you know that there’s enough rules shifts to really make this feel like a new edition. There’s loads of familiar elements in the game. Veteran players will be able to pick up the game quickly. Plus, your previous army build will likely still function just fine. You might have to make some minor adjustments but overall existing armies will transfer easily enough.
But there are new systematic changes to the game. The games will feature one less battle round for example. There’s new Tactical Statuses to deal with. Challenges will be a thing. And we can’t forget about the addition (really a re-introduction) of the Advanced Characteristics (Cool, WP, and Int), too. I’ve had my theories as to why the rules were changed but, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. The fact is that a new edition is almost upon us. Games Workshop has sat down with the Rule Team to discuss those changes.
Round Table – Rules Changes Ahead
“In our third and final round table for the new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness, we’re talking to the team behind the rules.”
I’m not going list out all the changes or just copy their article — you should go read it for yourself. But I did want to go over the highlights and share some thoughts and concerns I have. So let’s get into it!
Profile Changes, Advanced Characteristics, And Tactical Statuses
The new Advanced Characteristics are a mixed bag to me. I do like that it’s a way to really differentiate the units and allow them to shine in their strengths. I know that this system is in place to work with the Tactical Statuses as well. They do work together well and you can see what GW is trying to do. It’s an additional layer of strategy you can play into beyond “this unit kills stuff good.” That extra complexity can be nice and can add some drama to your games. Will your Techmarine be able to repair that vehicle? Will your squad manage to interact with the objective successfully? Which Primarch is the Coolest? I get it.
On the flip side, I feel like we’re about to have a ton of extra 2D6 tests that are going to bog the game down. While I do like complexity in my games you have to balance it with the tedium it creates. I like rolling piles of dice as much as any Warhammer Player — but I also want to be able to finish my games in a timely manner.
I understand that you really need both the new stats and the new Tactical Statues in place for this new system to work as intended. I’ll also concede that as players get more experience with the new system these rolls should go quicker and games speeds will increase. And I even like that the weapons can interact with these specific statuses, too! But I’m worried these checks will bog things down or just make games feel slower overall. I really hope I’m wrong and that these changes open up MORE variety and don’t slow things down.
Objectives And Scoring
Another big change is the adaptation of more special rules — and really more specialized rules. Specifically for scoring and playing the objectives. Tactical Squads will be your backbone for holding and scoring objectives. With Rules like Line they can really wrack-up the VPs for you. On the other end of the table you’ll want your Vanguard units at the front taking the enemy objectives away. They will score you VPs by taking those points and creating that differential as your opponent doesn’t score those same points.
I appreciate that Objectives and the strategy around scoring will be different in the new edition. I’m looking forward to these changes just because they really seem like they will spice things up. When you combine these changes with the changes coming to Secondary Objectives you’ve got a dynamic mix of ways to score. I don’t think the game is ever going to feel like it’s over for one side. With only four battle rounds, you’ve got to make each one count and securing those precious VPs is how you’ll do that.
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Challenges
The final section I want to touch on is the Challenges. I’ll be blunt: I’m not really a fan of these in the game. And hey, I get it. These can be super dramatic and cinematic for the narrative. Many of the key parts of Horus Heresy revolve around these duels to the death. But in a wargame I just think these are (mechanically speaking) kind of dumb.
Maybe I just need to see these in action. I’m trying to go in with an open mind. But I’ve played my fair share of games with challenges where the “duelist” character gets dodged as some chump “character” accepts the challenge. Or where the chump character issues a challenge to neutralize the unit-killer character. Is it an effective strategy? Yes. But again, that feels more like you’re using the rules of the game to circumvent the very thing these duels are aiming for. Again, I hope I’m wrong with these rules in practice. We’ll see how it plays out.
There’s LOTS more discussion to be had about the rule changes coming The Horus Heresy. If you’re looking for more developer insights then you should absolutely read the full article from WarCom.
What are you looking forward to/most concerned about for the new edition of The Horus Heresy?
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Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.
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