Titans were a lot more commonplace during the Horus Heresy. So let’s see how they will work in your games!
If you’re fortunate (or crazy) enough to own a Titan then you’re well aware of their place in the Horus Heresy. You’ll also be glad to know you’re getting some special treatment with the new edition. Titans work a bit differently and have some unique missions that add to your games. So let’s talk about how they function, how to take them out, and also what those missions will bring to the tabletop!
“Titans are among the mightiest terrestrial weapons in the Imperium’s arsenal – gargantuan walking weapon platforms with enough firepower to level cities. Generally only used when you wanted to destroy a world rather than conquer it, there were few threats to Mankind’s galactic ambition that truly warranted Titans until the Horus Heresy.”
Titans In The Horus Heresy
Now, we got a peek at the Titan rules already so here’s a quick refresher:
In this case, the Warhound Titan has four distinct locations that can be targeted. Each has their own pool of Hull Points as well as different Armor values. There’s also the Void Shields that have to be dealt with first:
The fact that Void Shields can regenerate is going to be a big deal. Players can also improve their crews by paying the points cost increase their skills. Now, if you do manage to chew through the Void Shields, you’ll then have to deal with the armor. And things work a little different on the Titans.
“Once the Hull Points have been reduced to 0, that location is Crippled. Any further attacks on this location roll against the lower Exposed Armour Value, and if you inflict damage the Titan rolls against the Critical Damage table, adding the Damage of the attack to the result.”
Things start to get really scary once you’re rolling with the Secondary Explosions. You could blow limbs off the Titan, or if you manage to chew through the carapace, you could even cause a Reactor Cascade!
Personally, I’ve played in games with Titans and when they go BOOM everyone at the table tends to watch. It’s an event. I look forward to it every time.
Titan-Specific Missions: Engine Kill
Now that you know a bit more about how Titans work let’s talk about the specific missions you can use them in. Welcome to Engine Kill.
“Engine Kill missions are designed to provide a fun and cinematic game whether one or both sides are bringing Titans to the table. These missions use the same Primary and Secondary Objectives as a regular game, but add additional ways for players to score by bringing down their opponent’s Titans and attacking special Strategic Objectives located beyond the bounds of the battlefield.”
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Get Tabletop, RPG & Pop Culture news delivered directly to your inbox.
When talking about these new Engine Kill Missions it’s important to note these are going to function a lot like regular missions. The twist here is that there are additional Strategic Objectives that are determined for the Titan players. On their first turn, you’ll have to randomly determine one of three Strategic Objectives: long-range defensive emplacements, communications hubs, or the enemy Command Post.
The Titan player will then have to choose if they want to go for the VPs by firing their Strategic Weapons (aka the big guns on their arms) at these specific targets for VPs or if they want to forgo those points. As an example, here’s a look at the Command Post:
While it’s not exactly an easy kill, the fact that it’s 10 VPs on top of the possibility of Suppressing the enemy, it’s a juicy target. Oh, and from the second turn onwards, the active player can determine a new Strategic Objective so Titans will always have something else to shoot at for VPs.
I think these extra missions do add some additional flavor to your games with Titans. And there’s a lot more. There’s things like Swarm Assaults where the infantry can climb all over the Titan to cause problems. And there’s even a Titan War Horn that can deafen the enemy!
I hope you’re ready to get your game on with your own Titans in The Horus Heresy. It’s going to be a real BLAST.
When Titandeath happens everyone stops and stares.
Don’t Miss:
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.
Read more at this site