Get ready to mix and match your Legions with these new Shattered Legion rules for the Horus Heresy. Things could get a little weird.
The Horus Heresy caused a lot of death and destruction as Legions battled it out across the stars. In the aftermath of many of these battles there were survivors that got cut off or left behind. Some of those survivors broke off and became Blackshields. But others did not forsake their Legion of origin. Instead, they continued on and managed to link up with other survivors from other broken and scattered units from other legions. That’s where these new rules come into play.
“For most, it was a matter of practicality above all else, and their different outlooks often created strange, chimeric combat doctrines that suited their particular theatre and composition. Now, these Shattered Legions forces are at your command, with a new downloadable Legacies of the Age of Darkness document bringing their fun and flexible rules for army creation into the new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy.”
Download the Shattered Legion Rules Here
The Shattered Legions
At it’s core these rules are there to represent a fighting force that’s made from the remnants of two to three other Legions. They get a special Mutable Tactic that’s based on their Legion of Origin. There a few restrictions and changes on how this works. There’s also a strong suggestion that you also paint your units appropriately:
I get it. This seems like it’s more for a narrative bend so it’s probably a good idea to paint your Legion to match the rules you want to use. Otherwise, play Blackshields. There’s also a handful of selected Shattered Legions Commands you can opt to use:
That said, you do have access to the majority of the same rosters as before.
“… you build your army from the same roster of units as the regular Legiones Astartes army list, albeit with a new Gambit and Advanced Reaction. Every single model in a given unit can hail from any one of the chosen Legions – so a resolute Salamanders sergeant might find themselves leading stealthy Raven Guard and grim Iron Hands – and they can requisition any tools from their specific Legion armoury that they’d otherwise have access to. “
Combining the Legions
Within the rules, you’ll find the new Mutable Tactics. Each of the 18 Legions has their own version of this rule. Below are just three examples.
This is where things can get a little funky. Obviously, there’s going to be certain tactics that combine really well together. That’s part of the fun. There’s also the Exemplars of the Legion rules and the Prime Advantage, too. Those rules can be found on page 3 of the download but basically they allow you to take a Legion Specialist unit that gets the benefits of their Legion of Origin.
As an example, GW mentions taking some “World Eaters Centurion unlocking Red Butchers for some frightening melee punch, while their Ultramarines and Night Lords comrades do their own thing at range.” I think that’s kind of the point here. If you’ve ever thought “man, I wish I could run these melee specialists with those ranged support options,” well, now you’ve got your chance.
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Personally, I think this is really meant to be a more narrative driven thing with a focus on Hobby opportunities. It’s a bit of a trade-off to run these Mutable Tactics vs the unique Legion Rules, too. So if you’re interested in mixing up the Legions then check out these rules and have some fun with it.
Now, what’s the reason these Legions are fighting together?
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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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