How to Build a Mission-Worthy Army in Horus Heresy

[@Red-gv2bk]

I really appreciate the calm logic that you explain everything with. I'm genuinly impressed how eloquently you say your points, and how you manage to critize Horus Heresy while 1. having a passion for the game and 2. Not sounding salty. Keep up the great work!

[@Hearesy]

Thank you, that means a lot!

[@lukeeaton2364]

Seconded

[@Hearesy]

Thanks Luke!

[@Chewie2208]

I'm planning on having three 20 man squads of tactical marines for every single game, just to represent that the bulk of a legion is tactical squads. A close combat contemptor (dual plasma and claws), a dual plasma cannon contemptor alongside a 5 man missile launcher HSS and a cataphratii squad for dealing with problem units. Whatever HQ I feel in the mood to play and a couple of DA specific units depending on what I feel like bringing along on that day. At least for my first few games. I build armies because they're cool and I find a balanced force to be the best fun to play. Winning a mission is secondary to having a laugh when your close combat contemptor wrecks spacewolf face.

[@goadfang]

I'm so happy to have found your channel, this is the content I NEED as I get started in this game. Thank you!

[@Fortunes.Fool.]

Working my way through these videos. I’ve always wondered why I don’t see a lot of troops in 30k armies. Doing an all terminator Dark Angels list for my first army to start chipping away at my piles of shame, maybe I don’t need 5 terminator squads.

[@AarenJable]

I haven't played a game of Warhammer since 40k 4th edition, but I'm getting into Horus Heresy and collecting Alpha Legion, and I think your videos are awesome, I look forward to them.

[@Hearesy]

Brilliant! Thanks Aaren!

[@franklinwharton1894]

Love what you’re doing for us. Thanks, we’re lucky to have you 🙏

[@Hearesy]

Very kind!

[@Lord_Aussem]

While there's a lot I don't like about 9th ed 40k, the idea of having lots of ways to score points in missions is an idea I like a lot, and would definitely use for Horus Heresy. My opponent and I made up a mission one time, where I was Fists vs his Iron Warriors, and he was attacking the ship in a zone mortalis style table. I had to defend the captain on the bridge, while he was trying to capture or kill him. The captain was essentially an objective marker that could be killed, though capturing him was worth more. The bridge was worth the most points, but there were also 6 markers across the table that were also worth points. The points went to whoever was near the objective last, effectively planting their flag on that room. Between those objectives, plus Slay the Warlord, and the other secondaries, the game ended up being really close and a ton of fun! Alexis Polux and his squad had a bad teleport mishap, but the Fists just barely held the line. Probably my favourite game of Heresy I've ever played.

[@eastoforion]

good stuff, coming from 40k I was shocked by how little objectives seemed to matter in the batreps I have been able to watch so far.

[@cameronthompson7314]

This has made me reconsider taking Remus Ventanus as my WL, I just figured their'd be objectives galore in every mission..

[@lukeeaton2364]

During 7th edition 40k, my gaming group had the most fun with 'maelstrom' missions using the random objective cards. I recall that system having some big problems, but they were easily fixed by consenting players with a house rule. The new version is pretty great, and is the only 40k I have any interest in playing because it steers players into building balanced takes-all-comers style lists, while providing opportunities for some truly memorable battles full of epic moments and chaotic last stands. I would be thrilled to have such a rule pack for HH.

[@cameronflynn8920]

100%. Since they released the new mission cards for 40k its all ive played, would love to see this in 30k too for some variety and more secondaries.

[@Cabooseforprez2012]

I never took to maelstrom personally but I had quite a few early games that were just one sided either way. The worst was the one where you could score your opponents objective and I kept drawing the hold objective in their deployment.

[@cameronflynn8920]

@@Cabooseforprez2012 Now they have some that you cant do turn one (like have a unit in your deployment zone with no enemies) and you return the card, you can also swap a card for a CP and nearly all of them are doable. The first maelstrom deck would definitely give you games you couldnt win, theyve got it right this time.

[@lukeeaton2364]

@@cameronflynn8920 definitely. I like the combination of: hold objectives; kill stuff. The where, when and what can be randomized so that no two games are the same. Some atmospheric elements are cool too, like blinding sandstorms, poison fog, or earthquakes from an orbital bombardment.

[@lukeeaton2364]

@@Cabooseforprez2012 yeah they definitely needed some house ruling to work best.

[@warsmithstefanos2095]

Love your videos man! I'm new to 30k and you have been a great resource

[@Hearesy]

Thanks Stefanos! Great to hear that theyre helpful!

[@Hermit_hobby]

Agree regarding the missions. Need more that suit objs holding and taking. Too much is on just killing which some legions do better via traits and RoW etc. Was a shame,I love tactical play where its more than just who can pew pew the best

[@cyberdan42]

Truth, but this is GW; it has pretty much always been about pew, pew gaming with buckets of dice. Horus Heresy at least tries to flex into some kind of objective play, but simply put, other games emphasise objective play far better than anything GW produces.

[@withershadow3904]

The idea is you play campaign missions from the Black Books and the Battles of Renown they publish regularly.

[@sharbie9540]

@@cyberdan42 I would disagree, at least in terms of ninth edition 40k. Objectives are massive these days, and ‘play the objectives while you get tabled’ is often a really viable strategy in it. MESBG is also heavily objective focussed in 12/18 missions, and even AoS seems pretty focussed on them these days

[@Juicyjim57]

Loving your channel, thanks for all of this great information. One thing I'd definitely like to see you cover is the various melee weapon options. I'm suffering a fair bit of choice paralysis when it comes to equipping my units and characters.

[@Hearesy]

Cool idea!

[@simonjackson1571]

Now this is perfect timing. Cheers!

[@Hearesy]

Enjoy and thank you!

[@radamanthus]

Thank you, as always. Very useful.

[@benjaminbrenner745]

Great work, thank you!

[@liammorgan1413]

Even with 5 out of 6 scenarios having little to do with scoring units, I'd still try to have at least 2 scoring units available in an army at the 3000pt range, be they generic or via Rite of War. On top of that, Line units are both scoring and denial units by default anyway, so there's little to no penalty to taking them as such.

[@warpaintjj]

Brilliant as usual. Keep these coming please.

[@heckinmemes6430]

If you completely kill off your opponent's army, you win.

[@LordGrantius]

Played Blood Feud over the weekend, themed game - Space Wolves vs Thousand Sons. Massed infantry because that's what I had. I look forward to GW releasing campaigns and legendary missions, or even more exemplary battles - my goal was to recreate the burning of Prospero. I think I might go back to the black book campaigns and missions for these games, and the rulebook for pick up games

[@jasonmisuinas9650]

I enjoyed a lot of the AoS 2.0 missions over years that were all about objectives. I think they would be good templates for HH missions especially with how Line would interact.

[@ralphdutton9334]

Good discussion

[@Rich0029]

All the missions are pretty much copy and paste from previous edition of HH. Funnily the 6 people I play with on a regular basis were all slightly disappointed that war of lies had removed - 1 VP on the Victory point table in the mission it had changed so many games over the years. On the whole I enjoy most the missions. I normally make sure I’ve got 4 scoring units in a game between 2k-3k.

[@CrimsonTemplar2]

Great video. Very helpful.

[@MLaak86]

Okay, I thought Line units would be more important to include than they seem to be - definitely will look at tweaking things a bit as a result, once I've just got some games under my belt to learn how stuff works.

[@SleepySoviet]

The 40K tempest of war pack is pretty good for this

[@yinshaoloong2048]

Can you pretty much use it without modifications?

[@SleepySoviet]

@@yinshaoloong2048 ditch the action cards

[@_lewtz]

Should do one of these for the Exemplary battle missions. Whats your thoughts on those missions?

[@Hearesy]

I muat admit i zones out reading that pdf!

[@brothwood4108]

Use the AOS missions. Just change the keywords. The AOS missions are some of the best in the gaming world in my opinion.

[@jasonmisuinas9650]

Which ones are you using and what changes have you made? I just mentioned AoS missions. Sort of regretting getting rid of those old GHBs.

[@IVIaskerade]

I think it would be a good integration of objectives to make units only able to score for killing other units when your unit is within a short range of an objective - that makes you trade off between powerful units and scoring units sitting on them, and makes denying your opponent's objectives very important.

[@metallixbrother]

I wonder how you could make War of Lies less frustrating. Maybe if there was a rule where you could interact with the objective to establish its worth there and then? That would at least prevent you from sitting on an objective until the end of the game that will net you no points (and maybe force your opponent to make a push to capture a big point objective).

[@Hearesy]

Just play Dominion instead I think, haha.

[@guillemsaldo]

Minor annecdotal evidence. Playing headhunter leviathal and accounting for nightfighting makes games winnable where I could otherwise not be able to hold my own. I am now building a Moebius configuration headhunter leviathal list for +3 VP in almost every game.

[@jasonferron1188]

Don't forget, even if we are in 2.0, we still have all the black book missions, the ones the they put up on the warhammer community and if you still have the 7th ed mission cards.

[@jackwhorton6826]

Random Q but seems like a relevant place to ask - for missions with scoring per unit killed for example, does a troops unit with an Independent Character attached count as 1 or 2? Can't seem to find where that is clarified in the rulebook. I'd assume 2?

[@Hearesy]

2 yeh. The rulebook is unclear on what “unit” means at a lot of points in the game when an IC is joined to a unit, but this one is a bit easier!

[@Yoghurtacid]

Such a shame about the missions being a bit lacklustre - I think the 9th edition 40k missions are nice, a big focus on objectives. Maybe some of those can be used, while we wait for a community mission pack.

[@blakesmith3477]

First! Love these videos. Keep it up.

[@jeffwatson7345]

new at 30k. not sure i can make a balanced mission from scratch. could i use missions from 40K and then just rework the Secondary objectives? or where could i find more balanced 30K missions?

[@Hearesy]

Play the Dominion mission, its great! And you can use it as the basis of other ideas. Most important thing: score every turn, make objectives the most important thing, and minimize/remove anything that makes you score for kills. The idea is to make people want to get units in position to score, every turn, and not just kill things.

[@jeffwatson7345]

@@Hearesy thank you.

[@malcolmheather3204]

Are "denial units" ones that are not "line" units? Thanks

[@Hearesy]

Its a bit more nuanced than that - Id check out the rulebook. Its anything that isnt scoring, with some exceptions.

[@malcolmheather3204]

@Hearesy Will do. Many thanks for the rapid reply. Best wishes for your winter break (if you get one).

[@johnhaynes9442]

Also look at the old scenarios from 1st ed

[@knoxminis1211]

So as an Alpha Legion player, you're saying I should use Suzerain as my rewards of treachery?

[@Hearesy]

Thats what I’d be using, yep.

[@jeffreysas5888]

I cannot emphasize enough how much I hate War of Lies

[@Hearesy]

Ive played it once so far. I held 3 objectives my opponent held 0. I rolled 0vp for all of them and only won the game by 1 point on secondaries I think. It was a really great game until that point but it just leaves a bad feeling, especially if my opponent had held 1 and rolled a non-0!