Following the pattern of the classic ‘black books’ and The Siege of Cthonia, The Battle for Beta-Garmon is loaded with background lore, from the first embers to the raging fires of its conclusion. Sanguinius and Jaghatai Khan are deployed to hold back the advance of Warmaster Horus, and forces from across the breadth of the Imperium are pitched into a battle that will leave billions upon funeral pyres.

Along with its extensive story sections, this campaign book also includes a wide variety of expanded rules content for all kinds of Horus Heresy players.

The new Onslaught Campaign system pits teams of players against each other in an effort to force a Decisive Battle and claim ultimate victory. This quick-fire string of connected games is a great way to play out a campaign over a weekend, with a maximum of six games taking place before the final, climactic confrontation decides it all.

You can also theme your Onslaught Campaign after the events in the Garmon Cluster, which adds additional campaign stratagems for modifying your forces pre-game and tasks Loyalist forces with selling their lives as dearly as possible for more time to reinforce Terra. Tracked by the chillingly named Mortifaction Index, this gives Loyalists a greater chance of seizing strategic advantage as their casualties mount.

Beyond the campaign itself, the Shattered Legions and Blackshields return as playable factions. Formed from the survivors of the Drop Site Massacre and other disastrous battles, the Shattered Legions forces are ad-hoc armies composed of troops from many different Legions: Salamanders, Raven Guard, Iron Hands, and more mixing together even within individual squads.

This diversity makes for an extremely flexible and characterful rule set, with a wide variety of special abilities depending on the predominant factions within each unit. Advanced players can use these rules to customise their army to an unparalleled degree, while those looking for a rich narrative experience can embrace the confusion of the early Heresy by throwing caution to the wind and mixing their Legions together at random.

By contrast, the Blackshields have a more cohesive structure that can be used to represent the many independent warbands that prowled the galaxy – be they fugitives from a Legion they reject, or displaced Space Marines collecting around a charismatic leader. These armies can be customised by selecting two Oaths which set a distinct framework around which the warband is built, granting additional wargear options or abilities.

There’s still more! Legendary heroes from the campaign get all-new rules, such as Little Horus Aximand, Tybalt Marr, Shadrak Meduson, and Endryd Haar – a real treat for those who followed the events of Beta-Garmon through the Black Library series. Then there are rules for the Aethon Heavy Sentinel – revealed at the recent online preview – along with a few more treats for the Solar Auxilia.*

This epic campaign book is designed very much as a companion piece to the first supplement to Legions Imperialis, The Great Slaughter,** which concentrates on the huge, sweeping battles of the campaign while this one focuses on more character-driven narrative encounters. And with the Sons of Horus and the Blood Angels as major players, their armoury sets can really make your forces stand out.

It will be released later this year, and with plenty of plastic Solar Auxilia releases on the way, it’s a great time to be planning for a narrative Horus Heresy campaign.

* More on those later.
** The Great Slaughter will also be out a little later this year.

Quelle: Warhammer Community