Our Exemplary Battles articles bring you new units to use in The Horus Heresy, as well as extra missions in which to field them (alongside the rest of your collection). In February, we joined the bitter fighting beneath the surface of Calth, and now we’re stepping through the Kalium Gate where the Emperor’s Children are taking on the White Scars.
Jaghatai Khan pledged his Legion to the Loyalist cause after the events in Scars, and now the White Scars make their way towards Terra for the final confrontation of the war. In their way stand the Emperor’s Children. Here’s Andy Hoare from the Horus Heresy team to tell us about the new units appearing in this month’s download.
Andy: This month's article describes the Battle of the Kalium Gate, an encounter between the best two Legions*, which was described in the Black Library novel The Path of Heaven. This book is one of my favourite reads in the entire Horus Heresy series, and as I collect both Emperor's Children and White Scars, it was one I've been looking forward to since we started these Exemplary Battles articles!
The Sun Killers in particular sum up everything we've aimed for with these new units, in that they've been mentioned in the background before – first in the Horus Heresy Collectable Card Game, then in the Emperor's Children background in Betrayal. They are, in essence, a veteran Legion Heavy Support Squad, a unit that can be summed up in a few simple rules and be built using existing models, embellished with upgrades as much or as little as the collector wants.
In fact, there's already a Sun Killers decal on the Forge World Emperor's Children transfer sheet, for those who seek that extra level of 'historical' accuracy!
Thanks, Andy! The Sun Killers are easy to build with some Mark IV Space Marines, Emperor’s Children heads, shoulder pads, and your choice of lascannon, plasma cannon, multi-melta, or volkite culverin – these perfectionist gunners eschew anything but the finest energy weapons.
While the Sun Killers are a specialist heavy support option, the Dark Sons of Death are a new Destroyer unit for the White Scars. In battle, they seek to destroy their enemies physically and, through the use of Chogorian rites, spiritually too. If you need to utterly lay waste to your foes – and offer your psychic Stormseers some support – send in the Dark Sons of Death.
To make your own unit, start with a Mark IV Destroyer Squad and add some deadly weaponry from the Mark IV Power Weapons Set. Then accessorise in the style of Chogoris with White Scars shoulder pads, helmets, and Legion transfers.
With your units ready, let’s give them a mission to fight over – the Assault on Void Dock Theta-3. But where exactly is this crucial void dock (and the less famous Void Dock Theta-4)?
This mission involves the White Scars trying to fight their way through the Traitors’ emplacements and claim the dock before they make their push for Terra. Download the rules for the mission and the two new units.
If you build and paint the Sun Killers or Dark Sons of Death, share them with us on Facebook. Plus, grab some Munitorum Armoured Containers, so your battlefield feels just like a void dock.
* In Andy’s humble opinion!