The period immediately after Horus rebelled was a maelstrom of confusion, betrayal, and tragic misunderstanding. Nowhere was this apparent than on the isolated world of Canopus.
In this month’s free Exemplary Battles download,* a battered group of Iron Hands survivors from Isstvan V encounter the duty-bound Blood Angels defending the Canopus refineries, with neither willing to budge.
Andy from the Horus Heresy team is here to discuss this tragic head-on collision of unstoppable force and immovable object.
Andy: Tragically, not every conflict in the Horus Heresy was between Loyalists and Traitors, and the Battle of Canopus is an unfortunate case in point. Neither side was willing to give an inch – with grave consequences. Both sides earn a new unit – for the Blood Angels it’s the gilded Ofanim Court, while the Iron Hands earn the obdurate Morlock Terminators.
With the Battle of Canopus, we conclude the first wave of the Exemplary Battles series, having covered every one of the Legions – and a massive sweep of alternative future history! In a few months we'll be starting a second wave of articles, so fans of this format can rest assured more content is on the way.
In terms of theme, we're moving away from the Legiones Astartes for the second wave, and looking instead at their mortal and daemonic allies. We'll be presenting history, scenarios, and rules for a range of allied units from Daemons of the Ruinstorm to Cultists of the Primordial Annihilator, making use of existing miniatures and encouraging the ever-inventive Horus Heresy community.
Thanks Andy. Canopus is a remote world at the fringe of the Imperium, so let’s take a quick look at where this flashpoint confrontation takes place.
You can build your own Ofanim Court by combining elements of the MkIV Tactical Squad and Warhammer 40,000 Sanguinary Guard boxes – spreading the ornate chest armour and weapons around liberally – while Morlock Terminators can be created from the Iron Hands Gorgon Terminators, Legion Graviton Gun set, and some spare Cataphractii Terminator shoulders.
Download the PDF now to reenact the battle between the Blood Angels, Iron Hands, and the traitorous instigators who would exploit their intransigence.
You can find more Exemplary Battles articles throughout Warhammer-Community.com, featuring zealous Salamanders, number-crunching Thousand Sons, and more. This marks the last of the Exemplary Battles series for now, but worry not – more tales from the Age of Darkness are sure to come in future.
* The last in this series, no less.