We’re returning to the scarred battlegrounds of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy with a brand new Exemplary Battles PDF.
The Assault on Castrum Velxtakes place after the betrayal at Calth, as the Blood Angels race to the aid of the Ultramarines to protect a gene-seed store, battling the midnight-clad Night Lords in the process.
The sons of Curze proved a fitting challenge to the IX Legion, and only by deploying a complement of Sanguinary Guard could victory be achieved. Known as the Ikisat, or the Burning Ones, these Legiones Astartes were tasked with the safety of the primarch Sanguinius – and only the most supremely talented warriors could rise to the rank of Sanguinary Guard.
Armed with mighty Perdition weapons and clad in dazzling golden artificer armour with Legion Warhawk jump packs, these bodyguards can act as a retinue to Sanguinius, improving in combat when their master is wounded. They can also join a Praetor or another Master of the Legion instead and improve their allies' chances of victory by setting a shining example.
You can make your own Sanguinary Guard just like the studio have, by using the Legion MkVI Assault Squad, combined with the Blood Angels upgrades, and the new Legion Command Upgrade set.
Henry Steele from Cult of Paint took a stab at these matchless bodyguards (above): "I've had a ton of fun converting up and painting this iconic unit. The new command squad kit is packed full of interesting bits, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing around with adding Contrast paints to gold to create some different colours."
We invited the team at the SN Battle Reports YouTube channel to play Secure the Keep, the legendary mission you can download below. It pits their Blood Angels – pictured above – against the Night Lords, who are defending the stronghold of Castrum Velx. You can watch it on their channel.
You can download the Assault on Castrum Velx below, and there are plenty more Exemplary Battles for you to download for free here on Warhammer Community, or you can grab a selection of them in the hardback book Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Exemplary Battles of the Age of Darkness: Volume One.