In our last Exemplary Battles article, the owners of the finest helmets in the galaxy, the Space Wolves, launched a daring raid on The Vengeful Spirit. This month, it’s time for their arch-rivals the Thousand Sons to take their moment in the spotlight.
Axandria IV was one of the first planets that the Thousand Sons brought to compliance during the Great Crusade, so it was bound to be a prime target for Loyalist forces during the bitter civil war that followed. Here’s Andy Hoare from the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy team to explain how you can join the defences of this enlightened planet. Andy: This month, we're looking at a battle involving the enigmatic Thousand Sons Legion, which was more of a writing challenge than normal. This is because the XV Legion was so comprehensively mauled right at the start of the Horus Heresy* that historical examples of fighting at 'Legion strength' are few and far between.**
Nevertheless, our writers have at their disposal copious notes assembled over the decade and more they've been writing about the Horus Heresy, and it was from these notes that the Axandria IV Incident was drawn, first appearing in print in White Dwarf issue 470.***
Ruleswise, this month's new unit is something out of the ordinary, drawn from the Order of Ruin, a little-explored class of technomancers**** whom we hope Thousand Sons players will find interesting from both a modelling and a gameplay perspective.
You can create your own Numerologist Cabal by adding Achean Pattern Heads and parts from the Khenetai Occult Blade Cabal Upgrade Set to Mark III or Mark IV kits. Then choose a Mark III or Mark IV Techmarine to lead them into battle.
With our squad ready for battle, let’s see where they’re fighting – here’s the location of Axandria IV.
Now we’ve programmed in our 31st Millennium satnav, here are the free rules for the Numerologist Cabal and a scenario to recreate the fighting between the Thousand Sons, Imperial Fists, and Legio Custodes.
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* Read about this mauling from both sides of the battle in the novels A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns.
** See the Siege of Terra novel Fury of Magnus for perhaps the most famous post-Prospero example of the XV in battle.
*** Warhammer+ subscribers can read this issue on the Warhammer Vault.
**** Numerologists who fulfil the role held by Techmarines in other Legions.