Yeah, being a superhuman warrior is great, but have you tried logistics? It’s the new trend fresh out of Macragge, and if actually reviving the worlds you conquer (rather than just building walls and calling it a day) sounds like a good idea to you, we’d like to introduce you to the Ultramarines.
We’ve been taking a look through all of the Legiones Astartes lately in the run-up to Warhammer: The Horus Heresy’s new edition, and giving all of them a nice, balanced review. Even the ones that we’re, well, a little concerned about. This time, it’s the turn of Ultramar’s finest – or as they’d call themselves, the Bestus Marinii.*
Plans are great, we love plans, but sometimes you plan so hard you miss the Unification Wars and have to make up for lost time. See, while everyone else was blowing techno-barbarians to bits, the ‘War-Born’ were busy scooping up the best recruits they could find from all over Terra, and only saw their first engagement alongside the Imperial Fists and Luna Wolves during the First Pacification of Luna.
After spending a long time remaining low-key, the Ultramarines’ big break came when they got a crash course in Macragge-style logistics, becoming one of the largest and most well-organised Legions practically overnight. Only the Luna Wolves conquered more planets during the Great Crusade, and none left their conquests in such good condition.
By the end of the Great Crusade, the realm of Ultramar encompassed hundreds of planets and provided a constant stream of high-quality recruits. In fact, the Ultramarines grew so large that they had to create a whole new level of organisation called a ‘Chapter’, which we have a weird feeling will come in handy later.
The XIII Legion gene-seed was noted for instilling its recruits with supremely balanced military minds, vigorous one moment and cautious the next. They employed the Strength of Wisdom to fight as one cohesive whole, combining firepower with nearby comrades to destroy the enemy piece by piece.
Ultramarines commanders devise battle plans like Space Wolves have feasts, so their armies always have a Plan B, C, and D. With a good solid radio and the Logos Lectora to hand, the eminently adaptable XIII Legion can run when they need to, shoot when they need to, and get stuck in when they need to.
You don’t need to grow up on a vicious Death World or miserable mining colony to become a great leader – just ask Roboute Guilliman, who got to stretch his legs among the nobility of beautiful Macragge before the Emperor came knocking. Yes, his adoptive father was killed in a violent rebellion and yes, he had to quash constant incursions from mountain-dwelling wildfolk**, but it certainly beats having to throttle a giant silver serpent to death before breakfast.
When the Great Crusade reached Macragge, five years fashionably late due to warp storm troubles, the Emperor found a realm full of life, prosperity, and humanity. Naturally, he decided to put the Primarch responsible in charge of a Legion and send him off into the stars, because no good deed goes unpunished.
Ultimately, Roboute didn’t mind all that much, as he now had 250,000 new troops to organise into neat lines. He even threw his full support behind Horus’ appointment as Warmaster, letting a cool head prevail while certain other Primarchs threw fits. Unfortunately, his supernal planning skills painted a big target on his back for the deviously plotting Traitors.
While most of his brothers held Guilliman in reasonable esteem – at worst finding him a bit stuffy and overbearing – the same could not be said for Lorgar. Due to some trivial thing to do with their favourite city being annihilated by the Ultramarines on the Emperor’s orders, the Word Bearers harboured a grudge against the XIII Legion that boiled over in a cowardly ambush at Calth.
As both Legions mustered on the planet, everything seemed like a normal pleasant day in Ultramar. The Ultramarines looked forward to marching off alongside the Word Bearers, replacing all those past bad feelings with good memories of cooperation and camaraderie… when the Traitors started blasting away at their noble allies, leading to one of the bloodiest battles in galactic history as the implacable Ultramarines slowly but surely pushed their backstabbing cousins back into space.
Have you ever been so mad that you spacewalk without a helmet and punch Traitors to death outside your flagship? Roboute Guilliman has.
Once the Word Bearers had left with their tails between their legs, Guilliman found that he couldn’t get in touch with the Throneworld any more, and did what he does best: plan. He planned so hard that he created an entire second Imperium with his more popular brother Sanguinius on the throne.*** You know, just in case.
Through absolutely no fault of his own, Imperium Secundus didn’t work out, and Roboute set out for Terra with nearly his entire Legion in tow. Will he get there in time, or will the diabolical Ruinstorm delay the Ultramarines’ wrath for just long enough? Only time will tell.
Join the Ultramarines on one of their earliest campaigns with their Primarch at the helm in Roboute Guilliman: Lord of Ultramar. This novel paints a detailed picture of Guilliman’s early reorganisation of his Legion as it comes into contact with the savage Orks of Thoas, and kicks off the unmissable Primarchs series.
The heart-wrenching fall of Calth plays out in the tragic tale Know No Fear, presenting the Word Bearer’s unforgivable betrayal from the eyes of those who suffered through it. Then delve further into the conflict with Mark of Calth, as the battles rage from subterranean warrens to the blasted surface and far into the reaches of space while the Ultramarines struggle for their very survival.
Join us again here at Warhammer-Community.com as we continue our forage through the archives of Horus Heresy history and pull the latter Legions into the limelight. If you haven’t decided who needs your allegiance yet, Discover Your Legion at the Horus Heresy website, and start planning your own defence of the embattled Imperium****.
While you’re at it, you can learn how to paint Ultramarines with this video from the Warhammer Painting Team.
* Probably, our High Gothic is a bit rusty.
** He actually brought them to heel with diplomacy and humility, but shhh – don’t tell the Imperium.
*** Once again showing his boundless humility and respect for his brothers.
**** Or destruction of its lies and rot. Your choice.