Huron Blackheart is, to put it lightly, a bit of a monster, and it takes some seriously skilled renegades to keep pace with the Master of the Maelstrom when he gets all piratical. Not every Space Marine that ditches their Chapter and signs up with the Red Corsairs gets to be one of his elite Raiders, but those that do stand a cut above the rest, and today we’re going to have a look at that shiny new datasheet of theirs.
Red Corsairs Raiders are masters of swooping in quickly and snatching valuable booty, setting up in advance positions with the Infiltrators special rule and holding down objectives in No Man’s Land with a respectable OC of 2. Unlike similar vanguard troops though, who would very much prefer if everyone forgot they were there, the Corsairs are itching for a fight and only get better at locking down their spoils after a fresh kill.
As anyone who’s fought Victrix Guard, Inner Circle Companions, or Chaos Chosen knows, a Space Marine with 3 Wounds is a surprisingly tough nut to crack, and the Red Corsairs Raiders revel in their added durability – especially when they’re likely to be right up in your opponent’s grill. Their standard wargear is a classic Legionary affair that gives them close combat and ranged options, though the opportunity to add a meltagun and power fist can spike some serious damage into unsuspecting targets.
Raiding parties of any serious size are typically led by a Reave-Captain who has the unenviable task of holding their misfit crew together lest Huron Blackheart hear of their failures. This spectacularly hostile workplace environment breeds a particularly Brutal Raider who takes out their ire on unfortunate enemies, charging from one bloody melee to the next in search of plunder.
We can’t forget that this very ‘Chaos Space Marine’ temper comes from a mind still fresh with the strategic brilliance of the Adeptus Astartes, and both come in handy when charging onto objectives with a bodyguard of Raiders. If you’re itching to get into combat, you might as well re-roll Charge rolls to make sure it happens – otherwise, how are you going to collect the Raider’s Due?
They also get the choice between a power sword or power maul, with the latter leaning far more to elite-hunting than the former. The extra Strength and AP you get from Brutal Raider makes either option a particularly tantalising prospect, though we’re rather fond of the maul’s ability to flatten Space Marines with one solid crack.
Don’t forget you can go back and see Huron’s own datasheet – along with his Masters of the Maelstrom command squad – in our previous article. Return to the Maelstrom and join the battle between Corsair crews when The Maelstrom: Lair of the Tyrant goes up for pre-order this Saturday.
