So you’ve mustered your army, fueled up the tanks, and prepared your champions for some epic duels – all that’s left now is to get your troops onto the battlefield and start brawling. The new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy shakes the mission formula up, while keeping the same narrative spirit of the game alive.
Missions take place over four Battle Turns in the new edition – less than the previous standard of five to six. The mission that you’ll be fighting is also now chosen much earlier in the pre-battle sequence, right after the Points Limit for the game is set, which gives players the chance to tailor their force for the task at hand.
Battles in Warhammer: The Horus Heresy are won by accumulating Victory Points – or VP – which can be done by capturing objectives, killing enemy units, and other actions depending on the mission. The Primary Mission Objective is your main way to score Victory Points, and the three missions in the Core Rulebook require you to capture Objective Markers scattered around the battlefield which are worth between one and three VP.
Scoring Victory Points
Most units can capture objectives by getting a model within 3” of the Objective Marker, and you score VP for each objective you control during the Victory Sub-Phase at the end of the turn. When both you and your opponent have one or more units contesting the same objective, you compare their combined Tactical Strength – equal to the number of models in the unit that are within range of the objective – to find out who controls it.
Some core Troops units like Tactical Squads and Lasrifle Sections get a boost to their Tactical Strength from the Line (X)* Special Rule, allowing them to retain control against a numerically superior foe. This rule also scores extra Victory Points for controlling objectives, making them the perfect units for holding territory – a Tactical Squad with Line (2), for instance, will gain three VP from an Objective Marker normally worth one!
Line
Some units are drilled to hold the ground captured by the vanguard. Vigilant and steadfast, they are vital assets in any battle, standing sentinel over the vital objectives captured in any assault and holding back the foe’s counter-assault.
A Unit of Models with this Special Rule can control Objectives more easily and scores more Victory Points from controlling an Objective.
If a Unit that Controls an Objective includes a majority of Models with the Line (X) Special Rule then, whenever the Controlling Player scores Victory Points for Controlling that Objective, an additional number of Victory Points equal to the value of X are scored. For example, a Unit of 10 Models, of which the majority have the Line (3) Special Rule, hold an Objective worth 1 Victory Point, when the Controlling Player scores Victory Points for that Objective, they would score a total of 4 Victory Points.
Furthermore, the value of X is added to the Tactical Strength of a Model that has that Special Rule to determine its ability to Control Objectives.
In addition to the Primary Mission Objective, you can also score VP through Secondary Objectives. The three missions in the Core Rulebook have four Secondary Objectives, as follows:
Last Man Standing: Have more units that are not Routing than your opponent(s) at the end of the game.
Slay the Warlord: Kill enemy High Command units.
Giant Killer: Kill enemy Lords of War and Warlord choices like Primarchs.
First Strike: Wipe out a unit in your first player turn.
Each mission awards a different amount of Victory Points for each Secondary Objective, so while the Heart of Battle gives a balanced three VP across the board, the Crucible of War grants four for First Strike and two for the others.
Two new Special Rules introduce ways that you can score extra Victory Points and deny them to your opponent. Vanguard (X)* is found predominantly on Assault and Terminator Squads and grants its value in VP when your unit destroys or routs an enemy unit that’s controlling or contesting an objective, but also limits the amount they can score from controlling objectives to one – making them best suited for counterattacks.
Expendable (X)* meanwhile reduces how many VP a unit awards when it’s destroyed, to a minimum of 1 – which really hampers the First Strike Secondary Objective. A Tarantula Battery with Expendable (3), for instance, will only award a single VP when it’s destroyed in the first turn even if the mission has First Strike (4) in effect.
Next week, we’re looking closely at how each of the factions play.
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* The value of ‘X’ changes depending on the unit.
