The New Year Preview – Prepare to be boarded by the new Red Corsairs

Huron Blackheart made his grand return on Christmas Day with a breathtakingly cool new miniature, and it’s got us feeling all piratical here at Warhammer Community. Luckily, when it’s time to reave across the bounds of Imperial space, there’s nobody we’d rather be doing it with than the infamous Red Corsairs.

It’s said that a captain is only as good as his crew, so someone as legendary as Huron must surround himself with raiders of truly terrifying repute – and that’s exactly what the Masters of the Maelstrom are.

Huron Blackheart and the Masters of the Maelstrom

Made up of old comrades and new luminaries drawn from across his corsair empire, Blackheart’s inner circle are eclipsed in their brilliance only by their savagery. Three hail from the dark days of the Badab War: Garreon the Corpsemaster, Lord-Apothecary and former Astral Claw; Katar Garrix, cold-hearted headsman formerly of the Executioners; and Garlon Souleater, a master manipulator and deadly sorcerer once under the banner of the Mantis Warriors. Each fled with Huron into the Maelstrom, and now they lend their awesome might to his campaign of terror.

Perhaps even more impressive are the mortals who have earned the Blood Reaver’s trust with their peerless service and wicked wiles. Captain Sargotta is the finest shipmaster in the Red Corsairs fleet and the chief architect of their many naval victories, despite viewing the seething mass of pirate lords under her command with disgust and disdain. 

Finally, the Tarellian bounty hunter known only as The Enforcer – as few care to learn or pronounce her true name – doggedly hunts down those cowards who fail the Master of the Red Corsairs and choose flight rather than their deserved death. Mere mention of her epithet is enough to cow rebellious mercenaries, and if the Enforcer herself doesn’t catch them her enthralled Barghesi will simply tear them to bloody ribbons.

Huron Blackheart and the Masters of the Maelstrom are setting out to reap all the plunder they can gather from the failing Imperium, but they won’t do it alone. The ferocious forces of the Red Corsairs are right behind them, and they have their own brand new models coming first in a new battleforce box.

The Lords of the Maelstrom battleforce contains a collection of new and existing miniatures, headlined by the Red Corsair Raiders and Reave-Captain.

Red Corsair Raiders

The Red Corsair Raiders are a whole new plastic kit, and show off a different side of the Chaos coin than we usually see, with nary a daemon or mutation in sight. They represent Space Marines that have turned against the Imperium without the aid of the Dark Gods, and sport an eclectic mix of wargear compiled from old armour marks and modern Imperial patterns of weapon. 

These renegades are vicious fighters who are free to indulge their baser instincts, no longer held back by the discipline and superstition of the Adeptus Astartes. They excel at the tip of the spear, taking front line objectives before crashing over enemy lines in a flurry of blades and bolt shells.

Reave-Captain

To lead such a band of reavers requires no small amount of charisma and a mean streak a mile wide, and Reave–Captains fit the bill like few others. They must be peerless warriors and cruel taskmasters to maintain an iron grip on their crews of turncoat Space Marines, and the most successful become notorious corsair captains in their own right.

The ten Red Corsair Raiders in the kit are an excellent, versatile unit to build an army around, and the Lords of the Maelstrom battleforce box comes with plenty of additional troops to support them. You get a classic Chaos Space Marine infantry core – 10 Legionaries, five Terminators, and 10 Traitor Guardsmen – and better yet, they’ll look the business with a new pack of Red Corsairs upgrades and transfers.

Red Corsairs Upgrades

This set contains enough shoulder pads to outfit all of the Legionaries and Terminators in the box, along with additional head options and accessories like bandoliers and trophies to give them some piratical flair. Then, when you pick up some vehicles or extra units to bulk out your army, you can make them match with two sheets of 248 transfers each – featuring squad markings, kill tallies, and warband icons for the Red Corsairs.

Rules for running your army as a thematic Red Corsairs raiding fleet will be found in The Maelstrom: Lair of the Tyrant, and we’ll be looting a copy to look through just as soon as the Warhammer Merchant Fleet sails within snatching distance. Until then, keep a low profile and have a look through the rest of today’s reveals.