Dozens of disparate fighting forces splintered off from their parent Legions during the Horus Heresy, with bands of Space Marines coming together to fight for the Emperor or the Warmaster – and that’s even before we get to the Solar Auxilia, Mechanicum, and beyond.
One of the most interesting of these occurrences were the independent warbands known as Blackshields, who often painted over their heraldry or even scorched their armour black to remove all trace of their home Legion – hence the name. Their tactics were quite unlike those of a regular battalion of Space Marines, and now you’ll be able to field your own cohort of irregulars in the Age of Darkness with a suite of updated rules.
Neil from the Specialist Design Studio is here to tell us more.
Neil: The Blackshields rules give players the tools to field armies of the forsaken, lost, and damned among the ranks of the Legiones Astartes – those warriors that by choice or misfortune have been exiled from their Legions. These Blackshields have renounced their Primarchs and Legions to pursue their own goals and follow no rules but their own.
Unlike other army lists, these rules provide no new units, but instead add a Blackshields Trait, a new Rite of War, and a variety of new thematic options to the basic units from the Legiones Astartes army list. These Oaths of Moment allow players to create truly unique armies, from renegades and marauders to Space Marines given over to augmetic enhancement or psychic excess.
While rarely as powerful as the Legions from which these warbands sprang, they offer even veteran players a new way to use Space Marine armies on the tabletop, and a new way to explore the lore of the Horus Heresy. With a wealth of opportunities for unique conversions and modelling projects, Blackshields armies also offer an opportunity to build an army of Space Marines like no other.
Unbound by the doctrines of the Legions, a Blackshields force can be painted in colours of a player's choosing, to reflect the unique identity that the Oaths of Moment provide. Weapons and wargear unknown to the true Legions can be added to models, and new characters created to lead such forces – including the infamous warrior Endryd Haar.
We’re excited to see what you come up with for your own Blackshields!
Legiones Astartes: Blackshields
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Thanks, Neil! You can download the rules now at the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Downloads page here at Warhammer Community, and start cooking up your own personal band of intrepid guerillas. Do you have a Blackshields force already assembled? Show us on Facebook and Instagram!
