Warhammer 40,000 Conquest Card Game Review

Full disclosure, I don’t do card games. My personal opinion is they are a waste of money. All that cash on blind packed cards to find something of use and where the person with the deepest pockets will have the hardest deck. Money, not skill, is the deciding factor in victory. Apart from a brief dalliance with the Pokemon Trading Card Game in my teens I’ve steered well clear.

I understand that the games are popular and even fun but I am very much oriented towards things and would much prefer to spend my funds on plastic, particularly when I know exactly what my money is buying. Warhammer 40,000 Conquest is however a card game and I have bought it.

Firstly, I have not changed my opinion of card games such as Magic the Gathering. Secondly, it was something as simple as slapping 40K on the box that interested me enough to buy it though that was not the only reason. Fantasy Flight Games have a proven track record of producing quality games, even if they cannot get their distribution sorted out.

Being a living card game means that all the cards that you will need to play the game are included. No buying endless blind packs to find the best cards, you already have them. Because of this the game is tightly balanced as each deck is more or less pre-built so everyone has a chance regardless of the race they end up selecting. Also expansion packs that are released, there are already several out for Conquest, are complete and ready to use as well as being balanced to use against the existing decks. It is a finite game that can be as big or small as you want.



The game is set in the Traxis sector somewhere in the galactic east (it needs to be to include the Ultramarines and Tau) where seven forces are arrayed against one another for dominance. You select a deck and battle your opponent for control of seven planets, the first player to capture three planets with a similar resource which is split into three categories; materiel, strongpoint and tech.

Each force is led by a warlord who is one of the most powerful cards, able to deal out the pain and take a lot of damage in return. Each warlord also has a special ability to aid their side’s battles for control of the individual planets.


To play each player must create a hand which will contain cards which fall into the following categories:


* Unit cards represent squads, vehicles and unique characters or assets that will be your armies. They are used to conquer planets and will be the cards that will battle with your opponent.

* Attachment cards are either wargear or allies that improve the performance of your units.

* Support cards are generally locations that you can play during turns to influence the outcomes or help your units.

* Event cards are played to affect your or your enemies units and can range from healing your side, damaging the enemy or returning discarded cards to your deck amongst others.

* Token cards are not part of a player’s hand but are required when triggered by other cards. They represent additional forces or effects.

Book Review: Master of Sanctity by Gav Thorpe

In my Review of Ravenwing I said it would be beneficial if you had read Gav Thorpe’s Dark Angels standalone magnum Opus Angels of Darkness but that it was no means necessary to enjoy Ravenwing. Sadly I cannot say the same of Master of Sancitity, at all. There are too many threads picked up to ignore. you will really need to read that first to have a better understading of what is going on. Master of Sanctity makes a lot more reference to Angels of Darkness than Ravenwing and features a couple of the same characters. Even thought the main thrust of the narrative is placed elsewhere. It also ties loosely into Purge of Kadillus, Thorpe’s Space Marines Battles Novel but you can safely ignore that (though it’s by no means a bad read) Sadly Master of Sanctity falls short of the promise showed in Ravenwing, It is also vastly inferior to Angels of Darkness being that difficult bridging installment in an overall story arc.



And of course that Arc involves The Fallen. Im not sure exactly when the Dark Angels turned into Pokemon collectors (gotta get em all!!) but it’s getting to be a little tiresome now. Of course hunting the Fallen was never a new thing for the Dark Angels, they have always striven to apprehend their traitor brethren since the end of the Heresy, but rather than being a quirk of the chapter it is now their overriding reason for existence and it’s all getting a bit silly. What really doesn’t work is the levels of secrecy revolving around the whole affair, the amount of ignorance that the lower echelons of the chapter display is absolutely staggering. It’s very hard to credit that they could be so naive such is the ease with which the wool is pulled over their eyes, and they come across as swaddled in bedclothes until they grow up enough to learn all about the big bad nature of Chaos. I can imagine the other chapters sneering away at the Dark Angels ‘Can you believe Azrael’s lot? They don’t even know about traitor marines and DAEMONS! HAHAHAHA!!!!’ Its all a bit tragic for the 1st Legion, an ignoble portrayal of a difficult and awkward concept.



Still it’s a narrative mechanic and here it follows much the same function as in Ravenwing. The Dark Angels bimble about, by and large unaware of what they are actually up to, just following orders. Of course the privileged few DO know and go about their business of tracking down the Fallen. The same characters from Ravenwing feature here, though they don’t really do a lot and are given limited scope for development. Telemenus in particular (promoted to Deathwing by virtue of simply SEEING one of the Fallen in Ravenwing) is incessant in his insecurity and far too much time is spent dwelling on how much he is struggling to measure up to the standards of the Dark Angels Elite. This was understandable I guess when he was a lower ranked marine but to see it in this capacity is just awful. It’s painful watching this waste of space of a Space Marine lumber around ineptly until something actually happens. It really does make a bit of a mockery of the Dark Angel heirachal system having such an insecure and doubt riddled member of the Dark Angels elite.



The main thrust of Master of Sanctity is not Telemenus (praise be to the Emperor) however. Instead this book focuses more on the Interrogator Chaplains. The main duo in this book are Sapphon and Asmodai. Sapphon is in the ascendancy and the titular Master of Sanctity, his cool and collected methods preferred by the Grand Masters of the chapter. Asmodai is considered too volatile, his brutal and compromising methods bringing too much controversy and attention to a chapter that prefers to keep to the Shadows. However, Sapphon is under pressure to deliver results and Asmodai is constantly trying to undermine him to gain his position. The power struggle between these two is one of the better parts of the book and where it works it works well. It is never really taken to the full extent of its potential though and Asmodai in particular comes off as a little one dimensional. However the interplay between the two is pretty good and personifies the different aspects of the chapter well.

The Fallen also have a much larger presence in this book, particularly Astelan from Angels of Darkness. In this book the Dark Angels use him to track down other members of the Fallen. As you might be able to appreciate this DOES not go down well with Asmodai, creating a great deal more conflict and drama. And I think that is the real problem here, drama. The story is overly wrought about stuff that as the reader we just don’t care about. At times the dialogue gets a bit cheesy but overall it’s not too bad but it helps the already inconsistent pace of the book not one jot. Unfortunately it is around here the plots starts to meander a lot, a nondescript and pointless trip to a daemon world ensues but is nothing more than a red herring setting up the real climax of the book. Now admittedly the cliffhanger the book ends on is pretty exciting and will entice you to read the next installment Unforgiven, but it sure comes out of the blue with no real foreshadowing and I’m not really sure where it is leading.



Master of Sanctity is a deeply flawed book. Thorpe is not a bad writer, or at least not deserving of the vitriol normally levied at him, but his handling of the Astartes here is just not right and in all honestly the Dark Angels come off as a bunch of arguing bumbling idiots. Especially Telemenus who is meant to be a member of the Deathwing for crying out loud! Still, Gav has done his homework and there are some passages that make for great reading. Some of the action scenes are pretty gripping and the sections on the daemonworld are delightfully old school if wholly forgettable. The pacing is also well off, with the end being shoehorned in and most of the climax of the book taking place is a startlingly short amount of pages. Some of the characterization leaves something to be desired too, with some cast members either being dull stereotypes or wholly unlikable. Another thing I must mention are the mistakes. AGAIN. Ravenwing had a few of these and they really jarred me out of the narrative as wrong names were used in vital places. Sadly Master of Sanctity is no exception and again there are errors. For example. Asmodai is described as having a white skull like helmet. EVERYONE knows Interrogator Chaplains do not wear white skull helms. Later on in the book we are told a Terminators backpack hits the roof of a corridor (ok this one is perhaps a little uncharitable) even though terminators don’t wear ‘backpacks’

The thing is I could understand these errors in a hired gun, a freelance writer who might not have in depth knowledge of the 40k Universe., but Gav Thorpe has been working with Games Workshop since before I got into the hobby! He is a veteran Game Designer, Codex Writer AND Black Library Author, this aint his first Rodeo. Hopefully this is all sorted out and the last book is a stormer. Otherwise the only one Unforgiven will be Gav Thorpe.

3 out of 5 Fallen

Game Review: Star Wars Armada

Unveiled last year it has seemed an intolerable wait for Star Wars Armada. Due in January it has been delayed a couple of times now and we've had the unprecedented event of a second wave being previewed before the core set is even released! Indeed i was starting to fear it might not appear before Star Wars day. Thankfully though, it has at last been released and i can finally see if it lives up to the hype.

And such hype there has been! Ever since the release of X-wing people have rather been clamouring for the larger ships in the Star Wars universe to be featured. The problem is at that scale a Star Destroyer would be in the magnitude of several meters long and entirely impractical in game. The most Fantasy Flight Games were able to do was come up with some roughly scaled medium size ships such as the Rebel Transport and CR90 Corellian Corvette, and even then these ships required a different rule set so far removed were they from the agile dog fighting depicted in X-wing .In addition, games of X-wing were becoming somewhat bloated, with large scale games involving more than half a dozen ships per side becoming somewhat unwieldy and cumbersome.

Enter Armada.

Star Wars Armada is FFG's answer to all the above, a completely different game at a totally different scale.  Based around capital ships, it finally gave the gamers the Star Destroyer they had been demanding. Well Kind of. More on that in a bit.

We'll discuss the game and first impressions of the rules in a bit. First lets look at the box. The first thing you notice is that it is substantially bigger than the Core set for X-wing, the box is comparable to the box for Imperial Assault though i'm not sure it needs to be, especially the depth. Still, it does set it aside from the MUCH cheaper X-wing (we'll discuss price later too) and it does look FANTASTIC. The models are presented much the same as X wing at the bottom of the box and i must say the Star Destroyer in particluar does look impressive. Most impressive..

The box may be oversized but it contains ample goodies. 

Upon removing the lid and getting to grips with the ships you can see the detail is pretty fine, its certainly up to par with the X-wing models though the paint is lacking a little in places. Still quite a few people actively repainted their X-wing ships and i don't see it being any different here. They are certainly serviceable enough for prepaints and STILL light years ahead of the Star Trek Attack Wing equivalents. It is worth noting that there are a fair few more fragile elements to the ships though, care will need to be taken to prevent breakage of antennae and the like. This fragility is extended to the Squadron ships which are by necessity a lot smaller. These are not prepainted and are instead coloured plastic with much reduced detail though i'm sure they can also be improved should someone feel the need to apply some paint. Be careful when putting these into their bases as too much Force (sorry) could see you snap them.

Finally, a Star Destroyer, albeit only Victory Class. .

And there is a fair bit of assembly required overall with much more involved than X-wing. Shield facings have to be attached to bases and the Squadron bases are pretty complex due to their many features, though of course everything is up to the usual FFG quality and slots together nicely. Once its all together it looks mighty impressive and its clear there is a lot more plastic in Armada than X-wing. The fact that moving dials and tabs on the base mark activation and remaining hit points is very cool and makes book keeping much more simple.

The Rebel Ships are also rather nice. 

Other than the ships its the usual cards and tokens and such, though you get the sense they have tried to keep the tokens to a minimum compared to X-wing which could often become cluttered with effects tokens and maneuver templates. For example commands and maneuvers are now dealt with by a dial, which adds more plastic to the deal. Also worthy of mention is the maneuvering template, Rather than use the set templates from X-wing to represent fighters sharp turns and loops, a bespoke plastic template has been designed around an impressive movement system designed to emulate the movement of capital ships. Again, we'll get to that in a sec.

Tiny little fighters, not to scale but then how could they be?

Cards wise, Armada does feel a little light. there are a few upgrade cards and ship cards and of course the ubiquitous damage deck but you'll have to wait for more expansions to build up decent decks. There are cards for upgraded versions of each ship in the box though so a bit of variety is imparted and unlike X-wing there are objectives rather than scenarios, these also are presented on cards and you choose one of 3 to complete should you be playing that kind of game. The Dice also differ from X-wing as the core mechanics for combat are vastly different.

So that's what you get in the box and its all really rather nice though it does seem expensive for what you get. But how does it play? Well i'd hardly let the day pass without getting a game in so i dragged the space board out and Lee and I had a game. I took the Imperials and Lee was to command the Rebel scum. I didn't take notes for a full battle report so think more of this as a rough idea of how the game went with a rules review for added flavour. First up we had to choose our commands. This is one of the rule mechanics that make Armada a much more tactical game than its fighter based cousin.

In the command phase you choose what special tactics your capital ship is going to use. The great thing about this is that you have to plan ahead, some ships you'll be choosing what you will be doing a turn from now and in the case of the Victory class Star Destroyer (not a full Imperial Star Destroyer im afraid, though that is in wave 2) you have to plan even further in the future! Basically you have a stack of command dials and when you choose your command you place it at the bottom of the stack. Its an intriguing mechanic and adds a lot of strategic depth representing the reaction time of different ships extremely eloquently. There are four different commands you can choose from and ill get to them all in turn in a bit.

'Aaah, our first catch of the day'

Once command dials have been chosen you reveal them alternately firing and moving each ship in turn starting with whoever has initiative which switches players turn to turn. It is important to note that you shoot first and THEN move. Of course this meant that the first turn Lee and i both picked the NAVIGATE command for our ships as we knew we'd be out of range. this allowed us to increase or decrease speed and perform an additional turn. Lee had initiative and so moved his nimble Rebel Corvette. He hadn't moved in range of my Star Destroyer and the Imperial ship was already at its maximum speed of 2 so i couldn't do a great deal this turn.

After you attack and move the capital ships you take turns activating up to 2 squadrons at a time. These can either move OR attack  not both and have a very short range. As you activate each one you push a tab through to indicate that it has taken its action. /its a great way of keeping track of what you have done and who you still have to move. Once all the squadrons are moved you reset any used tokens and its the end of the turn..

The second turn things finally started to happen! My Imperial Star Destroyer chose the CONCENTRATE FIRE command allowing me to add a dice to my attack pool. Now the way shooting works in Armada is also completely different from X-wing. Each facing of a ship has attack values be they red blue or black which represent dice. How many of these you will get to roll will depend on range. At close range all three colour dice are used, at medium red and blue and at long range only reds. My Star Destroyer only got to fire its reds but it was enough to strip the shields of the Imperial Corvette on the front (Shield values are also per facing)

Things heat up as the Star Destroyer takes a battering before obliterating the Corvette. 

Lee's return concentrated fire stripped down a couple of shields from my Star Destroyer,and such was the positioning of his Corvette he then dealt damage too as he was able to hit it with two facings worth of attacks! Rolling accuracy results  on the dice meant i couldn't use my defence tokens. (there are no defence dice in armada, instead you use tokens to mitigate the damage, but if you use it again before the end phase you lose it) In one thing that IS like X-wing  critical damage cards are dealt face up losing me a defence token permanently as my crew suffered the brunt of the Corvettes fury.  The Squadrons buzzed round each other, blasting chunks out of one another, the X wings on top.

With the initiative back with him in turn 3 Lee had chosen ACTIVATE SQUADRON for his frigate as his command allowing him to activate an amount of squadrons equal to his ships squadron Command factor  early, The X wings blasted one of my TIE squadrons to pieces and put even more hurt on my Destroyer. But figuring by this point i would have taken damage i had chosen REPAIR as my action at the start of the game which gave me engineering points i could use to recover. Plus my Star Destroyer had ended up more or less nose to nose with his Corvette. I unleashed the full firepower of its prow weaponry (3 red and 3 black) utterly destroying the rebel ship. Knowing my destroyer had taken a bit of a battering i moved it away from the remaining rebel frigate.

With the Star Destroyer completing a leisurley circuit of the board corner, Lee tries to finish off my TIEs

The next turn i repaired as well (again chosen three turns ago) as Lee did his best to take out my squadrons. However the TIEs were coming out on top, even though i was still losing squadrons. Lee tried to use his frigate to help but it was of limited use.

As my Star Destroyer kept moving away it became clear i had to worry about going off the board so i put a NAVIGATE command at the bottom of the stack. Thinking so far ahead was proving a real novelty and he game had got very tactical. Lee had managed to get round the back of the destroyer but at long range wasn't really doing damage. It was up to the squadrons to provide entertainment and their numbers dwindled still fewer as they continued to battle.

this was pretty much the way of it for the next couple of turns as i JUST  managed to keep my Star Destroyer going off the edge of the board (and losing me the game) with my well timed Navigate options. By the time my Star Destroyer completed its circuit it had also managed to repair much of the damage done to it, We had lost time of how many turns we had played but agreed the game was probably over as Lee had little chance against my Star Destroyer coming up behind his frigate. The squadrons were also all wiped out except one stand of TIEs. We called that it and agreed a lot of fun was had.

So that was our first game of Aramada. Verdict? Its VERY good. More depth and a far more tactical game yet somehow STILL quicker and easier to play than X-wing. FFG have totally nailed that capital ship feel and this new ruleset would be much more suited to WizKids Star Trek Attack Wing than the system currrently used (a rip off of X-wing's). This is not just X wing with different ships, the whole system has been overhauled. The Movement is great and the new template a thing of wonder. The models are solid and look fine without being spectacular and the way the shields are represented on the base is a masterstroke, doing away with tokens on cards and other such record keeping.

Wave 2

The way shooting works is also great, with the reduced dice at each range step proving a major factor when allocating your attacks (you only get two per ship activation and they must be from different facings). It all just WORKS and i cannot find a damn thing to fault with the rules or the balance of the game after this brief taste. Everything is different without a vast variation in stats too The ships just FEEL different from one another, from the lumbering, three turn in advance command, slow Star Destroyer to the nippy, quicker to react, smaller rebel ships. X-wings are slower but stronger than TIEs but are much better at attacking capital ships. I cant wait to see the rules for dedicated bombers when they show up in a wave one expansion. It was almost like playing BFG all over again and i cant wait to get more games under my belt and pick up some more ships. We played a very basic game with no upgrades or hero squadrons (you can use Luke and Howlrunner as elite squadrons) so there is even more depth to be explored at a later stage. More ships would have prevented the slightly less dramatic end stages but i don't feel that this is a game that will work with massive fleets. I really would say that 3-4 Capital ships per side would be ample. Especially when you factor in the Squadrons that you would accompany them with.

In fact the ONLY bug bear i can level at the game is its price. at nearly 3 times the cost of X-wing it is a substantial outlay for a core set, Yes it is a much bigger box (something i think FFG have done on purpose as it doesn't need to be quite so deep) and yes you do get a lot more for your buck. The Corvette and Frigate are about the same amount of plastic as the three fighters you get in x-wing and when you factor in the additional plastic in the command counters and the bases and also the squadrons then the deal you get does seem to get a fair bit better, There is no arguing you get more of an idea of the full experience with the Armada core set than X-wing but i still think that £80 is too expensive. 50-60 seems fair. Of course there are a number of potential reasons for this inflated price...

1: Imperial Assault. As i said in my review of this excellent Skirmish Combat game FFG lost a court ruling regarding board game licencing and have to pay a levy to Hasbro for each copy sold. It could be that Armadas higher cost is designed to mitigate this loss.

2: Decreased additional sales: I don't think  as much will be spent expanding fleets in Armada as it was in X wing. As i said 3-4 Capital ships and a dozen squadrons either side seems to be the most i can see being comfortably fielded. I shudder to think how much i spent on X- wing over the years but i don't think ill be dropping quite as much on this game (or at least i wont NEED to) certainly in getting duplicate ships. this may explain the increased buy-in cost. I certainly wont be picking up multiple copies of the core set to bolster my forces..

Wave 1. But mostly more of the same. I'll have the squadrons but other than that its Wave 2 for me. 

3: Because they CAN: X-wing is HUGE, much bigger than anyone expected. It is a very popular game and FFG  have struggled to keep up with demand leading to several shortages (Millennium Falcons were going for frankly silly money not long ago... )  Armada must have seemed like a licence to print money. Maybe FFG finally succumbed to the Dark Side.

Also wave 2: spot the Falcon!

In the end i suspect it might be a combination of all three. Nonetheless there is no denying Star Wars Armada is a fantastic game. An amazing effort that really drives home the feel of capital ship combat. The two expansion waves announced thus far will surely not be the last, though i don't recall there being quite as many capital ships as fighters to choose from in the Star Wars universe. Though its high price point may dissuade the casual fan and prevent the impulse buys that X-wing enjoys, it is giving the fans what they want albeit at a premium price and lets face it, Games Workshop created an Empire from that.

Price aside its a 5 out of 5 game for me.

All the Millennium’s a Stage: Codex Harlequin Review

I haven’t purchased a Codex in a while but I bought this. GW’s release schedule for sixth/seventh edition has been insane, it feels like a new release every month. Having worked through most of the major Codexes GW is running out of armies from its regular stable to get onto the market. Because of this it has gotten too expensive to own every Codex but as an avid Eldar collector I had to have this book. More than any edition seventh embraces its legacy and all the seemingly forgotten corners of the Warhammer 40,000 universe seem to be erupting into the mainstream.

When Games Workshop let the Codex supplements peter out our dreams of books for Genestealer Cults, Madmobz, Legion armies or even Harlequins were done with. Thankfully that has not happened. However, Codex Eldar Harlequins is not a supplement it is a full blown Codex that contains a self-contained army that requires no units from other Codexes in order to function but which, thanks to the ally matrix, is able to join up with either Eldar or Dark Eldar armies.

Harlequins pre-date Craftworld Eldar as we know them, being the next type of Eldar created after the original Eldar Corsairs. Codex Apocrypha in White Dwarf #57 reprints the epic introductory tale of a Harlequin’s troupe’s performance of the fall that was originally printed upon their release. I highly recommend you check it out if it is something you have not read before. Also, you can find out more about Harlequins in part 2 of my history of the Eldar Line at Beasts of War http://www.beastsofwar.com/warhammer-40k/empire-fall-development-eldar-part-2/

The book itself is beautiful. It is full of art, new full colour art. I do not remember a Codex that has had so much effort put into filling the pages with original artwork. One reason for this is that there is not much new art to fill a Harlequin book with, the majority of Harlequin art is black and white hailing from Rogue Trader days. Despite this the glut of pictures in the book really do a good job of showing off the fast and dynamic action of a Harlequin force at war.

To go with this new art is an expansion on the lore of the Harlequins. Again, this is necessary as to provide Harlequins with a purpose in the current era they need to be more than wandering travellers of the Webway. Cegorach the laughing god is most definitely not the Deceiver, he is a true living god with followers who enact his will and he has plans. Within the Black Library a crystal tome said to hold the writings of Cegorach has opened and the prophesies on its pages begin to come to pass. The Harlequins erupt from the Webway all across the galaxy to enact Cegorach’s plan, a plan to destroy Slaanesh and restore the Eldar and their Pantheon to their place in the galaxy.

This thread was first explored in Codex Iyanden and is followed here. The Craftworld Eldar may manipulate the various races of the Galaxy for their own benefit but they have nothing on the Harlequins who are now bigger players on the galactic stage than previously alluded to. As an Eldar player this is a good thing as there is hope of a future beyond a slow decline.

The format of the book is the same as was seen in Codex Necrons, lots of the line art figures that are used to show off uniform colour schemes, each with a blurb explaining the troupe it belongs to and their history which does a good job of differentiating the styles of these groups within the whole. There is a lot of fluff on show which helps fill the spaces where the bestiary section would go. With only seven units in the book there is room for this but it does shine a light on how thin on the ground these sections are in books that have to provide rules for a normal amount of units.

To fill out these areas you are presented with an abundance of formations which give you a ready-made force to include in your Eldar or Dark Eldar army. However on its own the Harlequin force is fast, elusive and hard hitting. There are no high strength low AP weapons you can rely on to win the game for you, instead there are a lot of exploding six effects that will cause a lot of damage to whatever they are aimed at.

This is a good book, as a creative effort and as a new army to add an extra dimension to the Eldar line. Unfortunately I cannot offer kudos to anyone in particular as the book’s writing and art is attributed to no one. I realise that they are trying to protect their staff from Matt Ward levels of trolling but it is a shame that those responsible for the work cannot be given their proper dues.

Lee

Horus Heresy Novella Review: Death and Defiance.

Another Heresy Novella review for you here from the Conclave of Har. This time it is Death and Defiance, a collection of the E-books that The Black Library have become so enamoured with lately. So while this is not necessarily new material if you are an avid reader of these bite size stories ill not have read them before, and whilst I would obviously much prefer to see them in a normal anthology format if memory serves this was originally an event exclusive so i'm pleased to finally get my hands on it.

Black Library sure do love their E-books/shorts, and why not? Infinitely cheaper to produce and distribute, selling them at a couple of quid a pop to content starved Heresy fans is probably a pretty good way to fill the coffers. Its not like they take ages for the authors to produce either. Plus they have the advantage of being able to request them adhoc, theming content and releasing appropriate stories alongside model releases having them serve as a literary advert (a problem I perceived with Vengeful Spirit).

Of course this can make it very hard for the average reader to stay on top of the Heresy, missing tidbits that can be referred to in later novels. Seriously, if you have a look at the Black Library website it’s a mess, they even have a reading order list of the heresy with novellas and audio books there to try to make sense of it all. And the E-books aren't even featured there! Look at any given title and you’ll often see a multitude of ways to purchase it, Hardback, paperback, premium paperback MP3, E-book and so on. It’s madness (Madness? THIS IS THE HERESY!)

Anyway I digress, lets look at the stories within Death and Defiance. 

Imperfect by Nick Kyme:

Nice little story here, subtle with a few clues thrown in as to its true nature. We get a nice bit of development between Ferrus Mannus and Fulgrim as they play games both tactical, psychological, metaphorical and literal. Not a great deal happens in all honesty but it is an intriguing tale nonetheless. Its difficult to say much more without spoilers but more dedicated readers might spot the twist before casual ones. The story covers past, present and throws a few tantalizing glimpses into the future. I will say that this one short story is also the most I have ever cared about the Iron Hands Primarch, Kyme managing to somehow render him less unlikable than previous iterations. That in itself is impressive if not somewhat ironic (read the story and you’ll find out why). Apart from the game of Regicide between the two Primarchs there is also a little bit of Fabius Bile thrown in and its nice to see Kyme's talents put to something other than Salamanders. A strong start to the collection with some good work on characterization on the two lead players.

Howl of the Hearthworld By Aaron Dembski-Bowden:

Possibly one of the shortest entries in the book, none the less sweet for it. This story has ADB tackle the Space Wolves which if memory serves he hasn't done in the Heresy so far, multi talented bloke that he is. Carrying on with Dan Abnett's take upon the Legion, again very little happens in this extremely short story. Heavy on character and dialogue it tells of a unit of the Fenris Vylkra being tasked to spy on Rogal Dorn back on Terra, Malcador has decreed that the Primarchs are watched following the Emperors edict at the Council of Nikea and has chosen Russes legion to do it. (it's not mentioned who will be watching the Watchers) Obviously the Wolf Pack this duty falls to are none too happy about doing so and at the start of the story are actually preparing to be killed by Russ for their disobedience. Stubborn is always a trait you could ascribe to the Wolves and here that is bought to the fore. The fact that the rest of the legion are off to Prospero in order to chastise Magnus doesn't really help matters. It’s a great character piece and so much is done for the wolves within the half dozen or so pages. Insights into their nature and hierarchy rituals and customs, total fluff stuff. Self contained and short but very sweet. Not much else to say, should Dan be unable to continue the story of the VI legion for any reason they would be safe in ADBs hands.

A Safe and Shadowed Place By Guy Haley:

What is this? Share your Legions day or something? Guy picks up Aaron’s beloved Nightlords (though he is smart enough to stay away from Sevatar) in a tale set parallel to events in Unremembered Empire. A trio of Night Lord vessels skulk high above Sotha licking their wounds after their ill fated battle and subsequent flight from the Lion and his Dark Angels detailed in Shadows of Treachery. Problem is in the meantime a few of the Traitor Marines on board have gone stir crazy. With emphasis on the crazy. Bat Sht crazy if you will! Anyway, a great deal of the narrative is given over to just how nasty this bunch of traitors is but sadly it does nothing except make them seem a little bit cartoony. Evil and sadistic they might be but I can come across a little tongue in cheek such is the lack of finesse used in their portrayal. Still there is a little good characterization, shallow as it might be, here and there and the concept is quite interesting if half finished. There is some half decent combat too as one particularly insane Astartes has to be subdued by one of his Brothers. Overall not bad but not a patch on the previous work done with this legion. This said the end of the short makes one believe that Guy has more plans in his head and this is but a prequel. Though as I have said previously I cannot see anyone but ADB doing the first Night Lord heresy novel. Competently written but just a bit lacking in areas, something seems a bit off about it.

Virtues of the Sons by Andy Smille:

This is a Blood Angel tale so who do you think wrote it? Well its not the person who did the Blood Angels Horus Heresy novel! (though his is the last entry in Death and Defiance) Instead the sons of Sanguinius are handed over to Andy Simile, another author who’s work I am not overly familiar with but that I believe I have enjoyed what little I have sampled. Certainly Virtue of the Sons is a well crafted piece, dealing with the dual (and indeed duel) nature of the Blood Angels. As Sanguinius anguishes over the flaws that are becoming apparent in his sons we are treated to a couple of Duels. Basically Sanguinius decides that outside influence is required and thus favoured sons Zakaellon and Amit are sent to other chapters where they engage in duels with their respective champions (sometimes I don’t think the Legiones Astartes have any other way to integrate). Zakaellon, the Sangiunary guard, draws Lucius of the Emperors Children who is as arrogant and loathsome as you may expect. Meanwhile Amit, The Flesh Tearer is pitted against Kharn of the World Eaters, each a perfect foil for the others savagery. Its another great story and Andy really gets to grips with all the characters, delightfully bringing certain facets to the fore and fleshing out the characters nicely. A pretty good story with some visceral action and combat, this was a fun read and I look forward to more from Andy soon.

Gunsight By James Swallow:

Hang on, there must be some mistake! An author tackling the same subject and characters as before? Not borrowing someone else’s Legion? Surely not? (though there is no Legion in this story)

But no that is the case as we get what is essentially either a sequel to Swallow’s previous book Nemesis or at least a bridge to something new. I rather enjoyed Nemesis for what it was, although it was almost certainly filler and little else, the idea of a group of Assassins trying to murder Horus was pulled off pretty well and it is definitely one of James Swallows better books. (I cared not for his Blood Angel 40k stuff and Fear to Tread was just silly) It picks up the Story of Kell the Vindicare assassin that tried to kill Horus. He has managed to make it onto the Vengeful Spirit and is basically lining up for another crack at the Warmaster. Unfortunately he’s been bitten by some fairly nasty critters, and the venom is coursing through his system making him a bit incoherent and disorientated. Part of the narrative is told through fevered dreams and it can be difficult for the reader to actually establish what is real and what is a product of the demented fantasies he is engaging in. Some pretty good characterization ensures and we really get into the depths of Kell's mind as we see the extent that the failure to complete his mission drives him. He is weakened and operating at far from his best but he is a Vindicare Assassin and he will keep going till the job is done.

The story only features one other character and that is a cowardly Loyalist left on the Vengeful Spirit, skulking in the shadows. We get a fascinating insight from this character of just how the great ship has been perverted since the fall of Horus, although admittedly he does seem somewhat well versed in the activities of the Warmaster for a lowly sub deck hand. His place in the story is to provide exposition and a focal point for Kell's journey. As to whether or not he even exists, that is something that is left up to the reader. Is he real or just a product of Kell's deranged and drugged psyche? It’s never clarified one hundred percent and in all honesty you have to wonder how much of it is real in general, especially given the ending, which I wont spoil here. The narrative also makes reference to several other books and seems to be taking place at the same point as the Novel Vengeful Spirit.

I really enjoyed this story, Kell’s plight is well conveyed and you are placed within his head quite adeptly. You get a good idea of what is going on from the perspective of the normal man, with no marines to skew or distort the narrative. Overall Swallow has done a great job here, descriptive, insightful and well crafted. It is also grounded (for the most part) and thankfully this has stopped his writing getting a bit silly and bombastic in the past. With the promise that this particular arc may not be over quite yet, I look forward to seeing where this might go. This is also the only entry in Death and Defiance that feels like a suitable length, more than a bitesize sample. A strong end to the book. 

So that’s Death and Defiance; on the whole a rather strong slice of what is going on in the Heresy, nicely balanced and varied with a reasonable consistency of quality if not length. You do feel it is over a little quickly, it by no means sates the appetite, but you will enjoy it while it lasts even if you wish there were a little more of it. If nothing else it shows the versatility of the Authors as they work with legions that are not their usual poison and often bring a fresh perspective to matters. Recommended but bear in mind this is an expensive way of obtaining these Horusey snippets compared to the next proper Horus Heresy Anthology book Legacies of Betrayal which I should be reviewing in a month or two. Next up though i continue with Gav Thorpes Legacy of Caliban series with Master Of Sanctity.

Al

4/5

Horus Heresy Novella Review: Tallarn: Executioner By John French

After the nonsense of reprinted anthology novellas as premium books we finally get to another proper slice of the Horus Heresy. Previously an Event Exclusive book released a few years back it is finally time for the common man to get his mitts on a copy of Tallarn: Executioner. I’ve been looking forward to this one, Tallarn is a fairly large event in the Heresy as the once verdant world is outright murdered by traitor forces, necessitating the transformation of the populous into hardened desert fighters. Obviously I’m not expecting a great deal of that to be covered in a book that spans barely 100 pages but it should serve as a tantalizing hors d'oeuvres for the main course to follow. It’s another book by John French and I have rather enjoyed his work thus far. He has a habit of peppering his tales with suckerpunches and writes a pretty bleak story so I am expecting a respectable body count and a few shocks by then end. It should be interesting to see what he does with this brand new Theatre of War…

Considering the scope of exactly what is going on in the narrative it is perhaps surprising then that John decides to write a small contained piece. There are no grand sweeping battles and the like here and this is about as far from Bolter Porn as you can get (actually i'm not sure a bolter is ever fired). Also considering it is the Iron Warriors laying siege to (actually just outright killing) Tallarn they are barely mentioned. All the elements of the book that deal with the invasion and the decimation of the planet are doled out in detached impersonal mini chapters of a couple of pages each, interspersed throughout the main narrative like an observers footnotes . Indeed the Iron Warriors arrival and subsequent assault is all dealt with in under two dozen pages, not even a quarter of the total page length. Now this is perfectly adequate, you will be fully aware of what is going on but it is a departure from the norm nonetheless. In lieu of the larger narrative the Author decides to focus on a subplot revolving around a battered tank squadron that forms part of the resistance for the survivors (all underground – the surface of Tallarn is rendered completely uninhabitable by virus bombs) as they venture back up to the surface in the only way they can, in large airtight vehicles and wearing radiation suits. Thus the Tanks of Tallarn: Executioner become more than just weapons, they are their occupants only hope for survival, the only way they can conduct themselves when they are not huddled underground. Not even knowing who has attacked them, the action in the book is told in a series of gripping tank battles fought in the fog (or at least dust) of war on the devastated surface. Against overwhelming odds the Tallarn strike back against the Iron Warriors fighting a guerrilla war
where they can in the name of vengeance.

Being a john French book its not all action and there is some strong characterization here as well although in all honesty the character templates have been seen before many a time and we aren't really getting anything new. There are a few nice touches though and although the dialogue can sometimes be a little stilted the actions and experiences of the people in the story hold our attention. You do genuinely feel for them even if some are not all that they seem as John seems to takes great delight in revealing later. (nothing like finding out you’ve been rooting for the wrong guy all along!) Astartes? Forget it, the Dramatis Personae includes NO Space Marines. Not one, nada. No named marine characters and I’m not even sure that one speaks in the book… There is a half glimpsed description of one and a brief scene where a squad of Iron Warrior terminators engages a tank after their Land Raider is immobilized but all elements including the Astartes are told from the perspective of mortal humans. This lends a grounding to proceedings that pulls in the reader, placing them more squarely in the action. Humans are much easier to characterize than marines and therefore there is a sense of gravitas when the character list starts to be cut down even if they are not doing anything particularly heroic. The book is stark and unflinching in its horrors with the virus bombing and subsequent calamity particularly graphic.

Overall Tallarn: Executioner is a story about survival and determination and redemption and also… well I cant really reveal that in a spoiler free review! Nothing presented is particularly original and there is barely anything tying this into the heresy apart from the setting. That said what is here is very well written and the introspective nature of the narrative and focus upon a small group of characters pays dividends with this size of book. It doesn't feel stretched or light. However, the author does throw one hell of a curveball towards the end, setting up the very bleak ending although that is something I expect from John French by now. In fact the ‘twist’ as it were does feel a little forced and doesn't sit easily with the rest of the story. It doesn't derail what has gone before, just overshadows it and it feels a bit superfluous. Certainly I felt enough good work had been done by that stage that I would have been just as happy if the twist had not been present. But I think Mr French has done a good job here, His refusal to allow the Astartes centre stage is to be commended and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the book and ploughed through it pretty quickly. Of course this is but a taste of the Battle of Tallarn and the next installment has just been announced in Tallarn: Ironclad as John French returns...

In the first Ltd Edition Full Length Horus Heresy Novel....

Sigh.

Al

score: 4 Vanquisher Tanks out of 5

Horus Heresy Novella double Review: The Crimson Fist and Prince Of Crows

I wondered for a long time what the straw that broke the camel’s back would be regarding the Horus Heresy and Black Library. In this age of exclusive short stories, Event exclusive books, Ltd edition Novellas, countless audio stories and a noticeably reduced volume of actual novel releases that actually deal with the main thrust of the story, I have been patient, I have been quiet. I have continued as a loyal reader since the days of Horus Rising, I have even adopted the large format paperbacks with a sigh of resignation as I gave up waiting 6 months to get my latest fix. But this? No, just no. This is not on, and I am about to tell you why.


As time has gone on, one of the main points of contention has been somewhat negated. The Ltd Edition Novellas have, after an age, been rereleased in a still premium but more accessible format. I have reviewed a fair few of these now and for the most part they have been pretty good, offering an insight into a few of the background machinations of the Heresy and its Characters that cannot always be gleaned elsewhere. So when I saw that Crimson Fist was to be released I was a bit taken aback. I was sure I had already read that story somewhere before. A quick perusal of the Shadows of Treachery revealed I had, it had just been reprinted as a standalone premium novella and released. not cool BL. Not. Cool. So, this was one Horus Heresy Novella I would not be picking up. Good excuse to reread the story in Shadows of Treachery again for the review though!

The Crimson Fist is actually the first story in Shadows of Treachery, it’s a pretty fine story too. Rogal Dorn has sent a rather large chunk of his Legion to go give Horus a smack for daring to turn against the Emperor, not knowing the full extent of the Heresy. Unfortunately the Fleet lead by Captain Pollux has been somewhat waylaid by a warp storm and is cut off and stranded. Awaiting an attack that they know must be coming we get good insight into the Fists discipline and martial attitude as they do what they do best, prepare for war. Back on Terra, Dorn finds out the reason his chosen son Sigismund elected to return to Terra with him rather than commanding the fleet as he was instructed. The action, when it arrives is punchy with some of the Horusey’s most memorable void battles and the reader is invested in the fate of the beleaguered Imperial Fists as they battle to overcome their attackers. The Crimson Fist is a story about battling against impossible odds, about duty and honour and fealty and perceived betrayal.

 Though it will never be regarded in the same circles as the classics it is a strong straightforward punchy story written by John French full of grit, blood and shattered ceramite. Not at one point does the prose descend into wanton Bolter Porn, the focus kept firmly upon the fight against the odds that Dorn’s legion find themselves embroiled in a battle against. French is also not afraid to leave a REALLY bitter taste in the mouth of the reader as Duty and Honour war with each other with crushing and injust consequences. The only weak part of the story is that which is away from the action, that which deals with Dorn and Sigismund on Terra. The nature of Sigismunds secret feels somewhat underwhelming and a bit rote, though I can certainly understand what John is trying to convey. It feels overwrought and a bit bombastic for what it is, taking the focus away from what is really going on, though it certainly serves a purpose and there are some insights into the mind of the Imperial Fists Primarch which we haven’t really got elsewhere. Rogal Dorn does some across as a bit unlikeable but I suppose a Demigod of War is not going to be the most gregarious of individuals after all.

So overall a decent story. Worth reading. And if not for the fact it was released ages ago in a normal priced normal sized novel probably worth the buy. Right, what’s next? ‘Prince of Crows’ hang on………….

SERIOUSLY?!?!

Prince of Crows is the final story in Shadows of Treachery. I’m not even kidding, that is a full half of a book that has been released separately in a premium format afterwards. I mean come ON. I have no problems with these books making it to anthology format later. I even had no problem with Heresy content featuring in generic compliations like Hammer and Bolter (as short and sweet as that was) I DO have a problem with books that have previously been released in a cheap and convenient format THEN being released as a premium novella. People may not be aware of this option, especially if they dip in and out of the Horusey and only pick up the major books. I can handle books like The Imperial Truth being Event only in the knowledge that EVENTUALLY they will be rereleased to us normal folk who don’t wish to pay obscene amounts on Ebay. But this? This just seems cynical and greedy. Sigh, lets take a look at Prince of Crows.

I’m not sure if half the reason this was released was the Author you know, Aaron Dembski Bowden is a very bankable name for the Black Library. The First Edition of Talon of Horus sold like hotcakes and he is more proficient than Dan Abnett these days with Dan lured to Hollywood (and why not) pushing The Warmaster back again and again and again. Now we need to get one thing straight. Aaron IS the Lord of the Night Lords. His 40k Trilogy (featuring many of the same characters) is very highly regarded and when we do eventually get a full Night Lords Horusey novel (im sure its coming) it will be Mr Dembski Bowden who writes it.

So it should come as no surprise that Prince of Crows is also rather good. Set after the Night Lords are attacked and forced into retreat by the Dark Angels, Konrad Curze lies in a critical state after having the snot beaten out of him by Lion el Johnson. Sevatar, firm fan favourite, takes it upon himself to lead the Night Lords in his absence, something that doesn’t go down so well with others. As Sevetar wrestles with his detractors we get a fascinating insight into the early years or Curze as he develops on Nostromo. This is something we haven’t really seen elsewhere and whilst other Authors seem content to have Curze be something of a boogeyman in the Heresy, Aaron at least lends him some gravitas and substance with some poigniant writing that will allow you to empathise with the Night Lords primarch even if you still detest him. Other than Curze though the real star of this story is Sevatar. The pages positively sizzle with his presence and he is at once witty cruel and devious. As a character he has got a bit of a divided reception amongst readers but there is no denying that this is actually his story and HE is the Prince of Crows (wait till you find out why) As Sevetar and his Kyroptera (yes ADB Knows the scientific term for bats! ) struggle to retain control of a legion threatening to tear itself apart whilst still strike back at the Dark Angels the machinations within this Traitor Legion are laid bare. The book also ends promising that full length night lords novel (come on ADB we know it’s coming!)

Thus Prince of Crows is also a very good read. I therefore find myself in something of a quandary. The quality of what is on offer here is very good, Prince of Crows probably just about comes out on top as the characterization is so very strong, but they are both fine reads. Were these novellas the only way you can obtain the stories within then I would likely have little issue in recommending them even at the premium price point. Unfortunately you can pick up Shadows of Treachery which also includes a handful of printed audio stories which tie into the theme of the book for a quarter of the price of these two so just buy that instead. Hopefully this will be the end of this kind of release and I am greatly looking forward to the next few novellas (both previous event only exclusives) time will tell. 

Do yourself a favour and buy this instead....

In short don’t buy these two novellas and justify this bizarre strategy from Black Library. DO pick up Shadows of Treachery and enjoy two finely written stories that way instead, anything else would be Heresy.

Al