Editing Horus Heresy (section)

====Exemplary Battles====
Starting in Fall 2021, GW started publishing a series of free PDFs for the Horus Heresy tabletop which contain mini-campaigns based around battles from the Heresy that have been mentioned in the novels or black books but weren't big enough for a book of their own. These PDFs also include fluff and rules for Legion units that haven't been given any yet, along with photos and conversion tips for said units. These tips boil down to "buy tons of Forge World stuff while you still can", so one could plausibly argue that the PDFs are just ads for FW's overpriced upgrade packs. Still, it's a neat concept and at least they're free. These seem to be leading into the new edition of the game as announced at Adepticon 2022; GW has confirmed that the PDFs released prior to the launch of the new edition have been written to work with both sets of rules. The first wave of articles covered all eighteen Space Marine Legions and ended in January 2023; the second wave will cover their allied units, like Daemons of the Ruinstorm, Chaos cults, and Solar Auxilia.

*'''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Xwccsydzg8YpDsho.pdf The Battle of Pluto: Hydra's Devastation]''''': Focuses on the Alpha Legion's invasion of Pluto, as seen in ''Praetorian of Dorn'', and provides a scenario for Imperial Fists vs Alpharius' sneaky sneks. Also has rules for the Huscarls, Dorn's elite bodyguard, which make them into Phalanx Warders on steroids.

*'''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/9eA3ZYnzr5tXbxjX.pdf The Defence of Sotha: Aegida's Lament]''''': Focuses on the Night Lords' raid on Sotha and the near-destruction of the Ultramarines Aegida Company while attempting to hold Sothopolis. The Atramentar ''finally'' get their tabletop rules and also are spotlighted in the fluff, which concludes with them [[Internet Troll|murderfucking their own commanding officer]] because he was getting too uppity for the other Night Lord officers' liking.

*'''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/NUTJvW4qx8d08Fkr.pdf The Siege of Hydra Cordatus: Sundering of the Cadmean Citadel]''''': Imperial Fists vs. Iron Warriors brawling it out on the ruined world of Hydra Cordatus. Includes rules for the IV Legion's Dominator Cohort, Perturabo's former bodyguards who got fired and replaced with the Iron Circle after Phall. Hilariously, they are so salty about this that they have Hatred (Cybernetica Cortex) unless you take them as Pert's retinue.

* '''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/fcMVfgBlCyDHmejD.pdf The Battle of Armatura]''''': World Eaters vs. Ultramarines on the war world of Armatura, as seen in ''Betrayer''. Includes rules for the XII Legion's Red Hand Destroyer squads, who can take Caedere weapons like meteor hammers and excoriator chainaxes in addition to all the usual Destroyer nastiness and ''must'' declare a charge whenever able if they're within 12" of an enemy unit at the beginning of the Assault phase.

* '''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/mouvfePNquxVdprP.pdf The Battle of Perditus: Umbral-51]''''': The Death Guard are trying to [[Ork|loot]] galaxy-wrecking archaeotech and the Dark Angels mean to stop them. Iron Hands and Mechanicum are there too, and the mission pack has rules for rampaging battle-automata trying to kill the Spess Mehreens so the techpriests can go back to worshiping their doomsday devices in peace. Includes rules for units from both sides: the Order of the Broken Claw and the Mortus Poisoners. The Broken Claw are Inner Circle Knights who get bonuses against Monstrous and Gargantuan Creatures and daemons, representing the fact that they were the I Legion's specialized Rangdan-killers during the Xenocides. The Mortus Poisoners are Destroyers who can swap their bolters for flamers with chem-munitions for free and one in every five can swap their bolt pistol for a heavy flamer with chem-munitions for 20 points ([[Derp|that's right, their '''bolt pistol''', not their bolter, blame FW editors]]), and can be taken in units of 15 for when you just want the table to burn.

* '''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/iIVebnZrYRFbaDGH.pdf The Battle of Calth: Underworld War]''''': Smurfs and Word Bearers duking it out in Zone Mortalis missions representing the underground battles fought after Calth's surface was trashed in ''Know No Fear''. Includes rules for the Ultramarines' Nemesis Destroyer squads, aka Guilliman's least favorite sons. Instead of dual bolt pistols, they get bolters with specialist ammo that gives them Assault 2 and Rending and they can take weapons usually reserved for Breacher and Support squads. Kinda weird, but makes sense given the XIII's "tactical flexibility" schtick. No jump packs, though.

* '''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/H6ygklXe9Fv2FwRe.pdf Battle For Kalium Gate]''''': Emperor's Children and White Scars get their turn, fighting over a huge void gate as the Scars try to get back to Terra in time for the big party. Has rules for new units from both sides. The III Legion gets the Sun Killers, Heavy Support squads that only use lascannons, multi-meltas, volkite culverins, and plasma cannons [[Meme|because they're elegant weapons from a more civilized time]]. The White Scars get the Karaoghlanlar, or Dark Sons of Death. Aside from sounding like a Welsh person choking on something, they're jump-pack Destroyers who don't get phosphex or missile launchers and trade one bolt pistol for a chainsword, but can be taken as a retinue for a Stormseer with a jump pack. They also have a rule that lets them autofail Sweeping Advance rolls in exchange for performing a spooky ritual that forces enemy units within 6" to pass an Ld test or suffer -1 WS next turn.

* '''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/AmPdr3yMZbvggCND.pdf The Breaking of the Perfect Fortress]''''': Raven Guard storming the III Legion's Perfect Fortress on the world of Narsis, previously mentioned in ''Deliverance Lost''. Includes rules for the Deliverers, Terran-born Raven Guard who were trained under Horus and still prefer to use Terminator armor and shock-assault tactics. They're Stubborn and get teleportation transponders for deep-striking, but their main rule is Corax's Shame, representing the fact that Corax wasn't fond of his brutal Terran sons. They get +1T against attacks that cause Instant Death and cannot be deployed within 18" of Corax, nor can he ever join them. If you take Deliverers as part of a traitor force, they instead gain Hatred against Corax.

* '''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TLbrp4me5GEfL37Q.pdf The Scouring of Gilden's Star]''''': Word Bearers vs Blood Angels fighting over a ''Hamlet'' reference last seen all the way back in 1989. Has rules for the Word Bearers' Procurators, basically assault squads led by evil Apothecaries who [[Blood Ravens|steal gene-seed]] and desecrate corpses to summon daemons. They give boosts to friendly psykers with the Harbinger of Chaos, Diabolism, and Anathemata disciplines and award an extra VP every time they Sweeping Advance an enemy unit.

*'''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/6i9CeSwKmbWmzac4.pdf The Battle of Trisolian: Vengeful Spirit]''''': Taking a page from the ''Wolfsbane'' novel, this portrays the part of the [[Battle of Trisolian]] when the Space Wolves broke into Horus' flagship during Russ' attempt to kill Horus before he reached Terra. Introduces the Space Wolves' Jorlund Hunter Pack, Assault Marines that can temporarily supercharge their flamers, and the Sons of Horus' Chieftains, an elite retinue of junior officers who specialize in hunting down characters.

*'''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/3mVvZrTG9XOWeVxv.pdf The Axandria IV Incident]''''': Imperial Fists, Custodes, and Sisters of Silence raid a Thousand Sons repository world not long before the Siege of Terra, and the Thousand Sons actually score a win this time by evacuating their data stacks before the loyalist forces can trash them. Includes rules for Numerologist Cabals of the Order of Ruin, Thousand Sons Techmarines and tacticians who used divination to generate battle plans and predict enemy movements. The Numerologist gains a special psychic power that gives him a geo-locator beacon and boosts the BS of two friendly Thousand Sons squads if he passes a psychic check. He also gets a bubble-wrap rule that prevents him from taking any wounds no matter what until all his bodyguards are dead, unless he accepts a challenge.

*'''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/tY1xCtj3G3KDp1KS.pdf The Battle of Nyrcon City: Visions in the Flames]''''': Alpha Legion fighting the Salamanders on Beta-Garmon prior to the Titandeath. Has rules for Salamanders Adherents, berserker madlads who pack combi-flamers and heavy flamers for extra burninating power, and the Alpha Legion's Effrit Disruption Cadre, Recon Marines from Omegon's posse who get shotguns or Nemesis bolters and a special piece of kit that reduces enemy Ld and interferes with nuncio-voxes and augury scanners.

*'''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/AJe5dSaQjlJaFQb2.pdf The Death of Canopus]''''': The final Exemplary Battle in the first wave. Blood Angels vs. a bunch of Iron Hands with severe trust issues after the [[Drop Site Massacre]], and then both of them against the Sons of Horus after they show up. Includes rules for the Ofanim Court, the shadowy coterie of Blood Angels who policed those who fell to the [[Red Thirst]], and the Morlock Terminators, Ferrus' bodyguard. The Ofanim are basically assault marines with juiced-up power swords who specialize in killing other Space Marines, while the Morlocks get graviton guns and either Chosen Warriors or Preferred Enemy (Emperor's Children) depending on if Ferrus is alive or not.

*'''''[https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/JXRAKYvl3BrGbGjD.pdf The Burning of Ohmn-Mat]''''': A Sons of Horus warlord lays siege to the forge world of Ohmn-Mat in order to perform some profane rituals. Though besieged by both the local Taghmata and a surprise force of Iron Hands led by a former librarian, the ritual eventually succeeds and daemons are summoned, including [[Samus]], before the planet gets rigged to explode in a pyrrhic victory. Includes rules for a Bound Daemons detachment, clearly a preview for what is to come for the Ruinstorm Daemons.