It’s easy! Tired of playing 40k with the near constant releases, errata, and power creep? Give Horus Heresy a chance and you may never go back to 40k.
Earlier in the week, I decided to give Horus Heresy a chance and play a 1500 point game. Here’s my experience compared to 8th.
Long story short. Heresy freaking rocked.
Tired of 40k? Give Horus Heresy a Chance!
After playing a year’s worth of nothing but 8th edition, I had more fun in that game of Horus Heresy than I did in months of 8th. Now I’m not saying 8E is bad at all. It’s actually the most streamlined any of the editions have ever been. But with that being said, let’s break it all down.
Honesty about 8th Edition
As I’ve said before, 8E is the most streamlined of all the editions. It’s great for new people to jump into and start playing. There’s hardly any confusion anymore and lists can be made in 5 minutes. However, there are some problems. For Starters, I noticed that units are almost completely stripped of wargear options, there’s a real lack of a “fluffy” feeling when you play, and it feels like the game is over-simplified.
As a veteran player to 8th, I’ve noticed that if you’ve played about 10 games of 8E, you’ve played them all. You set your units up on the board and by turn 2-3 you have a pretty good idea of who is going to win because 2/3 of your army is already off the board. The AP, saves, and cover mechanics have been changed so much that even 500-year-old space marine Terminator squad can get erased with 10 Guardsmen who’ve been serving big E for 30 minutes.
It’s not because I’m just salty that Terminators suck in 8E, which I am quite salty about actually, but if you’re like me, you care about the fluff and narrative missions too. Which I think 8E has turned away from. The game has come down to a system of number crunching and probability. Players are maximizing their lists and bringing the biggest/baddest thing to a local game store for a “fluffy” game.
Even though I’ve talked about my problems, I’m extremely happy we have 8E. It got me, as well as countless others into the game without having to study for hours. But I had the opportunity to play a game of Horus Heresy earlier in the week. Honestly, it was the most refreshing game experience I’ve had in a very long time.
Horus Heresy Hooplah
When I finally understood the ins and outs of 8E, I decided that I wanted more meat. I needed more intricacy. So I moved to 30k. The game is still using 7E rules with some slight changes. Most people call it 7.5E. In Horus Heresy, the Space Marines feel like an actual fighting force. Not something the enemy can just walk through like 8E 40k. The Space Marine Sergeants are considered characters and you can gear them up with grenades, guns, and better armor.
Speaking of better armor, you can add different kinds of armor to your vehicles to tailor fit them to your playstyle. Units can get pinned, if they fail morale, they just run back a few inches and can regroup. As the player, you really feel like you’re watching a battle take place. Not some computer game that got ported over to a tabletop.
Also, there’s no stupid rule about not being able to target characters even though he could literally be mooning you out in the open. (we’ve all seen this happen).
Heresy is Poppin’
To add more icing on the cake, Primarchs are everywhere and the people you play against will usually focus on bringing genuinely fluffy lists. Heresy is more of a narrative-based adventure that tells the story of the legions. Of course, there are hyper-competitive units in Heresy, but you rarely see them and players can’t spam them quite like they can in 8E.
Ultimately, what I’m trying to say is more people should give Heresy a shot. It’s most definitely not dead in any way (shape or form). If you were like me and knew 8E like the back of your hand and got tired of the same old same old, then Heresy might be just what you need.
If you think 8E is better, that’s totally fine too. There isn’t any game out there that’s for everyone. But if you have the opportunity to play a Heresy game, don’t pass up the chance.
Have you played Heresy and 8E as well? What was your experience? Let us know what you think in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials:@RealmbrushPainting
Bio: Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4.
If you like what he writes and want to reach out or get your models painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
