Is it time to port the Horus Heresy rules over to 8th Edition 40k? This is how GW could do it, and still keep the game intact and different from mainstream 40k.
We’ve been doing some dangerous thinking because Horus Heresy and their rules are a touchy subject. But what would happen if things were blended?
Before jumping into this editorial, there needs to be some disclaimers. We realize that if 30k was ported over to 8th edition, it would be essentially the exact same game as 40k aside from the Xenos. Mainly because just about every single model in 30k can be used in some form for 40k.
Update Horus Heresy Rules to 8th Edition
With that said, we’re also not saying that it would be a clean-cut port of Heresy models over to 8th edition rules. There needs to be a special blend, and it would need to be done right, not this ad hoc new Space Marine codex makes XYZ Forge World unit OP all of a sudden (looking at you Chaplain Dreadnought).
And no, Heresy is not dead either (no matter what the internet may tell you we said)…
The “Problem” With Horus Heresy
Once 30k gets mentioned, there’s usually a very vocal group that says something to the extent of “I’m never going back to 7th edition, Yolo swag 8th edition or die” etc…etc… With that said, 7th edition rules are what pulls some players to the game. Once you get past the high learning curve, the game actually levels out to be a very methodical game that feels like an actual battle. Thanks mainly to tank/turret facings, fixed AP mechanics, and other rules exclusive to the game.
The “Problem” With 40k
For 40k, it’s a fun game and has most definitely been smoothed-out for faster playing compared to 7th edition rules. However, it also feels almost like a normal point-and-click RTS game you could play from the comfort of your home in your underwear. Which, at that point, why go through the trouble of putting on deodorant and heading to LGS when you get the same experience from a PC?
All jokes aside, we’ve done some dangerous thinking and have given some thought about what it would look like if 30k got 8th edition’s dice-rolling/ AP mechanic but kept all the special weapon/unit rules from the game as normal.
Horus Heresy Blended With 40k Rules: Good or Bad?
Just spitballing here but it seems like in some ways it would be easy to blend the two rules systems. For Example, 30k would still keep its special weapon/unit rules, basic force organization and things like Sunder, Blinding, Barrage etc. However, the units would pick up the weapon STATS and damage/wound/Ap profiles more like in 8th edition.
For a better example, A Storm Cannon Leviathan (popular in both games) with the blend of 30k/40k rules would look like this:
M8″ WS 2+ BS 2+ S8 T8 W14 A3 Ld8 Sv 2+/4++
Leviathan Storm Cannon: R 24″ S7, AP-2 D2 Heavy 10, Sunder.
Turret Range of Motion & Armor Facing
On top of rules like this being blended, turret/armor facing would also be a neat take on the game. For anyone who has played 8th edition, we’ve all been in those cheeky circumstances where your opponent pokes 2″ of their tank track out from a corner and suddenly they have LOS on all their weapons. It’s times like these that take away from the realistic “feel” to the game and brings in a more “my opponent is trying to min/max everything” mindset.
To keep the realism in check (or as real as supersoldiers in power armor blasting each other with microwave rays and hot glue guns can be), it would be nice to keep the turret facing rules from 30k alive. That would mean that the top turrets (except for things like Shadowswords and Vindicators) would have a 360-degree range of motion. Sponsons would have a 180-degree field of vision, and fixed turrets would have a 45-degree arc facing whichever way the barrel is pointing.
Finally, for one last rule to keep armor facing important in-game, instead of allowing things to get one-shotted as they can be in 30k, there can be a simple rule like +1 to wound against armor from the side and +2 to wound against armor from the back (similar to Titanicus).
While there is plenty to be talked about in an entire game getting its rules blended, how would 30k games sound with an update like this? Are there parts of 8th edition you hate but parts of 30k you love?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
