The Imperium stretches across countless worlds, a newborn empire on the brink of ultimate victory. Yet at the peak of this golden age of conquest, the galaxy has been plunged into an Age of Darkness. Horus Lupercal, Warmaster of the Emperor's armies, has turned against his gene-father – and the eighteen Space Marine Legions, once united in a Great Crusade to consolidate all humanity beneath the Emperor’s banner, are riven by betrayal. This is the Horus Heresy – the bloodiest conflict humanity has ever known, civil war on a galactic scale, in which superhuman soldiers clad in advanced armour turn devastating weapons upon those they called brothers. Where do your loyalties lie?
The battles of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy are rife with swift Reactions, mighty Warlords, and forbidden Psychic Powers. This handy deck of reference cards makes it easy to keep track of new rules and mechanics, so you can focus on your strategy. These cards will ensure you can take full advantage of the new Reaction system – they work as both a reminder to use them, and a rules reference for you and your opponent.
An Age of Darkness has descended upon the galaxy. Horus Lupercal, Warmaster of the Emperor's armies, has turned against his gene-father and sent the Imperium spiralling into bloody civil war. Of the eighteen great Space Marine Legions, finest of all humanity's soldiers, fully half have sided with the traitorous Warmaster, while the remainder stand staunchly loyal to the Emperor. It is a war of brother against brother, Space Marine against Space Marine, which has seen the might of the Imperium's vast armies turned upon itself in a cataclysm of fire and blood.
The Horus Heresy is the bloodiest conflict humanity has ever known, a galactic civil war in which Space Marines of the Legiones Astartes turn devastating weapons upon those they once called brothers.
Veletaris Storm Sections are an elite amongst the Solar Auxilia, assigned the most potent weaponry and the most arduous missions. Deployed as shock troops, their discipline and firepower can overwhelm even the most fearsome of enemies in a storm of concentrated heat rays. Other commanders utilise the Veletarii as a skilled and determined line reserve, able to react quickly to enemy breakthroughs and bolster a wavering defence, or as an axe-wielding honour guard for high-ranking Solar Auxilia officers.
Tactical Support Squads replace the utilitarian bolter of their comrades with more specialised weapons, enabling a Legiones Astartes strike force to act with even more versatility and engage a wider range of targets on its own terms. Each of the armaments used by Tactical Support Squads has its place – flamers are ideal for clearing bunkers, trenches, and urban zones, while rapid-firing rotor cannons see use against hordes of lightly-armoured foes. Meltaguns provide bursts of thermic energy for tank-busting, and volatile plasma guns can melt even heavily-armoured elites. Arcane volkite weapons – both the volkite caliver and lighter volkite charger – sear through targets with beams of thermal energy.
The Spartan Assault Tank is a huge armoured conveyer, designed to bear a great contingent of troops into the heart of enemy lines, weathering weapons fire that would be the death of any lesser vehicle. Protected by a sealed shell of legendarily durable plating, the Spartan's carrying capacity exceeds anything but a true super-heavy transporter, while retaining an impressive speed across the battlefield. Its quad lascannons make the Spartan a fearsome tank destroyer, while its secondary armaments allow it to sweep infantry from its path. The Spartan takes pride of place in the armouries of many Legions, its presence limited only by its sheer scale.
The Solar Auxilia are the most elite division of the Imperial Army, trained and equipped to fight in the most hazardous environments. Their cohorts are recruited from all over the Imperium, drawing on void-born asteroid clans, ambitious noble scions, and underhive scum alike. Whatever their origins, those who display the right combination of aggression, discipline, and skill-at-arms can win glory and greatness by leading the advance of the Imperium's tercios.
Solar Auxilia Tactical Command Sections are specialists in battlefield command and control. Led by a Captain or similar sub-commander, these expert sections facilitate the flow of orders, direct the tercios, and co-ordinate artillery and orbital operations. This vital role is mirrored by the junior Line Command Sections who lead frontline troops, while the most powerful and celebrated officers of the Solar Auxilia, known broadly as Legate Marshals, instead go to war with personal guards equipped from their private armouries.
The Leman Russ Strike Tanks fielded by the Solar Auxilia are robust armoured vehicles, augmented with Solar-pattern survival systems that allow both tank and crew to operate in the harshest conditions. Squadrons of Strike Tanks are often used to perform wide flanking advances, guided by a Leman Russ Command Tank in order to engage an enemy at the precise moment the cohort's infantry sections launch their own assault.
The Leman Russ Assault Tanks used by the Solar Auxilia are aggressive, heavily armoured vehicles, augmented with Solar-pattern survival systems that allow both tank and crew to operate in the harshest conditions. Squadrons of Assault Tanks are fielded in direct assaults, boasting enough raw firepower to smash through fortified positions in close support of infantry tercios.
Lasrifle Sections make up the core of the Solar Auxilia, soldiers trained to wage war on battlefields across the galaxy. Clad in their signature void armour, these troopers can fight through toxic killzones, alien death worlds, and even the cold vacuum of space. Whether arrayed in disciplined ranks to stand firm against an alien horde, or launching a massed assault against enemy positions, a Lasrifle Section can unleash volley after volley of concentrated laser fire until the field is won.
