Until now, the Horus Heresy miniatures and rules have always been a Forge World product (GW’s specialist arm). I don’t think there is any intention that this box would be your first entry into the world of Warhammer. The Horus Heresy rules are complicated and this box set does not have an “easy play” option. The Horus Heresy rules were written long before this change, and still use the old much-loved/much-maligned rules that predate the 8th edition.

GW massively overhauled Warhammer 40,000 for its 8th edition. Mechanically, the game is also a throwback to another age. In the latest episode of the Agents of Sigmar podcast, we took a look at why The Horus Heresy has such a lasting appeal. 50-year-old me sees the ideas being stretched like butter, scraped over too much bread. Whilst many aspects of the lore are beloved to some, to an outsider, they feel a bit clunky. The first Horus Heresy stories were written over 20 years ago, created, I think, to add some context for why Space Marines might fight Space Marines. It charts the schism of the Emperor’s beloved Space Marine legions, some 10,000 years earlier. In short, it’s a background story for the Warhammer 40,000 setting.

This question could take an awfully long time to answer. For the last week or so, I’ve been immersing myself in the lore of the setting, the rules of the game, and the contents of the box. Games Workshop kindly set me a copy of the new set to take a look at. There have been countless models and novels released that chart the fall of the Emperor at the hands of his most trusted son. The Horus Heresy has been an enduring feature of the Warhammer 40,000 mythology for well over 20 years. This weekend saw the pre-order window open for Games Workshop’s new all-plastic Horus Heresy boxed set, with the full release on June 11th.

Horus heresy in order