Horus Heresy as a great themed game in the Warhammer world

 There are 31 millennia in the yard. Thanks to the godlike Emperor of Mankind and his demigod-like clone-son primarchs, humanity spread across the galaxy during the Great Crusade. Their goal is to unite all people under the banner of the Imperium.

 After some time, the emperor decides to return to Terra (Earth) and appoints his beloved son Horus as the new head of the Crusade. However, after the newly appointed "Master of War" is grievously wounded in battle, he succumbs to the temptation of Chaos. Chaos convinces Horus that his father abandoned the campaign to become a god. Horus, allied with some of the Primarchs and the forces of Chaos, returns to Terra, intending to overthrow the Emperor and become the ruler of the Imperium. Brother goes to brother...

 The action of the game "Horus Heresy" begins at the moment when Horus and his forces arrive in the orbit of Terra. Here is a dueling wargame with card-based mechanics from Fantasy Flight Games. To win, the Imperium player must either kill Horus, take control of all four spaceports, or hold out until the initiative track reaches the "Imperial Victory" mark. The traitor player wins by either killing the emperor or taking control of all four spaceports.

 In appearance, the game is simply gorgeous. Plastic miniatures on detachable bases (which also serve to indicate their rank - from 1 to 4) represent various units: tanks, demonic hordes, space marines, chaos space marines, etc. In addition, both sides have heroes - the leaders of the game. Unfortunately, they are represented by cardboard boxes like those in Arkham Horror. It would be great if these god-like entities towered over the other units... well, that's a small problem.

 The illustrations and design are very atmospheric and not overwhelming at the same time. The rulebook is well laid out; it is especially pleasing to have an excellent glossary, table of contents and numerous examples. It is not perfect - we had a few questions, but there are very few unclear points. No wonder they still haven't released the FAQ from the game.

 Most of the field is occupied by a map of the area around the imperial palace. There's also a hero health track on the field, Horus' ship Vengeful Spirit, and a couple of other items that I'll talk about in more detail later.

 Three-dimensional plastic houses are placed in the corresponding holes on the playing field. They depict various fortifications and, of course, the emperor's palace. They look great, but in practice it is very inconvenient to place units in them: there is not much space, plus the surface is not completely flat. Because of this, the units often topple over and sometimes fall out. This is very annoying during large battles: it is not easy to place troops in places not intended for them (or rather, ill-conceived). Didn't expect this from Fantasy Flight Games.

 The game mechanics are based on the initiative track (TI). It not only serves as a timer and determines turn order, but also has strategic value. So, the initiative is in the hands of the player whose marker is closer to the "start" cell. Every action he takes, including drawing order cards from his hand, requires spending a certain number of Action Points (AP). Each OD spent moves the player's marker 1 space along the track until he overtakes the opponent's marker, after which the initiative passes to him. At the same time, in those areas of the map where there are troops of both sides, the "battle for control over the territory" begins. There is also a check for exceeding the number limit and the execution of special actions if the player's marker has passed the corresponding phases on the track. The initiative track is a brilliant find. By controlling TI, you can limit your opponent's actions... the reverse is also true.

 Another great feature of the game is the strategic map. It looks like a miniature copy of the main map, only divided into large zones - regions. Players can place order cards on the region to draw. At the same time, the cards will touch only the zones corresponding to the selected region. The advantage of drawing cards from the strategy card is that they are always only worth 1 VP, not as much as the card says. In addition, on the strategic map, you can cover the opponent's cards by moving them to the bottom of the stack, as well as bluffing (placing an order in a region that you do not need at all).

 After the initial set-up, the traitor player begins the assault on Terra by repeatedly drawing several cards from the bombardment deck. The first cycle means the seduction of part of the imperial troops - army units and tank units. If there is an imperial eagle symbol in the corner of the drawn card, then nothing happens, but if there is a Chaos star, then the unit goes to the side of the traitors. Then the gray stand is replaced by a black one so that the units do not get confused.

 The next cycle represents a powerful orbital bombardment from the Horus fleet in Terra's orbit. The traitor player chooses a zone, decides whether to use point or chaotic bombardment, after which the damage is distributed among the units present there, and nearby fortifications may become unusable. Very interesting and exciting mechanics that allow you to immediately feel yourself in the shoes of commanders-in-chief. Not only affects the future strategy of both sides, but also adds replayability.

 Battles are fought on special maps; each player has his own combat deck. Each card displays the strength of its attack (0-4 damage) and defense (0-3 shields), as well as the cost of canceling the card's special effect by another player (also in shields).

 I'm a big fan of another action card game, Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage. But in "Horus Heresy" battles are even more interesting, because here there is more thematic (the presence of certain units can trigger special effects) and here players can react to the actions of the opponent during the battle. For example, if the active player (defendant chooses who will be active in the first phase of the battle) plays a card that has a special effect, then the passive player must decide what is more profitable: sacrifice useful cards to cancel it, or suffer the resulting penalty and save shields to absorb damage .

 Here (as well as, for example, Magic or Cosmic Encounter) you can often hear much more emotional shouts during the course of the game than in dice-based combat games. Completely different feelings; the stakes for both players are much higher in terms of the importance of short-term planning, luck, and the willingness to make strategic sacrifices. Very exciting.

 There are also difficult tactical decisions. Units attack, move, and occasionally do both, according to the order cards that are played. At the same time, both the units and the zone to which they are going to move are activated and receive the corresponding token. Such units cannot receive new orders until the TI has an update phase or until certain cards are played on the strategic map. Therefore, you need to plan your movement and attack in advance, as orders can take units out of the game for several turns.

 In addition, the scenario book and deck of event cards add depth and replayability to the game.

 Overall, I really like Horus Heresy. It not only immerses you in the atmosphere of an epic mythological clash of titans, but also boasts a beautiful gameplay: atmospheric and strategic. Yes, I almost forgot - there are no victory points here, cheers! Kish, Europhiles!

 All the elements of "Horus Heresy" fit together perfectly. Very thoughtful design. A worthy addition to both the shelf and the gaming table.