This game was a significant milestone for me: my first foray into Horus Heresy: Legions Imperialis. With freshly painted VI Legion forces, I played at the Highgate Games Workshop store for an introductory clash. My goal was less about victory and more about familiarizing myself with the ebb and flow of the game.
The mission was Flanking Action, pitting my VI Legion forces against a Traitor Solar Auxilia cohort led by a rogue Legate. Both sides deployed in a stretched battleline across a mix of ruined and intact Civitas Imperialis structures, a grim and evocative setting for the engagement. My forces concentrated heavily on the flanks, with a small armored company anchoring the center. The battle promised to test both tactics and terrain, and I was eager to see how the game would unfold.
Flanking Action - VI Legion vs Traitor Solar Auxilia
The battlefield, a stark reminder of past devastation, sprawled with a mix of ruined and intact Civitas Imperialis buildings. Both forces stretched their battlelines thin across this bleak urban plain, the VI Legion focusing strength on the flanks.
The mission, Flanking Action, set the tone. The VI Legion sought to root out the traitor Solar Auxilia Legate, while Carnage and Defiant marked the respective secondary objectives. A clash of philosophies and loyalties loomed.
The right flank of the VI Legion surged forward with a detachment of Outriders, their engines howling through the ruins, promising speed and fury.
At the heart of the Wolves’ formation, a small armored company took position, flanked by towering Contemptor Dreadnoughts—an iron core to withstand the firestorm to come.
Opposing them, the traitors’ center bristled with lines of infantry and artillery, their barrels trained on the advancing Wolves. The Solar Auxilia tanks roared to life, advancing with grinding inevitability.
The Outriders streaked across the battlefield, their trail a blur of dust and speed, as they flanked the enemy positions with predatory precision.
The VI Legion’s spearhead struck deep into enemy lines, but their triumph was short-lived. Marauder bombers swooped in, unleashing devastation. As the smoke cleared, only empty Rhinos and lifeless bodies remained—grim monuments to the cost of audacity.
In the shadow of a central Civitas Imperialis structure, assault marines garrisoned within found themselves under threat, a marching detachment of brutish Ogryns came in, luckily for the wolves, the Legate was not counting on having targets for a charge this early, they had no orders and simply positioned themselves for it on the following turn.
On the left flank, a contingent of Aethon Heavy Sentinels advanced methodically, their armored bulk shielding two Baneblades that rumbled forward like unstoppable juggernauts.
Standing against them, the Questoris Freeblade, Fang of Fenris, strode boldly into the fray. A barrage of fire erupted from its weapons, finding purchase in the Sentinel’s ranks.
The traitors fortified their positions amongst ruined buildings, a hive of treachery and defiance ready to repel the VI Legion’s advance.
At the heart of the battle, a lone demi-company command squad disembarked to hold the center. The Wolves would not yield without a fight.
In the center, Kratos heavy tanks of the VI Legion rolled forward, their cannons roaring as they faced a line of Malcador battle tanks. A maelstrom of lascannon fire lit the battlefield, the crack of explosions drowning out all else.
The last surviving legionaries on the left flank pressed forward, dwarfed by the shadows of circling bombers overhead. A desperate push amidst unrelenting fire.
The Marauder bombers turned their wrath on the remaining legionaries, but across the battlefield, Rhino transports smashed into traitor tanks. The Fang of Fenris charged into the fray, shrugging off Baneblade overwatch to obliterate both superheavies with its mighty power fist.
As the Outriders sprung their trap, the enemy flank crumbled. Traitors reeled, cut off and outmaneuvered, their formations scattered like leaves in the wind.
Meanwhile, fast-moving infantry and deep-striking Terminators poured into the enemy deployment zone, seizing control of the battlefield's momentum. Victory seemed within the Wolves’ grasp.
Premature End
Though the game ended prematurely at the tail of Turn 2, the battle’s intensity left a lasting impression. At that point, the VI Legion had seized the initiative, with strong momentum and a significant points advantage. Their relentless charges left the traitors pinned in their deployment zone, unable to contest objectives in no-man’s land.
As a first game, this was an incredible learning experience. The blend of fast, brutal gameplay and grand scale is everything I hoped for. Yes, there are a few rough edges and quirks I’ll need to work through, but the foundations of Legions Imperialis are solid. I’m excited to sink my fangs deeper into this system and bring the VI Legion to even greater glory.
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