Weigh In: Horus Heresy 2.0 Rumours

 

[Credit: The Paint Crusader]

As I'm sure many of you in the loop will know by now, there have been several rumours flying round regarding the release of what's been dubbed 'Heresy 2.0'. In this article I'll take a look at the rumours themselves, my opinion on them, and how they could affect the Heresy.

The Rumours

There are two main 'sources' for these. The first comes from Anuj Malhotra, a former Forgeworld employee who appears to have worked on the Horus Heresy. When he left, he announced: "I love the passion guys. It has been a difficult year due to Covid and Brexit. Great things are coming, hang in there!" This is a fairly enigmatic message, though we could expect that the 'great things' are probably to do with the Heresy, and so the suggestion from those inside is that a big project is in the works. The second source is from everyone's favourite: an anonymous poster on B&C. They make a list of 7 points, stating that:

"1. Heresy 2.0 this year

2. Plastic starter kit to be released

3. A lot of plastic kits coming/already been made

4. No more black books

5. Rules still old 7th Ed, with some additions

6. Dreads have wounds

7. Big focus on Heresy being inline with Aos and 40K"

If this is true, this is very big news for Heresy. A new starter kit and more plastic kits overall suggest that GW want to invest in Heresy, and take it more mainstream, offering easier ways for players to enter and start playing. 

My Opinion

As I said in my last paragraph, this is big news for the Heresy. I personally would love to see a new starter set and more plastic kits overall, hopefully either bringing more marks into plastic, or alternative troops choices like assault marines and breachers. I also would like to see some of the main tanks ported over, especially Sicarans and Spartans. I'd expect a new starter box to be similar to the other two, based on a historical conflict in the Heresy, containing a HQ, troops choice and then either a vehicle or something from the fast attack/elite slots. It would also be good to see mainline Heresy rules included in the box for once!

How This affects Heresy

My biggest worry will be about the loss of the black books. These always gave the Heresy a premium feel, and were packed full of inspiration for modellers and painters. I will be disappointed if we don't see something to replace them. I am curious to see how GW tweaks the current rules, and how much dreadnoughts having wounds will impact the game if it turns out to be true. Finally, the Heresy has always had many units without specific models. Hell, Daemons of the Ruinstorm basically don't have a single model to their name! In recent years, GW has been cutting down on these units in 40K, especially in the latest FW Index (RIP my boy Lias Issodon). If such a cull was enacted on the Heresy, it would most likely be devastating, particularly for Legion special characters, and some Legion specific units, like the White Scars' Falcon's Claws.

Anyway, that pessimistic note just about wraps up all I have to say for today, so until next time,

The Paint Crusader