Adrantis Endeavour: Sitrep 01
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The 1st phase of our in-house Horus Heresy Escalation League is coming to an end, with all those who signed up bringing their first 750 points to the battlefield in an opening gambit of the campaign.
Launching into our first Adrantis Endeavour Sitrep, it seemed fitting to begin with the protagonists, the main big bad, the centrepiece, without which it’d just be some heresy, and not the alliterative juggernaut it is!
We spoke to Chris about his entry into The Adrantis Endeavour, his Sons of Horus!
Chris, why did you decide to go with the Sons of Horus for his campaign?
The Sons of Horus have been my favourite legion since I started reading The Horus Heresy with Horus Rising when I was 15. I love their aesthetic straddling the line between sophisticated soldier and ganger-barbarian, their lore as honoured sons falling from grace after being deceived and becoming paranoid about their place in the Imperium when war is over, and most of all I love the characters available to them, as a gamer that cares most about narrative, being able to kitbash/paint lots of characters for my army from the books is a treat.
The wealth of stories that are so directly linked, with recurring characters and bitter rivalries, all focused around the same event, really does make the game predominantly narrative first. The narrative element is something The Horus Heresy game does better than almost any other.
My army is based on the 23rd Chapter. My lore matches the existing lore, so the Chapter is still captained by Vheren Ashurhaddon, but my Praetor, Karnas Dravyn, is the “Shadow Captain” or 2nd Battalion Captain of the Chapter. Their theme is loyalty above all to Horus, the Battalion is nearly entirely all Cathonian, with Terran Astartes often having to endure gruelling trials to be accepted by the Cathonians. They honour their gang traditions, adorning their armour and vehicles with golden skulls, and Mirror Coins, which I have kitbashed onto most models.
Chris has started his first 750 points with:
A Herald
9 Reavers with Lightning Claws
A Rhino
2 squads of Tactical Legionaries
We absolutely love the paint scheme on these marines! The perfect amount of weathering, the banner, and the great use of spot colours for contrast on the models, like the lightning claws and iconography! An Escalation Campaign is perfect to get a full army painted to this high standard, and we can’t wait to see a gorgeous 3000-point army painted to this level as we conclude the Adrantis Endeavour!
I chose this as I think it represents the ‘spear tip’ of the army well. A Herald forces me both narratively and tactically to be aggressive, as I want to score extra victory points. He accompanies the Reavers, which are incredibly deadly, ripping apart most units with ease, often jumping out of the Rhino straight into enemy lines. This can then be followed up by the rest of the spear tip, being the two Tactical Squads, who can score objectives and hold the board.
How did your first battle go in the opening gambit of the Adrantis Endeavour?
In my battle against Death Guard, the Sons of Horus performed admirably, but unfortunately, some early losses made victory unlikely.
After the Reavers and Heraly failed a turn 1 charge into the enemy’s Command, they were thinned down heavily. All was not lost, and despite those casualties, my Reavers managed to clear out a unit of Breachers as my Herald and Reaver Chieftain laid low the Death Guard Centurion.
However, the wounds mounted and my key offensive unit was gone early in the game, meaning I was overextended and my opponent had an extra turn to score points, so despite drawing on points heading into the final round, my opponent was able to hold onto their backline objective and take home victory.
In my next game, I will definitely learn from this mistake and make sure when my speartip does strike, it won’t be over-extended
Looking forward to the next Phase of the campaign, you get to bring another 250 points. Any plans on what you’re looking to add?
In my first reinforcement, I will be bringing a Contemptor Dreadnought with 2 Conversion Beamers, as well as a Rhino.
The Dreadnought offers a lot of flexible fire support, being able to contend with mass infantry, other Dreadnoughts, and light APCs.
The Rhino will allow one of my Tactical Squads to safely arrive on an objective.
We’ll bring you more of Chris’s journey throughout the campaign as we see his army grow. Check back next week to see the loyalist side of the conflict in our next Sitrep!
Chris is also tracking his own journey on his blog and socials, which you can find here:
Check out Chris’s Blog
Check out Chris’s Socials
And if you couldn’t make it in-store for the league but wanna build an army and get involved, you can take part in our Online Escalation League! Starting in a couple of weeks, we’re currently building our 750 points, but will soon be recording your game results and seeing just how each faction gets on in the liberation or conquest of the system.
There’s still time to sign up here:
