If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll be aware that just prior to the close of 2025 I finally completed my slow-burn Horus Heresy project that has been the central focus of Eroberung since the publishing of the fourth Horus Heresy novel The Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow in March 2007 and the introduction (and death) of Ullis Temeter. This was a good five years before the publication of the first “Black Book” Betrayal in October of 2012 by Forgeworld.

From the outset, I knew I wanted to collect a pre-Heresy force of Legiones Astartes, but was initially torn as to which Legion to select. My first forays into Warhammer 40,000 at the beginning of the 90’s was with the Blood Angels so they seemed an apposite choice, however I was also increasingly drawn to the pre-Heresy War Hounds, as well as the Death Guard. In the latter case, the indomitable grind of heavy infantry warfare suited my tastes (I’m not a huge fan of vehicles at 28mm scale), whilst the former did have a very manageable paint scheme. A number of factors finally clinched it for the pre-Heresy Death Guard; first of all the death of Ullis Temeter and Huron-Fal in the early Horus Heresy novels (as mentioned above), the pre-Heresy name of the legion (the Dusk Raiders), and finally an old piece of original Adeptus Titanicus / Epic Space Marine art depicting the Death Guard in light-grey / off-white with red right arms. This would later be retconned into storm grey, but the idea had already stuck.

The results of the all those influences mentioned above, was a project that depicted the Dusk Raiders at the height of the Great Crusade, at a transitional point where they had moved away from storm grey, to the more recognisable sepia-tinted white of the Death Guard, whilst retaining their pre-Mortarion red. The scheme also seemed to fit with the obvious inspiration for the Legiones Astartes provided by the historical Roman Legions. As Forgeworld began publishing the infamous ‘Black Books’ and expanding the Horus Heresy range, I very quickly formed an idea of the units I wanted to include and the overall composition of my force. From the outset, it was a very cohesive vision, and I had even calculated what I would have in terms of left-over parts, and planned a small allied contingent of my second choice favourites the War Hounds, with the intention of including them as a penal force led by the newly retconned and renamed ‘Consul Obsequiarii’ (‘Field Police’ to those of us who are Rogue Trader veterans).

So after nearly two decades, did the project actually shake out as intended?

Generally speaking, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Despite Games Workshop folding Forgeworld back into the main company and retooling the Horus Horusy as it’s tertiary mainstream system, as well as completely overhauling the look of the MKII and MKIII plastics in recent years, I managed to get the project completed with first generation models without having to compromise the original army list I’d designed under 1st edition. As it stands, there are only three elements that I would possibly add in the future that were always fringe options: Two Sabre Strike Tanks armed with Volkite weapons, a legion Falchion Superheavy Tank, and three Castellax Battle Automata. In terms of the former two options, this will likely be dependent on them arriving in plastic, and in the latter case this might be a future palette cleanser.

If I’m honest, I also really like the 28mm Solar Auxilia plastics, but I’m trying to show a little restaint…

However, there are other adjacent projects yet to be realised. First and foremost, is the inclusion of centrepiece project in the form of a Ceratus Knight Castigator. I have already purchased all the models and almost all the parts for this, but I’m not quite ready to tackle this as of yet (I’m currently fiddling with paint schemes and techniques). Additionally, I also bought into the revamped Adeptus Titanicus. Having bought the two-player set at launch, I have almost an entire battle maniple of Legio Crucius titans that are simply waiting the addition of one more Reaver. I also bought into the Legions Imperialis two-player set as well, so theorectically have enought to create an sizeable force of epic-scale Dusk Raiders, with Titanicus and Solar Auxilia allies.

But what of the 2nd and 3rd Edition of the Horus Heresy?

Honestly, whilst I have the Age of Darkness and Saturnine boxed sets sitting on my shelves, the new take on the old armour marks has left me a little cold, as has the apparent ramping up to a 40k-style release schedule that will see new editions rolling out every three years or so, creating the kind of churn that makes it impossible to keep up with. Furthermore, it breaks my heart seeing the extensive lore in the old Black Books being hacked up as downloadable PDFs on the Warhammer Community website. Truth be told, I am increasingly disenchanted with Games Workshop’s offerings in general. I did consider trying to jump into Necromunda or Kill Team, but in the former case the ballooning range of rulebooks and expansions is bewildering, and in the latter case, there are other more enticing skirmish games out there. The one ray of sunshine in recent years, has been the return of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, in the form of Warhammer: the Old World. As I already have an sizeable army of Warriors of Chaos and Daemons of Chaos, my entry needs consist purely of the new rulebook, the Ravening Hordes faction book, and the Warriors of Chaos arcane journal, all of which I should have by the end of March this year.

Beyond that, as regular readers and Instagram followers will know, I am increasingly enamoured with Alternative Armies’ Ion Age setting and especially its Patrol Angis ruleset: Primarly designed for 15mm, it can easily be applied to 28mm by doubling ranges. And it has to be said that the 15mm range is ridiculously affordable; it cost me around 150€ including post & packaging to buy the entire range of Retained Knights infantry (and would cost around the same to repeat the process with the Shia Khan range). Likewise, with the 28mm range, it cost me 230€ to do the same. What’s more both are metal and in the case of the 28mm range, single piece miniatures (which I thoroughly enjoy working with). But it’s not the only thing vying for my attention however, as Trench Crusade has also sunk its hooks into me with warbands of New Antioch and Prussia on my shelves awaiting my tender ministrations. It also provides a much easier and more affordable entry point as a skirmish game than GW’s Necromunda, especially as, whilst having official ranges of miniatures, it is essentially miniature agnostic, and the living rulebook is freely available online.

As you can see, there is plenty to keep me occupied, and actually having completed my Horus Heresy project has given me renewed motivation to go back and tackle other elements of my pile of shame. My goal for 2026 is to largely refrain from buying any new miniatures (with the possible exception of more Ion Age), get other incomplete projects wrapped up (Mortifactors, I’m looking at you), and get a bunch of smaller, manageable projects done and dusted (expect those Trench Crusade miniatures to be hitting Instragram at some point). Additionally, I want to get back to actually gaming, with a few possible interested parties already identified.

So whilst one Crusade ends, others arise, as the eternal battle against the pile of shame opportunity continues. Still, it has been a hell of a ride, and this project (which as taken up nearly half my life) will always remain my true pride and joy. Here’s to you Ullis Temeter, Huron-Fal, and all my loyal Dusk Raiders and penitent War Hounds, it has been an honour to bring you to life: Etiam si omnes, ego non…