In October 2012 Forgeworld re-introduced the Horus Heresy to the tabletop with the publication of the first in a series of Imperial Armour books dedicated the period called, Betrayal. At this point, the novel series of the same name, which started with Horus Rising, had already been running for six years, but the Heresy had been a fundamental component of the background to Games Workshop’s long-running Warhammer 40,000 universe since its earliest days, providing the setting for the original 6mm Adeptus Titanicus in 1988 (which became Space Marine a year later), and spawning a 1992 board game of the same name, as well as providing narrative threads which laid out the mythology of the 41st Millennium.

The Forgeworld iteration, along with the book series, took great pains to collect together all those extant threads and tantalising tidbits to create a living, breathing setting, and provide hobbyists with the tragic, slow-motion spectacle of the collapse of a galactic empire. One of the project’s fundamental strengths was the triumphant image it painted of the end of the Great Crusade and a humanity on the cusp of a glorious epoch of unparalleled dominion over the stars. Unfortunately, we all know how that panned out, but despite that foreshadowing, I immediately fell in love with the pre-Heresy period, and resolved to collect a force representative of the era.

The first major decision, was which legion to go for – As the former general of a Slaaneshi Warriors of Chaos army for 8th Edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle, I was naturally drawn towards the Emperor’s children, but I was also intrigued by the Lunar Wolves (courtesy of Abnett’s amazing prose), and liked the Warhounds livery of the pre-Heresy World Eaters. However, all of those were swiftly knocked out of the window by James Swallow’s portrayal of the iconic death of Ullis Temeter, Captain of the 4th Great Company of the Death Guard, and Huron-Fal, Venerable Dreadnought of the 2nd Great Company, in the novel, The Flight of the Eisenstein.

Book One: Betrayal and Book Two: Massacre of Forgeworld’s Imperial Armour series on the Horus Heresy also provided further support for the idea, as the stoic nature of the Death Guard, and their history as the Dusk Raiders during the early days of the Great Crusade really appealed. I was also aware of the original red/white livery from the 80s and thought that it would be the logical transition between the Grey/Red portrayed in the Imperial Armour books and the White/Green of the Heresy period.

So the plan came together to create a force representative of the Dusk Raiders in the midst of the Great Crusade, just prior to the rediscovery of the Primarch Mortarion (#notmyprimarch). This force would be more thematic than game-orientated, as I decided early on that it would only include units that were extant during the period, and feature no warplate higher than the iconic MKIII Iron Armour. I also wanted to give a nod to some of the themes in the earlier novels of the Horus Heresy series concerning the ‘grandeur of what was’ so decided the force would be led by two Legion Praetors, Ullis Temeter and Huron-Fal (the latter serving an advisory role in Cataphractii Warplate).

Pouring over the relevant Imperial Armour books, and keeping a weather eye on new releases, an army list has quietly evolved over time and I have slowly, but surely, been accumulating the miniatures and parts necessary to bring this project to life. It’s often been a slow process, as the cost of Forgeworld’s miniatures doesn’t lend itself to large, bulk purchases, but it’s also been a journey filled with some surprising and fantastic finds, such as PopGoesTheMonkey‘s awesome line of Dusk Raider shoulder pads in a variety of armour marks, or the fact that FalloutHobbies does a superb custom decal service (seriously, check both sites out – They’re amazing!).

So what’s currently on the hobby bench?

Well, at the moment, having just finished some Legion Destroyers (see here) and a kit-bashed Moritat (who will feature in a later blog post) I’m plugging away at the 20-strong assault squad whose picture heads up this post. I’ve also accumulated enough Volkite weaponry to outfit a 10-man Cataphractii Squad, a 10-man Tactical Support Squad, and Ullis Temeter’s Command Squad (which is bagged up and ready to build), not to mention ten ‘Negotiator’ anti-materiel rifles and cloaks from Anvil Industries awaiting their recon squad in MKIII warplate, and an unbuilt Rapier Laser Destroyer waiting to join its compatriot in what will eventually be a three-strong battery. So, reinforcements are definitely inbound and who knows what other ‘Pandemic purchases’ are likely as I’m currently on sabbatical.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more wholesome Dusk Raider goodness in future posts, and thank you for reading…

To get an idea of the full breadth of my hobby madness – Feel free to download the army list at the bottom of this article.