The Rules

This section of the rulebook presents all of the core rules needed to play a game of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy - Legions Imperialis. It is recommended to give it a couple of read-throughs before playing your first games, and to keep the rulebook handy in case you need clarification.

Warhammer: The Horus Heresy - Legions Imperialis is a strategic tabletop wargame in which two or more players command grand armies during the tempestuous era of the Horus Heresy. Each player is a general, taking control of Detachments of finely detailed Citadel and Forge World miniatures ranging from infantry to the mighty god- engines of the Collegia Titanica.

Its battles and campaigns take place in the same setting as some of Games Workshop's other ranges, most notably Warhammer: The Horus Heresy and Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy. Each offers a different experience within the expansive setting of the Horus Heresy, with Legions Imperialis reflecting the brutal majesty of the largest battles fought during the conflict. Engagements such as the Great Slaughter of Beta- Garmon, the Dropsite Massacre of Isstvan V, and the Siege of Terra itself are ideal backdrops for games of Legions Imperialis, allowing players to field expansive armies and fight epic battles, all in the space of a few short hours.

This rulebook is only the beginning of your journey in Legions Imperialis. Future supplements will take a look at infamous events in the Age of Darkness, offer new ways to play your games, new Detachments and armies to deploy to the battlefield, and different theatres of war.

Commanders of Old and Princeps of New

If you're a veteran of Games Workshop's games, you may remember a few other games that bear some of the mechanics included in Legions Imperialis - for example, Epic: Space Marine. Indeed, the rules contained within are inspired by these earlier games. Every effort has been made to retain the feeling of the original games while updating them with new mechanics and renewing them for a new era. For some readers, this rulebook will feel like an age come again.

It also pays to note that Warhammer: The Horus Heresy - Legions Imperialis is just one of many games that take place within the Horus Heresy. The most obvious comparison is Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, with Legions Imperialis representing conflict on a grander scale. There is also Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy and Aeronautica Imperialis, both of which use some of the same models as Legions Imperialis. Each represents a different scale of war, offering unique challenges, experiences and ways to play.