The Legiones Astartes

Legiones Astartes Army List

The following section presents the Legiones Astartes Army List, reflecting the Space Marine Legions during the final years of the Great Crusade and through the Horus Heresy. Within you'll find all the rules needed to build a Legiones Astartes Army.

Legiones Astartes Special Rules

When building a Legiones Astartes Army, the following special rules apply. Some rules will mention Legiones Astartes Formations, Detachment and/or models - this refers to any Formation, Detachment or model drawn from the Legiones Astartes list, and not other Formations, Detachments and models that are part of the same Army only.

When a player musters an Army using a Legiones Astartes Army List as the Primary Army List, that player must select a Legion for each Legiones Astartes Formation within it. The Formation is referred to as a [Legion Name] Formation and all Detachments and models within it are referred to as [Legion Name] Detachments or models. Detachment and models within that Formation may gain special rules associated with the chosen Legion (see page 154).

No Formation, Detachment or model can benefit from more than one set of Legion rules. Different Formations within the same Legiones Astartes Army may be from different Legions.

If Legiones Astartes Formations are included in a non- Legiones Astartes Army through Allied Contingents, then they too must choose a Legion and gain the special rules associated with it. All Legiones Astartes Allied Contingents within an Army must be drawn from the same Legion.

For example, Tom selects the Legiones Astartes Army List as his Primary Army List, and chooses the Thousand Sons Legion for two of his Formations. As such, all Detachments within those Formations are referred to as Thousand Sons Formations, Detachments and models. If a third Formation is added and Tom decides they will be Dark Angels, then all Detachments within the Formation are referred to as Dark Angels Detachments.

Certain Formations presented in future supplements may be exclusively available to certain Legions, and thus can only include models with that Legion special rule. Similarly, some Detachments might only be available to certain Legions, and thus can only be included in Formations of that Legion. Where this is the case it will always be clearly stated as part of the Detachment's datasheet.

A player can declare their Formations are drawn from any Legion, regardless of the Army's Allegiance - though certain Legions sided with the Emperor or the Warmaster, it was not unknown for disparate elements to go against the will of their Primarch and choose a different path during the Horus Heresy. The only restrictions are units that are specifically Loyalist or Traitor (see the Loyalist and Traitors special rules in the Special Rules section).

Legiones Astartes Tank Commanders

Across the breadth of the Legiones Astartes, many talented and courageous commanders found their particular skills suited to armoured warfare. Some preferred a grand overview of the battlefield, coordinating entire phalanxes of tanks from an orbital strategium or command post. Others however took to the field, riding in the cupola of an armoured vehicle at the point of the spear. Often accompanied by a handpicked crew, these warriors led their brethren into battle with guns blazing, taking the fight to their foes and crushing them beneath churning tracks.

In this section you will find new Detachments for Legiones Astartes armies, representing high ranking officers taking to the battlefield mounted in armoured vehicles. These Detachments can be made using standard vehicle models, but a Tank Commander should be clearly visible – this can be done through having an officer in the cupola, a small banner, an alternative paint scheme or similar identifiable method.

Using These Detachments

The Detachments found in this section are part of the Legiones Astartes Army List, as described in the Legions Imperialis Rulebook. These Detachments can either be selected to fill their usual battlefield role slot (Battle Tank or Heavy Armour) in a Detachment, or can be selected to fill an HQ slot instead.