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I'll be building a Heresy-Era Imperial Army, and as well read I am in the recent fluff, I find myself lacking in understanding of Heresy fluff. In particular, I need to know what sort of stuff I can include in a 100% fluffy Imperial Army. What stuff in the Codex can I include, stuff in the various Imperial Armours, and what stuff should I focus on/ensure I include.

Though it's not requested, bonus internets for anyone that can build me a decently competitive/fluffy 2500 pt list.

Thanks guys!

1. Why would you want to do a Heresy-era army if you're more into 40.000 fluff?

2. Heresy-era imperials can pretty much include anything they can regularly include. More pressing would be who to fight. No Tyrandis, no Tau, no Chaos Marines or Daemons, no non-Legion Marines (Grey Knight, Templars, any Legion-successor-scheme; Blood Angels would have no Death Company yet, Dark Angels would have no Deathwing yet, etc... ), no Necrons (well, new fluff party retconned Necrons to possibly be around Heresy-era), etc.. To be fluffy, you would essentially have to refuse fighting these armies.

Well if its during the heresy you could have them fight some chaos stuff they would just look like marines, and weren't chaos demons technically always around pre heresy and whatnot?

IG vs Orks is always fun though, lotsa stuff dying and loads of dice.

You wouldnt be able to include any of the named heroes but otherwise the same stuff for the most part.

The Imperium did fight daemons pre-heresy, at the counxil of Nikaea Mortarion pretty much describes bloodcrushers breaking his armies lines

Zweischneid wrote:1. Why would you want to do a Heresy-era army if you're more into 40.000 fluff?

2. Heresy-era imperials can pretty much include anything they can regularly include. More pressing would be who to fight. No Tyrandis, no Tau, no Chaos Marines or Daemons, no non-Legion Marines (Grey Knight, Templars, any Legion-successor-scheme; Blood Angels would have no Death Company yet, Dark Angels would have no Deathwing yet, etc... ), no Necrons (well, new fluff party retconned Necrons to possibly be around Heresy-era), etc.. To be fluffy, you would essentially have to refuse fighting these armies.

I'm doing a Heresy Campaign. It's All the founding legions, and a bunch of Loyal and Traitor guard.

And wasn't a bunch of stuff not invented yet? Like Chimeras and Valks? Certain Leman Russ Variants?

Essentially, I want to know what's been around since like 1st/2nd Edition.

TheCaptain wrote:

I'm doing a Heresy Campaign. It's All the founding legions, and a bunch of Loyal and Traitor guard.

And wasn't a bunch of stuff not invented yet? Like Chimeras and Valks? Certain Leman Russ Variants?

I am not 100% familiar with the fluff-details of all Russ variants, but in general, the Imperium of Men in 40K has regressed technologically from the Heresy Era, not progressed. They had more, better and higher standards of technology in the heresy era than they do in 40K. Much of 40K's "progress" is rediscovering technology from that time. That aside, there was not quite the superstisious dogmatism of the Adeptus of Mars during the Heresy Era againts "modifications" or "inventions". So modifications and inventions would be more widespread. Thus, even if there wasn't exactly a "Valkyrie" or "Leman Russ Executioner" at the time, there sure was an equivalent.. probably better, cheaper, more numerous and far better maintained too.

TheCaptain wrote:

Essentially, I want to know what's been around since like 1st/2nd Edition.

Also, 1st/2nd Edition is not Heresy Era. Indeed, there wasn't even such a thing as a "Horus Heresy" in the Background in Rogue Trader. The Heresy as a "vaguely referenced" event is a child of 2nd Edition mainly. And it wasn't fleshed out with detail until the Horus Heresy Novels started in the 2000s. Heresy Era is the "prequel" to 40K in the sense that it is set 10.000 years before the "main setting", but it was not the actual setting of early editions (which would have been 40K, arguably with even less "re-discoveries" from the Heresy Era if you want to keep it the smaller range plausible).

Traitor guard on jet bikes and land speeders with plasma cannon! (I won't mention boogie boards). There had to be a reason such tech in the hands of IG guard is heretical!


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Oh, and don't forget beastmen guardsmen . Though as pointed out, Rogue trader was not heresy era.

Aye, need to get hold of Space Marine (original Epic) and Adepticus Titanicus stuff as that was Horus Heresy era.

Stories, pics and so on for those two editions pretty much all referenced battles during the Heresy. Just want the main books if you can find them.

Have a look through here for some inspiration, particularly the Imperial Army section towards the bottom:

http://www.solegends.com/citrt/index.htm

But yes, as people say, the Imperial Army has regressed technologically since the heresy. They used to make use of Land Raiders, Land Speeders, Jetbikes and Rhinos (in game, though perhaps no longer in fluff), but also stuff like the Valdor, Malcador and Thunderer tanks (by Forgeworld's fluff).

Example of an Imperial Guard rhino: http://www.dakkadakka.com/s/i/at/at2/2010/10/17/a188f573062fb9bacc7769c18fa4d04a_518.jpg

As mentioned, the Imperial Army pretty much had access to anything the Astartes legions did. They used everything from rhinos to the mighty landraider. They had jet bikes, jump troopers, but they were still limited to mainstream use of the lasgun(though I think it was more a hotshot lasgun). Most of the stuff in the Imperial Guard codex existed in some for or another during the Horus Heresy. There was a lot of tech rediscovered right at the beginning of Horus' betrayal.

I would say the most fluffy army is one that does not have any psykers or abhumans. You could count Ogryns as the Legio Cybernetika. I can't remember if the Commissariat was around back then or not, but I don't see why not. Also Stormtroopers would not have been around, but the Imperial Naval Commandos would have been, so you can just count them as that.

I'm very aware 1st and 2nd ed. were not during the Heresy, but (as far as the pictures can tell me) they were the times in which more HH tech was in use, like jetbikes and whatnot. Also, as far as I know, that was back when the Imperial Army was still a thing.

The Imperial Army would have Rhinos, Malcador heavy tanks(No Lemun Russ tanks), and probably Chimeras.

They would also have more then normal Baneblades.

Landraiders were used by the Imperial Army early on, but they were soon reserved specifically for Space Marines.

You would have Landspeeders and Jet Bikes(both Marines and IA)

You could have Ratlings and Ogryns just fine.

The IG Codex says that entire regiments of Leman Russ Executioners were used during the Great Crusade so using several of them would work. About the Hellhound it says that "several redesigns" have become "increasingly common" so I might take that as a sign to not use Devil Dogs or Bane Wolfs. The Vostroyan's refused to contribute additional troops during the Heresy as to do so would mean a decrease in weapons productions so don't use them and I think that the Death Korps of Krieg was formed after the Heresy so I wouldn't use their models either. Tallarn was a fertile planet before the Iron Warriors virus bombed it during the Heresy creating the "Desert Raiders" they are now, so using them would be ok. The Codex also notes that Commissars were "universaly" introduced after the Heresy, so they may have existed before but were not as widespread as they are now.

So I'm smelling Land Raiders, Sentinels, Land Speeders, Executioners, and loads of blobs?

They can have Land Raiders, but only if they are pre-heresy. When the heresy got into full swing the Emperor ordered all Land Raiders to be transferred to the Astartes.

Any other advices? What special/heavy weapons do ya think'd be most prominent during the around the Great Crusade/HH

Special weapons are probably all fine,

for heavy weapons I would have maybe Autocannons with special ammunition(They used to have ammo similer to bolters, explosive rounds if you will) maybe have them have 2 firing modes. the current one, and a Str4 AP5 heavy 1 small blast.

Missiles are fine, Heavy bolters are fine, Mortars are fine, TL-Heavy Stubbers would add variety. maybe make them 5 pts each, real cheap and spammable.