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Hi, guys !
The 1st Horus Heresy big black book, Betrayal, has a lot of fluff, pictures, etc... about some Legions, especially the third ( I began an army of Emperor's Children).
However, as the rules are out of date, I will buy the two red books, too
Do you think this book is worth a Xmas gift, just for the background ? Or isn't there enough fluff in it ? Is the quality ok ?
It's so expensive for a book with out of date rules, that I doubt I will buy the red books AND this one AND the models. So, a gift could be the perfect opportunity to have it, if it is worth it.
What do you think ?

The fluff is pretty good imo; basically it just iterates the background events of the first 3 Horus Heresy novels from a 'historical' point-of-view, with a more in-depth look at the particulars of the betrayal at Isstvan III. It also has some background information on the Great Crusade itself, as well as write-ups on the Sons of Horus, Emperor's Children, Death Guard and World Eaters.

It's a well produced book with good writing and some nice drawings of various Astartes stuff, however you could probably get the same gist by reading through the articles on the Warhammer Wiki. And given that a large section of the book is the original Legiones Astartes Army List (now out of date), its probably hard to recommend it.

A better choice for an xmas gift might be the actual Horus Heresy Novels, if you haven't read them.

You can always look for 'pdf online' and see if you like it before you buy it...

For me, is a good purchase, if you are a collector. If you love the backgroung, the art and the narrative you will love this book.

I really liked it - i got a good sense of "this is the beginning".
And it has zone mortalis rules in there too!

It has 17 pages of fluff about the EC and it's pretty rammed with info including legion size, preferred armaments (they prefer contemptor dreads with a TL lascannon and a flamer in a powerfist for example) prior history, how the corruption started, alternate colour schemes, notable battles, the links to the luna wolves, how they like to fight, etc, etc.

Get a second hand one for cheap and you'll be very pleased with it.

here's one of my favourite Ordo Reductor bits...

"we'd fought free of the trench works before we'd been cut off, and it had been a running battle all the way. Legion outriders, speeder sweep squadrons, they were relentless, but then so were we - both Death Guard, whatever blood was now between us.

We'd reached the edge of the industrial zone east sector by nightfall, nothing left of it but twisted ironwork and broken buildings now, most of it still burning. Not long after that we ran into about fifty of our 'brothers' coming the other way, they must have braved the storm in gunships to get ahead of us. They'd meant an ambush, but we had just blundered into each other in the ash storm. It had been killing at close quarters then and i'd got separated from my men and i'd taken hits as well, my blood supply was getting low, as was my munitions.

I nearly fell into the crater in the ash-fog. Ten meters wide, it swallowed up the roadway i was on and was half-filled with space marine dead, Angrons butchers all of them. It was some sort of trap i had no doubt, but i had no time to question how or why, searchlights were flaring up behind me and i could hear the rumble of rhino tracks closing in. I dropped into the crater, and hoped to hide among the dead, at least get a shot or two off before they took me. It was only then i saw that the World Eaters had been scavenged, ripped open and stripped - not just weapons, but power units, circuitry. I had no time to consider it, the rhino had made the crest of the crater, and there was a dozen silhouettes around it - Death Guard, Kolak's company by their markings, true sons of barbarus all.

I was about to fire when i saw the others coming out of the storm. I thought they were Terminators at first; some pattern i didn't realize, World Eaters perhaps, come to avenge their dead. But they were too large, and i knew i was seeing something else, something unknown. The crater lit up like an exploding star and black lightning leapt from Death Guard to Death Guard, tearing them open.

The crater had been a trap, just not one lain by any Astartes, loyal or traitor." (from the testimony of Crysos Morturg section on page 54)

From a collector's point of view, absolutely. This is one of the finest gaming books I have ever purchased. Real leather cover, embossed metallic leaf, metal Aquilla corner protectors, gilded metallic pages, heavy weight stock paper, gorgeous full color Legion artwork, as well as sepia line art work. The history of the founding of the Legions, the Crusade, and the events leading up to the Horus Heresy and the Betrayal on Isstavan III is presented in a fantastic historical narrative. Each of the Legions in the book (Sons of Horus, World Eaters, Death Guard, and Emperors Children as well as Mechanicum) are presented in exquisite detail- the founding, their Primarch, famous battles/Crusades, tactics, and favored equipment. Truly, it is one of the best fluff and gaming books I've ever read.

Game wise? Nope. All outdated material replaced by Legiones Astartes Age of Darkness Army List and Isstavan Campaign Legions books (which are nice, big red books, but no where near the quality or craftsmanship of the Big Black Books).

Hopefully not too much of a threadjack, but what about books 4-6? I was thinking about picking them up to continue my collection, but spending almost $300 on books that are half useless leaves me scratching my head a bit.

 Lansirill wrote:
Hopefully not too much of a threadjack, but what about books 4-6? I was thinking about picking them up to continue my collection, but spending almost $300 on books that are half useless leaves me scratching my head a bit.

If you liked the first 3 books the next are at the same level of high quality. The forth is focused absolutly in Solar Auxilia and Knight Houses with no presence of the Astartes. The fifth is the War in Calth with strong focus in Ultramarines and Word bearers, no other legions have rules and only little background. The six, for me, is the most interesting, you have rules for all the legions, the broken survivors of Istvaan, armies of Dark Compliance, the Black shields, new characters, the agents, the new Rites of war...

The plot advances, but not undivided, there are four or five chapters in the book, unconnected but for the happened at the same time. These chapters focused in the revenge and reorganization of the survivors of Istvaan III and V, the advance of the armies of Horus and the first appearances of Blood Angels, Dark Angels and White Scars. Is similar to the organization of the third book of the Istvaan trilogy, not only focused in istvaan, but in Paramar and Phall too.

 Lansirill wrote:
Hopefully not too much of a threadjack, but what about books 4-6? I was thinking about picking them up to continue my collection, but spending almost $300 on books that are half useless leaves me scratching my head a bit.

I don't own these books, mainly because they cover Legions I have no interest in, Mechanicum factions, and the Army of the Imperium (IG).

If you are really into the Solar Auxilia (IG), and Imperial Knights, then book four will be the book for you.

Book five is Ultrasmurfs vs. Word Bearers, along with some more Solar Auxila, and Cults.

I have thought about getting book six, because it has the rules for Shattered Legions and Black Shields, along with some more Mechanicum stuff, Imperial Knights, updated Allies chart, and some general rules for the Legions that don't have books yet (like Blood Angels, Dark Angels, etc.). So Book Six might be under my Christmas Tree this year.

Book seven's release date will probably be announced next week at the Forge World Open Weekend in Nottingham, England. I wish I could go! That will be a book I definitely get. Space Wolves, Sisters of Silence, Custodians... oh yeah!