The Horus Heresy Saturnine box seems to be all the Warhammer community is talking about at the moment, and it just so happens that the new core box is currently up to 20% less than normal... if you know where to look.
For anyone based in the US, I've seen major discounts over at The Rogue Traders Gaming and Warpfire Minis (though the latter looks as though it may have since run out of stock). To be precise, The Horus Heresy Saturnine box is just $267.75 there rather than the usual $315. Heavily discounted reinforcements are also available via Miniature Market, though Saturnine itself doesn't seem up for grabs there yet.
As for the UK, Horus Heresy Saturnine is currently just £156 at Wayland Games instead of £195. It's also dropped to £156 at Magic Madhouse rather than the usual £195. That's a saving of £39 in both instances, so it's where I'd recommend going if you want to save as much as possible on the Warhammer set. Having been hands on with it for our own Horus Heresy Saturnine review in progress, I can certainly recommend doing so.
While I'm still working my way through the review (I want to finish building the army and get a game or two in against the Horus Heresy fans on our GamesRadar+ team first), I've been impressed with what I've seen so far. The new models are gorgeous, and they're every bit as customizable as I'd hoped with an array of possible weapons, accessories, and options. This does mean beginners should approach with caution because it'd be a trial by fire, but existing Horus Heresy fans or experienced Warhammer players should have a blast.
I'm appreciating the tweaks made to existing rules, too. The condensing of various overlapping sub-rules into a more streamlined collection of tactical statuses is a sensible move in my eyes, and I love the addition of the 'routed' condition to represent your troops' morale wavering. Similarly, breaking down the single Leadership stat into sub-categories is great news if you ask me. Besides making individual characters more unique with their own distinct skills (they're not Jack-of-all-trades anymore), it personalizes them in a way that enriches the narrative. This is also properly old-school Warhammer that I grew up on, so I'm feeling all nostalgic.
Naturally, it's not perfect. I'm a little baffled as to why publisher Games Workshop didn't include full stats for the models you get in the box, for example, which means you've got to purchase the new Liber Astartes or Liber Hereticus books if you want to use these guys in battle. And because those books have been remade for Third Edition as well, you can't utilize existing rules you might have from previous versions of Horus Heresy. That's frustrating.
In addition, I'm hearing upset in the community about some units being removed from the game. I haven't been able to verify this yet as I haven't received any Liber books at the time of writing, but will investigate as soon as I do.
Still, I don't think those concerns dampen the Saturnine party too much. You're getting a formidable force in this box alongside an otherwise-expensive core rulebook, and that £39 off will help cover the cost of whichever Liber book you need. Plus, I can't get over how gorgeous those new models are. They're going to make very handsome additions to a new or existing force, no matter whether you're pledged to the Emperor or Horus.
If you grab Saturnine, it'll arrive on your doorstep on 26 July.
Useful links
- Liber Astartes:
£44£37.40 at Wayland Games - Liber Hereticus:
£44£37.40 at Wayland Games - Journal Tactica The Istvaan V Dropsite Massacre:
£16.50£14.03 at Wayland Games
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