The Horus Heresy; Burning of Prospero

by Games Workshop

The Story

On Prospero, the psykers of the Thousand Sons face the ultimate censure for their forbidden studies. The Primarch Leman Russ is sent to punish them by any means necessary – at his command, fire rains from the skies as his Space Wolves fleet bombards Prospero over and over, reducing the world of the Thousand Sons to ash. Tizca, city of glass pyramids and golden hopes, is protected from the fires by a vast force field of telekinetic power. So it is that the Space Wolves bring the Sisters of Silence, anti-psykers anathema to all who channel the Warp, and the Custodian Guard, shining heroes who are the elite blades of the Emperor himself to Prospero, there to attempt the riddance of the Thousand Sons forever.

The Game

The Horus Heresy: Burning of Prospero is a game of running battles set in a city torn apart by a fiery cataclysm, featuring six scenarios designed to stretch the strategic nous of two players. One player controls the Space Marines of the Thousand Sons, reality-twisting psychic superhumans, and one controls the Space Wolves, Sisters of Silence and Custodian Guard. It’s a fast-paced game full of strategic decisions, with the strengths and weaknesses of both sides meaning tactics and foresight are just as important as lucky dice rolls.

The Contents

Inside The Horus Heresy: Burning of Prospero, you’ll find:

Detailed plastic Citadel Miniatures:

- Geigor Fell-Hand, powerful champion of the Space Wolves, armed with lightning claw and boltgun;
- Azhek Ahriman, Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons, wielding a heqa staff and bolt pistol;
- a Legio Custodes Squad, consisting of a Shield-Captain and 4 Custodian Guard;

The Legio Custodes Squad comes with
- 5 guardian spears,
- 5 sentinel blades,
- 5 storm shields,
- 6 ceremonial daggers,
- a custodes vexilla,
as well as 5 helmeted heads and 2 bare heads;

- a Silent Sisterhood Squad, consisting of 1 Sister Superior and 4 Sisters of Silence;

The Silent Sisterhood Squad comes with

- 6 executioner greatswords,
- 5 Umbra-pattern boltguns,
- 5 flamers;

These can be assembled as Vigilators, who specialise in melee and carry executioner greatswords, Prosecutors, who operate more flexibly and carry bolters for longer-range combat and Witchseekers, who carry flamers for devastating multi-target assaults.

The Squad includes 8 heads, and a further 2 head options for the Sister Superior.

- 30 Legion Veteran Tactical Space Marines in MkIII ‘Iron’ Power Armour – these are split into a 10-man Loyalist force and a 20-man Traitor force.

Each set of 10 comes with

- 10 Phobos-pattern bolters,
- 11 chainswords (one left-handed, allowing a Sergeant to take 2 chainswords),
- 1 heavy bolter,
- 1 power sword,
- 1 power fist,
- 1 Phobos-pattern bolt pistol,
- 1 plasma pistol,
- 1 lightning claw,
- 1 melta gun,
- 1 plasma gun,
- 1 Legion Vexila;

as well as 12 helmeted heads and 2 bare heads, with an included transverse helmet crest.

- 5 Tartaros Terminators, who come with

- 5 combi-bolters,
- 5 pairs of power fists,
- 5 pairs of lightning claws,
- 5 left-hand chainfist attachments,
- 1 reaper autocannon,
- 1 plasma blaster,
- 1 heavy flamer,
- 1 grenade harness;

One Terminator can be assembled as a Sergeant, who can be assembled with

- 1 power sword,
- a unique torso front, loin cloth and shoulder pads,
- a volkite charger;

There are also 6 helmeted heads, and 1 bare head.

Gaming items:

- a 16-page book covering the story behind Burning of Prospero;
- a 32-page rulebook;
- 15 Psychic Power cards;
- 36 Warp Energy and Willpower cards;
- 5 detailed, double-sided board tiles representing the buildings of Prospero;
- 24 dice – an assortment of D6, D8, D10 and D12’s;
- a transfer sheet.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Games Workshop Group PLC (often abbreviated as GW) is a British miniature wargaming manufacturing company. Games Workshop is best known as developer and publisher of the tabletop wargames Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game.

Reviews

[Brian Macdara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest, most media from the Warhammer 40k franchise featuring the Vlka Fenryka tends to be little better than high school level fanfiction. But 'Burning of Prospero' manages to drag itself out of the Wolves of Fenris' literary trashcan by adding multiple layers of intrigue, narrative complexity, genuine mystery, and the drama of brothers clashing with one another that has come to define the Horus Heresy series as a whole.
Plus, I'm really fascinated by the concept of Enuncio in a grimdark SciFi setting like this.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have wanted to read a Space Wolves novel for some time now as I really haven't come across the chapter much in the 50+ Warhammer novels I've read and really didn't know much about them. To put it simply, I got everything I was looking for and more in this book.

As goes with Dan Abnett's books there is top of the line character and world building, along with a solid mix of action and intrigue. Plot-wise any moments I found confusing early on ended up making perfect sense by the finale. Add in some big name characters and events and you receive my 5/5 rating.

[Matthew Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t think highly of the space wolves before this novel. Really changed my mind on them. Thought they were an overplayed Viking theme. Can’t stress enough this book defeats that thought.

[Robert Furlong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't actually expecting to enjoy a Space Wolves book, but this was incredibly written!