Games Workshop has announced a new edition of Warhammer The Horus Heresy, the prequel game set in the mythic past of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, in the most roundabout way imaginable. The firm has launched a fake fan theory website about the new edition, with mocked up leaked images, as well as an eye-rolling trailer built entirely around the pun 'Horus Hearsay'.
This would all take quite a lot of money and effort if GW's intention was purely to troll fans and journalists alike – I'm happy to say that a new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy is on the way. Besides, the timing fits: Games Workshop releases new editions of its games every three years, and Horus Heresy second edition launched in summer of 2022. We're due.
Are there any facts to be gleaned from GW's cryptic teasers? Past comedy videos have contained actual reveals on post-it notes, such as the news that the Sisters of Battle Warhammer 40k faction would get a full range of plastic models. Most of the pickings here are slim. Across the blurry post-its in the background of this video I've spotted the phrases:
- Liber Hereticus
- Dropper
- Meeting 3pm w/ Anya 24/06
- Hazard stripe paint?
- Warhammer Ro_____e – this one's partially obscured by a desk lamp
Another post-it references 8/5, or May 5 in British English, the date the video was uploaded. The white board has some blurry text ending in the word 'Skulls!', and the word Codex pointing at a Jokaero, a minor 40k Xenos species that is definitely not going to get a Warhammer 40k Codex.
In short, it's almost all just jokes, but perhaps the "meeting with Anya" on 24 June is a reference to the date pre-orders open – it would be about the right time of year for GW to release its annual Summer blockbuster.
The website TheHorusHearsay.com has more to go on. There's a partial picture of a green plastic sprue: a small grenade is visible, as are what looks to be a Space Marine bayonet blade, and a small armor component. I initially took it to be a piece from the top of a power pack, but it doesn't match any marks I recognise. A component of Mk II power armor?
Then there's a blurry line illustration of the rear view of a Space Marine Dreadnought's leg. It's pretty similar in proportions to the Leviathan Siege Dreadnought, and maybe that's what it is – it would be a very cool inclusion for a starter set – but perhaps it's a little bit more squat than that. A Furibundus, maybe, or a heavily revised Castraferrum?
Lastly, there's a photoshopped image of a D18 beside the heading 'Rules Overhaul?'. We'll ignore the silly die: that heading is a real question. Just how comprehensive will the overhaul of the rules be? A big part of the appeal of Horus Heresy is that it offers a more complex and old-fashioned rules system than Warhammer 40k 10th edition; but it's probably not the softest landing for people who read the Horus Heresy books and want to investigate wargaming.
Are you excited about Horus Heresy third edition? Have you still got miniatures from the last starter set unpainted on your shelves? Come and join the official Wargamer Discord community and let us know which Legion you will support when the new edition drops!