Adeptus Titanicus - Doom of Molech Appendices Review

Normally we cover the appendices and provide our final thoughts, but this time will be different since we still have more coverage of Doom of Molech due to the two new maniples and some of the Titan Legion rules.  The appendices in the book offer plenty of new content for the game.

NEW HOSTILE BATTLEFIELDS

Like Titandeath before it, this book offers two pages of additional rules that can be used to represent the hostile battlefields of Molech during the war.  These battlefields cover dangerous, smoke-and-ash choked cities, flooded coastal cities, and the dangerous forests of Kush.  These rules are certainly thematic and will add a lot of variety to the games.  These rules will also challenge players’ tactical acumens as they seek to overcome some very tough challenges without damaging their own engines.

BEAST HUNT

This is essentially a mini-mission pitting two 250 point Knight forces against the beasts of the Kush.  Rules are provided for three different types of beasts that inhabit Molech and the mission replicates the hunts of the Knight Households against these mega fauna.  It’s a different take on Adeptus Titanicus games and will provide a head-to-head challenge that is less direct but should be plenty of fun.

STRATAGEMS

Doom of Molech provides tons of new stratagems and some adjustments to the current way they are taken.  One of the biggest changes is that the book allows any Titan Legion to take another Titan Legion’s specific stratagems and use them for +1 point provided that both are from the same faction (i.e. Loyalist or Traitor).  This reflects the nature of the Heresy and how Legions fought alongside one another so often that they developed unorthodox strategies or learned from their allies.  It should be noticed that this applies only to stratagems and not to wargear or rules.  This will certainly be an interesting addition to the game.

There are, of course, the new stratagems.  Some can be used by only one faction, while others are universal.  The new stratagems are powerful but balanced and well-costed.  Two in particular make it clear that we are not going to see the return of Epic any time soon and that is the inclusion of a Secutarii stratagem in lieu of rules, and one for anti-Titan infantry in the same vein.  However, it is good to see that their presence as a part of Titan warfare is being accounted for in some manner.  This appendix has definitely added good things to Adeptus Titanicus and we hope to see more of that in the future.

Adeptus Titanicus - Doom of Molech - Knights Household Rules Review

Thank you for joining us as we continue our review of the upcoming Doom of Molech supplement for Adeptus Titanicus.

MUSTERING A KNIGHT HOUSEHOLD

A force must consist of at least one Lance.  A Lance is a formation of three Banners.  This means the smallest lance is only six (6) Cerastus Knights.  For those that love Cerastus [like Hertford], it means that they can buy more.

The Lance must have at least two of the three Banners as the same class (Questoris, Cerastus, etc.) of Knight.  The Acastus class is mentioned, so hopefully it's coming soon!

Knights in a given Banner must have the same main (arm) weapons.  Secondary weapons (melta and missile pods) do not need to be uniformly equipped.  This could be a source of contention as the weapon options in the Imperial Knight box is limited to one load-out per Knight.  The Avenger Gatling Cannon has been basically useless in AT against most things, so you need a minimum of three Questoris Knights boxes for two or three strong Questoris Banners.  The coordinated fire rule alleviates this somewhat.

It is not clear what forces can be taken as reinforcements.  The only other unit explicitly called out is the Freeblades Banner.  It doesn’t state you can buy additional Household Knight Banners.  As written, it doesn’t appear that you can take a mixed Titan Maniple and Knight Lance force [one mission in the book hints at it, but doesn't confirm it], in the same way you can take mixed Titan forces.

Freeblades are more like the Knights in the main rulebook.  They can take mixed weapons but can’t benefit from Lance rules.

THE HIGH SCION

• In each Lance a single Banner is nominated as the High Scion.  This Banner gets a 2+ buff to command rolls, which is good, particularly for issuing Lance Orders.
• The Knights get +1 Stratagem Point for each Knight Scion in the list.
• The High Scion Banner may re-roll failed hits of 1 using the WS of the model.

THE SENESCHAL

• The Seneschal is in overall command of the force and replaces a High Scion of one Lance.  
• This only applies if more than one Lance is present.
• The Seneschal gives +2 Stratagem Points.
• The Seneschal Banner may re-roll failed hits of 1 using the BS and WS of the models. 
• The models of the Banner may use different weapons due to the status of the Baronial Court.
• The other Banner members can use a "Look Out Sir"-type rule to protect the Seneschal from harm on a 6+ roll.
• The Seneschal’s Banner may take a Battle Standard which allows Knights to re-roll command checks.

GAMEPLAY

A Lance is activated as a single unit, which is realistically not a good move for this type of game.  The minimum points cost of a Lance is the price of a well-tooled Warlord.  This mean that a light Titan list (e.g. a Lupercal Maniple) will be able to use activation advantage over a Knight list.  This will give the heavier Titans much more flexibility to counter the Knights.

The Knights rules have been changed to allow Knights to make smash attacks against units of an equal or smaller scale, which is a buff from the core rules.

Banners and Lances can now be issued with a Coordinated Fire order.  This adds a +1 to the weapon strength for each Knight making the coordinated attack.  This can be useful to buff any weapon, making even the humble avenger (see comments above)  a strength 9 (six knight banner) weapon to give a shield- or hull-stripping volley.  This rule can’t be used with melee weapons.

CLOSING THOUGHTS ON THE KNIGHTS

• The list seems like it's an overall good step forward for Knights.
• The fact Lances activate as a single unit is concerning, as it limits the main tactical advantage a Knight has (speed and responsiveness). 
• The rules feel like they are missing a paragraph on force selection since it mentions adding reinforcements, but doesn’t say what the permissible reinforcements are (other than Freeblades).
• The limitations of the Avenger are offset somewhat, if a little reliant on the Coordinated Fire rule.

Adeptus Titanicus - Doom of Molech Mission Review

Welcome back to our coverage of the Adeptus Titanicus supplement Doom of Molech.  The missions in the book reflect those undertaken by the Loyalist and Traitor forces as the Warmaster brought ruin to the planet of Molech.  It’s a great feeling to say that these missions were quite impressive and thematic.

THE MISSIONS

Like Titandeath before it, there are a total of six missions contained in the supplement.  Each of these missions is designed for narrative play with recommendations for point sizes.  Part of the fun is that there are missions that are Titans only vs Knights only, Titans vs Titans, Titans only vs mixed groups, and Knights vs Knights.  There is a range of mission types to play, some with a focus on pure annihilation (or survival) while others reflect bloody vengeance or pushing a tactical advantage.  

Most of the missions take place on a standard 4’ x 4’ board, while another features a 4’ x 6’ mega table.  The missions cover the early stages of Horus’ invasion and go all the way through House Devine’s betrayal and final mopping up of Loyalist forces in Lupercalia.  Even the mighty Imperator Titan, Paragon of Terra, is a factor in one of the missions.  Unfortunately, we don’t have rules for the Imperator in that mission, only its impacts.  The missions themselves look like they will be quite fun to play and they will certainly put the new Knight Household rules to the test in some scenarios, especially the first and final missions in the book.

Like the missions in Titandeath, those in Doom of Molech can be played using the new campaign system or as their own standalone missions.  However, even with the Molech missions useable in a campaign, it may take some creativity in handling the rosters using the Titandeath campaign system since those rosters were designed with Titans and support Banners in mind, not with Lances and full Knight Households at the fore (which will happen due to two of the missions).  While this may be a weak point in the missions-turned-campaign, the overall feel of playing these missions as a campaign without focusing on the Titandeath system will still be quite appealing.

Adeptus Titanicus- Doom of Molech Lore Review

Welcome, Princeps!

We’ve been fortunate to be granted an early preview copy of the upcoming Doom of Molech supplement for Adeptus Titanicus.  We’re very excited to be given the opportunity to continue bringing you information about the book.  We’ll start with a review of the lore granted in this new book. 

THE BOOK

Hardback? Check.  Like Titandeath before it, Doom of Molech has the feel of the Forge World red books with some elements of the black books.  The cover in particular really has the feel of a black book.  

This 81-page book provides us with missions, Titan Legion rules, Knight Household rules, and an expansion to run Knights in your games of Adeptus Titanicus.  Doom of Molech follows the mould established by Titandeath in many ways but is definitely its own, standalone entry in the series by containing expanded areas but also reductions in others.  What do we have in Doom of usMolech?

• Six new narrative missions.
• Rules for four new Titan Legions, two Loyalist and two Traitor.
• Rules for SEVEN Knight Households and the ability to field entire armies of Knights.
• Two new maniples to use in any game.
• New stratagems and more.

THE LORE

Eight pages of lore for this book seems like it should pale in comparison to what was offered in Titandeath but that couldn’t be further from the truth this time around.  While Doom of Molech is sorely lacking in the maps and timelines department (seriously, there are none in the book) it more than makes up for it in the overall lore.  This book contains a brief but detailed description of what befell the world of Molech and why Horus set upon such a backwater planet with such fervor.

While we don’t get a lot of information about the exact numbers of the forces comprising the defense or assault of the world, we do have a good sense of who was there.  Three Titan Legions and seven Knight Houses; long the defenders of Molech battled against four Traitor Titan Legions and the Legiones Astartes and were set for a valiant last stand until treachery from House Devine shattered the Imperator Titan that was holding the line.

Yes, all of this is available in the Vengeful Spirit novel, but the book does a good job of covering this from an overview standpoint and provides depth without burdening the player.  The world of Molech itself is fleshed out, with lore added to each of its regions, continents, and the forces that guard them.  Doom of Molech has actually answered what has been our biggest gripe during the previous reviews: WE GOT LORE!!!  As for not having maps this time, we’ll let Vengeful Spirit flesh that out, and the timelines for such a singular event admittedly wouldn’t make any sense.  Thus far, the Doom of Molech supplement is off to an excellent start.

Keep checking back over the coming days while we continue to review this book.

Adeptus Titanicus- Battle of Molech Lore

Warhammer Community provided some brief backstory today on the events for the Battle of Molech and how it ties into Black Library's work and even the distant past of White Dwarf. We wanted to share that with you today:


What is the Battle of Molech?

The new Adeptus Titanicus expansion, Doom of Molech, is on its way – and today we’re taking a look at the Battle of Molech itself.

One of the key battles of the Horus Heresy, Molech was first mentioned back in the mists of time when White Dwarf had numbers on the cover – the number, in this case, was 190 in October 1995. Gav Thorpe (a name you might just recognise…) wrote about the betrayal of the Knight House Devine at Molech as part of an article on new Slaanesh models for the Epic game system. Here’s what he had to say:

“One of the most horrific betrayals of the war occurred on the planet of Molech.

Three Titan Legions and over a hundred Imperial Guard* regiments and Knight Households stood ready to bear the brunt of the Warmaster’s attack. When it came, it was like a hurricane unleashed upon the lush world.

Horus’ initial assault devastated many cities and strongholds. Amongst the victims were Molech’s rulers, House Devine. Dispossessed and unable to fight back, the Devine slowly succumbed to the temptations of Chaos. Over the following months, the insidious whisper of Slaanesh spread through their depleted ranks.

When Horus launched a massive offensive, the Knights of House Devine performed an act of total treachery and turned on the troops who remained loyal to the Emperor. This treachery allowed the Chaos host to punch through the Imperial defence, leaving them with no line of retreat. They were totally defeated.”

Nearly two decades later, Graham McNeill explored the battle further in his Horus Heresy novel Vengeful Spirit, taking the structure sketched out by Gav and filling it in – including a compelling reason why Horus spent so much effort on a backwater world…

House Devine are key players in the story of the battle, with their treachery turning the tide just as that initial narrative suggested – but their fall began decades before with Raeven Devine, a young scion of the house whose unfettered ambition and questionable life choices primed him for a fall to Chaos.

Years later, as the battle began, Raeven seized his birthright, murdering the head of the House and taking his place even as Horus himself took to the battlefield, leading his sons into battle against massed ranks of Imperial Army troopers and single-handedly taking on a force of mighty Imperial Knights – of which only Raeven Devine himself escaped alive.

With a beachhead secured, the Traitor forces arrived in great numbers, with four Titan Legions and elements from the Sons of Horus, Death Guard and Emperor’s Children – including their Primarchs – leading the charge. Mortarion and Fulgrim both had their missions across Molech, each key to taking the embattled world from the Imperium.

Far to the east, Mortarion fell on the city of Ophir, before unleashing the Life-eater Virus on the jungles of Kush in an early example of the plague warfare for which the Death Guard would become infamous. He then marched on the Preceptor defence line and took it with the aid of Traitor Titans. You can play part of this battle with one of the scenarios in Doom of Molech, which pits a force of Traitor Titans against an army of Knights as the heroic Lord Bolmar of House Donar makes a desperate last stand.

Fulgrim’s task was much more insidious – he used his Slaanesh-granted daemonic powers to ensnare Raeven Devine and complete the corruption that had begun decades before.

As the Primarchs completed their tasks, the Sons of Horus and their allies pushed into the heart of Molech. The Knight Houses led the defence, rallying Imperial Army regiments, small forces of Ultramarines, Blood Angels and loyal Titan Legions to face the rampaging Chaos forces. Little by little, they were pushed back, the overwhelming strength of the Warmaster’s armies making it only a matter of time until they were overrun completely.

Finally, all of Horus’ forces converged upon Lupercalia, the capital of Molech, ironically named for Horus himself after his pivotal role in bringing Molech to compliance during the Great Crusade. The first turning point in this fierce battle was the destruction of the Iron Fist, the great mountain on Lupercalia’s west flank. Horus managed to destroy this home of the world’s Titan Legions in a single blow as he redirected an orbital defence laser to destroy the peak.

The final nail in the Imperial coffin came when the Imperator Titan Paragon of Terra, lynchpin of the defence, was laid low by a treacherous attack from House Devine’s Knights. This gave the Traitors free rein to take Lupercalia, though Horus abandoned the battle before the end in order to complete some objective unknown to the history books…

You’ll be able to play many of the battles from the war for Molech in the new Adeptus Titanicus campaign book Doom of Molech, which you can pre-order this weekend. To get a closer look at the battle itself, check out Graham McNeill’s novel Vengeful Spirit, which reveals all… including exactly what Horus was doing as Lupercalia burned. Download the eBook now and get reading, or listen while you paint Titans and Knights with the MP3 audiobook.

* Back in 1995, the distinction between the Heresy-era Imperial Army and the later Astra Militarum hadn’t yet been made.

Adeptus Titanicus- Doom of Molech Preview

Warhammer Community had some tidbits to show us today regarding the upcoming Doom of Molech supplement for Adeptus Titanicus.

Forge World Preview: Doom of Molech

Since the launch of Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy, players have been asking for the freedom to use entire armies of Imperial Knightsagainst their Titanic foes. You’ll be able to soon, as the next expansion – Doom of Molech – is on the way. Let’s take a look…

Doom of Molech focuses on the battle for the Knight World of Molech during the Horus Heresy. A key conflict, this saw the entirety of House Devine betray their oaths and turn to the Warmaster’s side, leading to a massacre of Loyalist forces on the embattled world. It was also the site of some of the most vicious Titan and Knight fighting in the entire Heresy.

With this new expansion, you’ll be able to recreate these battles using six new narrative missions that let you fight key moments from the war. There’s also a new matched play mission that pits your forces against the mighty beasts that roam the world, for a very different kind of challenge. New battlefield conditions and Stratagems also give a host of new options for every Adeptus Titanicus player.

Knights are very much the focus, with a plethora of rules for using entire armies from the Knight Households in open, narrative and matched play, along with comprehensive additions to the Adeptus Titanicus core rules to make using full Knightly armies easier.

These include new rules for issuing Orders to Knight Banners, ways to activate multiple Banners at once, expanded rules for shooting with and at Knights, and much more. In addition, there are new options for the leaders of a Knight Household, including Knightly Qualities to personalise them. You can also add Freeblades to your force, as well as choose from a range of new Stratagems and Battlefield Assets designed to complement the Knight Households.

A collection of Household-specific mission objectives for matched play games complete the rules for Knight armies, allowing you to take on missions suitable to your nimbler – albeit more fragile – war machines.

To give your Knights more identity on the battlefield, seven sets of Household rules provide unique Knightly Qualities for the Houses of Molech. These can be used to further personalise the commanders of your Knight Household armies, each providing new tactical options and different ways to play with your Knights.

For those who prefer their Titans to Knights, there are rules for four new Legions – Crucius, Fortidus, Vulcanum and Interfector – as well as a pair of new maniples that you can use to organise your battlegroups.

We’ll be bringing you more previews of Doom of Molech soon – and you can get a closer look on Warhammer TV this week. Keep an eye on the schedule for more information.