Horus Heresy: The Care and Feeding of Your Legion Scorpius
Games Workshop has released the plastic Scorpius kit for Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness. But how exactly should you use yours?
The tried and true Heresy era Scorpius will be hitting shelves in December, begging the question, can one ever have enough tanks? Players should expect to see parking lots of vehicles in the Age of Darkness, and the Scorpius will be no exception. Much like its sister variants that have been released in the last 6 months, this is built off of the new plastic Deimos Rhino kit. The main difference is the weapon sprue which includes a new top plate and, of course, the vicious-looking missile launcher set in place of the traditional turret. With the Armored Speartip Rite of War (RoW) being both potent and eye-rollingly good, this release should elate and unnerve fans of the Horus Heresy Space Marine Legions.
*A small note, the top plate of the Scorpius that fits the missile launcher can be left unglued if you want to leave the option for other weapon loadouts such as a Predator turrets or simply another Rhino.
Loadouts
Some Legions take better advantage of the Scorpius than others. However, it shouldn’t be ruled out of any Legion’s list as it’s highly cost-effective for a vehicle that you can set on the backline out of range of most weapons and rain death from afar. Weighing in at a base cost of 120pts with the option to add an additional tank for 105pts you can pair 2 in a squadron for some devastating anti-infantry goodness. The Rocket Barrage special rule makes this tank so scary against any infantry unit that isn’t in a transport, including tough units such as Terminators, due to the 4+ rending incurred if the Scorpius doesn’t move. The weapon itself is Str 8 with a 5″ blast which is more than enough to double out and instant kill most infantry. As far as the pintle weapons are concerned, I’d say the cheaper, the better – considering the Scorpius can fire indirectly and may not move the entire game to utilize short-range pintle weapons. Havoc launchers are a consideration if you want to double down on templates.
You may also want to consider a Searchlight, as nothing is more frustrating than having your 48″ Scorpius missile launcher range chopped down to 24″.
Night Lords
The Nightlords make brutal use of the Scorpius with bonuses of +1 to wound and +1 on armor penetration rolls whenever they fight or shoot an enemy unit that they outnumber, is pinned, or is falling back. A Scorpius will count as 10 models because they are a vehicle. Given that your optimal targets for this tank are going to be big blocks of infantry Night Lords Scorpius Squadrons double down not only by typically outnumbering these squads but taking advantage of the pinning potential of the Rocket Barrage special rule.
Death Guard
I think the Scorpius fits perfectly with the implacable advance of Death Guard. Suddenly you have an anti infantry tank that can move about the field with impunity while still meeting the criteria for that essential Rocket Barrage special rule. Being mobile allows you to reposition your Scorpius and seek out those optimal shooting positions even if your opponent is desperately finding a way to keep them out of the 48″ range or advancing on you with some scary anti-vehicle units. The other benefit is suddenly pintle weapons are more valuable as you can move about the field as the game progresses and add their shooting to your already potent Scorpius missile launcher.
Iron Warriors
As the undisputed masters of Siege Warfare, the Iron Warriors wouldn’t be caught dead without their trusty squadrons of Scorpius Tanks. Your small metal boxes and their rockets will find the Ironfire Rite of War a welcoming detachment. Not only do your barrage weapons become pinpoint accurate while within 12″ of a friendly unit, but your advancing infantry gain stubborn when within 12″ of your falling templates. It’s a match made in hell.
For a legion that prides itself on dropping templates all over the board, the Legion Scorpius will be invaluable in adding high strength area of effect shooting. I highly recommend taking 2 or more in this detachment as the 4+ rending is particularly nasty when you’re only scatting 1d6. It’s almost laughable at the efficiency at which you can decimate tac squads or valuable infantry units.
Final Thoughts
The Legion Scorpius is a solid all-around tank that can easily find its way into any Space Marine list. For the absurdly low cost of 225pts for 2 in a squadron, it’s a no-brainer to bring a couple to nearly any fight. While the str 8 template w/ 4+ rending and potential to pin isn’t going to pop vehicles, it poses a serious threat to nearly all infantry. Especially anything T4 that is going to get doubled out by its main weapon. I highly recommend that you keep it cheap, park it in the rear in cover or out of sight, and punish priority targets. It doesn’t get much better than two 5″ templates decimating your opponent’s infantry and soft vehicles every turn until they find a way to get across the board and address it.
The only downside to the Scorpius is that it’s not a vehicle with a ton of mobility. It is something that you want to park centrally and not move around much for the rest of the game. If you get caught flat-footed by an opponent that outflanks or is bringing drop pods it is very likely that you will lose your Scorpius quickly. Also, the Scorpius isn’t in the business of destroying enemy armor. It’s really built exclusively for killing infantry. If you have an opponent show up with a parking lot of tanks it’s going to be a long game where you will struggle to get back points from your Scorpius Squadron
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, 2022 has been an excellent year for Horus Heresy releases. As we’ve made it through almost all of the Rhino variants, I’m excited to see what 2023 holds for the Age of Darkness. If I were a betting man…and I am, I’d guess that we’re going to see more Sicaran variants, and maybe Vindicators in Q1 and Q2 of 2023. Though I’m secretly hoping for the release of the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank or even a Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer.
On a personal note, its been a pleasure getting to write these articles and getting to interact with the community in this way through 2022. On behalf of myself, those of us at BoLS and our other resident Horus Heresy contributors Monji and Dan, Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays. Gaming for us has always been about community, friendship and family we sincerely hope that you spend your holidays rolling dice, dropping templates and painting miniatures with those you love and care about. Here’s to an awesome 2023!
How are you going to equip your Scorpius?
