Legions Imperialis: ‘Epic History’ Shows How Orks Would Fit In
Legions Imperialis is set in the Horus Heresy and that’s a fact. But that doesn’t mean Orks can’t come to play.
Games Workshop has an article today showcasing the history of “Epic” products from the original Adeptus Titanicus to the final Epic: Armageddon release in 2003. It’s certainly worth a read if you want to check out all the small-scale games from the past. What’s really interesting is how the current iteration of GW’s “Epic” scale games is following the same path.
First came Adeptus Titanicus and then a “Space Marine” version with Legions Imperialis. We’ve also got the aircraft of Aeronautica Imperialis now, too. It’s not a 1:1 ratio but it’s also not that far off either.
When Space Marine initially launched in 1991 it was also set in the Horus Heresy and featured primarily Space Marines. However, it wasn’t long after it came out that Xenos miniatures started to come to the game. This included Eldar and Orks in particular. Which makes sense as those two Xenos factions were around and active before, during, and after the Horus Heresy.
However, it wasn’t until the second edition of Epic: Space Marine that the game officially moved out of the Horus Heresy. This is when the game really added a bunch more Xenos and Imperial armies, too. Then in 1994 Games Workshop released Titan Legions as an expandable big box that introduced two Ork Mega-Gargants to the mix and we were really off to the Xenos races!
Orks In Horus Heresy?
So backing up a bit: How does this string of old releases explain why Orks would be a perfect fit for Legions Imperialis? Because Orks are one of the reasons Horus became the Warmaster in the first place.
Are you familiar with the Ullanor Crusade? This event happened before the Horus Heresy and it was a massive assault on an Ork Empire during the Great Crusade. The Imperium won the conflict and it’s also what helped propel Horus to the position of Warmaster. Without this key victory and the glory that was associated with it, Horus’ life might have gone a little different.
Furthermore, shortly after the events of the Horus Heresy, there was another massive war against the Orks. You might of heard of “The Beast” before. Games Workshop has a whole series of novels about the War of the Beast. It was kind of a big deal.
So yeah, we have to massive Ork campaigns that basically bookend the Horus Heresy. If GW ever decides to move beyond the Horus Heresy era with Legions Imperials then the Orks would be the perfect addition. Besides, they already started on the Ork aircraft…
If GW follows the same path (or sticks close enough to it) then Orks (and Eldar) could eventually show up as post-heresy playable factions. I for one would be 100% okay with this and I don’t think I’m alone. As many commenters have pointed out there’s still a very vibrant Epic community out there that has continued to play.
With 3D printing being a thing lots of folks have also started to create their own armies (xenos or otherwise) and fill in the massive chasm that GW vacated. The question is if GW is going to want to step back into that gap and try to fill it with their own releases or if they are going to continue to skip out on the opportunity.
They did it once before…will they do it again?
