Ultramarines

Fulmentarus Terminators

Damocles Command Rhino

## Faction Summary

The true-blue poster boys of Warhammer 40k are very different in the Age of Darkness during the events of the Horus Heresy.  They have been lucky enough to have been given some of the strongest fiction in the Black Library where they are presented more as avenging pragmatists rather than noble supermen.

In game, Ultramarines are a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.  Of all 18 legions, they’re probably closest in style to the Codex Astartes chapters of the 41st Millennium, which is unsurprising considering their Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, wrote it and shaped the future of the imperium.  Their legion special rules (particularly Interlocking Tactics) favours multiple small units and, used correctly, is a very useful tactical tool.  Numerous tactical squads, support squads and even heavy weapons teams supported by rhinos and other vehicles all form a good core to an Ultramarines army.

They will be consistently outperformed by dedicated assault legions (although the Suzerain will give any close combat unit in the game a run for their money) and not perform quite as well as dedicated stubborn or shooting legions like the Death Guard.  There are however no wrong ways to play the XIIIth legion.  Their unique rite of war, The Logos Lectora, allows them plenty of flexibility in game and gives the army the opportunity to react to almost any threat.

A great choice of legion if you want to work towards a collection with a variety of playstyles, some wonderful looking units and plenty of scope for modelling with a great number of crossover bits.

## Faction Overview, Lore & Tactica

The following links are for community written tactics and relevant faction overviews, as well as links to various lore pages for background reading. This is not an exhaustive list, but lists several well known sources for easy reference.

### Lore

* Lexicanum
* Warhammer 40k Wiki

### Tactica

* Bolter & Chainsword Tactica
* Goonhammer Overview

## Hobby Guides

The following links are for building, converting and painting guides for this army, along with any other useful tips and tricks to help in preparing your force.

### Painting

* Apathetic Fish: How to paint Horus Heresy Ultramarines
* Painting Buddha: Ultramarines Blending with Layers and Glazes
* Pete the Wargamer: How to Paint Horus Heresy Ultramarines
* WarhammerTV: Battle Ready Ultramarines (40k video but still useful)
* WarhammerTV: How to paint Ultramarines (Horus Heresy)

## Recommended Reading

The following links are for novels in the Black Library collection and other series in the setting of the Horus Heresy.

* Betrayer
* Know No Fear
* Macragges Honour
* Mark of Calth
* Nightfane
* The Unremembered Empire

## Rulebooks Needed

The following Forgeworld publications will be needed to play in games of the Horus Heresy.

***Please Note:** There are additional units that can be taken in other books but they are not essential. For a detailed breakdown on which units are found in which book, please visit the Lexicon and consult the appropriate table.*

* Age of Darkness Rulebook
* Age of Darkness Army List
* Age of Darkness Legions

1. ↑ Credit: @paulminiatures