Games Workshop - Warhammer 40,000 - Leagues of Votann: Hekaton Land Fortress

Product Information

This is the first time we’ve seen a Kin in red armour. He’s from the Ymyr Conglomerate, while that classic teal colour we’ve seen so far are from the Greater Thurian League. We’ll have more on these and the other sub-factions of the Leagues of Votann soon… The Kin of the Kronus Hegemony are vaunted warriors who are expected to display exceptional feats of strength and skill in combat. They never hesitate to hurl themselves into battle and, the steeper the odds, the harder they fight to prevail. The Hekaton Land Fortress is the biggest model in the line and will have plenty of firepower. They also mention how durable it will be, while also being a transport. This force hails from the Greater Thurian League – the white-and-teal Kin you’ve seen plenty of so far – as they’re renowned for exploration, resource acquisition, and military conquest. Their League Custom, Ruthless Efficiency, grants them re-rolls and an edge when contesting objectives. All < LEAGUE> units in a League Detachment will gain a League Custom. Below you will find the League Custom associated with each League, as well as the list of Established League Customs that you must use if your League does not have an associated custom. Note that each custom is made up of three rules, one of which has an ‘Ancestral Judgement’ label - this rule will only apply if every unit from your army is from the same League (excluding models with the UNALIGNED keyword).

The changes to Votann secondary objectives were… frustrating? Grudges being removed rather than Prospects is one of the biggest changes Votann have to deal with, as well as the change to Psychic interrogation, as the army now has to rely on more limited secondary choices that are a little more complicated to maximize, whereas many other armies have solid 40-45vp secondaries. In a world where some armies can score 100 VP with relative ease, Votann have been pushed into the realms of “table your opponent to win”, and while Votann armies can achieve this, it actually turns passive scoring armies into a much harder match up. One or more units from your army can start to perform this action at the end of the Move Units step of your Movement phase if they are within 1" of a Hatchway. This action can be performed by any unit that is not within Engagement Range of any enemy models, even if that unit is being affected by a rule that would normally prevent it from performing actions. The action is completed at the end of your Movement phase if no enemy models are within 1" of that Hatchway. If there are any enemy models within 1" of that Hatchway, your opponent can attempt to prevent the action from being completed. If they do so, roll off with your opponent; each player adds the Strength characteristic of one of their models that is within 1" of that Hatchway to their respective scores. If you win, the action is completed; otherwise, the action fails. If completed, that Hatchway opens (if it was closed) or closes (if it was open). So, how do you get judgement tokens? Well, any time a unit destroys one of your units, any time a unit completes an action, and you just get to select one unit near an objective at the end of your opponent’s turns as well. If a unit with one or more Judgement tokens splits up into two or more smaller units, each of those units gains a number of Judgement tokens equal to that of the original unit. If two or more units combine to form a single large unit, and any of those units had one or more Judgement tokens, make a note of how many are on the unit with the most just before they combined - the new larger unit has a number of Judgement tokens equal to this.They gave this a rover look for exploring, and it has a distinct look compared to many other Warhammer 40k vehicles.

Then, there is a unit called Beserks, which at the time we didnt have much info on (well, other than on the card it says they give themselves combat drugs), but most likely their powerful close combat unit and the stratagem let them re-roll all missed hits! Next up are beam weapons. Well let’s start with the annoying and unnecessary point nerfs, which honestly are a little confusing. The Votann saw points increases to the Kahl (+10), the Grimnyr (+10) and the Einhyr Champion (+10), but weirdly zero changes to the Iron master. Warriors (+1) and the fortress (+10) all saw points increases, however the bikes (which are the most points efficient unit in the book) remained unchanged. As a positive surprise the Thunderkyn did get a 5-point decrease which is going to serve us well in the upcoming meta. The secondary Objectives The Kin of the Greater Thurian League are skilled warriors and ruthless expansionists, instinctively working together to defeat their foes and efficiently achieve their aims. As with everything, they approach war with a grim, methodical pragmatism that is an inspiration to other Leagues. Originally fashioned aboard the Hold ship of Urvû’s Kindred during the years of the Longest March, these CORV units contain shards of psychoactive crystal recovered from a scintillating anomaly. Like escorts around a capital ship, the CORV Duas employ their psycho-amplified resilience to shield their Grimnyr from harm. At the same time, the empyric resonance generated by their presence magnifies the fortitude of the Grimnyr’s barrier-tech, helping them to ward off harmful enemy manifestations. TRANS-HYPERIAN ALLIANCE GRIMNYR model only.

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

Each unit of Hearthkyn numbers 10 to 20 strong, and is led by an experienced Theyn. These doughty squad leaders have the honour and responsibility of commanding their fellow Kin – and are able to arm themselves with a variety of hand-to-hand combat weapons, including brutal concussion gauntlets and vicious plasma axes. The Beam weapons mounted on the likes of the Hekaton Land Fortress are even more deadly. These complex configurations of lenses, stream modulators, and capacitor-shunts are constantly revised and improved by the Brôkhyr with one goal: a devastating beam of death to carve up hapless foes. Last but not least, you’ll have some options for your driver, which is another cool little touch. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Votann Alternatives!If your army is Battle-forged and includes any VOTANN Detachments (excluding Auxiliary Support Detachments), then when you muster your army, you can upgrade any of the Use this Stratagem in any phase, when a TRANS-HYPERIAN ALLIANCE model from your army would lose a wound as the result of a mortal wound. Until the end of the phase, each time that model, or another model in its unit, would lose a wound as the result of a mortal wound, roll one D6: on a 5+, that wound is not lost. The Cthonian Beserks reveal the ace up their metaphorical sleeve with the mole grenade launcher. This repurposed mining equipment delivers subterranean explosives into the midst of enemy units, even if they’re cowering out of sight. There is a ton of increases, especially when you look at the Beserks and Hekaton. Going up 70 points and having the guns nerfed is no joke!

Ok so there is actually a big positive: Votann play well into some of the more popular meta armies thanks to its high damage output. However there’s really no “one build fits all” solution anymore. Both YMYR and GTL both have their place in the meta, whether it’s YMYR’s damage & survivability, or GTL’s efficiency and primary play. Let’s discuss some of the more favorable pairings:

Leagues of Votaan Points

The tragic fall of the Hold world of Jâluk remains a cautionary tale to all those Brôkhyr tempted by wild experimentation. Only this one gilded crest was recovered from the storm-lost planet, pristine and seemingly untouched by the warp-madness that surrounded it. Its protective powers extend to its bearer, as does the weight of responsibility to prevent such a tragedy befalling their own Hold. YMYR CONGLOMERATE SHIELD CREST model only. Perhaps the greatest strength of the League lies in how they wield the Eye of the Ancestors. This faction-wide ability condemns enemies to annihilation should they attract ire in the form of Judgement tokens. My League’s unique Stratagem, Appraising Glare, maximises the effectiveness of Grim Efficiency, enabling you to mark out a dangerous enemy unit for destruction from the battle’s outset.