Imperial Armour: Volume Two - Space Marines & Forces of the Inquisition review
Forge World's supplement for Games Workshop
by Dave McAwesomeI'd suggest reading up on the review of the first volume, Imperial Armour: Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, before plodding on. It explains everything in case you have no idea what the hell this stuff is all about. Once you're settled, off you go.
From page 8: "Just as it can be said that the Great Crusades created the Space Marines, it was the requirements of constant warfare that created many of the Space Marines' most common fighting vehicles." Hot dog! I love seeing the words 'constant' and 'warfare' in the same sentence. Next to each other? Look out.
The bulk of Imperial Armour: Volume Two deals with the fighting and support vehicles of the Space Marines. Smaller sections cover the armored contingents of the Inquisition and Sisters of Battle. Of special note are rules for Grey Knight Dreadnoughts who wish to arm themselves with a Psycannon (which ignores invulnerable saves). That the book includes drawings and pictures of earlier marks--like the MkIIb Land Raider (which Forge World makes) and the MkIb Rhino (an out of print Games Workshop model)--is a nice touch.
Volume Two is organized in the same fashion as its predecessor. Each vehicle entry receives background information, technical specifications, line drawings, color schemes (those for the MkIV Grey Knight Dreadnoughts are particularly good) and rules. Interior details are included for select vehicles (Rhino, Predator Annihilator, Vindicator, Damocles Command Rhino, Land Raider, Land Speeder, Thunderhawk Gunship) so that one gets a rudimentary understanding of how the controls and driver and weapon systems fit together inside the vehicle.
Rules-wise, the most exciting edition to the game are the new Mortis Dreadnoughts. They can be equipped with the player's choice of two twin-linked lascannons, two twin-linked autocannons, two twin-linked heavy bolters or two missile launchers. These mobile heavy weapons platforms are available at a reasonable point cost (their base cost is less than a regular Dread). Furthermore, Mortis Dreadnoughts may only be selected by the Dark Angels Chapter and its successor chapters. Rules for the Damocles Command Rhino and Whirlwind Hyperios replace the experimental rules PDFs Forge World previously published on their website.
If Imperial Armour: Volume Two has a flaw, it is the amount of pages dedicated to color schemes and line drawings. Do we need three full pages of Razorback color schemes in addition to 1.5 pages of line drawings when it is essentially a Rhino with heavier weapons (as it stands, the Rhino has 1.5 pages of line drawings followed by five pages of color schemes)? Granted the Land Raider is a mainstay in Space Marines forces, but are 8.5 pages of line drawings and color schemes necessary what with the amount of space already devoted to the tank in Index Astartes III? But this is a minor complaint. Another admittedly small knock is the omission of any discussion of the Dark Angels' unique Master of the Ravenwing Land Speeder. We hear about the standard Land Speeder and the Tornado, Typhoon and Tempest variants (including rules for Ravenwing Tempests), but nothing on the anomaly sitting in the Dark Angels Chapter garage.
As in Imperial Armour: Volume One, Volume Two closes with a two-page size comparison chart. And if you're like me you will continue to wonder how it is that a drop pod only carries five marines. Surely, that's inefficient. To Forge World's credit, they include an interior detail drawing depicting how the Space Marines fit inside. Their superb drop pod models have been out for quite sometime now, but the 'five men per' concept always rubbed me wrong. Larger variants that can carry full 10-man squads are mentioned, but no points value/rules are given. Warwick Kinrade and Tony Cottrell also devote space to a nice little discussion on why assault marines equipped with jump packs do not deploy in drop pods.
From page 215: "With the last of his strength, (Grand Master Orias) gave a single nod of his head. The assembled Captains quickly debated and agreed…Immediately a (Dreadnought) sarcophagus was prepared and the ritual of interment began."
In step with Volume One, Volume Two features superb digital imaging. Cottrell and Kinrade use Forge World and Games Workshop models, lower the saturation and contrast of the image, and create what is essentially a faux combat photograph. Highlights include a Predator Destructor tank emerging from the surf and a nighttime rocket attack from a group of Whirlwinds. It is these pictures coupled with interesting background tidbits that make this hardbound tome a worthy (if pricey) addition to the bookshelf.
Next in the series is Imperial Armour: Volume Three - The Taros Campaign which will detail fighting and support vehicles for the Tau and others participating in the Taros Campaign.
For more details on Forge World and Imperial Armour: Volume Two - Space Marines & Forces of the Inquisition check out the Forge World Web site.
