Horus Heresy (card Game) - Gameplay Overview

Gameplay Overview

A single game of the Horus Heresy Base Set features two commanders and their respective fleets and armies struggling over control of a planet. The attacker and defender fight for control of three sectors which are deemed key to winning the planet. The game ends if either player captures two sectors, or after four complete turns have elapsed. In the case of neither player capturing two sectors within the allotted play period, whoever has won more sectors (i.e. a single sector while the opponent has none), or the most valuable sector (in the case of each player having won a single sector), wins the game.

At the start of each full turn, players deploy one card face up to each unclaimed sector. Players then draw a hand of six cards and alternate deploying cards face down to an unclaimed sector, one at a time. The goal is to make sure that each sector has the needed assortment of cards to ensure victory over the opponent. One sector can be heavily reinforced, but this will leave another sector vulnerable, so considerable strategy is needed when choosing what to deploy where. Following deployment, the attacking player chooses a sector to contest, and after resolution of that battle, the defending player chooses a different sector to contest (if one remains unclaimed). Each battle ends with one, or neither player winning the sector; after the two battles, the turn ends and a new turn begins (with additional deployments).