Civil War Patrols in Cinematic Frames, Part II

The second of two cinematic gallery videos from War Head Civil War 2025 is out now! This film showcases the other four of the eight armies that took part in our narrative Horus Heresy skirmish event - a 500-point format focused on camaraderie and the visual aspects of the hobby. See the first part here!

One For All - XVIII Salamanders

It's interesting how much room there is for artistic, personal interpretations and strong, themed army composition choices even in small, 500 point patrol rosters. We often talk about how neat it is to see personal takes on different Legions - especially now as we have pretty much every faction represented in our joint collection we start to see new, reimagined versions of the same subjects. It's all down to the vision and understanding of the culture behind each faction, as each Legion can be interpreted in miniature art in so many ways. The combination of Salamanders and Solar Auxilia elements in Ollie's Civil War list was particularly fitting for the 18th Legiones Astartes.

When it comes to modelling, Ollie chose to mix armour marks within the squads for an olschool Tactical Squad vibe and also to have different kind of details to paint. These might also be the first Heresy force Ollie has done with a warm colour palette - a proper collector's item! The basing scenery has been created with the help of GamersGrass tuft kits. 

Civil War Patrols in Cinematic Frames, Part I

The first part in the cinematic Civil War army galleries is up! Witness Manel's Mechanicum, Noa's White Scars, Lauri's Death Guard and Eric's Dark Angels patrol through our cityfight battlefields. The other four participating Civil War forces shall follow!

Skirmish Battles in the Age of Darkness

Civil War is definitely our most important annual gaming tradition, and the popular system has also been adopted by many like-minded groups home and abroad. This video is a cinematic glimpse to the event format and all the excitement and joy Civil War has brought to our crew over the years. Cannot wait for the next one! 

5th Archivist and Development Group

My personal effort for this year's Civil War was an interpretation of the arcane Thousand Sons. I picked a Legion I was not very familiar with so the process of studying them was quite inspiring - it's always an interesting challenge trying to grasp a faction's "core essence" and then attempt to turn it into details in the miniatures. 

The patrol is themed around a concept of a hostile city that has just been made compliant, and the sorcerer-scientists deploy to study the culture and secrets buried under the rubble. As the army's theme is the moment after the fighting has ceased, I've modelled most of the troops in non-combat posing - at ease, in overwatch or on patrol. There's a lot of personal headcanon and specific design thoughts that went into these models - the Instagram posts for each unit include some musings about their conversion details.

The conversion essentials here were Tortuga Bay bodies, Eldar Shadow Spectres clothing strips and various GW/FW resin bits in arms, hands and weaponry. The army was painted with products from Citadel, AK Interactive and Scale75. Basing accessories by Micro Art Studios, Kromlech and Green Stuff World.

Civil Warrior: Teemu @gowarhead
Faction: The Thousand Sons
Army: 5th Archivist & Development Group

Elite: Numerologist Cabal, 4x Life Wards
Elite: The Whisper Occult, Khenetai Blades
Troop: Corvidae Tactical Squad, Combi-Grenade Launcher
Transport: Rhino APC, Hunter-Killer Missile
Transport: Rhino APC, Hunter-Killer Missile
Transport: Rhino APC, Hunter-Killer Missile

Psychic Power Markers: Remembrancer Seth An-Khamun & Thrall Scribe
Wysiwyg Token: Cloud Scarab UAV, Prosperine Mind-Link

+ Click here for the full gallery of the Thousand Sons +

War Head Civil War 2025 Results and Coverage

These are the good old days.

Our annual highlight of hobby magic and the peak in our shared Horus Heresy enthusiasm is in the books again. It was spectacular to return to the Civil War with such a dedicated crew and experience all new armies, unit additions and character reinforcements make their debuts after months of work on the hobby desks.

I really admire both the level of creativity as well as the bravery in how our participants were out to forge memorable and narratively inspired armies - as we took turns revealing our new forces one unit at a time there was twists and surprises at every turn. Civil War's artistic beauty is in its scale - patrol sized armies are much more approachable as hobby projects, and definitely enough to tell a complete story with as we witnessed again this Saturday.

Massive gratitude to all of the crew for making this special tradition what it is - the pinnacle of our joint hobby and something that keeps us inspired all year around.

All event photography by the brilliant Manel @mp_miniatures!

Round 1: Escalation (1v1)

14 Salamanders (Ollie) vs Ordo Reductor (Manel) 6
14 White Scars (Noa) vs True Mechanicum (Joel) 6
5 Death Guard (Lauri) vs Thousand Sons (Teemu) 15
8 Imperial Militia (Scott) vs Dark Angels (Eric) 12

Round 2: Battle Brothers (2v2)

15 Thousand Sons & Dark Angels (Teemu+Eric) vs Salamanders & White Scars (Ollie+Noa) 5
12 Death Guard & Militia (Lauri+Scott) vs Ordo Reductor & True Mechanicum (Manel+Joel) 8

Round 3: Carnage (4-way free-for-all)

Dark Angels (Eric) 5
Thousand Sons (Teemu) 5
Ordo Reductor (Manel) 3
White Scars (Noa) 3
Salamanders (Ollie) 4
True Mechanicum (Joel) 4
Death Guard (Lauri) 5
Imperialis Militia (Scott) 6

Final Standings

1. Thousand Sons 35
2. Dark Angels 32
3. Imperialis Militia 26
4. Salamanders 23
5. Death Guard 22
6. White Scars 22
7. Ordo Reductor 17
8. True Mechanicum 16

+ Army List Compilation +

Civil Warrior: Joel @fellfyre
Faction: True Mechanicum
Army: Experimental Weapons Field Test Sigma-18

HQ: Magos Dominus, Artificia Cybernetica, Master-Crafted Photon Gauntlet, Machinator Array, Power Lance, Cyber Familiar
Troop: 10 Adsecularis Tech-Thralls Covenant
Troop: 4 Scyllax Guardian-Automata Maniple, Kraken Bolters
Fast: Vorax Battle-automata Maniple, 1 Irad-Cleanser

Civil Warrior: Eric @wrhd.eric
Faction: The Dark Angels
Army: The Final Sanction

HQ: Optae, Artificer Armour, Nemesis Bolt Gun
Elite: Dreadwing Interemptor Squad
Troop: Legion Tactical Squad, Stormwing
Troop: Legion Despoiler Squad, Deathwing
Fast: Sabre Strike Tank, Volkite Saker, Heavy Flamer, Ironwing
Transport: Rhino APC

Civil Warrior: Lauri @lateheresy
Faction: The Death Guard
Army: The Hollow Harvest

Elite: Legion Apothecarion Detachment, 2x Apothecary
Elite: Legion Rapier Battery, Gravis Heavy Bolter
Elite: Legion Rapier Battery, Gravis Heavy Bolter
Troop: 12x Tactical Marines, Augury Scanner, Sergeant with Power Scythe and Toxin Bombs
Troop: 12x Tactical Marines, Augury Scanner, Sergeant with Power Fist and Toxin Bombs

Civil Warrior: Olli @wrhd_ollie
Faction: The Salamanders
Army: Survivors of the Trogdor System

HQ: Legion Overseer, Power Sword
Retinue: Solar Auxilia Rifle Section, Auxilia Vexilla, Sergeant with Chainsword
Elite: Legion Apothecarion Detachment, Apothecary
Troop: Tactical Squad, Sergeant with Chainsword
Troop: Despoiler Squad, 2x Power Lance, Sergeant with Power Mace
Troop: Scout Squad, 2x Shotguns, 3x Bolt Pistol & Chainsword

Civil Warrior: Scott @wrhd_scott
Faction: Imperialis Militia
Army: Thracian First, Death World Conscripts

HQ: Force Commander, Charnabal Sabre, Iron Halo, Cyber Familiar, Needle Pistol
Provenances of War: Feral Warriors & Legacy of the Great Crusade
Troop: 16 Grenadiers, 2x Shotgun, Flamer, Heavy Stubber, 14x Chainaxe
Troop: Fire Support Squad "Traplings", Remote Detonators (Missile Launchers)
Fast: Thunderbolt Attack Fighter "Betsy"

Civil Warrior: Teemu @gowarhead
Faction: The Thousand Sons
Army: 5th Archivist & Development Group

Elite: Numerologist Cabal Mhosis T'kar, 4x Life Wards "The Reborn"
Elite: The Whisper Occult Cabal, Khenetai Blades
Troop: Corvidae Tactical Squad, Sergeant with Combi-Grenade Launcher
Transport: Rhino APC, Hunter-Killer Missile Targeter
Transport: Rhino APC, Hunter-Killer Missile Targeter
Transport: Rhino APC, Hunter-Killer Missile Targeter

Psychic Power Markers: Wyrd-Remembrancer Seth An-Khamun & Thrall Scribe
Wysiwyg Token: Cloud Scarab UAV, Prosperine Mind-Link, Missile Configuration

Civil Warrior: Manel @mp_miniatures
Faction: Ordo Reductor Mechanicum
Army: Thavrax's Ashen March

Elite: Tech-Priest Auxilia, 4x Servo-Automata, Magos-Auxilia, Conversion Beamer
Troop: Adsecularis Tech-Thralls Covenant
Troop: Adsecularis Tech-Thralls Covenant
Troop: Thallax Cohort, Chain Bayonets
Heavy: Ordo Reductor Artillery Tank Battery, Whirlwind Artillery Tank

Civil Warrior: Noa @wrhd_noa
Faction: The White Scars
Army: Hunting Tiger

HQ: Moritat Consul, 2x Volkite Serpenta, Warhawk Jump Pack
Troop: Legion Despoilers, 2x Power Axe, Heavy Chainsword
Fast: 9 Legion Seekers Squad
Transport: Rhino APC, Heavy Flamer
Transport: Rhino APC, Heavy Bolter, Dozer Blade

Thanks for checking out our results coverage, please stay tuned for individual unit pics, musings and reports in our Instagram @gowarhead and everyone's individual accounts! Thanks again to @mp_miniatures for the brilliant photography.

War Head Civil War 2025 Rising

          As an annual occurrence, War Head Civil War has been fought six times, beginning as a 40K gaming day and later transferring to the scenes of the Horus Heresy. The focus of the event has always been in the camaraderie and the visual aspects of the hobby in miniatures and terrain, with the friendly games in a secondary role. One's wargaming hobby might be entirely different depending on who they surround themselves with - in a like-minded company where everyone feeds off each others' inspiration and shares the same gaming values, it's a creative and social joy like no other. Civil War has been created to encapsulate this principle.

 

War Head Civil War 2025 preparations are in full effect and we'll assemble for traditional Horus Heresy patrol skimirshes on the 11th of October! Secret schemes, new armies and fierce deployments await - read more about the format and what to expect below.

+ Civil War 2025 Event Primer + 

x

Civil War VI Results and Coverage

 Incoming Transmission... 

War Head Civil War, the shining beacon in our annual calendar, is again behind us for another year. This one must have been the best one yet, as everyone was really pushing themselves creatively and artistically to produce amazing secret army projects for the occasion, and the battles had a good flow to them thanks to the refined scenarios. Our collective effort also made sure that the Civil War army building values of out-of-the-box thinking, the rule of cool and anti-competitive choices were in the limelight through the weekend. You can find this year's event rules as well as the scenarios and special features here.

This pic is a little teaser of the landing zone, right after we had all taken turns describing our new forces, revealing a surprise unit after another for others to freak out about and marvel at. We look forward to this moment all year and it is at least as important as all the following games combined. Assembling a new force is often quite labour-intensive especially during the last few weeks leading up to the big day, but the shared sense of hobby thrill at this very moment is most addictive and rather emotional. It's the pinnacle of the hobby for us.

The Civil War format includes a change of dynamics each round, as the games are played as 1v1, 2v2 and 4-player compositions. You kind of get to learn the ropes of the new roster in the first clash, and then take those teachings to the multiplayer fields, co-operating and politicizing in the middle of permanent and temporary alliances. This is also a neat social hook - sharing the table with several friends is one of the keys to the gaming madness we're looking to achieve.  

The sweet photography coverage for this year was courtesy of Manel @mp_miniatures, who joined us for our traditional hobby celebration all the way from Barcelona! Stay tuned for the full model gallery here and on War Head Instagram!

Round 1: Escalation (1v1)

14 Blood Angels (Juha) vs Death Guard (Manel) 6

19 Word Bearers (Olli) vs Sons of Horus (Eric) 1

14 Death Guard (Scott) vs White Scars (Noa) 6

17 Sons of Horus (Joel) vs Space Wolves (Teemu) 3

Round 2: Battle Brothers (2v2)

11 Word Bearers & Death Guard (Olli+Manel) vs White Scars & Space Wolves (Noa+Teemu) 9

13 Death Guard & Sons of Horus (Scott+Eric) vs Blood Angels & Sons of Horus (Juha+Joel) 7

Round 3: Carnage (4-way free-for-all)

White Scars (Noa) 5
Sons of Horus (Eric) 4
Blood Angels (Juha) 1
Space Wolves (Teemu) 5

Word Bearers (Olli) 0
Sons of Horus (Joel) 4
Death Guard (Manel) 4
Death Guard (Scott) 5

Final Standings

1. Death Guard (Scott) 32

2. Word Bearers (Ollie) 30

3. Sons of Horus (Joel) 28

4. Blood Angels (Juha) 22

5. Death Guard (Manel) 21

6. White Scars (Noa) 20

7. Sons of Horus (Eric) 18

8. Space Wolves (Teemu) 17

+ The Civil War Patrol Compilation +

Civil Warrior: Olli @wrhd_ollie

Legion: The Word Bearers

Army: The Unspeaking of the Miskatonic Fleet

HQ: Diabolist Consul Aleister Alhazred, Artificer Armour, Bolt Pistol, Power Sword

ELITE: 5 Ashen Circle

ELITE: 5 Veteran Squad, Vexilla, 2x Power Maul, Warpfire Blaster, Sergeant with Power Maul

TROOP: Despoiler Squad: Power Sword, Power Axe, Sergeant with Power Maul

Civil Warrior: Noa @wrhd_noa

Legion: The White Scars

Army: The Brotherhood of the Golden Star

TROOP: Breacher Squad, 2x Flamer, Sergeant with Artificer Armour and Power Glaive
TROOP: Reconnaissance Squad, 5x Nemesis Boltguns, Nuncio-Vox, Augury Scanner
ELITE: Destroyer Squad, 2x Volkite Serpenta, Sergeant with Phosphex Bomb and Power Maul

Civil Warrior: Manel @mp_miniatures

Legion: The Death Guard

Army: XIV Destroyer Cadre

HQ: Moritat Consul, Volkite Serpentas, Toxin Bombs
TROOP: Despoilers, two Bolt Pistols, Sergeant with Power Scythe, Toxin Bombs
HEAVY: Heavy Support Squad, Alchem Flamers, Toxin Bombs
TRANSPORT: Rhino APC, Combi-Alchem Flamer

Civil Warrior: Eric @wrhd.eric

Legion: The Sons of Horus

Army: The Talon of the Warmaster

HQ: Legion Centurion, Chainsword
TROOP: Tactical Squad
TROOP: Legion Despoilers, Inductii, Chainaxes
ELITE: 6 Reaver Aggressors, Jump Packs, Chainaxes

TRANSPORT: Rhino APC

Civil Warrior: Teemu @gowarhead

Legion: VI Legiones Astartes, The Fenrisians

Army: The Night's Watch - Search for the First Wulfen

TROOP: Grey Stalkers, Power Axe, Maul, Spear, 2x Rotor Cannon, Huscarl with Power Spear

TROOP: The Night's Own, First Wulfen (10 Scouts) Power Spear, 2x Carnyx Traps (Shotguns)

FAST: Asaheim Attack Bike, Heavy Bolter, Twin-Linked Bolter, Chainsword

FAST: Asaheim Attack Bike, Heavy Bolter, Twin-Linked Bolter,  Chainsword

FAST: Sabre Strike Tank, Anvilus Snub Autocannon, The Heavy Flamer

FAST: The Næturvár, (Tarantula Battery), 3 Frontier Idols with 6x Heavy Bolter

Civil Warrior: Scott @wrhd_scott

Legion: Death Guard and Daemons

Army: Dreams of Heresy

HQ: Esoterist Consul, Artificer Armour, Force Maul, Alchem Pistol, Toxin Bombs

HQ: Davinite Lodge Priest

ELITE: Apothecary, Chainsword, Bolt Pistol

ELITE: Daemon Brutes (Esoterist), Infernal Armaments, Infernal Tempest, Aetheric Dominion

TROOP: 8 Scout Squad, Alchem Flamer, 2x Nemesis Bolter, Toxin Bombs

Civil Warrior: Joel @fellfyre

Legion: The Sons of Horus

Army: 82nd Reserve Assault Company Remnants

ELITE: 8 Veterans, Banestrike Bolters, Power Fist, Power Sword, Power Maul, Charnabal Sabre
TROOP: Tactical Squad, Bayonets
TROOP: Legion Despoilers, Inductii, Chainaxes, Power Maul, Power Axe
TRANSPORT: Rhino APC, Heavy Bolter

Civil Warrior: Juha @mentoronminiatures

Legion: The Blood Angels

Army: Task Force Malletus

HQ: Legion Centurion, Thunder Hammer
HQ: Legion Company Command Squad, Chainswords
TROOP: Legion Tactical Squad, Bayonets, Lightning Claw, Plasma Pistol
TROOP: Legion Reconnaissance Squad, Nemesis Bolters

Civil War Rising

It's the Civil War season and the big day is a mere month away! Our annual "main event" for War Head crew's internal bragging rights and shared hobby inspiration is played on Saturday 28th of September. The occasion is very much already messing with our heads - is there enough time to prepare all the secret schemes, what wicked plans others might be cooking, and how are the exciting games going to unfold as it's finally time to deploy?

The Civil War event pack including the Patrol army building rules, scenarios and multiplayer special features are described below in the Civil War VI Player Primer - we encourage everyone to try out the compact "grassroots skirmishing" with compressed Horus Heresy rosters in good company! We've quite enjoyed the low threshold it introduces to building new, thematic armies in a reasonable timeframe, as well as the refreshing scale of patrol gaming where the Tactical Marine is the king.

+ Civil War VI Player Primer +

+ Past Civil War Coverage +

Civil War V Combat Coverage

The amazing hobby tradition of War Head Civil War is now past us for another year - what a treat it was once again! I feel that this year's event was one of the best in the heritage's history, as the inspired rules package, team's hobby commitment and our joint enthusiasm for The Horus Heresy all helped to nourish a memorable gaming day. I've often stated that the wargaming hobby might be entirely different depending on who you surround yourself with - in a like-minded company where everyone feeds off each others' inspiration and shares the same gaming values, it's a creative and social joy like no other.

Civil War is as much about the journey as it is of the destination, as the preparations begin early on before the actual gathering. The tradition calls for secret mustering of new assets, unexpected reinforcements or completely new surprise armies, which are presented to other players in the morning of the gaming day. On Sunday we unveiled the secret schemes long in the making and took turns describing and displaying our 500 point patrols for other participants to admire. Some of the Thracian Insurgency armies had evolved into completely new iterations due to cool unit additions and we also witnessed three completely new forces - a White Scar Recon host, a Blood Angels "boots on the ground" task force and a Emperor's Children III Company Elites detachment! It was delightful to hear everyone describe their projects and get excited about the oncoming games, as stunners like Scott's unforeseen Xiphon Interceptor completely caught many of us off-guard!

The format this year was Horus Heresy patrols (500 points, one required Troop, no mandatory HQ, no more than 2 wounds on any model, max one model with a 2+ save, no vehicles with armour value total over 33) and skirmish gameplay. We played three rounds and the dynamics changed in each one - after the traditional duel on the first round the participants were paired for two-versus-two tag team games. The four-player Carnages wrapped the day up and final victory points were calculated; each scenario had many different mini-missions focused on maneuvering and objective control performed with any non-vehicle units. All in all the 500 point roster size worked perfectly, it was a fresh breeze of "grassroots meta" where Tactical Marines could shine and the size of the armies was a very feasible mini-project even for a busy hobbyist.

Sunday's epic games leave a deep craving for more amazing hobby with the crew - luckily War Head's Halloween in the Mortal Realms is just a couple of months away!

+ Civil War V Combat Camera: Facebook Gallery +

Round 1: Escalation (1v1)

10 Blood Angels vs White Scars 10
6 Dusk Raiders vs Dark Angels 14
14 Imperial Fists vs Alpha Legion 6
10 Emperor's Children vs World Eaters 10

Round 2: Battle Brothers (2v2)

20 Emperor's Children & World Eaters vs Alpha Legion & Dusk Raiders 0
6 Blood Angels & White Scars vs Dark Angels & Imperial Fists 14

Round 3: Carnage (4-way free-for-all)

Dark Angels 7
Blood Angels 0
Imperial Fists 5
World Eaters 6
Alpha Legion 2
White Scars 6
Emperor's Children 3
Dusk Raiders 5

Final Standings

1. World Eaters 36
2. Dark Angels 35
3. Imperial Fists 33
4. Emperor's Children 33
5. White Scars 22
6. Blood Angels 16
7. Dusk Raiders 11
8. Alpha Legion 8

Player: Teemu Valve
Legion: XII World Eaters
Army: 308th Void Assault

TROOP1: Assault Squad, Power Fist, Power Axe, Power Sword
ELITE1: Rapier Gun Platform, Gravis Heavy Bolter Battery
FAST1: Sky-Hunter Jetbikes, Volkite Culverins, Chainaxes
FAST2: 7 Seekers Squad, Kraken Boltguns
TRANSPORT1: Rhino APC, Combi-Bolter

Player: Olli Väre
Legion: III Emperor's Children
Army: 3rd Company Elites

HQ1: Legion Armistos, Master-Crafted Volkite Culverin
ELITE1: Apothecary, Power Lance
ELITE2: Rapier Gun Platform, Graviton Cannon
TROOP1: Despoilers, Power Sword, Power Lance, Vexilla, Phoenix Rapier and Sonic Shrieker
HEAVY1: Emperor's Children Kakophoni

Player: Noa Kaistinen
Legion: V White Scars
Army: The Outriders

ELITE: Legion Apothecary
TROOP1: Despoilers, 2x Power Axe, Heavy Chainsword, Artificer Armour

TROOP2:  5 Recon Marines, Nemesis Bolters, Nuncio-Vox
TROOP3: 8 Recon Marines, Shotguns, Power Glaive
TRANSPORT1: Rhino APC, Heavy Bolter, Dozer Blade

Player: Eric Raunio
Legion: I Dark Angels
Army: Strike Force Cadmos

HQ1: Legion Librarian, Force Sword, Deathwing
ELITE1: Dreadwing Interemptors, Plasma Burners, Plasma Incinerator

TRANSPORT1: Rhino APC, Twin-Linked Bolter
TROOP1: Legion Despoilers, Deathwing

TROOP2: Legion Tactical Squad, Ironwing

Player: Jaakko Björklund
Legion: VII Imperial Fists
Army: Strike Team Siegfried

HQ1: Legion Centurion, Magna Combi-Melta
TROOP1: Tactical Squad, Solarite Power Gauntlet

TROOP2: Tactical Squad, Solarite Power Gauntlet
TRANSPORT1: Rhino APC, Hunter-Killer Missile
TRANSPORT2: Rhino APC, Hunter-Killer Missile
TROOP3: Recon Squad, 2x Nemesis Bolters, Combi-Grenade Launcher

Player: Juha Nieminen
Legion: IX Blood Angels
Army: Task Force Uriel

HQ1: Legion Chaplain, Power Maul, Plasma-Pistol
TROOP1: Tactical Squad, Bayonets, Lightning Claw, Plasma Pistol

TROOP2: Tactical Support Squad, Rotor Cannons
HEAVY1: Heavy Support Squad, Missile Launchers

Player: Scott McGregor
Legion: XIV Dusk Raiders
Army: The Surgeon's Hand

HQ1: Callidus Assassin
TROOP1: 14 Tactical Marines, Legion Vexilla

ELITE1: Rapier Gun Platform, Quad Launcher, Incendiary Rounds

FAST1: Xiphon Interceptor, Ramjet Defraction Grid

Player: Joel Kinnunen
Legion: XX Alpha Legion
Army: Last Minute Ambush

ELITE1: Legion Apothecary
ELITE2: 6 Veterans, Heavy Flamer, Power Dagger, Banestrike Boltguns

TROOP1: Tactical Squad, Power Fist
TROOP2: Recon Squad, Nemesis Bolters

TRANSPORT1: Rhino APC, Twin-Linked Bolter