I'm not necessarily the obvious target market for Games Workshop's newly reimagined The Horus Heresy game. For one thing I tend to sit firmly on the fantasy side of the Warhammer fence and, while I've always admired it from afar, I've never crossed over into the grim, dark pastures of Warhammer 40K. I've often thought about it, but there's always been something or other stopping me from taking the plunge.

Now though, with The Horus Heresy unleashing a galaxy's-worth of new plastic space marines onto tabletops across the world, I'm thinking it might finally be time to swap my old, boring, non-powered sword for a big ol' bolter. Here are three reasons why I think The Horus Heresy might be the grimdark Warhammer game for me, and why it might be just the thing for you too.

The Miniatures Are A Painter's Dream

One of the things that tends to slow me down when starting a new Warhammer army or painting project is the amount of details there are to paint. I'm pretty meticulous and generally I like to make sure that every miniature is painted to the best of my ability. Games Workshop models tend to be so covered in details these days that, more often than not, I spend so long painting the first unit or two that my interest has drifted to the next project long before I manage to get an army-sized force together.

What really appeals to me about The Horus Heresy miniatures is that the majority of them - and certainly most of the basic troops - are actually fairly clean and minimalist in their design. Compare the basic Mk VI space marine to the Mk VII or even the Primaris marines used in Warhammer 40K, and there's a notable difference in the amount of bling and ornamentation that needs painting.

This is great for collectors like me who need to get a unit finished up quickly before their interest and enthusiasm starts to wane but, crucially, all of the flat panels mean that you can really go to town with the paint job if that's your thing. That might mean fancy blending to create gorgeous gradients, fancy legion markings or even an entire freehand masterpiece in the case of tanks like the Deimos Pattern Rhino or the Kratos Heavy Assault Tank. The Horus Heresy miniatures have found the sweet spot that makes them a great project for all kinds of painter.

The Rules Are Easy To Learn Yet Challenging To Master

Big caveat here - I haven't played a game yet, but I've studied The Horus Heresy Rule Book and they look fantastic. The rules writers seem to have struck a great balance between rules that are simple enough to learn (and more importantly, simple enough that you won't forget half of them while playing) but lend themselves well to both tactical depth and narrative play with gritty details and immersive mechanics.

What's more, because almost every force in the game is a space marine legion of some sort, there are a lot of shared rules, abilities and stats. This makes it a heck of a lot easier to understand what your opponent's army is capable of, almost entirely eliminating that anxious feeling you sometimes get in other Warhammer games when you have next to no idea what tricks they're going to come at you with. This should hopefully mean that a Horus Heresy game is more about tactical decision making and less about guesswork. It also seems like it's great for balance between different armies too, whilst still giving every legion its fair share of unique units and abilities.

I get the sense that what The Horus Heresy delivers is a streamlined game experience with satisfying rules that are easy to pick up, but with a lot of tactical depth. Great for more casual players like me but also for competitive play veterans looking for a challenge.

You Don't Have To Feel Guilty About Collecting Space Marines Any More

Okay, maybe this one is just me, but one of the reasons I've been hesitant to throw myself fully into Warhammer 40K is that I want to collect space marines - but everyone collects space marines, and as a narrative player first and foremost I don't relish the thought of having to justify why my Blood Angels are fighting their brother astartes for the hundredth time!

The Horus Heresy turns this perennial drawback into a virtue - it's pretty much marine-on-marine action all they way, and that's how it's meant to be. Yes, you'll sometimes still need to come up with a reason why loyalists are fighting loyalists or traitors are fighting traitors, but in the all-out chaos and paranoia of the heresy it feels like less of a stretch.

Now I can collect space marines without worrying that I should be collecting something else so that my space marine opponents have an appropriate foe to fight. If you've got a space marine itch that needs scratching but you don't want to add to the saturation of marine armies in Warhammer 40K, The Horus Heresy is the game for you!

As a result of all this, I've decided to take a temporary break from painting my Age of Sigmar collection to jump headlong into the tumultuous past of the grimdark future with The Horus Heresy: Age Of Darkness box set. And will I be painting it up in the colours of the Emperor or Horus? Ah, that would be revealing my hand too soon! A topic for another article perhaps...