Arcuitor Magisterium

Sometimes dreams do come true. When I first got Liber Mechanicum for Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness, I was most intrigued by the entry for the Arcuitor Magisterium. Many units in Horus Heresy don't have official models, which is refreshing on one hand because it means you get to use your imagination, like in the old days. There are few images in the books, so you're very much on your own as you try to imagine what any given model would look like. So I bought an android model, chopped her hand off and stuck a 40k hand and gun on it, and painted her in Vallejo Velvet Red (the colour of my Adeptus Mechanicus army), and played with her in my games for a year. Then one magical morning I saw that an official-ish Arcuitor Magisterium was being released on the Games Workshop webstore, and I bought it immediately. This is my review of the Arcuitor Magisterium, both as a unit in Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness and as a model.

The short review: I love it, would buy again.

What is an Arcuitor Magisterium?

I haven't researched all the old Warhammer tomes to find the first mention of the Arcuitor Magisterium or, indeed the Magisterium itself, so for all I know the role was invented for Liber Mechanicum. Whatever its origins, the Arcuitor Magisterium costs 85 points and is listed as an "Assassin of the Prefecture Magisterium", and described as an accuser and judge of tech-heresy. So, basically the Inquisition, but for the Mechanicum:

The arcuitor magisterium are accusers and judges of tech-heresy, and the executioners of heretek magi. They are usually magi themselves, of high rank and noble standing, tempered by the wisdom of frequent conclave with the forge-fane and the will of the Omnissiah; their belief is utterly devout, reinforced and become rigid with zealotry. These venerable figures are known as the fathers of the Malagra, for they are often ancient beyond belief, and are heavily augmented in attaining closeness to their Machine God.

Game stats

The Arcuitor Magisterium is an Elite unit consisting of 1 model (sort of, but more on that when I talk about the official model) costing 85 points. I don't ascribe too much significance to points when I play, but I do think they're a useful approximation of a model's abilities. A Magos Dominus is 75 points, and a Archmagos Prime is 155 points, so the Arcuitor Magisterium hovers near some significant HQ ranks.

The Arcuitor Magisterium has a Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill of 5, which in Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness means you need to roll 2+ to Hit, and has Toughness 5, and Wounds 2. That's tougher than a bog standard Space Marine, but of course the humble Arcuitor Magisterium is just 1 model. You can partner the Arcuitor Magisterium with an Arlatax (the walking kind) or a Vorax Battle-automata Maniple, but otherwise it's a lonely unit that could be pretty easily taken out when out-numbered.

I've had pretty good luck with the Arcuitor Magisterium, or at least as good as I have with any model in Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness. I think of the Arcuitor Magisterium as a Space Marine sergeant, basically. A little more powerful than average, a little more durable than average, but by no means invincible.

Models

I've been a fan of Warhammer longer than I've been a player. A lot of the early Adeptus Mechanicus characters I got introduced to in the lore happened to be female, so for a long time my head canon was that most magi were female, sort of a priestess elite. Most Adeptus Mechanicus are sufficiently augmented to make identifying sex fruitless, but I have to admit that many of the Skitarii models don't "read" as female to me. That's down to my own preconceptions, but it's my head canon and my game, so I don't worry too much about my interpretations of cyborg soldiers. However, when the Arcuitor Magisterium model was revealed, it was expressly female:

She's armed with a paragon blade and archaeotech pistol to make light work of anything left standing after an initial attack.

I couldn't have been happier. Not only does this Arcuitor Magisterium fit neatly into my head canon, but also she fits in with that famous Inquisitor of the Imperium, Greyfax.

Interestingly, the model kit includes 2 models. The Arcuitor Magisterium herself requires assembly (maybe 8 resin parts, as I recall), but her assistant is in 1 piece and sits on a 25mm base. There's no explanation for her scribe, at least not in Liber Mechanicum. I don't know what he does, or why he's so short. Frankly he looks like a Watcher in the Dark. But she's got him, and that also seems appropriate for a noble born Mechanicum "inquisitor".

Painting an Arcuitor Magisterium

Painting her was about the same as painting any old Skitarii or Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Not as easy as a Space Marine, but manageable especially when you have low standards like me.

In fact, I think she looks harder than she actually is. It took me a while to gather up the courage to begin, but once I did the process turned out to be basically 3 steps:

1. Base coat the skirt
2. Base coat everything else as grey, and then dry brush with silver
3. Paint over the cables and the exposed flesh

Surprisingly simple, especially given how beautiful the model is. But it's a Citadel (or Forge World? I'm not sure) model, so obviously it's top quality in every sense. I don't love resin, and swore I'd never buy a resin model again, but that was in my youth (OK, it was 2 years ago.) You can't ignore resin in wargaming, even when buying from the best.

My previous model

The model I used in my games before the official model came out was an android made for, I think, Starfinder. On the one hand, it seems uncanny that I wasn't too far off from what the official model turned out to be.

Then again, I do like a diverse army so it's not that surprising I chose a female model for this role. I could have grafted more claws and machine parts to her, and might have if I'd had the spare bits at the time. On the other hand, the android model is metal, and I appreciate metal about as much as I appreciate resin. Plastic is just easier to work with, so my very modest attempt to Warhammerise her by gluing a gun in her hand turned out to be enough kitbashing for me.

Rogue traders and inquisitors

Warhammer is a wargame and it uses a whole army as your player character, but that doesn't mean you can't favour an enclave within your army, or just play with a really small army. I never played the original Rogue Trader (the book, not the video game, which I have played), but after reading it has been a huge influence on how I perceive and play the modern game. I love hand-picking a crew of diverse soldiers from my collection and throwing them into a scenario to see what they do. Strong character models, like the Arcuitor Magisterium, are intriguing because they stand apart from the crowd. They provide a focal point for a story you tell on the tabletop, whether it's a story with 8 miniatures and some monsters or 80 models in an epic battle. The Arcuitor Magisterium in particular is so unique that she seems to start telling her story before she's even on the table. Well worth the purchase, a lot of fun to build and paint, and even more fun to watch out there on the grim dark battlefield.