Warhammer 40K's latest army line brings the infamous Emperor's Children and their excessive pursuit of pain and pleasure to the tabletop at long last. The new army box launches a brand-new army line for the forces of Chaos, this time focused on forces dedicated to Slaanesh, the chaos god of excess and ecstasy. While the Emperor's Children have been part of Warhammer 40K's lore for decades and Noise Marines have appeared on the table for years, this marks the first time the army has had an actual dedicated line of miniatures to use.

Compared to the Death Korps of Krieg army box, which expanded an existing army box, the new Emperor's Children essentially launches a new army. While a single box isn't enough to complete a 2,000-point army, it will get players most of the way there. A planned second wave of releases should be enough to complete an Emperor's Children army, giving players a full range of horrifying Chaos Space Marines to play with. If you're looking to dive into a new army, this box is definitely one of the strongest starts I've seen in quite some time.

Who Are The Emperor's Children?

The Emperor's Children Are One Of The More Bizarre Factions Of Chaos Space Marines

The Emperor's Children are a Chaos Space Marine corps with a rich history tied to the Horus Heresy, the ancient civil war that directly led to the stagnation of the Imperium of Man. While the Emperor's Children and their Primarch Fulgrim were once dedicated to the pursuit of perfection in all things, that drive was corrupted after Fulgrim took a daemon-infested sword. By the time the Horus Heresy started, the Emperor's Children were fully corrupted by Chaos. Fulgrim slew his longtime friend and fellow Primarch Ferrus Mannus during the infamous Drop Site Massacre.

The Emperor's Children are uniquely dedicated to pursuing excessive amounts of stimulation however they can achieve it. Pleasure, pain, intense sensory overstimulation, the Emperor's Children become maniacs on the battlefield in a uniquely disturbing way. One key part of their battle tactics involves the use of unique weaponry that utilizes sonic technology to overstimulate foes. These Noise Marines are one of the most unique forces in Warhammer 40K, as they (and the Lord Kakophonists that lead them) bombard foes with sound instead of bullets or lasers.

What's Included In The Emperor's Children Army Box?

The New Army Box Includes Twenty-Six Brand New Miniatures

The new Emperor's Children Army Box includes a whopping 26 miniatures, enough to form a firm foundation for a new army. In addition to two full contingents of Noise Marines, there's also 20 Tormentors/Infractors, and a Lord Exultant to lead the army. Tormentors serve as the front-line troops of the army, while Infractors serve as melee specialists. The Noise Marines, of course, are the highlight of the box, with new sonic blasters that disorient foes and cause their targets to subtract one from Leadership and Battle-Shock tests in battle.

While the Lord Exultant is meant to serve as a centerpiece of the new army set, the biggest disappointment is the lack of a true centerpiece piece for the army. Fulgrim and Lucius (a well-known commander within the Emperor's Children) are coming in a second wave of releases, and both look to be more visually impressive than the Lord Exultant. It's a minor complaint given that last year's Dark Angels set contained a similar composition of units, but the box doesn't have the same big impressive unit that the Death Korps of Krieg box has.

In total, here's everything included in the new Emperor's Children Army Box:

• 1x Lord Exultant
• 20x Tormentors (which can alternatively be built as Infractors)
• 12x Noise Marines
• Codex: Emperor’s Children
• Datasheet cards: Emperor’s Children, containing 22 cards
• 1x Emperor’s Children Transfer Sheet

Is The Emperor's Children Army Set Box Worth The Price?

The Box Contains Nearly Half Of A Full Army, Which Is A Solid Price For A Warhammer 40K Box

Building any Space Marines set, Chaos or Loyalist, can be a bit monotonous at times. The Noise Marines and other units in this box are a bit more interesting to look at than a standard Space Marine unit, but there's not a ton of variance in what you'll actually be building in this new set. Lord Exultant aside, building these miniatures won't prove too much of a challenge, unless you consider posing arms and heads interesting and exciting.

For newcomers, Warhammer 40K's Space Marine miniatures tend to be among the easiest to build. The builds themselves are simple, with only a few finicky, hard-to-place pieces. The hardest part of these miniatures is getting the two-handed weapons to adhere to the flat shoulder/t surface, which is more of a matter of patience than actual difficulty. The paint schemes can be easy or as complex as the builder wants, although the Emperor's Children are deliberately more garish than the standard Chaos Space Marine build.

While the miniatures themselves aren't difficult to build, the value here will be great for plenty of fans. Twenty-six miniatures is a lot for an army box, and one box provides about 750 points worth of units to start a Chaos Space Marine army. If you already have a full contingent of Slaanesh chaos daemons, you'll be able to have almost a full army without needing much more of an investment.

Ultimately, this is a solid starting point for the Emperor's Children. If you want to jump into the forces of Chaos, there's probably not a better place to start than these miniatures. Because the minis aren't challenging to build, even newcomers should be able to build and paint these without too much difficulty. If you want an easy entry point into Warhammer 40K and already have your heart set on serving the Prince of Pleasure, you can pre-order the box now.

Source: Warhammer Website

This reviewer was provided an Emperor's Children Army Box for the purposes of this review.