The Vostroyan Firstborn are an Astra Militarum regiment from the industrial world of Vostroya, bound by an oath to send every family’s firstborn child to war. That old debt shapes everything about them, from their ornate gear to their stubborn refusal to ever sit out a fight again.
What the Vostroyan Firstborn are
They’re regiments of the Astra Militarum raised on Vostroya, a forge-heavy world in the Halo Zone beyond the Eye of Terror. Unlike most Guard regiments, which are raised in bulk and then disbanded, the Firstborn pull a steady stream of recruits from home, so their regiments have existed unbroken since they were founded.
That steady intake gives them something rare: a permanent core of veterans who train each new batch themselves. The result is a tight brotherhood with exacting standards, and a reputation for discipline that few other regiments match.
- Homeworld: Vostroya, an industrial planet in the Halo Zone
- Specialties: urban and winter warfare
- Recruitment: every family’s firstborn child, with no exceptions
- Structure: unbroken regiments fed by a constant flow of recruits
The debt that made them
During the Horus Heresy, Vostroya refused to send regiments to the Emperor. The world’s leaders chose to keep their population working in the manufactoria instead. After the Heresy, the guilt stuck, and Vostroya swore an oath known as the Offering of the First Born.
That oath commits the eldest child of every family to the Imperial Guard, noble houses and Techtriarchs included. For most Vostroyans it’s an honour, not a punishment, and families take the payment of that ancient debt seriously. A noble house with no firstborn to send treats it as a genuine crisis.
How they fight and what they carry
Vostroyan regiments favour close urban fighting and cold-weather campaigns, and their wargear reflects a world that’s been making fine weapons for millennia. Their kit is ornate and often handed down, passed from a retiring veteran to a new recruit joining the Firstborn.
That tradition of inheritance is unusual for the Guard, where gear is usually mass-produced and disposable. A Vostroyan’s lasgun or uniform might have seen decades of service before he ever touches it.
When the Great Rift cut Vostroya off in M42, the Firstborn raised new regiments and sent them into the void mostly blind, hoping to reach Imperials calling for help. Many were lost with the Astronomican dimmed, but they kept sending them anyway. They’d vowed never to wait again when called to war.
On the tabletop
The classic Vostroyan miniatures debuted in 2006 and featured heavily in the Fall of Medusa V campaign. In modern games there’s no dedicated Vostroyan datasheet, but the models work fine as stand-ins for Cadian Shock Troops, Heavy Weapons Squads, and similar units.
If you’re collecting them, a Vostroyan Platoon box is the fast route in. It packs a Command Squad, 20 Guardsmen with options like a power sword or power fist sergeant, and three lascannon teams.
| Box | What’s inside |
|---|---|
| Vostroyan Platoon | Command Squad, 20 Guardsmen, 3 lascannon teams |
| Vostroyan Squad | 10 Guardsmen with sergeant and flamer |
| Vostroyan Command Squad | Command squad on its own |
| Individual Commanders | Chainsword, power fist, or plasma pistol and power sword |
| Special weapons | Plasma gun, grenade launcher, flamer, sniper rifles |
| Heavy weapons | Heavy bolter, lascannon, mortar teams |
Key facts
- The Vostroyan Firstborn are Astra Militarum regiments from the industrial world of Vostroya.
- Every family’s firstborn child must serve, a penance for Vostroya’s refusal to aid the Emperor during the Horus Heresy.
- They specialise in urban and winter warfare.
- Their regiments have existed unbroken since founding, fed by constant recruits and trained by veterans.
- Classic Vostroyan miniatures first appeared in 2006 and are still usable as Cadian stand-ins.
FAQ
Why do the Vostroyans send their firstborn to war?
It’s penance for Vostroya refusing to supply regiments to the Emperor during the Horus Heresy. The Offering of the First Born commits every family’s eldest child to the Imperial Guard, with no exceptions.
Can you still play Vostroyan Firstborn in Warhammer 40k?
There’s no dedicated Vostroyan datasheet right now, but the models work well as proxies for Cadian Shock Troops, Heavy Weapons Squads, and similar Astra Militarum units.
What are the Vostroyan Firstborn known for?
Urban and winter warfare, ornate inherited wargear, and an unusually strong brotherhood. Their regiments have existed unbroken for ten thousand years thanks to a steady flow of recruits from Vostroya.