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Adeptus Titanicus and The Horus Heresy

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Adeptus Titanicus and the Horus Heresy have a long and intertwined history. Though the Heresy was first mentioned in the original Warhammer 40,000 rulebook in 1987, it was the following year that Adeptus Titanicus expanded on it and introduced the core of the background you know and love – all as a way to explain battles between two armies of Imperial Titans!

But what is a Titan, exactly? Magos Historicus Xathar-Kul is on hand to provide us with a brief primer…

Thirty years later, the new edition of Adeptus Titanicus is returning to the Horus Heresy, once again bringing titanic warfare back to the forefront – and it’s all been done in conjunction with Black Library and Forge World’s Horus Heresy series.

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When it was determined that Adeptus Titanicus would be getting a new edition, the Specialist Brands team set to work on figuring out how it would fit into the background. It was clear that there was scope in the existing story for massive clashes between Titan Legions – the Betrayal at Calth and the Battle of Tallarn to name just two.

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There was also an opportunity to add new elements to the timelines of the Horus Heresy – including something unique and cataclysmic that would also explain why the Titan Legions of the 41st Millennium are both smaller and rarer than during the Great Crusade.

And so the Great Slaughter at Beta-Garmon and the Titandeath were born.

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References to Beta-Garmon were seeded into Forge World’s Horus Heresy series, establishing it as a major cluster of worlds on the path to Terra – a natural stopping point for Horus’ forces before the final battle – and across a variety of Black Library’s Horus Heresy stories, its importance was further emphasised. In Gav Thorpe’s Weregeld (in the Corax anthology), the Raven Guard primarch found out about the Imperial muster at Beta-Garmon – a thread followed up in the audio drama Valerius. Guy Haley’s short story Duty Waits referenced some of the immense battles on that world. And in Wolfsbane, also by Guy, we finally found out the Imperium’s plan for holding and bloodying the traitor forces there.

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That all leads to Guy’s latest Horus Heresy novel, Titandeath, coming this December, which will be essential reading for all Adeptus Titanicus players, giving unparalleled insights into the battles at Beta-Garmon. We asked Guy about the creative process behind Titandeath, and he was only too happy to answer.

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Guy: One of my favourite aspects of this job is getting to work with other people. I started my professional life as part of a small, creative team, eventually coming to run one in the shape of White Dwarf. Times change. As an author, I work alone, like an aelf wanderer, or a sad lost grot. The flexibility writing gives to my life is beyond worth, but I do hanker after collaboration with others, and when I wrote Titandeath, I got that in spades!

From the beginning, the links between Adeptus Titanicus and Titandeath were strong. Andy Hoare and Owen Barnes placed the game firmly in the Horus Heresy, just like the original. However, nowadays the Heresy era is a vast and detailed setting. As they were working on various war zones and histories of the period, I was writing a book detailing Beta-Garmon, the location of the largest Titan-on-Titan battles ever. It was natural, nay obvious, that we should put our heads together.

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As I planned my novel, Andy and Owen kept up a steady stream of information coming to me. Throughout the process we talked often, thrashing out details, working out who was where, when and why. They were nothing but gracious with their toys, incorporating many of my ideas into their background for the Beta-Garmon war zone, and tweaking bits to suit the story I wanted to tell.

When creative people work together like this, the result is always stronger than an individual effort. The result is a Horus Heresy novel more firmly embedded in the gaming side of things than ever before, one that was an absolute pleasure for me to write.

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Whether you want to set your games of Adeptus Titanicus during the heart of the Titandeath, or elsewhere in the Horus Heresy timeline, the Adeptus Titanicus rulebook has plenty of story hooks and ideas, as well as narrative scenarios set on Beta-Garmon, Molech and other familiar worlds from the novel series – including Mars itself.

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The setting also allows you to customise your Titan Legion and accompanying Knight Houses to your tastes – will you support Horus or remain loyal to the Emperor? Will you and your friends collect different Legios or stage a civil war amongst one? The possibilities are endless – and the Horus Heresy novel series is a great place to look for ideas.

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23 hours ago, InfestedKerrigan said:

I'm happy with 88- Warlords. Warhounds should be 50ish, reaver 80ish. Sweet. 

I'm not financially ready for this release, either, @Torg.

Yeah - new year maybe I’ll think about it. But the pace of releases really makes it hard to play all the choices presented ... let alone buy them all. 

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Adeptus Titanicus: War on a New Scale

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Adeptus Titanicus is mere days away, and soon, battlegroups of Warlord Titans supported by Questoris Knights will be waging war on tabletops across the world – and we thought it was high time to talk about the game’s astonishing models. Chris Drew from the Specialist Games team is the man responsible for turning the huge Warhammer 40,000 models into their 8mm scale counterparts – and here he is to talk about the process.


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Chris: The first step in debigulating* models is the simplest and most obvious – we rescale them. With models that were originally designed digitally, that’s really easy – I have a button for it on my computer! For older Titans, like the Reaver and the Warhound, it takes a bit more work.

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These older models needed to be reconstructed digitally in order to rescale and re-engineer them, and though the technology exists to 3D scan the originals, the data isn’t as usable for the rest of the process, so it was quicker and easier to just take the parts, measure them up and rebuild the models digitally.

After that, we had to change the way the models break down and figure out which details to keep and which to leave off, how to engineer them for plastic, and how much we could pack into the sprues. It was a long process and much like doing a 3D jigsaw in reverse (but with a much cooler result).

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There were several really important considerations to make during the process that informed how the models were broken down. First among them was that in Adeptus Titanicus, we have sides made up of a handful of nearly identical models, so it was important to build versatility into the kits where possible. With that in mind, the Warlord is almost as poseable as its big Forge World sibling, so if you want five of them, they can all be walking in different ways, tilting differently, aiming differently – not only does this make the models more versatile, but it opens up a lot of modelling opportunities for poses, dioramas and displays, and I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone does with them on release.

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The next consideration was to fit the Warlord Titan onto three frames, divided into body, armour and weapons – which means that, in the future, we can easily produce a new set of weapons, or new armour and heads, anything we might want to add to give the customers more modularity. This feature will be replicated on the Reavers and Warhounds as well, allowing for loads of room to grow down the line.

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The Warhammer 40,000 Titans are hugely detailed, so we had to be selective about what to keep for the smaller scale models – and keep in mind that some details needed to be enlarged so they could be painted. When choosing details to carry over, I looked at each model and picked the most prominent features to keep or to redesign.

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The important details for me in Adeptus Titanicus are the ones that demonstrate scale, that tell us this is an immense war machine and not a Dreadnought. I made sure on the Warlord to keep the railings at the waist, as well as its tiny Ardax Defensor weapons. Even though they’re hard to see on the tabletop, they’ll make the Titan seem, well, titanic. The same is true for the separate heavy stubbers on the Questoris Knights. Simplifying those details, or losing them altogether, would have made my job a lot easier, but the models would have suffered, and we wanted to give people the very best models possible. For many, this will be the only scale of Warlord Titan they ever own – so it was vital that they have as awesome a kit as the full-sized one.

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At shows like Warhammer Fest, there is nothing better than hearing people say that none of the detail has been lost on the Warlord Titan or the Knights. It shows that all the detail that we did lose isn’t missed, and all the remaining detail does the job for it.

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One of my favourite design features on the Warlord is that both the arm weapons and the carapace weapons are designed with magnet points** so you can easily swap them out between games (the same way the Titan weapons cards are let you do the same in the rules). We’ve carried that through wherever the design of the Titan allows in the range.

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With the Warlord Titan, I would recommend leaving the armour panels off and painting them separately, as it allows you to get your brush in and paint the Titan’s skeleton with ease. I assembled the model, but used adhesive putty to attach the armour panels for airbrushing. I then took the panels off and gave the main body a silver spray, highlighted it and washed it before reattaching them – which made the process really easy.

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Mark Bedford had to paint a lot of Warlord Titans for the Adeptus Titanicus Warhammer Fest display, and found he could spray most of the armour panels while still on the frame, as most of the armour faces in one direction, while all the gates you snip away are usually either on faces that end up hidden, or on armour banding which is easy to repaint.

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Assembling the Knights is pretty straightforward – just remember not to snip out all 3 sets of legs at once, otherwise, it’s harder to match them with their corresponding lower bodies. Beyond that, it might be a good idea to keep the carapace separate for painting – but you can paint it either way.


Thanks to Chris for this fascinating insight into the process of creating the new Adeptus Titanicus models – which you’ll be able to pre-order along with the game this Saturday.

* Clearly a real word and not at all one Chris has made up.
** 5mm x 1mm discs, if 

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Posted 09/08/2018

Getting Started with Adeptus Titanicus

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Adeptus Titanicus is a very different game from Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer Age of Sigmar. With a different scale of miniatures, an all-new rules system and the deep, rich history of the Horus Heresy behind it, there’s a lot to consider – so with the help of the Specialist Games team, we’ve put together some tips to help you get started easily with the new game.

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It may seem obvious, but the best place to start is with the Adeptus Titanicus Rules Set (which is also included in the Grand Master Edition). As well as the rulebook, this hefty set contains six Titan Command Terminals – two for each of the three Titan types – plus two Terminals for Knights. You’ll also find dice, templates, a host of weapon cards, Stratagems and mission objectives, along with a plastic sprue of Battlefield Assets and enough Command Terminal markers to run up to ten Titans in a single game!

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If you and a friend are planning to collect Adeptus Titanicus, we’d suggest picking up a Grand Master Edition plus the Rules Set. Split the models, and you’ll each have a complete set of rules content, plus a Warlord and unit of Questoris Knights – a great start and enough to get playing smaller games.

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The foundation of any Adeptus Titanicus battlegroup for Narrative and Matched Play is the maniple. A maniple consists of between 3 and 5 Titans of various kinds – different types of maniple include different Titans. For example, the Axiom Battleline Maniple has one of each Titan type – Warlord, Reaver and Warhound – as compulsory components, with the option to add another Reaver and another Warhound.

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Each different maniple has an additional benefit – for the Axiom, it allows orders to continue to be issued even if one Titan fails a Command check, while the Venator Light Maniple allows a Reaver Titan to make additional attacks when a Warhound from the maniple collapses an enemy’s void shields.

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Not only does a maniple give you the core of a force for narrative and matched play, your choice of maniple will also dictate the way your battlegroup plays, and may even give you some ideas for which Titan Legion from the Horus Heresy background you want to paint your models as.

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Once you have selected a maniple, you can add supporting banners of Questoris Knights. Even a single box of Knights – which contains three models with a variety of weapons – is enough to get started and there are no limits (besides your available points) to how many Knights you can have fighting alongside your Titans.

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At first glance, Knights may seem an unconventional choice – these noble figures dominate the battlefields of the 41st Millennium, but even they may seem outmatched in a long-range firefight with a Warlord Titan. But a cunning Princeps will be able to use banners of Knights as mobile harassers, manoeuvring inside void shields and hitting vulnerable rear armour, forcing your foes to split their attention – an unattended Knight can do some serious damage.

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Extra Titans can also be added to support your maniple. Say you chose a Myrmidon Battleline Maniple, made up of Warlords and Reavers – it’s worth adding a supporting Warhound or two for some speedy firepower and their ability to secure objectives.

Additional Titans are also a great way to start building up a larger force that will allow you to choose from different maniples for your games – or even to field multiple maniples side by side in truly massive clashes.

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Adeptus Titanicus draws on the rich history of the Horus Heresy, which gives you masses of Titan Legions to choose from when painting your models. Before you get started, check out the wealth of colour schemes and iconography available – or, of course, you can make up your own.

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The background is also great for narrative play. The rulebook contains six narrative missions set in war zones across the Age of Darkness, and both Black Library’s Horus Heresy range and the narrative from Forge World’s campaign books are full of great hooks that will help you to come up with more – perhaps you’ll be inspired by the Warhounds of Legio Audax in Betrayer or the last stand of Legio Tempestus in Mechanicum.

These tips should help you get started with Adeptus Titanicus – and it’s not long now until you can, as the game goes on pre-order in just two days.

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Adeptus Titanicus: The Titan Legions – Part 6

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For two centuries, the Legions of the Adeptus Titanicus have served in the armies of the Imperium, but their origins lie long before this time of enlightenment and conquest. Few outside the secretive Martian Priesthood know the truth of how Titans came to be, but fragments of data suggest that, in an age long past, civil war split Mars as debased cults swept across the Red Planet. Only the creation of three Orders of mighty war machines, known as the Triad Ferrum Morgulus, stood against and defeated these hereteks who threatened Mars.

From these three Orders of war engines, the Collegia Titanica was founded, and over the centuries, scores of Titan Legions were formed. Some existed only briefly, wiped out in cataclysmic wars, while others lived on into the Age of the Imperium. When the Emperor came to Mars and the Mechanicum joined His Imperium, the many Legios of Titans embarked on the Great Crusade alongside the Imperial Army and the Legiones Astartes.

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As ancient forge worlds were rediscovered and brought into compliance, many were settled by Titan Legions who swore to defend their forge world and its Tech-Priests. The Legios took names that were reflective of their character, or of the world on which they settled, and each swore to defend its forge world and aid the armies of the Imperium against the galaxy’s many threats.

Now, as the Horus Heresy divides the Imperium, many forge worlds and their Titan Legions have chosen to follow the turncoats and rebel against the Emperor. As brother battles brother among the Space Marines, so too do Titan Princeps find themselves turning their devastating weaponry on former brothers in arms…

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Each Titan Legion has its own unique heraldry and colour scheme to mark them out in the heat of battle – and each also has its own unique traits, a personality honed over decades or even centuries of battle. In your games of Adeptus Titanicus, you can harness these traits to play your Legio of choice in a unique way – some may allow you to use unique combinations of Titans, add additional equipment to your war engines, or provide different ways to engage your foes. There are two examples in the Adeptus Titanicus rulebook, with more to come in future expansions.

Legio Gryphonicus

Legio Gryphonicus are renowned as glory hunters, prideful and constantly seeking honour in battle. Yet they did not fall to the lures of Chaos. Instead, their pride and lust for glory are channelled into righteous fury against those Titan Legions who have spat upon their oaths. In battle, a War Griffons Titan will target a single enemy engine and vow to bring it down, no matter the cost.

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Legio Tempestus

The Stormlords of the Legio Tempestus were one-third of the Triad Ferrum Morgulus, and have one of the longest rolls of honour of any Legio – but this didn’t stop the bulk of the Tempestus Titans turning traitor after decades serving with Horus himself. A garrison left behind on Mars remained loyal, sacrificing themselves in the opening engagements of the Mechanicum civil war. In this, they upheld the paramount tradition of their Legio – finding glory in death.

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You’ll find full rules for Legio Gryphonicus and Legio Tempestus in the Adeptus Titanicus Rulebook, which is available to pre-order now in the Adeptus Titanicus Rules Set. While you’re waiting for that, you can find out more about Legio Tempestus, and witness the last stand of their loyal Titans, in Graham McNeill’s Horus Heresy novel Mechanicum.

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Reavers – Next Week’s Pre-order

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September is starting in style with a pair of new pre-orders designed to expand your favourite specialist games, from Adeptus Titanicus’ latest war machine. Here’s what you’ll be able to pre-order next weekend:

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Reaver Titans are the most versatile war machines in Adeptus Titanicus, offering more mobility than a Warlord Titan and more firepower than a Warhound. Their kit is no different, offering a range of weapons with which to equip yours. Arm up with ranged wargear, go for a hybrid build or, for the truly bold, buy two and give one a pair of power fists.

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Like the Warlord Titan before it, the Reaver Titan features optional armourials and is highly posable, meaning if you pick up multiples of this massive war machine for your maniples, you’ll be able to ensure each of your god-machines looks distinct in its own right.

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Rules for the Reaver Titan will be available, as ever, through their Command Terminals and weapon cards. While you might already own some of these, you’ll be able to grab more through a range of packs out alongside the Reaver Titan.

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Adeptus Titanicus Part 11: Reaver Battle Titans

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The Reaver Battle Titan formed the mainstay of many Titan Legions during the Horus Heresy – and with the new Reaver Titan model for Adeptus Titanicus available to pre-order on Saturday, it’s sure to find its way into more than a few battlegroups. But just what will this new Titan bring to your games? Let’s find out.

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The Reaver is your mid-range Titan – not quite as big and destructive as the Warlord, it’s also cheaper in points, allowing you to bring more Titans to bear against your foes. The Reaver is faster than its big brother and can perform more turns as it moves, making it handy for getting into the more vulnerable side and rear arcs of its targets. This speed and a higher Weapon Skill – plus the power fist that comes in the plastic kit – also make it a significant threat up close.

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The power fist, with high Strength and the Concussive trait, makes the Reaver a tremendous threat – especially since Melee attacks can target particular systems without penalty, allowing a Reaver that gets up-close and personal to deal significant damage even to Warlord Titans – especially if they’ve been dealt damage at range already.

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As befits the most numerous Titan among the Legions, the Reaver has a place in all three of the maniples in the Adeptus Titanicus rulebook. One that may be of particular interest is the Myrmidon Battleline Maniple. Comprising 2-3 Warlords and 1-2 Reavers, this takes the principle of overwhelming firepower to extremes, making it much more likely that your Titans will pass Command checks for First Fire and Split Fire orders.

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Using the heavier weaponry on the Warlords to bring down void shields and damage systems with First Fire while your Reavers close for the kill is a great tactic with a Myrmidon maniple. With careful planning and some lucky dice rolls, you can cause catastrophic damage to even a Warlord Titan in short order.

And what about the model? Well, the Reaver Titan kit is every bit as impressive and versatile as the larger Warlord, and actually has a unique feature that increases its poseability. Here is the model’s designer, Chris Drew, to explain:

Chris: The Warhammer 40,000-scale Reaver has cables running between the torso, weapons, and legs. This is easy to achieve in large resin models, as we can allow customers to heat-bend the cables into position – but we can’t do the same in hard plastic. How could we get the same look but make it work? It took a lot of effort, but on the final model, the leg cables tuck into a void beneath the waist, while the weapon cables fix the position of the guns and arms. I’ve designed them so they are optional, and if you want to leave them out, all you need to do is trim a couple of tabs down and all the weapons are fully poseable.

Thanks Chris! You’ll be able to pre-order your Reaver Titans this Saturday, along with additional Command Terminals and Weapon cards to add to the ones in the Rules Set.

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This Week’s Pre-Order: A New Titan

It’s pre-order day! Here’s what you’ll be able to get your hands on online this week:

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Reaver Titans are perfect for players looking to add some flexibility to their maniples in Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy. By now, you’ll likely have some fast-moving Knight Banners and one or two devastating Warlord Titans – your Reaver is the perfect middle ground between the two, sporting impressive firepower but being far more manoeuvrable than its larger cousin. They’re a key part of every maniple in the game, meaning you’ll want at least one to take full advantage of the powerful rules these formations of Titans offer.

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The Reaver Battle Titan is also the first Titan with dedicated close-combat weaponry, allowing you to punch other Titans to death. It’s pretty awesome.

With a range of weapons and options in the kit, you’ll be able to build your Reaver Titan for whatever you see fit! We’d recommend getting a couple and building them simultaneously to take advantage of the various armaments in the box.

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You’ll find rules for your Reaver Titans on Command Terminals – you can grab more of these in the Reaver Battle Titan Command Terminal Pack or pick some up for your Warlord Titans at the same time with the Myrmidon Battle Maniple Card Pack. Meanwhile, weapon options can be found in the Reaver Battle Title Weapon Card Pack.

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