Crusade campaigns have been a popular way to play Warhammer 40,000 ever since the Emperor first set out from Terra, combining exciting gameplay with emergent storytelling, and the system has been refined even further for the new edition. Many of the rules you love have returned, and there are new options to lay down an even greater legacy.
We’ve seen how Warhammer 40,000 can be played as a fast-paced, action-packed clash in Combat Patrol and offer varied matched play missions in Chapter Approved, so now we’re taking a closer look at long-form campaigning.
For the uninitiated, Crusade is a way to turn individual battles into a sprawling narrative in which units level up, develop skills and quirks, and possibly even perish in the line of duty. It’s a fun and engaging way to create a vibrant backstory for your army, grown organically over time as you play more games – win or lose.
The first of the Crusade campaign books for the new edition is Tyrannic War, which is included in the special edition Core Rulebook found in the Leviathan box set. It’ll also be available on its own, and there’ll be more campaigns to come, bringing with them new narratives and themed rules.
As a narrative game mode, Crusades are typically more laid-back and story-driven than matched play, and place emphasis on thematic confrontations. The mode also offers ways to help balance fights between armies with more or less battle experience, in order to keep the game an enjoyable experience for newcomers and veteran campaigners alike.
Units earn experience every time they take part in a battle – win or lose, and whether they survive or not – with extra for killing several units in a game. Reaching milestones earns them a new rank, which is worth more than just an extra few stripes on their sleeve.
Much like the previous edition, a unit earns a Battle Honour every time it ranks up – these are hard-won qualities such as Battle Traits or Weapon Modifications.* CHARACTERS can even pick up Crusade Relics as a reward for their service (and/or as plundered loot from victories).
You can roll to see which Battle Honours you acquire, or pick whichever one makes the most narrative sense for your unit – ultimately, the focus is on telling a fun and engaging story rather than optimising the perfect killer unit, so it’s entirely up to you.
Over time, Battle Honours give each unit a distinct identity based on the choices you make, becoming more specialised at hunting their chosen foe or using hard-won experience to overcome new challenges. Soon, you won’t just be deploying a Lieutenant in Phobos Armour to the battlefield – it’ll be Lieutenant Kellion the Slayer, wielding envenomed blades with an uncanny eye for enemy weak spots.
As your army gains these upgrades, its Crusade points increase – a measure of how much more skilled and experienced they are than regular troops of the same type. In the previous edition, disparities in Crusade points between two armies were dealt with simply by awarding bonus Command points to the underdog. The new system instead offers a buffet of ways to make up the difference that are much more varied and impactful.
For starters, you get a number of Crusade Blessings based on the difference in Crusade points between your two armies.
The player with fewer Crusade points then gets to pick one or more powerful Crusade Blessings from a list. In the Tyrannic War campaign, these can be immediate boons – like bonus Command points, or an all-important re-roll to one Battle-shock test per turn – or long-term investments, like extra Experience points for surviving the battle.
Unlike Battle Honours, Crusade Blessings are only temporary – they’re a means to balance uneven armies for each battle in a way that best suits the underdog.
The Tyrannic War rules also include two Crusade Blessings that are limited based on your faction. Mass Devouring accelerates the growth of xenos swarms that can nibble enough of their experienced opponents, driving TYRANID armies to even greater heights on Crusade, while Hellfire Shells give those opposing them a vital tool for laying low giant bio-monstrosities.
Units that are wiped out in combat still run the risk of suffering a Battle Scar, but this time they don’t have the option of simply losing out on any experience they’d earned. A grievous injury can either strip them of a Battle Honour or cripple them with a debilitating Battle Scar – and if an unlucky squad earns three Battle Scars with no further Battle Honours to lose? It’s curtains for them.
Each Crusade supplement will provide further options for customising your battle-tested heroes, adding thematic upgrade tracks that tie into the narrative season. In Tyrannic War, this centres around the clash between Monsters and Those Who Hunt Them, allowing INFANTRY and MOUNTED units to become Monster Hunters, while MONSTERS and WALKERS become Striding Behemoths – two upgrade trees that each provide powerful upgrades specialised for killing the other.
Ultimately, playing a Crusade campaign is the perfect way to make your army into your army. Grow a legacy for your favourite units, paint kill tallies on the sides of your tanks, and name every Grot that actually manages to score a kill – it’s all up to you.
But what if you’ve been playing Crusade already through 9th edition, and already have a storied army of grizzled veterans? Well, never fear! There’ll be rules available here on Warhammer Community that explain how to transition your Crusade army from the current edition over to #New40k, so your endless war can continue without interruption.
Make sure to show us on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook and Twitter pages how your Crusading forces are getting on! If you’re raring to get started with a narrative Crusade in the new edition, make sure to check out our hub for information, including new rules, miniature reveals, and more.
* This time, a unit’s weapon gets two upgrades each time they choose a Weapon Modification!