Crusade campaigns can take many forms. Some factions seek to uphold sworn oaths, while others bring new planets into the fold – but for single-track minds like the Orks, these narrative campaigns invariably involve more fighting, more often. Orks live for the Waaagh!, and their new Codex puts you in the driving seat with new ways to start your own.
All Waaaghs! start somewhere, so you’ll begin by singling out a particularly enterprising WARBOSS to be your Waaagh!Boss and gather up the troops in his name.* The measure of your mob is their tally of Stompin’ points, which reflects how large and anarchic your Waaagh! is growing – and since we know that bigger is better, you want as many as you can grab.
Stompin’ points are earned in four basic ways – to the surprise of nobody, they typically involve fightin’ and winnin’. There are also a few Agendas that will help you earn extra points, such as by scrapping tanks for your resident Mekboyz.
Higher tallies of Stompin’ Points qualify your army for one of four stages of the Waaagh!, starting with a simmering mob and transforming into an apocalyptic, all-conquering assault on the galaxy. Each stage comes with escalating bonuses, earning a Kustom Job for your favourite vehicle and extra-flashy gear for your Waaagh!Boss… but as is often the case with Ork hordes, bigger mobs are also more prone to infighting.
Friction between your ladz might erupt into an Orky Ruction if your Waaagh!Boss can’t hold them together with a Leadership test, which either docks you Stompin’ Points or forces a roll on a table of Minor Ructions. Fail your test with a double and you’ll incur a brutal Major Ruction instead.
So what do you get for all of your effort? Only the shiniest, bestest loot for your Waaagh!Boss to show off with! Every Ork dreams of looting extra-fancy gubbinz that will inspire envy in all – Ufthak Blackhawk has his Snazzhammer, Ghazghkull has his Waaagh! Banner (helpfully carried by Makari), and now your own top dog can pick up a legendary piece of gear that will go down in Orky history.
Does your Speedboss want his Deffkilla Wartrike to go even faster, and burn sunspots into enemy eyes with how red his paint is? Or is your Beastboss prone to headbutting his opponents, preferring to pile on buckets of mortal wounds with the power of his iron jaw? There’s Bestest Bossloot for that.
These Crusade rules also come with a completely revised catalogue of Battle Traits and Crusade Relics to award your units, alongside new Requisitions, Agendas, and Crusade Badges as usual. It’s the most anarchic Ork Crusade experience yet, and you’ll be able to start your own by pre-ordering the new Codex: Orks on Saturday.
* Don’t worry if he loses his head at some point of your Waaagh!, as another Warboss is always around to step up.
