When Warhammer Community’s own Graeme first saw the Boarding Action rules in Arks of Omen, he immediately decided to rope some friends into trying out this new Warhammer 40,000 game mode. Along the way, he learned a few valuable lessons about surviving in the dark corridors of a voidship – and he’s here to impart this wisdom before you start playing.
Graeme: I love small games of Warhammer 40,000. Tense clashes between a handful of infantry units, where every action counts, really appeal to me – so as soon as I saw the Boarding Actions rules in Arks of Omen: Abaddon, I knew I wanted to try them. I’d just started painting a new Leagues of Votann army, so I grabbed some friends, the new Boarding Actions Terrain Set, and took this new game style for a spin.
I lost. A lot. Given that failure is the best teacher, here are some thoughts on what I learned.
1) Army Selection is Trickier Than You Think
With only 500 points – and a limited force organisation chart – to build your Boarding Patrol, there are tough choices to be made. Will you take several cheaper Troops choices to flood the board and capture objectives, or a tough Elites unit that can weather the storm? Who will take up your precious single HQ slot?
I started with a compact, elite force of Hearthkyn Warriors, Einhyr Hearthguard, and an Einhyr Champion – and in all honesty, it was too small. Even with my Hearthkyn splitting into two boarding squads, I only had four units on the board – too few to capture objectives and meaningfully engage the enemy. In each of my games, the loss of just a single unit – which will happen – was ruinous.
For my next venture into the dark, I’m looking at replacing the Hearthguard with more Hearthkyn Warriors. I might also try to squeeze in some Brôkhyr Thunderkyn, as they’re allowed by the Boarding Actions Mustering Rules.
Several of my opponents used more versatile forces – my friend Kyle combined Legionaries, Traitor Guard and Possessed in his Dark Mechanicum-themed Chaos Space Marines, while Stefan’s Aeldari used 10-strong units of speedy Guardians and Howling Banshees, along with Warlocks and Jain Zar. Ben went to the other extreme, with squads of Guardsmen supported by Tempestus Scions and Ogryns, giving him plenty of units to hold objectives and rake the foe with fire.
2) Every Turn Matters
The nature of the Boarding Actions missions and board layout may make it seem like the first couple of battle rounds will simply involve moving forward, opening doors, and capturing the closest objectives – and to an extent, that’s true. But how you do these things will have a huge effect on the rest of the game.
Units can perform the Secure Site action to keep an objective controlled when they move away. This can be vital for racking up victory points while allowing you to move forward on later turns, but opening Hatchways also requires an action – creating tense choices. Which units should hold back for a turn and secure your objectives? Which should push on and open the doors, potentially setting themselves up to be attacked first? It’s a tough balance to strike.
Rounds three and four will see the fiercest clashes, as both forces try to seize the mid-board objectives. Your order of approach could spell the difference between victory and defeat. Your own units block line of sight, as well as enemy squads, so it’s easy to cut off your own firing lanes in those tight corridors – or to send a unit to an untimely death at the blades of marauding Howling Banshees.
3) Mortal Wounds Are Brutal
Picture the scene – a vengeful Einhyr Champion charges into a unit of Iron Warriors Possessed, ending their wretched existence with her darkstar axe. Next turn, their allies – Legionaries, Traitor Guard, and a Sorcerer – emerge through doors and open fire. Her armour and Bastion shield crest protect her from all the bolt rounds and las-bolts… but not from the Sorcerer’s Smite and Gift of Chaos.
At this small game size, a reliable source of mortal wounds – such as psychic powers – can be game-changing. In the game above, Kyle’s Heretic Astartes were able to take the Einhyr Champion down by swamping her in melee, after the Sorcerer claimed half her wounds with his warp-wrought powers. Without that damage, she’d have stuck around into the next turn to wreak more havoc.
When I played Stefan’s Aeldari, Jain Zar and her Howling Banshees deftly avoided much of my fire with acrobatic skill and Aspect Armour. My inability to lay down many mortal wounds allowed them to survive long enough to reach melee range and tear me apart. A Grimnyr is definitely on the shopping list…
I hope these observations will help as you plan your Boarding Patrols and wage war in the twisted corridors of space hulks – good hunting!
Thanks to Graeme – we hope that he actually manages to win a game at some point! You can join him in playing Boarding Actions by pre-ordering Arks of Omen: Abaddon and a Boarding Actions Terrain Set tomorrow – and remember to check out the Mustering Rules to see what nasty tricks your army can bring.