One of the best things about narrative play and Crusade campaigns is that they let you bring allies to the table – disparate forces fighting side-by-side against a common foe. They present a great opportunity to expand your hobby collection with an eclectic mix of units from many different Factions.
When setting up a Crusade force, your Faction keyword determines which units can be added to your Order of Battle. Some, like Imperium and Chaos, give you access to several different codexes full of characterful units, while others like Aeldari and Tyranids focus down to a couple of key books.
Adding allies to your collection gives you a lot of flexibility in how you tackle different opponents, and it’s the perfect way to tell a cool story for your army. Were your Cadians saved from certain defeat by the miraculous arrival of the Deathwatch? Did your Genestealer Cult’s day of ascension attract the attention of a passing hive fleet?
There are a huge number of ways you can add colour and character to your force, so here are a few of our favourites for Warhammer 40,000’s core Factions.
The Imperium frequently fields mixed armies, launching massed assaults with waves of Astra Militarum troops while Space Marines surgically strike key targets and towering Imperial Knights duel with the enemy’s most horrific war machines.
Adding a Detachment of Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priests and their Skitarii retinues breaks up the clean, orderly uniforms of their allies with twisting mechanical tendrils and hissing pistons, and is also a great way to represent delegations from Mars keeping an eye on the priceless relics your heroes take into battle.
Pilgrims from the Adepta Sororitas often join Crusades to further the Emperor’s glory as momentum builds, bringing legions of Battle Sisters and armoured vehicles.
Particularly noteworthy leaders might even be graced with a bodyguard of the Adeptus Custodes, whose massive golden forms point the Warlord out as a momentous figure in history.
Time in the warp has twisted the once-noble Chaos Space Marines into many terrifying forms, with Raptors of the Black Legion marching alongside Death Guard Plague Marines and Sorcerers of the Thousand Sons. As they’re hardly the best of friends on and off the battlefield, adding contingents from multiple Traitor Legions allows you to build a fascinating tale of how these rivals have put aside their differences – temporarily, at least.
Whenever the powers of Chaos grow strong, Daemons flood from the warp on the hunt for mortal souls. Adding Bloodletters, Horrors, and Daemonettes to your Crusade force is an excellent way to show how the Chaos Gods are bestowing favour upon your Warlord.
Although they don’t always see eye to eye, the splintered Factions of the Aeldari occasionally band together in the face of a grievous threat. Their focus on speed and power meshes together well, with Wyches and Harlequin Troupes charging headlong into enemy lines while Falcon Grav-tanks and Fire Prisms blast enemy vehicles to smithereens.
The Drukhari are particularly suited to fighting in small raiding forces, and you could attach a Patrol Detachment to a larger Asuryani war host. The Aeldari are already a colourful Faction thanks to the Aspect Warriors and Harlequins, so adding the denizens of Commorragh is a cool contrast.
Genestealer Cults all hope to draw the attention of the Star Children, and as their Crusade rules prepare them for the day of ascension, it’s a perfect excuse to add Detachments of vanguard Tyranid creatures. Likewise, a Tyranids army could pick up a nearby Patriarch’s faithful as they assault new worlds. Meanwhile, the armour and mining equipment of Genestealer Hybrids offers some nice painting and modelling variety from all of that xenos skin, flesh, and chitin.
As well as adding units with the Tyranid keyword, Genestealer Cults also have the Brood Brothers rule, allowing them to enlist Astra Militarum units. Lacking heavy artillery of their own, the cult makes excellent use of Leman Russ tanks and Basilisks to augment their firepower.
Of course, there are some armies – Orks, Necrons, and the T’au Empire, we’re looking at you here – that don’t play well with others. That doesn’t mean that you don’t still have opportunities to mix up your roster, though! Why not create an Armageddon-themed army for your greenskins where Goffs, Bad Moons, and Evil Sunz Speed Freaks fight together under Ghazghkull? You could then get hold of some of their adversaries from the Armageddon War,* perhaps with a Black Templars Combat Patrol, or even Commissar Yarrick’s Baneblade.
Your T’au Empire army can look within their own codex to include Kroot and Vespid auxiliaries alongside the Fire Caste’s ranks. Meanwhile, Necron players can include warriors from different Dynasties, brought together by Triarch Praetorians to fight in the service of the Silent King.
Narrative play and Crusade campaigns are a great reason to diversify your forces and give a personal touch to the armies you field, and you can find lots of inspiration for alliances in War Zone books from the Charadon, Octarius, and Nachmund sectors. Let us know who you’ll be adding to your Order of Battle on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page!
* As adversaries for your games… or looted trophies for your models.