The Agendas for Chaos Space Marines in Warhammer 40,000 Crusade campaigns bring a potent blend of strategy and narrative that deeply immerses players into the dark and chaotic universe of the Heretic Astartes. Each Agenda provides a distinct path to accumulate power, represented by Glory levels, which reward successful engagements with experiences tailored to the nature of Chaos itself. Let’s dive into each Agenda, exploring how they work, their strategic nuances, and how they fit into the twisted, ambition-fueled journey of the Chaos Space Marines.
Claim and Despoil: Conquest as Ritual and Reward
The Claim and Despoil Agenda is ideal for warbands looking to increase their Warfleet Glory by plundering enemy resources and gathering trophies of their dark conquest. At the start of a game, your opponent places three special “warband prize” objective markers around the battlefield. Positioned more than 9 inches from each other and away from deployment zones, these markers represent the spoils of war that only Chaos Space Marines would dare to claim. Any Heretic Astartes Infantry or Mounted unit can secure a prize by moving within range and ensuring no enemy is nearby. If the Chaos unit survives and returns these “prizes” to its deployment zone, it earns 3 XP, and the Warfleet Glory level increases by 1. Not only does this system give a tangible battlefield objective, but it also establishes a thematic reward structure for those who survive long enough to revel in their ill-gotten gains.
Blasphemous Ritual: Offering to the Dark Gods
The Blasphemous Ritual Agenda is a chilling representation of the Chaos Space Marines’ faith, as players can elevate their Dark God Glory through unholy rites and rituals. Before the battle, you select up to three Heretic Astartes Infantry units to perform Dark Pacts that, if successful, grants 1 XP per pact, up to 3 XP. Once all three units reach the maximum XP through these dark bargains, you gain an additional level of Dark God Glory.
This Agenda is straightforward in its gameplay, but the narrative it weaves is complex and enthralling. Each successful pact feels like a twisted sacrifice, the risks inherent in the leadership test representing the tension between desperation and conviction. The Dark Gods demand offerings, and every successful pact reminds players that Chaos will reward them—but only at a significant cost. This reward comes with a substantial chance of failure, fitting well within the ever-risky reality of Chaos worship.
Path to Glory: Bloodshed and Ambition
In Path to Glory, your Warband Champion is rewarded for accumulating personal triumphs on the battlefield, directly enhancing Personal Glory. Each achievement the Champion earns—destroying an enemy Character or Warlord, slaying three or more units, or ending the battle within the opponent’s deployment zone—grants 1 XP. Accumulating at least 3 XP through these acts of sheer aggression increases the Personal Glory level by 1.
The Champion’s path is marked by domination and conquest, where each slain enemy bolsters their legend. This Agenda creates a dual gameplay experience—both a mechanical reward structure and a narrative in which the Warband Champion’s victories reverberate across the battlefield, intimidating foes and inspiring followers.
Glory Agendas: Favoured by Chaos
For those warbands that have risen to Favoured status in any of the three Glory categories, the new Glory Agendas offer unparalleled opportunities for advancement—but with a high risk of devastating penalties if failed. Each Glory Agenda provides a direct link between narrative achievements and battlefield success, but they also introduce a powerful trade-off: failure to complete a Favoured Agenda reduces your warband’s associated Glory level by 3.
- Warlord’s Glory (Favoured Personal Glory): This Agenda demands that the Warband Champion prove their combat dominance by slaughtering enemy Infantry and Character units or seizing an objective in the enemy’s deployment zone. It’s an intense focus on close-quarters battle prowess, with success signifying the Champion’s supremacy and failure undermining their reputation.
- Glory of the Gods (Favoured Dark God Glory): Here, the warband dedicates their actions to appeasing the Dark Gods by defeating enemy Monsters and Vehicles in melee combat, killing with Psychic Attacks, or winning the battle outright. This Agenda exemplifies how Chaos champions the brutal and mystical alike, showing that loyalty to the Dark Gods is rewarded only through demonstration of total, devastating commitment.
- Glory of Conquest (Favoured Warfleet Glory): This final Glory Agenda challenges players to control a mix of objectives across the battlefield, solidifying Chaos dominance in No Man’s Land and even within enemy territory. It is a warband-wide mandate for domination, which fits the essence of the Warfleet Glory level, tying territorial conquest to the warband’s strategic growth.
These Favoured Agendas provide enticing rewards but remind players that in the eyes of Chaos, only relentless success is worthy. Failure here is not a simple setback but a deep blow to a warband’s standing.
Battle Traits: Bringing the Dark Gifts of Chaos to Life
The new Battle Traits available in Crusade campaigns are where the real magic of Chaos comes through. These traits allow individual units to evolve with unique powers and weaknesses, reflecting the Chaos warband’s corrupted and ambitious nature. Let’s break down these Battle Traits, looking at each unit type and how these traits amplify their effectiveness and dark charisma.
Warpsmith and Lord Discordant Traits
The twisted minds of Warpsmiths and Lords Discordant are augmented by Chaos, making them even more formidable in leading or empowering their cursed machines.
- Autocratic Avarice – At the battle’s end, this trait lets you ignore one failed Out of Action test for a vehicle, symbolizing the Warpsmith’s dark mastery over machinery. It’s a fantastic tool for ensuring that critical vehicles survive for the next battle, embodying the mechanical arrogance of these units.
- Machine Lord – With this trait, vehicles within 6 inches of the Warpsmith can re-roll wound rolls of 1, demonstrating the Warpsmith’s iron grip over his engines. This makes your heavy-hitting vehicles even more consistent in their damage output, showcasing the Warpsmith’s close bond with his machines.
These traits are well-suited to a Chaos Space Marine force with a mechanized core, enhancing the Warpsmith’s aura of authority and turning every vehicle under their command into a symbol of unstoppable, corrupted power.
Infantry Traits
Chaos Infantry is the backbone of any warband, and their traits showcase the twisted mutations and blessings they acquire through service.
- Despoilers Without Mercy – This trait boosts the Ballistic Skill of the unit’s ranged weapons by 1, emphasizing their brutal precision. It’s particularly powerful on ranged units, making them relentless hunters who kill with grim efficiency.
- Destined for Glory – Perfect for rising stars, this trait grants 3 extra experience points whenever the unit is Marked for Greatness, fast-tracking them to greater power. It reflects a trajectory of ambition within the warband, fitting for champions on the cusp of true power.
- Trusted Hounds – This adds +1 to the Objective Control characteristic when led by a Heretic Astartes Character, emphasizing the role of these units as faithful, fanatical followers. It suits units like Cultists, who hold territory through sheer loyalty to their warband’s dark leader.
- Hate-Fuelled Butchers – With a Weapon Skill improvement for melee attacks, these units become savage melee combatants. It represents the fury of Chaos, particularly suited to assault-focused Marines who revel in close combat.
- Unholy Patronage – Granting an additional Attack and Wound to the unit’s champion, this trait embodies the warband’s favor, creating champions who are on the path to greatness themselves. This trait transforms a squad leader into a miniature hero, ideal for bolstering your front line with a hardened, ambitious champion.
- Bitter to the Bone – Reflecting the bitter resolve of Chaos veterans, this trait grants 1 additional XP if the unit survives the battle. It’s an excellent option for seasoned fighters who have come to expect survival in even the bleakest engagements, carrying forward the legacy of battle-hardened Astartes.
These Infantry traits lend Chaos Marines unique strengths that reflect their tainted path, transforming regular units into specialists with skills shaped by their cruel reality.
Damned Units Traits
For the more expendable cultists and less-augmented units, Damned traits offer upgrades that represent their subservient but fanatically loyal status.
- Devoted Slaves – When led by a Heretic Astartes Character, these units can re-roll Wound rolls of 1, showing their willingness to give everything in battle. This is perfect for squads of Cultists who serve as cannon fodder but can still support their masters through sheer loyalty.
- Vessels of the True Faith – Once per battle, this trait allows the unit to use Insane Bravery for 0 Command Points, representing a cultist’s fearless, crazed loyalty. It provides a crucial morale boost, ensuring cultists stay engaged despite the carnage, fitting well with Chaos’s disregard for expendable lives.
- Favoured Servants – This boosts both Ballistic and Weapon Skill by 1, making these cultists more efficient in combat. It’s an excellent choice if you want more punch from your expendable units, showing that even fodder can have a sharp edge when blessed by Chaos.
These traits reflect the expendable but ferocious spirit of Damned units, turning even the lowliest cultists into reliable (if short-lived) warriors.
Vehicle Traits
The mechanical juggernauts of Chaos warbands gain unique abilities that amplify their destruction on the battlefield.
- Spirit of Damnation – This trait grants the vehicle one wound regeneration per Command phase, symbolizing its unnaturally resilient, warp-enhanced hull. Perfect for vehicles that need to stick around, it highlights the living, corrupted essence of Chaos machinery.
- Warp-Fuelled Destruction – Once per battle, the vehicle can use the Tank Shock Stratagem for 0 CP, allowing it to plow through enemies in a burst of supernatural energy. This trait works excellently with Chaos’s aggressive playstyle, as the trait underscores their tendency to embrace destruction.
- Living Hull – This adds 2 wounds to the vehicle, making it notably harder to kill. It’s ideal for the frontline juggernauts of a Chaos army, such as Predators or Land Raiders, embodying the resilience of demonic armor warped by the powers of Chaos.
Vehicle traits highlight the unholy resilience and sheer force Chaos vehicles bring to the field, making them more than mere machines—they’re cursed relics with lives of their own, infused with powers from the warp.
Conclusion: A Transformative Experience for Chaos Players
The new Agendas and Battle Traits for Chaos Space Marines in Crusade campaigns offer more than just strategic depth; they immerse players in the ambitious, brutal, and dark world of the Heretic Astartes. Each Agenda encourages players to weave a story of conquest and sacrifice, while the Battle Traits transform individual units into distinct characters, embodying the twisted essence of Chaos. Whether leading your Warband Champion to personal glory or empowering cultists to serve as fearless shock troops, these new rules bring out the personality of a Chaos warband. For Chaos players looking to fully embrace the narrative potential of Crusade, this expansion is an invaluable tool for creating unforgettable campaigns.
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