If you’ve never tried Boarding Actions, it’s basically 40k turned into a knife fight.
However, it happens in tight corridors where positioning matters more than raw speed. The games are quick because you only bring 500 points. So, your infantry finally get to be the stars instead of getting flattened by tanks.
Why Boarding Actions hits different in Dread Incursions
Boarding Actions takes the chaos of a full battle and squeezes it into a voidship or tunnel maze. Because of the cramped layout, your own units can block lanes and choke points. Meanwhile, the special Boarding Patrol lists cut out most of the huge stuff that would jam a doorway anyway. As a result, you get cinematic scrums where every hatch feels like a jump scare.
Dread Incursions leans hard into wild mission rules. So, expect things like locked doors, sabotaged teleporters, and whole sections of the deck catching fire. Therefore, it’s less “stand on circles” and more “survive the horror movie.”
Two standout missions and why they rule
Divide and Slaughter is peak drama. At the start of deployment, each player secretly picks one Trapped unit. Then, those Trapped units deploy into the Killing Ground, and nobody else can use that entry zone. Also, the Trapped units cannot leave unless destroyed, and they cannot phase through walls. Finally, hatchways around the Killing Ground cannot be operated, and no outside unit can enter until one Trapped unit dies. So, you get a brutal mini duel inside a broom closet while the wider battle rages.
Take the Artefact plays like a grimdark shell game. The Defender chooses which four entry zones are in play, and then secretly hides the objective in one of two sarcophagi. Both start unopened, so the Attacker has to read the board, call the bluff, and fight for the right coffin.
What else is in the book
There are 12 new missions total. Six are built around Tomb World terrain, while six work with standard Boarding Actions boards. Additionally, there are four mini campaign frameworks, and you can chain them into a bigger narrative if you want.
You also get a new Boarding Patrol list for Ultramarines and one for Necrons. The Ultramarines list pushes a “one of each unit” variety vibe, and it rewards you for mixing tools. Meanwhile, the Crypteks split off to prove they are the real brains, not the Overlords.
Summary:
Dread Incursions turns Boarding Actions into a tighter, meaner, and far more narrative experience, where infantry combat, mission chaos, and psychological pressure all take center stage. As a result, every game feels cinematic and personal, especially inside Necron tombs dripping with atmosphere. With 500 Worlds: Titus going up for pre order this weekend, you will not be waiting long to kick in hatches and start clearing corridors. And since a full scale campaign is coming next, this feels like the opening breach of something much bigger.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
