What is Crusade?
Crusade is an alternative play-mode of Warhammer 40,000 that allows you to name your models and level them up over time by accruing XP. Often these Crusades will last weeks, months, and — in extreme cases — even years. Managing XP, resources, and playing incredibly unique Crusade campaign maps makes the game fresh and interesting every time you schedule a match.
Gamers Grove Patrons Take On the Pariah Nexus
Gamers Grove recently kicked off a Crusade using the new Pariah Nexus Crusade book! In this season of the game, our 20 players have taken 1000pt expeditionary armies into the Silent King’s Pariah Nexus; a desolate and quiet area of the galaxy where the psychic presence of the Warp is greatly diminished. On the planets in this sector is a mysterious resource dubbed Blackstone that seems to suppress Warp access and psychic powers. This valuable stone is sought after by every faction of the 41st millennium. Below are the three teams our 20 players have been divided into.
Imperial Seekers - Team 1
The Imperium are greedily mining it, desperate to use its powers to vanquish the traitor legions of Chaos and close the Eye of Terror. To fight in the Pariah Nexus, the forces of the Emperor have sent 6 generals to lead a combined arms force of Black Templars, Blood Angels, Raven Guard, and Space Wolves to defend and protect the Blackstone mines. And if they get to bash some Chaos and Xenos skulls along the way… then they won’t complain about that.
Chaos Interlopers - Team 2
The Chaos gods have sensed this rush for a new resource in the Pariah Nexus and, through the divinations of Tzeench, know what power the mineral wields. They can’t let the Imperium have that kind of anti-psychic power and therefore quest to destroy the Blackstone and interrupt Imperium mining operations. The Chaos gods have sent 6 generals to lead a coalition of Chaos Space Marines, Death Guard, Thousand Sons, and a Chaos Knight Legion to quell the Empire’s efforts.
Xenos Defenders - Team 3
“Xenos” is a wide umbrella but — given the intensity of force from both the Chaos and Imperium — 7 Xenos generals have come together to safeguard their interests in the area. Two Necron forces defend their Blackstone reserves valiantly alongside a heavy joint operation of T’au and Votann defensive forces. It seems the T’au are interested in researching Blackstone — which the Necrons are not fond of — but the T’au methods of research are far less destructive than the Imperium’s boorish mining operations so the two factions find themselves allies of convenience. A Tyranid Hive Fleet is also known to be in the area but seems to be driving its ire towards the Imperium and Chaos forces. The T’au, Necrons, and Votann have taken this lack of violence as a very loose and temporary alliance.
The Story So Far
During the Crusade, each team gets 3pts for a victory, 2pts for a draw, and 1pt for a loss in addition to their XP, Crusade Points, etc. At the time of writing, it’s a very close conflict! Chaos and Xenos are tied at 28pts while Imperium is close behind with 24pts.
But Victory Points don’t tell the full story! Chaos has accrued 44 Blackstone, the Imperium 40 Blackstone and the Xenos…. only 32 Blackstone! This precious resource can be used for incredible buffs and to make up XP deficits, it looks like Xenos players need to focus more on their research moving forward.
Each week the battles in the Pariah Nexus get larger as more forces and reinforcements arrive.
Conclusion
Now we’re headed into week 3 with 1400pt armies as the conflict escalates. Will Imperium claw back into the lead? Will the Xenos armies pick up the pace on their Blackstone research? Will Chaos put an end to Imperium interests in the area? We’ll find out in a few weeks with our next Crusade Update. Thanks for reading and, as always, we’ll see you at the Grove.
