Boarding Actions Compendium: A Review

 Boarding Actions has come to Warhammer 40,000, 10th Edition. What is Boarding Actions, you may ask? It is an alternate ruleset for smaller engagements of Warhammer 40,000 in close, indoor confines. The terrain can simulate the interior of a building, spacecraft, or space hulk. Combat in this environment is quick and deadly. All of the rules needed to select forces-called Mustering a Boarding Patrol, setup of the terrain, terrain effects and abilities, and a collection of 42 two-player and 12 multi-player scenarios are included in the book. 

Games Workshop has updated the old Boarding Actions ruleset for the current edition. The rules are very similar to those we saw in the previous iteration, but there have been some nice additions and clarifications. All of this has been collected into a 295-page tome.

Forces are selected by selecting one of 55 different detachments, for a total cost of 500 points. Except for the Tyranids, all factions have at least two detachments from which to choose. These detachments restrict the units that forces can be selected from as well as the maximum size of those units. Each detachment includes rules for how boarding squads are selected, as well as all necessary rule adaptations. Units may see modifications as some rules are no longer available or have been replaced by new abilities. Lastly, each detachment has an Army Rule that will apply to all the units selected from the chosen faction as well as a Detachment Rule for the forces selected in the chosen detachment. Each detachment has multiple enhancements available, in addition to the generic ones that are available to everyone, as well as detachment specific stratagems.

This compendium has collected all of the scenarios from the previous Arks of Omens books and articles in White Dwarf as well as adding some new ones. This enables players to reenact battles from the siege of the Rock, engage in a generic boarding action in the depths of space, or explore the depths of a space hulk. With a total of 54 scenarios, there are plenty of options The inclusion of the Dark Depths mission provides a dynamic mission that does not have a static terrain setup. This is a welcome addition to provide additional options and prevent engagements from becoming stagnant.

This new Boarding Actions Compendium is a nice addition to the existing offerings for 10th Edition. I like the inclusion of multiple detachments for factions, but in some cases the unit restrictions are not as competitive. The stratagems and enhancements seem to be well-balanced. I think that this will be a welcome addition to many players’ collections and will provide a different way to play.