The 500 Worlds: Titus reveal keeps getting better, and one of the standout additions is the Dread Incursions book — a focused expansion that pushes Boarding Actions into some of the most atmospheric and dangerous environments in the setting: Necron Tomb Worlds.
For us, this is a particularly exciting reveal. Boarding Actions has quietly become one of the most popular formats at our Game Hall, with players loving its fast pace, cinematic moments, and tight tactical decisions. Seeing Games Workshop continue to invest in the mode — and now aim it straight at glowing green labyrinths filled with ancient horrors — is exactly what we were hoping for.
What Makes Boarding Actions So Good?
If you haven’t played Boarding Actions yet, it’s essentially distilled Warhammer 40,000 chaos.
500-point forces clash in claustrophobic corridors where positioning matters, movement is restricted, and even your own units can block firing lanes. No tanks. No towering monsters. Just infantry doing brutal, close-quarters work.
That design philosophy gives the spotlight back to squads and characters, creating moments that feel ripped straight out of the lore. Games are quick, decisive, and packed with drama — one of the biggest reasons they’ve become such a hit locally.
Dread Incursions: Weird, Brutal, and Perfect
The Dread Incursions book continues the Boarding Actions tradition of wild mission rules that actively sabotage your plans. Locked doors, disabled teleporters, burning deck sections — every scenario feels like a problem you must fight your way through, not just score points around.
One clear highlight is Divide and Slaughter, a mission that traps a unit from each side inside a tiny chamber, sealing them in until one is destroyed. While a larger firefight rages outside, the entire game can hinge on this one brutal, unavoidable duel. It’s exactly the kind of rule that Boarding Actions thrives on — personal, violent, and cinematic.
Tomb Worlds Bring the Mind Games
The Necron flavor really shines in missions like Take the Artefact, which leans into deception and psychological pressure. The Defender secretly chooses which sarcophagus holds the objective, forcing the Attacker to read the board, interpret unit placement, and decide where to strike first.
It’s a clever mix of combat and mind games — less “run at the marker” and more “outthink your opponent, or fight through the consequences.”
Campaign Play and New Patrols
Dread Incursions isn’t just a handful of standalone missions. The book includes:
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12 new Boarding Actions missions
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6 designed specifically for Tomb World terrain
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6 usable with standard Boarding Actions layouts
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Four campaign frameworks that can be played individually or linked into a larger narrative
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New Boarding Patrol lists for:
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Ultramarines, rewarding diverse unit selection
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Necrons, with Crypteks stepping into the spotlight
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This makes it easy to run leagues, narrative nights, or short campaigns — something we’re already looking forward to exploring deeper at the Game Hall.
Final Thoughts
Boarding Actions has proven it’s not a side mode — it’s a genuinely strong way to play Warhammer 40,000. Dread Incursions builds on everything players already love, while pushing the setting into eerie, dangerous territory that feels tailor-made for close-quarters combat.
We’re excited to venture deep into the Tomb Worlds, bring these missions to the tables, and see how players adapt when the walls close in and the lights start to glow green.
The 500 Worlds: Titus set goes up for pre-order this weekend, and with a full-scale campaign on the horizon, this feels like the opening salvo of something big. Stay tuned — we’ll be watching the Vespator Front very closely.
