We’ve seen how the Warhammer Age of Sigmar General’s Handbook 2026-27 introduces new fury and rage rules. Today, we’re taking a look at how you can combine your games into an Aqshian Crusade.
Whether you want to link a series of battles together as part of a tournament or a campaign, you can launch an Aqshian Crusade. This is a great way to give your Matched Play experience a narrative spin. The General’s Handbook includes three crusade types, each of three different lengths – heading to a one-day event? The Tournament Organiser may have picked an Ash Road Foray. Planning a weekend of gaming with friends? There’s the Firestorm Offensive. Want something longer? Prepare for a Domination March.
CRUSADE TYPE | NUMBER OF GAMES | LENGTH |
Ash Road Foray | 3 | 1 day |
Firestorm Offensive | 5 | 2 days |
Domination March | 12 | Ongoing campaign |
With your crusade selected, you are free to mix-and-match battleplans as you like. The General’s Handbook also includes some suggested warpaths, each with a narrative synopsis and recommended battleplans. These are designed to support Tournament Organisers – all of the battleplans used on the same day of an event use the same set of terrain, and the final battleplan of the day has a simpler twist to help wrap things up faster at the end of a fun session of gaming.
Here are the warpaths for Ash Road Foray-size crusades.
CRUSADE NAME | CRUSADE TYPE | SYNOPSIS | BATTLEPLANS |
The Heartblood Offensive | Ash Road Foray | Raiders from afar descend upon the frontier strongpoints of the Heartblood Sea. | 2, 5, 11 |
The Long March | Ash Road Foray | An army is forced to traverse the hostile and fire-blasted wilds of the Parch to reach a safe haven. | 3, 4, 10 |
Seizure of the Everblaze Pass | Ash Road Foray | Forces battle for control of a vital realmgate in order to secure a route to the heart of the Great Parch. | 1, 6, 12 |
But what can your army expect during The Heartblood Offensive? It features three battleplans, each with its own deployment map and twist. Battleplan 2 is Bloodstained Coasts, where both armies are seeking emberstone slivers.
Once Per Turn (Army), Your Hero Phase
EMBERSTONE CACHE
Declare: Pick a friendly unit contesting an objective you control to be the target.
Effect: Give the target an emberstone sliver.
Once you’ve secured such a treasure, you can create Emberstone-Augmented Weapons, which can bring down even the mightiest foe.
Any Combat Phase
EMBERSTONE-AUGMENTED WEAPONS
Declare: Pick a friendly unit that charged this turn and has any emberstone slivers to be the target.
Effect: Pick 1 of the following effects to apply for the rest of the turn:
Add 1 to hit rolls for the target’s combat attacks.
Add 1 to wound rolls for the target’s combat attacks.
Then, if you are the underdog, remove all of the target’s emberstone slivers. Otherwise, remove all emberstone slivers from each friendly unit.
From there, you’ll leave your emberstone slivers behind and move on to Battleplan 5 – What’s Yours is Ours. In alternating battle rounds, the Golden Lions and Sun Seekers objectives are coveted, and you’ll score a juicy 3 victory points if you control the coveted pair of objectives at the end of your turn.
Finally, it’s Battleplan 11 – Escape From the Coast. The underdog in such a battle has access to a twist where they get to remove objectives from the battlefield – ideal for pulling the rug out from underneath your opponent.
Once Per Battle Round, Start of Battle Round
TO THE SHIPS!
Declare: Pick the Heldenhain or a Sun Seekers objective to be the target.
Effect: Remove the target from the battlefield.
Battle Tactics
To help you score enough points to win your games, the General’s Handbook comes with six battle tactics cards. Each features an Affray battle tactic, a Strike battle tactic, and a Domination battle tactic – you have to complete the Affray one before you can complete the Strike one, and the Strike one before the Domination one.
You can choose two cards and can complete one battle tactic from both during each of your turns. Will you be a Legend of the Parch and lead a Daring Rescue?
AFFRAY: DARING RESCUE
The most respected warriors are those who willingly aid their allies.
You complete this battle tactic at the end of your turn if an enemy unit that was in combat at the start of the turn was destroyed by a combat attack made by a friendly unit that charged this turn.
5 VICTORY POINTS
Or will you join the Siege of Ashes and defend a vital strongpoint as it awaits Outpost Resupply?
STRIKE: OUTPOST RESUPPLY
A general must be precise as to where and when they assign reinforcements.
You complete this battle tactic at the end of your turn if you control an objective within enemy territory and that objective is contested by:
At least 1 friendly unit that did not use a Move ability this turn
At least 1 other friendly unit that charged this turn.
5 VICTORY POINTS
As you can see, in addition to being the essential guide to the new season of Matched Play, the General’s Handbook 2026-27 also opens up new ways to play for all Warhammer Age of Sigmar fans. You’ll be able to pre-order your copy from Saturday.
