Ideas for alien factions and their models for play during the Great Crusade

[Deus_Ex_Machina]

As the title says. Here are two of my suggestions for anybody who ever thought of placing his Heresy battles into the Great Crusade era:

 

- Deep Hive (Wargames Exclusive):

They look like Mirelurks from Fallout although they come in different shapes and sizes. Looking at their units they are supposed to act as Tyranid alternatives.

 

- Cyborgs (Warlord Games/Stargrave):

A non-human faction composed of cyborgs such as the Strogg from Quake or the Borg from Star Trek. Warlord Games just released a new box containing twenty humanoid cyborgs.

 

Do you have any further ideas of what kind of factions could be fielded for play during the Great Crusade?

[Marshal Rohr]

Good formulas to do Great Crusade Xenos or Humans

 

For a technologically advanced human or alien race use the 4-7th Tau Codexes and add about 25% of the total points extra. 
 

For Orks use their 4-7th Codexes and Imperial Armor with 50-75% extra points. 
 

For DIY Aliens the Tyranids codexes and Imperial Armors are always good, but I’m not sure how many extra points they’d need. Also consider the 3rd Edition IG Codex doctrines for some unique rules. 

[N1SB]

3 hours ago, Deus_Ex_Machina said:

- Deep Hive (Wargames Exclusive):

They look like Mirelurks from Fallout although they come in different shapes and sizes. Looking at their units they are supposed to act as Tyranid alternatives.

 

(For those that didn't play Fallout, Mirelurks are like giant mutated crabs and are delicious.)

 

Just sharing something in support of your idea, I talked to Mark Bedford who set the current style of Tyranids from 3rd ed onwards (1st and 2nd ed looked quite different, lankier.)  He ACTUALLY used crabs as his reference, crossed with like gorillas or something.  So what you said might be remnants of the last time Tyranids were here, went down their own evolutionary path, like how Genestealers could operate without the Hive.  And as we saw, even in official 40k (from 1st and 2nd ed), Tyranids DO have different looks.

 

Not too serious a thought, but I remember Daemons of the Ruinstorm rules had like Swarms, Monsters...I might just use those rules.  Like if they're Deep Striking, they're not really teleporting in, it just represents they had burrowed through the ground or something.

 

Meanwhile, I've been playing 40k in Fallout:

 

 

This is "Ultracite" Power Armour.  More Crimson Fists to me.

 

2 hours ago, Marshal Rohr said:

For Orks use their 4-7th Codexes and Imperial Armor with 50-75% extra points. 

 

Oh, did ppl find that's roughly balanced to 30k points?  I didn't know this!  That's a really intriguing idea.

 

So if I were to do something that I think is fun and funny, I'd use some Little Grey Men miniatures as just the most generic xenos.  Modiphius makes them (as Zetan aliens for Fallout Wasteland Warfare) or some other 3rd party, but to keep it simple with minimal pushback from opponents, I'd just run them using those Imperial Militias & Cults with some Dark Age of Technology Provenance or something.

 

Of course I'd only do this after getting my 30k World Eaters all set up.

[MARK0SIAN]

I came across these several years ago. They are not mine, they were produced for some events run by a group called King Fluff. They were specifically designed to give rules and modelling ideas for the various Xenos and Human races encountered during the Great Crusade and you can clearly see the passion and time that has gone into them.

 

They were intended to be used in games of Horus Heresy and so they use that ruleset (which was basically 7th edition at the time) so they’d need a bit of work to fit in with the current ruleset but I always share them when I can because I think they’re great and really respect the work that went in to them.

 

Book 1:

 

The Laer

The Storm Scions

Nephilim

Megarachnids

Nurthene

The Olamic Quietude

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/skxwhuz8d3psuvv/TheGreatCrusadeBook1.pdf?dl=0

Book 2:

 

Exodites

Demiurg

Interex

Keylekid

Hrud

Jorgall

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8jzbqgjv70wrdld/TheGreatCrusadeBook2.pdf?dl=0

Book 3:

Orks

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fj04fpg84gm32me/TheGreatCrusadeBook3.pdf?dl=0

[LameBeard]

If I were to do Xenos in 30k I’d be tempted to copy some of the Lizardmen/Seraphon conversions that are out there (often as Tau auxiliaries with tech) - an advanced reptilian race wiped out by humanity’s expansion. Maybe like Pete the Wargamer did.

 

Rules-wise, no so sure. Would be nice to represent their cold-blooded nature and their tech, and the saurus are quite big but not as big as Ogryns. Might have to do it from the ground up; on the table they look at least like they could give marines a run for their money.

[N1SB]

23 hours ago, LameBeard said:

If I were to do Xenos in 30k I’d be tempted to copy some of the Lizardmen/Seraphon conversions that are out there (often as Tau auxiliaries with tech) - an advanced reptilian race wiped out by humanity’s expansion. Maybe like Pete the Wargamer did.

 

Quick note to say I love this idea, like the Slann referenced in 1st ed.

[Jings]

The Militia rules provide a pretty good basis for Xenos rules. Cavalry, Ogryns, Beast Handlers and the variety of Provinces that alter Infantry statlines give a good foundation to proxy Xenos. Mechanicum too to a lesser extent, even as an Allied force, if you're looking for bigger beasties or hordes of drones. Just involves a bit of squinting. 

 

For example, the Squat and Warrior provinces make your mooks T4, WS3, I2 and give access to Chainaxes for S4. This would effectively make your basic infantry Orks. 

[kabaakaba]

On 6/16/2025 at 8:35 PM, LameBeard said:

If I were to do Xenos in 30k I’d be tempted to copy some of the Lizardmen/Seraphon conversions that are out there (often as Tau auxiliaries with tech) - an advanced reptilian race wiped out by humanity’s expansion. Maybe like Pete the Wargamer did.

 

Rules-wise, no so sure. Would be nice to represent their cold-blooded nature and their tech, and the saurus are quite big but not as big as Ogryns. Might have to do it from the ground up; on the table they look at least like they could give marines a run for their money.

Iirc there is lot of xenos on 30k lore wise, cabal with all it's diversity. And gahet for example is reptile, who mentioned to be probably slann

[gideon stargreave]

If you use Facebook, check out the group Xenos of the Great Crusade

[Evil Eye]

Two printable not-Tyranid ranges available on MyMiniFactory I can highly recommend for weird now-extinct xenos bug people would be Oshouna Minis' Deep Hive range (decidedly nautical look, some really creative designs) and Dork Factory's alien range (his not-Termagants in particular work very well as kooky bug people grunts, more so than they work as Tyranids IMO).

 

Also, as far as rules for Orks in the Great Crusade go I'd recommend porting the Feral Ork list from the 2004 Chapter Approved, to represent the less organised and more scattered Ork infestations from the Imperium's golden age. I may be biased though as I just got that book in yesterday and have fallen in love with it!

[LameBeard]

I like @Evil Eye’s Feral Orks idea - it lets the clans fade into the background a bit and other elements of the green skin come to the fore - that seems to fit the setting. I think I have that list in pdf - but was it for 4th edition or what?

[kabaakaba]

Doesn't orks was the same in heresy era? Imperium have serious problem on ulanor. And before ulanor then Horus and impy fighting hightech orks on <forgot techplaned name with super tech in core>And in 20k too? Or it's retconed and they now not the same ancient as necrons?

Edited June 19 by kabaakaba

[LameBeard]

10 hours ago, kabaakaba said:

Doesn't orks was the same in heresy era? Imperium have serious problem on ulanor. And before ulanor then Horus and impy fighting hightech orks on <forgot techplaned name with super tech in core>And in 20k too? Or it's retconed and they now not the same ancient as necrons?

The galaxy was teeming with Orks in M 30 and were probably the main enemy of the Emperor’s crusade. And yes that did include high tech orks with the guns, armour, vehicles and probably gargants we know about.

 

The Feral Ork list is not just sticks and stones though, you could use it for some tech, and feral orks would exist too.

 

My point was whether Ork Kulture has evolved over the 10 thousand years - e.g. maybe there were different clans? The presentation in the HH Books seems more monolithic. I haven’t read ‘The Beast Arises’.