Order of Battle & Crusade Cards
Your Order of Battle is the core database of your Crusade army in Echelon. It acts as your master roster, containing every unit, character, vehicle, and squad available for your narrative campaign.
Role & Scope
- Target User: Players & Campaign Hosts
- Required Subscription: Free Tier (Up to 3 active Orders of Battle) | Commander Tier (Unlimited Orders of Battle)
- Prerequisites: An active Echelon account.
Key Concepts
- Supply Limit: The maximum total point value of all units registered on your Order of Battle.
- Supply Used: The combined point cost of your current Crusade Cards.
- Crusade Card: A digital record for a specific unit tracking its history, battles played, kills, XP, rank, honours, and scars.
- Requisition Points (RP): Currency used to upgrade your force, increase supply, or heal units.
Creating an Order of Battle
- Navigate to Order of Battle in the main navigation.
- Click + Create Order of Battle.
- Configure the roster parameters:
- Force Name: e.g., Strike Force Ironclad.
- Faction Keyword: Select your primary faction (e.g., Space Marines, Necrons, Tyranids).
- Detachment: Select your starting Detachment (e.g., Gladius Task Force).
- Starting Supply Limit: Defaults to
1,000 pts.
- Click Create Roster.
Managing Crusade Cards
Adding Units
You can populate your Order of Battle in two ways:
Option A: Import from NewRecruit (Recommended)
Export your army list as JSON from NewRecruit and upload it via Import Roster. Echelon automatically creates Crusade Cards for every unit, complete with point costs, upgrades, and weapon profiles.
See the complete Importing Armies Guide for a detailed walkthrough.
Option B: Manual Unit Creation
- Click + Add Unit in the roster toolbar.
- Select the unit type (Character, Battleline, Vehicle, Monster, Other).
- Enter the Unit Name (e.g., Captain Aethelgard).
- Input the Starting Point Cost (e.g.,
95 pts). - Add initial equipment or upgrades in the notes section.
- Click Add Crusade Card.
Appointing a Warlord
Every Crusade force requires one Character unit designated as its Warlord.
- Open your Order of Battle.
- Click on the target Character unit's Crusade Card.
- Click Set as Warlord. A crown icon will appear on the unit's card.
Unit Ranks & Experience (XP)
As units survive battles and achieve Agendas, they gain Experience Points (XP) and advance through 5 Crusade Ranks:
| Rank | Required XP | Honours Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Battle-ready | 0 – 5 XP | 0 |
| Tested | 6 – 15 XP | 1 |
| Battle-hardened | 16 – 30 XP | 2 |
| Heroic | 31 – 50 XP | 3 |
| Legendary | 51+ XP | 4 |
When a unit gains enough XP to rank up, a Rank Up Available banner appears on its card. Click the banner to choose a Battle Trait, Weapon Modification, or Relic.
Retiring vs Deleting Units & Rosters
Retiring a Unit (Recommended)
Moves the Crusade Card to your Archived Units list. The unit no longer counts toward your Supply Limit, but its battle history and stats are preserved.
Deleting a Unit
- Click on the unit's Crusade Card.
- Click Card Actions > Delete Card.
- Confirm deletion.
Data Loss Warning
Deleting a Crusade Card permanently destroys its battle history, kill tallies, and earned Battle Honours. If you simply want to clear Supply Limit space for new units, use Retire Unit instead.
Deleting an Order of Battle
To delete an entire Order of Battle roster:
- Open Order of Battle.
- Click Roster Settings in the top right toolbar.
- Scroll to the bottom and click Delete Order of Battle.
- Type your roster name into the confirmation field and click Permanently Delete.
Data Loss Warning
Deleting an Order of Battle will remove all associated Crusade Cards and withdraw the roster from all active campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if my total points exceed my Supply Limit?
Echelon displays a Supply Warning on your roster. You cannot launch a match in live tracking mode if your Order of Battle exceeds your Supply Limit unless your Host grants an exception.
Can I rename units after creating them?
Yes! Click on any Crusade Card, select Edit Card Details, and update the unit's name, lore narrative, or custom imagery.