Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force: How to Start
Despite being stuck in the throes of an ideological schism, the Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force aimed to salvage the organisation's efforts in the West Virginia region following the slaughter of their fellow soldiers by the Scorched Plague. Their need to travel light over many miles required lighter equipment, favouring the use of melee weapons not seen in other parts of the Brotherhood. [Folio pg. 18]
A Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force crew is built on the Brotherhood of Steel faction list, with the following changes: [Folio pg. 18]
- Paladin: Minigun weapon set replaced by Laser Pistol & War Glaive (64)
- Knight: Laser Pistol & Machete weapon set replaced by Laser Pistol & War Glaive (56)
- Aspirant removed from the faction list; replaced by Hopeful (Grunt, half-limit) — lower stats, cheaper melee-focused weapon options
- Vertibird Drop ploy replaced by Steel Dawn
All other models (Field Scribe, Initiate, Knight with remaining weapon sets), Crew Limits, the Judge Captive story action, and the training table are unchanged.
Crew Limits
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade Limit per Model | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Champion Limit | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Control Limit | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Facility Limit | 2 | 4 | 6 |
[Rulebook pg. 66; Folio pg. 9]
Playstyle
The First Expeditionary Force leans into mixed-arms play — Knights and Paladins are still heavy hitters but now carry a War Glaive for close-quarters threat. The Hopeful provides cheap half-limit filler at 8–16 points, letting you pad activations with bodies that weren't available in the standard list. Steel Dawn rewards activation order: the more friendly non-Power-Armor models you have adjacent to a Power Armor model at the moment of attack, the bigger the dice pool. This incentivises clustering Hopefuls around your Knights and Paladin before they swing.
Starter Roster
A suggested crew featuring the War Glaive Paladin, a War Glaive Knight, and Hopefuls as cheap filler (total: 243 pts).
| Unit | Weapons | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Paladin ★ | Laser Pistol & War Glaive | 64 |
| Field Scribe ★ | Laser Pistol | 21 |
| Knight | Laser Pistol & War Glaive | 56 |
| Initiate | Recon Hunting Rifle | 19 |
| Initiate | Recon Hunting Rifle | 19 |
| Initiate | Recon Hunting Rifle | 19 |
| Hopeful | Double-barreled Shotgun | 15 |
| Hopeful | Double-barreled Shotgun | 15 |
| Hopeful | Double-barreled Shotgun | 15 |
| Total | 243 | |
Captive Story Action: Judge Captive
Unchanged from the Brotherhood of Steel main faction. See the Brotherhood of Steel: How to Start page for the full Verdict Table. [Rulebook pg. 62]