A Song of Ice and Fire: Neuheiten

An der Mauer wird es langsam ungemütlich.

 

Conflict and combat are highly mental engagements. If one can cause their opponent to cower in fear of their attack, then the battle is halfway won. Creating a scary visage goes a long way to making your opponents fearful of your presence. In the Free Folk army, the Followers of Bone have allied themselves with the Lord of Bones, dutifully following him where he goes and fighting on his behalf. Their penchant for adorning themselves in all manner of bones as well as wielding them may seem crude, but it is still certainly effective. And while their attacks might not be as entirely effective as steel swords or plate armor, the effect on enemy morale more than makes up for it. Soon, Free Folk commanders will be able to add this disquieting unit to their ranks.

The Followers of Bone cost six points to field. Their mid-range cost comes with moderate stats. As a melee unit, they have a respectable melee attack total of eight when at full ranks, hitting on 3+. Their speed is a fairly average 5. Their defensive stats might leave a little to be desired. As stated above, bones are no true replacement for steel, but it is better than simply crude furs that other Free Folk units take to battle. As such, their defensive save is only a 5+ and their morale to fight is moderate, with a 7+. It might make commanders want to keep them away from combat. But that’s where they would be mistaken.

Being stuck in combat is right where the Followers of Bone want to be. Of course, as a melee unit, having them elsewhere would be a waste, but attacking them is a true tough decision for opponents. This is because of their Horrific Visage special rule. It says that any time they are attacked with melee by an opponent, before that attack is resolved, that attacking unit must perform a Panic Test. This means that, depending on the opponent and depending on the roll, the Followers of Bone could be seeing few attack dice headed their direction every time they’re attacked. And anytime that enemy models can be removed from the board is a win. Units down to their last rank might find themselves even wiped out simply because their resolve failed the at the last moment.

 

 

The Followers of Bone unit box also comes with the Champion of Bone unit attachment. He works well with just about any unit, but particularly well with the Followers of Bone. His special ability, Prey on Fear, lets the unit restore up to two Wounds when an enemy engaged with them fails a Panic Test. Since the Followers are going to be causing Tests every time they are attacked with melee, it means that the moderate defensive abilities they have could easily be mitigated by opponents losing figures from Panic Tests against them.

Together, the Followers of Bone and the Champion of Bone are a formidable unit on the battlefield. The best place to find them will be in melee, possibly even benefitting from going against multiple enemy units at a time in order to maximize their Horrific Visage ability. Commanders will do well to keep them away from enemy ranged units and aim them at targets with poor Morale stats. That strategy will do them well on the battlefield.

The Followers of Bone unit box will be available soon.

 

 

Manning The Wall, the Night’s Watch is primarily a defensive force. They keep the nightmare horrors that live further north from invading their way into the southern lands of Westeros. Their job includes knowing the dangers that they may be facing, as well as information on enemy formations, numbers, and any potential weaknesses there might be. They cannot afford to be caught unaware by an advancing enemy force. The Ranger Trackers serve as the Night’s Watch’s eyes and ears out in the field. These scout cavalry troopers undertake dangerous missions in enemy territory in order to gain vital intelligence. Soon, Night’s Watch commanders will be able to add this unit to their forces in the A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game.

The Ranger Trackers cavalry unit costs six points to field. The unit really packs in the value for those points as well. While their speed might seem moderate at six, it’s important to remember that, being a cavalry unit, they get a free Maneuver action at the start of their turn. That means they can easily head up to 12” with a direction change in the middle, letting them skirt around enemy units or obstacles. Being light cavalry, they are not heavily armored, so their Defensive Save is only a 5+. However, their Night’s Watch training does imbue them with a Morale of 6+.

 

On the offensive side of the coin, they are equipped with both short-range recurve bows and short swords. However, Night’s Watch commanders will probably want to make more use out of their bows, as they have slightly better stats at seven dice and 3+ to hit, as opposed to six dice and 4+ to hit in melee. However, those stats alone only tell part of the offensive story for the Ranger Trackers. They also have an Order, Mark Target. This gives Vulnerable to an enemy at Long Range and in Line of Sight. This is perfect for setting up a devastating charge or volley of arrows. It should be noted that the Ranger Trackers are under no obligation to immediately attack the unit they Mark, and do not need to immediately expend that token. They can readily toss the Vulnerable marker out there and then attack someone else, or retreat away to a safer position, setting up the enemy for a knock-out blow from another Night’s Watch unit. This makes the Ranger Trackers extremely flexible tactically on the field.

When this cavalry hits the table, Night’s Watch players will have a speedy force that can deal some quick damage to the enemy, setting up for the slower units to come in and finish things off.

The Night’s Watch Ranger Trackers will be hitting store shelves soon.

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Quelle: Cool Mini or Not