A Song of Ice and Fire: Haus Greyjoy

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Tactics of the Iron FleetDec 08, 2020

Bannermen! We continue our look into the upcoming House Greyjoy faction for A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game, and today we shall be taking a deep dive into the Tactics Cards available to the raiders of the Iron Islands!

We’ve previously looked at the overall Basics of the Faction, as well as explored a number of their Combat Units in previous articles, so today we are going to supplement that by highlighting just what Tactics the Greyjoys bring to thebattlefield.

Like all factions, the Greyjoys share seven common Tactics Cards in their basic deck, with an additional six being added based on your choice of Commander. Each Commander has a unique play-style they add, so they can radically change how your army plays, but regardless of that choice, some key fundamentals always remain, represented by these core seven cards. In addition, most Factions also feature a focus on key zones on the Tactics Board – Greyjoys are not exception, having a focus on the Combat Zone and the Wealth Zone, both representing their raiding heritage, as well as their key faction traits of aggression and restoration. You’ll notice, however, that when it comes to Wealth, a number of Greyjoy effects actually revolve around an opponent controlling this zone, which puts foes in a dangerous situation-claim the zone and make themselves a bigger target, or avoid it and allow the Greyjoys to reap its benefits!

With that, let’s take a look at each of them and give a little insight into how best to utilize them:

WE DO NOT SOW

The Greyjoys always want to be on the offense, and this card allows them to Attack when other options might be denied to them. Additionally, should the opponent have taken Wealth, it also allows the targeted unit to restore some of their lost numbers, potentially bringing them back into the fight!

WHAT IS DEAD MAY NEVER DIE

Showcasing the resilience of the faction, this card can save a unit from destruction – at a cost however. Pledging oneself to the tenants of the Drowned God, the unit must constantly attack, otherwise its resolve will falter, and it may find itself destroyed.

THE KRAKEN’S WRATH

An excellent example of the “no good option” choices that Greyjoys can place on their opponent, this card gets exponentially more powerful based on Claimed zones on the Tactics Board – whether they be claimed by friendly units or enemy!

THE IRON PRICE

We mentioned that Pillage was a central mechanic to the Greyjoys, and this car exemplifies that by giving them an alternative use, whether it be restoring Wounds or gaining combat buffs. Of course, Pillage tokens can be hard-won, so trading them for buffs might be a risky choice; you must be sure you’ll be able to regain them should you utilize them!

FINGER DANCE

Raiders never fight fair, and they love having an advantage. Finger Dance makes it so that, as long as the Greyjoys are winning the fight (or at the worst “not losing” it) they gain buffs. Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword, as should the enemy gain the upper hand the Greyjoys will suffer for it.

RAIDING CALL

There is a high incentive to keep select units alive as you’re playing – The strong become stronger and the weak become weaker. Of course, you might not always be able to directly control which units live or die. Raiding Call alleviates some of that stress by allowing you to shift Wounds across your units. Should any player control the Wealth Zone, it also acts as a quick method of gaining Pillage Tokens.

BLESS WITH STONE, BLESS WITH STEEL

Furthering the theme of restoration, this blessing from the Drowned God rewards Greyjoys for doing what they do best: Killing their enemies. With this card, you can play a bit more recklessly in your aggression, since you’ll have a nasty trick to restore any Wounds lost by counterattacks-assuming you properly dispatched your foes, that is!

Captains of the Iron Fleet

Bannermen! Today we shall take a look into the various Commander options available to House Greyjoy!

If you haven’t had a chance to read over our previous articles, we suggest you do so before continuing:

• Introduction Article Link
• Combat Unit Link
• Tactics Cards Link

Now that you’re all caught up, let’s jump right into some of the various Commanders.

The release of House Greyjoy will feature not only their Starter Box, containing Asha and Victarion Greyjoy, but also their Hero Box #1, which adds numerous additional choices to your army. Today, we shall be taking a look into Asha, Victarion, and Balon:

ASHA GREYJOY, THE KRAKEN’S DAUGHTER

We’ve previously spoken about how the weakness of the Greyjoys is their poor Morale Stat values. Asha is an example of how a charismatic leader can make all the difference. With her Commander Attachment she works to boost the Morale of all those around her, bringing them to not just average levels but a staggering 5+! This means thatyou’ll want to put her in a good bunker unit, since she needs to be directly in the fight to make the most of her aura ability (We suggest Ironmakers for this role).

When it comes to Tactics Cards, Asha continues to play off the Morale boosts she gives. Ironborn Mettle allows a unit to restore Wounds upon a successful Morale Test (such as a Panic Test from being Attacked), while War Cry confers both Panicked and Vulnerable on enemies. Combine both to drastically turn the tables on an opponent when your own unit suddenly heals itself up while simultaneously causing penalties to their targets!

Finally, Raider Bravery rewards a unit for passing their test as well, though unlike Ironborn Mettle, it replaces restoration with raw combat aggression. Combine these tools with Asha’s build-in Morale buffs to make a surprisingly resilient Greyjoy army.

VICTARION GREYJOY, THE IRON CAPTAIN

For those who prefer slaughtering their foes rather than buffing their own units, you have the option to field Victarion. There isn’t really anything subtle about Victarion or his tactics – he’s just here to kill things and he does it well. His Commander Attachment allows a unit to continue their onslaught by charging into another enemy upon destroying their target and grants the additional benefit of making anyone they charge Vulnerable as well.

His Tactics Cards are all based around this same principle: Rush of Aggression makes it so his charges become guaranteed, as well as gain additional benefits. Of course, this comes at the cost of making your own unit Vulnerable after the fact, but such is the price for such a powerful effect. Assault Orders means that you will always have an option to Attack, especially noting that Greyjoys already have access to a similar effect from their Generic Tactic Card We Do Not Sow. Truly, running Victarion can allow an army to push out a staggering number of Attack Actions.

Rounding out Victarion’s Tactics is Sustained Assault, giving him an option in case his units find themselves where they don’t want to be: a prolonged and protracted combat. While the Greyjoys do have a number of ways to restore themselves, they areone of the most fragile factions when it comes to lasting engagements. Sustained Assault helps mitigate that when Victarion is your Commander.

BALON GREYJOY, THE KRAKEN KING

For those preferring a more pragmatic approach to winning, Balon brings that specific play-style to the tabletop. Balon views everything at his disposal as an asset to achieve victory, and his troops arenot excluded from that fact. While an inspirational leader in his own right, Balon is not one to rally men behind him, but rather adheres to the Old Ways, favoring examples of might over talk. With his Commander Attachment, this is shown via his Iron Resolve Ability, which boosts the Morale of his own unit, while Fueled by Slaughter shows his ruthless nature.

The first of his Tactics Cards, Acceptable Sacrifices, immediately demonstrates Balon’s views when it comes to his own troops: Sometimes one must be sacrificed for the greater victory. Greyjoy Combat Units are fragile by nature unless properly supported. Understanding that, eventually they will all fall, why not take advantage of that? By sacrificing one unit, the rest of your army can be bolstered tremendously.

Balon does not tolerate failure, however, and Price of Failure demonstrates this by giving him one of the best offensive cards available, ensuring that your unit can push out damage when needed. Yes, they will hurt themselves in the process, butwhat are a few wounds compared to winning?

The Old Ways ties Balon to the Pillage mechanic seen prominently with Greyjoys, giving them two distinct functions in allowing a unit to re-roll Morale Tests or Attack Dice. Pillage tokens are a valuable commodity though, so careful consideration must be given to using them… Assuming that you haven’t thrown down an Acceptable Sacrifices on a unit to recoup those loses!

And with that we will conclude our look into some of the Commanders arriving with the release of House Greyjoy. Don’t think that these are the only options that will be available at launch, however. Many other prominent characters will rise to lead the Kraken Armies, such as Euron Greyjoy, Erik Ironmaker, and even the likes of Theon Greyjoy as well!

Raiders of the Iron Islands

Bannermen of the Kraken, this is the second article in our series highlighting the upcoming House Greyjoy faction for A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game, and today we will take a closer look at some of Combat Units available to the Kraken!

RUTHLESS PILLAGERS

“We are the ironborn, and once we were conquerors. Our writ ran everywhere the sound of the waves was heard.” – Euron Greyjoy

Greyjoy units favor aggression and getting the jump on their opponents. To aid in this, they often bring the unique Pillage mechanic to the table: as Greyjoy Combat Units destroy enemy ranks, they will begin to collect Pillage tokens. Each unit makes use of these tokens in various ways to enhance their combat capabilities, ranging from the standard Ironborn Raiders, who enjoy a +1 to Hit for each amassed Pillage Token, to the fearsome House Harlaw Reapers, whose ability to sow terror across the battlefield is only heightened as the killing commences. The longer a unit remains in the fight, and the more they devastate their foes, the stronger they will become-such is the way of the Kraken!

Of course, gaining fantastic buffs based on striking down foes doesn’t mean much if you’re just as easily slain! To aid in their fight, House Greyjoy also has a great number of boons and restorative effects spread across numerous Attachments as well as Tactics Cards… But we will cover those in due time…

LOYALTY DOESN’T MEAN MUCH TO DEAD MEN

“Do you want to die old and craven in your bed?” – Asha Greyjoy

Unfortunately, while the Greyjoys enjoy several offensive and tactical tricks, a key weakness across the faction is a less than impressive Morale Stat average… It turns out that raiders only loyal to power and plunder don’t make for the most loyal soldiers. This, combined with fact that, as raiders with a focus on shock-tactics, most Greyjoy combat units also have poor Defense Saves as well (with some notable exceptions, such as the juggernauts that are the Ironmakers). Fear not though, as previously mentioned, what they lack in Defense and Morale, the Greyjoys make up for in restorative effects-so while casualties might be high, there are always those willing to make up the difference when greater promises of loot and plunder are offered! This can be seen in the Warsworn Attachment, who allows their unit to restore casualties to their ranks-as long as they keep killing!

NO SUCH THING AS HONORABLE COMBAT

“Wizards may be well and good, but blood and steel win wars.” – Victarion Greyjoy

While all the Great Houses of Westeros implement certain levels of intrigue and subterfuge to win their conflicts, the Ironborn are noteworthy in their more savage usage of such methods. Not above underhanded tactics, House Greyjoy incorporates a number of sneaky methods to strike enemies where they are most vulnerable. Examples of this can be seen with the Reaver Captain Attachment, which allows a unit to Outflank their foes, deploying in unexpected locations across the battlefield. No matter what strategy your opponent has concocted, the Greyjoys will prove to have dastardly tools to undermine their effects!

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