Factions in Review

[Elf_Archer]

I believe a good faction needs at least 3 cards, 2 of which are common.

[Revdyer]

Originally Posted by Elf_Archer

I believe a good faction needs at least 3 cards, 2 of which are unique.

Is there a reason for this particular formula? Why the three and two? Just curious as to your reasoning.

[Elf_Archer]

Oops, I meant to say common.

I think 3 cards is to make sure the army is large enough to stand on its own.

Well 2 of which are common is more of a staple. I think a good Faction needs a common staple unit that can be drafted en masse.

[Revdyer]

Ah, I can understand the two common cards, that would mean there is enough to make a reasonable sized army. With two unique and only one common card, a "real" army would be more difficult.

So, what you're saying is, "A faction needs to be large and diverse enough to produce a workable army." I think that's a reasonable statement.

[Elf_Archer]

Yes, exactly.

[1Mmirg]

Originally Posted by Dredd Stev

I was wondering when some one would kick up a fuss about that! I included him for a few reasons:

1) His name. Fits with the Orc Champ's names.
2)His looks. He looks at home with the rest of the hoard.
3)His game play. He works great with the orcs (bringing a much needed SA to the table) and he works wonders with Nerack and his Red Flag of Fury.

Anyway it's a somewhat arbitrary process to pick out who does or does not belong in a given faction. I like him there so he's gonna stay...

I assume you mean Ornak--and yes, I agree with that point. Brunak is Utgar's number-one convoy-specialist/mercenary for hire. He works with lots of armies, but with Ornak, his two auras, the advantages of adjacency, etc. that the orcs use, etc., Brunak is a good fit (he is a bit like the Mimring or Krug the melee-driven orcs need--not a fit in any clear aesthetic sense, but a fit due to synergy). Though, of course, as a good mercenary for hire, he certainly fits well into other armies as well.

I wouldn't have put him with the orcs in a discussion of factions or themes, but I do often use him with orc armies and I'd accept your arguments here (sure, it's the "-nak" thing ...).

[Dark Lord o' THIRST]

Looking forward to your horror faction review. I've liked it so far. Keep up the good work.

[Dredd Stev]

Horror (Legion Of Horror)
A once small and unimportant faction within Utgar’s ranks, the Legion has grown in both leaps and bounds. With the addition of several very powerful undead figures, and the newest squad (the WoB) this faction can strike terror into the hearts of any opponent. While little synergy exists between many of it’s major-sub factions each individual sect of the Legion of Horror has something very powerful to bring to the table, and with foresight and clever positioning they are capable of crippling ones army with frightening precision and speed. One should never underestimate a Legion army, as perceived weakness is often its biggest advantage.

Prototype Build:
Cyprien 150
Sonya 45
Iskra 50
Rechets 50
Marcu 20
Sudema 140
Zombies x5 300
Shades x2 200
Khosumet 75
Anubians x2 150
Wolves x2 160
Dumutef x3 75
Dund 110
TOTAL 1525

Average Hero Stats (per card):
Attack: 3.1
Defense: 3.3
Move: 6.1
Range (of ranged figures): 0
Life: 3.9

Other Hero Stats:
# of unique heroes: 7
6 medium (Cyprien, Sonya, Iskra, Marcu, Sudema, Khosumet)
1 large (Dund)
# of common heroes: 1x3
1x3 large (Dumutef)
# of melee SA’s: 0
# of ranged SA’s: 0
# of auto kill’s: 1
# of bonding heroes: 1

Average Squad Stats (per card):
Attack: 2.2 (2.5 without the Anubians)
Defense: 3.4
Move: 5.8
Range (of ranged figs): 0

Other Squad Stats:
# of unique squads: 1
# of unique figures: 3
3 medium (Rechets)
# of common squads: 4
# of common figures: 33
6 small (Wolves)
15 medium (Zombies)
6 medium (Anubians)
6 medium (Shades)
# of ranged squads: 0
# of ranged figures: 0
# of melee squads: 5
# of melee figures: 36
# of ranged SA’s : 1
# of melee SA’s: 0
# of bonding squads: 1

Major Strengths & Weaknesses

*To help organize this part of the analysis I’ll split the Legion into two major sub-groups: ‘Undead’ and ‘Devourers & Hunters’.

The Undead Menace
There is a reason so many figures in this sub-faction have a terrifying personality. This grouping of figures is perhaps the most ruthless and effective team of assassins in Valhalla, rivaled perhaps, only by the ninjas and maybe Vydar’s agent core. Starting with the lumbering zombie hoard, the Undead have a great screening mass common squad. The ability to movie any 6 figures AND still attack with any 3 can be brutal to combat, and the ability to re-spawn lost zombies on successful kills keeps more and more of these shambling terrors on the front lines. While individually weak, zombies can combine their attack for a hero-killing onslaught, and as such are often a major focus for enemy fire (assuming the enemy can see the tiny hit-zone of the zombies). This is perhaps the zombies’ greatest asset; they draw fire away from the Vampire heroes, while always threatening to re-populate the front lines on each activation. To back up the zombies, Utgar currently has the Shades of Bleakwood. While a soul devour can be (and often IS) a game breaking event, the shades bring more to the table than a 10% chance of glory! 7 move with stealth flying is quite a powerful movement ability, and with 4 defense the shades make for great glyph grabbers. Also, even with the low attack, they can make for a great 1-2 hit on ranged squads, even more so when said ranged squad is backed up by a hero or two. The shades can fly in on one order marker, position themselves next to the hero AND a squad, then attack the squad. On the very next OM, you can take your Soul Devour attempt, and move in with another wave of shades, or out with the currently engaged wave depending on the outcome of the first attack. Such hit and runs can greatly fluster the enemy, and often times they will try and get any heroes out of the way for fear of becoming possessed, leaving the ranged squads to fend for them selves! These two squads complement the real power of the undead perfectly… its vampire lords. First, we have the low-point Marcu, who makes for a great clean up figure, or if you are feeling lucky a great early round assassin. His high move combined with flying and 4 attack means he’ll get a few attacks with some serious pop! Should he kill a key hero then he’s done more than his worth, and even a few wounds caused is justifiable for is cheap price tag. Also in the great assassin column we have Iskra and her Rechets. With such a massive flying movement (6 for her move + 6 for the summoning range + 6 for the Rechets move) the undead’s only unique squad will rarely not have the chance to drop an important hero! Bypassing all defense and defensive abilities lethal sting is down right scary and if you get them out quick enough you can cost your opponent a few turns of positioning and deployment right off the bat, which is worth the 50 point price in and of it’s self. I often like to put turns 1 and 2 on Iskra with an X on the Retchets and my 3 elsewhere, this causes the enemy to focus all there efforts on cleaning up the Rechets for fear of a critical lethal sting, giving me the time to deploy anybody else I want, and more importantly holding up enemy movements in the crucial early stages of a game. With all this assassination goodness how could things get any better? Cyprien, the Lord of the undead, has all these things rolled into one terrifying figure. With the high move and stealth flying of the shades, the defense-bypassing of the Rechets and staying power unlike any other undead figure, Lord Cyprien can be utterly horrifying to behold on a rampage. Every bit as good a squad killer as he is with heroes, Cyprien can mix up his play, attack style and targets more than any figure in the game, much less his faction. His ability to get in and out of heated combat, target almost any key figure AND heal himself as he cuts down the living has earned him a deserving respect (or fear) from all that face him. With his girl Sonya by is side he just gains more power, a 50% chance of doing at least one auto wound? That’s just plain TERRIFYING! Not forgetting Vydar’s own contribution to this faction, we have the decidedly powerful and inconsistent Sudema, who has one of the few non-size/race/ANYTHING dependant auto kills in the game. Her one true power, the stare of stone can be a game-breaker and with a solid and large screen to protect her from encroachments (like say… ZOMBIES) she can enjoy several rounds of D20 rollings before she comes under attack. While often seen as a waste, if you mix up a few attacks with her and use your X wisely you can confuse and intimidate your opponents into focusing attacks on her when she’s not moving, or ignoring her while she gazes figures into stone!

Hunt, Devour, Repeat!
On the other side of the horror faction we have the “werewolves” (in quotes because the term werewolf does not appear anywhere on the actual army cards… we all know what they are!). While not the assassination squad that the undead claim to be, these relentless monsters are some of the hardest hitters in the game (and definitely on a point-for point basis). While not a constant value, the Anubian Wolves CAN have the single highest attack value in the game, at a LUDICROUS 9! One attack at a base of nine is crazy enough, but three? That’s a round of pain for any build in the game! Combine this with a good move and the magical four defense and you’ve a solid squad, with the potential for fury unknown to any other creature in Valhalla. The WoB offer a good pop in their own right, with a high-risk-high reword ranged SA. The pounce attack is particularly potent against low defense ranged figures, as 5 attack is usually enough to kill the target, and then the wolf gets its victim’s high ground… added bonus! (Remember how I said the Shades are a great way to scare off Heroes and leave ranged squads with no back up? These two work wonders together if played smartly!) The little wolves bring some much needed bonding to this faction, with the lone Darklord…SNOOPY! (aka Khosumet) While rather frail across the board stats wise, he prevents the Anubians from killing themselves in a furious rage (and gives them a better chance at increased attack) and offers an additional +1 to attacks of relentless figures (both wolves are prime recipients) A free turn is good regardless of who it’s with, and Khosumet’s bonuses are often not seen as important enough to “waste turns” on getting rid of… So in many cases he’ll be ignored entirely until the late stages of the game. To round out the faction with a little size we have The Dumutef and Dund, one offering some added attacks and some melee punch, the other offering a powerful ability and acting as great scout / decoy. The Dumutef has several devourers to enhance within the total faction, and is a cheap and powerful screener in its own right. Taking the time to block some roads with a Dumutef can often pay for it’s self by mid game, as the enemy has to spend time fighting with a 25point road block if they want to use that road bonus! Dund, while much maligned acts as a great decoy and hit and run type hero, and IF you get that crippling gaze of his to work it can change the whole direction a battle is taking.

While there are several offsetting factors (The big move and flight of many undead, and the big attack values of both the Wolves, etc.) there is just no getting past the fact that this faction has NO ranged figures. Not one… and that’s a big problem! As anybody with a lick of experience with this game will tell you, range is a very powerful stat, and trying to field an army without any ‘firepower’ can be extremely challenging. The relatively high move of the faction and the great melee screen offered by the zombies are good ways of countering this, but outside of a range 3 SA and Sudema’s 4 range stare, this faction is pure melee. After an initial assassination rush from some of the figures talked about above the Legion will more often than not, find them selves charging into enemy fire. Once again, while they have ways of dealing with such a situation, it is by and large a disadvantage and can often be their undoing. Also, because they have so many mid-high priced squaddies, this faction is particularly susceptible to squad killers, and since they have no range they have all the more trouble dealing with them. Furthermore, with a max of three attacks per activation, the Legion can have trouble dealing with large swarm armies (though the zombies help to relieve some of the pressure, they are not a great way of eliminating a swarm, just holding it back.) Lastly, while the Wolves lessen the problem, soulbourgs (in particular Vydar’s ranks) give the vampires fits. Glada’s and X17 lock down the flyers, taking away one of their big advantages and ALL bourgs are immune to Lord Cyprien’s chilling touch… reducing him to an overpriced punching bag! (X17 has seen more play since Cyp’s release than in the year I owned him before the Vampires were summoned to Valhalla.)

Future Figures?
-Skeletons! Cavalry, Archers, Mages, Warlords, Darklords I don’t care just bring ‘em on!
-A new and more battle ready Werewolf Darklord, which is less supportive and more FURIOUS!
-Vampire wizards?
-A werewolf common hero that can turn OTHER heroes into a werewolf common hero.

Selected Readings:
Strategic Maneuvers Army Specific: Johnny's Gambit
Strategic Maneuvers Army Specific: Rechet Gambit
Unit Strategy Review: How to Use Cyprien Esenwein
Unit Strategy Review: How to use Dünd
Unit Strategy Review - How to use Iskra/Rechets of Bogdan
Unit Strategy Review: How to use Sudema
Unit Strategy Review: How to use Anubian Wolves
Unit Strategy Review: How to use the Dumutef Guard

This one was great fun to write up...keep the feedback comming everyone! Next time: the last Utgarian faction, the tin-cans! (aka Death-bots).

[1Mmirg]

Hey, I've turned grey to green, or added a block, but Dredd Stev, I think you are my first recipient of a shiny green rep bar. Congrats!

I enjoy your work on these. I look forward (when I get a little bit of time) to play from 1000+ pt games using some of these ideas. Fun stuff.

(Only comment, only 2 sets of shades in this mega-army, really? ...)

[Elf_Archer]

I dont really see why you merged the Wolves army with the Undead army, but other than that, pretty good.

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by Elf_Archer

I dont really see why you merged the Wolves army with the Undead army, but other than that, pretty good.

Because the Faction is Horror, not just Undead. Werewolves, wolfweres, wolfmen, dire wolves, intelligent wolves, big hulking beast things (dumeteff), etc. all fit very well in the Horror theme.

[Einar's puppy]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

Because the Faction is Horror, not just Undead. Werewolves, wolfweres, wolfmen, dire wolfves, intelligent wolves, big hulking beast things (dumeteff), etc. all fit very well in the Horror theme.

I never thought this moment would come but...I found a mistake in a Cav post.
Wolves, not wolfs.