What's in an Order Marker? (D1, D2, and D3 up)

[Jexik]

Originally Posted by NecroBlade

Any chance you could also organize them by function?

Perhaps, that was part of the original effort.

Cheerleaders are used to give appropriate buffs to friendly units.

Defenders are tough melee units that use engagement to control the flow of battle.

Sharks are offensive units that often need support to be effective, but can have immense power when protected well.

Bread and Butter, Menacers, and Cleanup units are all pretty balanced offensively and defensively. BB's make 4-5 weaker attacks, Menacers 3 strong attacks, and cleanup figures typically make 1-2 attacks and are tough enough to handle more than their points' worth in spread out enemy figures.

Niche units have some counter-drafting gimmick or special ability that few other units have.

Do you mean for me to go more in depth and talk about how one might decide between Raelin and 2x Deathreavers as gamjuven asks?

[NecroBlade]

I mean like how the Books have everyone listed by points and by general. Could they also be listed here by sharks, etc. in addition to by power ranking?

[Jexik]

How is this for a start? As with the above list, * indicates common. A + indicates a hero that bonds with a squad.

Bread and Butter
4th Mass. Line (70*)
Arrow Gruts (40*)
Blade Gruts (40*)
Blastatrons (60*)
Heavy Gruts (70*)
Knights of Weston(70*)
Roman Legionnaires (50*)

Defenders
Brunak (110)
Charos (210)
Concan the Kyrie Warrior (80)
Crixus (90)
Deathreavers (40*)
Deathwalker 7000 (100)
Gladiatrons (80*)
Izumi Samurai (60)
Major X17(100)
Marcu Esenwein (20)
Marrden Hounds (90*)
Marrden Nagrubs (30*)
Ne-Gok-Sa (90+)
Sacred Band (50*)
Sentinels of Jandar (110*)
Sir Hawthorne (90+)
Sir Denrick (100+)
Tarn Viking Warriors (50)
Tor-Kul-Na (220+)
Warriors of Ashra (50*)
Valguard (110+)

Menacers
Elite Onyx Vipers (100)
Krav Maga Agents (100)
Krug (120+)
Major Q9 (180)
Marro Stingers (60*)
Microcorp Agents (100*)
Minions of Utgar (110*)
Nilfheim (185)
Ninjas of the Northern Wind (110)
Shades of Bleakewoode (100*)
Tagawa Samurai (120)
Tagawa Samurai Archers (65*)

Cheerleaders
Acolarh (110)
Eldgrim the Viking Champion (30+)
Empress Kiova (90)
Finn the Viking Champion (80+)
Grimnak (120+)
Hatamoto Taro (130)
Khosumet the Darklord (75)
Kyntela Gwyn (20)
Laglor (110)
Marcus Decimus Gallus (100+)
Marro Hive (160+)
Master Win Chiu Woo (140)
Nakita Agents (120)
Nerak the Glacian Swog Rider (50+)
Ornak (100+)
Parmenio (90+)
Raelin the Kyrie Warrior-SOTM (120)
Raelin the Kyrie Warrior-ROTV (80)
Sir Gilbert (105+)
Sonya Esenwein (45)
Spartacus (200)
Swog Rider (25*+)
Taelord the Kyrie Warrior (180)
Thorgrim the Viking Champion (80+)
Tornak (100+)
Venoc Warlord (120+)
Warden 816 (90)

Sharks
Airborne Elite (110)
Alastair MacDirk (110+)
Anubian Wolves (75*)
Armoc Vipers (65*)
Ashigaru Harquebus (60*)
Ashigaru Yari (40*)
Aubrien Archers (70*)
Braxas (210)
Cyprien Esenwein (150)
Iskra Esenwein (50)
Jotun (225)
Kozuke Samurai (100)
MacDirk Warriors (80*)
Marro Drones (50*)
Mimring (150+)
Omnicron Snipers (100*)
Rechets of Bogdan (50)
Roman Archers (55*)
Shaolin Monks (80*)
Su-Bak-Na (160)
Templar Cavalry (120*)
The Einar Imperium (140*)
Venoc Vipers (40*)
Zombies of Morindan (60*)

Cleanup
Agent Carr (100)
Deathwalker 8000 (130)
Deathwalker 9000 (140)
Dünd (110)
Guilty McCreech (30)
Isamu (10)
Kaemon Awa(120)
Kee-Mo-Shi (130)
Major Q10 (150)
Marro Warriors (50)
Me-Burq-Sa (50+)
Sonlen (160)
Sgt. Drake Alexander-ROTV (110)
Sgt. Drake Alexander-SOTM (170)
Sudema (140)
Syvarris (100)
Zettian Guards (70)

Niche
Deadeye Dan (60)
Deathstalkers (100*)
Dumutef Guard (25*)
Dzu-Teh (75*)
Gorillinators (90*)
James Murphy (75)
Johnny "Shotgun" Sullivan (65)
Kelda the Kyrie Warrior (80)
Marro Drudge (50*)
Morsbane (100)
Obsidian Guards (100*)
Retiarius (90)
Runa (120)
Saylind the Kyrie Warrior (80)
Shiori (60)
Theracus (40)

[NecroBlade]

Excellent! Color coding them might help visually since you use it everywhere else, even though each group obviously only has one color. It's definitely interesting to compare the groups...for instance, 4th Mass. are the only non-bonding Bread & Butter.

[Jexik]

Done.

That bonding thing is largely by design. The main difference between Bread and Butter units and Menacers is the number of attacks they typically get per turn. That's the only reason that the Stingers were switched to Menacers.

[Grungebob]

Great thread. +rep headin your way.

[Jexik]

One thing that I've never quite been satisfied with in these categories is the names of the categories themselves. I feel that the distinctions are there, and that most of the units play roughly as I suggest the majority of the time.

A couple months ago, I brought up the question of renaming the categories, but I didn't have any good ideas. When I was bored at work, I came up with some new ones.

Cheerleaders and Sharks are going to stay- those work well. One stands on the sidelines and the other goes crazy at the smell of blood. Defenders are also pretty good until I think of something better.

With the remaining four categories, I've thought of a common theme to link them all, yet highlight their differences. These are all units that it makes sense to put your order markers on... in the right situations.

Before I go ahead and update the first post, I'd like some input on these ideas. This text would likely accompany or replace some of the existing descriptions of these groups.

Wolves (Formerly Bread and Butter)
Wolves hunt in packs. They use bonding and superior numbers to overwhelm their prey. Their unrelenting attacks (often with only 2 or 3 dice) are capable of eventually defeating both the weak and strong members of an opposing army [or flock]. Personality restrictions and the desire to fit in Alphas or deadly champions often cause you to design an entire army around them. Ex: All-Valiant 4th Massachusetts Line, Blastatrons, Arrow Gruts, Roman Legionnaires

Dogs (Formerly Menacers)
Dogs are a 'scaper's best friend. They are flexible, powerful, and protective. Unlike their wild cousins, they have been domesticated and will work well with a large variety of units. They also tend to have fewer attacks per turn than Wolves, which makes them a great place to put your X marker- often their bark is worse than their bite. Ex: Major Q9, Krav Maga Agents, Minions of Utgar

Hyenas (Formerly Cleanup- or should they be Janitors/Custodians, the Cleanup specialists )
Hyenas are scavengers that pick up the scraps left by Dogs, Sharks, and sometimes even Wolves. They work best in the end game, where their few powerful attacks will finish off weakened opponents. Ex: Kaemon Awa, Guilty McCreech, Tagawa Samurai

Coyotes (formerly Niche)
Think of Wile E. Coyote from the Looney Tunes. He always had some great elaborate plan, but it never quite worked out. Coyotes have extremely powerful gadgets at their disposal, but a short list of potential targets, an easily counterable power, or just downright low odds prevent them from seeing much play in highly competitive games. Don't be afraid to play them for fun though, nothing is more rewarding than watching your elaborate Rube Goldberg machine finally catch that Roadrunner. Ex: Gorillinators, Major X17, Morsbane

Also, I never really liked how hard the Orange was to read. With the new color selctions, maybe I should do something new. Should the new BB/wolves be colored Dark Orange instead? Magenta?

Note: I like Hyenas the least of the new categories, but I like the Wolf/Dog comparison, and would like to know what others think.

[Velenne]

I'd actually prefer you stick with more generic, intuitive names. If I changed anything it would be to rename Cheerleaders to Supporters, Sharks to Attackers. I've never understood the implied difference in the names "Sharks" and "Menacers" since, to me, a shark is pretty menacing. So I'd leave everything else the way it is.

[Revdyer]

I'm not overly fond of the canine names proposed, and "Wolves" is absolutely confusing, since there are going to be at least two figures with that name in their titles.

Perhaps, "troops" for the "bread and butter" people and "elites" for the "menacers" ? "Clean-up" worked for me just fine. And I always thought of the "niche" as "odd man in" (rather than odd man out), but that's just me.

I do entirely agree about how difficult the orange color print is to read.

[Nelson]

thanks for the article i have found your classifications helpful when playing with units i am unfamilliar with

[DarkBladeCB]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, Jexik. I think the names you have now are fine and really indicate what the figures do at first glance. If I say, "Yeah, the 4th Mass are a bread and butter unit," my friends'll get what that means. Though changing the color for the B&Bs to something not orange might not be a bad idea.

[Gomolka]

I have no problem with the old names, nor the new ones. Either way, they come across as making the same points, but with different context since the name change. I like how you mention that, for menacers, "their bark is worse than their bite." I agree on this completely, and think it is a great point to make. Many people will se Q9, and be afraid to move any squad figures forwards in fear of being taken down by him, however a few turns of squads attacking him can take him down if the dice are in your favor.

I wouldn't say to not change it, but there wasn't really anything wrong with the way it was.

I still refer to this post often for making competitive armies, and classifying each unit in these armies. This is a very helpful thread, and I appreciate your numerous contributions to the site. Well done, Jexik!