The Book of 4th Massachusetts Line

[dnutt99]

The Book of 4th Massachusetts Line

Utgar's Rage - Collection 2 - Minute Men and Wolves

If you cannot see the Army Card graphic, check Hasbro's Unit Page for stats and special powers, plus "character biography" and other non-game unit info.

Character Bio: Before fighting for a larger cause under their commanding General Jandar, the 4th Massachusetts Line had endured many harsh battles. During their training back in New England, the most important lesson they learned from their Brigadier General John Glover was to save their ammunition by waiting until they could see the whites of the enemies' eyes. Although this patient fighting strategy has taken years to perfect, the 4th Massachusetts Line is known to wreak havoc on approaching enemies with their wait and fire technique.

They are most comfortable when in the company of other valiant allies, who remind them of their old commander General George Washington. For this reason they prefer to fight with other Valiant Heroes such as their new friend Drake Alexander, or Finn and his brother Thorgrim the Viking Champions. It was not until meeting Sergeant Drake Alexander in Valhalla that these men learned that their old cause had been won due to their sacrifices and discipline under General Washington. Now they have rallied behind the new and greater cause of securing the wellsprings and helping Jandar in the Battle of all time. (Hasbro)

Originally Posted by Confred

WAIT THEN FIRE
If none of the 4th Massachusetts Line move this turn, add 1 die to their attack.

VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS
If every Army Card you control has a Valiant personality, each soldier in the 4th Massachusetts Line receives 1 additional defense die.

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-Rulings and Clarifications-

- WAIT THEN FIRE : Stacking Per Turn
Does Wait then Fire stack each turn I use it?
No, Wait then Fire does not stack. (Hasbro FAQ)

- VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS : Army With Valiant and Non-Valiant Units
If my non-Valiant figures are destroyed, and only Valiant figures are left on the battlefield, can the 4th Massachusetts Line use their Valiant Army Defense Bonus?
Yes. (Hasbro FAQ)

- VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS : Army With the Airborne Elite
Do the 4th Massachusetts Line receive the Valiant Army Defense Bonus if I only have Valiant units in play but have not used “The Drop” to bring in the Airborne Elite?
Yes. Even though the Airborne Elite is part of your army and has a Disciplined personality, they do not disrupt the Valiant Army Defense Bonus until you activate “The Drop” and they are in play. (dnutt99)

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-Combinations and Synergies-

Synergy Benefits Received

- MARCUS DECIMUS GALLUS : Soldier Leadership
As soldiers, the 4th Massachusetts Line can benefit from Marcus Decimus Gallus’ SOLDIER LEADERSHIP movement bonus.

- MARCUS DECIMUS GALLUS : Soldier Attack Enhancement
As soldiers, the 4th Massachusetts Line may benefit from Marcus Decimus Gallus’ SOLDIER ATTACK ENHANCEMENT attack bonus.

- SIR GILBERT : Jandar’s Dispatch
As a Squad that follows Jandar, 4th Massachusetts Line figures may benefit from Sir Gilbert's JANDAR'S DISPATCH movement bonus.

- VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS : Valiant Personality Units
Having an army in play composed of only these units, will enable the 4th Massachusetts Line to benefit from the VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS:

* 4th Massachusetts Line
* Acolarh
* Alastair MacDirk
* Chardris
* Charos
* Concan the Kyrie Warrior
* Eldgrim the Viking Champion
* Finn the Viking Champion
* Jorhdawn
* Kyntela Gwyn
* Knights of Weston
* Samuel Brown
* Sgt. Drake Alexander
* Sgt. Drake Alexander (SOTM)
* Saylind the Kyrie Warrior
* Sentinels of Jandar
* Sir Denrick
* Sir Dupuis
* Sir Gilbert
* Templar Cavalry
* Thorgrim the Viking Champion

Synergy Benefits Offered

- N/A

C3V and SoV Custom Synergies

Spoiler Alert!

Synergy Benefits Offered

SIR ORRICK : A BROTHER'S CALL
As a Human who follows Jandar, 4th Massachusetts Line may aid Sir Orrick with his A BROTHER'S CALL movement bonus.

Synergy Benefits Received

CAPT. JOHN VARAN : PURPLE HEART
As a Human who follows Jandar, 4th Massachusetts Line may benefit from Capt. John Varan's PURPLE HEART wound reassignment.

- VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS : Valiant Personality Units
Having an army in play composed of only these units, will enable the 4th Massachusetts Line to benefit from the VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS:

* HADUC
* LOCKSLEY
* MYRDDIN
* SIR ORRICK
* ULFRID HORNWRANGLER

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-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-

- TBA

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-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

Power Rankings

Jexik: 4th Mass. Line- Although no longer considered unbeatable, a low-cost, average defense, 4-man ranged squad will always be a threat on most maps, taking great advantage of height and the engagement mechanics. Wait then Fire is just icing on the cake. A

OEAO: 4th Massachusetts Line- The gold standard for a ranged squad, 4th Mass excel at throwing 4 attacks of 3 into targets at 6 range. A

Cleon: Tier 9 (9/208)

dok (VC-inclusive): A


Master Index
Building an army around the 4th Mass.
4th Massacre?
4th Mass Overated? No.
4th Weapons of Mass. Destruction
Unit Debate #2 -- Minutemen Vs. Militia
4th>10th
4th Mass Flowchart

Unit Strategy Review

- TBA

[Aranas]

Wait then Fire
An important thing to remember when using multiple squads of the 4th:
Even if you move only one member of the 4th, none of the other members will get the +1 attack bonus this turn.


Aranas

[riledguy]

Originally Posted by Aranas

Wait then Fire
An important thing to remember when using multiple squads of the 4th:
Even if you move only one member of the 4th, none of the other members will get the +1 attack bonus this turn.


Aranas

wow I had overlooked that...

Still I feel guilty drafting these guys lately especially on castle levels where 2 squads can line the castle so that none of them ever have to move. They just seem so good that is is cheap.

Last game with them they good Krug out in 1 turn as he approached the castle.

16 dice getting tossed at you from range is as brutal as a squad can get.

[philowar]

Originally Posted by riledguy

Still I feel guilty drafting these guys lately especially on castle levels where 2 squads can line the castle so that none of them ever have to move. They just seem so good that is is cheap.

Same here. I really like them, but we've had to stop drafting them (with or without castles) as they seem way too powerful for the points and whoever goes up against them gets routinely massacred. Two or three squads of 4th Mass seems nigh impossible to beat, even for Q9. Does anyone have any suggestions? How can these guys be overcome? I've tried the seemingly best solutions: Q9, Krav Maga, Elite Onyx Vipers, Drake, all to no avail.

Originally Posted by riledguy

16 dice getting tossed at you from range is as brutal as a squad can get.

Yeah, maybe if there were only 3 Minutemen per squad, but 4 (for 70 points!) is just insane. Marcus only makes things worse. I'm really surprised that there are so few posts in this thread as I've found the 4th Mass to be hands down the most deadly figures in the game.

Any help as to how to defeat these guys would be much appreciated. As it is they are unusable in our games.

[IAmBatman]

One thing about Marcus is that if they're using his soldier enhancement, they're not getting their all Valiant bonus, since Marcus is Disciplined. So basically they can choose to have one extra move or one extra defense die.
It seems like the AE (or anyone with 8 or higher range, really, so Syvarris, DED, and Q9 with his normal attack fit in here) has a good chance at taking out their points worth. The secret with the 4th Mass is to shoot them from out of range and make them move. That way they lose their attack bonus and possibly any height advantage bonuses. You have to make them play on your grounds, not vice versa.
Mimring is another one that might be worth taking a shot with, just don't get greedy. If they want to attack Mimring, make them move first, so keep him out of range and hit them one at a time. If they don't have the Valiant bonus and you hit them before they can get height advantage, they should go down fairly easily as individuals. If they have Raelin or someone else backing them, well that's just more points you can throw at them.
For a large group of 4th Mass, Drake makes a good clean up figure, because he can get there without taking shots, and he can kill them (though only one per turn) pretty easily with 6 attack die.
The real secret is just not to camp out within 6 spaces of these guys or let them get height advantage, though. If they're not getting bonuses, their base stats aren't that rough, they could even be considered mortal. So keep them moving, moving, moving!
Actually, since the 4th only have 6 range, the Krav should be a decent counter for a couple squads as well. 7 range and only needing 1 shield to block whenever one of the Mass rolls any skulls with their 2 attack dice should allow the Krav to stick around for long enough to get 100 points worth of kills, unless you're just having bad luck with rolls. Again, though (even if it matters less when you've got Stealth Dodge), don't let the 4th Mass attack with 3 die. It increases the chances they blank out, making defensive whiffs from the Krav less of an Achilles' Heel.

[IAmBatman]

That said, in Castles these guys are nigh invincible, especially if backed by hidden Raelin/Taelords. Captain America is also going to make these guys soooo much deadlier.

[Retlaw]

I like using these guys with the knights and Sir Gilbert. Makes a well balanced army with lots of synegies. For example:

2x Knights
2x 4th Mass
Sir Gilbert
385 points (for 400 pt games)

First couple of order markers almost always go on the Knights, which bond with Sir Gilbert, so use Jandar's Dispatch to move the 4th Mass, then move Sir Gibert, then Knights move (key is not to get Sir Gilbert out on his own -- don't move him his total 5, but keep him with or right behind the Knights so he can give them the attacke bonus). With some lucky rolls on Jandar's dispatch, you can get the 4th Mass in range to use the 3rd turn marker for them and since they didn't move on their turn, the get the wait then fire bonus.

For a 500 Point game either add:
Finn and Eldgrim, or
Sgt Drake, or
1x Sentinels

I prefer Finn/Eldrim -- gives two more for Knights to bond with and you can Use Eldgrim to get hold some glyphs early in the game and of course Finn can boost the Knights attack and once he falls he can boost Sir Gilbert's attack.

For a 600 Point game add Charos.

All of these are built around the "valiant" army theme which also helps the 4th Mass with the extra defense.

[DingoDarkly]

I love using these guys. Once you get height advantage and don't have to move you can easily get 4 attack each! Excellent.

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

That said, in Castles these guys are nigh invincible,

Just be careful not to overload the draft with too many Minutemen and forgo something with a longer ranged reach. A wicked counterdraft to a massive 4th Mass castle build-up is anything with multiple shots that outranges them.
I've had the pleasure of my Minutemen helplessly dying to Syvarris's arrows and there wasn't a thing they could do to get him.
I eventually had to send out some ground level Minutemen to hunt him down.

[DingoDarkly]

Originally Posted by Hex_Enduction_Hour

Just be careful not to overload the draft with too many Minutemen and forgo something with a longer ranged reach. A wicked counterdraft to a massive 4th Mass castle build-up is anything with multiple shots that outranges them.
I've had the pleasure of my Minutemen helplessly dying to Syvarris's arrows and there wasn't a thing they could do to get him.
I eventually had to send out some ground level Minutemen to hunt him down.

You are definitely right Hex. I've had this problem with out of range figures picking of my castle-top figures. It can be teedious.

[jcb231]

Originally Posted by philowar

Same here. I really like them, but we've had to stop drafting them (with or without castles) as they seem way too powerful for the points and whoever goes up against them gets routinely massacred. Two or three squads of 4th Mass seems nigh impossible to beat, even for Q9. Does anyone have any suggestions? How can these guys be overcome? I've tried the seemingly best solutions: Q9, Krav Maga, Elite Onyx Vipers, Drake, all to no avail.

Yeah, maybe if there were only 3 Minutemen per squad, but 4 (for 70 points!) is just insane. Marcus only makes things worse. I'm really surprised that there are so few posts in this thread as I've found the 4th Mass to be hands down the most deadly figures in the game.

Any help as to how to defeat these guys would be much appreciated. As it is they are unusable in our games.

They are easily beaten....the defense on them is so-so if they aren't in an all valiant army. The key is to make them move by outranging them, as others have said. Try to never enter their field of fire unless you absolutely have no choice or are using a range-resistant figure like Drake, EOVs, Krav Magas, etc. It can also be a good call to target Marcus or Taelord or whatever is boosting them before trying to kill the soldiers....assuming the booster is in range, of course.

Bottom line, make them move to you. Nobody says you have to be on the offensive all the time.

[Gothire]

Jandars_Hope wrote:

You are definitely right Hex. I've had this problem with out of range figures picking of my castle-top figures. It can be teedious.

Is that really a problem? In my first castle game (the standard scenario with the castle set; I was the attacker) I assumed I could conquer the castletop defenders by doing that. However, we found that with the battlements, I could never trace line of sight to the defenders! I tried every which angle and still couldn't do it, and as that scenario is timed, I had to rush in eventually and got slaughtered. Now, that's a double-height castle, so perhaps a single height castle would be easier to snipe at.

I've still never won as offence on that map. Granted, my opponent always drafted the Omnicrons and either Raelin or the defense Viking, or both (smart, but gets annoying fighting the same army time after time)