Kolbjorn Public Playtesting

[kevindola]

-Figure Photo

Spoiler Alert!

Mini after boil & freeze to lower the cape:




The figure used for this unit is a PATHFINDER BATTLES figure from the KINGMAKER set. Its model name and number are [STAG LORD - 18].

Version 2 (6/13/22) Change to Call to the Hunt
Version 3 (7/29/22) Added 'unrevealed' to CttH

-text version of the card

Spoiler Alert!

NAME = KOLBJORN
GENERAL = ULLAR
PLANET = EARTH
SPECIES = HUMAN
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = TRIBESMAN
PERSONALITY = FEARSOME
SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM/5

LIFE = 5
MOVE = 5
RANGE = 6
ATTACK = 3
DEFENSE = 2
POINTS = 80

FEARSOME STALKER
After placing Order Markers each round, before rolling for initiative, if there is at least one Order Marker on Kolbjorn or another Tribesman Army Card you control, you may move Kolbjorn up to 3 spaces.

GIANT SLAYER
When Kolbjorn attacks a large or huge figure with a normal attack, add 1 attack die.

CALL TO THE HUNT
Once per round, before revealing a numbered Order Marker, you may choose any Hunter Army Card that has at least one figure you control within 8 spaces of Kolbjorn. Move any amount of unrevealed Order Markers onto that card from another card you control.

-Combinations and Synergies-


Synergy Benefits Received
- Mohican River Tribe: War Cry
As a Unique Tribesman Hero, Kolbjorn can take a turn after the Mohican River Tribe if two or more Mohican River Tribesmen are engaged at the end of their turn.

- Acolarh: Ullar's Amulet
As a figure that follows Ullar, Kolbjorn may move up to 2 additional spaces if he begins his turn adjacent to Acolarh.

- Kolbjorn & Other Tribesmen: Fearsome Stalker
If there is at least one order marker on any of the following figures, Kolbjorn may move up to 3 spaces at the start of the round:

• Kolbjorn
• Brave Arrow
• Makwa Tribesman

Synergy Benefits Offered
- Teeth of the Makwa: Hunting Party
As a Tribesman Hero, Kolbjorn allows up to 6 Teeth of the Makwa to move up to 3 spaces each after Kolbjorn takes a turn.

- Hunters: Call to the Hunt


Hunters:

• Arktos
• Death Chasers of Thesk
• Dzu-Teh
• Dünd
• Feral Troll
• Gladiatrons
• Grok Riders
• Himmelskralle
• Marro Drudge
• Master of the Hunt
• Quasatch Hunters
• Shadow Hound
• Teeth of the Makwa
• Van Nessing
• Varkaanan Darkclaws
• Varkaanan Greyspears
• Varkaanan Quickblades
• Varkaanan Swiftfangs
• Wolves of Badru
• Zettian Deathwings

Rulings and Clarifications:

Suggested R&C:
Q: After using Enslave to take a turn with an opponent's Kolbjorn, can I use Call to the Hunt after taking that turn to move order markers to a Hunter army card?
A: No. After taking a turn with Enslave, the card returns to its original owner, which comes before any "after taking a turn" effects. However, if you Enslave your own Kolbjorn, you can use Call to the Hunt after taking that turn.

[Blue Trails]

Does the Makwa Tribesman mentioned above have stats yet, or is it still in development?

[SchismaticSounds]

If Giant Slayer plays off of Giant Killer then should it not stay a bonus against only huge?
Makes me wonder what the difference is between the two both being Giant targets with Giant Slayer including Large Targets.

[kevindola]

Originally Posted by Blue Trails

Does the Makwa Tribesman mentioned above have stats yet, or is it still in development?

There is a version of the Tribesman out there. You can expect to see an announcement for a new Playtesting tournament very shortly. At that time if the Makwa Tribesman is going to be asked to be used with this unit we will put the stats/powers in there

[AndreThaGiant]

I couldn't help but notice that Sir Denrick's "Giant Killer" pertains exclusively to Huge figures, yet Kolbjorn's "Giant Slayer" affects both Large and Huge. Is that a potential discrepancy?

[SchismaticSounds]

edit: Card is now outdated

Prototype Card

Spoiler Alert!

[kevindola]

Newest version of card updated. Call to the Hunt modified

[Blue Trails]

When using Call to the Hunt, am I allowed to move revealed Order Markers? There's no explicit mention of unrevealed markers in the power's text, but this use seems unintentional, if harmless.

[Knox]

Originally Posted by Blue Trails

When using Call to the Hunt, am I allowed to move revealed Order Markers? There's no explicit mention of unrevealed markers in the power's text, but this use seems unintentional, if harmless.

It's not harmless. There are figures that get benefits if they have no unrevealed OMs on their card (or if they do have revealed OMs on their card). Kjollborn should probably be edited unless that's intentional

[Blue Trails]

Originally Posted by Knox

It's not harmless. There are figures that get benefits if they have no unrevealed OMs on their card (or if they do have revealed OMs on their card). Kjollborn should probably be edited unless that's intentional

Oh, that's a good point; I forgot about units like Shiori because I rarely see them in play. In that case, clarification would be more important than I had thought.

[kevindola]

Originally Posted by Blue Trails

When using Call to the Hunt, am I allowed to move revealed Order Markers? There's no explicit mention of unrevealed markers in the power's text, but this use seems unintentional, if harmless.

For now, yes you can. Looking forward to seeing the army ideas!

[Blue Trails]

550 points
Map: ZEPHYR
Glyph: Wannok

Army 1: Janos, C'Rik, Byrikon the Hiveless, Kolbjorn, Deathreavers x3, Arktos
Army 2: Gorillitroopers x4, Laglor, Marcu Esenwein

Which units survived?
Byrikon (2 wounds)
Kolbjorn
3 Deathreavers
Arktos

General Battle Report/Flow of game (be as detailed or general as you like)

Spoiler Alert!

Round 1:
Primadons win initiative. Deathreavers fan out while blocking access to level-4 height. Gorillitroopers slowly advance towards the hilly region while Laglor takes a perch near a jungle piece. Janos uses Expedition on OM3 to move the Mercenary-Explorer trio north.

Round 2:
The spacemen win initiative via Hivemind Integration and send some Deathreavers into engagement with the Gorillitrooper frontline; a single attack from height is unsuccessful. The Gorillitroopers destroy a rat as Janos leads his Expedition further into the crags, then fire on Janos and C'Rik to deal one wound to the former and two wounds to the latter as C'Rik's Holographic Projector fails to activate. Kolbjorn's Call to the Hunt moves the revealed OM2 from Janos to Arktos, allowing Janos to use Expedition again on OM3 and destroy a Gorillitrooper with his Tracking Fire Special Attack. The Gorillitroopers return fire, but C'Rik's Projector pulls Janos behind an outcrop to prematurely end their assault.

Round 3:
Primadons win initiative and send a pair of Gorillitroopers up the hill, using their Autocannons to gun down C'Rik in spite of his Projector and fire ineffectually at Janos. Deathreavers flow forwards to clog the Primadons' side of the map's central, level-2 plateau but cannot reach the two aggressive Gorillitroopers in time to prevent them from rushing the spacemen and dealing two wounds to Janos. The lead Explorer promptly destroys his assailant and uses Expedition to allow Byrikon to whiff against a Gorillitrooper. Janos then miraculously survives another 5-die Primadon attack before heading a second Expedition with the aid of Kolbjorn; one Gorillitrooper falls to the first shot of his SA and a second falls to Byrikon.

Round 4:
The spaceman army wins initiative and uses a squad of rats to engage Laglor and claim Wannok, nibbling a wound into the Alphallon in the process. The Gorillitroopers use Autocannons to unsuccessfully attack Janos, who destroys one via Tracking Fire. Laglor destroys a Deathreaver at the cost of two wounds from Byrikon, allowing a Gorillitrooper to engage the Insect Explorer and tragically miss his attack roll before dying to Janos. Marcu receives a wound from Wannok.

Round 5:
Primadons win initiative and destroy two Deathreavers, while Byrikon's failed attempt at a Rapid Response results in a single attack that inflicts a wound on Laglor; the Primadon Hero, who has received Order Markers 2 and 3, takes another wound disengaging a Deathreaver but destroys Janos with a well-placed Autoloader shot. Kolbjorn moves two OM's from the newly deceased Explorer to Arktos, enabling the wolf to reinforce Byrikon's position as Laglor destroy a rat. Marcu receives a wound from Wannok.

Round 6:
Kolbjorn creeps out of his start zone via Fearsome Stalker. The spacemen win initiative; Byrikon leaves his perch to destroy Laglor and waste the opposing army's first Order Marker, then immediately reverses course while taking a potshot at a 'Trooper. The rest of the round passes in a mutual volley of missed shots between Byrikon and the Gorillitroopers. Marcu is wounded by Wannok's power.

Round 7:
Kolbjorn takes level-2 height. The Primadons win initiative, exchange another futile barrage with Byrikon, and squash a rat. Kolbjorn Calls Arktos to the Hunt on OM3 for better firepower, leading to a destroyed 'Trooper. Wannok wounds Marcu.

Round 8:
Kolbjorn moves to the level-2 plateau. The Primadon army wins initiative and destroys two Deathreavers with a Gorillitrooper, but the resulting Scatter movement allows one rat to reach and wound Marcu while two others engage this lone 'Trooper. Marcu destroys a rat, healing one of his wounds, but he immediately and unceremoniously receives four more from Arktos and perishes. Wannok destroys the last Gorillitrooper

How useful were playtesting units' powers and how often did they come into play?
Janos:

Spoiler Alert!

TRACKING FIRE SPECIAL ATTACK: used five times; destroyed five Gorillitroopers.

EXPEDITION: used seven times; see C'Rik's and Kolbjorn's sections below for more information.

Normal Attack: never used.

C'Rik:

Spoiler Alert!

HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTOR 15: attempted five times; protected Janos from a Gorillitrooper's attack and pulled him out of another's range, but failed four times.

QUAARN ASSAULT: see normal attack below.

PHANTOM WALK: never used.

Normal Attack: never used.

Kolbjorn:

Spoiler Alert!

FEARSOME STALKER: used thrice to steadily establish a late-game presence.

GIANT SLAYER: inapplicable to this game.

CALL TO THE HUNT: used three times to move a revealed Order Marker from Janos's card to Arktos', thereby doubling the rate at which Janos could use his Expedition special power. Used once to save two Order Markers upon Janos's demise and twice to let Arktos take over for Byrikon, destroying a Gorillitrooper and Marcu Esenwein.

Any additional comments (theme, balance, fun factor with and against)?
Janos:

Spoiler Alert!

In comparison to a past iteration, TRACKING FIRE SPECIAL ATTACK's weakened first shot felt more like a formality then a respectable attack, accounting for only one of the five Gorillitroopers Janos destroyed. I never expected to attack multiple figures with this special attack, enabling a conservative playstyle that often positioned Janos with line of sight to only one viable target. I instead viewed it as a simple modification of the unit's normal attack: a trade of 1 Range for 1 Attack die with an extra step that grants a small chance to score a "free" wound.

The synergy between Janos's limited EXPEDITION and Kolbjorn's revamped CALL TO THE HUNT was not immediately apparent to me, but I couldn't resist trying to recreate the Rygarn-Janos engine once I realized the interaction's potential. Janos was able to establish a firm hold on the map's heights for the entire game, as the ability to lead two Expeditions per round while leaving a third Order Marker available for repositioning a rat screen translated to superb board control. The change in prerequisite from having no unrevealed Order Markers to having a single revealed OM somewhat restricted Janos's Expeditions by requiring a commitment of multiple Order Markers to his card, but this was offset by the flexibility of Kolbjorn's unlimited-range OM removal ability.

C'Rik:

Spoiler Alert!

C'Rik's utility was limited by an unfortunate blanked defense roll that incurred 3 wounds in the early game. Although the unit was destroyed shortly thereafter due to my slight overextension, HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTOR's successful protection of Janos from three Gorillitrooper shots warrants praise nonetheless.

Kolbjorn:

Spoiler Alert!

The unit's updated CALL TO THE HUNT power felt like a massive improvement over its previous incarnation, whose odd timing gave Kolbjorn's opponent an easy opportunity to react to the movement of Order Markers. I admittedly drafted the unit solely to utilize a certain combination of powers, but the opportunity to save "lost" Order Markers was a pleasant benefit, as was the ability to devise contingency plans to eliminate the risk associated with gambling on Byrikon's Rapid Response. Moreover, although he never received a chance to attack or use his GIANT SLAYER power, Kolbjorn remained a powerful factor in this game due to his ability to enable Janos's double EXPEDITION habit. I note that this use seems thematically jarring, though, as the act of "calling Arktos to the hunt" without giving him any way to participate in said hunt is counterintuitive. FEARSOME STALKER saw use only in the endgame, but free movement is always a positive.