The Book of Airborne Elite

[Lord3]

A.E. seem to WRECK castle maps... especially if they drop early. I might even say UNSTOPPABLE.

Played a 500 pointer yesterday with one small fort for each team. The starting zones were BEHIND the forts, rather than in them. 500 point round A.E. dropped on the first turn, two of them onto the fortress walls, the other two near glyphs outside. Grenades wrecked them heavily, then they had elevation for the next round of attacks.

In the 1000 point game, they dropped in the second round . Same thing happened but my opponent spaced out his guys better, so the nades didn't do as well. A.E. all eventually died, but I won with 300+ points to spare.

With all the new and exiting units coming out, these guys are getting overlooked more and more. Methinks the E.I. might be a decent counter against an early drop, otherwise maybe monks.

[Rÿchean]

I made this entry in my blog but wanted it to be part of the Book of as well:

When I first started playing Heroscape, the Airborne Elite were my favorite unit. Their ability to take over and dominate a game was unmatched. They are still highly capable of such feats and are extremely scary to high cost Heroes, but additional range releases have toned down their overall effectiveness. However, they are still extremely dangerous and respected. Because they do not start on the battlefield, their success is always in doubt. They scream “Be Aggressive!” but their low defense make it a bit of a gamble. The Drop has to hit to even have a chance but even then you have to play them smart to get something out of them.

The Drop is the most challenging part of playing the AE, but without it you don’t have them at all. If you Drop them too close then they may not even get to attack. If you drop them too far then their slow movement hampers their ability to get up and rain down. Drop them on high ground and they are right out in plain view with huge targets on their backs. Drop them on lower, covered ground and their defense and movement become a liability. The Drop requires a plan and the AE require order markers. Because they can achieve instant optimal positioning, they are probably the most “Use ’em up” unit in the game. Here are some ways to deploy them once you do get the Drop:

• The Forward Drop – The most desired way to use the AE is to get an early drop, then smack your opponent around as much as possible before they die off. The idea behind a Forward or Offensive Drop is to get them on high ground and either just rain down the dice or move in for Grenade. In early game, the bulk or all of your opponent’s forces are still in the start zone, bunched up. High ground is not yet fully controlled by either army. This is usually the most coveted time to get the Drop, but don’t let your good fortune cloud your judgment. The most common drop mistake is not accounting for the AEs move value. I have seen players do it time and time again: They place the soldiers within Grenade range without accounting for their move value and then they lose 2-3 of them before they are even activated. These guys are already enough of a gamble; don’t play them like a gamble once they hit the board. If you are leaning towards early game Grenade, it is going to be a risk no matter what you do. You might want to consider having 2-3 within Grenade strike range instead of all 4. Be reasonable in your expectations and cautious with your deployment. While the opponent’s optimal Grenade target is probably the middle of their army, positioning your AE in such a manner to hit there may leave them extremely venerable if you lose initiative. Greedy Grenading can leave you with a squad of dead soldiers who never achieved their potential. If you get the early drop you definitely need to be aggressive but don’t lose your head. Make sure you place them at maximum distance (range + move) and take advantage of all cover and height you can. When using an offensive Drop, the AE are usually played out after 1 round; get all you can out of them!
  
  
• The Reinforcement Drop – A Reinforcement or Defensive Drop is usually mid to late game. Most of the high ground has been secured or at least contested. Your other forces are in position. You are looking to get your AE in a spot where they are supported by the rest of your army but still able to step up and do some damage. With each round that passes without the Drop, the more you need to be aware of what you might do with them. If possible, leave good landing spots for your AE, but don’t do so at the expense of the game itself; after all, they may not ever Drop. The preferred task of the AE is to establish high ground position and pick off key targets then reap havoc. With a defensive drop, you are mixing them into your existing army. The nice thing about a defensive or behind the lines drop is that the AE’s range allows them to do so. Most other ranged units (AE threats) operate from a shorter range, usually 6-7. Also, a behind the lines drop is a bit more attractive if Marcus D is in the mix. He enhances their movement enough for them to keep up and his juicy attack bonus can be difficult to counter when there are static forces out in front of the set up.
  
  
• The Split Drop – Having four AE to Drop does allow a player to split them into groups. Sometimes you may want a forward position for a couple of them but a defensive position for the others. This situation is usually in mid game when there are enough spaces left for some of the AE to do damage but not a decent spot for all 4 of them. You may end up placing a couple further back and a couple forward in hopes of getting some low hanging fruit or critical strikes while setting up to compliment your existing army / set up. A Split Drop is usually attempted when there are two or more key targets and/or objectives such as taking down a wounded Raelin and augmenting your current position or eradicating a glyph or two. You are basically hedging your bets: making a small, tactical offensive while working to reinforce your army.
  
  
• The Scattered Drop – This is not usually an optimal way to Drop them but there are always situations where it is your best bet. Sometimes a 4 corner style drop is favorable when facing a heavy hitter, especially if that threat is already in position. For example, when facing Braxas, you want to drop them so she can only get to 1 at a time but they can all shoot her. There are a number of situations that can call for erratic scattering of your AE. This can be similar in nature to the split drop, but really is a bit more unorthodox. These situations are usually specifically for taking out a dangerous central threat or securing multiple areas or hitting key targets. Often times these situations are when you are playing from behind or at least in a less than favorable position. You are trying to disrupt things a bit and present a whole new set of targets and threats to your opponent. The AE are certainly capable of turning a game. A Scattered Drop is sometimes just the thing to divide and conquer.

I didn’t mention the Grenade ability too much, but it is certainly a powerful component of the AE. However, when you compare their normal attack versus using the grenades, the normal attack is usually the more favorable course of action. Firing 4 times from the maximum range of 8 is most always the safer play. A bad round of Grenades can completely kill off your AE with nothing but a whimper. A bad round of normal attacks at maximum range doesn’t doom them nearly as much. I basically view the Grenades about the same as I do Water Clone for the Marro Warriors: it is nice to have but it isn’t what makes them so good. There are times when it is well worth the risk. Know your matchup and react accordingly, but more times than not, the AE will better serve you by hanging back at maximum height and range while picking the opponent apart.

One last thing, I do not ever recommend forgoing the Drop. If it hits, you need to be ready to use it right then. I have seen them not drop enough to know that passing up a successful Drop is flirting with disaster.

[Revdyer]

That's another great piece, Rÿchean. I've found that the undropped A.E.s can be a great place to put the Spirits of Finn and/or Thorgrim (Eldgrim, too, I suppose). If you aren't lucky enough to drop them early, but can drop them later in the game with an increased attack or defense, it can be devastating to your opponent.

[gorthan313]

I LOVE using these guys with the vikings! Eldgrim isn't as helpful as the other two, but the AE can always benefit from Thorgy's +1 defence, and dropping AE on height with Finn's bonus is so much fun!

[itscodyftw]

So uhm... would you roll defense bonus for height against lobs? Because the grenade is landing on the figure, but what about adjacent figures? they could be on a higher ground. Any clarification?

[Dualahorn]

You would determine height advantage between each individual defender and the thrower.

[Thorgrim]

I have an Airborne Elite story to tell. I was playing against a pretty hard army just today, including Sentinels, Raelin & Concan. My army had Braxas, 4th mass, and the airborne. Concan was rolling hot due to some unfortunate bonuses being strained against me, throwing a 7 attack roll on Braxas, all skulls, taking her out of the game due to previous wounds. Sentinels started to sweep the board taking out my 4th mass. At the end of the 5th round, I had one 4th mass trapped in a corner with 2 sentinels around him, waiting to lose initiative and the game outright. It looked so grim, but my Airborne had yet to drop. I hoped against hope that I would roll 13 or higher. It was now or never. Come on 13, COME ON!

I threw the die.

It rolled.

My opponent watches intently, as did I…

Zounds, 15! Yes! I was ecstatic! I won the game shortly after, as they were attacking with 5 dice per attack. Even sentinels don’t like that.

[oracle92]

Wait....Since these guys need no LOS, what's stopping them from grenading people from beneath an underhang, or appearing in front of a castle and grenading figures behind the fortress door?

[Rÿchean]

Originally Posted by oracle92

Wait....Since these guys need no LOS, what's stopping them from grenading people from beneath an underhang, or appearing in front of a castle and grenading figures behind the fortress door?

They must have a clear area to throw the grenade. Clear area is referenced in the ROTV rule book under the grenade examples, but it wasn't clearly defined.

You can read up on the discussion and subsequent rules interpretation here:

http://www.heroscapers.com/community...ad.php?t=24058

[Oh Yeah! I'm Here]

In my home, we play it that as long as it is not humanly possible to lob a grenade, the AE can throw it.

I'm new to the books, but I have one thing to say about the AE. They are like the vowels in the alphabet. Their drop is like an AE IOU. They may or may not get you it right away.

[Mr Migraine]

Originally Posted by Hogg

Do these guys count towards your starting zone limit?

[yamissflash]

Am I allowed to throw a gernade over a wall of 10 spaces
then over an under hang then loop backwards and hit him?
I dont think I could But I might ... Then the ae would kill..