Kings of War/Tactics/Brotherhood

Why Play Brotherhood?

You like Bretonnia, Azeroth, Arthurian legends, and water elementals. They can also be flavored as Catholic Militant Orders, such as the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller. The army book, oddly enough, also pictures Mongolian units from Fireforge Games in this section as Villein infantry. So, essentially, most human-types will work well for them.

Army Special Rules

• Valiant: This is identical to the Rallying! (1) special rule, except only Villeins can benefit from it. This effectively means if you field a Villein heavy force you add 1 to all their nerve values per Valiant unit up to a maximum of (2).

Unit Analysis

Hero

• Devoted: With Martyr's Prayer will keep your units around when the enemy is running away!

• Exemplar Adjutant: Standard bearer - re-roll failed checks within Inspiring range and has Valiant.

• Exemplar Forsaker: Winged death! Inspiring and Valiant.

• Exemplar Hunter: Inspiring, Valiant, monster killer!

• Exemplar of the Brotherhood: Valiant - but not inspiring - but cheap!

• Exemplar Redeemer: Sir Galahad! The Paladin's Paladin! Inspiring, Valiant, Regeneration (5) 5 attacks - deadly!

Infantry

• Order of the Brotherhood: Foot knights. This is your standard elite infantry unit. They're low on attacks and don't have much to make up for it. They do come with Headstrong, but their nerve isn't any better than most units of this kind so it likely won't even be relevant most of the time. They do have the army special rule Valiant, however, meaning they are intended to be taken in small numbers to boost their Villein friends around them. Use sparingly.

• Swain's Villein Rangers: Ranger Swain's unique unit. You can only have one of these and it's kind of all over the place. It comes with Elite, Inspiring (Villeins only), Piercing (1), Stealthy, and Vanguard. Their stat line isn't anything special at all, so you're paying more than twice the points of any other troop sized unit for those special rules. They get 10 attacks and hit on 4+ in both melee and ranged, with an abysmal defense score of 3+. Not a good unit and one that will cost you dearly when playing for victory points.

• Villein Bowmen: An odd ranged unit. Comes with Phalanx, Piercing (1), and Reload! Phalanx seems like a good thing on a ranged unit, although they only got 3+ defense so it's not doing much most of the time you end up in melee. They're pretty standard as bowmen go, but more importantly they're one of only three units in your army with a ranged attack (the others being a war engine and a living legend unit). If you want ranged, you're taking these guys.

• Villein Martyrs: A middle of the road infantry unit with Regeneration (6+). They also lack a waver value, which is a nice bonus. They're probably the best flak unit in the army, giving you a small survival bonus over most infantry with these two buffs. Good for throwing out into the fray when you want to lock something down for a bit.

• Villein Plowshares: Peasant levies with Crushing Strength (1). They've got a worse stat line than Villein Martyrs and cost more points, with the only bonus being slightly more attacks and Crushing Strength (1). At legion strength they're a big block of hard to kill infantry, but then everything that can be legion strength is. You're better served taking Villein Martyrs.

• Villein Spearmen: Your Phalanx peasant levies. They're actually your cheapest infantry unit, but other than being cheap they don't got a lot going for them. They also have abysmal nerve and will likely run after a single shooting or melee phase at anything less than horde strength. Not very good at all.

Large Infantry

• Water Elementals: Water elemental infantry to support your peasants and knights. They have Crushing Strength (1), Pathfinder, Regeneration (5+), and Shambling. They cannot be wavered and are decently tough. They also move faster than most large infantry and can be boosted with Surge by your Devoted. A solid beater unit that ignores most terrain and regains wounds every time it moves.

Cavalry

• Order of the Abyssal Hunt: Angry fellas, trading in Headstrong for Fury and Crushing Strength(1)+Thunderous Charge(1) instead of Thunderous Charge(2) for the low-low price of a few points and one lower defense than the vanilla Order of the Brotherhood cavalry. Well worth the extra points if you can swing them.

• Order of the Brotherhood: Yes, they come in a cavalry flavor too.

• Order of Redemption: You haven't even seen my final form! Baddest dudes on the block on horseback, Regeneration(5) and Defense 5 make them a tough unit to drop. They trade in Valiant for Inspiring, great if you don't want to mess around with Villeins. Being Irregular and fairly pricey hurts a bit though.

• Villein Initiates: Knight trainees, these guys haven't yet earned their stripes but are a solid budget cavalry choice and if you can get a Valiant bubble around them then they have a solid Nerve for the points. Don't bother with characters to up their nerve since you may as well just buy their big brothers instead.

• Villein Reconnoiterer: Knight trainee washouts, these guys are quick and great chaffe for the hitters coming in behind them or camping objectives, although even one or two shots will do them in.

Large Cavalry

• Order of the Forsaken: Pegasus knights, although they were also described as aquatic knights in the beta list. Comes standard with Fly, Headstrong, Thunderous Charge (2), and Valiant. Very hard hitting and mobile, but also very expensive. These will demolish most anything they come into contact with at horde strength, but at that strength they are the most expensive unit in the entire army. You're not going to spam these knights, so if you take one you need to treat it as a flying monster and not as a cavalry unit when used.

Monsters

• Forsaken Beast: Think of any abandoned animal - put it here - but bigger and badder and not happy about being "forsaken"! This is a great all-around, multi-role unit. They have the option to add Regeneration (5), Breath Attack (10), Ensnare, and Vicious (re-roll 1's on damage attempt). (This will make you think about being nice to animals and being responsible when you adopt at your local SPCA!:P)

• Greater Water Elemental: Like the Water Elementals, but with more Crushing Strength and less attacks. Use in tandem with Water Elementals - Water Elementals charge into the front, Greater Water Elemental surge into the flank.

War Engines

• Villein Ballista: The cheaper of your two artillery options. This one gets a single shot that hits on a 5+ with Blast (D3+2), Piercing (3), and Reload! This isn't great as you're only hitting about a third of the time, so make sure you take multiple, and it routs on a nerve of 12.

• Villein Siege Artillery: The more expensive artillery option. This one still only has a single shot that hits on a 5+, but it bumps up to Blast (D6+2), Indirect, Piercing (3), and Reload! Slightly better worse damage output per point compared to the Ballista, but still better than any other War Engine with Indirect special rule. It only hits about a third of the time and will likely rout after one round of shots on it.

Tactics

Lots of fast, hard-hitting cavalry with survivability and surprisingly decent infantry - bows included - will ruin someone's day. Devoted with Marty's Prayer will keep your army going when others are routing.