Warhammer Army Project/Albion

This article needs rules updates. Upgrade plz.

Albion: Warhammer Army Project, 8th Edition Tactica

(JackInTheBox - Please excuse the incomplete nature of the page, still a WIP doing the write up - update as of ed 1.23)

Created by Mathias Eliasson, this project was a homebrew attempt at giving many of the nations and factions that never got Armybooks of their own (and those left behind and never got one in 8th Edition) such a thing.

It should also be noted that Eliasson is constantly updating his work, so don't expect this page to stay current forever.

Why Play WAP Albion

You love the stereotypes of Warhammer: German Empire, French Bretonnians, Spanish Estalians, etc. But you want something different, something with a little woad. Something that says "I can't tell the difference between Celtic Britain, Scottish Highlanders and Fairy Stories and couldn't care less." You want a wide selection of Infantry, living chariot units and some weird faerie unit choices to boot, but don't wanna be an Elf. You want to run your army naked, screaming, and painted blue in your enemies' faces. You want Albion.

Pros

• War Fury gives your units improved alpha strike in close combat.
• Lots of access to Ward Saves through Woad paint and their unique Lore.
• The Lore of the Truthsayers is a great buff Lore.
• Pretty good magical abilities in general as well, including a Sisters of the Thorn style unit made up of Druids that can cast 2 Lore of Life spells.
• Fairies, Mammoths, and a fold-up flying Chariot.
• Access to a cheap Special unit that does Araloths Bird attack but does not suck at it.
• Has a Hero choice that is essentially Bragg the Gutsman but actually playable.
• A diverse and interesting Special section.
• Their faction leader character can make herself invulnerable to all forms of damage the enemy can throw at her for a turn allowing her to wreck that Chaos/Vampire Lord.
• you like giants

Cons

• War Fury reduces your chance of passing breaktests to stay in combat.
• A pretty mediocre Rare section. (but lots of giants)
• The Lore of the Truthsayers' Signature spell only works on specific units. (Has since been changed to "Blessings of Valor", arguably removing the con)
• Low Armour saves.
• Even though according to the lore you should have Old One relics, you don't.
• you are required to buy humans models to use your Sons of Behemat collection

Special Rules

• War Fury: All units with this rule can re-roll failed charge distances and gain Hatred special rules on any turn they declare a charge or pursue a fleeing enemy. This lasts until the end of the turn. However, the models suffer an additional -1 to their leadership when taking break tests.
  • You're either breaking your enemy or going to lose badly in combat. Consider making use of the various ways the army has of modifying combat resolution or Leadership in your favor to offset this drawback.
  • War Fury does not make you lose, it only gives nastier consequences if you do.

• Woad Paint: Any model with Woad Paint gets a 6+ Ward Save. Bear in mind though you can't stack a Ward to better than a 4+, but getting that 4+ is actually pretty easy for you a lot of the time.
  • Take on everything!! No really, take it. It combines with parry saves to make your units surprisingly hard to knock off in combat and one of your Lore's best spells makes it even tougher. For characters, it adds extra protection without taking up your Magic Items allowance.

• Tribal Affiliation: like Nippon clans, Affiliation is the new sub-factions army bonus. Tribal affiliations can't be mixed in an army, and it is usually good to pick one for at least a few units.
  • Fir Domain: +1 armour save when using shields. Effectively gives unarmoured troops Light Armour and anyone with that already gets Medium Armour for what is usually a point a model. Considering how bad the saves on our units normally are, this is worth taking fairly often to shore up the fragile nature of the army.
  • Sessair: get dark elf MURDEROUS PROWESS. Models re-roll 1's to wound in CC. Anything that chucks out a bunch of dice like Swordmaidens or Woad Raiders loves this, giving them a bit of extra punch up close.
  • Finians: Roll 3d6 for panic and Break test and discard the highest dice rolled (so you get to pretend to be a Lizardman). A good bonus to hold the line longer despite the drawback of War Fury and the general squishy nature of most of your units making protracted combat a problematic situation.
  • Falians: Infantry May deploy as ambushers, and get +1 to Hit in combat when in flank or rear (excluding mounts).

Magic

Truthsayers, Like basically everyone else, the Albion have their own wizard lore that acts like Druidism. This lore is a hybrid between Light/Beasts/Life with a heavy focus on the augments, so a buff army is the play of the day. Always try to grab Light of Battle, but no spell in the Lore is bad except the signature, which is more just situational than anything (and Voice of Command if you are fighting that one guy at your local who plays Tomb Kings).

The Lore of the Truthsayers

Lore Attribute: Mists of Albion: Whenever a spell from the Lore of the Truthsayers is cast on a friendly unit, enemy units targeting that unit suffer -1 To Hit with missile weapons until the start of the caster's next turn. With how fragile a lot of your units are base, any defensive buff you can get is nice, especially since this is effectively a free side effect of the spell.

• Blessing of Valour (Signature Spell): (6/12) Blessing of Valour is an augment spell with a range of 24". The unit gets +1 To Hit with shooting and close combat attacks. The Wizard can choose to have this spell affect all friendly units within 12". If he does so, the casting value is increased to 12+.
  • A good buff that helps gain that vital first-round victory in close combat, and at 6+, it's easy enough to cast that you usually won't have to worry about it.

1. Elemental Power: (5+) Elemental Power is an augment spell with a range of 24" that affects Fenbeasts, Fenhulks, or Viridian Lords. The unit immediately regains D3 Wounds worth of lost models or can make an additional normal move. It goes without saying that this spell is of no use unless you are taking any of these units. However, if you have those units, it's an easy cast to both replenish the expensive models or get them closer to battle and give them some resistance to ranged attack via the lore attribute. So if you have the units to use it on, it's there.
2. Wings of Fate: (6/12) Wings of Fate is a magic missile with a range of 24" and causes 3D6 Strength 2 hits (6D6 if overcast). Your equivalent to Beasts' Flock of Doom, not that strong but nice to soften up enemy ranged units camping at the back.
3. Gift of Life: (6/12) Gift of Life is an augment spell that affects all friendly units within 12". Each unit within this range resurrects 1 wound worth of slain models in the same manner as Regrowth from the lore of Life (D3 if overcast). This spell does not affect war machines (but it can restore a lost crew member), nor can it bring back a destroyed unit. A mini healing nuke that heals Fenbeasts better than Elemental power does (although Elemental Power is a bit easier to get off).
   • Its boosted version is an excellent way to give your whole army the Mists of Albion boost.
4. Shield of Light: (10/13) AKA the best defensive spell in this entire lore. Light of Protection is an augment spell with a range of 18" (36 if overcast). The unit receives a 5+ Ward save until the caster's next Magic phase. This spell will be your bread and butter; combine it with Woad Paint for a sweet 4+ Ward Save, which makes your troops very survivable when combined with the Lore Attribute. Be wary, a savvy opponent will try and stop this at all costs.
5. Boon of Courage: (12/24) Boon of Courage is an augment spell with a range of 24". The unit is Unbreakable until the caster's next Magic phase starts. If cast on a fleeing unit, the unit immediately rallies, regardless of how many models are left in it. The Wizard can choose to have this spell affect all friendly units within 12". If he does so, the casting value is increased to 24+. Cast on a unit stuck in prolonged combat to keep them steady. Basically Light of Battle from the lore of Light, but in this army with the way War Fury screws your morale in combat, it's actually rather useful...if only you didn't need a minimum Level 3 on a caster in order to know it.
6. Voice of Command: (13/16) Voice of Command is a hex spell with a range of 24" (48" if overcast). The unit immediately loses all its fighting spirit. The affected unit cannot voluntarily move in its Movement phase or shoot in its next Shooting phase. In the right situation, it can be great, and while they lose their fighting spirit, they don't appear to do so if in combat... Expensive spell, too - so it is a bit of a risk. You need to roll high on the winds of magic and cast before the enemy reaches you.

Artefacts of Albion

Your standard mix of some meh items that are mostly situational and others that are blatantly powerful.

• Gai Dearg, The Sun Spear: Magic Weapon, 100pts. The big 100 point item is a Spear that grants +1 Strength and hits automatically (both bonuses apply in close combat and in shooting). On top of this, it can be thrown 8" and is quick to fire with the hit being resolved like a Bolt Thrower.
  • Though expensive, due to the availability of Ward Saves through Woad Paint and the spell Light of Battle buffing Ward saves means that if managed correctly, the Warleader armed with it will not be completely defenseless.

• Fragarach, The Answerer: Magic Weapon, 75pts. Ignores Armour saves, and for every Wound caused, the enemy model has to pass a toughness test or suffer an additional Wound (the way it is worded implies these keep generating additional tests). In addition, the wielder may cast Wind Blast as a Bound Spell at Power Level 3+. The ignores armour effect alone would cost 50pts in the BRB (which is admittedly over cost given how prevalent Ward Saves are in 8th), so for an additional 25pts, you get the ability to cause additional wounds and cast a Bound Spell that can easily be used to troll the enemy.
  • This still leaves a Warleader with 25pts to spend, so grab a Talisman of Protection to give a 6+ Ward save (along with Woad Paint which can combine to give 5+).

• White Hilt: Magic Weapon, 30pts. A Great Weapon with Flaming Attacks and rerolls failed To Wound rolls against models with Toughness 5 or more. Situational and can sometimes be counterproductive given how common 2+ Ward Saves against Flaming Attacks are. For Monster hunting, The Whetstone of Tudwal Tudglyd and the Banner of the Sun King are better. But it is still fairly cheap and leaves room to buy extra protection.
  • This weapon is only better against a small group of things that are T5+ and are Flammable such as Wood Elf Treekin and Treemen. Only bring if you know you are facing these sorts of units.

• The Ear of Beauty Magic Armour, 50pts. A Shield that grants a 4+ Parry Save that also grants the bearer an additional immediate attack for every save the wielder makes in Close Combat (Not just successful Parry Saves). Combine with an Ogre Blade and Woad Paint for extra troll as your Warleader spits out consistently high numbers of Str 6 attacks in combat. Be afraid of any opponents who see this combination coming and simply take him down with shooting attacks.

• The Triskele: Talisman. 50pts. Druid or Truthsayer only. A must-have and fluffy option that grants the Truthsayer a 5+ Ward save and Magic Resistance (2) while not being a unique item, so you can have as many as you want. This item costs only 5pts more than a Talisman of Preservation. Combine with Woad Paint or Light of Battle if you are worried about not having a 4+ Ward Save.

• Staff of Light: Arcane Item, 40pts. +1 to Dispel attempts and +1 to all attempts to channel Dispel Dice. This on an Lv4 Truthsayer will take its toll on the enemies casting phase, especially against low-level Wizards. This item would work well with the Triskele's protection as having the Staff of Light. You are painting a bigger target than usual on the wizard's head.

• Cauldron of Rebirth: Enchanted Item, 75pts. The bearer's unit regenerates D3 Wounds worth of models at the start of your magic phase but restored models can not bestow their Leadership onto the unit. This item is over-costed with the only way it will make its money back is in a large unit of high points models such as Hearthguard, Sword Maidens, Neophytes, Warriors of Danu, and Horse Warriors. It also has the drawback of taking most of a Lord's magic allowance.
  • Combine with Gift of Life and Regrowth for a never-ending tarpit.

• The Chariot of Morgan Mwynfawr: Enchanted Item, 60pts. A model equipped with this can transform it into a Chariot with Fly at the start of any of his turn with the ability to turn back at the beginning of another turn. This is at the cost of joining other units. As a regular Chariot costs 50pts, this may be worth it if you intend to bring a Warleader on a Chariot and don't intend to kit him out with much. The main drawback is that it eats into your magic items allowance but given the ease of acquiring Ward Saves through other means in this army, this is not as big of a drawback as it would be elsewhere. Still mostly a skip.

• The Whetstone of Tudwal Tudglyd: Enchanted Item, 50pts. The bearer gains Multiple Wounds (D6) to his melee attacks which do not apply to Magical Weapons. Overall it can be pretty useful but is arguably expensive, and where the Whetstone is an Enchanted Item, it cheats you out of many potential combos.
  • A Great Weapon is a good weapon for a monster-hunting Chieftain with the Whetstone.
  • One fascinating combo is to have the bearer camp out in the same unit as the Banner of the Sun King to allow the Whetstones carrier to wound anything on at least a 4+. Send him against high toughness Monsters and Characters
    • Alternate opinion: This combo does not need the Whetstone as a large enough unit of Tribal Warriors could drown most monsters in attacks, with the only drawback being that it may take slightly longer.

• Banner of the Sun King: Magic Standard, 60pts. All models in a unit with this banner will always wound on at least a 3+ in close combat by itself is good and will result in anything big and lacking armour simply melting away. But the standard comes with the additional ability to grant D3 to combat resolution helping to overcome the weakness of War Fury by breaking the enemy quickly. Virtually a must-have item.

Army Units

Lords & Heroes

Named Characters

• Gwenlaen, the Warrior Queen: : Your faction leader character of the Sessair tribe, she has the same statline as a Warleader but has 1 extra attack. All friendly units within 12" may reroll failed Psychology tests and automatically pass Rally tests (Great if War Fury resulted in your unit suffering). She only has a 5+ Armour and a 6+ Ward saves, but she has 2 Magic items which boost her defense substantially. The first forces the enemy to reroll all successful rolls to Wound against her for both shooting and close combat. The other is the Torc of Protection which can be used once per game at the start of any phase to make her impossible to harm with any Spell, Shooting, or Close Combat attack until the end of the turn. Her sword gives +2S and the Devastating Charge Special Rule. A character with near unparalleled protection (send her against that Chaos Lord) her Magic items are impossible to recreate on a generic Warleader well worth the 250 points if possible put her on a Warhorse as her items don't apply to the Chariot.

• Dural Durak, Leader of the Council: Your uber-powerful caster Lord. He costs 355 pts and is an Lv4 Wizard with access to the Lore of Life, Beasts, and Truthsayers. He comes equipped with a Triskele and Woad Paint, which on a Generic Truthsayer would cost 310pts, so for 55pts, you are paying for his unique arcane item, the Heartwood Staff, which gives him +1 to Cast and +2 to cast if he is within 6" of a forest. He also has the special rule High Druid allowing him to reroll all power dice when casting a spell once per turn unless the irresistible force was the result which combined makes him very good at getting spells off.
  • His item and Special rule are, in my view, worth the extra cost for such a powerful caster who packs a considerable amount of protection.

• Morrigan, the Phantom Queen: 305 pts Morrigan is excellent in an Albion list as she's great at helping you make the most of War Fury. She imposes -2 LD, 1 from Fear, 1 from her aura, and buffs friendly units within 8" with 1+ to hit. If you want to get a charge off with another unit, cast Doom and Darkness from the Lore of Death, preferably Spirit Leeching their Magic Weapon carrying character, then charge her in (she's fast) for -5 LD to whatever she touches. This and the 1+ to hit means that she's very good at helping your dudes win combats quickly, like Albion wants to, and then pursue when they almost certainly break (seriously, an LD9 model has to take break tests on LD4 if she's fighting them with Doom and Darkness, that's a 2/3rds chance of fleeing) and then she can pursue well and run them down. Although she gets a -1 to hit, "Look Out Sir!"(+4), and Ward(4+), she can still be targeted by ranged attacks like any flying wizard. If you're having trouble with her getting sniped, she can join units, but she will lose out on her mobility. As for spells, I personally like the Spirit Leech/Doom and Darkness combo to make enemies break easily and assassin magic characters, but you could also take other debuffs from Shadow and Deathlike Soulblight or Enfeebling Foe or The Withering or Melkoth's to help you win combats, as I mildly overlooked that when assuming the enemy would break, she's also Albion's only source of "Pit of Shades" which is handy against Dwarfs and Lizardmen, two low I armies that Albion struggles with. Remember, she gets Flock of Doom for free, as a spell, and as free melee attacks, which along with her mobility, means she can charge those magical Dwarf cannons and win the combat.

• Agum the Watcher: 250pts. He is a slightly better giant, given he is less likely to drop his rock when throwing it. However, he has no other advantages to justify taking up so much of your Lord's 25% allocation. On the other hand, you can take 3 giants in a 2500 point game, or free up points to buy more things from the rare section. But he can't be the general.

• Cormac Chath: 180pts. A shock infantry Character of the Fir Domain. His Hero of Albion rule gives all friendly units within 6" (Note it says the unit, so this can stack pretty high +1 to combat resolution for EVERY unsaved Wound Cormac makes, pay attention to the fact it says Wound not kill. This is important as his Great Weapon deals D3 Wounds which, when combined with his Hero of Albion rule (and his 4 attacks due to Frenzy) he can help guarantee success in that vital first round of combat. Defensively he has a 4+ armour save and a 5+ Ward Save (6+ from his Magic Armour with a +1 due to Woad) and the enemy suffers -1 to Wound. Overall a good Melee warrior who will help lessen the likelihood of prolonged combat. His cost of 180 is reasonable for a Hero costing more than many other armies' unique Lords (the only thing that sets him apart from a Lord is being 2W and being LD 8), so not an instant take, but he has good potential as a force multiplier. Stick him in a unit with the Banner of the Sun King for a Death Star that will break the enemy.

• Conor Mac Feud: 175pts. A parody of Connor MacLeod of Highlander of the Finian tribe, he's an impressive hero that excels at duels. Conor is also pretty much what Bragg the Gutsman from the Ogre Kingdoms would look like if he were any good (and a Human with 1 less Wound). His special rules grant him has Heroic Killing Blow when in challenges and the ability to designate a nemesis that, if he kills, gives you 100 move victory points but at the cost of him having to accept and issue challenges. He also has a 4+ Ward Save against all attacks except successful Killing Bows, while his sword allows him to reroll all failed To Hit and To Wound rolls. He is a good character hunter. Though his 175 points may be a touch high, he only needs to kill 1 enemy Hero to be worth it. (Still cheaper and more effective than Bragg, so if you are fighting Ogres, I would bring him to annoy my opponent, also because his HKB is well suited to fighting Ogres)

• Amanthas, the Huntress: 115pts. She wants to start the turn as close as possible the point-blank them in the face. Able to scout up to away from the enemy, snipe with a Strong Killing Blow bow, can't be marched blocked, and can fire and march. For 115pts, She wants to get up close as possible and snipe enemy heroes, especially linchpin wizards.

• Roth Maclyr: 200pts. Warrior of Sessair and a champion of Danu. His higher leadership makes him more likely to turn into his spasm form and bost a killing blow ignore armour Great weapon to complement his strength.

Generic Characters

• Warleaders: These guys are Albion's main generic Lord, with a decent statline of M4, WS6, BS5, S4, T4, W3, I6, A4, and Ld9 (somewhere between an Empire character and a lesser Chaos one). They have the ability War Cry, letting all friendly units within 6" from a given Hero or 12" from a given Lord with War Cry add an extra D3" to their charge range - really useful in helping Albion get the most out of their War Fury. Have the option of taking Shieldbearers (which still allows you to join infantry units), Warhorse, Chariot - and the Mastodon, if you want to go all in. Plus some generic upgrades (weapons, shield, woad).

• Chieftain: For a cheaper hero (60 pts) with a statline of M4, WS5, BS5, S4, T4, W2, I5, A3, and Ld8, and some fewer options (no Mastodon, 50 points of magic items), for a perfectly respectable leader. Useful as a general-style character or a minor leader in bigger armies, making sure the army has access to War Cry. It can be outfitted into any number of builds...and you're probably going to have one lug around your battle standard too, which is slightly more critical due to that -1 to break tests you have.

• Truthsayer/Wyrd Druid: (220/80p) A generic wizard who is a little expensive compared to other factions but will beat up said other wizards for their lunch money with his WS, S, and I of 4 (the Lord version also has T4 and an extra attack). With the lores available to him (Life, Light, Beasts, and Truthsayers), it's primarily defensive and support options with the odd offensive spell if you want to spice things up a little, and if you take the Lord version, they can buy the Triskele, a non-unique magic item (IE any Truthsayer can carry one) that gives a 5+ Ward (4+ because you're going to take Woad Paint) and a whopping 3 pips of Magic Resistance.

Mounts

• Shieldbearers: Put a Warleader atop a Hearthguard champion. Dirt cheap and gives you a couple of extra S4 attacks in combat and +2 unit Strength, so not a bad investment if you have some spare points kicking around.

• Warhorse: It's a horse, reasonably self-explanatory. Consider that the only Cavalry unit we have is Horse Warriors, which are a little squishy. You can also run down a lot of units with them effortlessly; if you stick a beatstick character in there, do it anyway.

• Chariot: Pretend you're a Tomb King by rolling around in a unit of Chariots. Absolutely destructive on the charge and guaranteed to attract a staggering amount of missile fire if you stick an expensive character in here.

• Mastodon: Warleader only. medium-sized prehistoric elephant! It's big, fat, slow (still M6"), and pretty tanky, does D6+1 Impact Hits to any unfortunate sod that it charges, and has the exact same stats as a Stegadon.

Core Units

• Warband Warriors: Your cheap basic infantry. 4 points a model, coming pre-equipped with hand weapons and shields. The Empire's Swordsman costs 1 more point per model, but the Imperials have light armour. Have the option to take spears (to deter enemy charges or get a few more supporting hits) or great weapons (if you want to tackle heavier units, also good on a small unit for surprise flank charges against stuff you're holding up with a bigger block) for 1 point. In addition, for a single point a model, they can carry Javelins...without losing their other weapon, and thanks to 9th Ed's change to Quick to Fire, throw them on the charge for some extra Armour Piercing (1) attacks. So pretty good overall, a solid unit, a little squishy, but you can mitigate this with the plethora of defensive magic you have available and the Fir Domain allegiance to get a slightly better Armour Save. Although they are cheap enough to tarpit, War Fury can backfire spectacularly in this mode.

• Woad Raiders: The premium infantry, with 4 more points than Woad painted Warriors, you also get Frenzy the 6+ ward woad paint and +1 Weapon Skill. They can opt to swap shields for paired hand weapons (which will murder lighter troops thanks to Frenzy and weight of dice) or get spears. Pretty standard and reasonably costly. These are the guys you want chasing down the enemy or flank charging something you've locked up with a brick of warriors. These fellas also love the Sessair allegiance since they can chuck out a lot of dice with Frenzy, and the extra chance to wound helps them more than the other Albion core units.

• Youngbloods: She's my little youngblood... (Eh, Green Day reference? Anybody? Nope? Moving on.) These guys are skirmishers, and they can make sub-par tarpits for 6 points a pop when needed. They can carry either Javelins or Slings to harass enemy units from a bit of way away, and since both have Armour Piercing (1), they're not as ineffectual against heavier troops as you might think. You can also buy them shields for a measly point per model, making them surprisingly hard to kill with missile fire if they're Fir Domain, getting a 4+ save against attacks from the front. In addition, they can't take the Woad Paint that most of your units can, making them a little squishier.

• War Hounds: A mixed unit of Dogs and handlers. You deploy these guys, and they can act like light cavalry skirmishers. Hunt down war machines gets someone in the way to block the charging vector to save a more valuable unit. They are cheap as chips and can usually drive off skirmishers and the like...but they die like flies to just about any return attacks. 6 points plus 3 points per hound handler tax for a 7" movement ain't bad in a pinch.

• Aonbarr Horse Warrior: Standard light cavalry. At 13 points, you get what you pay for - a dude on a horse with an extra point of leadership and WS. You can add the normal Woad, javelins, spears, and LT Armor. An above-average unit that feels pulled out of the Tomb Kings book. They are pretty fast, so Vanguard move is something you can do.

• Chariot: Like the Cavalry, it feels like we're borrowing from the Tomb Kings book. In the same way, these guys are great - 50 pts a pop, extra armor saves, attacks like a champ, and charges as usual. You can also take Scythes for a small cost per model to give them a free extra impact hit (D6+1 instead of the normal D6), making them nasty on the assault. These guys win fights for you.

Special Units

This is where the real meat of the army is: a nice mixture of brutal hammer units and some surprisingly alright anvils in an army with the average defensive consistency of wet tissue paper.

• Hearthguard: Bodyguards, and the first infantry you'd want at the core of your army. For more than double the price of Warband dudes, you get Light Armour, Stubborn, an extra point of WS, S, I, and Ld. Option to get Great Weapons to hit at S6 in the first round of combat (the most crucial round for Albion units anyway). These badasses hold the line but will be a tempting target for enemy missile fire

• Swordmaidens: Same price as Hearthguard, but with some trades. We trade Lt Armour, a Shield for a Great Weapon, and a Strength point for Woad Paint and Devastating Charge. They're a glass cannon with 2 Greatsword attacks, each on the charge but reasonably costly.

• Druid Neophytes: Imagine if you took a caster unit, chopped it up, and spread it into a unit. That's what the Druid Neophytes are, and then some. They're treated as a Level 2 Life wizard with Awakening of the Wood and Shield of Thorns (somewhat situational damage spells but not bad) and get an extra +1 to cast (to a maximum of +3) for every five models in the unit. They're also Skirmishers for some protection from missile weapons. The best-case use is as power dice generators for your Soothsayers, while casting their mediocre spell to trigger LIFEBLOOM and heal monsters and characters.

• Hunters: At 8 pts per model, they are your standard Special archer unit with BS4 on the unit with the Champion having BS5. They can swap their javelins for bows for 1 point, kind of meh (but they are Scouts if you wanted to get up in someone's face and pepper them with BS4 Javelins). But the exciting option is that for 3pts each, they can take War Hawks. Each Hawk provides an additional S3 shooting attack with infinite range and hits if the target fails a WS test. Hunters are your Warmachine killer unit as Warmachine automatically fails WS tests the Hawks hit automatically. If you are against a Warmachine-heavy army, take multiple units of 5-10 Hunters with only the Hawk upgrade, this makes your Monsters and Monstrous infantry more viable.

• Warriors of Danu: The most blatant of the many blatant Slaine rip-offs, "blessed" warriors who shapeshift into monstrous forms when in battle. Mathias forced them pass a Ld test to spasm, but it was not so good, so now always in hulk form. They act like mini-half giants. They come with Great Weapons, at S7, they will murder most high-T foes. Half-giants, Swordmaidens, and Hearthguard can also fill the elite great weapon role, so these guys mostly just come down to personal preference: The in-between man of more numerous can-openers and the expensive fast wall that are half-giants. They tend to perform a bit better against bigger stuff thanks to having a potential S7 and can hit at I3 even with the -2 bonus, but they cost a little more per model.

• Half Giants: Monstrous Infantry with War Fury and Fear. 34 points a model, 3 models a rank. With shields, they can carry Polearms or Great Weapons with their 5 Strength, making them great can openers against stuff like Dwarf heavy infantry or Chaos Warriors, and can buy Woad Paint.
  • These suckers are tough beasts, basically, Ogres fighting for Albion, but with access to Woad Paint. Good vanilla, and better with serious point investment. A solid brick of these fellas can squash a decent amount of stuff. Just watch out for their crappy defenses with only a shield and option Woad Paint to speak of. Use them as you would any other Monstrous Infantry Unit. For models, use Ogre Kingdoms infantry with a Celtic flair. They're the right size, fit the role with minor additions, or use Mierce models.

• Pixie Swarms: At 40pts each, these swarms are incredibly underpriced. They have a Ward save(5+), 10 wounds, Initiative 5, and Leadership 8. But their main attraction is their Befuddling Glamour special rule which forces all enemy units within 12" and line of sight to make a Leadership test at the start of their turn or be forced to move straight towards the Pixies as if they failed a Stupidity test. Use them in the center of your army to disrupt the enemies' front-line units to allow your main forces flank charges. They have several downsides. The first is that they are only T1, but as long as you keep them away from Magic and avoid bad combats, they should be fine. The 2nd downside is that their Glamour rule does not work on any unit that is Immune to Psychology, so against certain armies, they lose a lot of their usefulness. The final downside is that their ability won't come into effect too often as the enemy will usually be within their general's Inspiring Presence, so you should never rely on it working, but the threat of it working can force your opponent to be more cautious just in case. You could use spirit Hostsd to represent some especially angry Pixies.

• Fenbeasts: 38pts each and require you to take at least 1 Caster to bring. These guys in the lore are the signature unit of Albion, and they are... alright. Each has W4 S5 T5 A3, Fear, Regeneration, Unbreakable, and Unstable. They have Stupidity, but their LD of 8 will help with that. They benefit from the Lore of the Truthsayers Signature Spell, allowing them to recover D3 Wounds. You can also purchase one of four upgrades for the unit: +1 Attack (never a bad thing), +1 Strength in a turn in which a Life spell was cast within 12" (Druid Neophytes always have Life spells even if you take other lores on characters), reroll Regeneration saves of 1 (making them obnoxious to try and remove without flaming attacks), or -1 WS/BS to enemy attacks against them (situational compared to the boosted Regeneration). Assuming they don't explode from Instability, these fat fucks are pretty obnoxious to try and kill with an obscene toughness of 5 and FOUR wounds each, making Ogres everywhere both jealous and hateful towards you: they have a pretty sucky WS of 3, though, so beware of anything that can put a modifier on your hit rolls. 38pts per model means you can have them in pretty reasonable numbers

• Viridian Lords: Elite Skirmisher melee infantry Mossmen, Regeneration, Flammable, and Unstable/Unbreakable, so try not to lose combat, or they might detonate. They have WS5 S4 T4 I4 A2 and LD9. They have 2 Hand Weapons or can swap to a Great Weapon for 2 points to whack some heavier troops. You can also replenish the unit for a small investment of magic dice with the signature spell of the Truthsayer lore, which is funnily enough one of the better uses of said spell. Dryads could represent the 2 Hand Weapons option for models, or perhaps Tree Revenants.

• Centaurs: Order allied Centigors with War Fury to fit many Fast Cavalry profiles. And in addition to whatever weapon you gave them, they can also buy either Javelin or Throwing Axes to chuck out some more pain on the charge or harass enemies with Armour Piercing (1) on the Javelins or S5 on the axes (but crappy range but better on charge). Pretty good for menacing skirmishers, missile troops, or war machines and surprisingly hard-hitting because these furry fuckers are S4 base and can take Great Weapons, but that's a little wasteful considering their I4: Spears might be a better pick for S5 I5 on the charge to surprise someone. Centigors from the Beastmen army or Mantic Centaurs are excellent for the model.

Rare Units

• Stone Thrower: A stone thrower that can't move but is S5(10). 100/110pts. Curious addition, seeing as the celts never used catapults. For models, use Bretonnia Trebuchet. Make the peasants more Celtic? Now with the option to take fire ammunition in addition to bigger AoE and Flaming Attacks.

• Mastodon: 200pts. Very similar to the Stegadon from the Lizardmen army, with similar uses, a sledgehammer on the charge and then sticks around until backup arrives. Does D6+1 impact hits and has a natural armour(4+), has Immune to Psychology, and is Stubborn. Crappy Initiative of 1, though, means everything will attack before it.

• Fenhulk: 250pts. A single (chunky) Fenbeast as a large monster. You can still buy the same upgrades as the regular Fenbeasts. Still, it also comes stock with Magic Resistance (1), forces Dangerous Terrain tests on enemies that engage it in combat, and gives +1 to channeling rolls for your casters within 6". At T6, with 6 wounds and a potential 3+ Regeneration, pretty hard to put down without heavy units or war machines of some kind. Especially if you heal it with the Truthsayers Signature Spell, which also gives those Bolt throwers a hard time thanks to the attribute, combine this with Fly-infested Rotweed. It becomes rather survivable, with even direct hits from cannons quickly healing away (unless they deal 6 wounds). For a model, Mierce has this sown up, although pricy.

• Giants: 175pts. You know em. You love em. The ever-venerable giant and they can be stone-throwers. The giant is an effective monster hunter but its purpose is often limited to receiving multiple cannonballs to the face. A good choice to have fun but not much else. Compared to some other armies, you can give it a 6+ ward save, but that doesn't do much for keeping it alive. A couple of units of Hunters with War Hawks on Warmachine sniping duty will make him more viable.
  • Alternate opinion: The Woad Paint should average out to give the giant the equivalent of an extra wound.
  • You can also take 2 giants as one rare choice so that you can go Attack on Titan even in smaller games.
  • Another fun option is the option to turn your giants into rock throwers, which is a truly unique option amid all the giant-having factions.

• Bonegrinder Giant: 375pts. Pretty much just a regular Giant +1, with increased stats and some more brutal special attacks. It's expensive and will attract every cannonball in the local vicinity, but can squash a fair bit of stuff.

Building Your Army

Army Building

For your basic Human miniatures, Warlord Games have a large Ancient Briton range which can cheaply give you most of your army quickly and cheaply.

The name of the game with Albion is getting the charge and winning the first round of combat, failure to do so will hurt you badly. War Fury is a nice boost but will be the bane of your existence, as such make sure to include a BSB and several of the following units that have either morale-boosting effects or just ignore War Fury and/or it's downsides.

• Gwenlaen
• Cormac
• Hearthguard (Stubborn)
• Viridian Lords (Unbreakable)
• Fenbeasts/Hulks (Unbreakable)
• Giant(can also double as stone throwers)

VS

Albion will do well against armies and units that have trouble sticking around in combat: anything squishy that you can inflict good casualties on and break from combat is an opportune target.

Albion will struggle against armies that do not break from combat such as Undead and Daemons along with armies that can get high LD such as Dwarves and Skaven. Dwarves will make life hard for you in particular with a combination of Stubborn, high Ld, and good armour: bring something with good armour piercing like Great Weapons with the Razor Standard.

Magic

• Life: You want Flesh to Stone and Earth Blood from here primarily since your units are majority T3 with wet cardboard for armour. Regrowth is situationally useful as well, but you often want to just use Gift of Life instead.
• Light: Pha's Protection is always a nice spell to have, and The Speed of Light can give you an offensive edge over enemies with higher Initiative, particularly useful on your squishy Great Weapon units which need to inflict maximum damage on the assault in order to win.
• Beasts: You're taking this for Wyssan's Wildform, let's be fair. That on a big unit of Hearthguard, Swordmaidens or some other melee beatstick is downright terrifying and will squash any unfortunate sod that it charges.
• Truthsayers: Mostly defensive as a lore, but Blessing of Valour will help units like Fenbeasts and Half-Giants who have average WS. Light of Protection is the best defensive option for the army if you can get off the boosted version of it.

External Links

The Project's website

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