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Kings of War/Tactics/Goblins

2023-01-21T15:22:32Z

2001:8003:D91A:7600:BDDA:FCBC:D0EA:B3CC: /* Hero */

==Why Play Goblins==
You like horde armies, but don't want to play [[undead]] or [[Skaven|rats]].
Your favourite colour is green.

==Army Special Rules==
Thanks to 3rd Edition, '''Utterly Spineless''' is no longer a rule, instead Goblins get something better.

*'''Mawpup:''' A unit with a Mawpup gets 6 bonus attacks that hit on 4+ and have Crushing Strength (1). These attacks are rolled separate from the unit's attacks, they do not benefit from buffs/debuffs on the unit, and are not doubled/tripled when flanking a unit. One-use only, and a unit can only have one of these at a time, though you can reload a unit's mawpups.

==Unit Analysis==
===Hero===
*'''Biggit:''' Inspiring goblin with a bow. He can also be mounted on a fleabag for more mobility. For 20 more points than a flaggit you get a much better melee value, a ranged attack, 2 extra attacks, and 1 point better in nerve.

*'''Flaggit:''' The cheaper version of a biggit. It can also be mounted on a fleabag. Not very good and terrible in melee, but it is 20 points cheaper for a source of Inspiring.

*'''King:''' The bigger melee hero to the Biggit, costs 15 points more for 2 more attacks, 18" Shortbow, Ra 4+ and +3 to both Nerve values.

*'''King on Chariot:'''

*'''Slasher:'''

*'''Troll Bruiser:'''

*'''Wiz:''' Your caster choice. Comes standard with Lightning Bolt (3), but can be upgraded to have Bane Chant (2), Fireball (6), and/or Wind Blast (5). Cheap at 45 points and versatile with the different options. It can also be mounted on a fleabag to become cavalry like many goblin heroes.

===Named Heroes===
*'''Groany Snark:''' Technically just an upgrade to a Goblin King, gives them Fly, Speed 10, Thunderous Charge 2, Blast (D3 - Melee), but can run the risk of their Irongoblin suit breaking at the start of a turn and hurting everyone nearby.

*'''Magwa & Jo’os:'''

*'''Kuzlo & Madfall:'''

*'''Grupp Longnail:'''

===Infantry===
*'''Mawbeasts Pack:'''

*'''Rabble:''' Dirt cheap goblin infantry. Nothing special about them, other then Yellow Bellied I suppose, but they are your cheapest unit. They are likely to form the core of your force as you are a cheap, horde based army and this is your cheap, horde unit.

*'''Sharpsticks:''' Slightly more expensive then a rabble to gain some attacks and Phalanx. Usually you're probably going to want to stick with the rabble, but if you face a lot of Thunderous Charge units they might be worth their points if your chaff is always getting charged. Generally though you'll probably want to save the points for something else and will want to stick to the rabble.

*'''Spitters:''' Your goblin shooters. They come in 2 sizes; regiment and horde. Unexciting perhaps, but a solid choice for your army. Keep them protected and use them to harass your enemies with shots.

===Large Infantry===
*'''Trolls:''' Your non-Yellow Bellied beaters. They're very expensive, but come with Crushing Strength (2) and Regeneration (5+). They're alright as far as large infantry go, but they're not really what you should be looking for in a goblin army. They also are way too expensive for what you get.

===Cavalry===
*'''Fleabag Riders:''' Your basic goblin cavalry. They come with Nimble and Thunderous Charge (1). Good for rushing out and redirecting opponent's units, just like their cousins over at [[Games Workshop]]. Good if used to screen and redirect, but don't expect them to take a lot of damage and hold the line for long.

*'''Fleabag Rider Sniffs:''' For the same price as regular riders you trade out Thunderous Charge (1) for Bows. Not terrible, but probably not ideal in most cases. If you want cavalry, take fleabag riders. If you want shooters, take spitters. This unit is something of a hybrid between the two, making it a really situational choice.

===Large Cavalry===
*'''Fleabag Chariots:''' Goblins on chariots? While that does sound cool, these are much like your trolls in that they are too expensive for what you get. Cheaper then trolls for Bows and Thunderous Charge (2) vice Crushing Strength (2) and Regeneration (5+). They're still too expensive though for a horde army. If you want some cheap shooting, just take spitters instead.

===Monsters===
*'''Giant:''' Amazing for forcing a unit to just stop. 17/19 nerve with fury, defense 5, all on a 50mm base means it can reliably tank almost anything and will punish the enemy for daring to fight him. Best use as anvils as they don't have the number of attacks to be hammers unless charging in the flank.

*'''Mincer:''' It slices and dices. Comes with Big Shield, Brutal, and Thunderous Charge (3), which is all pretty good. Only getting damaged on a 6 from the front is nice, although a 4+ will damage it in any other arc. You want this thing to be charging into your foes with protection on either side to keep it alive. It gets D6+6 attacks each melee, so it can vary wildly in how much damage it is doing, but Thunderous Charge (3) is generally ensuring you're always hitting. Offensively the mincer does the same amount of damage as a giant if it still has it's TC so its a cheap unit your opponent has to deal with. Not bad at 80 points.

*'''Winggit:''' THANK YOU VANGUARD! Seriously, this is the best thing to be given to goblins, a flyer that can bomb shit, AND IT MARKS TARGETS FOR YOUR ARTILLERY! Ok so the target marking is a 10pt upgrade, but its mandatory for the buff to your warmachines. It does mean you need to take several warmachines to get the most value, which you should, as Goblin warmachines are cheap and individually weak, but in numbers and with the target marking buff from a Winggit, they get scary. Taking one is fine if your opponent has never dealt with this combo, otherwise run a pair because anyone who's been on the receiving end of this will prioritise your flyer.

===War Engines===
*'''Big Rocks Thrower:''' Its cheap, not very good stat-wise when compared to most warmachines (that are almost twice the cost), and something you always take in numbers. If you're taking one, you should be taking a second with it. If you have two on the board, see if you can fit a third, oh and always have a winggit to mark for it. Has blast D3+1, piercing 3, 48" range, indirect and ignores cover. Benefits from Winggit marking.

*'''Sharpstick Thrower:''' Literally the same as above, only piercing 2, blast D3, no indirect fire, no ignores cover, but cheaper and RA 4+. You take these after you've hit the limit for Big Rocks Thrower. Goblin artillery is about quantity. Benefits from Winggit marking.

*'''Mawpup Launcher:''' RA 4+, 36" range, indirect, ignores cover and Blast D3, but no piercing. Can also shoot allies with the Mawpup Cage keyword to reload their Mawpups ability. Adds a bit more use to some units, and helps to get more warmachines on the table for your Winggit to buff. Benefits from Winggit marking.

*'''War-Trombone:''' <strike>Musical war machine with a breath attack; like a fantasy version of [[Noise Marines]].</strike> Nah, sadly it's basically just a giant blunderbuss. It can't strike in melee, but gets 12 attacks with Breath Attack that have Piercing (1). Tons of potential for unit conversions for this bad boy. Does '''Not''' benefit from Winggit marking.

==Tactics==
Tactica here.

The Goblin Gunline.

Take 2-3 Winggits, take as many warmachines that benefit from the marking ability as possible. Everything else is screening tarpits, or spitters to shoot down flyers and help finish off targets. Deploy defensively and focus down threats one at a time with your artillery. Spitters aren't going to do much to most infantry blocks, we just need them to stop shit flying over the tarpits while the lobbers etc deal with whatever hammers the other side has first. Spitters also finish off units that are too damaged from your artillery to be worth a second turn of shooting.

[[Category:Kings of War/Tactics]]

Kings of War/Tactics/Goblins

2023-01-21T15:14:56Z

2001:8003:D91A:7600:BDDA:FCBC:D0EA:B3CC: /* Army Special Rules */

==Why Play Goblins==
You like horde armies, but don't want to play [[undead]] or [[Skaven|rats]].
Your favourite colour is green.

==Army Special Rules==
Thanks to 3rd Edition, '''Utterly Spineless''' is no longer a rule, instead Goblins get something better.

*'''Mawpup:''' A unit with a Mawpup gets 6 bonus attacks that hit on 4+ and have Crushing Strength (1). These attacks are rolled separate from the unit's attacks, they do not benefit from buffs/debuffs on the unit, and are not doubled/tripled when flanking a unit. One-use only, and a unit can only have one of these at a time, though you can reload a unit's mawpups.

==Unit Analysis==
===Hero===
*'''Biggit:''' Inspiring goblin with a bow. He can also be mounted on a fleabag for more mobility. For 20 more points than a flaggit you get a much better melee value, a ranged attack, 2 extra attacks, and 1 point better in nerve.

*'''Flaggit:''' The cheaper version of a biggit. It can also be mounted on a fleabag. Not very good and terrible in melee, but it is 20 points cheaper for a source of Inspiring.

*'''King:''' Essentially a better version of a biggit. For 30 points more you get 2 more attacks and nerve. Not a very good trade up.

*'''King on Chariot:'''

*'''Magwa & Jo’os:'''

*'''Slasher:'''

*'''Troll Bruiser:'''

*'''Wiz:''' Your caster choice. Comes standard with Lightning Bolt (3), but can be upgraded to have Bane Chant (2), Fireball (6), and/or Wind Blast (5). Cheap at 45 points and versatile with the different options. It can also be mounted on a fleabag to become cavalry like many goblin heroes.

===Infantry===
*'''Mawbeasts Pack:'''

*'''Rabble:''' Dirt cheap goblin infantry. Nothing special about them, other then Yellow Bellied I suppose, but they are your cheapest unit. They are likely to form the core of your force as you are a cheap, horde based army and this is your cheap, horde unit.

*'''Sharpsticks:''' Slightly more expensive then a rabble to gain some attacks and Phalanx. Usually you're probably going to want to stick with the rabble, but if you face a lot of Thunderous Charge units they might be worth their points if your chaff is always getting charged. Generally though you'll probably want to save the points for something else and will want to stick to the rabble.

*'''Spitters:''' Your goblin shooters. They come in 2 sizes; regiment and horde. Unexciting perhaps, but a solid choice for your army. Keep them protected and use them to harass your enemies with shots.

===Large Infantry===
*'''Trolls:''' Your non-Yellow Bellied beaters. They're very expensive, but come with Crushing Strength (2) and Regeneration (5+). They're alright as far as large infantry go, but they're not really what you should be looking for in a goblin army. They also are way too expensive for what you get.

===Cavalry===
*'''Fleabag Riders:''' Your basic goblin cavalry. They come with Nimble and Thunderous Charge (1). Good for rushing out and redirecting opponent's units, just like their cousins over at [[Games Workshop]]. Good if used to screen and redirect, but don't expect them to take a lot of damage and hold the line for long.

*'''Fleabag Rider Sniffs:''' For the same price as regular riders you trade out Thunderous Charge (1) for Bows. Not terrible, but probably not ideal in most cases. If you want cavalry, take fleabag riders. If you want shooters, take spitters. This unit is something of a hybrid between the two, making it a really situational choice.

===Large Cavalry===
*'''Fleabag Chariots:''' Goblins on chariots? While that does sound cool, these are much like your trolls in that they are too expensive for what you get. Cheaper then trolls for Bows and Thunderous Charge (2) vice Crushing Strength (2) and Regeneration (5+). They're still too expensive though for a horde army. If you want some cheap shooting, just take spitters instead.

===Monsters===
*'''Giant:''' Amazing for forcing a unit to just stop. 17/19 nerve with fury, defense 5, all on a 50mm base means it can reliably tank almost anything and will punish the enemy for daring to fight him. Best use as anvils as they don't have the number of attacks to be hammers unless charging in the flank.

*'''Mincer:''' It slices and dices. Comes with Big Shield, Brutal, and Thunderous Charge (3), which is all pretty good. Only getting damaged on a 6 from the front is nice, although a 4+ will damage it in any other arc. You want this thing to be charging into your foes with protection on either side to keep it alive. It gets D6+6 attacks each melee, so it can vary wildly in how much damage it is doing, but Thunderous Charge (3) is generally ensuring you're always hitting. Offensively the mincer does the same amount of damage as a giant if it still has it's TC so its a cheap unit your opponent has to deal with. Not bad at 80 points.

*'''Winggit:''' THANK YOU VANGUARD! Seriously, this is the best thing to be given to goblins, a flyer that can bomb shit, AND IT MARKS TARGETS FOR YOUR ARTILLERY! Ok so the target marking is a 10pt upgrade, but its mandatory for the buff to your warmachines. It does mean you need to take several warmachines to get the most value, which you should, as Goblin warmachines are cheap and individually weak, but in numbers and with the target marking buff from a Winggit, they get scary. Taking one is fine if your opponent has never dealt with this combo, otherwise run a pair because anyone who's been on the receiving end of this will prioritise your flyer.

===War Engines===
*'''Big Rocks Thrower:''' Its cheap, not very good stat-wise when compared to most warmachines (that are almost twice the cost), and something you always take in numbers. If you're taking one, you should be taking a second with it. If you have two on the board, see if you can fit a third, oh and always have a winggit to mark for it. Has blast D3+1, piercing 3, 48" range, indirect and ignores cover. Benefits from Winggit marking.

*'''Sharpstick Thrower:''' Literally the same as above, only piercing 2, blast D3, no indirect fire, no ignores cover, but cheaper and RA 4+. You take these after you've hit the limit for Big Rocks Thrower. Goblin artillery is about quantity. Benefits from Winggit marking.

*'''Mawpup Launcher:''' RA 4+, 36" range, indirect, ignores cover and Blast D3, but no piercing. Can also shoot allies with the Mawpup Cage keyword to reload their Mawpups ability. Adds a bit more use to some units, and helps to get more warmachines on the table for your Winggit to buff. Benefits from Winggit marking.

*'''War-Trombone:''' <strike>Musical war machine with a breath attack; like a fantasy version of [[Noise Marines]].</strike> Nah, sadly it's basically just a giant blunderbuss. It can't strike in melee, but gets 12 attacks with Breath Attack that have Piercing (1). Tons of potential for unit conversions for this bad boy. Does '''Not''' benefit from Winggit marking.

==Tactics==
Tactica here.

The Goblin Gunline.

Take 2-3 Winggits, take as many warmachines that benefit from the marking ability as possible. Everything else is screening tarpits, or spitters to shoot down flyers and help finish off targets. Deploy defensively and focus down threats one at a time with your artillery. Spitters aren't going to do much to most infantry blocks, we just need them to stop shit flying over the tarpits while the lobbers etc deal with whatever hammers the other side has first. Spitters also finish off units that are too damaged from your artillery to be worth a second turn of shooting.

[[Category:Kings of War/Tactics]]

Kings of War/Tactics/Northern Alliance

2023-01-21T15:10:42Z

2001:8003:D91A:7600:BDDA:FCBC:D0EA:B3CC: /* Named Heroes */

A faction made from an alliance of the northern tribes of [[Dwarves]], [[Elves]], [[Naiads]] and [[Humans]] (including from [[Kingdoms of Men|Kingdoms of Men]], [[Brotherhood]] and [[Varangur]]), formed during the Edge of the Abyss to fight the onslaught of the [[Abyssals|Forces of the Abyss]].

==Why Play Northern Alliance==
Because you want to play what is effectively an entire army of good guy [[vikings]], [[Elf|Ice Elf Waifus]], Ice Naiads, Snow Trolls (Yes you can field Snow Trolls, they even have their own Hero Unit), Ice elementals, etc. If that's your thing, these guys are for you.
There is also a Hero unit named the Ice Queen, and since [Kings of War] is a model agnostic game, you have the perfect excuse to have Elsa lead an army of Vikings Ice Elves, Half-elves, and Ice Naiads (Brigade games has a nice Frostgrave miniature that can be used for such a [https://brigadegames.3dcartstores.com/FW6001--Young-Fire-Elementalists_p_4429.html purpose]).

==Army Rules==
Snowfox: The unit has +1 Attack, only one a few heroes.

Wild Charge is pretty common on your infantry, which means your units project a slightly larger threat than expected. Most of your heroes have Very Inspiring instead of Inspiring so you can deploy a little more spread out.

There is the "Frostbound" keyword which a few units have for support from your Ice Queen heroes. Its not entirely feasible to go deep on this synergy but makes for a themed army of snow witches and their minions. If you find you're taking several Frostbound units, consider an Ice Queen and deploying them as a group.

==Heroes==
===Named Heroes===
*''' Serakina, the Ice Queen:''' Not quite the deluxe version of the Ice Queen, Serakina only packs Surge (8), Wind Blast (6) and +1/+1 nerve. But what makes her standout apart from being 5 points less than an Ice Queen with the same but no Icy Breath, is Radiance of Life (Frostbound only) meaning she will make those Ice Elementals, Frost Giants, and Ice Naiads hold a lot better. Also helps generic Ice-Queens with her abilities, but honestly you should not need to be healing Ice-Queens. Overall not the best pick for a hero unless you build around her support for Frostbound units.

*''' Hrimm, Legendary Frost Giant:''' A 30 point upgrade on your giant, worth taking every time; makes your Ice Giant into a big Very Inspiring hero with -/20 Nerve and Icy Breath (12). This is combined with the standard Ice Giant's CS (4), Brutal, Slayer (Melee -D6), Strider and Defence 5+. Basically you have no reason to take a Giant without upgrading to big daddy Hrimm, and big daddy Hrimm, while your second most pricey Hero, is a damn strong pick. He's not the bar all your other hero picks should be compared to, but he's certainly the bar all your combat heroes should be compared to.

*'''Orlaf the Barbarian:''' Not a hugely attractive option, works for buffing human clansmen in the special formation, but can use his once-a-game ability to swing 12 attacks on target.

*'''Clarion:''' Basically acts as a Skald thats competitive with the other heroes in the 105-130 point bracket instead of being too cheap to merit the stats/abilities to compete like the regular Skald. Probably the 3rd most fielded named character.

===Generic Heroes===
*''' Ice-kin Master hunter:''' You get her in the Shadows of the North starter set for your Northern Alliance army, coming at 115 points her main shtick is being sneaky; having the Pathfinder, Scout, and Stealthy traits along with Elite (because she's an elf) and individual (what did you expect to see in this list?). She is generally a stronger version of the regular Ice-kin hunter stat-wise. Good for hiding in wooded areas with your fellow pathfinders and moving around obstacles with no problem.

*''' Ice Queen:''' Basically the elvish equivalent to Kislev's [[Ice Witch|Ice Witches]]. Cheaper than the Master hunter above, coming at 80 points. Comes with a Defense 4 which in Melee becomes a 5 with Ensnare's effect on enemy melee, the usual bonuses to being an individual unit, but [[Rage|only gives inspiring to Frostbound units]], luckily the Very Inspiring trait doesn't seem to be affected by this limitation. She also has the Master of Ice trait which allows her to reroll 1's on spells targeting friendly Frostbound units or Frozen enemy units. Her starting spell is Icy Breath(10), so you can say she'll "blow" you away ([[PROMOTIONS|NO! NOT LIKE THAT!]]), the effect of the spell is and I quote "Roll to damage as normal. If 1+ damage is dealt, the target Enemy unit is now Frozen. (KoW3 p54)" so it's your basic ice attack with a range of 10 inches. For extra spells, you get Bane Chant for +20 points (like every spell caster apparently), Blizzard for +30 points (an indirect spell with a 30 inch range and Piercing 1 that lets you roll a D3 for every successful hit landed), Heal for 35 points (making her your main healer), Wind Blast for 25 points (I already made the blow you away joke), and you can either pair Icy Breath with Surge or replace it with Surge.
TLDR: She seems like a cheap choice for a healer, especially if you field Frostbound in your army with the Master of Ice trait.

*''' Lord:''' Your standard combat hero character, having CS(2) makes them hit a little harder. You can mount them on a horse which drops WC(1) for Speed 8, but honestly lets cut to the chase: This isn't going to be your beatstick hero, you should be taking them for the 10pt upgrade that gives them an Aura of Wild Charge (+1, Infantry & Heavy Infantry only) which stacks with existing WC on those units, your next choice is what support item to stick on them, think of these guys are punchy Standard Bearers. If you want a beatstick, take Hrimm, if you want a wizard, take an Ice Queen, you want to support some infantry blocks take a foot/horse Lord with Horn of Winter. That said, you can use one with Wings of Honeymaze to hunt down squishy wizards and warmachine crews.

*'''Lord on Frostfang:''' Now this is someone who's out to clap some cheeks. Crushing Strength (3), 3+ Melee and 8 attacks is the basics for a beatstick. The catch here is that a Frostfang Lord lacks Individual, so they can flank units and slap hard, but they can also get flanked themselves. Now for the Hrimm test; for 70 points less than big icy daddy you get a hero who has a slightly larger threat radius, less CS & Nerve, but better Melee and Artefact options. We take the Frostfang Lord as either mobile support to a Frostfang unit hitting flanks, or as a hunter-killer missile trying to get behind screens to hit missile units or war machines. Sending

*'''Lord on Chimera:''' Mobile, deadly, pricy. The Lord on Chimera is the most expensive unit in Northern Alliance, its a fast hammer with CS3, Fly, Icy Breath (10), Nimble, Very Inspiring and Elite(Melee). Stats are great, better than the Frostfang Lord, which they should be for being just shy of 3 times the price. But here comes the real question: Why pick a Chimera Lord over Hrimm who costs 50pts less and has CS4? The answer is simple, the Lord on Chimera is better than Hrimm if you're being aggressive and using his mobility to pick off priority targets and swing deciding fights in your favour. You can sink more points for artefacts to really pimp out this hero, and you should. You need to be abusing Fly and Speed 10 to justify the pick over Hrimm. If you're playing defensive and holding back with a 310+artefact point Chimera Lord, you're objectively playing worse than just slapping a 260 point Hrimm behind your front line units and spending the spare 50 points elsewhere. Lord on Chimera is still good if you do play defensively, don't get me wrong this isn't a bad unit it is just that like every combat hero in this list, in the shadow of Hrimm, Ice Giant.

*'''Thegn:''' Hot. Fucking. Garbage. You will only ever see this hero, if you ever see someone field this hero, with the Talanaar's Standard upgrade that gives it Rally (1) and even still a Lord built as a support buffer is higher priority pick. If we rounded up the points and say fielded six of these as one unlocked slot against a single Hrimm, it would still be big icy daddy winning that match-up. Avoid taking without the Rally upgrade, and mock anyone who takes him as anything other than a Rally aura caddy. If you're taking artefacts on this guy, its because you're trying to buff another unit in his range, eg wings of honeymaze for the mobility to support Frostfangs etc.

*'''Thegn on Frostfang:''' Actually not the waste of space as the foot version. For 65 points less than the Lord on Frostfang you go down to regular Inspiring, 3 less attacks, -2/-2 Nerve and only CS2. Has a role in a Frostfang heavy list where you want to have cheaper heroes to support or hunt down exposed units. Running two Frostfang Lords in such a list would be pricey, but 1 Lord and 1 Thegn, or 2 Thegns gives you some flexibility on the points budgeting for your whole list. Not a first pick hero, but cheap enough to throw-in and do something.

*'''Snow Troll Prime:''' Thanks to its pricing, very much comparable to a foot Lord, the Prime trades Very Inspiring for Inspiring, Regeneration (5+), Speed 6 and Vicious (Melee). It does lack Individual being a Monstrous Infantry model, as well as some customization options. Would be an ok alternative to the foot Lord as a combat hero except for the fact that we don't take foot Lords as beatstick but as support buffers. Again we stand, in the shadow of Hrimm, and are just left wanting. Thematically cool for running an ice troll themed list but needs just a little extra to beat daddy Hrimm.

*'''Skald:''' Nominally the standard version of a dedicated Standard Bearer, the Skald costs half of a foot Lord and brings some throwing axes for range harass. The downside is that the Skald will fucking die if charged and paying twice his cost for a Very Inspiring character that will clap back, the skald is only going to be seen at low point level armies, in the 1,000 or less category. The Skald's weakness is that its bringing only a bubble of Inspiring, some very light range harass to the table for 50 points, in an army where at roughly 100-130 points you can get either the same bubble or the better version, plus decent utility in another field and also be reasonably resilient to targeted attacks. I like the idea of these warrior-poets following the army, but I can't justify taking one really. If you really want to take one, take Clarion instead, despite the cost increase he suddenly becomes more usable for the points.

*'''Ice Blade:''' Squishy melee duelist assassin type of hero. Relies on speed 6 plus Wild Charge (D3) to get into position, and Duelist and CS(1) to threaten targets with her 6 attacks. Good at picking off necromancers and other squishy surge casters. You don't ram this hero into the flanks of an enemy unit to break tarpits, you use her to murder supports.

==Infantry==
*'''Human Clansmen:''' Has Wild Charge 1, Crushing Strength 1 on a 4+ Melee. You can leave them as sword'n'board for 4+ saves, or give them two-handed weapons to go to 3+ Def but Crushing Strength 2. Also one unit can be upgraded to Norj-Bik Clansmen with Def 5+ for +10/+15/+25 but cannot take two-handed weapons. All-in-all a very average unit, could be made into a budget can-opener but you probably should rely on the more expensive units for that role.

*'''Dwarf Clansmen:''' The cheapest unlocks in faction, these guys have a nice 5+ Def for being an anvil, but weirdly Wild Charge (1) too... Not much to say as they don't have any upgrades or any synergy support. Come on Mantic, give us some kind of Dwarf Smith hero.

*'''Elf Clansmen:''' Cheapest ranged infantry, they Move 6", 4+ rng, 24" range, good Nerve and Elite (ranged). The downside is Mel 5+, Def 3+ and no Wild Charge, which isn't useful for shooters but just worth noting they're one of the few units that don't have it.

*'''Ice Naiads:''' Similar to your human clansmen in terms of stats and having Wild Charge 1, but they pack some abilities (Ensnare and Regeneration 5+) and interactions (the Frostbound keyword), gives them a bunch of defensive utility over H-Clansmen. Taking Naiads means you should be building around their synergy with Frost Queens to create tarpits rather than expect any kind of damage output.

*'''Half-Elf Berserkers:''' Just like all berserkers, glass-cannons using thunderous charge (1) and wild charge (D3) to hit in the flanks. Lacking CS means they might need bane-chant support to crack heavier infantry, as they rely on their volume of attacks.

*'''Pack Hunters:''' Human sneaky snipers with Pathfinder, Thunderous Charge 1, Scout & Stealth. Did you guess Wild Charge 1? Because they have that too... These are your moderately priced sneaky skirmishers compared to the elite Elves. Careful how you use them as they will die to stiff breeze.

*'''Ice Kin Hunters:''' Elven sneaky snipers, Pathfinder, Scout, Elite, but no stealth. These are the more elite skirmishers with 3+ Melee and... 4+ Rng..? Like regular elves, no wild charge. Again, careful how you use them as they will die to stiff breeze.

*'''Huscarls:''' Your "elite" heavy infantry, Crushing Strength 2, Fury, and of course Wild Charge 1. These guys are your can-openers, your big-boys, use them to clap cheeks and take names.

==Monstrous Infantry==
*'''Snow Trolls:'''

*'''Ice Elementals:''' Pretty standard big shambling elementals, CS1, Frostbite, Shambling and Ice Shards range attack (10", Piercing (1), Steady Aim) for when you're unable to wholly close the distance. Frostbound keyword and shambling means they '''NEED''' Ice Queen support,

==Swarms==
*'''Snow Foxes:*''' Irregular chaff units, move 8, nimble, stealthy, vicious (melee) and pathfinder means you can get them anywhere to block charge lanes and possibly do a tinsy bit of damage. Just be aware, they're Def is 2+ and nerve 9/11, so you're paying 80 points to block a flank charge for a turn. Think of them as an 80 point upgrade for unit that denies say those berserker brock riders a flank charge. Could possibly tarpit troop sized archer units with bad melee, but anything regiment sized or with at least melee 4+ will probably break them in one round. That said if they magically hold for two turns, they've earnt their value back and then some, while your opponent has spent way too long trying to clear them.

==Cavalry==
*'''Tundra Wolves*:''' Its a beginner's mistake to mix these up with Snow Foxes. Tundra Wolves can be used as expensive chaff, but what they bring is thunderous charge (1) and Melee 3+. The Snow Foxes exist to take hits for better units, the Tundra Wolves exist to prey on infantry Troop units or lone Standard Bearers. TC(1) means they can kill smaller chaff and skirmisher units, but their just below average nerve means you need them to win those fights with chaff. Also irregular so no unlocks at the Regiment level.

==Monstrous Cavalry==
*'''Frostfang Cavalry:''' Your real cavalry, your universal hammer unit, the big pricey hammer that deletes whatever it flanks. Move 7" means they're kind of slow compared to traditional cavalry, but they have Strider and Wild Charge 1 which means they're just 1" short on the charge. Packing CS2 and 5 attacks per model (15 at Regiment, 30 at Horde), and Defence 5+ makes these things mean. Their main downside is that they're only swinging on 4+ so focus on patching that with artefacts or flanking for more attacks. A secondary weakness is their nerve is average so a mobile Inspiration bubble (Lord on Horse/Frostfang, or Thegn on Frostfang) should be near if they're operating away from your frontlines. If you're being very reactive with them, they should be in range of the heroes supporting your infantry. Use Snow Foxes or Tundra Wolves for risky dives into the backline if you're not planning on a mobile hero to provide them morale support.

==Monsters==
*'''Cavern Dweller:''' 20 points less than the giant but less offence power with CS3, has Melee 3+ for more consistency. The Cavern Dweller can survive ok with Life-Leech (3) to hold out in protracted combat.

==Titans==
*'''Ice Giant:''' He's big, he slaps hard (CS4, Brutal and melee Slayer ), he's... not Hrimm. Unless you're playing with some ban on named heroes, take daddy Hrimm before one of these. That said still a decent choice for crushing things. Take one if you already have Hrimm, but otherwise you could do worse with your points.

==Warmachines==
*'''Ice Kin Bolt Thrower:''' Your one-and-only artillery piece. Ra 4+ and Elite (ranged) means you're looking at one of the more consistently hitting warmachines in the game.

[[Category: Kings of War/Tactics]]

Kings of War/Tactics/Northern Alliance

2023-01-21T09:23:19Z

2001:8003:D91A:7600:BDDA:FCBC:D0EA:B3CC:

A faction made from an alliance of the northern tribes of [[Dwarves]], [[Elves]], [[Naiads]] and [[Humans]] (including from [[Kingdoms of Men|Kingdoms of Men]], [[Brotherhood]] and [[Varangur]]), formed during the Edge of the Abyss to fight the onslaught of the [[Abyssals|Forces of the Abyss]].

==Why Play Northern Alliance==
Because you want to play what is effectively an entire army of good guy [[vikings]], [[Elf|Ice Elf Waifus]], Ice Naiads, Snow Trolls (Yes you can field Snow Trolls, they even have their own Hero Unit), Ice elementals, etc. If that's your thing, these guys are for you.
There is also a Hero unit named the Ice Queen, and since [Kings of War] is a model agnostic game, you have the perfect excuse to have Elsa lead an army of Vikings Ice Elves, Half-elves, and Ice Naiads (Brigade games has a nice Frostgrave miniature that can be used for such a [https://brigadegames.3dcartstores.com/FW6001--Young-Fire-Elementalists_p_4429.html purpose]).

==Army Rules==
Snowfox: The unit has +1 Attack, only one a few heroes.

Wild Charge is pretty common on your infantry, which means your units project a slightly larger threat than expected. Most of your heroes have Very Inspiring instead of Inspiring so you can deploy a little more spread out.

There is the "Frostbound" keyword which a few units have for support from your Ice Queen heroes. Its not entirely feasible to go deep on this synergy but makes for a themed army of snow witches and their minions. If you find you're taking several Frostbound units, consider an Ice Queen and deploying them as a group.

==Heroes==
===Named Heroes===
*''' Serakina, the Ice Queen:''' Not quite the deluxe version of the Ice Queen, Serakina only packs Surge (8), Wind Blast (6) and +1/+1 nerve. But what makes her standout apart from being 5 points less than an Ice Queen with the same but no Icy Breath, is Radiance of Life (Frostbound only) meaning she will make those Ice Elementals, Frost Giants, and Ice Naiads hold a lot better. Also helps generic Ice-Queens with her abilities, but honestly you should not need to be healing Ice-Queens. Overall not the best pick for a hero unless you build around her support for Frostbound units.

*''' Hrimm, Legendary Frost Giant:''' A 30 point upgrade on your giant, worth taking every time; makes your Ice Giant into a big Very Inspiring hero with -/20 Nerve and Icy Breath (12). This is combined with the standard Ice Giant's CS (4), Brutal, Slayer (Melee -D6), Strider and Defence 5+. Basically you have no reason to take a Giant without upgrading to big daddy Hrimm, and big daddy Hrimm, while your second most pricey Hero, is a damn strong pick. He's not the bar all your other hero picks should be compared to, but he's certainly the bar all your combat heroes should be compared to.

*'''Orlaf the Barbarian:''' Not a hugely attractive option, works for buffing human clansmen in the special formation, but can use his once-a-game ability to swing 12 attacks on target.

*'''Clarion:''' Basically acts as a Skald thats competitive with the other heroes in the 105-130 point bracket instead of being too cheap to merit the stats/abilities to compete like the regular Skald.

===Generic Heroes===
*''' Ice-kin Master hunter:''' You get her in the Shadows of the North starter set for your Northern Alliance army, coming at 115 points her main shtick is being sneaky; having the Pathfinder, Scout, and Stealthy traits along with Elite (because she's an elf) and individual (what did you expect to see in this list?). She is generally a stronger version of the regular Ice-kin hunter stat-wise. Good for hiding in wooded areas with your fellow pathfinders and moving around obstacles with no problem.

*''' Ice Queen:''' Basically the elvish equivalent to Kislev's [[Ice Witch|Ice Witches]]. Cheaper than the Master hunter above, coming at 80 points. Comes with a Defense 4 which in Melee becomes a 5 with Ensnare's effect on enemy melee, the usual bonuses to being an individual unit, but [[Rage|only gives inspiring to Frostbound units]], luckily the Very Inspiring trait doesn't seem to be affected by this limitation. She also has the Master of Ice trait which allows her to reroll 1's on spells targeting friendly Frostbound units or Frozen enemy units. Her starting spell is Icy Breath(10), so you can say she'll "blow" you away ([[PROMOTIONS|NO! NOT LIKE THAT!]]), the effect of the spell is and I quote "Roll to damage as normal. If 1+ damage is dealt, the target Enemy unit is now Frozen. (KoW3 p54)" so it's your basic ice attack with a range of 10 inches. For extra spells, you get Bane Chant for +20 points (like every spell caster apparently), Blizzard for +30 points (an indirect spell with a 30 inch range and Piercing 1 that lets you roll a D3 for every successful hit landed), Heal for 35 points (making her your main healer), Wind Blast for 25 points (I already made the blow you away joke), and you can either pair Icy Breath with Surge or replace it with Surge.
TLDR: She seems like a cheap choice for a healer, especially if you field Frostbound in your army with the Master of Ice trait.

*''' Lord:''' Your standard combat hero character, having CS(2) makes them hit a little harder. You can mount them on a horse which drops WC(1) for Speed 8, but honestly lets cut to the chase: This isn't going to be your beatstick hero, you should be taking them for the 10pt upgrade that gives them an Aura of Wild Charge (+1, Infantry & Heavy Infantry only) which stacks with existing WC on those units, your next choice is what support item to stick on them, think of these guys are punchy Standard Bearers. If you want a beatstick, take Hrimm, if you want a wizard, take an Ice Queen, you want to support some infantry blocks take a foot/horse Lord with Horn of Winter. That said, you can use one with Wings of Honeymaze to hunt down squishy wizards and warmachine crews.

*'''Lord on Frostfang:''' Now this is someone who's out to clap some cheeks. Crushing Strength (3), 3+ Melee and 8 attacks is the basics for a beatstick. The catch here is that a Frostfang Lord lacks Individual, so they can flank units and slap hard, but they can also get flanked themselves. Now for the Hrimm test; for 70 points less than big icy daddy you get a hero who has a slightly larger threat radius, less CS & Nerve, but better Melee and Artefact options. We take the Frostfang Lord as either mobile support to a Frostfang unit hitting flanks, or as a hunter-killer missile trying to get behind screens to hit missile units or war machines. Sending

*'''Lord on Chimera:''' Mobile, deadly, pricy. The Lord on Chimera is the most expensive unit in Northern Alliance, its a fast hammer with CS3, Fly, Icy Breath (10), Nimble, Very Inspiring and Elite(Melee). Stats are great, better than the Frostfang Lord, which they should be for being just shy of 3 times the price. But here comes the real question: Why pick a Chimera Lord over Hrimm who costs 50pts less and has CS4? The answer is simple, the Lord on Chimera is better than Hrimm if you're being aggressive and using his mobility to pick off priority targets and swing deciding fights in your favour. You can sink more points for artefacts to really pimp out this hero, and you should. You need to be abusing Fly and Speed 10 to justify the pick over Hrimm. If you're playing defensive and holding back with a 310+artefact point Chimera Lord, you're objectively playing worse than just slapping a 260 point Hrimm behind your front line units and spending the spare 50 points elsewhere. Lord on Chimera is still good if you do play defensively, don't get me wrong this isn't a bad unit it is just that like every combat hero in this list, in the shadow of Hrimm, Ice Giant.

*'''Thegn:''' Hot. Fucking. Garbage. You will only ever see this hero, if you ever see someone field this hero, with the Talanaar's Standard upgrade that gives it Rally (1) and even still a Lord built as a support buffer is higher priority pick. If we rounded up the points and say fielded six of these as one unlocked slot against a single Hrimm, it would still be big icy daddy winning that match-up. Avoid taking without the Rally upgrade, and mock anyone who takes him as anything other than a Rally aura caddy. If you're taking artefacts on this guy, its because you're trying to buff another unit in his range, eg wings of honeymaze for the mobility to support Frostfangs etc.

*'''Thegn on Frostfang:''' Actually not the waste of space as the foot version. For 65 points less than the Lord on Frostfang you go down to regular Inspiring, 3 less attacks, -2/-2 Nerve and only CS2. Has a role in a Frostfang heavy list where you want to have cheaper heroes to support or hunt down exposed units. Running two Frostfang Lords in such a list would be pricey, but 1 Lord and 1 Thegn, or 2 Thegns gives you some flexibility on the points budgeting for your whole list. Not a first pick hero, but cheap enough to throw-in and do something.

*'''Snow Troll Prime:''' Thanks to its pricing, very much comparable to a foot Lord, the Prime trades Very Inspiring for Inspiring, Regeneration (5+), Speed 6 and Vicious (Melee). It does lack Individual being a Monstrous Infantry model, as well as some customization options. Would be an ok alternative to the foot Lord as a combat hero except for the fact that we don't take foot Lords as beatstick but as support buffers. Again we stand, in the shadow of Hrimm, and are just left wanting. Thematically cool for running an ice troll themed list but needs just a little extra to beat daddy Hrimm.

*'''Skald:''' Nominally the standard version of a dedicated Standard Bearer, the Skald costs half of a foot Lord and brings some throwing axes for range harass. The downside is that the Skald will fucking die if charged and paying twice his cost for a Very Inspiring character that will clap back, the skald is only going to be seen at low point level armies, in the 1,000 or less category. The Skald's weakness is that its bringing only a bubble of Inspiring, some very light range harass to the table for 50 points, in an army where at roughly 100-130 points you can get either the same bubble or the better version, plus decent utility in another field and also be reasonably resilient to targeted attacks. I like the idea of these warrior-poets following the army, but I can't justify taking one really. If you really want to take one, take Clarion instead, despite the cost increase he suddenly becomes more usable for the points.

*'''Ice Blade:''' Squishy melee duelist assassin type of hero. Relies on speed 6 plus Wild Charge (D3) to get into position, and Duelist and CS(1) to threaten targets with her 6 attacks. Good at picking off necromancers and other squishy surge casters. You don't ram this hero into the flanks of an enemy unit to break tarpits, you use her to murder supports.

==Infantry==
*'''Human Clansmen:''' Has Wild Charge 1, Crushing Strength 1 on a 4+ Melee. You can leave them as sword'n'board for 4+ saves, or give them two-handed weapons to go to 3+ Def but Crushing Strength 2. Also one unit can be upgraded to Norj-Bik Clansmen with Def 5+ for +10/+15/+25 but cannot take two-handed weapons. All-in-all a very average unit, could be made into a budget can-opener but you probably should rely on the more expensive units for that role.

*'''Dwarf Clansmen:''' The cheapest unlocks in faction, these guys have a nice 5+ Def for being an anvil, but weirdly Wild Charge (1) too... Not much to say as they don't have any upgrades or any synergy support. Come on Mantic, give us some kind of Dwarf Smith hero.

*'''Elf Clansmen:''' Cheapest ranged infantry, they Move 6", 4+ rng, 24" range, good Nerve and Elite (ranged). The downside is Mel 5+, Def 3+ and no Wild Charge, which isn't useful for shooters but just worth noting they're one of the few units that don't have it.

*'''Ice Naiads:''' Similar to your human clansmen in terms of stats and having Wild Charge 1, but they pack some abilities (Ensnare and Regeneration 5+) and interactions (the Frostbound keyword), gives them a bunch of defensive utility over H-Clansmen. Taking Naiads means you should be building around their synergy with Frost Queens to create tarpits rather than expect any kind of damage output.

*'''Half-Elf Berserkers:''' Just like all berserkers, glass-cannons using thunderous charge (1) and wild charge (D3) to hit in the flanks. Lacking CS means they might need bane-chant support to crack heavier infantry, as they rely on their volume of attacks.

*'''Pack Hunters:''' Human sneaky snipers with Pathfinder, Thunderous Charge 1, Scout & Stealth. Did you guess Wild Charge 1? Because they have that too... These are your moderately priced sneaky skirmishers compared to the elite Elves. Careful how you use them as they will die to stiff breeze.

*'''Ice Kin Hunters:''' Elven sneaky snipers, Pathfinder, Scout, Elite, but no stealth. These are the more elite skirmishers with 3+ Melee and... 4+ Rng..? Like regular elves, no wild charge. Again, careful how you use them as they will die to stiff breeze.

*'''Huscarls:''' Your "elite" heavy infantry, Crushing Strength 2, Fury, and of course Wild Charge 1. These guys are your can-openers, your big-boys, use them to clap cheeks and take names.

==Monstrous Infantry==
*'''Snow Trolls:'''

*'''Ice Elementals:''' Pretty standard big shambling elementals, CS1, Frostbite, Shambling and Ice Shards range attack (10", Piercing (1), Steady Aim) for when you're unable to wholly close the distance. Frostbound keyword and shambling means they '''NEED''' Ice Queen support,

==Swarms==
*'''Snow Foxes:*''' Irregular chaff units, move 8, nimble, stealthy, vicious (melee) and pathfinder means you can get them anywhere to block charge lanes and possibly do a tinsy bit of damage. Just be aware, they're Def is 2+ and nerve 9/11, so you're paying 80 points to block a flank charge for a turn. Think of them as an 80 point upgrade for unit that denies say those berserker brock riders a flank charge. Could possibly tarpit troop sized archer units with bad melee, but anything regiment sized or with at least melee 4+ will probably break them in one round. That said if they magically hold for two turns, they've earnt their value back and then some, while your opponent has spent way too long trying to clear them.

==Cavalry==
*'''Tundra Wolves*:''' Its a beginner's mistake to mix these up with Snow Foxes. Tundra Wolves can be used as expensive chaff, but what they bring is thunderous charge (1) and Melee 3+. The Snow Foxes exist to take hits for better units, the Tundra Wolves exist to prey on infantry Troop units or lone Standard Bearers. TC(1) means they can kill smaller chaff and skirmisher units, but their just below average nerve means you need them to win those fights with chaff. Also irregular so no unlocks at the Regiment level.

==Monstrous Cavalry==
*'''Frostfang Cavalry:''' Your real cavalry, your universal hammer unit, the big pricey hammer that deletes whatever it flanks. Move 7" means they're kind of slow compared to traditional cavalry, but they have Strider and Wild Charge 1 which means they're just 1" short on the charge. Packing CS2 and 5 attacks per model (15 at Regiment, 30 at Horde), and Defence 5+ makes these things mean. Their main downside is that they're only swinging on 4+ so focus on patching that with artefacts or flanking for more attacks. A secondary weakness is their nerve is average so a mobile Inspiration bubble (Lord on Horse/Frostfang, or Thegn on Frostfang) should be near if they're operating away from your frontlines. If you're being very reactive with them, they should be in range of the heroes supporting your infantry. Use Snow Foxes or Tundra Wolves for risky dives into the backline if you're not planning on a mobile hero to provide them morale support.

==Monsters==
*'''Cavern Dweller:''' 20 points less than the giant but less offence power with CS3, has Melee 3+ for more consistency. The Cavern Dweller can survive ok with Life-Leech (3) to hold out in protracted combat.

==Titans==
*'''Ice Giant:''' He's big, he slaps hard (CS4, Brutal and melee Slayer ), he's... not Hrimm. Unless you're playing with some ban on named heroes, take daddy Hrimm before one of these. That said still a decent choice for crushing things. Take one if you already have Hrimm, but otherwise you could do worse with your points.

==Warmachines==
*'''Ice Kin Bolt Thrower:''' Your one-and-only artillery piece. Ra 4+ and Elite (ranged) means you're looking at one of the more consistently hitting warmachines in the game.

[[Category: Kings of War/Tactics]]

Kings of War/Tactics/Riftforged Orcs

2023-01-21T09:15:17Z

2001:8003:D91A:7600:BDDA:FCBC:D0EA:B3CC: /* Hero */

==Why Play Riftforged Orcs==
* You love the Green Tide and everything it is to be an Orc, but are still found wanting..
* Fluff-wise, Kings of War Orcs are much darker than their [[Orcs_%26_Goblins | comic-relief cousins]]. Less lovable Cockney; more tortured-into-insanity, Tolkienesque killing machine. On the upside this allows for a darker tone/theme to the modelling. On the downside it has less [[Toof | comedy]] [[Ghazghkull_Mag_Uruk_Thraka | gold]]. The Riftforged Orcs are even darker, having spent time in the Rift where they could fight, die, and be reborn over and over honing their skills.
* Riftforged Orc armies tend to a medium to low amount of models, as Riftforged units tend to be more elite versions of regular Orcs.
* Riftforged Orcs have a lot of the simplicity of regular Orcs baked-in but bring some twists.
* Stormcast but for Orcs, and Azyr is actually hell.

==Army Special Rules==
*'''Stormstrike:''' Any 6s to hit are resolved with the Blast(2) special rule, ranged or melee. Note that this is only on one special character and as an upgrade for two heroes, so don't expect it to come up much.

All units in this army have Crushing Strength (1) unless otherwise noted.

==Unit Analysis==
Note that a lot of units in this list are basically "like X unit from the Orc list but with Y buff for Z points more"

===Hero===
*'''Flagger:''' The basic Inspiring hero for the army. Take him for all your inspirational needs.

*'''Stormcaller:''' The blasty caster, has Lightning (4), can swap for free or pay for Icy Breath (8), can be given Bane Chant (2), Blizzard (3), Veil of Shadows (3). The last two being limited to one per army. Also can be mounted on Manticore for Fly and Speed 8".

*'''Riftforger:''' The support caster, comes with CS2, Inspiring, optional Stormstrike, and can be given Bane Chant (2), and/or Host Shadowbeast (3). What makes them unique is that they can still cast either spell in melee combat targeting either themselves or another Riftforged unit that is also in melee combat with the unit they are fighting.

*'''Stormbringer:''' Your slashy hero. Has Crushing Strength (2) and Inspiring by default, but can also take Stormstrike for more pain. He can be put on a regular (not flying) Manticore for 8" move and height 3.

*'''Stormbringer on Helstrike Manticore:''' Nice

*'''Stormbringer on Winged Slasher:''' Basically the standard CS3 'combat lord on a dragon' character for Riftforged Orcs.

===Infantry===
*'''Unforged Orcs:''' Analogous to Youngax in the master list, same price, same stats, same keywords. Use them as cheap unlocking units.

*'''Riftforged Legionnaires:''' These guys are the middle-weight infantry. Think regular Ax units but no Legion size and you're paying 15/20/35 more points for 3+ Melee and +1/+1 Nerve. Seems like a good deal.

*'''Reborn Legionnaires*:''' The super-elite storm-orcs, these guys have Crushing Strength (2) and Inspiring. Making them Greatax but with better Nerve, armour and supporting friendly units. The addition of Inspiring on these can openers means you're able to extend a bit further away from your Flaggers.

*'''Riftwalkers*:''' A flying infantry unit with Nimble, Strider, and no Wavering value.

*'''Morax:''' A bucket of CS1 attacks that will hurt whatever they charge. Very nasty against screening chaff, and hurts even larger units when flanking.

*'''Skulks*:''' Just like the master list, they're somewhat underwhelming and best used in Troop size.

===Swarms===
*'''Orclings*:''' Cheapish swarms of little orcs, they don't unlock other units, and won't control objectives, but are more cost efficient for just flooding the board with bases to block movement. One of only two units to lack CS1.

===Large Infantry===
*'''Riftseers:''' Crushing Strength (1) and Spellward on these big Cyclops. You can pay 10 points for a unit, to a maximum of 2 units, to redeploy after all scout moves have been made, but before rolling for first turn. Probably not worth it if you're not taking the redeploy upgrade and trying to bait your opponent or something. Its not a typo, but CS1 feels a little pillowfisted when almost the rest of the army has CS1 too.

===Cavalry===
*'''Tundra Wolves*:''' Taken straight from the Northern Alliance list, these are fast moving irregular chaff units to block charges and screw over Troop sized ranged infantry or warmachines with their Thunderous Charge 1. Not Riftforged and no CS1, pairing it with the Orclings.

*'''Gore Riders:''' Your only basic cavalry unit, Orc boar riders. They have speed of 8, melee on a 3+, and defence of 5+. All of this is really nice, plus they get the standard Thunderous Charge (1) for cavalry. They're also not too expensive, although they cannot be taken over regiment size. A must include for most any Orc army, giving you mobility and hitting hard.

===Large Cavalry===
*'''Helstrikers:''' A Manticore flying cavalry unit. CS1 plus Thunderous Charge 1, Brutal and Lifeleech(2)

*'''Fight Wagons:''' More expensive than a Gore Chariot, but with almost double the attacks. They fill the same role in your army, so it's going to come down to personal taste. The complete loss of Thunderous Charge hurts the unit, so your extra attacks aren't going to be hitting nearly as hard on the charge. Gore Chariots are better with the charge, but these are better in the inverse.

===Monsters===
*'''Stormslayer:''' Its a CS2, nimble Troll with no regeneration. One less attack than a regiment of Trolls and no waver value. Its best to think of it as a precision flanking than a straight up hammer unit like regular trolls as it can weave between units with its lesser frontage than a regiment of large infantry. Downside is little synergy exists with the rest of the army, maybe some kind of Stormslayer hero in the future or an upgrade that grants Inspiring.

*'''Ambarox:''' The Riftforged Orcs made friends in the rift and are bringing their buggy mates home to play. Ambarox is straight up just a mobile insectoid artillery piece for the army. It does not have the attacks, nerve, or special rules to do anything in melee. What it does have is a 24" Blast (D3), Piercing (1), 4+ range attack with Steady Aim, giving it an effective 29" threat range. In terms of role, its basically the Riftforged version of a Skulks Troop; provides slightly better, more accurate fire support, but costs 30 points more.

===Titans===
*'''Storm Giant:''' Differs from the standard giant with the addition of Cloak of Death and Windblast (6). Can be upgraded to have either Slayer(D6) or Rampage(D6) depending on whether you need anti-infantry or anti-large.

*'''Stormforged Shrine:''' Big support piece that can cast Bane Chant(1), Host Shadowbeast(2), and Lightning (3). What makes it sexy is that for every other Riftforged unit within 6", roll an extra D6 when casting a spell, to a max of +3. So that means we're looking at Bane Chant (4), Host Shadowbeast (5), and Lightning (6) if its being escorted. On top of this after successfully casting either buff spell, it can cast another buff spell again for one less dice on any Riftforged unit within 12" ignoring line of sight. This continues until it fails to cast or has run out of units to target, it can target the same unit but you can't stack the same buff on a unit. It also has Aura (Fury) and Inspiring.

===War Engines===
None.

==Tactics==
Orcs can run a pretty good sledgehammer.

'''Strengths'''

* Crushing Strenth 1 for all. When combined with Me3+, things you hit will stay hit.

'''Weaknesses'''

* ''Huge'' footprint. The Orc army is big. Things that can ignore terrain are invaluable. Giants, the Caterpillar, etc.
* Gun-lines. Terrain, an infantry backbone, and little shooting can lead to trouble against gun-lines. Keep a couple of cruise missiles and disruption characters around if you have the points. Or take a pig farmer army.

[[Category:Kings of War/Tactics]]