With the quality of life update to many things in Immoren, quality of life has indeed improved in many ways. Among the changes are some interesting twists to Sorscha3. Sorscha in her beautiful Man-o-War armour should to be able to support her Man-o-War fellows. However, I have never really managed to get her to work (for a walk through of the old Armored Korps list, see here). However, things have changed.
By royal decree from the Empress herself, Sorscha can now bring her Man-o-Wars into areas earlier banned as irregulars. She can now combined heavy armour with the numerous core Khador infantry in Winter Guard Kommand, support the combination of homicidal maniacs and Greylords in Wolves of Winter, add Iron Fangs to Man-o-Wars in Legion of Steel, but perhaps most importantly, she can now bring Man-o-Wars into Jaws of the Wolf.
In the text below I'll go through a version of Jaws of the Wolf that I enjoy immensely, the models involved and some rationale behind the composition.
Theme — Jaws of the Wolf
Jaws of the Wolf — the classic theme for Khador. Heavy Warjacks combined with light infantry; and now also heavy infantry. The bonuses at a glance does not appear to be fantastic. However, it mitigates one of our Warjacks' biggest weaknesses: the extremely rare native Pathfinder. Jaws of the Wolf now gives all 'jacks this. This is huge. The second bonus can go both ways. Having the possibility to deploy a 5" AOE forest 18" completely within the rear end of the table is either stupid (if Circle of Orboros is facing the Motherland) or fantastic (if Yuri and Manhunters and present).
Sorscha3
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| Sorscha in her Man-o-war armour |
She has two build-in and always on abilities that makes a combination of Warjacks and Man-o-Wars interesting. In addition, she projects a 9" sphere of concealment, which is always nice.
First of all, her Field Marshal ability of Flank [Man-o-Wars] basically turns our already dangerous 'jacks into Weapon Masters if a Man-o-War already has the opponent in melee range. This gives our standard Juggernaut an average damage output of 33 points on a charge attack, and the ability to hit DEF 16 on average. Not too shabby.
Secondly, she now has Irregulars [Medium-based Man-o-Wars], which is the whole reason for having her lead Jaws of the Wolf. She can now bring all Man-o-Wars, save for the Tankers and Chariots. Finally, being a Man-o-War herself, she is now repairable; and she also gives Flank, which I tend to forget.
She is equipped with two weapons: her old friend Frostfang, which has been with her since she graduated from Kovnik, and a cannon (not a hand cannon, an actual cannon in her hand).
Frostfang (2" range and P+S 16) har improved quite a lot. It is no longer Critical Freeze, it is now just freeze. That is Stationary on a stick, which is just fantastic. Hit something a it is stationary (unless it is immune to cold, obviously). The Man-o-War Demolition Corps is already slightly impressed. Secondly, Frostfang has now acquired Critical Smite (slam d6"). Critical hits are not something to build a plan on. Yet, a Warjack being both Stationary and Knocked down is a very sad 'jack; if it should miraculous survive into the next turn.
The cannon is not to be frown upon. It is a range 12", AOE 3, POW 13 shot, with Arching Fire. Despite there actually being a cannon in her hand, I tend to forget it. If she can, why not take a potshot at something. It is RAT 6, so don't get your hopes up. But, a drifting AOE can be nice.
She is, however surprisingly brittle! With a DEF of only 12, an ARM of 18 and only 17 boxes, she is not really a frontline caster. Any somewhat concentrated effort from an opponent will bring her down. She can be repaired though. So, Mechaniks might be a good idea.
Feat — Dead of winter
Her feat is a bit odd. At first glance it is not particularly powerful. This is not completely true. It is rather situational. She can place between 4 and 6 3" AOEs completely within 12" of her. They remain in play for 1 round and cause 1 point of damage if entered or one's activation ends within them. Unless one is immune to cold.
The primary use of the feat is to shield the Man-o-Wars. They are clouds. So unless the opponent has some way of seeing through clouds, the Man-o-Wars are safe from shooting whilst they advance up the table. If your opponent can see through clouds; well, they really doesn't do anything.
The secondary use is against cheap, one box Weapon Master infantry. Man-o-Wars really do not like cheap weapon masters, and there is so much of it around. Most weapon master infantry is around P+S 11, which means a nice 21 points of damage on the average charge. The opponent do not have to swing ARM, STR or just straight out damage a lot before Man-o-Wars disappear. These weapon master units also tends to be really cheap. However, they don't like one point of damage. Forcing them to go through clouds tends to keep them sober and give the Man-o-Wars a possibility to charge rather than being charged.
The feat is often used on the first or second round, or not at all. However, there is a corner case, if it has not been used at the front. It can sometimes be used to keep enemy ambushers away from one particular edge for one round.
The primary use of the feat is to shield the Man-o-Wars. They are clouds. So unless the opponent has some way of seeing through clouds, the Man-o-Wars are safe from shooting whilst they advance up the table. If your opponent can see through clouds; well, they really doesn't do anything.
The secondary use is against cheap, one box Weapon Master infantry. Man-o-Wars really do not like cheap weapon masters, and there is so much of it around. Most weapon master infantry is around P+S 11, which means a nice 21 points of damage on the average charge. The opponent do not have to swing ARM, STR or just straight out damage a lot before Man-o-Wars disappear. These weapon master units also tends to be really cheap. However, they don't like one point of damage. Forcing them to go through clouds tends to keep them sober and give the Man-o-Wars a possibility to charge rather than being charged.
The feat is often used on the first or second round, or not at all. However, there is a corner case, if it has not been used at the front. It can sometimes be used to keep enemy ambushers away from one particular edge for one round.
Iron Flesh
Iron Flesh, almost the Khador signature upkeep spell. This is what polish Man-o-Wars and makes lesser warriors less likely to be blasted of the table. It add +2 ARM (which brings Shocktroopers to ARM 19) and give a +4 ARM against blast damage (bringing e.g. Kayazy Assassins to ARM 18 against blast).
Cast it on the Assassins turn one, upkeep it (its free to upkeep, thanks to the Adjunct) until the Shocktroopers are joining the fray and smile at your opponent cursing. Then move it to the Shocktroopers before they hit the frontline, giving them ARM 23.
Cast it on the Assassins turn one, upkeep it (its free to upkeep, thanks to the Adjunct) until the Shocktroopers are joining the fray and smile at your opponent cursing. Then move it to the Shocktroopers before they hit the frontline, giving them ARM 23.
Stoke the Fires
A marvellous new spell in the Greylords' arsenal. It speeds up our rather lumbering 'jacks by giving them +2 SPD. They can now run a whooping 12" or charge 9". It also give Countercharge, which often is more of a threat than something actually being used. The idea that a Khador heavy can interrupt an otherwise carefully planned charge will often make the opponent think twice.
It is always a good idea to have one ready for each 'jack. It is cheap and not an upkeep. Cast them before the 'jacks activate.
It is always a good idea to have one ready for each 'jack. It is cheap and not an upkeep. Cast them before the 'jacks activate.
Wind Rush
Wind Rush is back. It allows Sorscha to make a full advance and gain +2 DEF. The latter, combined with her build-in concealment brings her to a respectable DEF 16 agains shooting. DEF 14 against melee is still shabby, though. If she has no better to do with 2 focus, just cast it. She does not have to move.
There is a nice combination between her charging something, making it stationary with Frostfang and then using Wind Rush to get out of the way for the Demolition Corps to move in. Also, her stationary spell Winter's Wrath (see below) suddenly becomes range 14" (if the Greylord Adjunct is around), whilst Sorscha getting out of trouble again. It can even be 18" in a pinch.
There is a nice combination between her charging something, making it stationary with Frostfang and then using Wind Rush to get out of the way for the Demolition Corps to move in. Also, her stationary spell Winter's Wrath (see below) suddenly becomes range 14" (if the Greylord Adjunct is around), whilst Sorscha getting out of trouble again. It can even be 18" in a pinch.
Winter's Wrath
Winter's Wrath is fantastic; in particular in combination with the Demolition Corps. Sorscha can make anything under the AOE 4 stationary (and it is POW 14 in addition). The cool combination of Sorscha walking forward, casting Winter's Wrath and the Wind Rush, allows her to hit some thing 14" away. Unfortunately, she will then be naked (in a Man-o-War suit of armour, though) as she often likes to boost to hit as well. However, if it works, the Demolition Corps will have a field day.
The Battlegroup
Sorscha's battlegroup consists of two Devastators. Despite a 'caster attachment not formally being part of the battlegroup, the Greylord Adjunct is also included in this part.
Greylord Adjunct
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| Sorscha's best friend |
First of all he offers Arcane Assist, which helps, typically focus-strapped 'casters as it allows a free upkeep. Here, he allows Sorscha to upkeep Iron Flesh for free. This is pretty good since Assassins or Shocktroopers really want that spell on them. Sorscha is now back to being a 6 focus caster.
Secondly, he is also a Spiritual Conduit, which is really good as it allows a +2 range on spells; here in particular Winter's Wrath. Sorscha can now freeze model 10", or even 14" away (see above).
He also brings three spells to the table: Blizzard, Frostbite and Guidance. Blizzard is a cloud, which is always handy; Frostbite is a POW 12, range 8" spray. This is good. We all know that sprays win games, and if you haven't got sprays you are probably going to loose. A quick brush up: sprays ignore concealment, cover, Stealth, intervening models, and the target in melee DEF bonus.
Finally, Guidance is where the real money is. Casting this on Sorscha gives her Eyeless Sight so she ignores concealment and Stealth, and can't be made blind. This is so good when she needs to hit something with Winter's Wrath or take out some annoying stealthy solo with her little cannon. If the Adjunct has nothing better to do, just cast Guidance every turn. Then you get into the habit and do not forget it when it really matters.
By the way, he is immune to cold, so he can walk through Sorscha's clouds. I can't fathom why he would, but it is an option.
Devastator
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| The 'jack that goes Ka-boom! |
In addition to a functional Rain of Death, it can Bulldoze (push model base to base 2" directly away), whilst it is immune to push itself (Sturdy). It is also Steady (immune to knockdown).
Normally, the role of a Devastator is just to shuffle about, bulldoze stuff out of zones on into trouble, and once in a while go ka-boom (oh, it can also Trample and Slam without giving up ARM 23). Sometimes, it does have to open up and hit stuff with its fists (and then only be ARM 19).
It has two standard fist, each with P+S 16. Which is a bit pillow fisted. However, thanks to Sorscha's Field Marshal ability Flank [Man-o-War] it can attack with an effective MAT 8 and 3d6+16 (effectively a Weapon Master). This means that it can now hit DEF 15 on the average and deal 30 points of damage on the charge, and 26 points of damage on a normal attack.
For a Devastator to become Weapon Master the opponent also needs to be in melee with a Man-o-War. Luckily, this is achievable with the Shocktroopers and Demolition Corps, as they have reach 2" and can move quite far in this list (see below).
Oh, and there is a devastating bonus in this list: there are two Devastators!
The Brick
Part of the major plan for running Sorscha3 in Jaws of the Wolf is to have a solid brick in the middle, where the opponent can break their inferior weapons on heavy Khador armour. It is also a place where Sorscha can hide (remember, the Man-o-War armour is misleading).
The Brick consists of a full unit of Shocktroopers and Unit Attachment, a full unit of Demolition Corp with Sergeant Dragos Dragadovich and a Man-o-War Kovnik to primarily speed the Shocktroopers up. The Shocktroopers are there to absorb attacks in their shield wall; whilst the Demolition Corps is there to kill heavy stuff once Sorscha has makes it stationary.
The Brick consists of a full unit of Shocktroopers and Unit Attachment, a full unit of Demolition Corp with Sergeant Dragos Dragadovich and a Man-o-War Kovnik to primarily speed the Shocktroopers up. The Shocktroopers are there to absorb attacks in their shield wall; whilst the Demolition Corps is there to kill heavy stuff once Sorscha has makes it stationary.
Man-o-war Shocktroopers
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| The Empress' brick |
Shocktroopers are the backbone of a good brick. They often play the role of anvil, typically holding the middle of the field; where they slowly but steadily advance in Shield Wall, whilst other troops "hide" behind them. Typically, they will be in Shield Wall as often as possible, and Sorscha will also upkeep Iron Flesh on them. This gives then an effective ARM of 23, which is pretty OK. When accompanied with the Officer, they are also immune to Knockdown and Push. All in all, pretty solid. I do, however recommend having a unit of Mechaniks nearby, as ARM-cracking is currently abundant.
The quality of life update has been good to Shocktroopers. Shield Wall now gives an extra +3" movement in addition to the +4 ARM. Combined with having a Kovnik (see below) nearby (within 9") makes for fast Shocktroopers.
The Kovnik can give them Desperate Pace, for +2" movement. This combined with Shield Wall allows Shocktroopers to move an impressive 9" in Shield Wall. This is just one inch short of their max distance when running.
The officer adds quite a lot of nice features. Some of them has already been detailed above. Not only does he give the troopers Steady and Sturdy, which remains even if he dies (Tactics); he also give them Assault, which the unit looses if he dies (Granted). He does have a slightly better axe, with an extra P+S and critical Stationary; and one better MAT and RAT. He is also an extra body in a small unit. I never leave home without him.
I have always wondered why Shocktroopers do not have shields? They have a shield gun, they can do shield wall; yet they don't have a shield. Giving them a shield would bring them to ARM 25 with all the trimmings. 25 is a good number, which would make them the brick they are suppose to be. 23 is still too little in the current state of Immoren, where swinging damage quite a lot and cheap weapon masters are common place.
Shocktrooper Officer
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| The Shoctrooper Officer |
I have always wondered why Shocktroopers do not have shields? They have a shield gun, they can do shield wall; yet they don't have a shield. Giving them a shield would bring them to ARM 25 with all the trimmings. 25 is a good number, which would make them the brick they are suppose to be. 23 is still too little in the current state of Immoren, where swinging damage quite a lot and cheap weapon masters are common place.
Man-o-war Demolition Corps
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| The Demolition Corps ready to wreck stationary stuff |
The Demolition Corps is easily my favourite Man-O-War unit. They are Man-O-Wars, and equipped with huge hammers used for charging ahead and smashing enemies with. What's not to like? They are, however more brittle than one would expect from huge steam-driven heavy armour. This can be mitigated by casting Iron Flesh on them, making them (most likely) DEF 12 and ARM 18, which is kind slightly better than victim stats.
This unit is basically five guys with P+S 16, 2" reach hammers who really wants to charge stuff and get into the fray. They do have Critical Freeze, but perhaps more importantly they have Shatter. This gives an additional dice on damage if the target is Stationary. This is lovely in combination with Sorscha's Winters Wrath, which gives a 4" AOE of stationary. Charging something that Sorscha have tagged with Winter Wrath is an auto hit with 4d6+16 points of damage (an average of 30).
Remember that the Kovnik also can give Desperate Pace to these guys.
Sergeant Dragos Dragadovich
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| Dragos leading the Demolition Corps |
He grants 3" Vengeance (works whilst he is in formation), and has Tactics Defensive line (unit gains this even if he dies), which gives the unit DEF 12 against melee attacks and immunity to knockdown, whilst base-to-base with another model in this unit. DEF 12 is still not remarkable, but every little bit helps.
Dragos' also has a mini feat, Band of Brotherhood that allows the unit to distributed damage amongst all members instead of just the one model getting hit (it's the same as Sanguine Bond, if you have ever faced Trollkin Champions or Exemplar Bastions). This is super good for keeping a unit alive and weather the storm so as many as possible can hit back. Combined with Iron Flesh actually makes for a really robust unit.
Man-o-war Kovnik
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| The Mighty Kovnik |
A Kovnik does three things for a fellow Man-o-War. First and foremost, he brings Desperate Pace to the Man-O-Wars. These extra 2" of movement to a unit means a lot to slow Man-O-Wars; in particular to Shocktroopers. They can now move 9" in Shield Wall.
Secondly, he can actually Slam models! A good slam is not to be frown upon.
Finally, he is not a helpless solo in melee, he actually brings three attacks to a charge: one assault shot (hitting DEF 14, bringing 21 points of damage of the average), one charge axe attack (hitting DEF 15, bringing 25 points of damage on the average), and one shield attack (hitting DEF 15, bringing 18 points of damage on the average).
The Harassment
The harassment part of this army is there to, well harass the enemy whilst the Man-o-War lumber forward. The assassins are there to run up the middle of the board to tie down the enemy. The Eliminators and Kossites together take the role of threatening the flanks, thus forcing the enemy in clump up in the middle. Finally, Yuri and his Manhunters will be parked in a wood (potentially then one the theme brings along) to threaten a flag or just an extra bit of board control.
All in all, the Assassins are speed bumps and the rest is there to force the enemy to clump together in the middle to be served to the Man-o-Wars.
Kayazy Assassins
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| Assassins doing the Empress' bidding (and getting handsomely paid) |
Kayazy Assassins are among the winners in the quality of life update. They got a bit cheaper, gained dualist and a new and very cool Tactics [Shadow Dance]. I think they went from OK to really cool.
Assassins come with a load of build-in abilities. They have Stealth, Parry (cannot be target by free strike), Dualist (+2 DEF against melee attacks), Gang (+2 to melee attack and damage rolls if the enemy is within melee range of another model in the unit), Anatomical Precision (automatically one point of damage if damage roll doesn't exceed ARM, and no tough rolls), and if the Underboss is around (don't leave home without him) Shadow Dance (more on that later) and a mini-feat Kill Stroke, which gives them Backstab (an additional die on attack and damage rolls). They have almost as many rules as a Crucible Guard unit.
So, what do they do? They can get up the board without being shot off the table, thanks to Stealth. Just remember to keep them apart so a drifting AOE doesn't kill a lot of them. They only have ARM 12. So, most, if not all AOEs will kill them. Also, they really really hate sprays. It is worth getting Sorscha to put Iron Flesh on them, until they have done their thing and the Shocktroopers take over.
Once they get into melee, they can be difficult to get rid of. Native DEF 13 plus dualist gives them DEF 15, which means that MAT 8 is required to hit them on an average roll.
If they get to do a charge, they can do fun stuff. They can poke stuff with their daggers 9.5" away (which is not very impressive). When possible make sure that two Assassins gang up one each opponent. They will then arrive with an effective MAT 8 (hitting DEF 15 on the average) and P+S 12 + 3d6 (average 22 points of damage). But, wait there is more.
Assassins come with a load of build-in abilities. They have Stealth, Parry (cannot be target by free strike), Dualist (+2 DEF against melee attacks), Gang (+2 to melee attack and damage rolls if the enemy is within melee range of another model in the unit), Anatomical Precision (automatically one point of damage if damage roll doesn't exceed ARM, and no tough rolls), and if the Underboss is around (don't leave home without him) Shadow Dance (more on that later) and a mini-feat Kill Stroke, which gives them Backstab (an additional die on attack and damage rolls). They have almost as many rules as a Crucible Guard unit.
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| The Underboss makes Assassins shine |
Once they get into melee, they can be difficult to get rid of. Native DEF 13 plus dualist gives them DEF 15, which means that MAT 8 is required to hit them on an average roll.
If they get to do a charge, they can do fun stuff. They can poke stuff with their daggers 9.5" away (which is not very impressive). When possible make sure that two Assassins gang up one each opponent. They will then arrive with an effective MAT 8 (hitting DEF 15 on the average) and P+S 12 + 3d6 (average 22 points of damage). But, wait there is more.
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| Getting into the back arc |
The Assassin Underboss
Shadow Dance and Kill Stroke is a beautiful thing.
When the first model hits something, the magic can begin. After a model hits something, another model can be placed within 3" the attacking model.
Assuming the model to be placed have successfully charged something, the Assassin can now potentially be place in the back-arc of the model it charged (see illustration to the left where two Assassins are charging a large base). There is some wriggling room when charging a large base. But careful measuring is advisable. Of course, the further into the back arc the model can charge, the mode room there is to be placed correctly.
When the first model hits something, the magic can begin. After a model hits something, another model can be placed within 3" the attacking model.
Assuming the model to be placed have successfully charged something, the Assassin can now potentially be place in the back-arc of the model it charged (see illustration to the left where two Assassins are charging a large base). There is some wriggling room when charging a large base. But careful measuring is advisable. Of course, the further into the back arc the model can charge, the mode room there is to be placed correctly.
Getting the Assassin to "charge" into the back arc, means that the Assassin will now on the average hit DEF 20 (MAT 6 + 2 from gang, and +2 and 3d6 from backstab)! It will also do an average of 26 points of damage (P+S 12 + 4d6)! Two of these little guys will take out a Shocktrooper under Iron Flesh (remember Shield Wall does nothing when attacking in the back arc).
Kossite Woodsmen
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| The hardy north Khadorian woodsmen |
The Kossite Woodsmen is another unit that has gotten a lot of help from the quality of life update. Despite actually going up in cost, they can finally in the whole history of Warmachine be useful.
They are at the very core a unit with range weapons; unfortunately with poor eyesight. They only have a range of 10" and their inferior bows, crossbows and rifles are only POW 10. So, what's the big thing?
They have Ambush and Backstab. Ambush in itself is a very nice thing; in particular before it is used. The threat of having a bunch of shooters appear on any table edge (except the back of the opponent's deployment zone) easily forces the opponent to pack their army in the middle (which is what the Man-o-Wars want). Sometimes the threat of ambushing is actually more important than ambushing.
When the Kossites are deployed they excel in hunting solos and other support. They can hit something 19" way from the table edge (3" deployment + 6" walk + 10" range). Unfortunately, RAT 4 is not good. This is where Backstab comes in. It allows them to hit DEF 16 on the average (RAT 4 + 2 back strike + 3d6). They will also do 20 points of damage on the average (POW 10 + 3d6). This will trivially kill most support and even dent frontline infantry. If they can't find anything to kill, they are pretty good at contesting zones of flags.
On top of that they have Pathfinder, Prowl and when Yuri is in the army also Treewalker (allowing them to ignore forest for LOS and +2 DEF against melee when completely within a forest). Just remember they have victim stats. DEF 13 (15 in a forest) and ARM 11 means that they die to even a light sneeze.
Kayazy Eliminators
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| The ladies of death |
Kayazy Eliminators are a small unit of two city chicks who excel in knife dancing. Like the Assassin brothers they also come with Parry, Stealth, Anatomical Precision, Gang and Dualist.
In addition, the do Acrobatics (advance through models and ignore intervening models when declaring a charge) and Side Step (when hitting a model, they can advance 2" after the attack is resolved).
They work marvels on the flank. They are fast (SPD 7") and with Stealth and a native DEF of 15 (17 in melee, thanks to Dualist) they can get most places fast. Thanks to Acrobatics they can also charge most things trying to hide behind other modes.
The two ladies will arrive with an effective MAT 7 or 9 (gang) and do 21 + 18 points of damage; or one time 25 points, using their Combo Strike. Remember the deny tough due to Anatomical Precision.
They are a threat that most enemies cannot afford to ignore. Having a unit on each flank will to a degree also force the enemy to pack their models into the middle of the board. In addition, the ladies are also really good in scenario play, as they can contest zones far away and score circle zones
In addition, the do Acrobatics (advance through models and ignore intervening models when declaring a charge) and Side Step (when hitting a model, they can advance 2" after the attack is resolved).
They work marvels on the flank. They are fast (SPD 7") and with Stealth and a native DEF of 15 (17 in melee, thanks to Dualist) they can get most places fast. Thanks to Acrobatics they can also charge most things trying to hide behind other modes.
The two ladies will arrive with an effective MAT 7 or 9 (gang) and do 21 + 18 points of damage; or one time 25 points, using their Combo Strike. Remember the deny tough due to Anatomical Precision.
They are a threat that most enemies cannot afford to ignore. Having a unit on each flank will to a degree also force the enemy to pack their models into the middle of the board. In addition, the ladies are also really good in scenario play, as they can contest zones far away and score circle zones
Yuri the Axe
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| A man — an axe! |
Yuri, the man, the myth. He is a Manhunter on steroids (in the literal sense, I think). He comes with a nice package of build-in abilities. Pathfinder is given; Stealth, obviously; Advance Deployment (6" extra), naturalement; He is clearly Tough, just look at him; and finally Treewalker, allowing him to ignore forest for LOS (basically being able to see though them) and give him +2 DEF agains melee attacks when in a forest (effective DEF 16, needing MAT 9 to hit on average).
After the price adjustment in the quality of life update, he is interesting. He moves from interesting to cool when a list includes Kossites and Manhunters. He gives Treewalker to them as Elite Cadre (so it stays after he dies).
He is equipped with a pretty large axe, which is reach 2" and P+S 13. He is obviously Weapon Master. As a bonus he can do Thresher. That means he can reach out and touch something 11" away, hitting with MAT 8 (DEF 15 on average) doing 4d6+13 (average of 26 points of damage) on the charge attack. Remember only the charge target is boosted. One basically just parks him in a forest, preferably close a flag. The opponent simply can't ignore such a missile.
After the price adjustment in the quality of life update, he is interesting. He moves from interesting to cool when a list includes Kossites and Manhunters. He gives Treewalker to them as Elite Cadre (so it stays after he dies).
He is equipped with a pretty large axe, which is reach 2" and P+S 13. He is obviously Weapon Master. As a bonus he can do Thresher. That means he can reach out and touch something 11" away, hitting with MAT 8 (DEF 15 on average) doing 4d6+13 (average of 26 points of damage) on the charge attack. Remember only the charge target is boosted. One basically just parks him in a forest, preferably close a flag. The opponent simply can't ignore such a missile.
Manhunter
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| Yuri's two friends |
Manhunters are Yuri's outdoor loving friends. They also have Pathfinder, Stealth, can Advance Deploy and are obviously Tough.
They also get Tree Walker from Yuri. Helping their DEF 14, ARM 14, 5 boxes a bit.
Each Manhunter is equipped with two P+S 11 axes, olny range 0.5" though. Luckily, they are Weapon Masters. So, they can touch something 9.5" away.
They will arrive with MAT 8 (hitting DEF 15 on the average). First axe will do an average of 25 points of damage, and the second one 22. This will hurt most solos and light infantry.
They take much the same role as Yuri. Plant them in a wood somewhere close to a flag. With a bit of luck they can contest and are not somebody a flag scoring solo can afford to ignore.
The Support
The harassment part of the army is there to force the opponent to clump up in the middle. This is where the brick will hit them hard. The harassment units are probably going to die. It is, however important to keep the brick, Sorscha and Devastators alive. Enter the support. Mechaniks to fix damage and Bulkhead to remove jammers, and protect Sorscha.
Battle Mechaniks
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| For when stuff is broken |
Battle Mechaniks have also been blessed by the quality of life update. They have gotten cheaper, and the officer has become much cheaper. The latter has finally become relevant.
The four Mechaniks can each repair for d3. The officer is somewhat more adept and can repair for d3+3. A unit of Mechaniks only is ok. But it is the officer that really makes them shine.
A Mechaniks officer has a command of 8, so that is a pretty large area that can be covered. He is also Girded (does not suffer blast damage) and anybody B2B with him is also Girded. This might be handy.
He will probably live in the middle behind the brick which can screen him; whilst the other Mechaniks are more free to roam on the flanks.
Bulkhead
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| The perfect bodyguard |
Bulkhead has a bunch of rules. He has standard Man-o-War DEF (10), ARM 19 (base 17 + shield), and 8 boxes. He can be repaired. He has two weapons: not a shotgun, but a shotcannon, and a shield.
The Shotcannon is a fantastic piece of artillery. It is ROF 2, spray 6", POW 16. He can do Both Barrels for one POW 20 shot. His shield is less impressive being P+S 12 and range 0.5. He can use both in an activation as he has Dual Attack.
He is also surprisingly mobile. He has bulldoze (push enemy model 2" is making B2B contact during normal movement), He can slam and has follow up. This combined with his different types of attacks and Dual Attack makes for some weird combinations.
He can start by slamming something. That is 7.5" away he can touch something (7" + 0.5 melee range). He can now slam something d6" away for 2d6+9 points of damage (3d6 if slammed into an obstacle or equal- or larger-base size). He can now do follow up for up to 6". This brings him up to 13" away.
Dual Attack can now trigger and Bulkhead can fire his shotcannon twice up to 6" away. So, under optimal conditions, he can spray something 19" away. Don't build a plan around it, though. He can, however spray whatever he slammed. It is now knocked down and quite easy to hit.
Bonus abilities are: Immoveable Object (no knockdown, can't be placed, nor pushed, slammed or thrown), he can be repaired, and he is a Shield Guard.
He is a pretty good bodyguard for Sorscha. Make sure that he stays within 3" of Sorscha to work as a shield guard. He can also slam, charge, bulloze, or spray stuff that might be threatening her.
The final Jaws of the Wolf list
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| Sorscha and her army. Ready to take on the enemies of the Motherland |
That's it. The whole list. Sorscha3 leading Jaws of the Wolf, which consists of three main parts: The battlegroup, the anvil and the harassement. The final list is as follows:
[Sorscha 3] Kommandant Sorscha Kratikoff [+28]
- Devastator [14]
- Devastator [14]
- Greylord Adjunct [3]
Man-O-War Kovnik [3]
Man-O-War Demolition Corps (max) [12]
- Sergeant Dragos Dragadovich [4]
Man-O-War (max) [15]
- Man-O-War Shocktrooper Officer [3]
Kayazy Assassins (max) [13]
- Kayazy Assassin Underboss [4]
Kayazy Eliminators [0(4)]
Kayazy Eliminators [0(4)]
Kossite Woodsmen (min) [7]
Manhunter [2]
Manhunter [2]
Yuri the Axe [4]
Bulkhead [0(5)]
Battle Mechaniks (min) [2]
- Battle Mechanik Officer [1]
Tactics
The whole idea behind this list is to force the opponent to clump up in the middle. The Harassment part of the army threatens both flanks from the Eliminators and the risk of Kossites appearing on either flank.
The Assassins will run as fast as possible in the front to tie up the advancing enemy. They will be under Iron Flesh to begin with, have Stealth and a reasonable DEF. This should keep the opponent occupied until the Brick can arrive.
Manhunters and Yuri will advance deploy, potentially in the forest the theme brings. They will attempt to do a bit of board control by asking the question: "are you sure you would like to be charged by a missile?"
Finally, everything else will go into the Brick in the middle. Shocktroopers in front to soak up shooting and or charges. Demolition Corps behind to be protected and ready to charge things that Sorscha can freeze. Bulkhead to work as Sorscha's personal bodyguard. The Brick is finished off by a Devastator on either side.
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| Army position after first turn (going first) |
Assuming you, me dear reader has arrived all they way down here, I hope you have enjoyed these wild speculations. With a bit of luck, battle reports will appear in the foreseeable future.
For the Motherland!
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