You heard right. New images and details of the Q4 releases have been revealed giving Starks Poison, Neutrals Pillage, and Targaryens an Infantry Unit. Free Folk and Martells also get some juicy reveals with Martells getting two Cavalry Units. Let’s not waste any more time!
Neutrals – Salladhor Saan When?
Lys mercenaries tend to always be pirates. The most notorious is Salladhor Saan who brought a sizable force of pirates to help Stannis at The Battle of Blackwater Bay. So how does this background define their rules?
“The Lysene Sellswords give other factions access to the Pillage mechanic which was previously only available to Greyjoy players. When attacking, they get stronger based on the number of pillage tokens they obtained.
The box also contains the Lysene Bosun attachment, which gives the unit new abilities if the player so chooses to use it in their army.”
Of course! How could I have missed that a Neutral pirate unit would likely have Pillage? This is so interesting to see, this release also suggests we will be seeing Greyjoys Attachments 1 which I thought could be a lacklustre to the Greyjoy faction as they aren’t performing too well. This unit will have a lot of synergy with the Greyjoys and might change the tides for them. Without seeing their stats, it is hard to gather whether they will be useful in any other army. At least we know there will also be an attachment but no hints here for what it might do. Greyjoys, get hyped!
Starks – Martells but Starks?
House Reed have been waiting on their second unit box for a while and this does not disappoint. The Survivalist and Meera Reed hinted towards what we would be seeing from this unit, and it is crazy. The Survivalist hinted towards an inbuilt Retreat mechanic in the unit and Meera carries a trident. Yes, these guys wield Tridents!!
“The Crannogmen Bog Devils Unit Box gives House Stark players a highly maneuverable unit for their armies. They are able to attack and swiftly retreat to avoid serious repercussions.
The Crannogmen Bog Devils give House Stark players access to the new poison mechanic in the game.”
Notably in the books only the Ironborn would refer to the Crannogs as Bog Devils, they would also mention how their poison would make you leak red and brown, so a vile fate befalls anyone inflicted by the attack. The rules seem to synergise well with the faction, swift retreat means this unit is going to be able to charge, apply the poison ability, then retreat, Survivalist gives a reroll here as well as making the unit Weakened and ignoring terrain. Then if they pursue you can have Wardens and Trackers lying in wait to Hidden Trap or Overwatch them. I cannot wait to try this out. I am very glad that Martells won’t be the only ones with access to a poison mechanic, which makes me want to see some Lannister NCUs get a hold of it.
Targaryens – For the (City) Watch!
Finally, some new units. It is hard to imagine how neglected the Targaryen’s are as a faction due to the prominent annihilation Khal Drogo brings to many upon the table, but due to the rest of the Commanders being underwhelming any unit not playable in a Drogo list is relegated to the back of the line. Targaryen Heroes 3 has brought some interesting new characters to the mix making infantry lists interesting, but the commander of the Brazen Beast showed up and felt out of place. Until now!
“The Brazen Beasts are a lightly armored but mobile attack force for Targaryens. They are able to charge towards and cut down enemy aggressors that are targeting friendly units across the battlefield.
The box also contains the Brazen Beast captain attachment, which gives House Targaryen players more variety in their army building for their existing infantry units.”
It is hard to gleam into what this will bring to the table, but a fast moving lightly armoured unit will likely need to be cheap and effective to compete with Dothraki. It sounds like they will have Sentinel which makes sense for a City Watch unit. I am more interested in the description of the Attachment which reveals very little but looks like it will change other units drastically in terms of list building. I wonder if we will also get this attachment in the Attachment box for Targaryen’s said to be releasing at the same time.
Free Folk – Are There Too Many Releases?
Free Folk as we all know are at the top of their game. What didn’t need to happen was Varamyr being released which improves their dominance, now we may be seeing a similar situation with the Frozen Shore Hunters. I am super glad we are getting a unit with Affiliation and can’t wait to start making a Frozen Shore list, but could these further break the game?
“The Frozen Shore Hunters Unit Box allows Free Folk players to exploit their opponents weak positioning on the battlefield.
Their Harpoon weapon allows them to do both melee and ranged attacks.”
One reason why Targaryen armies falter is because they don’t have many ways to play the token side of the game. Free Folk is in a similar situation which is why Tormund’s War Cry is so crucial. Judging by the description of this unit it sounds like they will have Superior Positioning which can hand out tokens for attacking in the flank or rear. This synergises perfectly with the super-fast chariots or even the polar bears which is likely what the game designers were going for. But when Mance and Chariots are so strong this can only end in a disaster. Not only that but it sounds like they are a copy and paste of Spearwives which may make that unit redundant completely. Only time will tell if the Frozen Shore freezes Free Folk at the top.
We will be talking about the three Martell units also on their way with these other boxes in tomorrow’s article. The Dune Vipers wielding nets and spears to be a tech piece in the army, the Starfall Outriders filling the swift light cavalry role, and the Starfall Knights adding to the roster of heavy cavalry. Do stay tuned for a sneak peek into the reinforcements of the Martells.
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