First Warband

[Zxqueb]

Thinking about what to create as a warband and was thinking of this:

3x Cannibal (2F) or scissors(2M)

2X pearlthorn Castle (Movement - 3VV)

2x Inspired Samurai (bodyguard 4V)

2x Asylum Escapee (Swap - 4M)

2x Genteel Husk (Counts contested cells as controlled! 5FFF)

Eagle Feather Warrior (6VV)

Thunder Sultan (8FFF)

Zungar Bodyguard (bodyguard 9VV)

Eater of Hope (10FF -- Appease)

Dreadmorph Ogre (11FF)

Basically, the little guys are used to take early wins and set up the castles on the opponent's 4 cell and the 2 cell so that I can spawn a big guy and instantly have him on the 2 cell every turn if needed.

The Swappers and bodyguards hang out in the big VC cells and swap out for the genteel husk in the mid - late game, pulling VCs from contested cells and hopefully pulling enough VCs to end the game.

Anyway, I haven't really played enough to be sure that this will be solid, but let me know your impressions. I'd still need to ebay the castles, husks and DMO. I have the rest.

Z

[dragondawg]

Looks pretty good, Matt.

Stick with the Cannibals over the scissors because you will need their +2 spawn points when they die to bring out your bigger guys more reliably. Because the scissors regenerate they do not provide you with bonus spawn points.

I'm not sure who the Samurais are guarding and at that point of your spawn curve, you still don't have anyone with more than two power. Pairing a samurai up with Asylum Escapee only rolls you three dice on an attack to get a blade. Not too too horrible, but kind of specialized, eh? I'd suggest either dropping one for a Jack in the Box(he could use a bodyguard) -or- maybe better, dropping both for a combo of Runetagged Brawler and Ardent Zunger. They are both 3V and will reduce the cost of the Castles considerably, perhaps letting you spawn both Castles on one turn! They are small so they go out in the beginning. The Brawler's defense/life can stand up to any other 2 or 3 cost mini, and AZ can take out your opponent's early minis.

In the slots of Eagle Feather Warrior and Zungar Bodyguard I would rather see two pieces that can better manipulate board position for you. Specifically a Horrid Poltergeist with single-blade (SB) expell and SB push for 6FF, and a 8 V V Hawkeyed Instigator with Multi-blade (MB)Advance (to move those Husks into scoring cells).

I do like this warband, very much! I've been wanting to get some Genteel Husks to do something like this.

[Zxqueb]

The problem I see with the husks is that they are easily taken out, hence the body guards. I would hate to get them into position only to have them taken out quickly. The bodyguards ensure that they can stick around a bit. My hope is that one of the 2 drops are in with the AE and the Bodyguard (likely in the 2 cell) which nets me 5 attack dice.

I like your insight of cannibals over the scissors, though the scissors also have the bonus of definitely being around when I need to appease my EoH.

I'll admit there isn't a lot of punch on the offense here, especially early game. My initial impression is that combat is less the focus of the early game than manuvering.

Thanks for the insights -- I'll have to look at those pieces!

Z

[warlord1985]

d**n, you got a Eater of Hope, nice pull.

Hawkeyed Instigators are the sh*t. I love those. H.I. should be in there. The Eagle Feathers are awesome too. I myself personally like them because when your in a bad position to spawn, you can just throw one of those up their on your initiative to get +3 atk dice, or reinforce a cell that you HAVE TO contest. I am building a reinforce team that hopefully I can test better soon.

Matt, let me know if your going out to GH or to Recess. I play at Recess (of course) and I work til 6 friday.

[Zxqueb]

Well, Burton never called me back, so I am going to try to reach him tomorrow when I am at lunch. Check here after 3:30 or 4 or I will call your cell if I am heading out to GH tomorrow.

Z

[Zxqueb]

Talked to Burton -- his RPG is Saturday, so I'll be up at Gamer's haven tonight 6-9. We can hang out during or afterwards.

[Zxqueb]

Well, I played a streamlined version of this in a tournament and went 2/2 and decided to drop the madness and cut some dead weight. Went 3/0 in the next tournament, so it was a step in the right direction.

Here's the current iteration of "huskmaster"

2x Cannibal (2f)

1X Pearlthorn Castle (Movement - 3VV)

2x Inspired Samurai (bodyguard 4V)
1x Knight of Pain and Sorrow (Nullify Valor 4F)

2x Genteel Husk (Counts contested cells as controlled! 5FFF)
Knight of Tomorrow (Skirmish 5V)

Mirrorman (6v)
Horrid Poltergeist (Expel / Scare 6F)

Hawk Eyed Instigator (7v Advance)
Carrion (Power = to graveyard 7F)

Thunder Sultan (8FFF)

Inscribed Axebeast (10V)

Eater of Hope (10FF -- Appease)


It's done pretty well for me overall, but again, I am always open to suggestions to make it better.

Z

[dragondawg]

I played this current itteration last night on VASSAL except I replaced the Mirrorman with a Warcharm(I was trying to go straight off this list, but overlooked Mirrorman and I did't want to take too much more time building) . The match was against a Janus-Warpstriking army played by a fine guy, DClown. Um...I lost 6-4, though I made a mistake counting conquest points and missed winning another turn.
I had never played Husks before, though I wanted to, and I liked them a lot. Extra advance blades and banish blades from the Charm helped to get them where I wanted them.

I was not too happy with the Knight of Pain and Sorrow because of her low numbers across the board and because I had to be so careful where I put her, less she cancels my valor blade abilities. Granted I played an extra valor piece with blade abilities, and there is only one in the band posted above, but I think she was too much of a tech-defense piece, a uni-tasker, one dimensional.
We didn't have high spawn rolls in the mid-late game, so later in the game I had to choose whether to bring out the Axebeast, or the Eater. I chose the Monster Monkey because everything else out was too important to lose. Hindsight, maybe I should have brought out the eater ASAP but I like to fill the board with as many pieses as possible ASAP.

[Zxqueb]

What KoP+S does is stop the cruising through your board from a rocketboots style 2x Knight of strife and joy army and allow you a turn to counterstrike it. But you're right. She's techhy and would be the first thing to drop to add in more functionality.

Warcharm is good to have in the band, but substitute it for the Ko Tomorrow. Mirrorman is too important to downgrade IMO. As I don't own a warcharm, it's not in the list. I'd probably also throw in a Dreadmorph over the Eater, but as I don't have one of those either...

Husks take some getting used to. They are MUCH better late game and almost MUST be run in conjuntion with bodyguards.

I am considering upgrading one of the pariahs to a 3F Zombie Enforcer.

[dragondawg]

Perhaps.....
Mirrorman out, Lunar Handmaiden in.
-Costs one more aspect, which will be no problem
-One less defense, but the same life
+++Spawn phase advance for one spawn point=lots of flexibility

Knight of tomorrow out, Knight of strife and joy in.
-can't shift into cell. Remedied with the castle in the 2scoring cell and possible advances from Lunar Handmaiden.
+skirmish two gets husks and bodyguards into the big scoring cells from the center row

I'm not convinced the husks need the bodyguards. If the husks are late game winners, and I can see that they are great in that role, why do they need to stick around for more than a turn or two? If they are spawned late with the idea of winning turns 5 and 6 by getting back to the 5scoring cell, then they did their job, they won the late turns and hopefully the game.

Again, the bodyguards are too much of a uni-tasker, there is no flexibility with them. They have one roll, to protect the husk from 10 damage (5 to disrupt samuria, then another 5 to disrupt the husk). The husks don't ever need to be in a cell where they can be attacked, just hold them back until you need that extra conquest point and shift/skirmish/advance them to where they will win you the turn (turn 5 or 6, right?)

That would be two more open slots maybe for maybe another Hawkeye Instigator to help advance those Husks into place and/or another castle to start a ladder to either the 2cell, or even from your back row into the 4-5scoring cell.

[Zxqueb]

I've read a lot of internet posts from people that don't think bodyguards are worth it. To me, they are so darn powerful they end up in pretty much every warband I create. Whether they are comboing with the husks or protecting some of my other key pieces like HEI or KoT, they never fail to be worth including. 5 points in dreamblade is A LOT of protection! I'd drop KoP+S for another piece WAY before I'd drop a bodyguard.

You may be right with the swapping mirrorman for lunar handmaiden and knight of tomorrow for knight of strife and joy. And if I had a lunar handmaiden, I'd be all over that. Without the extra advancer, I don't know that I'd make the knight swap.

[Zxqueb]

Here's a new draft.

Huskmaster Version 3.Whatever.

1x Cannibal (2f)

1x Zombie Enforcer (3f)

1X Pearlthorn Castle (Movement - 3VV)

2x Inspired Samurai (bodyguard 4V)

2x Genteel Husk (Counts contested cells as controlled! 5FFF)

Knight of Strife and Joy (Skirmishx2 Defender 5V)

Lunar Handmaiden (Advance 6v)
Horrid Poltergeist (Expel / Scare 6F)

Hawk Eyed Instigator (7v Advance)
Carrion Spiker (Power = to graveyard 7F)

Fleshless Reaper (8F)
Thunder Sultan (8FFF)

Inscribed Axebeast (10V)

Dreadmorph Ogre (11FFF Multiblade Expel)