4th Edition: Battle #023 NA (Varangur) vs Abyssal Dwarfs in Seek and Destroy

Intro and Lists

The March meetup for Kings of War Wisconsin was upon us, along with the less fun side of Daylight Savings. I was a bit groggy, and up against Will and his slow but implacable Abyssal Dwarfs. We are all still adjusting to the new edition, and facing us today was his newer take on his army, with the following:

The Abyssal Dwarfs were led by Golekh Skinflayer, and some Iron-Casters. Triple Lesser Obsidian Golems return, as does a Greater Golem. Golekh brought forth a Ratkin Slave Horde, slave Orc Regiment, and a Ratkin contraption. A horde of Blacksouls were around to hold the line, and a regiment of Decimators, a Dragon Fire weapons team, and two troops of Gargoyles were around to support efforts. I still really like the slave angle here, and will note that he was taking advantage of the new FAQ, and the Rakin have taken the Crystal Pendant of Retribution, which now officially combos with the Last Breath command, potentially putting out a lot of one-time damage to anything engaged with the Ratkin.

I brought the Varangur! The army has lost essentially all of its uniqueness, and as a result is not likely to see too much play in 4E from me until and unless they get a book, but there is definitely are some neat things to explore. I brought a bit of a variety pack, dabbling in a lot of things, and up to comment on is everything:

• Magnilde of the Fallen. She’s ok, with good fighting stats, though has lost a bit in the edition transition, including the one-time Fly and an attack, going down to just 6. I need the Warlord Magnilde to run the Varangur properly though, so we’re forced into taking her, thankfully, she is not too expensive.
• Thegn on Frostfang. I liked the leaders on Frostfang before, and they are neat in 4E. You can’t buy additional attacks anymore, but you do get Rallying, which should be neat, and we’ll try building around a bit.
• Human Tribesmen. With good stats, these impressed me in my early, learner games. Data and Dice showcased them as an efficient unit, and so we’re testing them out ourselves, with some regiments, as well as a horde with Elite.
• Snow Foxes. A list needs chaff, but the list is wonky, so we’re only taking one unit. We’ll need to use it well!
• Hearthguard. The Hearthguard are one of the only CS2 infantry units to survive into the new edition, besting Undead Soul Reavers and Dwarf Shield Breakers. They are quite strong, and I think most lists will battalions from taking the two allotted units, but I really like when units cost the same, so…
• Snow Trolls. We’re taking the same-cost Snow Trolls to compare them to the Hearthguard, and make this a real variety-pack list. The Hearthguard should hit much harder, but without wavering in the melee, I think Snow Trolls could have a nice niche as a git of a grindy anvil unit.
• Hearthguard Thunderers. One of two Varangur-only units, and by far the least interesting. They are boring, no-frills Knights. They lost the Brutal/Stealthy options, lost CS, all knightly units were bumped up to their attack profile now, and you can only take these as Regiments. I just don’t think there is much here worth getting excited about, but we’ll take them for a spin and see. As one does in 4E, we’re giving our one unit of Cavalry the J Boots. How original. We’ll see how they do.
• Fallen. I like a lot of their stats and rules, but 4E spun down their attacks to just 16, and just CS1 is still a little rough. Sure, they can pin stuff down, but that doesn’t seem worth it for such an expensive unit, so we’re taking the Brew of Strength (again) to make them more dangerous.
• Frostfang Cavalry. They have Strider, which is even better now in 4E! They are rather expensive though, and in the very demanding Support slot, so we’re only taking one unit, and giving them the Brew of Sharpness to try and make the most of things.

Table and Terrain

We were out at Gamers Realm in New Berlin, WI. While it continues to be a lovely little shop, the owner was unfortunately out ill. Thankfully for us, there is a second collectable store housed within the building, and folks were able to get in and access the gaming areas. I am in dire need of a few paints, but unfortunately couldn't buy anything with the main store closed. We'll need to make up for this another time!

Able to get into the gaming area, we made use of the shop's table and terrain. The store's selection seems to be in a bit of flux, and I couldn't find any obstacles, but we had some Height 10 Forests, the blocking Buildings with Height 7, Hills with Height 3, and a field and rough terrain as Height 1.We got Seek and Destroy for the scenario. Seven Loot Tokens will be distributed around the board, able to be picked up and carried. If we best an enemy unit with a token, we can chose to delete the token instead of picking it up, and tokens held at the end of the game are worth 1 point apiece. Being an aggressive army, I tried to keep everything outside any deployment zone. A bit surprisingly, my opponent did the same, so we ended up with a cluttered midfield, with a lot of oversized terrain and a lot of tokens!

Tokens and overview of the battlefield.

For deployment, my opponent has the Decimators, Dragon Fire Team and both Chariots out on the far left, and were all very late drops. We were treating the building not the base as the terrain, but it was still very big. More centrally we had all three Lesser Golem regiments, and the Greater Golem, supported by both Gargoyles and the Surging Iron-Caster. The other building forced a bit of a lane out here, with the Ratkin horde, supported by the slave Orc Regiment and the Blacksoul Horde, as well as the second Iron-Caster, with Bane Chant and Heal.

View on the right.

I didn’t have any grand plan here, but I am an aggressive army with some decent terrain mitigation, so figured I should be going wide. Left-to-right for the Varangur are the knightly-but-generic Hearthguard Thunderers and a Thegn, both in terrain. The field is massive, and I don’t have the inches to escape it in round one, but that still felt like a decent area to take and try to pressure the center from – before the opposing chariots and such showed up. The line continued with Tribesmen and Snow Trolls, the second Thegn, Frostfangs with their Brew of Sharpness and babysitting Foxes, Hearthguard, a Tribeamen horde, a Tribesmen regiment, Magnilde, and the Fallen with their Brew of Strength on the other side of that difficult terrain.

The center.

My developing plan is to delay on the flanks and murder the center, as the center has the most tokens. If I can keep the chariots and all of the big infantry blocks occupied for a few turns, I think we can break some Golems and then adjust as the game progresses.

And the view from the left, with some worrisome chariot models...

Luckily, I win the roll for deciding turn order, and being an aggressive army with plenty of tokens to fight over, do opt to go first.

Top of Round 1: Varangur

On the right, the Tribesmen move up a bit, as does Magnilde, as to the Fallen. We don’t want to grab the token, and with a regiment and two hordes out here to contest just two tokens, I just want to delay here.

Positioning on the right, trying to make use of the building.

Centrally, the Thegn and the Frostfang unit move their speed, unable to get out of the woods, and while not threatening anything yet directly, are threatening a nice chunk of board. The Foxes tuck in behind the Frostfang Cavalry.

The Tribesmen horde move up, and pivot. The speedy Gargoyles should have a charge, but the Golems are all too slow. The Hearthguard are out of position, stuck a bit behind the hill. They will pivot move and pivot out towards the right, to see anything tall around the hill.

Positioning in the center.

The nearby Tribesmen start on a token, but would need to hold in order to grab it. I want their bulk around to assist instead. Instead they move up, and the Snow Trolls will move over to pick the token up.

Movement on the left.

With stuff out on the left now, the Thunderers and Thegn move ahead to delay it. Against shooting, I opt to slow down a smidge, to keep my center point in the terrain piece for cover. I am far enough back that I don't think I am actually threatening a charge, which is wise, but accidental.

Bottom of Round 1: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the Chariots shuffle about, and the Decimators and Dragon Team move up and shoot into cover. Still, the dice are blazingly hot, and 7 damage lands against the Thunderers (about twice what should be expected)! Thankfully, the northern knights hold.

Abyssal Dwarf shooting starts off ridiculously strong.

Centrally, the second unit of Gargoyles does run up, not to charge, but to expertly gum up both the Thegn and Frostfang unit. This lets the trio of Lesser Golems all Shamble ahead and gain some ground.

The Golems lurch ahead, but keep an even, orderly line. The hill makes it look messier than it is.

The nearby Gargoyles hesitate, wisely not wanting to solo-charge a Tribesmen horde for nothing.

The Ratkin eye the token, but can't make any crazy moves thanks to the woods.

On the right, the infantry blocks all trudge ahead, though the Blacksouls don’t shift around to pick up the nearby token. The Greater Golem commits to the right as well, hiding behind the building.

Top of Round 2: Varangur

On the right, things back off. I am ok if he claims both these tokens, and just need to delay all this so that that is all they do this game. The Tribesmen back up slightly, and I think I am safe from the Greater Golem, but pictorially, am very clearly not. I had the inches and should be moving back more I think. Magnilde moves back as well, as does the Fallen. With their greater Speed, the Fallen are threatening things nicely out here.

Slight repositioning on the right.

Centrally, the Tribesmen horde inch up, and will grab a token. We’re within 10” of the Golems, but I should be able to tank it for a turn or two. The Hearthguard touch the hill, and can now see things better. The bevel is very strong, so we’re playing the whole thing as the hill, not just the crest.

Curious Foxes take the hill.

I don’t really know what to do here. I was hoping to toss the Trolls into the Gargoyles, but I forgot that the terrain was woods. I am not in the woods and so I cannot see. I choose to send the Foxes ahead, shuffle the Frostfangs around, and send the Thegn in solo.

I don’t like this. It is overkill, but the Frostfangs should probably have charged in too, with the Foxes scampering ahead and to the right, to minimize anything getting into my expensive hammer. There might have even been the inches to hit the Gargoyles and back up, denying a charge to the Golems, but I didn't think of measuring it. I figured it was best to try and keep the Frostfangs free and unengaged for now, and they should be out of range of the other unit of Gargoyles too.

The Thegn trips, lands just 1 wound, and doesn’t budge the Gargoyles.

The Snow Trolls enter the woods now, ready to add their bulk to future fights. They’ll be hindered, but I am trying to test them out as a bit of an anvil, and just want them pinning things down so the Frostfangs and Hearthguard can smash though, so that seems ok. Any damage they deal is just a plus.

The Tribesmen move ahead and finally get out of terrain. They should be safe from the Golems, but are threatening a lot of board space.

A mess on the left, with ultimately only the maimed     Hearthguard Thunderers going in.

The left is a mess, and the play mat is curved, further complicating things. The Thegn can’t reach the Dragon Engine, and measuring things, it seems to me like the Thunderers will be off the table edge by a few millimeters, so that charge is also a no go. Unable to get into that, I want to multi-charge the Decimators with both the Thunderers and the Thegn, but space is tight. My opponent questions if I can fit, and since I have already bumped the Dragon team, we’ll acquiesce here. I was not making good use of my undo corners or spare bases, so this is all me getting in my own way. I haven’t really played much since the tournament, so am already getting rusty with best practices.

Only the Thunderers go in, popping their boots for a clean charge. The expected 10 damage lands, but the shooters have good Nerve, and I can’t break them. The Thegn impotently moves up, and lends moral support, but can’t really contribute. I land atop the token, but do not pick it up, which I think is a mistake. I could always drop it next turn if-needed, and with the Thunderers delaying here, I should pick it up and be threatening to run away.

Bottom of Round 2: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, the Dragon Team inches up, and shoots over the fight into the Thegn, landing 2 damage. Golekh supervises while the Rat Engine joins the Decimators against the Hearthguard Thunderers. The Decimators contribute 1, and low rolls from the Engine only take the knights up to 14 damage. This should be a rout, but the knights hold on, so they are either insane or we screwed up the Nerve math.

The Abyssal Dwarves continue ahead, but the Varangur hold, for now.

The Thegn has Rally, but it is conditional and only for Barbarian units. Back in 3E the cavalry here had the keyword, but apparently lost it now in 4E. The Hearthguard Thunderers could be insane (we had a few results this game, and I did not do a good job at recording them in my notes), but I think it is more likely that I screwed this up, and we/I mistakenly let the knights hold with a not-quite-insane 3 on the check, thinking they were rallied. If so, my apologies to my opponent.

Centrally, most of the Golems inch up. The Gargoyles elect to hold and fight the Thegn, somehow stabbing 2 damage into him, and regenerating their one off.

The Foxes on the hill get charged by more Gargoyles, but somehow only 1 damage lands here, and the Foxes hold.

The Abyssal Dwarf center actually connects first.

The final unit of Lesser Golems take their charge into the horde of Tribesmen, and overperform a bit with a strong 8 damage.

Oops, the Greater Golem gets in as well.

On the right, my shoddy positioning of the Tribemen gets them caught by the Greater Golem. Still, I should hold, and do, with a concerning 6 damage landing here.

The Ratkin move up and out of the woods, with the Orcs and Blacksouls still supporting, and the Blacksouls have yet to grab the token over here.

Top of Round 3: Varangur

I’ve been bloodied, but am holding on. On the right, the Fallen flank charge the Greater Golem. The Brew lets them contribute the expected 10 damage, with the Tribesmen overperforming to add in a few more, and we luck out and we are able to break the Greater Golem when the Nerve checks bounce do our way. 

A flank charge into the Greater Golem over on the right.

The injured Tribesmen hold, and the Fallen end atop a token, and will claim it, and spin around to face the infantry. Wary, and worried about the Tribesmen horde, Magnilde tucks in behind the injured Tribesmen, choosing to keep things Inspired instead of fighting herself.

And a flank charge into the Lesser Golem unit in the center!

Centrally, I want to use the Foxes to continue blocking and making things messy, so having held against the aerial assault, the Foxes continue to hold and paw back against the Gargoyles, though don’t move them. Thankfully They were still far enough ahead that the Hearthguard can flank charge the Golems fighting the Tribesmen Horde, contributing 13 damage while the horde lands another 5-6 to devastate the Golems. The horde holds and the Hearthguard, on the hill, spin to spy other targets.

The Frostfangs cavalry able to pivot and flank the other Gargoyles, now coming to the aid of the Thegn with some gratuitous overkill here. In victory, they will pivot, and still trying to protect them, the Thegn opts to overrun, though only goes an inch or so.

Reforms for the Varangur.

I have a multi-charge into the Golems, but after some waffling, opt to only send the Snow Trolls in, with a delaying charge. Even if the Tribesmen joined in here, I am unliky to break them, and the other unit could still be Surged into the flank of the Trolls anyways.

The Tribesmen instead move out to the left, making use of the extra pivots to grab the token out here while still facing the action and keeping their options open next turn.

Reforms on the left, after routing the Decimators.

With the knights probably erroneously holding, they reform to shuffle down to allow the Then to charge in. The Thegn lands 1 into the Decimators, and the knights are forced to split attacks, throwing 4 into the Decimators, landing 0 additional damage, and 14 into the Ratkin Death-Engine, landing an astonishing 7 damage despite no Thunderous Charge. We luck out, and are somehow still able to pick up the Decimators, and the Thegn backs up 3” to be protected, though the Thunderers are still stuck in against the contraption.

Bottom of Round 3: Abyssal Dwarfs

After some measuring with spare bases, the Dragon Team has the space to move up a bit and zaps 3 damage into the Tribesmen out here. Golekh joins the Ratkin Engine against the Thunderers, and easily picks them up now. Both units back up, with the maimed Death Engine going further, and protected by the warlord as the Thegn can’t get in with just 1 pivot.

Reforms for the Abyssal Dwarfs on the left.

The Obsidian Golems decide to go for the kill against the Snow Trolls, with the front unit slamming a silly 10 damage back, and the second unit coming in with 12 damage from a hindered flank charge. It’s hot dice, but even with normal dice, I think I still loose here. The initial unit backs up, bumping into the spellcaster but creating space so that the regiment with the Blade of Slashing can change facing with their reform. The Iron Caster attempted Heal this turn, though had no successes.

Reforms for the Abyssal Dwarfs in the center.

Gargoyles tear into the Foxes, rolling much better this time for a fresh 5 damage, and they’ll overrun, for a solitary inch.

And just more posturing out on the right.

On the right, the Orcs move out into a more threatening flanking position, and the Ratkin charge the Fallen. We’re noodling out the math for attacks and what the needed rolls are, and I think I remember asking if the Ratkin charged out of the woods, and my opponent reflexively agrees. Writing up the report, they were not. Still, they catch a Bane Chant, and their output is on-par with not being Hindered, so maybe we did catch this and my memory is incomplete. The Ratkin land 4 damage, which is Iron Resolved down to 3.

The Blacksouls continue their march onwards, leaving the token in the back still-unclaimed...

Top of Round 4: Varangur

Magnilde is an individual, and is able to change facing, get line of sight to, and then charge out into the Slave Orc regiment. She’s not as powerful as she once was, but I think she can tie them up for a turn or two. She lands a respectable 4 damage and grabs their attention.

Charges for the Varangur. Sticky-outy bits on the Fallen prevent good alignment. My bad.

The Fallen then drop their token, then reform, allowing the Tribesmen to come to their aid, landing atop the token, and picking it up. The Tribesmen land a solid 6 and the Fallen Contributed 10 damage and we are able to break the Rats!

…unfortunately, the Crystal Pendant still triggers here. I forgot all about it! The Ratkin detonate, with the Tribesmen taking 6 damage back and the Fallen taking 5! With a phyrric victory, the Tribesmen change facing and the Fallen overrun, getting into the face of the Blacksouls. Previously, the Crystal Pendant prevented overruns, but it does not look to do that anymore. 

A cacophonous kaboom emits from the right flank and the Ratkin are MIA...

More centrally, the Tribesmen Horde moves up as far as they can, but are stopped by the back corner of the Gargoyles. 

The horde of Tribesmen hoof it.

The Hearthguard go into the Gargoyles here, and are able to devastate and route the flying chaff, as is proper. The Thegn and Frostfang Cavalry charge the Golems with the Blade, with the former contributing 1 and the latter 10 damage. It’s a decent showing, but not enough to move the heavy constructs.

The Frostfang Cavalry stall out against the Golems.

Wanting to pin the other unit down for a turn, some Tribesmen charge in, and will land a very surprising 3 damage onto the Def6 unit, adding to the swipes from the Snow Trolls, and taking them up to 6 damage. I’m Inspired and (legally) rallied by the nearby Thegn, and think I can tank this for a turn, and if nothing else, this gets a token more centrally to where I can better fight over it.

The black Thegn pivots and backs up. I think my corner might be exposed to the chariots (I moved as far back as I could), but my opponent eyeballs it and disagrees. The Thegn will be safe from charges next round.

Bottom of Round 4: Abyssal Dwarfs

On the left, both Chariot units are able to Tokyo-Drift around the Thegn, getting out of his arc, and are now threatening a lot of my stuff in the middle. Solo-Chariots look like fun!

Golekh's Chariot is splendidly painted.

The Dragon Team scorches the awestruck Thegn, but the beast and armor are tough, and the champion holds, taking just 2 new damage.

The Golems roll hot again, landing 9 damage into the Tribesmen and taking them up to 12 damage, though the warriors hold.

Lots of hot dice from the Lesser Golems this turn. Will it be enough?

The other unit of Golems also roll hot, also landing 9 damage onto the Thegn, taking him up to 11, and getting the rout against him! They are still stuck on the Frostfang unit though.

On the right, the Blacksouls make a hindered charge into the Fallen, and Bane Chant fails. Just two damage lands, taking them up to 10, but we hold and Iron Resolve down to 9 damage..

The Orcs land 3 damage onto Magnilde, who Iron Resolves down to 2 damage.

Top of Round 5: Varangur

With the Blacksouls declining to pick up the back token in the previous turns, I decide to do a bit of a risky play on the right. The Orcs are occupied, so the idea is to really tie the Blacksouls up as well, and prevent them from grabbing any tokens as the game concludes.

The Tribesmen drop their token, and charge in, with the Fallen reforming. The Fallen land 7 damage and the Tribesmen contribute 1, and the horde holds on 8 damage.

A multi-charge into the Blacksouls! It's ... not very effective. But Magnilde slays some slaves.

Magnilde lands another 4 damage onto the Orcs, who are out of range of Inspiring, and will break. I hold no tokens out here, but neither do the Abyssal Dwarfs.

Some big flank-charges into the Golems.

The center is a bit messy. The Tribesmen Horde can’t quite reach their fellows, so the Hearthguard flank charge the far unit, and the Tribesmen flank charge the more injured, nearer regiment of Golems. Both start the round injured, and both units fall.

The Tribesmen horde hold a token, as do the Frostfang Cavalry, which can’t get out of the woods, so just victoriously pivot to get the chariots into front-arc. The Hearthguard steal one from their Golems, and victoriously spin, but can’t get to the unclaimed token. Their positioning is wonky due to the hill. The very injured Tribesmen regiment holds a token, and spins around to face the oncoming chariots.

Reforms in the center, and a disappointed Thegn on the left.

The bewildered Thegn doesn’t have great options this turn. He chooses to charge and fight the Dragon Team, which does count as a War Engine, but he lands only 4 damage, and failed to break them, and he won’t be able to help against the Chariots next turn.

The Varangur hold 4 tokens by various units in the center. One token is unclaimed in the center, and two are unclaimed on the far right.

Bottom of Round 5: Abyssal Dwarfs

The chariots charge in against the wounded Tribesmen, abandoning the Fire Team. The Fire team then tries to withdraw, rolls high, fails, and is routed. We all swiftly realize that the Withdraw move should have been the first move, to let the team make use of Inspiring. It’s a bummer, but the Thegn is still facing the wrong way.

The Dragon Fire Team breaks, but the two chariots prevail, securing a token.

Golekh and the Ratking Engine charge the maimed Tribesmen, and will easily mince them. The token goes to the Ratkin Engine, who backs up while Golekh defiantly overruns.

The Blacksouls emerge victorious!

I kinda forget that the Blacksouls can split attacks now. The Iron-Caster goes for Heal over Bane Chant, Healing 2 and taking them down to 6 damage. Twelve attacks go into the Tribesmen, resulting in 2 more damage and taking them to 14 damage, and thirteen attacks go into the Fallen, landing 3 more damage and taking them up to 12. Magnilde is around, but both the Tribesmen and the Fallen break, with the Blacksouls victoriously overrunning 3” towards a token!

Top of Round 6: Varangur

The Blacksouls are out of position, and Magnilde goes in to tie them up as the game winds down. They can’t withdraw to grab the token behind them, and they’ll need to beat Magnilde and get a Round 7 to grab the token in front of them.

Magnilde charges in now.

We measured on his turn, and the Chariots are in trouble. While the Frostfangs are awkwardly in the woods, and have issues with line of sight since I can’t see out of it, I can still see the Rat Engine corner-to-corner around the intervening woods, and am in the flank. We’ll take the charge, best the contraption, and the Frostfangs will steal their token.

Two more big flank charges into what remains of the Abyssal Dwarf forces.

The Hearthguard charge Golekh, and the Tribesmen horde has the inches to get into his flank. The Hearthguard end the movement phase atop the token here, and will pick it up as they carve into the Abyssal Dwarf Warlord.

The Varangur hold 5 tokens, and just two are unclaimed on the right.

Bottom of Round 6: Abyssal Dwarfs

The Dwarfs land 6 damage into Magnilde, taking her up to 8 damage, but fail to best her. She will Iron Resolve down to 7 damage.

We do roll up a round 7, but this fails to materially change anything. I didn't really reform last turn, and can’t reinforce Magnilde even if I did. In the bottom of Round 7, the Blacksouls will best her, but can’t reach the token.

The Varangur still hold 5 tokens, and two are still unclaimed on the right.

A victory to the Varangur!

Game Conclusions

Wrapping up the game, we realized that neither of us did any commands! The Abyssal Dwarfs didn’t get much of a chance to sacrifice their slaves, nor much of a chance to throw Mutated Mastiffs, though maybe the Height 3 Fallen could have caught one or two in the midgame from the Blacksouls if we had been more mindful of the Commands. My Vicious for infantry could have been useful though, several times, but all of the Varangur footsloggers still did well enough this game without the order being given.

Testing Conclusions

• Magnilde of the Fallen. Still just ok. Despite the new edition, individuals are still in a very rough spot, fighty heroes in a worse one, and this position is now exacerbated by the FAQ. They really should have just done away with Individuals as a concept instead of the mess they have now. She did great here, and showcased some nice moves, but I don't know I would be bothering with her if I didn't need to take her to officially run the Varangur. 
• Thegn on Frostfang. In 3E you could buy an extra attack for them, which can be impactful, given their stats. They really weren’t able to deliver much by way of damage this game, though admittedly they might to better against stuff with lower Defense.
• Human Tribesmen Horde, with Elite. I wrote the lists up a month or so ago. Maybe more. Elite still seems like a good buy for them , but my brain was mush and completely forgot about it. I did not use the item, or the aforementioned Vicious command this game. The horde still did very well though, taking a beating and giving out a few of their own!
• Human Tribesmen Regiments. The regiments did fine, providing some durability and some punch. They aren’t going to carry a list, but can hold their own.
• Snow Foxes. Just one piece of chaff is risky, and they were outclassed by the opposing Gargoyles, and weren’t used the best, but we still got some value out of them.
• Hearthguard. These terrors are largely unchanged, and still hit hard. I used them well, and was able to get into multiple good and quick combats with them. They are still a terror, and this is without items and without the Vicious Command.
• Snow Trolls. We tried, but did not support them well. I also seem to have overlooked their Vicious. Head-to-head, the Hearthguard seem like a better unit in many respects, since they hit harder and are easier to understand and use well. I still think the Trolls could have a role as an anvil or grinding unit, so we’ll explore them more another time.
• Hearthguard Thunderers. They definitely got the short end of the stick in 4E. In 3E they had a mix of CS and TC, options for Stealthy or Brutal, and already had 18 attacks. Now, in 4E, they are just generic knights. Having access to them is nice, and Speed 8 give the Varangur army a bit more reach and threat range, but these did not feel game changing here, and definitely are the less interesting of the two unique Varangur units.
• Fallen. Strider is always nice to have, but they lost Nimble (and some attacks) in the Edition transition. They weren’t a hammer before, but Nimble let them be a flanker and outrider and apply a lot of pressure previously. The new movement rules are nice, but these are still not a hammer. The Brew of Strength is a good buy for them though, and Strider does seem valuable enough to give them some attention.
• Frostfang Cavalry. The Brew of Sharpness makes them very expensive but also very dangerous! For a one-of unit, the item seems worth it, and the Frostfang Cavalry are going to put a dent in anything they can catch.