All that Remains is to Endure
A second preview of Command Cards for the Lords of Vlachold faction.
For centuries the people of Vlachold have faced a difficult choice: the undying Lords or the Orcs and other ravagers beyond their borders. The Lords harvest them a few at a time. The Orcs would slaughter them en masse, and make off with the survivors. The people stoically endure the former choice, hoping against hope to outlast their cruel masters. In previous entries, we’ve seen how some of the Vlachold command cards reflect the merciless nature of the vampiric Lords. This preview details the command cards geared towards the mortal Vassals.
Tenacity is a command card that, on the surface, is a duplicate of Fortune Favors the Bold. Usually, a player only has one opportunity to reroll their attack dice during a game. There are instances where a game goes long enough that a player must reshuffle their deck, but those are uncommon. Having a second reroll by itself greatly allows a player to smooth out those dice swings.
When played on a mortal units of Vlachold (i.e. units with the Perseverance box) the card really shines. The unit is guaranteed to cause one damage during the attack. Regardless of their foe, be it Elven warriors with centuries of training or the living engine of death that is the Tyrannosaurus Rex, your lowly Voynik or Curteni will do 1 damage to them. In addition, they mark their Perseverance box, allowing them to do additional damage in the future or stand fast in the face of the enemy.
Dogged Toughness is another card that seemingly duplicates an existing command card, this time Mettle. Having two extra Mettle cards in your deck gives your Voivoide Knights amazing durability. Even units like Dwarf Longbeards or Hawkshold Great Swordsmen will need 1s to wound your Tepes Lords. If the enemy can’t wound your vampire units, you don’t have to worry about their low Courage.
Played on your ‘mortal’ units, Dogged Toughness steels their resolve during a tough fight. Many times in Battleground a unit finds itself in a damned-either-way situation of having only a few hit boxes remaining. Play a Blue card and the enemy will still likely do that 1 damage needed to force a Red check. Bolster their Courage, and the enemy can go all-in on doing damage. Dogged Toughness shines in that late stage of the fight. They minimize the damage, down to 1-2 points at the most, but it also helps them pass the Courage check when that 1 Red box is marked. Of course, only the indomitable mortals manage this heroics. The vampire Lords would bolt long before this.
Fatalism is a command card that allows a unit to reroll a failed Courage Check. They are the ultimate ‘bailout’ card that keeps a unit from routing and opening a hole in the line that can determine the entire battle. Most of them come with some other kind of benefit, but with Vlachold that benefit is restricted only to Vassal units.
This bonus reflects most mortal servants of the Lords accepting their fate. They know that to keep fighting is likely death, but to flee is still likely to result in death at the hands of their masters. And most likely the death of their families as punishment.
The challenge is using these command cards is not just in gaining the maximum benefit of what is printed on the card, but in getting the best performance in the context of the game. As with many other abilities in Vlachold, using them at the right time is incredibly powerful, but trickier than it first seems.
Click here for other Vlachold previews.
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