Servants of the Undying Lords
A preview of Czigany Hillfolk and Werewolf Pack for the Lords of Vlachold faction.
The vampiric Lords claim dominion over every creature within the boundaries of Vlachold. This includes the serfs and Voyniks, but also the itinerant peoples known as the Czigany as well as the monstrous Werewolves that roam the mountains and deep forests.
If you ask the Czigany, they will say their extended clans wandered this land long before the Men of the Holds settled and swore oaths of perpetual service to their lords. They remained outside the feudal order, refusing the kneel. When the undying Lords rose to power, they made a mutual pact with them: trading service to the Lords as couriers, spies, and warriors in exchange for free passage. Of course, no Voynik or peasant would believe anything the Czigany Hillfolk say.
The Czigany Hillfolk is a Core unit in the Lords of Vlachold faction. They fight in a loose formation rather than formed ranks, allowing them to move swiftly and pounce on an unprepared enemy. They wield two-handed bardiche polearms in wide, sweeping arcs that can decapitate a man in a single blow.
The Czigany Hillfolk are unlike any of the other Core units in Vlachold. They have a Power 6 from their bardiches but eschewing a shield means they have only a Defensive Skill 1 (note the asterisk, though). Their fighting style is more about raiding and striking swiftly, which is reflected by the 5” Movement. Despite their lack of formation, they still have 4 Green hit boxes, but relatively fewer Yellow and Red boxes. They are motivated warriors, but against a resilient enemy they will crumble.
Despite their unique status in Vlachold’s social order, Czigany Hillfolk are still Vassals. To the Lords, the world is separated only into three groups: themselves, servants, and enemies. Following the asterisk from the front of the card, the Hillfolk get a +1 bonus to their Defensive Skill against ranged attacks. Their fluidity and nimbleness allows them to scatter against concentrated fire.
The Werewolf Pack is a Standard unit in the Lords of Vlachold faction. These slavering monsters hurtle towards their prey without any semblance of formation or restraint. It is unclear how the Lords managed to cow them into submission, or even how they summon the frenzied beasts before battle. All that is known is that sometimes on the eve of battle, they will hear the deep howls in the darkness.
The Werewolf Pack is best described as an orgy of violence. Their 7 attacks at Power 6 can quickly cut through even the stoutest of units. Although they have a sub-par Defensive Skill, they make up for it with their higher than average Toughness and 5 Green boxes. They race towards the enemy with a 5” Movement but can do little else because the Werewolf Pack has a pre-printed Close standing order.
This pre-printed Close standing order is a result of their Uncontrollable keyword. The Werewolf Pack is not a subtle unit. You point it at the enemy and release. The details to Uncontrollable can be found on one of Vlachold’s reminder cards.
Players familiar with Battleground will recognize Uncontrollable as very similar to the text found on the back of units such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex or the Crazed Goblins. A unit with this keyword can only have the Close standing order, which cannot be modified, and there is a steep penalty to Direct Control the unit.
Moving the text of the keyword to the reminder card makes it easier to reference during play and it frees up space on the unit card for storytelling text.
The Czigany Hillfolk and Werewolf Pack present new options for army building to the Vlachold player. You can build a line of Voynik units, or you can have a slow moving phalanx of Curteni, or you can have a rapid attack force of Hillfolk that can keep pace with your fast moving vampires and crazed Werewolves. Or you can integrate these disparate elements into your army, combing durability with mobility.
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