Marienburgers already have what all the others dream of: gold! They just
can't get enough of it. They start out with an enviable 600gc; that extra 100gc
will make quite a difference. They also get a bonus when searching for rare
items. On the downside, they have none of the special abilities the other
mercenaries get. Focus is clearly more on equipment, and anything money can buy.
Pistols and guns can make for very interesting tactics. This is especially
important for Marienburger warbands, who can better afford this expensive
weaponry. Pistols are extremely effective, doubling the effect with a brace of
two. A warrior with a brace is a terrible prospect to attack. His main concerns
should be to stay out of reach of ranged fire, and not to be charged by multiple
warriors at once. If he gets into close combat, it is important that he
dispatches the opposing combatants quickly, so that he can benefit from the
pistols again.
Another tactically interesting weapon is the blunderbuss. While it seems very
powerful on paper, you will notice it's effect can be minimized quite easily by
your opponent. This however, means your enemy may have to break formation, and
that may be a huge advantage in itself! It does not suffer from the usual
modifiers for hitting. In the hands of a fast warrior, he can run around enemy
positions, either getting a lot of targets, or hampering the enemy's movement
until he has fired the gun. You can give the warrior an extra ranged weapon if
you want, but good close combat weapons may be more useful after the blunderbuss
has been used.
Because there are so many variations in the composition of a mercenary warband,
the tactical possibilities are equally endless. Following are some loose
examples of how you could set up your warband to face an encounter. Each case
presents a rather one-sided view. Most warbands will have a mix of the listed
forces, and the suggested tactics will similarly combine or may apply only
partially. Up to you to device the best tactic, or come up with an unexpected
tactic, taking your opponent by surprise.
Campaign Tactics: Marienburg Mercenaries are sometimes hard to
play with. They don't have any special skills to help you during battle like
Reikland or Middenheim, but they do have an extra 100 coins in campaigns and
an extra 20% coins in single games, which can help a lot. This is a
huge advantage! Your warband is 20% ahead of the game (pun
intended!) and you should invest your money. Do not go and buy fancy heavy
armor (50 gc each); instead recruit more men! With money you can either
better equip the warriors you initially acquired or hire more men. Buying
"better" equipment can be tricky... for not saying a fools errand. Buying a
fancy Heavy Armor (50 gc) is not a sound investment. On average, after
modifications, your warrior will get a 5+ save. For 45 gc you can hire a
Swordsman with a sword. Not only he serves as a "human shield" for your
champion, but in your next game you can buy another sword for him
(making him a deadly opponent.)
Think of armor as optional insurance. Nice to have another layer of
protection, but only after you have all other possible advantages. Once your
roster is full, everyone is armed to the teeth and have minimum protection
(i.e. helmets, shields, etc) then you can move to armor. It is a matter of
being cost efficient.
Another option that you can do is save the extra 100 coins in your
treasury. After the first game, is very hard to get enough money to replace
fallen warriors in any warband. Here you can excel by outnumber your
opponents quickly.
Marienburgers are also very good for buying rare items, as they have a 1+
bonus, representing their connections with merchants. In battle, however,
they have to rely on their equipment making good use of armor and powerful
weapons.
Thanks to Sephiroth and byJanet Connell
Skills: All mercenary warbands can take a fair share of skills,
but their origin strongly influences their aptitude for specializations. The
combat skill-list is always a good choice, and all of the mercenary Heroes
can take from this skills.
Expert Swordsman is of extra interest, because your Swordsmen
henchmen already have it, and it allows you to build a sword-themed warband.
Weapons Expert is probably the least useful, as mercenaries
already have a great selection of close combat weapons.
Marienburger Champions and Youngbloods are too floppy to get Strength
skills. Shooting skills are particularly important for Marienburgers:
Eagle Eye will increase range of your missile weapons - except
for the blunderbuss; note that this will also increase the half range by 3",
avoiding the penalty for long-range more easily.
Trick Shooter is excellent for snipers, as they will ignore any
penalties for partial cover with this skill.
Quickshot allows archers to fire twice if they did not move
Pistolier is the equivalent for heroes with a brace of pistols.
Hunter will allow blackpowder weapons to shoot each turn.
Weapons Expert will allow your heroes to get those cool weapons
that would otherwise be only available to your Marksmen.
Speed skills are extremely useful in many types of mission, giving your
warband the edge in seeking out strategic positions, getting to goals, or
overtaking fleeing opponents.
Lightning Reflexes and jump up serve well in close combat.
Sprint and Leap will improve your overall speed
dramatically.
Acrobat and Scale Sheer Surfaces are great for moving
around buildings, and will get your shooters into position much quicker.
Dodge will probably be more useful for your opponent, granting
him a save against your shots.
Warband's Tactics Development Progression
1.0 Initial document submission.
Designer Notes
If anyone has any other ideas or
suggestion,
please
email us.
We will be more than happy to include them!
