Reiklanders have one special advantage over the other mercenary groups,
enhanced ballistic skill for their marksmen, giving them long range killing
capability. There is one disadvantage though, a well set up gaming board will
limit your potential to make use of this ability Placement and occupation of
elevated positions should help overcome this disadvantage.
If your warband has great long-range firepower, using bows, crossbows and
guns, this will have a considerable impact on your tactics. This situation is
likely the case for Reiklander warbands. This firepower must be put to good use,
or you will likely lose. Always remember that ranged fire is mainly a defensive
power: shooters suffer from moving around, shots are unlikely to take opponents
Out Of Action, and typically shooters are poorly equipped for close combat.
Try to get your shooters, probably marksmen, in vantage positions. On higher
ground they will be able to pick their target freely, and may get line of sight
over obstacles that would otherwise hide opponents; even standing on a pedestal
may serve this purpose. If carrying a move-or-shoot weapon like a crossbow,
select a single position that offers a good view to your enemy's approach.
Archers with more maneuverable weapons can take position on floors with multiple
windows, moving between them to cover even more ground. It is important to lure
your enemy into line of sight of your shooters. If the enemy also has ranged
attacks, keep in mind that your warriors on higher floors, close to a ledge, may
fall off if they are struck.
The presence of cover and levels on the battlefield is beneficial for both
you and your opponents: you can use it to get a better aim, while your opponent
can use it to take cover. Gaining the best positions and forcing your opponent
into open terrain is crucial in your tactics.
Good close combat fighters remain necessary to defend your shooters, and to
finish of enemies that have gone down by shooting; remember that a shot always
has to roll to hit and to wound, no matter what the condition of the target is!
When enemies get really close, you can chance a last shot, but you may want to
consider the option of charging to gain the benefits of striking first.
Especially when the shooter is on higher ground, and the opponent stands against
the wall, ready to climb up, you can risk a diving charge if your initiative is
high enough. Once the enemy manages to get the majority of his forces in close
combat, it is wiser to get your shooters involved too: they cannot shoot into
close combat, and will become useless otherwise. Remember that getting warriors
down from higher levels may be risky if they have to climb!
A similar tactic can be used when you're on the offensive: sneak close enough
to the defending enemy, take up positions, and start taking pot-shots at them.
This will either force them into cover, take losses, or come out and attack you.
Possibly the worst kind of missions are those that require speed; ranged fire
may slow the enemy down, or break his formation, but it will not improve your
warband's speed either. If you think terrain and objectives will not be in your
favor, you may want to change your warband composition to improve on close
combat power, taking extra weapons etc.
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: Your
Captain is an important figure in your warband, with above average skills.
For Reiklanders, he's extra valuable, having a 12" leadership radius, so
he's well worth investing in. You can give him a sword & mace (10 gc +3 gc),
and on top a brace of pistols (2x15 gc) for some long range firepower.
Without any other skills, he has 2 attacks strength 4 (with his pistols) on
the first round and two attacks with his own strength the following rounds.
With the other attacks he can parry (sword) and cause Concussions
(mace - injury rolls 2-4 cause Stunned results.)" As you know, the more heroes are left after the
battle, the better you can search for wyrdstone afterwards, so we'll strive
for a full complement. Note that mercenaries are the only warband in the
rulebook that can have 5 heroes for only 160 gc, not counting equipment of
course! Take all the heroes we can get: 2 Champions (35 gc each) and 2
Youngbloods (15 gc each). Take advantage of the higher WS of the Champions;
the classical sword & mace will do nicely. Youngbloods are very unskilled,
so you shouldn't pay for a lot of equipment for them. A mace (3 gc) each
will do, and they can still use the free dagger.
Reiklanders get the BS4 bonus for their marksmen, so you should
definitely take several marksmen; if you don't, then Reikland may not have
been a good choice. Just as crucial is your selection of missile weapons for
the marksmen. Crossbows are excellent missile weapons, but marksmen can also
take longbows, which have the same range and can move and fire in the same
turn. They have 1 less strength though - only S3 - but are much cheaper
(15gc). You don't want them to get into close combat, but some minimal
protection is in order: a mace (3 gc) and the free dagger should do.
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.
This gives you a fair warband, whose rating is 91. This warband is very
shooting oriented, and will require a good tactical approach of the battle.
It is important to note that there are only 11 warriors; one extra would
bring the number of casualties required to take rout-tests (25%) from 3 to
4. There is not any Hired Sword in this group, one of the mercenaries great
strengths. Up to you to decide what to sacrifice for a variation on this
warband.
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.
Only Reiklander Champions (not Youngbloods) can benefit from Strength
skills.
Mighty Blow gives +1 strength.
Pit Fighter gives +1WS and +1 attack indoors.
Resilient Deducts -1 strength from opponent blows (boiling down
to a higher toughness),
Unstoppable Charge will confer +1WS when charging.
Strongman is a very popular and interesting choice. When using a
double-handed weapon, the combatant with this skill is no longer forced to
strike last!
Fearsome shouldn't be underestimated: it also makes one immune to
fear.
Shooting skills are particularly important for Reiklanders:
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.
Advanced Tactics
By Archeonicus,
Edited by The Mordheimer.
PDF at
Downloads!
About the author:
Archeonicus is a living relic when it comes to gaming. Years of
knowledge, experience and love for the game have made him a great
Mordheim player. While he is the unofficial European Mordheim Champion,
he still is a humble avid player. If you visit the Netherlands or play
at the EuroGT, feel free to challenge him and take his title home! Many
thanks for all his kind words and collaborations!
I.Characters: Knowing the Gang
Though probably the most done tactics document around, I still
think I might bring some extra insight into playing Reiklanders. We all know
them to be the shooty warband and everybody knows they have the BS4 henchmen,
other effects are less known, or less used. Later more on that. First lets see
what the characters all have for nice advantages
Captain
You cannot play without him, but
what does the 60 gc worth deliver? First it is the only character with
an Initiative of 4. Which is rather important in the HtH section. He has
the almost obligatory WS, BS 4 stat, which is nice. But what is really
important and I noticed this time after time, is his leadership range of
12”, you can even expand that too 18” if you choose the appropriate
skill! This is one of the strengths of Reiklanders. Because you almost
always need to make the Leadership test at unexpected moments. Though a
7 is not bad… an 8 is better. Just ask any Skaven player.
Champions
Outstanding feature is the WS4, so
HtH should be the way to go…. But you forget how many characters start
with a BS3. So do not worry and do as reikies do; give the man something
to shoot.
Youngbloods
These are you first line of
defence in close combat. Heroes? First defence, you say… Yes, give’m a
spear or a sword and if he survives a couple of advances you probably
have your first combat monsters.
Warriors
This is the plain henchman of the
warband. Versatile and cheap, a standard warrior with 2 attacks costs 28
gc (club and free dagger). But that one is available in most warbands.
Marksman
Here we arrive at the thing that
attacks the eye, BS4 henchmen. And at normal cost! We all know what they
do.
Swordsmen
one of the best henchman there
is... and one of the more expensive ones too! Completely equipped with
two swords(!) he will cost you 55 GCs. This is almost (missing 1 GC) 2
warriors… But he can re-roll his sword attacks and he is WS4 to boot.
II.Starting Tips:
So how would
you begin with a warband, what is important to look at when you start?
If
possible buy as much heroes as possible! They are the
guys that actually bring in the money, after a battle. The money… I cannot
stress that enough! In one-time-only games
that fact does not matter, so then there is more room for experimenting.
Well… everybody will
cry bows! Personally I like Duelling pistols, so at least one or two will be
present in my warband. Often one for the Captain and for one Champion.
Especially in close combat they will prove their money’s worth. That +1 to
hit does it... and S4 hits are nice too.
My personal
experience is that anything that shoot needs something to clobber with too.
If the enemies gets to close, you will need to engage him in HtH. And if
that marksman only has a dagger…
If you start with
swordsmen, try to go for the 2 swords. It is a great advantage to re-roll
misses and will have a greater impact then most people suspect. I give that
it is maybe smarter to go for 2 warriors. It is a bit of the 2-in-1 option,
you go for the quality or the quantity. The only difference is that 2
warriors will have 2 wounds… that might swing the balance in their favour.
Causing a wound for a swordsman is above average in comparison to the 2
warriors with 4 attacks.
III. Warband
Types:
IV.Magic:
V. Advancing:
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!
