Unfortunately as you all know, I missed out on Battle of Burning skies. However, I have now bought a ticket for the Age of the Dark Gods tournament, also run by Savage Hammer Gaming.
I thought it could be fun to see what Kruleboyz army you would all choose for me to run at this event, so over the next few weeks I’ll be doing once a week posts where you get to select a unit by poll to enter the army. I do however, reserve the right not to run the list if I feel its blooming awful!
So first up.
SUBFACTION
As Kruleboyz there are three subfactions that can be chosen, each with their own benefits.
Grinin’ Blades
The Grinnin’ Blades are the epitome of Morkiness, ever seeking to get one over their foe before the battle is joined in earnest. Their Swampcalla Shamans are experts at concealing the boys with obfuscating mists, hiding them from sight until the enemy is completely surrounded.
Out of the Mists: The shamans of the Grinnin’ Blades make sure that the lads are swathed in thick, concealing fog before the battle begins.
During the first battle round, friendly GRINNIN’ BLADES units are not visible to enemy models that are more than 12″ away from them.
This is usually the secondary choice after Big Yellers, this gives the ability of essentially the enemy being unable to attack your models unless they’re within 12″ in the first turn.
Big Yellers
The Big Yellers are seen as pretty lazy by the other Kruleboyz, but it is precisely this trait that has led to them spending a lot of time tinkering with their wargear and making ‘kustom modifikashuns’. As such, the Deffspikerz of this warclan invariably wield the flashiest, shootiest missile weapons – after all, it saves them the long walk that is usually required in order to shank a foe.
Only Da Best: The crossbows of the Big Yellers are just that bit better than those of other Kruleboyz – not that the rival warclans would ever admit it.
Add 3″ to the Range characteristic of missile weapons used by friendly BIG YELLERS ORRUK units. In addition, in the first battle round, each time a friendly BIG YELLERS ORRUK unit shoots, you can re-roll 1 of the hit rolls for 1 of the attacks made by that unit.
This is the most selected faction for Kruleboyz as it increases the range of your shooting attacks to 27″ which means you can tag a few units in the first turn from shooting if you play your deployment right.
Skulbugz
Even other greenskins think that the Skulbugz are an unsettling bunch. They have an affinity with creeping, crawling things, and are usually surrounded by undulating swarms of gangly swamp-midges and nasty, scuttling critters that are likely to run up a foe’s leg. Understandably, this can be extremely distracting to their enemies in battle.
Crawly Swarm: The Skulbugz and their loathsome warbeasts are magnets for all kinds of biting, wriggling creepy crawlies.
When an enemy unit is picked to fight, roll a dice if it is within 3″ of any friendly SKULBUGZ units. Add 2 to the roll if that enemy unit is within 3″ of any friendly SKULBUGZ MONSTERS. On a roll of 6+, subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks made by that enemy unit in that phase.
This is the least chosen faction for Kruleboyz, it gives you a 16% chance of forcing the enemy to subtract 1 from their hit rolls, or 50% if they’re near a friendly monster.
Who should the General be?
There are only a few Kruleboyz units who can benefit from Command Traits and these are:
- Breaka-Boss on Mirebrute Troggoth (180 Points)
- Killaboss on Corpse-Rippa Vulcha (240 Points)
- Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof (170 Points)
- Killaboss with Stab-Grot (110 Points)
- Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast (315 Points)
There are pros and cons to each
Breaka-Boss on Mirebrute Troggoth (180 Points)
| Pros |
|---|
| Resilient – 12 Wounds plus an ability to heal D3 wounds on 4+ in friendly Hero Phases. |
| Lots of Attacks – With its Iron-Bound Clubs and Bident Goad, this model generates 9 attacks per turn all 3+/3+. |
| Even More Attacks -For each wound caused after rollingD3 wounds using the Breaka-Harness you can gain 2 to the Iron-Bound Clubs attacks of the Troggoth giving him up to +6 attacks on 3+/3+ with -2 Rend and 3 Damage. |
| Cons |
|---|
| Individual – With no Aura’s or Buffs this model has no direct benefits to other units in the Kruleboyz list. |
| Can Die Quickly – If you’re choosing to use the extra attacks by causing D3 wounds you can quickly lose wounds in combat. Is this something you want to be doing on your general? |
| Slow – With a movement of 5″, this model will take time to move across the table and get into contact with the enemy. When you do get into contact, it’s probably at the location chosen by your opponent. |
Killaboss on Corpse-Rippa Vulcha (240 Points)
| Pros |
|---|
| Aura – Only 1 model will flee for friendly Kruleboyz units within 3″ that fail battleshock. |
| Duplicate Command Ability – If you choose to issue a command ability with this model, another model in your army can still issue the same command ability in the same phase. |
| Venom-Encrusted Attacks – The Vulcha benefits from Venom-encrusted attacks on its Beak and Flesh-tearing Talons and its Stinger, as well as the Killaboss’ Jagged Boss-Stikka. Total of ten attacks. |
| Fast – Movement 14″ |
| Cons |
|---|
| Expensive – 240 Points, aside from the Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker this is the most expensive command unit and will limit your choices elsewhere on the roster. |
| Target – Because of its Speed and number of attacks this unit is likely to be targeted by your opponent quickly. |
Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof (170 Points)
| Pros |
|---|
| Cheap – At only 170 points, this is one of the cheaper options to lead your army. Beaten only by the Killaboss on foot. |
| Fast – 10″ Movement |
| Aura – Only 1 model will flee for friendly Kruleboyz units within 3″ that fail battleshock. |
| Venom-Encrusted Attacks – The boss benefits from Venom-encrusted attacks (mortal wounds on 6+). |
| +1 To Hit – If this unit made a charge move in the same turn |
| Cons |
|---|
| No. of attacks – The drop in points come at a price, and in this case its a drop to eight attacks instead of 9/15 (Mirebrute) and 10 (Vulcha), they do however still hit on 3+/3+ |
| Low Wound Count – This model will die quickly to sustained attacks, but does benefit from a 3+ save instead of 4+ as seen on the other units so far. |
Killaboss with Stab-Grot (110 Points)
| Pros |
|---|
| Cheap – At only 110 points this is the cheapest General option available to the Kruleboyz. |
| Aura – Only 1 model will flee for friendly Kruleboyz units within 3″ that fail battleshock. |
| Stab-Grot – Model has a single use Ward Save on 1-5, if successful you lose the Grots attacks. 3 attacks (4+/4+) |
| Venom-Encrusted Attacks – The boss benefits from Venom-encrusted attacks (mortal wounds on 6+). |
| Cons |
|---|
| Can Die Quickly – With only 6 attacks, this model WILL die and will give away Slay the Warlord points. |
| Slow – With a movement of 5″, this model will take time to move across the table and get into contact with the enemy. When you do get into contact, it’s probably at the location chosen by your opponent. |
Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast (315 Points)
| Pros |
|---|
| Lots of Attacks – This model can attack up to 12 times in the combat phase with various weapons with them all at 3+/3+ or 3+/2+. |
| Aura – This model can add 1 to the number of mortal wounds caused by Venom-Encrusted weapons on Kruleboyz units within 12″. |
| Insta-Kill – This model has the potential to one shot characters with 7 wounds or less on a roll of 2D6. Single Use. |
| Tough – Has 14 wounds and a save of 4+. |
| Cons |
|---|
| Target – Because of its Poison Buff and number of attacks this unit is likely to be targeted by your opponent quickly. |
| Expensive – At 315 Points this is the most expensive unit in this list. The difference between this and the foot Killaboss being the ability to field another 200 points of other units. |
Finally, what should their Command Trait be?
Slippery Skumbag
This wily boss has mastered the art of the feint and counter-charge.
This general can retreat and charge in the same turn.
This would benefit the fast moving units the most, especially the Great-Gnashtoof which gets +1 on its attacks if it charged in the same turn.
Not as great for the slower, Sludgeraker or Killaboss and Stab-Grot.
Supa Sneaky
This boss is renowned for the ingenuity of his ambush manoeuvres.
If this general is on the battlefield at the start of the first battle round, before determining who has the first turn, you can pick 1 friendly KRULEBOYZ unit and set it up again anywhere on the battlefield that is more than 9″ from all enemy units.
This could benefit a hard-hitting combat unit such as another Mirebrute Troggoth, Killaboss with Stab-Grot or even a unit of Gutrippas (especially if they’ve been reinforced)
Egomaniak
This self-important boss is willing to use anyone to protect his own hide.
If this general is within 3″ of another friendly unit, roll a dice before you allocate a wound or mortal wound to this general or instead of making a ward roll for this general. On a 4+, pick 1 other friendly unit within 3″ of this general. That wound is allocated to that unit instead and cannot be negated.
This is a great pick for those Generals you especially want to keep alive that cost a fortune. You’ll need to make sure you park a unit of gutrippas or Hobgrots near them to act as the meatshield.
