Guest Article: House Lannister – Crossbowmen & Red Cloaks, by Hits and Crits

Greetings, noble Lords and Ladies.
Today, the Hits and Crits team turns its attention to the honorable warriors of the great House Lannister. More precisely, we will look at the two inhouse ranged units, the Crossbowmen and the Red Cloaks. We want to compare these two units and show you how to use each of them in order to get the maximum amount of fun and effectiveness. Off we go.

Let us start with the Crossbowmen.

For better clarity, you have the unit card above. The Crossbowmen come with several advantages. By using various zones (Swords, Horse), you can bring them into firing position early in the game to damage your opponent’s units. Furthermore, the Crossbowmen then control a certain corridor that enemy units will not want to enter.

This is especially useful for blocking an opponent from simply claiming an objective. Units whose job is to hold an objective for a player are usually not the toughest. They only have average defense and morale values (armor 4 or worse, morale 6 or worse). Against such units the Crossbowmen really shine.

On average they will inflict 4 wounds on such a unit without rerolls and adding minus one to the armor save is are already very painful for the units mentioned above. On top of that, their ranged attack also triggers a Panic Test and can therefore deal one to three additional points of damage. Keep this in mind for the later comparison between the Crossbowmen and the Red Cloaks.

However, the Crossbowmen also have downsides. Their defensive qualities are at best below average. They are therefore very vulnerable to any kind of damage, especially in melee, where they can hardly defend themselves. Line of sight also comes into play and can massively limit the Crossbowmen’s ability to distribute damage. Other units and/or forests can hinder them and reduce their value.

In addition, in a classic back to back activation (the last activation of the current round and the first activation of the following round) they are almost unable to finish off an enemy unit on their own without support (for example King Joffrey’s abilities or the “Hear Me Roar“ tactics card). To do so, they would have to cause about four to five, preferably six, points of damage with each of their (typically) two attacks, and your opponent would also have to fail at least one of the two Panic Tests. Without support, this is very unlikely.

To sum up at this point, the Crossbowmen are very good at denying your opponent certain areas of the battlefield and at preparing units for a finishing blow from another unit (for example Knights of Casterly Rock).

Now let us take a look at the Red Cloaks.

Technically speaking, the Red Cloaks do not have a true ranged attack. However, with their Lannister Justice ability they can, for each action they take, and always assuming that the Lannister player controls the Crown, trigger a Panic Test on a unit within 12 inches, with a penalty equal to the ranks of the Red Cloaks unit. In a perfect world, this could mean 8 (!!!) Panic Tests in one round … which is completely unrealistic. Normally it is more like one to two tests; if things go well, sometimes three.

However, the Red Cloaks have several some limitations compared to the Crossbowmen. Their ability depends on controlling the Crown. Without this condition, their potential is diminished. Luckily, the Lannisters have King Joffrey. With him on the tactics board, they always count as controlling the Crown. Even though he costs 5 points, without him you do not really need to field the Cloaks. Another aspect to consider is the unpredictable Panic damage that the Cloaks deal. Of course, it is great when your opponent fails the test. With a penalty of up to minus three it is quite likely that the test will fail. However, the damage is variable.

If the white d3 shows a one, it does not matter how well you played. The Lannisters do have several ways (attachments like Addam Marbrand, Preston Greenfield, tactics cards and King Joffrey) to increase the damage, but all of this often requires setup, which can be difficult to achieve in certain situations due to the flow of the game. The advantages of the Red Cloaks, however, are obvious.

With two lucky Panic Tests boosted by Lannister tricks, they can wipe out a unit or at least damage it so heavily that it will no longer really participate in the game. In addition, the Cloaks can be very lethal in melee, since they cause a test before their attack and another after their attack, assuming they inflict at least one point of damage on their opponent. If the unit, for example, contains an Assault Veteran Attachment, that means a Panic Test before the attack modified with minus four, plus one extra damage.

After the attack the Cloaks cause another Panic Test modified with minus one and plus one damage. If King Joffrey’s influence is on the enemy unit, this combo becomes even deadlier for opposing units. With various cards and/or other attachments you can push this even further.

Now that we have taken a closer look at both units, let’s draw a conclusion.

In my eyes, the Crossbowmen are better suited for beginners and less experienced players, because they are easier to play and deal stable and reliable damage to enemy units. However, their damage potential is limited.
The Red Cloaks, in my opinion, are more suitable for experienced players or veterans who can maximize their potential. As mentioned above, they have the ability to win a game on their own. However, you have to play King Joffrey with them, which means you have already spent 11 of your 40 points for units and NCUs.

What do you think? Which unit is your favorite?

Best regards,
Your Hits and Crits Team