The Stormcrows Take to the Field
With the wars going on in Westeros, being a soldier for hire can be a very lucrative line of work. As such, the various Mercenary companies are stepping up and offering their services to anyone willing to pay their price. The addition of a Mercenary unit or two can bolster an army’s ranks for a crucial battle, or bring vital skills and resources to bear that an army might not otherwise have. In January, the Stormcrow Mercenary Company is making its presence known in the A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game with two unit boxes: the Stormcrow Mercenaries and the Stormcrow Archers. Let’s take a look at each of these and see just what players will get for their coin.
The Stormcrow Mercenaries unit costs 5 points to add to an army. They have a Move of 5, and they roll 7 dice in melee when at full ranks, hitting on a 4+. They have a Defense Save of 4+. As for their Morale, it’s a moderate 7+. Stormcrows aren’t well known to their loyalty to anything except money, which is where their Special Abilities come in. Being a mercenary company, the Stormcrows must be ready to fight just about anywhere against just about anyone. As such, they are rather adaptable. That reflects on their stats by letting them have 1 attachment added to the unit cost 1 point less when being purchased. For example, a Unit Attachment that would regularly cost 2 points would only cost 1 point when joining a Stormcrow Mercenary unit. Their other Special Ability, Motivated by Coin, comes in when they are targeted by the Wealth space on the Tactics Board. Instead of the usual restoring of Wounds and removal of a Condition Token, the Stormcrow Mercenaries may make a free Attack. So, if a player just needs one more attack to do in an enemy, the Stormcrow Mercenaries can provide that at the cost of restoring Wounds and removing a Condition token. It changes the Wealth zone from a defensive one to an offensive one, making the unit perfect for players who think that the best defense is a great offense.
The Stormcrow Mercenaries box comes with the Stormcrow Lieutenant Unit Attachment. Adding him to a unit costs just a single point. It’s good to note that due to the Mercenaries’ Adaptable ability, it means that the Lieutenant is free to add to said unit. So, unless there’s a different unit attachment that a player simply must add to that unit, there’s almost no reason to not add a Lieutenant to a Stormcrow Mercenaries unit. His ability is straight-forward, but tied to the Wealth space on the Tactics Board. While controlling the Wealth Space, the Lieutenant’s unit gains +1 die in combat and their attacks gain Sundering. That’s quite a bonus, giving whatever unit he’s part of more of an offensive punch, and the synergies with the Stormcrow Mercenaries unit is plain.
But what if a player is looking to add a ranged threat to their army? That’s where the Stormcrow Archers come in. They come equipped with both a Shortsword as well as a Longbow, rolling 6 and 7 dice for these attacks, respectively, when at full ranks. As ranged experts, they hit slightly more regularly with their bows than with their swords. Their long-range Longbow attacks hit on a 4+ as opposed to the Shortsword’s 5+. As they aren’t expected to be caught in direct conflict with the enemy, their Defense Save is a mere 5+ and their Morale is an 8+. They are not a unit who wants to be attacked by the enemy (as if any unit truly does). Their special abilities they share with the regular Stormcrow Mercenaries unit, having both Adaptive and Motivated by Coin. As such, the unit can also have a Unit Attachment added to them for cheaper than usual, and they can exchange regaining Wounds for making an extra Attack. Like before, this is a unit designed for players who want to take the fight to the enemy and keep punching as quickly and hard as possible.
While the Stormcrow Mercenary Company may not hold strong loyalties to any of the Houses or creed, their love of money means that they will fight to the end for anyone willing to pay their price. And if a commander happens to throw in a few bonus coins, they are willing to fight all the harder. To them, victory is secondary to a good pay day, though the former often produces the latter.
Both units will be hitting store shelves on January 10th, when you can spend your coin and add them to your forces.
Read more about the Stormcrow Mercenaries here.
Read more about the Stormcrow Archers here.
