THE STRENGTH OF FAITH

For some, their faith is a private matter, kept to themselves in their homes. For others, they shout their faith on the street corner for all to hear. The Poor Fellows go even further, gladly taking up arms to show that their faith is the strongest. They have 100% conviction in their beliefs, and they use that zeal on the battlefield under the banner of House Lannister. Next month, House Lannister players in the A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game will be able to add these holy warriors to their forces. Let’s take a look at how they work.

The Poor Fellows come in at five points to field. That’s a moderate point cost, lettingthem fit into many different army builds. The Poor Fellows are a unit of extremes: they have some stats that don’t seem all that great, but then they have some that are amazing, along with a pair of strong special abilities that give the unit a table presence like few others.

On the attacking side of things, the unit rolls seven dice at full ranks, but since the Poor Fellows are just people with strong convictions but little actual training (and areequipped with just whatever they could find), they only hit on a 5+. This might make players think that the unit won’t do much damage to an enemy. However, their Fanatical Zeal special ability allows them to spend a Faith Token (gained whenever they pass a Morale test) to deal D3+1 automatic Wounds to an enemy. With a good roll, they could eliminate an entire rank from an opposing unit with no chance for Defense Saves. However, the Poor Fellows unit will also suffer the same number of Wounds and deplete their own ranks as well.

Looking to the defensive side of things, the Poor Fellows have a Defense Save of 6+.That’s pretty much as bad as you can get. However, they also have a Morale value of 3+. The horrors of war hold no sway on these holy warriors. They will stay and fight until the very end. Even still, with a Defense Save of 6+ and taking Wounds from their own Fanatical Zealot ability, it might seem that the Poor Fellows will be off the table very quickly. But that’s where their Reinforcements ability comes in. The unit regains D3 Wounds whenever it activates, representing the unit converting new followers to their cause, and those Poor Fellows that were hurt but choose to carry on fighting for their religious beliefs. If the Lannister player controls the Wealthspace on the Tactics Board, the unit automatically gets 3 Wounds back. If left alone for a round or two, the Poor Fellows could be back up to full fighting strength, even if they were almost taken off the field just before.

The Poor Fellows will be a unit that is constantly gaining and losing models as the battle goes on. A smart Lannister player will know when to rush in and do damage with them, while also knowing when to keep them back and let them heal up. They also make a perfect unit to hold down an enemy. Since the unit is continually healing, it can prove difficult for an enemy to fully defeat them and move on. The Poor Fellows can be used to possibly lock an enemy in place that way (unless the opposing player wants to concede ground with a Retreat action).

These warriors of faith will be making their way to tabletops on September 6th. Be sure to ask your LGS to order you a box.

You can read more about the Poor Fellows here.