Hello Westeros!
Today is Lord Walder’s favorite time: crossbow time!
Cue the Rains of Castamere music…
I finished painting not 1, not 2, but 3 units of crossbowmen during the recent lockdown, so it seems like an ideal time to showcase them and analyze a bit these mighty range units!
Why use crossbows?
You are in the process of building a list, and you probably saw that a range unit is a must, or at the very least a good option, either with or in place of a cavalry unit.
Range units have various uses: sit on an objective while being able to harass nearby units, controlling a flank or even acting as a distance hammer (let’s call it a Mjolnir!), a sturdy unit holding opponents in battle while your range unit shoots arrows after arrows at them.
So why use crossbows rather than normal bows or other range unit? After all, Stormcrow archers are available to everyone, and are a fantastic addition to a lot of armies…
Yes they are, but (nearly) each of the Crossbowmen units gets some highly valuable abilities which make them stand out.
First, they all have 6 dice and hit on a 3+ in range. This gives them a 66% chance to hit their target, against a 50% for the Stormcrows. Most of them benefit from rerolls in short range, turning this 66% chance into a 89% one. This is getting really good for a 6 dice attack isn’t it?
Moreover, every crossbow comes with the keyword “Sundering”, giving -1 to their target’s defense. Now you may think that a simple -1 is not much, but range units often find their way on the flank of their target… who will then get a -2 to their defense! Archers are fantastic to shoot at low defense units, but crossbowmen take it further by daring to attack more heavily defended units. This makes them a much bigger threat in terms of potential damage than archers, against whom 3+ defense units barely flinch.
Finally, most have some special abilities which really brings different value to the table, which we will study below…
THE Attachment
Before moving into each faction’s crossbow units and attachments to put in them, we need to talk about Kevi… Bronn, we need to talk about Bronn. Everyone’s favorite sellsword cemented his spot on the podium of range units’ attachments, due to two abilities combining perfectly with them.
“Loyalty through coin” is a great ability boosting the defense and morale of the unit Bronn is in. This is ideal for range units to protect them from other shootings or panic tests, to which they can be quite vulnerable. You will need the Bags zone to benefit from it, but there is a high chance you will want the zone anyway, due to…
“Motivated by coin” allows you to replace the usual effect of the bags zone on the tactics board by a free attack. This has huge offensive potential, giving you more attacking options from the first round on, and bringing some flexibility with zone controls.
He is lore-accurately very good in the Lannisters, who enjoy the bags zone for their tactics cards, but can be a way for other armies to make the most out of this zone. For example, a Renly or Greyjoy army who already have plethora of healing could enjoy the free attack possibility more.
The best combination with Bronn is to put him in tandem with Littlefinger as an NCU: take the zone you need for your cards with Littlefinger (Crown or Letters or Horse) while using his ability to use the Swords ability. Then, your opponent will have no other choice but to leave you with either the Swords or the Bronn-Bags, guaranteeing you at least 2 free attacks this round!
Lannister Crossbowmen
The basic crossbow unit: 6pts for a 6/6/4 range attack on 3+ with Sundering, and a reroll in short range. This is the “Crossbow” ability, shared by 2 out of 3 other crossbow units.
They are the weakest of all crossbowmen in melee however, attacking on 5+, making them quite useless when thrown into combat. Their morale is also worse than the others, with 7+ instead of 6+, making them quite flimsy when failing panic tests. Where the Lannisters have the advantage on their homologues is through their defense value. 4+ instead of 5+ is a really good defense characteristic for a range unit, and makes them more resistant to enemy fire. Add Bronn to them and you have a 3+ defense, better than most melee units!
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Attachments
One of the newest addition to the Lannister commander roster, Kevan Lannister, LOVES his crossbowmen. First, he gives them the very offensive defense ability “Lannister Supremacy”, meaning that anyone wanting to attack them may take a Panic test with lots of maluses.
But it’s mostly his “Might of the Throne” ability which makes him at home in Lannister Crossbowmen: similarly to Bronn, you can replace the Crown zone’s effect by a free attack or charge from Kevan’s unit. This makes your crossbowmen very potent, especially since the Crown one is usually the least favorite of most armies, forcing them to take it to prevent one more free attack from your unit.
A list including Kevan, Bronn and Petyr can give you a free attack on 4 different zones when you are the round’s first player!
With Kevan commander or Bronn attachment, the Lannister crossbowmen are already well equipped. There are however honorable mentions which could have a place in some lists:
- Tyrion Lannister: both his commander and attachment version fit nicely in Crossbowmen. He won’t give you any proper offensive or defensive boost, but will add lots of control to the unit, who will be able to use both his orders and its range attack in short range.
- Guard Captain: this one is a pure offensive defense mechanism. The ultimate deterrent to enemy units charging you, instead they want to take between 4 and 5 automatic hits at your next activation. The combination of the Lannister Crossbowmen’s good defense and the Captain’s auto-hits can turn the unit in a small offensive bunker to hold an objective longer than expected.
- Preston Greenfield: similar to Kevan in mechanism, but less offensive, he allows you to change the Crown zone’s effect to a March or Maneuver. This can be useful to place your Crossbowmen in a good spot or on an objective, but is pretty limited afterwards.
Baratheon Thorn Watch
The “weird mixed” crossbow unit: 6pts for a 6/6/3 range attack on 3+ with Sundering, but this time no reroll in short range. This is due to their “Watch Crossbow” ability, a bit weaker than other crossbows: it only shoots in short range!
While they lack a bit of punch in terms of a single shooting attack, they are the best melee fighters of all factions’ crossbowmen. A 7/5/4 melee attack on 4+ is nothing to sneer at, being on par with 5-6pts units, making them quite versatile.
What turns them into a really interesting unit are their 2 other abilities: “Swift Strike” and “Regroup”. The first one allows them to do a Retreat action when they complete a melee attack, while the second one heals them during a Retreat action! This makes them a very hit-and-run unit, very mobile and surprisingly resistant.
Ideal scenario: you move them in short range of an opponent to shoot at them, they charge you in a following turn. Next activation or turn, you do a melee attack, allowing you to operate a retreat, which will heal you and take you back in short range for your next range attack!
They can be considered as an appropriate “thorn” in your opponent’s side, posing a threat both in mobility, range and melee, which is quite rare for range units.
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Attachments
First, anyone with the ability “Boldness and Courage” is a good fit: Renly the Charismatic Heir and Highgarden Pikeman Captain both give you a better attack value in range and melee, which is the perfect combination for this hybrid unit (Renly even gives them a boost in morale, and comes in for free as your commander).
In second place, Brienne the Blue works well with the innate flexibility of the Thorn Watch. The unit is in a good spot for a free charge? Melee it is, followed by a free retreat! A free attack? Range it is, or melee also followed by a free retreat! Attacking Renly with the Thorn Watch next to him will lead to lots of second-guessing for your opponent, which is precisely what you want!
Honorable mentions:
- Cortnay Penrose, attachment or commander: getting a free March or Maneuver when taking the Crown zone can be quite beneficial to the Thorn Watch, who is already a very mobile unit.
- Master Warden: similar to the Lannister Guard Captain, but this time with the added bonus of getting a retreat and healing after activating and attacking. No one will want to charge your Thorn Watch!
Night’s Watch Builder Crossbowmen
The “elite” crossbow unit: 7pts for a 6/6/4 range attack on 3+ with Sundering, and a reroll in short range, plus a “Set for Charge” equivalent, the infamous “Ready Aim Release” order.
This last part is what truly turns them into an elite unit: whenever a unit charges them from the front, they will take a 4 dice range attack, with Sundering and potentially rerolls if in short range before the charge. This makes charging them quite dangerous, and grants them both offensive and defensive power.
They are one of the units who love Othell Yarwick as a commander: they have the builder keyword, and can make great use of his tactics cards, to enjoy a 2+ to hit and more bonuses.
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Attachments
THE WATCH CAPTAIN… eh, not as good as before, but definitely still useful: “Boldness and Courage” grants them one more attack die in range and melee, and his “Relentless” order provides an extra activation to move them around. While no longer an extra attack in range, it still is a 3pts activation and lets you dictate the flow of the round.
Pypar is probably the attachment with the most synergy: when his unit suffers an enemy attack, they can use his order to retreat. Combine this ability with the “Ready Aim Release” order, and your opponent gets a unit which can punish him for charging them, retreat, shoot him, and punish him again next round.
The Senior Builder is another fantastic option: imagine your opponent, all happy to have maneuvered smartly to take your Crossbowmen in the flank and avoid their order, when suddenly stakes appear at the beginning of the round, making their potential charge much more dangerous. When this attachment is in this unit, it is quite predictable, but can help you prevent some more convenient moves for your opponent, which is pretty nice. Added bonus, you get a +1 to defense value when controlling the bags, which basically turns them in much better Lannister Crossbowmen. In a Donal or Othell list who enjoy the Bags zone, this could be an interesting option.
Honorable Mentions:
- Grenn provides you with the “Taunt” order, forcing an enemy unit to charge your Crossbowmen unit when activating, after a failed morale test. This can turn them into an anvil unit, weakening the upcoming attack thanks to their “Ready Aim Release” order, and offering the enemy’s unit flank to another.
- Othell Yarwick attachment also has potential, giving them the same bonus as the Senior Builder from the Bags, as well as a bonus to war machines. Of course, this only applies if you are not taking Othell commander which provides fantastic bonuses to the Crossbowmen thanks to his tactic cards as mentioned above…
Golden Company Crossbowmen
The “overcosted” crossbow unit: 8pts for a 6/6/4 range attack on 3+ with Sundering, and a reroll in short range. Same “Crossbow” ability as the others. They then have 2 more abilities: “Iron Resolve”, making them more resistant to Panic, and the “Sentinel” order. This is a great order, providing some reaction to enemy attacks. However, it only grants the ability to react by doing a maneuver or a charge, both of which have limited potential on a range unit: a free maneuver is great to move around and find better shooting angles, but is useless if you already are in a perfect spot, while a free charge is fantastic on a melee unit, but will have very limited impact for the GC Crossbowmen due to their subpar melee profile.
Therefore, their cost of 8pts is very hard to justify at the moment, and makes them a lackluster unit in terms of value. This may however be subject to change when future Golden Company heroes will hit the tables…
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Attachments
Apart from Bronn, there are very few attachments worth to spend 9pts in this unit, even less 10pts. Due to their Neutral nature, they can be hired in every faction except Free Folks, and have therefore access to lots of options, but compared to innate Crossbowmen units or even Stormcrow archers, they are not really worth it at the moment.
Quick Recap
In terms of stats, all Crossbowmen units are pretty similar, with Lannisters taking the edge in defense and Thorn Watch in melee.
In terms of abilities however, they all differ quite a lot, but I would say that all of them have a spot in their respective factions, Golden Company ones excepted (at the moment): the Lannisters bring some cheap firepower and long range damage different than the Red Cloaks’ panic one, the Night’s Watch ones brings both range power and control, the Thorn Watch brings mobility and hit-and-run tactics, and Golden Company ones bring mobility and… points.
So there you have it for the crossbows, which one is your favorite and why?
Any fun combos I didn’t touch upon you’d like to share?
Grob’
Chez Grob 