ASOIAF Thematic List: The Brave Companions

“Oh yeth. Half the gold in Cathterly Rock, I thall have. But firth I mutht thend him a methage.”

Vargo Hoat, “A Storm of Swords”.

Hello Westeros!

Let’s continue with thematic list building, which is one of the favorite parts of the game for many people, and study a particular sub faction: the Brave Companions!

“Yeaaah… wait, who is that?”

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Who are the Brave Companions?

Led by the terrifying and slobbering Vargo Hoat, also known as the Goat of Qohor, the Brave Companions are a bunch of jovial and charming gentlemen imported from Essos by Tywin Lannister, enjoying the fresh air and strolling around happily in the devastated lands of Westeros. That is, if your definition of jovial and charming involves cutting, maiming, killing, pillaging, betraying and other colorful hobbies, in which case you will probably enjoy their company. Otherwise, they are the worst. As in, the worst of the worst. Granted, it is a competition with Gregor Clegane and his Mountain’s Men, and Ramsay Bolton is not far.

So let’s just say they are on the podium of the most evil and vile creatures in the books, and as Arya thought to herself “How many monsters does Lord Tywin have?”

Fortunately, such characters are usually very well written and entertaining on paper, the best stories having the best villains, and it’s no wonder they became a popular pick for themed armies!

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Who can join the Brave Companions?

So far, only one attachment and two units are innate parts of the Brave Companions, or as the game calls the affiliation, the Bloody Mummers.

This means that making a full Bloody Mummers list is not an easy task, and you will have to use other units from different factions to fill your ranks.

Luckily for you, Vargo Hoat is not a man of any particular allegiance, and allows you to turn the unit he is attached to into a Bloody Mummers one, giving you already 3 options.

Moreover, being a Neutral subfaction, you can use them in any other faction, except Free Folks, to enjoy all the units you’d like to fit in.

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Tthe Commander

Let’s start with the man himthelf, Vargo Hoat. He is very similar to Tywin in both abilities and tactics cards (which is probably why I like him a lot), but with a bit of an offensive twist.

He comes with 3 abilities. The first one is to transform the unit he is in into a Bloody Mummer unit, which is quite common for sub-factions commanders and works well with his tactics cards. This means you will often see him in an originally non-BM unit, leaving a lot of possibilities and various combos.

His second ability is the “Threaten” order, which allows him to put a Weakened token on an enemy unit in long range. This is a great ability, due to first, the power of Weakened tokens (making your enemy reroll can mean the difference between life and death), the synergy with his tactic cards, but most importantly, the synergy with his last ability…

“Sadistic Mutilation” is the reason why Vargo is one of the scariest commanders around: if he attacks one of your units with an attachment, he just has to remove a Weakened token to kill this attachment. This is basically Expert Duelist on steroids (although it only works on attachments, so in an attachment-free list, you just have to worry about your Commander getting maimed).

Vargo’s Tactic Cards are a somehow more offensive version of the Tywin Lannister ones, which makes quite a lot of sense lore-wise, and makes Vargo a fun alternative to Tywin.

“Exploit Weakness” is the same card as Tywin’s card, with specificity if the unit targeted is engaged with a Bloody Mummers unit, allowing the attacking unit to re-roll its dice. To be able to exchange a Weakened token by a Vulnerable and a Panicked token can instantly turn a defensive round into an offensive one, surprising your opponent and turning a unit into a big threat in one go.

“The Crippler’s Infamy” is a bit similar in terms of turning the offensive up a notch, transforming a Weakened token into 2 more wounds on a failed panic test. I would use this card on a Bloody Mummers unit with the Vicious keyword for it to work at its full potential, -4 to the dice roll, with for example Vargo Hoat in a Bolton unit, or Qyburn in a Bloody Mummer Skirmishers one.

“Careless Aggression” is a fun but rather dangerous card, as its name indicates. It gives you a free Attack at the beginning of the Round, but allows your opponent to activate an NCU right after. Two possibilities: if you are the First Player, this basically means you may get 2 free Attacks if your opponent doesn’t take the Swords. It can be quite dangerous for him to let you do that, so you might be forcing him into taking this zone.

If you use the card when you are the Second Player, you get the advantage of taking the initiative, but at the cost of letting your opponent play 2 activations in a row (for example taking both the Swords and the Bags zones). It is therefore a risky card, but which can be a big thorn in your opponent’s plans if used at the right moment. As a bonus, if you can use it while playing one of the game modes with the mission cards, giving victory points when zones are claimed, it can be a pretty fun thing to watch your opponent struggle heavily.

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The Units

Unit-wise, there are only two with the keyword “Bloody Mummers”, so you will usually use at least one of each for a Brave Companions list.

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Bloody Mummers Skirmishers

The Bloody Mummers Skirmishers are the infantry unit. They are a flimsy, mobile and quite hard hitting unit, with 7/5/4 attack on 3+. Their defensive stats are quite pitiful, at 5+ defense and 7+ morale, but their abilities give them some alternative options.

“Disrupt” and “Counterstrike” go hand in hand: enemies have a malus to hit, miss more, and as a result take hits back from the Mummers. This gives the unit a bit more resilience and defensive punch, and is heightened by their other ability “Mummer’s Blade”, which combos perfectly with Vargo’s cards and their own goal of weakening opponents’ attacks to counterstrike them more efficiently.

They are particularly efficient against weaker units, hitting on 4+ with low defense, but are much less useful against highly defensive units, lacking a keyword like Sundering.

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Bloody Mummers Zorse Riders

The Bloody Mummers Zorse Riders are the cavalry unit. At also 6pts, they bring even more mobility and some very nice abilities to the table.

“Motley Armaments” is a fantastic ability, and particularly offensive when they attack on the rear. A 7 dice attack at 3+ with Critical blow on a -2 defense is already brutal, but the fact that they can cancel a unit’s abilities is what makes them truly dangerous. Oh, you brought a Mormont Veteran to block hits? Not anymore!

“Elusive Escape” makes them even more mobile, and capitalizes on Vargo’s use of Weakened tokens: being able to re-roll Retreat distance dice is nice, but preventing the enemy to pivot AND giving him a Weakened token is huge for this unit. The Weakened token will be used for Vargo’s cards or preventing further damage, and the unable to pivot means the next charge of the Zorse riders will at least be on the flank of the unit, meaning “Motley Armaments” will work.

Where the Zorse Riders pale in comparison of other cavalry units is in their defensive stats, but this is why playing them with Vargo’s “Weakened” machine works well for them, to give them an added layer of protection.

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Build your Brave Companions list!

Now, in the books, the Brave Companions have been shifting allegiances. Hired by Tywin Lannister at the beginning of the sack of the Riverlands, they made a pact with Roose Bolton to join the Starks mid-war, a change leading to Jaime’s loss of his right hand.

This means we will only focus in this article on book-accurate themed attachments and lists, in the following factions: Neutrals, Lannisters and Starks.

The skeleton of a Brave Companions’ list would be as follow:

• Vargo Hoat in a non-Bloody Mummers unit, transforming into one
• 1 unit of Bloody Mummer Skirmishers
• 1 unit of Bloody Mummer Zorse Riders
• 2 to 3 NCUs
• 1 to 2 other unit, which may have the Bloody Mummer keyword if you duplicate one of the above, or won’t have it but could be considered as “lore-accurate allies”.

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Neutrals

Let’s start with where to put Vargo Hoat himself.

Many people tend to put him in Bastard’s Girls. It is true that this unit is a good fit for him: more attacks, good morale and he protects them thanks to his Weakened tokens. Moreover, they themselves give out Vulnerable tokens, making the unit a real token dealer.

Similarly, I like him in Bolton Cutthroats, although the unit is a bit easier to kill due to its low morale. However, thanks to the “Worth the Reward” card, they can pass automatically their Panic tests, which makes them a bit more sturdy.

Bolton Blackguards are another good fit, but on the slow side. It however gives you a very defensive unit, which the overall theme is lacking, so it can be a good objective holder, surprising the enemy at the right moment.

Finally, the Golden Company Swordsmen are a good mix of offensive and defensive. They are sturdier than other Neutral units, but can still make some serious damage thanks to a good attack profile.

In the Neutrals faction, not too many attachments synergize with the Skirmishers:

• Bronn can give them some defensive boost and a free attack, but you might already be using him in a range unit such as Stormcrow Archers.
• Daario Naharis makes them more brutal in combat, but with them already being flimsy, taking wounds for dice results of 1 can be especially dangerous (highly unadvised against Baratheons and their Stag’s Wit!).
• Brienne is not a bad choice, boosting their morale and making them attack on 2+ against a chosen unit, but she is a quite costly investment.
• In the end, one of my favourite ones might be Jaqen H’ghar, which is actually very lore-accurate since he is in Harrenhall at the same time as the Bloody Mummers, and they end up on the same side for a brief time. In game, Jaqen can be a great combo with Vargo: the Goat kills one attachment thanks to his “Sadistic Mutilation”, and Jaqen takes the attachment’s identity. Depending on the attachment collected, this can turn your Skirmishers in a more defensive or offensive unit. And if by any unfortunate circumstance Vargo dies, you can also pick him up again!

The Zorse Riders are a bit luckier, with both the Glory Seeker and the Fortune Seeker being in tune with the army and the unit itself. The Glory Seeker brings some healing to an overall flimsy list, while the Fortune Seeker can make them heal themselves while potentially benefitting from more attacks.

NCU-wise, Littlefinger is a must, giving you more flexibility and juggling with zones more easily. Theoretically, I would say Walder Frey synergizes pretty well with them too, but it will make you rely less on the Tactics board, which can be quite risky for such an overall flimsy list. However, if you can combine a free attack from Littlefinger, followed by a free attack from Walder at the end of the round, followed by a free attack from “Careless Agression” at the beginning of next round, this can put a lot of pressure on your opponent for a whole round. Add in Bronn to get a free attack on the bags just in case the opponent takes the Swords zone first, and you can have one of the most offensive lists in the game!

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Lannisters

In terms of units to put Vargo Hoat in, or which synergize well with the overall list, here is a small selection:

• House Clegane’s Mountain Men: these guys are offensive, cause more panic and heal from it. In short, a great combo with Vargo’s profile and cards. They are however still quite low on defense, but to have Vargo inside can actually protect them from attacks: your opponent will try to avoid them, or send units like cavalry against them, which can make sure they will get their attack bonuses even on 2 ranks!
• Lannister Halberdiers: these guys bring two things to the Brave Companions table, a defensive unit and the Sundering keyword. With Vargo inside, you shouldn’t be afraid to go on the offensive with them, and use them as can openers for your other units to act as finishers.
• Lannister Guardsmen: people tend to sleep on them due to their movement of 4. Granted, they are not a very mobile unit, but all the others in your army will be, which allows you to use them as an anchor objective holder around which the other units can thrive. Coupled with their “Lannister Supremacy”, putting Vargo in them is a good way to transform them into a bigger threat than expected, and will definitely scare the opponent away.

The Lannister faction has some great lore-accurate attachments for a Brave Companions list, one most of all: yes, Qyburn is a Bloody Mummer!

And he combos fantastically with them: first, he gives them Vicious, which works with “The Crippler’s Infamy” and makes them scary for low morale units. Then, he gives them +1 to Hit, which turns them into a 2+ attack unit. And finally he makes them impervious to Weakened tokens, meaning a card like “Stag’s Wit” will be wasted on them, and their attack will always hit to its maximum potential! Sure, he turns them into a 6+ defense, which is bad. But is it that bad though? For 1pt, you get this entire offensive boost, and an already flimsy unit becomes flimsier, but is now basically immune to flank and rear defense maluses, making them much freer of movement.

Another great attachment for the Skirmishers is the Guard Captain: attacking a unit with Disrupt and Counterstrike is a risky move. Attacking a unit which can retaliate with auto-hits when they activate is even riskier.

Sandor Clegane is another option, making good use of the Mummers’ strong attack profile to heal them back, which they will probably need, while adding another token in case of successful charge. And if you have the individual box of the Hound, you can even count him as Rorge, one of the 3 prisoners rescued by Arya, who later joins the Brave Companions and spreads terror in the land while wearing the Hound’s helmet.

NCU-wise, Pycelle is a must, in the same way as for a Tywin list. He can very efficiently supply Weakened tokens during the whole game, which is the key in a Bloody Mummers list.

Another good choice could be Tommen Baratheon: he allows you to get Bribery as fast as possible, which in turn allows you to keep the Weakened token you put on the bribed unit for a better use, or cancelling their attack altogether. He also brings easy access to “Fealty to the Crown”, which is a great way to heal your low defense units.

Speaking of lore-accurate, the last really nice piece to add to a Lannister’s Bloody Mummers roster is… Jaime Lannister! And I’m not talking about the knight in shining armor Jaime, although he can be a good option too, albeit expensive thanks to his Counterstrike ability, but most importantly, the enemy attachment version of him! You know, the one… without a hand? Yes in the books, Vargo is the one ordering the maiming, and it is quite fitting that this attachment works perfectly with the Brave Companions. If you control the Crown, the unit in which you put Jaime gets -1 to Hit, synergizing perfectly with the Skirmishers and their Counterstrike, while killing him grants you +1 victory point. And who kills attachment quicker than the Red Wedding? Vargo Hoat!

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Starks

While the Neutrals are the “in-theme” faction and the Lannisters make the best use out of Weakened tokens, the Starks lean in the offensive side of the Bloody Mummers.

First, they have access to “Assault Orders”, giving you two more chances of free attacks or charges. They also have charges and movement oriented cards, helping your Zorse riders tremendously.

Second, the Stark faction has many units which Vargo can fit in.

The Bloody Mummers are lacking some Sundering while being flimsy on morale? Put Vargo in Umber Greataxes and enjoy cutting down heavy armor.

Are you frustrated that you only get Weakened tokens on? Bring a Mormont She-Bears unit for a 3 tokens combo!

Did you fall in love with the counterstrike style? Mormont Bruisers give you one more unit with the keyword and some more offensive abilities.

Lastly, they have lots of great attachments and NCUs which synergize pretty well with the Mummers’ strength.

Syrio Forell is the most obvious one, transforming a unit of Skirmishers in a -2 to Hit unit, making them incredibly hard to hit, while taking lots of counterstrikes in return. Syrio can only be taken if you bring Arya NCU or Ned Stark NCU, two great options for your Mummers: Arya gives you some free maneuvers during the game, ideal to position your Zorse riders, while Ned is great at boosting your morale and/or healing, two big disadvantages of the Mummers.

Bringing Arya also allows you to bring Jaqen as enemy attachment, making for a fun combo with Vargo: you kill Jaqen who in turn kills another attachment and 2 other models, or simply 3 models directly.

While not making much sense thematically, to bring Rickon, Osha and Shaggydog works quite well in a Mummers list. Rickon guarantees a good morale unit, while Osha brings another counterstrike to the table (don’t put them in a Skirmishers unit though, keywords don’t work twice), while Shaggydog brings a cheap activation with lots of keywords.

Howland Reed is another great NCU for this theme, helping with terrain and most importantly giving another -1 to Hit to a unit, which could make your Skirmishers one hell of a counterattacking tank.

Honorable mention to Sansa Stark, to pick up another Assault Orders or Vargo’s card, and Catelyn Stark to remove annoying tokens which could be the death of your units.

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How to play a Brave Companions list

Weaken.Weaken. Weaken.

Zhat’th it.

Well no, that’s not it, but it is a big part of it. In short, attack but don’t get attacked, and if you do, retaliate as much as possible.

Vargo Hoat as your commander occupies a big spot in your list, as your “Weakened token distributor”. Those tokens are essential to the good functioning of the sub-faction, both protecting your units and being used offensively through his cards. Speaking of cards, you should probably aim to get the Letters zone early on, to put one more token every time you can, while picking up some of his best cards. To get “Careless Aggression” early on can give you an offensive advantage on rounds 2 and 3, setting up the tempo of the game.

You will want to deploy Vargo’s unit near the end, to have your opponent struggle with where to deploy his units with attachments. The Zorse Riders will usually be near a flank to make the most out of their “Motley Armaments”, but with their high movement, you can trick your opponent easily and change their course.

Focus your Bloody Mummer Skirmishers on units with low attack value to use Counterstrike and Disrupt efficiently. If they manage to charge an unactivated unit naturally hitting on 4+, this unit becomes a Weakened unit hitting on 5+, which means lots of counterstrikes for you.

Healing will be the most problematic part, so bringing either a Glory Seeker or an NCU like Varys could be a great idea. In general, you will take fewer hits than usual, but you won’t be able to heal much, so focus on destroying one unit after the other, instead of sending all your units on different ones. The Zorses movement can help with that, as could an archer unit, to keep enemies from coming too close and keep the focus on getting one unit down.

The Brave Companions is a very glass canon theme list, with some intense offensive potential, but which can get destroyed quite quickly, so pick your fights carefully, and don’t hesitate to retreat if it can allow you to get back in efficiently (especially with the Zorse riders who excel at this).

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Conclusion

The Brave Companions are a really fun and thematic list, especially for book readers who loved the disturbing nature of these characters, but also for any player looking for a different type of list, one of the high-risk-high-reward sort.

The miniatures of the titular “Bloody Mummers” are also really full of personality, and make for a striking and colorful bunch on the battlefield, so even if you just got them as Neutral units, you should definitely try them as a thematic list, “thor thith and giggleth”!

Grob’