Insider 03-02-2016


The Company of Iron narrative league has begun, and that means it’s time for our final platoon review! If you want to take a look at the rules that are now available, check them out here.

So far we have showcased the platoons for Circle and the Legion of Everblight, Cygnar and Cryx, the Trollbloods and Skorne, Mercenaries and Minions, and the Protectorate and Convergence. Today sees the final platoons join the fight: Khador and the Retribution of Scyrah.

Khador: The Fel Twelve

Reviled as cutthroats and thugs by “proper” military kompanies, the Fel Twelve are spoken of in hushed whispers by all but the highest-ranking Greylords. Despite this distasteful reputation, it is hard to argue with their results. Many budding scholars and archaeologists have fallen to a single well-placed round or assassin’s blade while watching their dig team thrown into chaos by a flurry of fellblades and hunting axes. More often than not this grisly work comes on the heels of rumors of Orgoth relics and artifacts, but the Twelve have also been seen deftly carrying out the Greylords’ commands on various battlefields of western Immoren.

The Fel Twelve are composed of a unit of Doom Reavers, a unit of Widowmakers, and are co-led by a Manhunter and a Widowmaker Marksman. This platoon is easily one of the most straightforward in all of the Company of Iron. It deals with the enemy with efficient violence and unyielding aggression. Several of the platoon upgrades help this band of murderers do its job even better or at least give you some interesting tactical options. For example, one of the platoon promotions gives the Manhunter Leadership [platoon], granting all platoon models in his command range the Takedown ability. This means you can choose, with careful positioning, to not have your Doom Reavers berserk.

In Platoon Skirmish games, the Fel Twelve are bullies. They don’t rely on fancy tricks or movement shenanigans to get the job done—they just tear into the enemy with bullet and blade. If you’re looking for a no-nonsense platoon that excels at murdering those that oppose them, look no further.

Retribution of Scyrah: The Spectres of Ios

In the face of the disproportionate military might of the Skorne Empire, the Spectres of Ios have turned to the guerilla warfare tactics normally practiced by covert forces of mage hunters. The Spectres use their superior knowledge of the terrain, coupled with mastery of force manipulation, to sow terror in the endless ranks of Praetorians at their gates. Faced with the slow decline of their race, these stalwart Iosans adamantly refuse to have their people’s time cut even shorter by godless invaders.

The Spectres of Ios are composed of a unit of House Shyeel Battle Mages and a Ghost Sniper and are led by a Dawnguard Scyir ’jack marshaling an Aspis. This combined arms force can deal with just about any enemy they encounter, as the platoon has an excellent mix of magic, ranged, and melee threats. Additionally the Spectres are the only WARMACHINE platoon to include a warjack, which is a massive threat in Platoon Skirmish games. This light warjack only gets further upgraded with one of the most powerful platoon promotions in all of the Company of Iron, an ability called Kinetic fuel, which reads: When a model with Kinetic Fuel begins its activation within 3˝ of one or more friendly platoon Battle Mage models, it is allocated 3 focus points.

In Platoon Skirmish games, if the Spectres can eliminate the hardest-hitting elements of the enemy force, the Aspis can become a real problem to deal with. Though this light warjack typically has bigger problems to worry about in larger games, when the foe is whittled down to, say, just a unit of Widowmakers or perhaps a handful of Clockwork Angels and a few servitors, then suddenly the Aspis becomes a nightmare for opponents.

And with that, our overall review of all the Company of Iron platoons is now over. So, what are you waiting for? Go check with your local retailer or club and see about getting in on the action now!

No