Part 2: I’m considerably Holier than Thou!

So now I know I’m going to the Clash of Kings I’d best work out what Army I’m taking!

Before I get started with the article I will be referencing several rules. Don’t forget all the current rules are free to Download from our webiste so if you want to see a bit more detail into what something actually does click the following link and download the 32 page Rulebook.

MANTIC GAMES WEBSITE – KINGS OR WAR DOWNLOADS

Faction

So the first thing to do when starting a new army is to pick a faction. For a while now I’ve wanted to do a Basilean Army. The look, background and rules for the army really appealed plus I wanted to play an aggressive cavalry army as opposed to a defensive army.

The Basilean’s have 3 really cool army wide rules that make them quite interesting to play and will affect my army choice and tactics.

First up we have ‘Holier than Thou!’ which quite simply means all my units gain Vicious against Evil Units. So expect to hear me remind my Evil opponents (like Luke) I’m Holier than Thou as I reach for a damage dice to re-roll!

Next we have ‘Blessed be the Pious’. This grants all units except Heroes, Monsters and Angelic the Blessing (1) ability (Blessing is essentially Heal except it can only be used on itself and not when it’s in melee). The Blessing ability can be increased to 2 if there is an Angelic unit with 6” so this will be important during list building and gameplay.

Final special rule in Angelic. Angelic units themselves have Fly and Regeneration but really I’ll be using this to buff my Blessings as I’m not planning on taking massed units of Elohi… at the moment.

Army List

So Cavalry… and lots of it! The Clash of Kings Rulespack requires solid units to claim objectives so that means Regiments of cavalry. Paladins are a tough unit choice with a high defence, Crushing Strength (2) and Headstrong (ignore the effects of wavering on a 4+). Panther Lancers although weaker have a higher movement and the Nimble ability allowing them an extra pivot when they move, this makes them perfect as Flankers. Mantic also has a deal up on the webstore of 30 Panther Lancers for £30 (Borne unto Battle) so it would be rude not to have 30!

Heroes. Every army needs a hero – and in my case I want a couple! Inspiring is a very important ability in Kings of War allowing Routed results on a nerve test to be re-rolled. Luckily Basilean Heroes are an Inspiring bunch with most having this ability. I’ve decided to take an Ur-Elohi (Arch-Angel Hero) as they are Angelic, have Heal and not too shabby in combat.

He will be supported by a High Paladin for some more Healing and Inspiration and finally a Bearer of the Holy Icon (Army standard) for a cheap little inspiring bubble.

Monsters. I want to where possible use Mantic models (although you don’t have to at the Clash of Kings) but occasionally you will have a unit that doesn’t currently have a model. In my case this would be a Phoenix. It has Angelic so will buff neighboring friendly units, can fly, Heal, Renewal (better Regenerate) AND a Breath Attack. This will be perfect supporting my troops or sending off alone to hunt warmachines or flanking units.

With all this in mind I started drawing up lists. Sometimes however there is no substitute for experience so I sent my thoughts over to Dan King (current National Champ) and a couple of other experienced Kings of War Generals.

After all this I came up with the following list:

High Paladin on a Barded Horse 155pts
Bearer of the Holy Icon on a Barded Horse 40pts
Ur-Elohi 190pts

Phoenix 150pts

Regiment of Paladin Knights 200pts
Regiment of Paladin Knights 200pts
Regiment of Paladin Knights 200pts
Regiment of Panther Lancers 150pts
Regiment of Panther Lancers 150pts
Troop of Panther Lancers 80pts
Troop of Panther Lancers 80pts

Total = 1595pts

As the Clash of Kings Regionals are a 1600pts event this leaves my 5pts for a Magic Item. I might use the Gnaeus Sallustis model mounted on a Horse as my High Paladin and as the model has a big Hammer take Kevinar’s Flying Hammer for a simple Piercing (2) shooting attack or maybe Smoke Bombs of Coo-par on a Regiment of Paladin Knights to give them a little soft cover as they advance under fire! Obviously an excessive use of Holy Incense!

So very little (or no) shooting and no offensive magic but a quick army that hits hard and can heal itself. It’s going to be fun!

And finally…

The other day I was chatting in the Marketing Office that I need a suitable Phoenix model for my army and Ronnie said he had something in his desk. This is the gem he unearthed!

This relic appears to be a ‘Giant Eagle 2′ from the Citadel Miniatures range circa 1995

It’s possible that this Metal Eagle has been gaming as long as I have! Cheers Ronnie!!

So what do you think to the army? What would you change/ add/ remove?

Are you coming to a Clash of Kings in 2015? What are you taking?