Post by Fadril Adren on Apr 27, 2017 14:09:26 GMT -5
Hello Warhammer fans.
I’m Ben Curry from the Bad Dice Podcast and I got my hands on the Kharadron Overlords Battletome and models as soon as I could. I’ve had the chance to dig into the book, and over the next few weeks, I am going to share some of my favourite parts with you.
The Kharadron Overlords Battletome was really interesting to me for a few reasons. A brand new Age of Sigmar faction is always something to be excited about, and the models are fantastic too, but the thing that had me most interested was some of the smaller details (duardin… small… get it?? eh??…. Sorry….).
The Kharadron Overlords are all about the contract and the fine details, and it’s these parts of the Battletome that I think hold the potential for greatness in this faction.
Cracking the Code
The Kharadron Code is an new way to theme your army while bringing some really powerful combos into play. This part of the Overlords rules has me most interested in the faction. There are 3 layers to the Code – Artycle, Amendment and Footnote – that allow for a level of customisation that we have not yet seen in Age of Sigmar. The Disciples of Tzeentch and Stormcast Eternals Battletomes had taken customisation to a new level already this year but the Kharadron Overlords are now the kings of unique possibilities.
The named sky-ports add an extra layer to this; while they normally have a set Artycle, Amendment and Footnote, they also usually gain an Additional Footnote and their own unique ability. So while the named sky-ports are a little more restricted, they are usually similar to the combination that you would lean towards for an given ability.
An example of this is Barack-Zilfin, the Windswept City. This sky-port is geared towards being highly manoeuvrable with your skyvessels. It has a unique ability to move in the hero phase and also deploy in Aetherspace, but the other parts of this sky-port’s rules that come build in are the ones you would choose given the option anyway when trying to build a manoeuvrable force.
Treasures of the Sky-ports
The Artefacts of Power that the Kharadron Overlords have access to let you further enhance what you are already using or even fill gaps in your list.
The Great Endrinworks let you choose a skyvessel to be upgraded, and if you make use of the Warscroll Battalions then you get the option to upgrade additional skyvessels as well as giving your Heroes additional artefacts.
With these items, there is potential to make some really powerful combinations. An Aethershock Earbuster on a hero can completely annihilate a large unit by forcing it to take 2 battleshock tests in a turn. You can shoot at the unit with all your army and finish off with the Earbuster attack to make it take an immediate battleshock test. Any models that flee will count towards the next test taken in the battleshock phase.
Without getting too much into ‘Math-hammer’, if a unit is Bravery 6 and starts with 30 models, you only need to kill 12 of them to ensure the whole unit is completely wiped out after taking 2 battleshock tests in a turn, even if both of those tests are a 1. It’s more likely that, with average rolls, you would only need to kill 8 or 9 models to destroy the whole unit. If someone is foolish enough to field 100 models in a single unit, you could destroy them all after shooting less than 30 models.
Even Bravery 10 units like Daemons will be fleeing in droves if this combo can be brought to bear.
While the Aethershock Earbuster is good, its not actually the weapon that I think will be most used. The Aethersight Loupe being wielded by a Barak-Nar Aetheric Navigator can close down even the best Disciples of Tzeentch spellcaster, and I anticipate seeing it crop up in lots of armies.
Warscroll Battalions
The final layer of unique abilities is the Warscroll Battalions. Each of the battalions offers a different bonus and grants access to additional artefacts. They can also be combined into the Grand Armada (in 3500 points games!) to get further benefits.
Using these 3 areas (the Code, Artefacts and Battalions) gives Kharadron Overlords players an unrivalled level of tinkering and army list writing (which for some players is a hobby unto itself) and even more fun with the recent news about Warscroll Builder coming to the Warhammer Community site.
It is easy to match your choice of battalion to the interpretation of the Code that you wish to follow. The Iron Sky Squadron, for example, grants the ability of +1 Attacks to all missile attacks from the battalion’s Arkanaut Frigates in the first battle round. This will work very well with both Barak-Zilfin and Barak-Mhornar sky-ports that give you ways of getting additional movement to ensure all guns are in range of the desired targets in that all important first battle round.
Building your Force
Once you have a good idea of what is possible, you can set about planning your army list. I have two recommendations on how you can do this but the possibilities are endless with this faction.
My first suggestion is to start with units you really want to play with, because you like the models, rules, or both, and then see how you can complement those units by choosing the Kharadron Code that would suit them best. You can check which battalions the units fit into and see which other units you can add to them to complete the army. A great example of this would be if you loved the Grundstock Thunderers and really wanted to play 20 of them. You could start with them and build the army from there. Just include a Grundstock Escort Wing Battalion to get an extra shooting bonus, and use the sky-pPort Barack-Mhornar to further increase the shooting damage with its additional command trait and the option to run and shoot in the first battle round.
My second idea is the reverse of this. You can choose a style of play that you want to aim for and then start with the Kharadron Code interpretation that suits it best.
I like the idea of a horde of infantry and very little air support, but the major downside to this style of army is Battleshock tests. Using the Artycle ‘Defend Your Territory’ or ‘Respect Your Commanders’ you can re-roll battle shock tests. The Amendments ‘Leave No Duardin Behind’ and ‘Trust To Your Guns’ both help with Bravery and Battleshock tests, and the Footnote ‘Surrender Is Rarely Profitable’ can further increase your resilience to Battleshock.
This lets you choose a general with a command ability that can help your army do more damage or get into combat quicker rather than relying on Inspiring Presence or Lead By Example from the Arkanaut Admiral to keep your troops alive.
Code Cracked?
I am hoping by now you can see why the Kharadron Code is the part of this Battletome that has me most excited.
The options are endless; you can use the same exact models, and by choosing a different interpretation of the Code, it will drastically change the way that army is played in battle.
Thanks for reading, I’ll be back again in the not too distant future to expand my review of the Kharadron Overlords with a look at the cornerstone to every sky-port, the Arkanaut Company.
Until then, you can catch up with me on The Bad Dice podcast where I post a new episode 5 days a week all about the Age of Sigmar.