I am writing these strategy guides to go with the Heroscape armies I am putting up, and also as an attempt to compete with Gabe in writing lengthy blog entries. These articles go well with my army posts and actually stand a chance of beating Gabe in terms of length because I actually care about the subject.
Army One
The main strategy for playing my enormous Grut Orc Legion is to swarm an enemy with sheer numbers and keep the Squads near the Heroes to benefit from their bonuses. Grimnak and Tornak provide one extra attack and defense die to all adjacent Orc Warriors with their Orc Warrior Enhancement, and Ornak raises the chance of rolling a skull on each roll of the attack dice. Ornak can also use his Red Flag of Fury Aura to take a turn with Grimnak and Tornak instead. Grimnak can use Chomp to get rid of small or medium enemy figures. Most Orcs (such as Tornak) can disengage (normally, one attack die is rolled when a character leaves an engagement), allowing them to move around the board and run away from enemies with impunity. The Swog Riders boost the attack of adjacent Arrow Gruts, the army’s ranged Squad. Try to get the Arrow Gruts on the high ground, next to at least one Swog Rider. In this situation, the normally wimpy archers gain at least two attack dice for an attack roll of three, and the Swog Rider(s) protect them from attackers. Watch out because the Arrow Gruts’ low defense roll of one (two with height advantage) renders them vulnerable to strong ranged Squads, or Heroes with Double Attack like Syvarris. The only Squad with lower defense is the Venoc Vipers. For hand to hand combat, keep the Orc Warriors near one of the Orc Champions (Grimnak, Tornak, or Ornak) to gain an attack and defense bonus. Orc Squads are weak alone, so keeping them near a Hero that enhances their low stats is an excellent plan. If possible, keep the Heavy Gruts near Grimnak (guarding him while he uses Chomp to decimate Squads) or Tornak (he has four attack dice). Provide the Orc Champions with a screen of high-defense warriors and have them dodge around the Heavy Gruts to Chomp/attack.
Strategy by unit:
Grimnak: Grimnak can easily decimate Squads. However, he cannot disengage without risking a wound, so try to protect him from all but his intended target with adjacent Orc Warriors and cover him with the Arrow Gruts. Send Grimnak after an opponent’s crucial Squad. In just one round, he can wipe out a typical three person squad, and leave only one figure remaining in a four person squad. Grimnak has enough life and defense dice to survive for a while, but his relatively low attack dice mean Chomp is probably his best option in most situations. Keep him from being locked down against strong Heroes or Large or Huge figures, or ranged characters. Use your enhanced Arrow Gruts to clear ranged threats away from Grimnak. Use the Blade Gruts’ Orc Champion Bonding ability to get a free turn with Grimnak as well as the Blade Gruts. You can use this ability to engage and chomp with Grimnak, and then move the Blade Gruts up to protect him.
Tornak: Tornak is probably the Orc Legion’s most effective hero killer. He only has three life, but rolls more defense dice than Grimnak. However, he can disengage, allowing him to flee a dangerous encounter, such as with Heroes like Nilfheim, Charos, and Sgt. Drake Alexander. As with Grimnak, surround him with Orc warriors and clear away advancing threats with your Arrow Gruts. Tornak has a fairly high move number, and when combined with his Disengage ability this factor makes it very difficult for enemies without the Flying power to chase him down. Try to send him out early, along with Grimnak, but if Tornak seems like he’s getting overwhelmed, Disengage and protect him with your Orc warriors.
Ornak: Use Ornak’s Red Flag of Fury Aura to send out both Grimnak and Tornak in the same turn. Played correctly, this combination can reduce a Squad’s numbers and inflict wounds on a Hero in the same turn. Used with the Blade Gruts’ Orc Champion Bonding on the next turns, with luck the entire Squad or the Hero can be wiped out in a single round. The Orc Battle Cry allows more dice to be rolled for attacking adjacent friendly Orc Warriors. As with your other Orc Champions, surround him with Orc warriors and let them reap the benefits of the bonuses.
Heavy Gruts: The Heavy Gruts are the most powerful and resilient squad in the Orc Legion. Position them near the Orc Champions and receive the bonuses they offer. Use Heavy Gruts to swarm a weak Hero or destroy a Squad. The Heavy Gruts can decimate key squads if positioned near an Orc Champion, or better yet, two or more. They can also Disengage, and use Orc Champion Bonding to move Grimnak, Tornak, or Ornak around the battlefield.
Swog Riders: Use the Swog Riders to quickly engage the forerunners of an enemy force and lock them down while Grimnak, Tornak, or the Heavy Gruts come and finish them off. Don’t be afraid of losing a Swog Rider or two in the process- you have 4! Use any surviving Swog Riders (who can Disengage) to boost and protect your Arrow Gruts. Use the Arrow Gruts to take the high ground and position Swog Riders as a guard around them.
Blade Gruts: The same general strategies for Orc Champion Bonding apply to the Blade Gruts. The only other real strategy with the Blade Gruts is to use their almost certain numerical superiority to swarm an enemy, whether next to an Orc Champion or without bonuses.
Arrow Gruts: As the only ranged Squad in the entire Orc Legion, the Arrow Gruts provide valuable support for the largely melee-based army. The Arrow Gruts, unfortunately, only have one attack and defense die. Get them on height and next to at least one Swog Rider, preferably more, to bolster their stats. Their Beast Bonding allows them to take a turn with a Swog Rider before their turn. Use this opportunity to attack an adjacent threat with a Swog Rider, move one into supporting or guarding position, or send one out to claim key spaces on the battlefield or attack an opponent.
Playing against an Orc Legion: Hit and run, don’t let them swarm you under, and take out the Heroes first. Use ranged Heroes and Squads.
Army Two
Taelord’s Elite is an army that revolves heavily around Taelord’s attack bonuses. Taelord’s Attack Aura provides a single die attack bonuse to warriors within a certain number of spaces. This goes well with the Minions of Utgars’ Deadly Strike ability: every skull they roll counts for one additional hit. They only have two attack dice, but, if combined with Taelord’s Attack Aura and height advantage, they can roll up to eight skulls in one attack. The Krav Maga Agents are this army’s ranged squad, and also benefit from Taelord’s Attack Aura. The Krav Maga Agents, if they have height advantage and are in range of Taelord’s ability, can attack with five attack dice and the opponent must be adjacent to the Squad before they have a reliable hope of killing them. Do your best to keep Taelord alive if possible, to benefit from his ability. You have two Squads worth of Minions, so, if necessary, sacrifice some of them to keep Taelord alive. If your opponent catches on and starts destroying your Minions, use the Krav Maga Agents to take out whoever he is using to attack them, or send the Minions after them. Taelord and the Minions can both fly, so use them to take key positions quickly and hold them while you bring up the Krav Maga Agents to attack from height. The Minions have high defense dice, so don’t be afraid to let them sit for a round or two while you maneuver your other figures for strategic advantage. Remember, every unit in this army is expendable, but some are more valuable than others.
Strategy by unit:
Taelord the Kyrie Warrior: Taelord is the core of this army. Use his Attack Aura to strengthen the Minions of Utgar and the Krav Maga Agents. While it seems like Taelord’s power is more suited to attack than defense, he can actually be used quite effectively to defend if you get your Minions of Utgar and Krav Maga Agents on height and in range of Taelord’s Attack Aura. This forces your opponents to engage the Minions and Agents hand to hand, as the Krav Maga Agents will have five attack dice with Taelord and height and can strike from range, while rolling four defense dice and being nearly invulnerable to ranged attacks in this position. The Minions of Utgar will have seven defense dice in this scenario, and can sit for a while without being in any real danger as the Krav Maga Agents pick off enemy Squads. When the opponent’s units engage, then they must face Minions of Utgar with three or four attack dice and the Deadly Strike ability. Taelord can also fight hand to hand, and can hold his own against most Squad figures and some weaker Heroes, but if a strong Hero comes after him, let the Minions of Utgar and the Krav Maga Agents handle him/her.
Minions of Utgar: Get them on height and near Taelord. Their Flying ability helps with the first, and their Utgar’s Orders special power helps with the second, allowing them to take a turn with Taelord instead of their normal turn. This makes them a very versatile option, and helps keep the opponent off balance. As I have already said, make the most of their Deadly Strike ability by getting height advantage and Taelord’s bonus whenever possible. If they come under heavy attack, support them with the Krav Maga Agents or move Taelord closer so they have either melee support or receive his attack bonus if they were previously out of range. Since you have two Squads worth of Minions (six in total), don’t become overly concerned if you lose one or two in exchange for advantageous positioning for the rest. The MInions are by far your best melee troops and provide an excellent defensive shield for the Krav Maga Agents, forcing your opponent’s units to go through a Squad with six defense dice and Deadly Strike. Use the Krav Maga Agents to kill opponents engaged with the Minions.
Krav Maga Agents: These are some of the best ranged Squads in the entire game. Their main flaw is that they are Unique, so you can only draft one card’s worth (three agents). This is fortunate, as if they were Common Squads, they would be ridiculously overpowered. They have a solid three attack dice and three defense dice, but their real merit comes from their Stealth Dodge special ability. Stealth Dodge allows the Krav Maga Agents to block any non-adjacent normal attack with only one shield. Keeping the Krav Maga Agents away from opponents and on height, with other units blocking the way toward engaging them, allows the Agents to harry opponents from a superior position, and run away if necessary, to attack from a safe distance. Keeping a screen of Minions forces the opposing units to engage a powerful Squad to reach another major threat. When within range of Taelord’s Attack Aura, they become an even more powerful and influential force upon the battlefield. They can hide behind Minions and unleash a rain of four to five dice attacks on enemies that can’t do anything to stop or avoid them unless they have a special attack. The Krav Maga Agents’ Stealth Dodge Ability does not apply to special attacks, so if your opponent(s) has/have a figure with a long range special attack, such as Nilfheim or Mimring, take them out first. Do not allow high attack Heroes or Squads to get adjacent to the Krav, as then they must either die in battle or risk death with the disengagement roll.
Fighting Taelord’s Elite: Do not allow Taelord’s Elite to gain the high ground! Take out Taelord first, to get rid of his bonuses. Any units with high attack, the Flying special power, or a high move number are good choices when fighting Taelord’s Elite. Units that can withstand a few hits are also good, such as the Sentinels of Jandar. Sir Denrick and the Knights of Weston are well suited to taking down the Krav Maga Agents because they roll two dice as a leaving engagement attack.
Army Three
The Marro Swarm army relies on using the Marro Hive’s Marro Rebirth special power to revive any of your Common Marro Squad figures that you lose in battle. Use the Marro Drones to swarm and the Marro Stingers to support them at range. The ninja units work as independent units, and their loss is not particularly important. Use them however you choose, whether it is as skirmishers, hit and run attackers, suicide berserker chargers, or cover for advancing Marro Drones or guards for Marro Stingers or the Marro Hive. Utilize the Marro Hive’s ability to direct Common Marro Squads to take a turn with those Squads and roll for the revival of any defeated Squad figures. Get the Marro Stingers on height if possible, and roll for their Stinger Drain power. If you get a good roll for Stinger Drain and are on height, you have the opportunity to attack with one to three ranged figures with five attack dice. Don’t worry about losing a Marro Stinger to Stinger Drain, as the Marro Hive can revive them. Swarm your opponents using Marro Drones, pinning them down for your Marro Stingers to pick off.
Strategy by unit
Marro Hive: The Marro Hive comes into play after you have lost some of your Common Marro Squad figures. Use its Hive Mind special power to take turns with any remaining Common Marro Squads within twelve clear sight spaces of the Marro HIve and then roll the twenty sided die for its Marro Rebirth special power. If you roll a thirteen or higher, you may place one previously destroyed Common Marro Squad figure adjacent to the Marro Hive. Try to keep a few Marro Drones and Marro Stingers, maybe two or three of each, around the Hive as guards. Use the Marro Drones to engage and destroy all melee attackers. Use the Marro Stingers to attack these engaged melee units or to wipe out a ranged threat. You can also use the ninja units to neutralize threats to the Marro HIve if you haven’t already lost them or sent them out to fight away from the Marro Hive. Try to keep your Common Marro Squads within twelve clear sight spaces of the Marro Hive so that you can take a normal turn with the Squad using Hive Mind, attack any unit adjacent to the Marro Hive that has gotten through your detailed guards, and use Marro Rebirth to revive any defeated Common Marro Squad figures.
Marro Drones: The Marro Drones are the Marro Swarm Army’s hand to hand combat forces. They can hold their own in a one on one fight with most other Squads, but they are at their best when they can utilize their Hive Swarm special power. Depending on the roll of the twenty sided die, the Marro Drones move and attack with anywhere from three to nine of their number. This means that they can roll twenty seven total attack dice, a feat equaled by few other Squads. When the Marro Drones have height advantage, this number rises even higher. Don’t be afraid to lose some of the Marro Drones for two reasons: you already have twelve, and you can revive any that you lose with the Marro Hive’s Marro Rebirth special power.
Marro Stingers: As the Marro Swarm Army’s ranged unit, the Marro Stingers are a very valuable asset. If necessary, sacrifice a Marro Drone or a ninja to protect them. As with all ranged units, get them on height and have them fire away. Their attack can be raised even further with their Stinger Drain special power, which runs the risk of destroying a Marro Stinger and ending their turn if you roll less than a five but grants the Marro Stingers an extra attack die if you roll over a ten. As with the Marro Drones, don’t be afraid to lose a few unless the Marro Hive has already been destroyed.
Ninjas: Do whatever the heck you want with the ninjas. They are only in there because I had enough extra points remaining to add them, but not enough points remaining to add another Marro Squad or a Marro Hero, so use them however you see fit.
Playing against the Marro Swarm Army: Just destroy the Marro Hive as soon as possible and mop up what’s left.
Army Four
The Agent Army is built on using powerful Squads to attack at range, and using a versatile Hero to fight both up close and at range. Agent Carr has two attack dice normally, but when attacking an adjacent figure, he gains four additional attack dice. The Krav Maga Agents have Stealth Dodge, and the Microcorp Agents gain one die in addition to the normal die when they have height advantage, and get two extra defense dice when in a water space. Get all the ranged Squads on height advantage, and get the Microcorp Agents on a water space with height advantage if possible. The Microcorp Agents are very maneuverable as they don’t have to stop when entering a water space. Use them to guard your Krav Maga Agents and Agent Carr and to take key positions on the battlefield.
Strategy by unit
Agent Carr: Use Agent Carr to take out your opponent’s strong Heroes. He has six attack dice when attacking an adjacent figure, so use that attack boost to take out Heroes that have a high point cost. He can also attack at range, but as his attack is not worth mentioning when he is not adjacent to his intended target, it is usually better to use the other Agents to attack at range.
Krav Maga Agents: Most of the Krav Maga Agent strategies are the same here as they are in Taelord’s Elite- keep them on height if possible, provide guards, and abuse Stealth Dodge.
Microcorp Agents: The Microcorp Agents make up the majority of the army, both in number and in points cost. As with the Krav Maga Agents, get them on height where their Sighting ability makes them a Squad that rolls four attack dice instead of a Squad that rolls two, or get them in water, where they become a Squad that rolls five defense dice. The tactical value of this ability is limited by the fact that water spaces are usually lower than the surrounding area, and therefore an enemy is likely to gain height advantage when attacking a Microcorp Agent in water. Try to get the Microcorp Agents on water spaces that are also on height so that they have four attack dice and six defense dice. The Microcorp also do not have to stop when moving through water.
Every army has enough extra figures that you can sacrifice a few to gain an advantage, but don’t throw them away needlessly. Characters that pose major threats to any of these armies are Nilfheim, Charos, Sgt. Drake Alexander, Deathwalker 9000, Raelin the Kyrie Warrior (Swarm of the Marro version) any strong ranged Squad such as a 4th Massachusetts Line Army with their Valiant Army Defense Bonus, or an army based on the Syvarris/Theracus combination. High mobility and high attack are key to beating any of these armies. Some of them have key units that weaken the army when destroyed, but none of them are totally dependent on one unit.
My God… I actually wrote 3400 words… ^_^
Gabe’s record is three thousand three hundred and eighty eight words, and at the time I write this I have almost equaled that, but I still need to write as much more as I can so I can get at least one word above Gabe, and I think that with what I have now I have beaten him by 12 words as I have 3400.
85th percentile), low-income, predominantly Hispanic 4th and 5th graders to participate in a coed soccer program 3 days each week (75 minutes of activity per session) or to attend 25 weekly after-school nutrition and health education classes.
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