Tactical Review – The Empire of Aquitar

 Building an Army
Aquitar has little in the way of Lumber Upgrades, and can feel lacking without also taking Fortifications or Siege Machines in your army. These will require you to keep troops on your table end, not using the army special rule, but can provide critical back up to the troops ambushing your foe. Despite how terrifying your ambushing melee troops may appear, they lack an effective ranged weapon and will get chewed up if they make a devastating deviation roll, or cannot keep themselves in base to base as they face-roll your opponent. Even without siege weapons or fortifications Legionnaires or Fusiliers are critical to an effective Aquitar army and thinning out the number of shots laying into your Badgers.

Food for thought
On a heavily terrained table, proper ambushing is critical, the best option may not always be to ambush as close to your target as possible, both bad deviation rolls and limited charge range can leave you open to attacks. It is sometimes best to ambush behind a terrain piece to stay out of ranged fire and keep Heroic or Tactical actions from ruining your day. Waiting the extra turn to make a proper move and charge can give you critical inches to place your Badgers into as many models as possible, and tie them up in combat, relatively safe from incoming fire. Camping your ranged army at the other table end can also be crippling, despite all your ranged troops able to fire up to 25”, relying on enemies moving into close combat to get extra free shots on them with crossbows or Snake Killer might seem like a good idea but a well place reserve or ambush can bring discord to your lines. If your opponent is also a ranged army, a full Horde squad can potentionally send far more attacks your way, than your troops can survie even with their slightly higher WS as they still only 1 AR on either the Legionnaires or Fusiliers.

Unique Trebuchet Ammo: Go-For Launch – While requiring a gopher to be sacrificed, this attack is much more effective than a standard gopher charging out into the fields alone. Note that the attack does not ‘attack’ models under the template and simply applies 1 DE Artillery to them. A gopher dies, but you’ve just dealt a point of damage to every non-shield wearing model under these templates. Templates that land on the same model twice will also STACK on that model dealing 2 DE to that poor model. Don’t bother with Go-For Launch if facing a shield heavy army, you’ll just be pecking on the surface.

Heroes

Mole Tactician
Talents
Entrapped – Each rank of Entrapped is more devastating to different models as it is upgraded. Effective against Melee squads at Rank 1, Elite ranged or melee models at rank 2, Models without automatic defenses at rank 3 (i.e. Models without “may always X when charged) and actually a buff to you at rank 4. Entrapped is great at rank 4 for any use, disruptive and empowering, but below that make sure to use it as effectively as possible with the rank you take.

Entrenched – A passive that really encourages a ranged army, it’s effectiveness is increased with the use of the Trench fortification and spacing Gophers out across your firing lines, to provide the buff in a larger aura. The buff of course can be easily broken by fear making your troops run, so keeping your Tactician running interference, providing his influence CM where it is needed can be a risky solution. He will of course lose the buff, may have to rush, and leaves himself nearer your opponent’s melee troops in this fashion, but keeping your lines from breaking may outweigh a scratch or two. Have him withdraw after he’s hit will be necessary to keep the buff running. It wont work if he dies protecting his troops.

Endangered – An excellent and devistating tool, especially against exemplars or heroes that can join troops in a squad. Most effective against high WS models or when used by low MT/GE troops, such as the weasels or gophers. At Rank 3 the Mole is able to start blasting more than one squad with this ability, widening your selection of models to target with your weaker troops. However, unlike other debuff Talents, Endangered provides no damage or AP bonus, your troops are still going to have to through large amounts of attacks at heavily armored foes.

Mole Tactician Boons
Undermining – An alternative to throwing a gopher with your trebuchet, a 5” template under the deviation point can be effective if ambushing each gopher individually or as full specialist squads of two. As one provides more over all templates being thrown, and the other will have the target squad a double dose of 5″ templates. After taking two of those its doubtful they’ll call anyone in the morning. Deviation rolls still play a part in how effective these are, but placing your gophers in the middle of enemy squads to decrease will help ensure they will at least hit a few models. Of course your gophers can also then immediately make their actual attacks, tossing dynamite templates into the poor soldiers reeling from the previous hit. Making this an effective opening ambush gambit, on turn 2.

Field Promotion – A +1 to all stats is mildly significant, but the 5” Influence range is great for keeping your models safe from heroic or tactical actions. Any model in the army is an excellent choice for promotion, as the low KE/CM of Aquitar troops can benefit from this bonus. This also works well paired with an Entrenched talent providing another model to run interference for Fear causing models.

Inspiring Presence – Also an excellent option for a ranged army, especially on the turn before your foe’s models charge into close combat. An extra volley into charging foes, especially ones that have likely just leapt out from behind terrain to make the last dash into b2b, can devastate your opponent. Alternatively, an exemplar in trouble can make their full activation getting the upper hand in close combat, or flee back and join up with a secondary squad.

Moleon II
Stature – An excellent defensive choice when fighting a more elite army, unlikely to throw crits around at your hero. Remember though that as Moleon kills members of the squad attacking him, the bonus drops, placing small based friendly models with him can keep the bonus up making him nigh invulnerable.

Weasel Trapper
Talents
Hunter – On heavy terrain tables or at least those with major choke points, trap markers are especially effective.  Not necessarily for the damaging effect, but for forcing your opponent to select alternate routes across the field to your troops. At rank 4, the Trapper can use the heroic action to force models on to trap markers, or generally disrupt troop movement. Though it may be tempting to stack all the markers in one spot and deal 4 DE ignoring armor to a squad, this results in less likelihood for ANY of the markers to be triggered as they are much easier to avoid.

Spotter – Best used when deploying siege weapons on the table, Spotter provides almost purely Artillery based bonuses. Note that this can also be effective for Gopher dynamite. Investing up to Rank 4, provides an amazing buff for your other ranged troops making them effective even when moving through forests or other terrain.

Sniper – In low troop count games where heroes are a key combatant, Sniper is an excellent choice of Talent, that requires little reliance upon troop makeup or battlefield makeup. Place the Trapper up on a hill for the additional bonus and you’ll be making a 11 GE 4 DE 2 AP shot up to 30” away every turn, excellent against even medium armor models, or tactician-like heroes. With rank 4 he’ll even survive most volleys from elite ranged units, sniping from behind a total of 5 AR.

Weasel Trapper Boons
Grenadiers – Each of the standard Boons is a bonus to Fusiliers, so taking a Rank 5 Trapper means taking Fusiliers, or wasting a boon.  Take note of the wording of this boon: “For every 5” and “against all charging models”. If you’ve lost a few weasels in your squads, try distilling them down into full 10 model squads right before the charge occurs. This will give you extra attacks against each charging model. If equipped with crossbows, AND you’ve won the activation (or fortune enough to not be charged with your opponets opening move), you can shoot, charge react AND throw 2 grenades at each charging model on the turn they charge you. Potentially dealing 8 DE to each charger before they can even get their melee attacks in. They might just leave your weasels for last, or try to simply wear you down with ranged attacks, any of those outcomes leaves you at a tactical advantage.

Runners – When fighting a cavalry army, or other fast army, holding some ranged models in reserve and having them arrive via rear or flanking can ruin your opponents day. Taking shots and then moving into cover to take some more before they can react to your arrival is even better. Though you can use this ability simply with the Trapper, it is much more effective if used with Fusiliers. You may also want to ambush some Badgers into cover with them to provide protection when your foe inevitably turns back upon them.

Cuirassiers – Providing 5 AR to your Fusiliers is an expensive choice, but with their basic low FD cost, you can pack quite a few models together and frustrate your opponet, turning your Fusiliers into wall in their own right. Don’t bother purchasing rifles for your armored fusiliers, they’ll be in melee as often as ranged combat. This is an especially excellent choice when you don’t want to take Siege weapons and want some melee/ranged hybrid troops in your army.

Bel Neyette
The Order – The benefit of this ability is two fold, first forcing your opponent’s ranged army to waste shots on a model that will likely survive whatever they throw at him, AND applying Rank 3 Endangered to everything that hit him. Be careful when using The Order to keep him out of the range of Heroes or other models with high GE. His 6 WS will keep him safe from Horde units, and other low food models, but so troops and definitely exemplars have a good chance of causing him to fail his roll. Note that the KE he rolls against is the most common KE of the models that shot at him, so he will usually be safe, but enough KE heavy units can tip the balance or in low model count games he runs the risk of being shot by fewer low KE troops.

Exemplars

The Badger in the Iron Claws – Iron Claws provides no benefit to his Troops, instead ‘receiving’ the benefit of extra padding between him and ranged attacks. They also provide a benefit to his Manacle knock back attacks. Purposefully placing badgers behind Iron Claws’ target causes his knock back to deal the full distance as damage to the target. You are also sacrificing a badger in the process, but taking out a hero or other exemplar for the price of a 10 FD elite is certainly worth it.

Aquiçois Bazaine – A much more accurate ambusher than other Aquitar models, granting an additional 1 GE when using the ability. To make your already deadly Mongoose legionnaire a bit more accuerate.  This Works well for When bazaine and some legionnaire man a seidge weapon, and even better with entrapped as enemies cannot charge into melee.

Troops

Weasel Fusiliers – The backbone of the Aquitaran army, Fusiliers are well rouned ranged units. Your opponent’s squad can be destroyed before making their attacks, with the free stand and shoot crossbows provide, allowing them to vanguard your army. With upgrades, Fusiliers turn into far more dangerous foes, with a higher survivability (via hunters trappings) and ability to reroll misses (with rifles); add the ability to target exemplars or heroes in squads allowing them to take down unsuspecting targets (alternetivly the +1DE on critical hits provided by crossbows can also be effective for this role). The benefits provided by the Weasel Trapper changes the Fusiliers yet again into different tools for your army, read the Trapper Boons to learn more.

Badger-At-Claw –  The heavy hits Badgers dole out are most effective when both hit, hitting a model with 4 DE bypassing armor is devastating. However, without a ranged attack, making Badgers are vulnerable until they get into close combat, and have trouble staying in close combat after dispatching weaker models. Taking medium armor for them will increase their survivability with the draw back of essentially being the cost of another badger in gold. However, if you find yourself with extra gold, taking armor will allow your badgers to wade through incoming fire. The key component of their effectiveness is their 6 MT, this will guarantee both attacks hit to cause Maul. Don’t rush your badgers on the turn they charge,  the penalty for rushing means no 6MT for melee and relaying on the +2MT bonus for charging means you are less likely to hit let alone Maul.

Gopher Engineer – A unique troop, Engineers can be used defensively, providing Entrenched to models around them, or offensively, throwing artillery templates at armored or low VY models. Be sure to keep them away from your other models when they are attacking, a bad deviation could make them hit your models, or kill themselves, and throw more templates around. Safety first! Their simple 5/5/5 cost may make you want to deploy an entire army of Engineers, but their lack of armor, and pitiful WS will ensure they will get very few attacks in before dropping and your foe is more than likely to have troops out of range of deviation even should a domino effect occur. The gophers can wither throw their chargets independantly for two 3″ templates or they can combine their fire power for devistating 5″ stronger explosive.

Mongoose Legionnaire – Both cavalry and elite, Mongoose Legionnaires have Snake Killer a nasty ability that will soften your enemies as they try to move through your lines. As cavalry they are also able to rush and retaining their GE and most of their WS. This allows them to easily destroy weaker troops and stay away from more dangerous ones. Also note that Snake Killer is NOT a charge reaction and does not activate by a charge if the unit starts its charge outside of the snake killer area of effect. Legionnaires can make a snake killer attacks before making a charge reaction if the enemy moved into snake killer range before their charge, and they can continue making snake killer attacks while in melee, getting free shots on passing troops.

Marmot Medic – Despite the heavy investment, taking a Medic is an excellent choice for Aquitar. With a 60% chance to resurrect models, effectively used, a medic can pay for itself. Taking additional Medics may seem tempting, keep in mind they are Non-Unique exemplar and only bring back model in their squad that has been slain.  However, they fact that the newly patched up grunt cannot be harmed for the duration of that activation is nice, even if he only has 1 VY. Additonaly, Marmots them selves are non-combatants that means they won’t be attack or be attack, but can be harmed by templates.