Followers of the Direwolf

House Stark has attracted a very diverse following up in Winterfell. Being so close to the edge of civilization, many from further north, including Wildings, have come to the warm halls and become allies of the Direwolf. Also, Lord Eddard has sired many children, each with their own distinct personalities. This means that House Stark has many different resources available to them which will surely come in handy out on the battlefield. This month, the Stark Heroes II box comes out for the A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game. Let’s take a look at some of this new cast of characters and see what sort of advantages they bring to the table.

Most of the figures in the Stark Heroes II box come in the form of Unit Attachments. Able to join where most-needed, they can take a standard unit and make them much more elite on the battlefield. For example, whenever Jojen Reed’s unit activates, his Greensight ability lets the Stark player roll a die and determine what sort of bonus they receive. It could be that the unit gets a free Maneuver action, or that they can re-roll misses that activation. But beware, rolling a 1 will cause the unit to become Panicked and Vulnerable. Seeing through someone else’s eyes can sometimes be disconcerting.

Several of the Unit Attachments also punish the enemy simply for taking them on in combat. Osha causes Wounds directly to any enemy that dares destroy a rank of her unit. Meera Reed will cause the enemy to worry about every step they take, able to put out traps and cause Wounds to opponents simply for trying to move around the battlefield. Then there’s the master swordsmen Syrio Forel. His special rules are simple, as he causes the enemy to suffer -1 To Hit against his unit when they are attacked in melee, his fencing skills transferring to the troops around him.