The Stormcrows Take to the Field

With the wars going on in Westeros, being a soldier for hire can be a very lucrative line of work. As such, the various Mercenary companies are stepping up and offering their services to anyone willing to pay their price. The addition of a Mercenary unit or two can bolster an army’s ranks for a crucial battle, or bring vital skills and resources to bear that an army might not otherwise have. In January, the Stormcrow Mercenary Company is making its presence known in the A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game with two unit boxes: the Stormcrow Mercenaries and the Stormcrow Archers. Let’s take a look at each of these and see just what players will get for their coin.

The Stormcrow Mercenaries unit costs 5 points to add to an army. They have a Move of 5, and they roll 7 dice in melee when at full ranks, hitting on a 4+. They have a Defense Save of 4+. As for their Morale, it’s a moderate 7+. Stormcrows aren’t well known to their loyalty to anything except money, which is where their Special Abilities come in. Being a mercenary company, the Stormcrows must be ready to fight just about anywhere against just about anyone. As such, they are rather adaptable. That reflects on their stats by letting them have 1 attachment added to the unit cost 1 point less when being purchased. For example, a Unit Attachment that would regularly cost 2 points would only cost 1 point when joining a Stormcrow Mercenary unit. Their other Special Ability, Motivated by Coin, comes in when they are targeted by the Wealth space on the Tactics Board. Instead of the usual restoring of Wounds and removal of a Condition Token, the Stormcrow Mercenaries may make a free Attack. So, if a player just needs one more attack to do in an enemy, the Stormcrow Mercenaries can provide that at the cost of restoring Wounds and removing a Condition token. It changes the Wealth zone from a defensive one to an offensive one, making the unit perfect for players who think that the best defense is a great offense.

The Stormcrow Mercenaries box comes with the Stormcrow Lieutenant Unit Attachment. Adding him to a unit costs just a single point. It’s good to note that due to the Mercenaries’ Adaptable ability, it means that the Lieutenant is free to add to said unit. So, unless there’s a different unit attachment that a player simply must add to that unit, there’s almost no reason to not add a Lieutenant to a Stormcrow Mercenaries unit. His ability is straight-forward, but tied to the Wealth space on the Tactics Board. While controlling the Wealth Space, the Lieutenant’s unit gains +1 die in combat and their attacks gain Sundering. That’s quite a bonus, giving whatever unit he’s part of more of an offensive punch, and the synergies with the Stormcrow Mercenaries unit is plain.