Kharadron Overlords have invaded the mortal realms and all of our wallets are screaming out in terror! This is a getting started with the Overlords, but it is going to be expensive…
There is no start collecting box, the miniatures are all brand spanking new (so not much of a used market), and you need the book so you are already starting off $40 in the hole. That being said the miniatures are awesome, and they are flying pirate Dwarves so take my money GW!
Arkanaut Company is only one battle line troop in this army so, we are going to start with 2 units of 10 of them. ($35 for 10 on eBay) Then because those pirates need a ship, pick up an Arkanaut Ironclad that can carry up to 25 models on it. ($90 on eBay) *Note you should magnetize the weapons for all the units because there are so many different ways to play this force.
- Unit of 10 Arkanaut Company – Battle Line 1 of 2 required (120 points)
- Unit of 10 Arkanaut Company – Battle Line 2 of 2 required (120 points)
- Arkanaut Ironclad – Behemoth 1 of 2 allowed (440 points)
Arkanaut Company: Move of 4, 5+ Save, 6 Bravery, and 1 Wound each means these guys are going to stay embarked until they need to get out. They all carry Pistols and a Cutter, with the option of 3 out of 10 models having a Volley Gun, Skyhook, or a Skypike. The Pistols have a range of 12, with 2 attacks, hitting and wounding on a 4+ for 1 damage. The Volley Guns are range 18, 6 attacks, hitting on a 5+, wounding on a 4+, -1 rend for 1 damage.
Finally the Skyhook is range 24, 1 attack, 4+ to hit, 3+ to wound, -2 rend for D3 damage. In melee they have the Cutter with 1 attack, hitting and wounding on a 4+, for 1 damage. Gun Butts (if carrying Volley Guns or Skyhooks) for 1 attack, hitting on a 4+, wounding on a 5+, for 1 damage. Or the Skypike with range 2, 2 attacks, hitting and wounding on a 4+, with -1 rend, for D3 damage. If the entire unit targets a hero or monster they get a +1 to all hit rolls in any phase. Finally the unit captain has either 3 pistol attacks or a pistol to wound at 3+ rather then 4+, as well as an extra attack with his cutter.
Arkanaut Ironclad: Move of 8 (fly), 4+ Save, Bravery of 7, and 18 Wounds. It has a ranged arsenal of Aethershock Torpedoes, Aethershot Carbines, and then one of the following: Great Sky Cannon, Great Skyhook, or an Aethermatic Volley Cannon. For melee it has Fragmentation Charges and Belaying Valves. The Aethershock Torpedoes have 24 inch range, damage table attacks (4 down to 2), hitting on a 4+, wounding on a 3+, with -1 rend, for 1 damage. Then the Aethershot Carbines have a 12 inch range, damage table attacks (starts at 8 down to 4), hitting on a 3+, wounding on a 4+, with -1 rend, for 1 damage. Next the Great Sky Cannon has a range of 24, 1 attack, hitting on a 4+, wounding on a 2+, with a -2 rend, for D6 damage. Then the Great Skyhook has a range 24, 1 attack, hitting on a 4+, wounding on a 3+, with -2 rend, for D3 damage (If the skyhook hits, the Ironclad can move D6 inches towards that unit).
Aethermatic Volley Cannon has a range of 18, with 10 attacks, hitting and wounding on a 4+, with a -1 rend, for 1 damage. The Fragmentation charges are a range of 1, with damage table attacks (starts at 2D6 down to D3), hitting and wounding on a 4+, for 1 damage. Finally the Belaying Valves with a range of 1, 5 attacks, hitting and wounding on a 4+, for 1 damage. This bad boy has a ton of abilities with the first being an extra D3 movement if he can see an Aetheric Navigator. It is also the flagship so can do one of the following for all Skyvessels: 2 bonus attacks with Aethershot Carbines, Re-Roll hit rolls of 1 in the shooting phase, add 3 inches to the range of all missile weapons, or re roll hit and wound rolls of 1 for attacks directed against units that can fly.
It can choose not to disembark units, if so it gains the ability to reroll save rolls of 1. Next is the bombs (only works on non-flying units) which can do one of the following on a 4+. A unit cannot pile in and attack until all other units have done so or it deals a D3 mortal wounds. Then there is the Supremacy Mine which once per battle if a unit that is flying is within 1 inch on a 2+ that unit suffers D6 mortal wounds. Next Ironclad heals 1 wound in your hero phase on a 4+ it heals 1 wound. Finally this unit can carry 20 units without taking a movement penalty or up to 25 with one.
That comes in at a whopping 680 points so let’s add a captain and his first mate, with an Arkanaut Admiral ($22 on eBay) and an Endrinmaster. ($22 on eBay)
- Arkanaut Admiral – Leader 1 of 4 allowed (140 points)
- Endrinmaster – Leader 2 of 4 allowed (140 points)
Arkanaut Admiral: Move of 4, 3+ Save, 8 Bravery, and 6 wounds. He carries a Volley Pistol and a Skalfhammer. The Volley Pistol has a range of 12, 3 attacks, hitting on a 3+, wounding on a 4+, with -1 rend, for 1 damage. Skalfhammer has a range of 1, 2 attacks, hitting on a 3+, wounding on a 2+, with -2 rend, for 2 damage. If he successfully charges a unit all other Overlords within 18 inches of him add 1 to their charge rolls. He can re roll hit and wound rolls of 1 I the target is a hero or monster. While he is embarked the Skyvessel can shoot and run in the same turn. Finally his command ability lets him do one of the following: Overlord units within 12 inches of him do not have to take battle shock test, Skyfarers within 1 inch of the Admiral can suffer a wound or mortal wound for him on a 5+, or he can re roll all failed hit and wound rolls in the combat phase.
Endrinmaster: Move 4, Save 4+, 7 Bravery, 6 Wounds. His missile weapon is the Gaze of Grungni and his melee weapon is called the Aethermight Hammer: The Gaze has a range of 9, 1 attack, hitting on a 3+, wounding on a 2+, with -1 rend, for D3 damage. Hammer has a range of 1, 3 attacks, hitting and wounding on a 3+, with -1 rend, for D3 damage. (You can supercharge the hammer on a 3+ it deals 3 damage instead of D3, though on a 1 he suffers a mortal wound). He can heal a Skyvessel D3 wounds in your hero phase.
Load Outs: I would give one of the Arkanaut Companies Skypikes and the other one Volley Guns. Then I would load out the Ironclad with an Aethermatic Volley Cannon. For picking a code I would choose Barak-Thryng, City of the Ancestors. This lets you choose D3 enemy units to have a grudge against letting you reroll hit and wound rolls of against them. They add 1 to their bravery as long as they do not have enemies within 1 inch of them. Then they get to reroll 1 dice per battle in any phase, and choose another footnote. For the bonus Command Trait I would select Fleetmaster letting me deploy the Ironclad after my opponent is finished setting up. Then for the Ironclad Endrinworks I would select “the last word” which lets them immediately shoot a unit when they successfully charge them. Finally for an artifact I would give then Edrinmaster the Hammer of Aethermatic Might, which doubles the damage of his attacks on wound rolls of 6.
Tactics: First I would start out the game with all my units on board the Ironclad making this a 1 drop army. Then taking the first turn it would depend on the scenario, if there is an objective I use fleet master to drop the ship near a middle one and place the company with volley guns there to hold it. After that move and shoot the Iron clad towards the next one using the admirals ability, once a unit is close to charging I would drop off the Edrinmaster and the company with Skypikes (or if the ship is hurting drop the admiral off instead for healing). Basically the ship is half your army and stinks at melee combat, so your goal is to keep it out of melee which maintaining a range of 18 inches for its guns.
There you have it, for $244 this is what I would do with the Kharadron Overlords first 1000 points. It gives you a good core to get started and will let you build out to 2,000 around. That being said the cost for this is way too rich for my blood at the moment, so personally I would wait for a Start Collecting or Battle Force Box set to come out.
