So … you think your good enough to play with the big boys of the Iron Kingdoms do you?
It is no secret that the Trollblood Kith is by far my favorite faction in this game.
While I love the kilt wearing, beer drinking, and ass-kicking Kriel … they aren’t for everyone. Before I get into my ideas for building a good starting 35 and 50 point lists for a beginner player, I would like to outline what the Trollbloods strengths and weaknesses are so you can decide if they are for you.
A Trollblood force on the surface is a big, bashing, tough as nails army. The majority of troops and warlocks are on medium bases, and their beasts look super imposing. This is an army that looks like it wants to tear your opponents a new one!
While all this is true, this is only one side of their coin and if you play your trolls only in this fashion … you’re going to lose way more games than you win.
The Trolblood’s use to be made up of small clans and wild beasts proved to be easy pickings for those factions that wanted their lands. But, under the leadership of some remarkable warlocks, the Kith and Kriel have been unified into bigger, coherent forces that rely on each member’s unique abilities and strengths to support, bolster and supercharge the defense of their homelands.
Synergy is the other side of the coin that gives Trollbloods their fearsomeness in battle. When picking your units you must not only consider the strength of a model alone, but how it interacts and strengthens your force as a whole.
Trollbloods are a force that, after taking a punch to the mouth, stare back with a determined grin and declare, “Is that your best shot?” They are one of the most resilient forces in the game and their ability to tough it out in the face of certain death, and strike back hard, has horrified many an opposing general.
But being strong and tough is not always enough, and there are some weaknesses about this faction that you must be mindful of if you are going to have success with them.
While high armoured, they tend to be relatively easy to hit with an average defensive stat of 12.
While commanding some powerful magic, our casters tend to have low Fury stats with 5 being the average and 7 being the max.
The majority of our units are slow.
The need for synergy can make it difficult for Trollbloods to dominate the whole battlefield as the requirement to stay close to each other causes the force to “brick” up. This can make them susceptible to AOE attacks and in many cases can cause the force to get in its own way. That many medium bases, that close to each other, requires some serious consideration to troop placement and movement.
Now some of these things look like a big disadvantage, but there are ways to overcome them, and in some instances, turn them in to an advantage.
So if after reading all that you are still convinced the mighty Trollbloods are for you … Welcome to the Kriel, you’re in for one hell of a fun ride!
Corio Bay Freebooters 