Preparing for the staff Kings of War tournament: Rob’s goblins

While everyone else is desperately dashing around trying to complete their armies in time for the staff tournament, I can relax safe in the knowledge that my goblins are always prepared for action. And by “prepared for action”, I mean “ready to run away at the first sign of trouble”.

Although I’ve been using a similar goblin list for the majority of this year – mainly while helping Martin get ready for the Clash of Kings tournament – I thought I’d switch it up a little using some of the new artefacts and upgrades from the Clash of Kings supplement. So, let’s take a look at what I’m taking to the tournament and – hopefully – how I intend to use it.

The core of the army is – as you might expect from a goblin army – a few hordes of Rabble. Typically I upgrade the hordes with the Mawpup upgrades and this list is not different. An extra six attacks with Crushing Strength (1) has to be one of the most efficient uses of 10 points in the game, and it takes the hordes to 31 attacks… at least for that first strike. The hordes are really my first wave to slow the enemy down before I get stuck in with the hard hitters: the trolls and Mincer Mobs.

TICK, TICK… BOOM!

Talking of trolls. I’ve opted for the Det Packs upgrade, although I’m currently not sure whether it’s madness or genius. The Det Pack is a little like a mini Pendant of Retribution and acts in a similar way. Basically, when the trolls are routed, they explode and cause damage to friendly and enemy units within 6” – although the damage is only D6+1 with Piercing (1), unlike the more powerful Crystal Pendant.

Whereas normally I would keep the trolls behind the first wave of goblins, it seems sensible to charge these exploding trolls forward as early as possible. At least this way they’ll (hopefully) be out of my range when they explode. I’ve popped the Chalice of Wrath on them too, as I don’t want them to get stuck wavering in the middle of the board. I’m probably going to team the exploding trolls up with the Goblin Blaster and run them both forward to pressure my opponent into dealing with them, while I move up with the other units.

Meanwhile, the Mincer Mobs are a favourite of mine, although their usefulness in game is mixed! Martin seems terrified of them, but I find that they can be a little unpredictable… a little like goblins, in general, I guess. I’ve given one the Brew of Sharpness artefact so it’ll hit on 3+, which certainly helps to make its damage output more reliable. At least 22 attacks hitting on 3+ is a chilling prospect for even the toughest opponent.

BOMBS AWAY!

So, I’ve got quite a bit shooting in the list… well, it is a goblin list, what did you expect? The Big Rocks Throwers are swingy but can have some big damage output. Typically I like to use those on big monsters that are visible across the battlefield. Meanwhile, the Mawpup Launchers are slightly more reliable for damaging units with low defence. Even the Goblin Blaster can potentially put out some damage as it charges forward. I just wish it had Steady Aim * sad face *

Of course, with so many Lobbers, I’ve opted for a couple of Winggits and given one the Bombs Away! option. This will ensure one has still got the all-important Eye in the Sky special rule and can also add to my shooting output. Alongside this, I’ve decided to opt for the new Ramming Speed option, which I must admit I haven’t used before. However, I like the idea of using this to get behind the enemy and, hopefully, cause some issues in the flank or rear. We’ll just have to see how it performs.

Carrying on the shooting theme, I’ve got the obligatory Banggit. I’ve had some great results with the Banggit, although it can be a little swingy, like the Big Rocks Lobber, so I’ve given it the Piercing Arrow to hopefully help it do more damage. Next up there’s a Wiz with the Knowledgeable upgrade, plus Alchemist’s Curse (2). I’m hoping this will give me the edge when it comes to taking out some of the more heavily armoured units. The fact it actually gets better, based on how high the target’s defence is, gets me all tingly and excited inside. Even against a fairly average def 4+ unit, I’ll still be rolling six dice to hit and will need anything but 1s to damage. Finally on the shooting front, I’ve upgraded a Flaggit with the Diadem of Dragonkind. Eight attacks with Shattering (added to Fireball in Clash) is great for clearing out the chaff and the Flaggit will help with my, admittedly fairly minimal, Inspiring.

BOOM! SHAKE-SHAKE-SHAKE THE ROOM

Let’s finish on the units I’m really excited about (and I’m already pretty excitable about goblins anyway): Groany Snark and Grupp Longnail. I must admit that when I first saw Groany Snark I focused a bit too much of the negative, i.e. the chance of him exploding. But then I started to look a bit closer at the profile and realised Groany could be the ace up my sleeve. You see, the upgrade gives him the Blast (D3) special rule, which isn’t too shabby, considering the king already has 5 attacks and hits on 4+, so each of those attacks potentially has the chance to increase to 3 hits! Mmm, tasty. What’s more, his Shortbow gives him a threat range of 28” and – although the attacks from the Shortbow don’t have the Blast keyword (BOO!) – he can still pop off a few cheeky shots before closing in for the kill. In fact, I’ve even started to see the exploding suit as a positive because it’s a little like Cloak of Death and doesn’t actually stop him attacking or moving.

Meanwhile, I’m planning to use Grupp to protect my backlines from pesky flying heroes and the like. Once again (a little like Groany), Grupp’s attacks have the Blast (D3) rule and, although Grupp only has four attacks, she’s hitting on 3+ rather than 4+, so there’s the potential for her to be more reliable than Groany.

Of course, the best laid plans of goblins and men and all that, but I’m looking forward to using this list on Friday. What do you think? Anything you would change? I mean… tell me before Friday if there is something terrible.