Vanguard Goblins: Key Units

It’s time for more sweet, sweet goblin goodness! In our previous blog we previewed the goblin’s special warband ability, along with their suitably sneaky spells. In today’s blog we’re reviewing the key units already included in the downloadable rules and book, before going on to some of the exciting new units tomorrow.

BIGGIT

The Biggit is your standard command option for the goblins. If you’re already a goblin player, you may notice a couple of changes compared to the version included in the book. Firstly, he now only generates two red dice, rather than one white and one red die. But it’s not all bad! The Biggit has had a Nerve boost and has dropped from 37 points to 32.

One of the benefits of the regular warband releases is that we can adjust and errata units that we think need a boost or downgrading a little. After review, the Biggit generated a little too much power but also the cost was a little high. At 32 points it’s now easily possible to squeeze two Biggits into your list to make up for any potential power shortage.

WIZ

No changes for the Wiz, compared to the original but he’s certainly an essential addition to your warband. As mentioned in our previous blog, the potential for activation shenanigans is simply too good to pass up! Zap is also a decent offensive spell that can be boosted to give it Piercing (1) to take out stronger targets. Thankfully the Wiz generates a red power die, so adds a little extra power generation to your warband. The Wiz also has great nerve for a goblin – probably because their magic drives them so mad, they don’t care about what’s happening around them.

TROLL

The big hitter for the goblins comes in the form of the Troll! Again, no changes here but the Troll was already good for outputting some serious damage. The ability to Pound enemies and potentially knock them down is key for goblins. You can Charge in with the Troll, knock the enemy down and then jump in with a nippy goblin to deliver the finishing blow.

MAWBEAST

Super-fast and particularly vicious, the Mawbeast is a tidy Support option for a goblin warband. At Sp7, the Mawbeast can quickly get up close and personal with the enemy. What’s more, with the Howl ability you can surprise your foe by bringing up another Mawbeast, paying Power to immediately activate it and then attacking again. If you’re a Mawbeast fan, you’ll need to stay tuned for a new command option for the goblins that will allow you to take even more Mawbeasts in your warband.

RABBLE/SPITTERS

The backbone of the goblin warband. At 8pts, these are very cheap units to start unlocking the cool Command, Spellcaster and Support options for the warband. One thing to note is that Spitters have now lost the Scout option. We’re going to be looking at Scout across the board ready for the release of the Ice & Iron supplement this summer – so watch out Skulks!

LUGGIT

If you want a little more oomph in your core troops, then look no further than the Luggits. Armed with ridiculously oversized weapons, they can pack a punch in combat. The warband updates have also added Crushing Strength (1) and Smash to the Luggits – so another opportunity to knock down enemies, particularly if you team them up for a group charge and add extra dice to the roll.

BANGGIT

Goblins always love things that go boom and the Banggit certainly has the means to do just that. The Banggit’s Dodgy Grenades have had an overhaul since the rulebook was released too. Now you can add extra Power into the explosion to increase the Piercing Strength of the attack. For example, if you add two Power, the attack will have Piercing (2). Add four Power and you’ll gain Piercing (4)! However, with great power comes great volatility and the Dodgy Grenades are more likely to explode in the Banggit’s grubby little hands. So, you’ve got to weigh the risks versus the benefits.

THE GOBLINS ARE AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW FROM THE MANTIC WEBSITE AND YOUR LOCAL RETAILER.