Ydrin Thorncreeper Enters the Fray
6th Aug 2026
Alex Gordon
Today on the blog, we’re handing over to Kings of War Champions creator Rob Burman to talk about the latest release for that game: the Ydrin Thorncreeper Company Box.
This new Company is part of the wider wave of new releases for the Forces of Nature, which is now fully available alongside the rest of the Kings of War: Fracture range. The box features the all-new hard plastic Centaurs and Tribal Warriors, led by Ydrin himself: a talented yet arrogant servant of the Green Lady.
In the story of Fracture, Ydrin has been sent toward Basilea after reports that the Forces of the Abyss are massing in the Samarite Mountains. For Ydrin, it is a mission of observation, opportunity and self-importance: another chance to prove himself worthy of the Green Lady’s attention.
On the tabletop, that translates into a Company that plays unlike anything else in Champions, using speed and terrain-based trickery to keep opponents on the back foot.
Over to you, Rob…
Turning It Up to Eleven
RB: Hello everyone! It’s great to be back talking about the latest Company. Did you know that Ydrin's arrival brings the number of factions available to 11? Which one has been your favourite so far? With so many Companies now available, we wanted to approach Ydrin a little differently by giving him some unique rules and also looking at how this faction could use the terrain to their advantage. They are the Forces of Nature after all.
Ydrin and his warriors clash with Arokamorra.
Stats-wise, Ydrin is fairly average with a speed of 5, Melee of 4+ and Defence of 4+ - so he’s going to be reliable but you probably want to keep him safe from big hitters like the Bloody Cardinal. Thankfully that’s where his special rule Hit & Run will come into play. This allows Ydrin to make a free Advance following a Melee attack - so you can charge in, attack and then try to find some cover or move onto an Objective. What’s more, combining this ability with Ydrin’s Pathfinder rule (Ydrin isn’t Hindered when moving through terrain), means he can wait in cover for an enemy to come close before charging into an attack and then retreating back to the safety of the nearby wood. Therefore even though Ydrin isn’t necessarily the fastest, he’s still pretty agile when moving around the playing area.
Talking of terrain, Ydrin’s Champion Rule is Nature’s Wrath. While Ydrin is in play, friendly units (including Ydrin) increase their Attack stat by +2 if their base is touching a terrain piece. Thankfully all units in the Forces of Nature faction have Pathfinder so charging through terrain can work as a bonus with some clever positioning.
Faction Orders
In fact, terrain becomes even more important with the Faction Order: Venomous Vines. Instead of placing this Faction Order token on a unit, you place it on a piece of terrain. In the subsequent Round any enemy units that pass through or end their turn on that terrain automatically suffer D3 damage. This is a great way to block off charge lanes or keep foes away from objectives. It also means you’re probably going to want to be the Defender as a Forces of Nature player because you’ll be able to place three pieces of terrain exactly where you want them to cause the maximum impact.
Ydrin's Company lean hard into terrain-based shenanigans - spruce up your battlefield with the Deluxe 3D Terrain Pack!
Play Style
As you may have guessed, clever use of terrain can make all the difference when you’re playing as Ydrin’s Company. This is also highlighted by the two Tribal Warrior units: Warriors of the Oak and Ash (melee focused) and The Swift Shots (ranged focused). These both have the Woodland Warriors special rule which allows them to re-roll all dice that score a natural, unmodified 1 when rolling to damage during a Melee attack if they’ve moved through or ended their charge on terrain. With some careful planning you could also end your charge on terrain to get that +2 Att bonus. This can definitely catch your opponent off guard because suddenly the warriors are rolling 12 dice, hitting on 4+ and re-rolling 1s to damage. Tasty (or nasty, if you’re on the receiving end).
Ydrin's Company box features the new hard plastic Feraun Tribal Warriors and Centaurs.
While the Tribal Warriors are causing havoc, the centaurs can be patrolling the sidelines or dashing towards open objectives. The centaurs are already pretty fast - with a speed of 6 - but that can be increased to speed 7 with the Stampede! Faction Order. This makes the centaurs one of the fastest units in the game. Even better, Stampede! gives units a +1 modifier when rolling to damage during Melee attacks. Combine this with the centaur’s natural Crushing Strength (1) and you’ve got a speedy unit that can punch through the strongest of armour.
To sum up, the Forces of Nature may not appear that powerful on paper but if you learn how to use terrain to your advantage, they can quickly rip through even the toughest opponent.
As a final note, I'd like to give a shout out to Matt Schreiber and Mich Cie for assisting with the playtesting for this new release. Thanks guys!
Thanks again to Rob for giving us a closer look at how Ydrin and his Company play in Kings of War Champions.
With terrain-based tricks aplenty and some seriously nasty charge potential, this is an enticing new option if you want a Company where positioning matters and tactical nous is rewarded.
The Ydrin Thorncreeper Company Box is available now as part of the full Kings of War: Fracture release range. Ydrin is also available separately as an individual miniature, and can be used as a Hero choice in the Forces of Nature army list for Kings of War.
With the Siege of Samarik approaching fast, now is a great time to add Ydrin to your collection, and let him show you (and the Green Lady) what he can do!
