The Brotherhood Without Banners is almost upon us, with it in the hands of some players whilst it is rolled out worldwide. But following the release of the Starter Set is a new Unit and Heroes Box for the Faction to bulk out the options for list building your outlaws of the War of the Five Kings. We will take a look at these new options and discuss their playability within the Faction and the game as a whole.
Brotherhood Without Banners Recap
The Starter Set contains a phenomenal Commander in Beric Dondarrion; he comes with some great qualities for an Attachments and some potent Tactics Cards to boot. Thoros of Myr is the second Commander and is flagging behind, but is about sustainability in the force. Peasant Levy Units will be the bulk of your force to add some buffs for other Units whilst being a speed bump. Men-at-Arms brings a niche melee flanker to the force, whilst Archers become one of the best ranged Units in the game.
There are two special rules with the force that allows you to reduce one attachment’s cost by 1pts, whilst you can also bring one Unit from the Baratheon/Stark Faction with your forces. These are huge boons for the Faction and will be the focus of many lists that are designed following it.
Brotherhood Sworn Knights
Brotherhood Sworn Knights are your heavy cavalry equivalent in the Brotherhood Faction. With dominating Units like the Tully Cavaliers and Knights of Casterly Rock, I don’t believe the game needed more heavy cavalry to the tables at events. When the Unit was revealed, the community was a buzz with power that this Unit held and some of it came from not knowing what points they were. Since they were quite similar to Hedge Knights it was thought that they would be the same at 7pts which would be too much when you could get a free Hedge Knight Attachment in them. Fortunately they are 8pts but are still a great choice for the force.
The Sworn Knights have a similar melee capability to the Hedge Knights but trade the Vulnerable token when you hold the Swords Zone, for always having rerolls in combat when you hold the Crown Zone. As a Brotherhood player, you are gunning for the Crown Zone, so it is nice that the Unit synergises with the ideologies of the rest of the force. Interestingly, they have the defensive abilities the Hedge Knights gain from holding the Coins Zone innately, and trade it out for a slightly different Rally Cry ability of Rally the Smallfolk, which needs you to destroy an enemy rank to gain the benefits.
A solid Unit that shows how the Hedge Knights are a dark horse in the game that is often forgotten about since you can’t spam them. Initially I envisioned a double Sworn Knight force with some Peasant Levy Units as a powerful list, but unsure how the Commanders would work with the cavalry. I have found success with using Daario Naharis in Neutrals with Hedge Knights, and could see him find similar success inside the Brotherhood Faction. He can provide Reckless Strikes to the cavalry, whilst also giving Motivated by Coin to the Unit he is attached to like the Brotherhood Archers who can deal some damage at ranged whilst the cavalry engages an opponent with the levies.
A great combo for the Brotherhood is Gang-Up and the Sworn Knights. You can turn them into pseudo lance cavalry akin to the dominant Units we have previously mentioned, only with some added survivability in the Disrupt from the Peasant Levy. However, it becomes better when you realise it doesn’t lose momentum from being engaged unlike the lances. High attack dice, quite likely to be rerolling, and added chip damage from the levy Unit. Honestly, I think this could be a list that goes far.
I am glad to see the Brotherhood got a really strong Unit after being disappointed with what was on offer in the Starter Set. Whilst all the Units have a cool design to them, nothing wowed me, and instead had me thinking about Units from three other Factions way more than anything that was actually new. Rather than being hyped about the Men-at-Arms, people are debating what Baratheon or Stark Unit you should pick up. Whilst there has been no mention that this Faction is a Mini-Faction, I do hope this isn’t the end of support for the Brotherhood, and there are other Units not too far out to get excited for.
Brotherhood Heroes Box 1
Catelyn Stark, Lady Stoneheart
The Brotherhood’s third Commander, and the only Commander in the Heroes box, is Lady Stoneheart. Catelyn Stark was resurrected by Beric Dondarrion following the events of the Red Wedding; this killed Beric and fractured the Brotherhood. Catelyn couldn’t speak due to her throat being cut by Roose Bolton, but this did not stop her enacting her vengeance on all those who orchestrated the Red Wedding. This is why we have a rules card here that prevents you from bringing any Bolton or Frey stuff when building a list for Lady Stoneheart.
She brings the abilities that portrays her on the other side of the same coin of Roose Bolton in the form of Horrific Visage and Intimidating Presence, both of which do not synergise with anything in the Faction to take advantage of this. Since the Neutral Units that would work well with this are off the table, you should pick up a Baratheon/Stark Unit that works well with Catelyn like a R’hllor Unit or a Umber Unit, with Umber Units working very well with her Tactics Cards.
Just like Greatjon Umber, Catelyn brings Lash Out to deal out some additional wounds after a Unit is attacked. This could be a great way to push an enemy Unit into a dangerous position after their attack, or you can make them regret attacking a weaker Unit that can deal out some unsuspecting damage out of nowhere. Price of Failure is an interesting card for Catelyn which could see the Peasant Levy Unit again deal out some unsuspecting damage, or this could be a more guaranteed way of removing a target with the right Unit like the Imber Greataxes.
Catelyn’s third card is brand new to the game which hands out a free Maneuver or March when an enemy destroys a friendly Units rank, or if it was Catelyn’s Unit you could choose an Attack or Charge instead. It is a very powerful card that has a very easy trigger for a very grand reward. All the more reason to turn Catelyn’s Unit into a beast of a force within her lists. The only downside is that this card has more play for moving other Units in your force but less play in free attacks and charges than what Beric has in Assault Orders, this is because of Edric Attachment.
Is Catelyn going to be a popular Commander? Beric will certainly see a lot of play, but I am not all too sure Catelyn or even Thoros will be the second choice. There is potential from Lady Stoneheart but Beric might be better overall. I have a feeling the second list will want to be something specific that makes up for Beric’s shortcomings, and Catelyn is very much the same style. I look forward to seeing the different lists and what will shine from the creativity of the community.
Catelyn Stark, The Hangwoman
The first thing to note with Catelyn NCU is that she can’t be taken alongside Beric Dondarrion. For those unfamiliar with the books, Beric gives his life to resurrect Catelyn after she is thrown into the river following the Red Wedding. Lady Stoneheart could not be born without Beric dying, and so there is no way to break lore for this to be playable in a game like Boltons allying in with Targaryens. However, this is only because Thoros didn’t want to resurrect Catelyn; perhaps if he agreed, Beric would be alive? Or it might be that Beric was kept alive because of this: he needed to trade himself for Catelyn.
With that being said, The Hangwoman could only feature in a Thoros Commander force, or in a force led by a Neutral Commander that is not Bolton due to Catelyn’s special rule card. Jokin, Daario, and Vargo, are the Commanders that could take Catelyn. I wouldn’t say she specifically ties into a specific force since Jokin lost the Overwatch Order. She deals out some decent damage especially to cavalry who are likely enacting two actions per activation, but it is the rerolls that will be the focus of her strength.
Peasant Levy Units have Gang-Up which encourages a player to play multiple Units into one of the opponents, I can see the target of a Gang-Up situation being a prime target for Catelyn’s ability. Deal a few more wounds, and ensure multiple Units have rerolls for their attacks. It could also be used to avoid losing charge bonuses from a terrain piece, or doubling down on a weaker Unit to make sure it is removed. There is a lot of versatility from Catelyn that can see her perform well in the force, but limited Commanders she can work with.
I don’t think we will see much of Catelyn NCU since we are more likely to see her as a Commander for a force, followed by a Beric led force. However, when a player walks on the wilder side of the Faction with Thoros and Neutral Commanders, we could see her take a pivotal role.
Thoros of Myr, The Ember
Thoros is a great NCU and may be the best one in the Faction; however you do lose access to your Relentless Attachment for list building, which is often a good pick for buffing your allied Unit from Starks or Baratheons. Whilst this may be fine for Beric Commander, who can fit with an allied Unit well, it will be bad for Lady Stoneheart as her options for the allied Unit’s Attachment will be limited. It adds a tough decision into list building that is appreciated by players a lot, and I am sure the optimal choice will arise over time.
The Fresh Converts ability replaces a zone on the Tactics Board with some great healing that can increase if you have enough Order Tokens on him. You will gain these tokens naturally throughout the game since enemies losing ranks is very unlikely to not happen. These additional wounds healed can be spread out across the board given an army wide sustainability.
The true usefulness from Thoros comes from replacing a zone. BWB players want the Crown zone the most but the -1 Panic Test effect is quite often not useful. Instead you can throw Thoros on there and take some healing which is far more applicable to the game. You end up getting the zone you want to hold for a better effect than you would have with another NCU.
Edric Dayne, Loyal Squire
Beric’s Vassal ability will result in Edric mostly being played inside a Beric list. However, Regroup is a strong ability that is not often seen on Attachments. Add this to a Faction where there are plenty of ways to gain some Retreats off of Units and Tactics cards, and Edric is no longer restricted to a Beric centric list. However, he can join Thoros of Myr’s Unit which gives him an interesting spot in a Thoros led force too.
Inside a Thoros list he can heal up Thoros’ Unit in a pinch, but it is from Thoros’ card The Last Kiss where he could see more play. This will allow Edric, when destroyed, to be placed in another Unit ignoring the usual Attachment restrictions. So you could have Edric go alongside Anguy for example who already has a retreat ability in-built.
Regroup and Reform from the base deck can do something similar the same way Free Folk players have been doing with Harma and her Bannerman. You can swap Edric for another Attachment. You could have Thoros and Beric in the same Unit, or Anguy and Tom Sevenstreams to Taunt and Retreat in a Bowmen Unit. There are quite a few ways to mess around with Attachments using Edric.
In a Beric led force, Edric gives a second Unit the chance for free charges of Assault Orders and possibly an additional Panic Token from Lightbringer. Most of the time, players will think of Assault Orders in this situation just like in a Gregor Clegane list when you bring Sandor Clegane. That power alone could define how a list is built with two aces for combat and then supporting Units.
Edric has far more play in the Brotherhood Without Banners Faction than in the Martell Faction which is great since he spent most of the story with the Brotherhood and hasn’t set foot in Dorne for the length of the books. I look forward to seeing what people come up with during games for Edric.
Gendry, The Bull
Need to turn a Unit into an immovable bulwark? Well, just add Gendry. For 2pts, Gendry brings Improved Defences and the Order: Resilience, which is a powerful combination that can turn a light infantry Unit into a heavy piece on the table, or it could turn a very deadly Unit into a menace for the opponent to deal with. Just like with most other Attachments in the Brotherhood’s roster, Gendry can find the most potential in the allied Baratheon/Stark Unit that the Faction can bring. Any Stark Unit would appreciate the Resilience power behind their frailness, but it could make an unstoppable Umber Unit on top of this. Winterfell Guard could be a popular pick since they can pack a punch but become more survivable with Gendry who is reduced by a point when joining this Unit.
With Neutrals, a 1pt Gendry in Stormcrow Mercenaries is also incredible, but he can be useful inside the Bastard’s Girls bringing them out of a glasscannon play style with their 6+ armour, or in the Golden Company Swordsman for an elite tough to kill Unit that can dish out some hurt. Within the Brotherhood Faction Gendry would do well inside the Men-at-Arms giving the extra edge to make them worthwhile, the best part of this is that it frees up the allied Units for other Attachments. However, Gendry could make a Peasant Levy Unit quite tough to remove, or an Archer Unit quite survivable if caught.
Overall, Gendry is incredible, but he is in a very competitive slot within lists since the many 2pts Attachments are quite strong. Will he be the better choice? Only testing him out on the table will tell. But, I do think that he will be since he is about survivability which is always needed, whereas the others have niche abilities for specific moments.
Anguy, The Archer
Anguy was the badass archer of the Brotherhood; literal Robin Hood vibes from this character. When the Brotherhood Archer Unit was shown off, it was only a matter of time until we got the character to lead them in Anguy, and his abilities do a lot for the ranged Unit. Order: Swift Retreat is perfect for any ranged Unit in the game to make sure they are not wasting actions on getting out of combat and instead on doing damage. It has become more and more rare in the game, but it can be very crucial since positioning is very important.
Outflank gives the Unit a way to immediately start getting bonuses from their Hidden Shot ability, whilst also staying out of the way of threats. You could even deploy them safely, then use the Order: Deceitful Reposition to get into range, or if they do get caught you can easily get out of the conflict. This could be one of the most annoying back line Units in the game where you can’t pin it down and it can deal a lot of damage if it is left unchecked. I guess you shouldn’t leave home without some cavalry in your army now.
Outside of the Archers, Anguy fits nicely into any Unit that has an innate bonus to retreating like the Thorn Watch. But better positioning for Units like the Men-at-Arms who get to take advantage of hitting the flank or rear of Units would also benefit from Anguy. However, there aren’t many places you are going out of your way to bring the archer to the table.
Will Anguy be used over the other 2pts Attachments? Whilst a very interesting playstyle is born from Anguy, the others are just way too powerful whilst offering more to the game for the Brotherhood player. I can’t see Anguy appearing often.
Hot Pie, The Baker
Hot Pie is a 1pts unique Attachment that has a brand new rule to the game called Hot Pies! I doubt we will see this ability anywhere else, but if we did it would be under a different name. The rule is similar to the Reinforcement rules where you activate and heal a wound, then gain a further wound if you hold the Crown Zone. In this instance, Hot Pie trades out the initial wound heal for a removal of a condition token. This would have less play as you are more likely to have a missing wound than a token, but there are situations where this would be useful.
Hot Pie is primed for a ranged Unit, whether this is the in Faction Brotherhood Archers, or allied in Stormcrow Archers, or even from the special allied section with the Lightbringers. Ranged Units are the most popular Unit for a Weaken Token straight away and all it takes is one token to make the Unit’s action as strong as a wet paper towel. Hot Pie could be in elite combat Units that are dealing out attacks, but bringing another Attachment might be a better choice.
Hot Pie is destined for the Archer Unit but will unlikely be seen outside of this. However, just like Anguy, Hot Pie is a fan favourite character that people are excited for. People will be the model for the memes and it is not like he is bringing a terrible rule along with him.
Summary
As with all Factions, picking up a Heroes box is always worth doing when you grab your Starter Set, and for the Brotherhood you gain access to some amazing 2pts Attachments that open the door on creative gameplay choices whilst shaking up the flavour of your games. You gain one of the best NCUs at your disposal and a Commander that can rival the best one in the Faction. The Sworn Knights are a must due to how powerful they are as a Unit and what they can become when synergising them with Faction. I highly recommend both boxes to go alongside your Starter Set and cannot wait to play against them on the tabletop.
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