The Spearhead: City of Ash boxed set is available for pre-order this Saturday. We sat down with notorious Clawlord Adrian from Tabletop Titans to learn some top tips (and dirty tricks) for getting the most out of the two new Spearhead forces.
Adrian: Hey, all you denizens of the Mortal Realms, it’s Adrian from Tabletop Titans! Some of you may know me as a fan of everyone's favourite underdwelling creatures – the Skaven! Others may have seen my various conversions from the Cities of Sigmar range. Needless to say, I am extremely excited for the upcoming City of Ash on both sides of the aisle!
We’ve been patiently hoping for glorious new sculpts for Clans Eshin, particularly after the killer Deathmaster we saw last edition! I was curious to see if we would lose Gutter Runners or Night Runners, and maybe see a combined profile, but instead we get separate warscrolls for each, along with a brand-new Unique Hero! Let’s take a look at what’s in the box and how the factions play.
Every good rogue needs the ability to step through the shadows and appear right behind their target just in time to say “Nothing personal, kid” and stab them for maximum damage. The Cloaked in Shadow ability allows us to do precisely that, where on a roll of 3+, we can teleport to an existing combat anywhere on the board! How does infinite movement sound to you?
CLOAKED IN SHADOW
Once Per Turn (Army), Any Combat Phase
By the time enemies have uncovered a band of Skaven assassins, the ratmen are already in place to strike.
Declare: Pick a friendly HERO to use this ability. Then, pick a different friendly unit that has 2 or more models to be the target.
Effect: Make a shadow-travel roll of D6. On a 3+, remove the Hero using this ability from the battlefield and set them up again wholly within 6" of the target. They can be set up in combat with any enemy units that are already in combat.
This synergises with how the Skaven Spearhead wants to play. The Night Runners and Gutter Runners both have the Reinforcements keyword, meaning they can be brought back after dying. At the end of the day, sneaky rats are precisely the chaff the elder Eshin leaders need to get in position. These squishier units are quite fast, and are great for getting in close just in time for the Deathmaster, or even Crixxit himself, to hop in for the kill-kill!
Crixxit himself is an absolute menace. Sporting 13 (yes-yes) attacks with Crit (Mortal), he can be an absolute blender of a unit. The Deathmaster, on the other side, keeps his Shadowy Killers ability, which you may know from Battletome: Skaven, where he cannot actually be hit on a roll lower than a 5. Sneaky Skaven indeed! And as if these tricks weren’t enough, I’m truly torn between two fun and flavourful regimental abilities.
DEATHMASTER
SHADOWY KILLERS
Passive
Ulguan illusions and other tools of misdirection shroud Deathmasters in perpetual darkness, keeping them from harm.
Effect: If the unmodified hit roll for an attack that targets this unit is 1-4, the attack fails and the attack sequence ends.
For maximum movement, you can go with Way of the Skittering Shade, which allows you to relocate a unit to a board edge, and arrive a measly 6 inches away for a fairly reliable charge. Alternatively, you can bolster your defences with Way of the Fiendish Claw to grant one of your Heroes Strike-first once per game. A truly game-changing move when activated at the right time.
WAY OF THE SKITTERING SHADE
Once Per Battle (Army), Your Movement Phase
It is said that a soul marked for death is never more than a few feet from lurking Eshin agents.
Declare: Pick a friendly unit that is wholly within 6" of a battlefield edge to be the target.
Effect: Remove the target from the battlefield and set it up again wholly within 3" of a battlefield edge and more than 6" from all enemy units.
WAY OF THE FIENDISH CLAW
Once Per Battle (Army), Any Combat Phase
Veteran Deathmasters are experts in many wicked martial arts that harness their natural twitchy agility.
Declare: Pick a friendly HERO to be the target.
Effect: The target has STRIKE-FIRST for the rest of the turn.
The other half of City of Ash contains, as you might guess, the Cities of Sigmar! This stunning line gets a number of new models that simply drip with flavour. While the Skaven bring a hero-focused force full of tricks, the Embergard is... wait a minute, they ALSO have a heroic theme based around tricks. Oh, this is going to be a fun one to play out.
The valiant veteran Jorvan Kreel and his loyal ash panther stand centre stage in this Spearhead, offering the Ranger Doctrines battle trait, in which you can pick up your general or a unit close to the general and relocate them to within 6” of Jorvan immediately after fighting. This means they will be masters of guerrilla warfare, able to strike and immediately disappear into the shadows, ready to react in the following turn. So cool!
RANGER DOCTRINES
Once Per Turn (Army), Reaction: You declared a FIGHT ability for your general or a friendly non-HERO unit wholly within 12" of your general
Kreel was once a captain in the Wildercorps. While he now commands an eclectic assortment of forces, the fluid tactics he honed in his prior life can still be used to great effect.
Used By: The unit using that FIGHT ability.
Effect: Immediately after that FIGHT ability has been resolved, pick a point on the battlefield within 6" of your general. Remove the unit using this ability from the battlefield and set it up again within 1" of that point and not in combat.
If you want to lean further into the veteran theme, you can take Hot-Blooded Endurance for Jorvan, allowing him to charge even after running or retreating, and retreating won’t cause him to take that pesky mortal damage. He is a slippery devil who is sure to give those sneaky Skaven a run for their money.
HOT-BLOODED ENDURANCE
Passive
A lifetime spent in the wilderness has left Kreel an indefatigable warrior.
Effect: Your general can use CHARGE abilities even if they used a RUN or RETREAT ability in the same turn and no mortal damage is inflicted on them by RETREAT abilities.
The rest of the Embergard force can be quite durable, with the Mallus Forgepriest able to consecrate an objective, which gives friendly units Ward 5+ while they are contesting it. Combine that with the heavy armour on the Freeguild Gallants, and you have a unit that is a nightmare to move. So the devious Clans Eshin must use its movement and tricks to take out key targets with their Heroes, while Jorvan stands as a solid redoubt of human fortitude – very exciting!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible terrain that comes in the City of Ash box. It seems not all of Embergard has been completely burned up, as we see the ruins of former buildings still standing for us to fight over. These are going to be so much fun to paint up, and it’s exciting to see a slice of what a city of Sigmar could look like.
All in all, I am so very excited for City of Ash, not only for the options it provides in Spearhead, but also for the upcoming Clans Eshin battletome supplement,* yes-yes! Followers of the Great Horned Rat will be happy to hear that Crixxit is even more deadly outside of Spearhead, while Night Runners and Gutter Runners really come into their own. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone does in the City of Ash – good luck out there!
Thanks, Adrian! The Spearhead: City of Ash boxed set is available to pre-order from Saturday. Join us on Facebook to let us know whether you’ll be taking command of Crixxit’s Kill-Pack or the Sentinels of Embergard.
* We’ll have more on that tomorrow, Skaven-fans.
