Billy here and I noticed that the Kings of War Fanatics Facebook page was getting a little heated, so I figured it was time that you guys chill out a bit…
Third edition is here and I have the honor of being able to review the first brand new army for Kings of War: The Northern Alliance! Honestly, I wanted to do Dwarfs, but Alex Chaves claimed them, so I thought Northern Alliance was the next best thing. They have dwarfs in the army after all.
I haven’t been able to play a game yet, but I’m really excited to be reviewing this army.
The Lore
The lore or fluff of the Northern Alliance is really engaging and well fleshed out. I particularly enjoy how NA is a kind of commune of various disparate groups fighting under one banner. This is a really cool concept to me. Normally in fantasy settings, we see that it’s a giant race war between the various factions. Mantic has really embraced factions that seem to work together and coexist with each other.
My absolute favorite bit from the lore however is this short passage about ice magic:
“On cloudless nights, when the stars glitter brightly against
a pitch black sky, coruscating waves of magic can be seen
rolling across the heavens, a breath-taking kaleidoscope of
greens, blues and purples that illuminate the mountains and
cast beguiling shadows through canyons and glaciers alike.
To those attuned to the winds of such celestial power, here it
feels cleaner, more natural and raw.”
This bit is so cool because it feels like they’re explaining the phenomenon of “northern lights” or aurora borealis as being magical energies. I think that the fleshing out of the lore behind magic is one of my favorite parts about the third edition book. Overall, I’m really excited to dive even deeper into the book and learn a lot more about the armies in the game.
Unit Changes…I mean…New Units
Since Northern Alliance is a brand spankin’ new army, we don’t have any changes to analyze. As a result, I’ve decided to select some units that haven’t been talked about in any other previews as well as some units that I think are just cool.
What kind of dwarf player would I be if I didn’t talk about Dwarf Clansmen? I think this is a solid unit. For 115 points, you get a regiment of Dwarf Ironclad with an option for Frost Hammers for extra Crushing Strength (1). They’ve also got Fury and Wild Charge (1)! These dudes are a solid little anvil and they unlock some of the big awesome toys that you’ll definitely want.
What kind of dwarf player would I be if I did talk about elves in an army review? I’m not sure, but Ice Kin Hunters are super cool. I suppose they’re technically half-elves, so they aren’t thaaaat bad. Anyone who’s played against my dwarfs knows that I love ranger-esque units. Ice Kin Hunters are irregular, but they still melee and shoot on a 4+ at range 24”. They also have an awesome special rule called Ice-Tipped Arrows which cause Frozen if they do at least one point of damage! I can imagine these crazy, fur-clad half-elves shooting icy arrows out of the woods and then hurriedly running to a new position. Plus, the Frozen rule coupled with Wild Charge gives a lot of cool options to control the board and outrange your enemies.
The Ice Queen is another awesome mini with cool rules (pun intended). A lot of casters in the game got cheaper and aren’t pigeonholed into taking spells you don’t want. She comes standard with Icy Breath, but you can substitute it for Surge for free. The coolest part of the Ice Queen is her Master of Ice ability. This lets her reroll hits from spells on Frostbound units (like Ice Elementals) or units affected by the Frozen special rule! This means that it synergizes well with units like the Ice Kin Hunters, the Ice Kin Bolt Thrower, or anything with Icy Breath. I can really see an army that uses a lot of things that cause Frozen, units with Wild Charge, and spells like Wind Blast to really mess with your opponent’s plans.
Okay, I know I said I wasn’t going to talk about stuff that’s already been previewed, but Pizza Jesus, look at this model:
The Lord on Chimera is ridiculously awesome and gigantic. I really love the play on the classic Greek chimera: instead of a lion it’s a Frostfang! The goat head is probably my favorite, though. Just such a cool sculpt.
As far as its rules, there’s not a lot more to say that Kyle Pretzeltwinkies hasn’t already said in his video, but I will say that this guy is an absolute beat stick. You’re going to pay for this unit, but damn it’s good. Tons of attacks, hits on 3s, and Elite! I’ve built several of Mantic’s resin kits, and this one looks like it’s going to take the cake on quality and detail. It’s oozing with character and it definitely plants the “Hey, we’re Mantic and we make rad models” flag deep into the shattered corpses of the non believers.
Honorable mentions to the Ice Blade. What an incredible model! The Ice Blade has Duelist and 6 attacks base with the option for a Snow Fox giving it +1 attack, so it’s perfect for mincing up enemy individuals.
Overall, I think the Northern Alliance brings a really interesting play style to the game. They have so many tools to affect movement, and in a game based around the movement phase, that is huge. Every time I look at the list, I see some new synergy or combo that I wouldn’t mind using or building for. The new models are absolutely gorgeous and I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of them in the near future.
If you want to read more about the Northern Alliance, their lore, and their rules, pick up a copy of Kings of War Third Edition at your friendly local gaming store.
