Introduction
My Forces of Nature army is my pride and joy. In September, after working on the army for two years, I finally had a fully painted 2250 point list for the 2nd Edition. I unveiled it at the Crossroads GT and found the army to be both fun and successful, which you can hear more about on Unplugged Radio.
As such, I could not wait to dig into the rules for 3rd Edition and see what changes lay in store for my fledgling army. My initial impression is that the army did not change as drastically as others, such as Elves and Nightstalkers, but the changes are certainly there. What’s more, the changes directly and negatively impacted the playstyle of my 2nd Edition build. That isn’t to say that the army has lost its competitive edge, but rather my particular approach to the army is no longer viable. This is an experience that I am sure many in the Kings of War community can relate to, but I will try not to let it color my opinion too strongly as I write my review.
Lore
The 3rd Edition rulebook contains four neutral armies, and Mantic has made a point of stressing that they are each neutral for different reasons. I find this approach to the lore quite compelling, and I love how the Forces of Nature are motivated by preserving order and balance across the natural world. While we saw them siding with the forces of good in the Edge of the Abyss campaign, the lore makes it absolutely clear that they are fickle allies and would be more than willing to turn against the forces of good if they needed to be put back in their place.
Much of the lore focuses on the Green Lady herself, and she is certainly an intriguing character. She is very much wrapped up in the major historical events of Pannithor, and her relationship with the different races is unique. Love her or hate her, every major faction has to consider her when making political power grabs or marching off to war. This setting is ripe for storytelling and is the reason why I decided to focus my own short fiction series on the recruitment of a new Druid.
Miniatures
There are no new Forces of Nature models being released alongside the 3rd Edition. The range is already fairly well supported. The most popular choices that are missing from the line are probably the Unicorns and Beasts of Nature, which I would absolutely love to see Mantic produce. The current models are a real mixed bag in terms of quality. I love the look of many of them, but the sheer amount of metal is less than ideal. I’ve been avoiding those Naiad Wyrmriders for a reason… Having built and painted a majority-Mantic Forces of Nature army I can confidently say it’s far from their worst army, but also not the best. I’ve included a few photos of some of my favorite units to illustrate the potential these models have.
Rules Changes and Trends
Rather than go through the army unit-by-unit, I am going to present several over-arching rules changes and trends. There are pros and cons to each, which will undoubtedly affect the lists and tactics we see on the tabletop.
Pathfinder and Strider
A hallmark of the Forces of Nature in the 2nd Edition was that every unit had the Pathfinder special rule. That is no longer the case in the 3rd Edition. However, this is not as terrible as it may seem. The Salamander Primes are definitely worse for the wear, but the Naiad Heartpiercers, being a ranged unit, won’t miss it all that much. The Water Elementals, Greater Water Elemental, and Greater Earth Elemental all picked up Strider, which is simply better. They can’t move at the double anyway, and now they will never suffer a Hindered Charge from the terrain.
Mastery of the Elements
The four varieties of Elementals and Greater Elementals feel much more distinct than they did in the 2nd Edition. The Air units excel in maneuverability with Sp 10, Fly, and Nimble. They also gained Me 3+, but to balance that out have De 4+ and are devoid of Crushing Strength. The Earth units excel in grinding with De 6+, Brutal and an extra point of Nerve. The Greater Earth Elemental also increased to Sp 6 and 12 Att, with a drastic point increase. The Fire units excel in damage output with Crushing Strength (2) and Vicious (Melee). The Greater Fire Elemental has Fireball (8). The Water units seem to be decent in all three of the aforementioned areas with Sp 7 and Strider for maneuverability, Regeneration (5+) for grinding, and Crushing Strength (1) for damage output.
Ranged Support
As with other armies, the Shooting prowess of the Forces of Nature has taken a hit. Most of the Ranged units are Irregular, with the exception of Centaur Bray Hunters. These units aren’t terrible, but, as a “jack-of-all-trades” unit their cost per shot is very high, and I can’t see spamming them as being unbalanced or overpowering. The Naiad Heartpiercers, on the other hand, offer quality shooting at both the Troop and Regiment level. Ra 4, Piercing (1), and Steady Aim are great, but because they are Irregular it will be difficult to fit them into a list en masse. In the Large Cavalry department, the Forces of Nature lost the Slyph Talonrider unit (though I suspect they might reappear in the Sylvan Kin list), and replaced them with Scorchwings. There is no mention of Scorchwings in the background, but I imagine them to be comparable to the Terradon unit from Warhammer Fantasy. This unit is very similar to the Centaur Bray Hunters, but for a significant point increase, they gain Fly and hit more reliably with their melee and ranged attacks. The unit doesn’t seem terrible on paper, but the price is really steep for a very fragile unit with so few attacks.
Elsewhere, the Beast of Nature lost access to Lightning Bolt. While at first glance this may seem bad, I view it as a blessing in disguise. Without paying for Lightning Bolt, your Beasts of Nature become more affordable and can focus on setting up for Flank/Rear Charges. Meanwhile, the Unicorn can still purchase Lightning Bolt (5) for cheap. If you want to have some solid Ranged Support in your Forces of Nature build, Unicorns and Naiad Heartpiercers are definitely the way to go.
Built to Grind
Looking broadly across the army list, it seems clear that the Forces of Nature excel at grinding above all else. The ability to put together an effective alpha strike just isn’t there anymore. They lost access to the Sp 7 Scout from the Warden’s Watch Formation, Flaxhoof and Flaxhoof’s Chosen (who hit tremendously harder than their vanilla Centaur counterparts) are gone, and the Naiad Wyrmriders lost Thunderous Charge. Instead, we are left with a bevy of units that are slower, decent enough in melee, and hard to shift with high De, or Ensnare, and/or Regeneration, and can be supported with Heal and/or Radiance of Life.
Everything Comes at a Price
As I have started to write all manner of different lists I keep encountering the same problem – the Forces of Nature units are expensive. It’s just not possible to fit everything you want into a single list at the 2000 point level. Compounding this problem is the fact that none of the many Spellcaster units have access to the full complement of Spells that you want and need. If you want decent Heal and Bane Chant and Surge and Lightning Bolt then you’re probably investing way too many points in three Spellcasters. Furthermore, the list has many Large Infantry units which, while great, don’t offer you any unlocks at the Regiment level. That means you are paying 200+ points for the majority of the unlocks in your list (Infantry and Large Infantry Hordes), which adds up quickly. I think the challenge this presents players with is to make a list that is hyperfocused on a particular playstyle with no room to invest in extraneous units.
Sample List and Tactics
The general consensus among the community is that the ability to grind in Melee is an essential component of winning games in the 3rd Edition. With that in mind, I’ve created a sample list to do just that. It is a fairly compact, elite list that can form a very solid main battle line. It also has elements that complement the main battle line nicely.
Heavy Infantry
Horde of Salamander Primes – Chalice of Wrath 240
Horde of Salamander Primes – Dwarven Ale 240
These units are built to grind, which is why I elected to give them Fury and Headstrong. There are good reasons to keep them De 5+ but also good reasons to drop them to De 4+ and gain the extra Crushing Strength. Which way to go will depend on personal preference.
Troop of Hunters of the Wild – 105
Troop of Hunters of the Wild – 105
These units are good at blocking charges and clearing chaff.
Cavalry
Regiment of Centaur Bray Striders – Frenzied Otter 165
Regiment of Centaur Bray Striders – Frenzied Otter 165
These units provide a counter-punch when enemies get stuck in against the main battle line. They also can project force on a flank and push against the enemy. They are fragile and only have 12 Att, but the Frenzied Otter should ensure they make it count when they charge into the enemy.
Titans
Greater Earth Elemental – 230
Greater Earth Elemental – 230
These units will sit on either end of the main battle line and anchor it really effectively. Like the Salamander Primes, they are built to grind.
Heroes
Tree Herder – 260
This unit sits in the center of the main battle line and excels in the grind as well as providing support, with his Radiance of Life Aura and Surge (8).
Salamander Veteran – Guiding Flame [1] 85
This unit hides behind the main battle line and gives Elite to the Salamander Prime Hordes.
Unicorn – Wings, Bastion (2) [1], Conjurer’s Staff 175
This unit supports the main battle line by increasing Nerve with Bastion or Healing damage. He also adds a point of Unit Strength and can even add some damage in melee in a pinch.
Total points: 2000
Total units: 11
Total Unit Strength: 20
Conclusion
I still love my Forces of Nature, and despite some changes to the list, I am enthusiastic about fielding them on the tabletop. They are not as flexible from a playstyle standpoint as they once were, but with the Sylvan Kin and Order of the Green Lady theme lists coming out, I think there will be plenty of options to expand your collection and build a wide variety of armies.
