Faction Focus: Basileans

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In a world beset by evil there is a single beacon of hope for the world of man. Holy crusaders and scourges of the Abyss, the resplendent forces of Basilea stride forth from their golden city to strike fear into the hearts of evildoers across the land. Their faith is as strong as their martial prowess, maintained by the pious Sisterhood and Paladin warrior-scholars in their ranks and bolstered by the dutiful Men-at-Arms and fearsome Ogre Palace Guard that march to battle alongside them.

Being a people watched over by literal gods, the Basileans are both pious and conceited. It is difficult not to feel arrogant when one has beings of such power at one’s back, and it is equally difficult not to have faith when your gods manifest physically before you.

Though conservative by nature and paralysed by ritual it may be, Basilea still reflects some of the ancient glories of Primovantor. Its cities are the largest, its princes the richest, its mages the most powerful of all the kingdoms of Men. Basilea’s wealth means that its footsoldiers march to war clad in the finest plate and bearing the very best weapons that money can buy. Basilea insists that it is the only true protector of Primovantor’s legacy - a claim they are all too willing to fight for.

MEN-AT-ARMS

Men-at-Arms and crossbowmen form the core of your force. They're what you would expect from grunts, not exceptional warriors but filling out your force. That being said, 2 dice for melee and the option for a spear isn't bad at all. The Crossbowmen get just 1 dice for melee combat, but 2 dice for their crossbows which comes with a nifty Piercing(1). Both of these would be dangerous in numbers.

SISTERHOOD

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The Sisterhood are some of the cheapest Warriors that the Basileans have access to. Their stats are comparable to Men-At Arms, but they trade a downgrade in defense with an upgrade in combat ability (4+ rather than 5+) and 2 wounds, which combines with the rules for warriors being knocked down in combat to make then much more survivable than the grunts. Just keep them in cover until you can get close - otherwise you'll be shot to pieces, or take advantage of the Basileans' Warband ability, which allows you to roll your armour at 3+, instead of their normal stat.

if you're looking at building an all-sisterhood force, or want to invest in some more ranged combat, then the sisterhood scout is a good investment. They re-roll 1's on their 2 dice ranged attacks and have the Sharp Shooter ability - which can grant them Piercing (1) for a shoot action at the cost of 1 Power.

Finally, there is the support option of a Veteran Sister. Not only does she bring 3 dice to melee combat (and an extra wound, too), but she'll also grant you a red power dice - great to use for the scout's ability.

PALADIN DEFENDERS

Paladin Defenders are more expensive Warriors than the Sisterhood, but get a major upgrade in Armour and a slew of abilities. As their name suggests, they are good in defence, with the Parry and Defender abilities giving them a good chance of weathering attacks once you have them in place. The Parry ability is especially useful, as this makes the Brace action short instead of long, so you can move up and brace, or even fatigue to brace your model if you've already used your full action this turn. Use them as the bulwark in you battleline - holding crucial objectives or paths through terrain.

An alternative build to the Paladins is the Support option of a Chaplain. This is basically an armoured spellcaster. they have the same abilities as Defenders, but can also cast one of 3 spells - Heal, Stun or Shield. These are all short actions, so you can brace, cast and move in one turn if you fatigue. These spells support the Paladin Defenders in their role, so we would suggest tag-teaming them with those warriors. Alternatively, you could use them to shore up a few softer units, like your men-at-arms or sisterhood.

GUR PANTHER

Gur Panthers are lightning quick and deadly. With a speed of 8, Vicious (re-roll 1's in Melee) and a free bonus dice in melee when they retaliate, they're great for making first contact with the enemy. They're sturdier than they look, too, so you could have them hold up enemy warriors in combat until other troops can make it into the combat.

SERGEANTS

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The Segeant and  Veteran Sergeant have interesting abilities that give them certain roles on the field. The Sergeant is a Support choice and adds a red power dice to your pool. His break away ability lets you escape combat without risking damage, making him a great  at disrupting your opponent's forces. Since this ability also allows a Brace action, it really allows you to control the battlefield.

The Veteran Sergeant is a cheap Command choice. He gets 3 dice in melee, has Inspiring, and adds 1 white dice to your pool. All of this makes him a great anchor for your forces on the tabletop. His main sell is his unique ability, though. Rally on Me! allows you to make a group action with the Veteran Sergeant and other models, without risking damage, and then make a brace action. This is the Sergeant's ability, but on a larger scale - allowing you to dramatically reposition your forces when you need to - especially if you have been bogged down in combat. While you can make use of it on grunts too, it's particularly good with your heavy hitters. Give your opponent something to worry about.

OGRE PALACE GUARD

The Basileans' only Large model (so far), this guy hits and hits hard. 4 dice in melee, Crushing Strength (2) and a chance to knock your opponents down on the charge makes him a wrecking ball of a model. He has enough armour to survive whatever your opponent retaliates with, so use this guy for the fear factor - to distract your opponent from your main force. He can't be ignored for long.

ABBESS

The Abbess is the most expensive Command model in the Basilean faction. She brings 2 white power dice, hits in melee on 3+ with 3 dice and has Vicious, Crushing Strength (1) and Inspiring to boot - a lot packed into one unit. Her ability is very powerful, allowing you to remove activation counters from up to 3 nearby models, enabling them to act again this round, for a nominal cost of 2 power. This can allow what would normally be an outnumbered, elite faction to run rings around their opponents. It Fatigues and activates her, but it is well worth it.

DICTATOR

The Dictator is less of a support hero than the Abbess, focusing instead on close combat. He has 4 dice in melee, hitting on 3+, with Crushing Strength (1) as standard. His ability ups this to Crushing Strength (4) in melee - useful, but make sure to pick your time correctly. Use him as a problem solver - for when something absolutely has to die. As the idiom goes, when you have a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail.