Despite the many differences across the various companies of the Daqan military, the heavy crossbowmen are unified in battlefield doctrine: to support and protect their allies in combat. Whether motivated by duty or coin, heavy crossbowmen are integral to defending the Land of Steel from the forces of darkness at its borders. Gathered together from across the baronies and the Free Cities, many of these stalwart defenders now do battle under the order of the Warden of the Citadel and unified for a greater purpose.

As you marshal your forces to take on the undead monsters of Waiqar the Undying, Fantasy Flight Games offers you a preview of the Heavy Crossbowmen Unit Expansion for Runewars Miniatures Game!

Pride of the Free Cities

The Heavy Crossbowmen Unit Expansion comes with eight miniatures that players can customize with the colors of their own personal military, or in the uniform of one of Terrinoth’s elite crossbowmen units. The uniform and equipment that distinguish each unit reflects the area that the warriors hail from and acts as a mark of pride for them to wear into battle. For example, the Greystone Arbalists of the Barony of Rhynn forge their armor from the resources of their home, while the Guardians of the silver mines plate their shields with the precious metal that reflects the sun’s blinding rays.

Only the largest and most physically imposing men and women have the great strength and stamina required to reload the crossbows and wield the thick wood and iron shields that complete these warrior’s arsenal. Assembled in some of the greatest keeps and fortresses in Terrinoth, heavy crossbowmen spend months training in defensive and combined-arms techniques. This intense preparation for battle, as well as a crossbowman’s hefty bulwark shield, equips the warriors with the Protected 1 keyword, which states that the unit may subtract one from their damage pool while defending.

Terrinoth’s Greatest Technology

Many consider the modern crossbow a mechanical wonder. It makes the soldiers who wield it fearsome to encounter on the field of battle. When performing a ranged attack against an enemy between range-1 and range-3, the heavy crossbowmen may spend two unique surges to add a mortal strike. While the heavy crossbowmen do roll a red and a blue die when attacking, their command tool is equipped with a surge modifier to match their ranged attack action. Therefore, players controlling the heavy crossbowmen only need to roll a single surge icon to enact this ability.

The heavy crossbowmen are also equipped with their nearly impenetrable armor and shields. This is reflected directly on their command dial by limiting their marching speed to either one or two. However, their advance is steady and sure, and their command dial also bears a white march modifier that guarantees the heavy crossbowmen may consistently move forward at a speed of one, no matter which action they take.

Modern Maneuvers

The Heavy Crossbowmen Unit Expansion contains a collection of tokens and five available upgrade cards to further enhance the heavy crossbowmen’s skills upon the field of battle. A player controlling the heavy crossbowmen may choose to add Visored Helms to their armor. While defending, the player may exhaust this card to increase their defense by one for the attack if their command tool is unrevealed. This upgrade makes it impossible for enemies to launch a sneak attack against the crossbowmen, and once an assailant is locked in combat against these Daqan elite, they do not stand a chance against the wonder of modern weaponry.

However, the united army of the mighty baronies is made of more than just the heavy crossbowmen, and this expansion offers several upgrade cards that benefit other military units in addition to their own. The Daqan’s extensive training shines in their use of Column Tactics. This melee upgrade sets a military unit’s threat equal to the number of both their partial and full ranks. The card also states that their number of ranks for rerolls is equal to the number of trays in their front rank. As their brothers and sisters in combat fall, the Daqan’s warriors fight all the more fiercely to avenge their losses with every hit they land against their enemy.

The Best Offence

Now that the baronies have chosen to unite against the evil slinking out of the Mistlands, the heavy crossbowmen must heft their weapons and show Waiqar’s forces that technology is greater than any dark magic.