The Company of Iron narrative league begins in just a few short weeks, so that means it’s time for another platoon sneak peek!

So far we have looked at Cygnar and Cryx and the Trollbloods and Skorne. Now we look at Mercenaries and Minions.

Mercenaries: The Elsinberg Heist

A particularly ruthless band of mercenaries, the Elsinberg Heist values gold far above its own reputation. Hired by the Four Star Syndicate as part of a larger force under the command of Magnus the Warlord, these thuggish mercenaries abandoned their post when they saw an opportunity to loot a Llaelese bank in Elsinberg. With their ill-gotten riches in hand, they fled the city entirely and have been blacklisted as deserters by the Syndicate. These unscrupulous criminals have fabricated numerous false identities since the incident that they employ to accept mercenary posts wherever they see an opportunity for a quick heist.

The Elsinberg Heist is composed of a unit of Tactical Arcanist Corps, a unit of Kayazy Eliminators, and a minimum unit of Kayazy Assassins with an Underboss attachment. This platoon is easily one of the most unique in the entire league, as its promotions are geared toward, well … cheating in scenario play. You won’t see a lot of direct damage bonuses or defensive abilities in this platoon, but instead you’ll find new and interesting things such as the Kayazy Assassins’ new ability, Hidden Threat. This ability reads: Your opponent cannot win by scenario while you control four or more non-fleeing models with Hidden Threat.

That’s right, your opponent simply CANNOT win by scenario while you have four or more Kayazy Assassins on the table. While this is an interesting ability in Platoon Skirmish games, it’s incredibly dangerous in full-sized 50-point games. It doesn’t matter how many Control Points your opponent has scored—until those Kayazy are dead,his only win condition is to kill your warcaster. It should be noted that the starting promotion for this gang of thugs reads: This platoon can be included in any Mercenary army, regardless of contract or theme force. Want to take the Elsinberg Heist in a Shae Theme Force or a Cephalyx army? Go nuts!

Minions: The Krewe of Croak

Deep in the Fenn Marsh, gatorman tribes practice grisly rites that invoke spirits and grant mastery over the living and the dead. Bokors and witch doctors use this power to hold dominion over entire tribes as they vie for influence. The Krewe of Croak is a band of croak warriors who have given themselves over to the service of one such witch doctor, and they do his bidding without question. In time, this ambitious gatorman will make his move to replace Calaban, the Grave Walker, and insinuate his own voice into the ears of the strongest tribes. For now, he seeks knowledge above all else and revels in the glory of slaughter.

The Krewe of Croak is composed of a max-sized unit of Croak Raiders andtwo Croak Hunters and is led by a Gatorman Witch Doctor. Okay, I have to admit, this platoon was heavily influenced by my own upbringing in southern Louisiana. If there is any force in western Immoren that could get a little bit of Mardi Gras flavor, it’s the Blindwater Congregation. This platoon relies heavily on the Gatorman Witch Doctor leading the force. Almost all the benefits it gains from its promotions are based on his table location. For example, one of the platoon’s promotions gives the Gatorman Witch Doctor No Sleeping on the Job [platoon undead], which is especially good considering an earlier promotion turns every single Croak model in the platoon Undead! Much like the Elsinberg Heist, this platoon can also be taken in any Minions army, regardless of contract or Theme Force.

Of all the prize pins available for Company of Iron, the Krewe of Croak pin is easily my favorite. I think next time I’m down home for a Mardi Gras parade, I’ll have to proudly wear this pin. On a related note, while it isn’t part of the league rules, I sure hope that one of our talented hobbyists out there makes a special display board for his own Krewe of Croak platoon. Maybe a nice parade float made up of Bone Swarms carrying the entire vile Krewe into battle!

That’s all for today, but check back next week as we’ll take a sneak peek into the platoons available for Circle Orboros and the Legion of Everblight.