MSU Elves - some observations

Greetings!

Due to real life interference I had to miss the local event that took place in the always welcoming hall of Three D6 store - The Valley of Kings 2. If you are interested, you can check the results here: The Valley of Kings 2 - Results

It means that I am not going to have any new battle reports at the moment. However, it is not an excuse not to write something about Kings of War! The number of games I have played so far has just reached 50 so I think some kind of generic post about experiences and observation can be a good idea. I still would love to write something more detailed in the future but as it is going to take time. 

However, my fellow player Daniel (@Ecumenical_mate on Twitter), suggested I may write something about MSU Elves on the blog. Especially, that he is interested in trying his version of such an army too!

I think it will also be quite interesting to compare my initial impressions about KoW and a possibility to build MSU style army that can be found here:

MSU Elves - Possible?

But let's start from the beginning:

MSU - What is it?

MSU stands for Multiple Small Units and is a broad term used to describe armies comprised of many, relatively small elements. The aim for playing with such army is to utilize maneuverability and swarm tactics to overwhelm bigger units of the enemy, that would have an advantage in one-on-one melee situations.

MSU in Kings of War

This style of play, I found, can be used in Kings of War but it also may need to be defined in the context of particular faction. In other words, what is MSU for Elves may not necessarily be the same or even similar for Goblins. As you may have noticed in the case of my own army, I have currently 15 elements in it. Something that is considered above average for Elven forces but nothing out of ordinary for other factions that have access to cheaper units.

In addition, the way armies are constructed in Kings of War requires presence of hordes and/or regiments in order to unlock troops, war engines, monsters and heroes. In general, there is no "rule" that MSU force cannot have horde type of the unit. However, in the case of Elves and due my own preference, I personally chose to use only regiments in my armies.

Outcasts - my current MSU Elves version.

MSU - What is needed?

That will, of course, depend on the players approach to that style too. In my opinion, the army is always a function of the player's personal preferences and what may work for one, is not a guarantee to work for another. 

My own aim was to build and play with the army that is flexible and that is something more than just a sum of the elements it is comprised for. I wanted to emphasize maneuverability but also use a force that participates in all phases of the game. While my focus would be on the melee with the shooting as an important support, I also wanted to be able to play both, defensively and offensively, depending on the terrain, scenario and particular enemy.

With that in mind I wanted the following components to be represented in my army:

1. Higher than average number of units.

That is, of course, self explanatory but I still is worthy elaborating. The goal is not to have as many units as possible because that would require taking only the cheapest choices in the army list. The aim is to have more of them than a "typical" Elven army without losing the ability to put of a decent fight against a variety of opponents.

For me it means that I need to have a balance between the units that are fast and maneuverable, that can hit hard enough to take down the enemies and those that provide ranged support. That there are enough heroes to inspire the units and that the units are also flexible enough to allow me to assign different tasks for them to accomplish.

Higher number of units allows, in my opinion, for a greater flexibility as I don't necessarily need to deploy in a particular formation. It also increases the maneuverability of the army as a whole because I may be able to place some of the units in a better spot, especially against less numerous foes.

2. Maneuverability

Sheer speed is good to have but may not always be enough or even necessary for the units to get into positions to be able to attack the enemy from multiple directions at the same time. Hence, the access to the units with Nimble special rule is also very helpful. 

However, maneuverability of the army as a whole may be increased thanks to the fact it is composed of more units and of those with smaller base. It means they can easier fit against enemy units, especially when the battle lines clash and there is less space available. It also means they may be easier to move into flank/rear areas of the foe, as well as being able to avoid enemy attention. 

3. Crushing Strength/Thunderous Charge

Even perfectly executed coordinated attack may not be enough to take down a well armored horde of the enemy unit. It is often the case that some chargers will be hindered too. That is why it is important to make every attack count. 

Elves have a great army wide rule, Elite, that allows them to re-roll to hit rolls of 1. But if they can also combine it with Crushing Strength or Thunderous Charge, then it is even more desirable. Fortunately, there are units that have these abilities and Bane Chant spell can also be of a great use here. 

4. Inspire

Smaller units have lower nerve value and sometimes lucky shots may even rout them. That's why it is quite important to have as many of them covered by nearby heroes with Inspire rule. I like my mounted Army Standards for that reason, also because they may free Drakon Lord to go on individual missions.

5. Ranged Attacks

I think that MSU armies can operate well with minimum or none ranged attacks present. The shooting orientated MSU forces should also be viable. My own experience, however, does not provide me with enough knowledge on either as I try to use shooting as a support rather than a main option. It does allow me to eliminate enemy units occasionally but it is usually the case when the foe is not well armored. I also need to focus the fire to be able to do so and the foe is routed in 2 turns of shooting more often than in a single round. 

The role of shooting in MSU army I use is to provide me with the means to:

- add a few points of damage to tougher enemy units before melee

- be able to force nerve tests in the last turns of the game, when it may be difficult for other units to eliminate damaged enemies

- engage enemy light troops that would otherwise interfere with the movement of my army

- attack enemy war engines faster or when it is otherwise difficult/too risky to engage them in melee

6. Flexibility

This is yet another broad term and I use it to describe either units that come equipped with tools for both melee and ranged fights or that can perform different tasks. Sea Guard or War Chariots are good example of units that can shoot at the enemy or join the combat. Army Standards provide sources for Inspire but can also jump forward to block enemy advance for a turn. And any unit in the army in general can act individually and as part of any team.

That also means that the army should be able to deploy in different formations and switch between defensive and offensive modes, as situation demands.

MSU Army - Example

My own army and the way I tried to use it was featured in my battle reports so I would like to use another force as an example for MSU force. It is the army that Daniel sent me to discuss and we agreed I may do so in this blog post. Hopefully, some of the readers can comment on it too!

You will see some familiar units but there are also quite significant differences between our respective armies. Let's go through each unit type first:

Archers - very good ranged units, you can count on them to be able to hit the targets consistently, even with various penalties applied. They will be very good in eliminating light targets but as mentioned before, focusing fire on a single enemy may result in some routs too. 

They are better armored than some counterparts in other armies but should not be expected to hold on against many foes either. They can claim objectives too, which is very important.

Silver Breeze - I like fast cavalry a lot and these units are even better than archers because they are extremely fast and maneuverable but do not apply the penalties for movement when they shoot. They can also move to the better shooting positions easily and be able to hunt down units that would be difficult for archers to reach.

While not equipped for melee, they can always add their attacks to it as they have a good chance to move to flanks and rears. So while it should not be their main duty, it is an option worth remembering.

Drakon Riders - the most maneuverable and the hardest hitting elements of the army. They are able to take on smaller units alone and their speed and maneuverability should allow them to move to the positions where they can attack the enemies from flanks and rears.

Bolt Throwers - on the other side of the maneuverability spectrum are Bolt Throwers. The most static elements of the army, they need to be well positioned to get the most out of their abilities. They can make a dent in even the best armored foes but they may also need some protection or at least the access to them should not be easy. Combined with the other shooters, they can inflict significant damage.

Mage - quite typical source of both Inspire and Bane Chant. He can either add his support to faster moving drakons or stay with the shooters. Although supporting shooters with Bane Chant is also a bit more risky. If his main two roles are the ones above - I would consider replacing him with mounted Army Standard and Lute. He would do exactly the same for lower cost.

Drakon Lords - very good and flexible heroes. They can aid the other units in melee, especially that they can fit in easier in between the enemies. They can go for individual missions too, be it heroes hunting or war engines/shooting hordes disrupting. As Large Cavalry they are good at adding their weight to claiming objectives etc.

In general, this army has 14 elements and many of them seem to be quite specialized in what they do. There are 7 units that provide ranged attacks and 6 that are melee specialists. This means that the cooperation and coordination between the units will be about allowing the shooters clear line of sight to their targets and not limiting the movement of the Drakons in doing so.

I imagine this army may like to play defensively at the beginning, especially that it seem to need to do some damage to the enemy first. Either to rout smaller units that can potentially intercept/block Drakon Riders. Or to focus fire and make some opening in enemy battle line for the fliers to exploit.

It may need to deploy so that the shooters are positioned on one flank while majority of the fliers is on the other. In this way, in theory, it should be possible for the fast elements to move aggressively without interfering with the line of sight and for the shooters to bring the fire where it hurts the most. In that deployment the task would be for the Drakon Riders to sweep their flank fast enough to be able to flank attack whatever wants to attack the fragile shooters.

Another option would be to deploy in two lines with the shooters in front and the fliers behind. The advantage is that the shooters provide cover for the Drakon Riders while the flying cavalry can always attack over their companions and intercept incoming enemy. Which would be already damaged by the shooters.

Double Line deployment.

I guess the best advise at this stage is simply to have a few games with it, possibly against variety of opponents, to test the above ideas :)

I hope the above musing were of some interests and that they will prove useful for other players. I would love to continue with more detailed descriptions of deployments and particular interesting situations that occurred in my games at some stage. I think this post may be a good start!

I also want to thank Daniel for his suggestion for a blog post!

Thanks for reading!