Kithguard preview – Spring a trap door ambush in all-out guerrilla warfare

Emerging from tunnels and descending from trees, the Kithguard deliver swift retribution against all who dare enter trollkin territory. How? Using their army-wide ambush tactics, taking guerrilla warfare to the next level in the Iron Kingdoms.  

Thanks to Fraser McFetridge, Mat Hart, and Jamie Perkins from the Warmachine design and dev crew for delving into Kithguard ambushing with us ahead of tomorrow’s rules drop!

Guerrilla warfare goes underground

Experts in guerrilla warfare, Kithguard have the tools to strike from almost anywhere, including off the field. Facing them in battle is like being attacked by a swarm of bees. They may not have raw hitting power, but small, sharp stings, in great enough numbers, can bring down some real big enemies. 

Like bees, just don’t stand still too long, or you’ll get squished. Hit first, hit fast, use your ambush advantage, and get out. 

Slipping in and out of trap doors

Every Kithguard warlock has Earthworks:

Trap Doors open into extensive tunnel networks hiding right beneath your feet, dug weeks or even months in advance by Tunnel Rats. From these, Kithguard can spring an ambush, popping in and out of holes in the ground to wreak havoc on enemy lines. 

Now, ambushing is by no means new in Immoren. But until now, models could only ambush if they’d started on the sidelines. Kithguard Trap Door tech turns that on its head.  

Instead, Kithguard can use their Trap Doors to send models from the battlefield into the tunnels — i.e. “into Ambush” — where they’ll lie in wait (read: stand on the sidelines) before springing an attack from any Trap Door on the field. Trap Doors are like portals, only more manual. 

Kithguard who start off the field can also spring an ambush right out of a Trap Door, like a pop out cake with less glitter and more fire. 

It’s not unusual for a Kithguard army to have three, four, or even five units hiding in the tunnels, waiting for the right time to strike. Being in Ambush is great for positional play and getting the first hit in, but it comes at the cost of scoring and contesting objectives. You can’t eat your cake and have it with this one. High risk, high reward. Oorah!

How you place your Trap Doors is critical. The area of the field your models affect when ambushing differs from unit to unit, so you’ve got a lot of versatility to play with. But your opponent is going to get at least one turn to manoeuvre around your Trap Doors before you can ambush, so be mindful of that. 

Of course, Trap Doors aren’t foolproof. Here are some tactical tips from Kithguard’s finest leaders for you to bear in mind:

• Place Trap Doors too aggressively and your opponent can surround them, leaving you with no space to exit. 

• Too defensive, and your opponent will address the forces you have in the field without fear of reprisal, because your hidden backup will be too far away. 

• There are ways for Kithguard to shift Trap Doors around, but they all involve putting fragile personnel in danger, so there’s definitely risk attached. 

• While units in Ambush can’t be attacked, they also can’t score or contest objectives. Wait too long to spring your attack, or keep too many models waiting in the tunnels, and the limited force you have on the field might have trouble standing up to the full force of the opposing army.

Play your advantages and guard your weakness — terrain placement and unique army defenses can blunt your alpha strike or exploit your middling stat lines. Use your Sneak Attack wisely!

Craghorn, Kithguard’s king of the alpha strike

There’s more than one way to skin an interloper

Every Kithguard warlock earned their spot in the Kriels army, using their individual experience and tactical know-how to take full advantage of the Kithguard propensity for ambushing and love of a good Trap Door.

Basically, each one of them thinks their way is the best way, but they all agree on one thing: ambush-led guerrilla warfare is the way to win. 

Craghorn, for instance, is the king of the alpha strike, unleashing a crippling first hit with his impressive feat.

Simple and effective — like Craghorn, perhaps, although we wouldn’t say it to his face. When you’re the only warlock who can spring an ambush at any moment, you’ve earned some respect.

It might not seem like much, but have a read back over the parts above where we talked about opponents positioning around your Trap Doors, and Kithguard abilities to shift them around. Moving a Trap Door to the perfect position, then popping your feat on it before your opponent can react is nothing to sniff at.

There’s something else, too: the damage buff is table-wide. Not restricted to Craghorn’s control range, or proximity to the rest of the army. Combine that with the positional versatility ambushing provides, and you get a particularly potent buff. This range-agnostic theme is something you may just see pop up in more than one place in Kithguard…

Last but not least, the increased damage applies to every damage roll — melee and ranged, including blast. This can add up. Quickly. Particularly if you’re playing a certain [REDACTED].

And that’s just Craghorn. What fun might his compatriots might be hiding underground?