The State of the Free Folk (Your Thoughts Wanted)

[stonehorse]

Thanks for the very useful tips and advice. Seems I made the mistake of not buying two starter sets. It does seem apparent that in order to get over the learning curve quad raiders are needed.

Just seen that my group have been playing the objectives wrong, didn't spot the changes in 1.5, think that really makes a massive impact, and helps the Free Folk as we have numbers.

Interesting to see no Trappers in your list. Do you not use them? Personally I think they are one of the best Free Folk units, can shut down solos, good movement, and have the insignificant rule.

Would it be fair to say that there are 2 areas on the Tactics board favoured by each faction, and denying them hinders the effectiveness of their Tactic cards? If so, might be an idea to memorize.

 

[Gallahad]

@Stonehorse, I don't have much experience, but if you want to increase the amount of damage that your Giants are doing, I have had a lot of success with taking Styr as an NCU and giving them the Fury of the Thenns. They will at most take 1 wound from the d3 hits, and having them dish out 2d3+1 wounds is pretty great.
I took out a unit of NW veterans using the giant plus fury of the Thenns.

 

[stonehorse]

@Gallahad, nice idea. I haven't bought the Heroes box yet, waiting to see a set that isn't €45 ($50), so may be a while before I can see what they bring.

 

[Wakeangel]

Hi all

Hmmmmm freefolk these were my faction of choice when entering the game and may I say what a great game it is love it. As for freefolk tend to get my ass kicked to be honest but I see people,watch battle reports and they do work so I'm not giving up on them plus havn't used them with the 1.5 rules so they might just stay around for a bit longer as that was the issue I most had with them their moral rolls were very costly usually after taking wounds

Did manage to win a secret mission game as the freefolk could get vps by achieving stuff on the battle field rather than having to destroy units and hold objectives.

 

[AutumnLeaves]

@Stonehorse, I don't have much experience, but if you want to increase the amount of damage that your Giants are doing, I have had a lot of success with taking Styr as an NCU and giving them the Fury of the Thenns. They will at most take 1 wound from the d3 hits, and having them dish out 2d3+1 wounds is pretty great.
I took out a unit of NW veterans using the giant plus fury of the Thenns.

Styr is awesome with everything. Free Folks models are there to die, losing d3 more doesn't matter to us

Styr + Weeper (C) + Cave Dwellers is super lethal. 10 dice from Reckless Slaughter with Vicious and Sundering, plus D3+3 wounds from panic & CTD (with a free panic reroll from Weeper) and D3 extra wounds from Styr kills just about everything.

 

[AutumnLeaves]

Interesting to see no Trappers in your list. Do you not use them? Personally I think they are one of the best Free Folk units, can shut down solos, good movement, and have the insignificant rule.
Would it be fair to say that there are 2 areas on the Tactics board favoured by each faction, and denying them hinders the effectiveness of their Tactic cards? If so, might be an idea to memorize.

I find trappers super boring, and while Traps are a decent area-control tool against solos, honestly solos aren't that hard to just kill.
That said, other people swear by them, and they're certainly not bad - just not my cup of tea.

As for the tactics board - pretty much, yeah. It's not always quite as clear-cut as "2 zones for each faction" but that's not a bad rule of thumb.

 

[Codfather]

Free Folk really open up when you get the Heroes box and having 4 units of raiders is a must I'd say as it forms a solid core for every list to be built around. Units like Cave Dwellers and Thenns are very strong, and the new cheaper spear-wives definitely have a place. The faction will also get stronger with the release of skinchangers, as they add a ton of versatility and potential tactics to the faction.

Free Folk have several strengths:
-insignificants means you can bait out units without giving up points
-very strong attachments
-strong and cheap NCUS

The biggest strength however is activation advantage. Being able to have the last 2-3 activations in a turn early game can really put the pressure on your opponent. This game can have a bit of a stand off, but being able to threaten objectives knowing you have 2-3 uninterrupted activation's in a row at the end of the turn can force your opponent to either abandon an objective, or potentially be crippled going into the next turn. Maintaining that activation advantage is important, so even though your units aren't worth anything, you can't be throwing them away for no gain, there should always be a reason why.

Free folk are probably the hardest faction to play, I'd argue they have the highest skill floor, but probably also the highest skill ceiling. You can pull off a lot of jank with Free Folk, and being difficult to predict can give you a very strong edge.

 

[Codfather]

Would it be fair to say that there are 2 areas on the Tactics board favoured by each faction, and denying them hinders the effectiveness of their Tactic cards? If so, might be an idea to memorize.

Starks: Swords/Horse
Lannister: Crown/Wealth
Neutral: Wealth/Letters
Nights Watch: Depends on what vows they have on the board, their strongest ones however are probably the Wealth, Letters and Swords
Free Folk: Horse
Baratheon: Crown/Letters
Targs: Horse

Some Commanders also trigger off zones that their faction tactic deck does not (like Tyrion) so that's a consideration as well

 

[WickedLester]

Free Folk really open up when you get the Heroes box and having 4 units of raiders is a must I'd say as it forms a solid core for every list to be built around. Units like Cave Dwellers and Thenns are very strong, and the new cheaper spear-wives definitely have a place. The faction will also get stronger with the release of skinchangers, as they add a ton of versatility and potential tactics to the faction.

Free Folk have several strengths:
-insignificants means you can bait out units without giving up points
-very strong attachments
-strong and cheap NCUS

The biggest strength however is activation advantage. Being able to have the last 2-3 activations in a turn early game can really put the pressure on your opponent. This game can have a bit of a stand off, but being able to threaten objectives knowing you have 2-3 uninterrupted activation's in a row at the end of the turn can force your opponent to either abandon an objective, or potentially be crippled going into the next turn. Maintaining that activation advantage is important, so even though your units aren't worth anything, you can't be throwing them away for no gain, there should always be a reason why.

Free folk are probably the hardest faction to play, I'd argue they have the highest skill floor, but probably also the highest skill ceiling. You can pull off a lot of jank with Free Folk, and being difficult to predict can give you a very strong edge.

Well put!
They are a chore to get around.
Maybee it's a good idea to include those raid leaders (1 or 2) that I put on the shelf to really put some punch into that out-activated charge.
THX!

 

[Gallahad]

Free Folk really open up when you get the Heroes box and having 4 units of raiders is a must I'd say as it forms a solid core for every list to be built around. Units like Cave Dwellers and Thenns are very strong, and the new cheaper spear-wives definitely have a place. The faction will also get stronger with the release of skinchangers, as they add a ton of versatility and potential tactics to the faction.

Free Folk have several strengths:
-insignificants means you can bait out units without giving up points
-very strong attachments
-strong and cheap NCUS

The biggest strength however is activation advantage. Being able to have the last 2-3 activations in a turn early game can really put the pressure on your opponent. This game can have a bit of a stand off, but being able to threaten objectives knowing you have 2-3 uninterrupted activation's in a row at the end of the turn can force your opponent to either abandon an objective, or potentially be crippled going into the next turn. Maintaining that activation advantage is important, so even though your units aren't worth anything, you can't be throwing them away for no gain, there should always be a reason why.

Free folk are probably the hardest faction to play, I'd argue they have the highest skill floor, but probably also the highest skill ceiling. You can pull off a lot of jank with Free Folk, and being difficult to predict can give you a very strong edge.

Interesting. As a newbie I find the FreeFolk NCUs to be very weak. Lady Val for example feels like she should only cost two points! Some of this may come from the fact that I rarely play against opponents that also want the horse, so her ability feels like a waste.

 

[AutumnLeaves]

Interesting. As a newbie I find the FreeFolk NCUs to be very weak. Lady Val for example feels like she should only cost two points! Some of this may come from the fact that I rarely play against opponents that also want the horse, so her ability feels like a waste.

Lady Val is one of my favourite NCUs in the game. I wish I could take her in Targaryens lol
She provides so many tactical options - always being able to maneuver a unit is really powerful. She also lets you block other zones and still maneuver, or get the free maneuver twice.

Styr is also completely bonkers. He probably ought to be 4 points tbh.

 

[Gallahad]

Lady Val is one of my favourite NCUs in the game. I wish I could take her in Targaryens lol
She provides so many tactical options - always being able to maneuver a unit is really powerful. She also lets you block other zones and still maneuver, or get the free maneuver twice.

Styr is also completely bonkers. He probably ought to be 4 points tbh.

I feel like she should at least let you count as controlling the horse zone for tactics card purposes... But the power of an extra maneuver will likely become more clear as I play more games. Styr is already a favorite. I've run Styr and Ygritte as NCUs with some success.

 

[Codfather]

I feel like she should at least let you count as controlling the horse zone for tactics card purposes

Whoa, that would be far to strong for 3pts. Joffrey ncu does that for the crown, but thats all he does, and he's 4pts, and he panics one of your units.

I don't think lady Val is an auto include by any means (not like Styr, who will probably see a tweak in the next errata), but she's solid for 3pts, and is definitely worth considering in list building, particularly with free folk where positioning is very key to their success. And honestly that's where every ncu should aspire to be, not auto include, not garbage, but worth considering.

 

[stonehorse]

Managed to find an absolute bargain on eBay, Freefolk starter set, with 2 extra Raiders and a unit of Spearwives for £100. So with two starter sets, and knowing the full changes to the rules, I was able to finally get a game where I think I used the Freefolk correctly. Mainly swarming the battle field with Raiders and using Raid Leaders. Managed a 10-4 victory over Lannisters, but more importantly it was a fun game, think embracing the insignificant rule really helps. I had 4 Raiders, 2 Trappers, a Giant, and 1 Cave Dweller Savages. Giant died without achieving much, but Raiders where just too numerous for the Lannisters to handle, and not giving victory points really helped.

 

[WickedLester]

Managed to find an absolute bargain on eBay, Freefolk starter set, with 2 extra Raiders and a unit of Spearwives for £100. So with two starter sets, and knowing the full changes to the rules, I was able to finally get a game where I think I used the Freefolk correctly. Mainly swarming the battle field with Raiders and using Raid Leaders. Managed a 10-4 victory over Lannisters, but more importantly it was a fun game, think embracing the insignificant rule really helps. I had 4 Raiders, 2 Trappers, a Giant, and 1 Cave Dweller Savages. Giant died without achieving much, but Raiders where just too numerous for the Lannisters to handle, and not giving victory points really helped.

Gratz!
Which commander did you run?
And what roster did the Lannsiter guy run?

 

[stonehorse]

Gratz!
Which commander did you run?
And what roster did the Lannsiter guy run?

Tormund Giantsbane. He really helps the Cave Dweller Savages wreck face.

Think this is what they fielded.
Gregor with a unit of Guardsmen
Guardsmen with the hound
Halberdiers with Assault Veteran
Knights of Casterly Rock
Mountains Men.
Cersei
Pycelle

 

[Gallahad]

Congrats Stonehorse! Glad you had fun!

 

[stonehorse]

Had a small game against the dreaded Nightswatch, didn't get to finish due to time constraints, but I was in a position where victory was looking to go to the Freefolk. 8 to 6 victory points.

So far the big changes are being able to field 4 Raiders, using Raid Leaders, and camping on objectives, while tying up the enemy with chaff. Not the most damaging of tactics, but one that seems to work so far. Placing a wall or a palisade in front of an objective is a good way to keep a camping unit of Raiders safe.

That and only using a single giant as a distraction, Val and Craster on horses to turn it into a cruise missile that shoots up a flank. It may not hit hard, but due to the high wound count is good at stopping units claiming objectives.

 

[Gallahad]

Had a small game against the dreaded Nightswatch, didn't get to finish due to time constraints, but I was in a position where victory was looking to go to the Freefolk. 8 to 6 victory points.

So far the big changes are being able to field 4 Raiders, using Raid Leaders, and camping on objectives, while tying up the enemy with chaff. Not the most damaging of tactics, but one that seems to work so far. Placing a wall or a palisade in front of an objective is a good way to keep a camping unit of Raiders safe.

That and only using a single giant as a distraction, Val and Craster on horses to turn it into a cruise missile that shoots up a flank. It may not hit hard, but due to the high wound count is good at stopping units claiming objectives.

Nice! Glad to hear that you are enjoying the new options another core box gives you!
Being able to use turbo ( double free maneuvers) to get up to objectives quickly does seem like a win.
Giants are also very good at nulling out objectives that your opponents have taken since a giant at full health counts as having five ranks (as I read the rules).
What type of list was your opponent running for NW?

 

[stonehorse]

Cheers, as we were pressed for time we played a 33 point game.

Commander Jon Snow.
2 Sworn Brothers.
Veterans of the Watch.
Builder Crossbowmen.
Aemon.

Vs.

Tormund Giantsbane.
Cave Dweller Savages.
2 Raiders with Raid Leader.
2 Raiders.
Trappers.
Savage Giant.
Val.

Tormund and Val seem to have great synergy. In my next game I may have to break out Mance, mainly due to my opponents new fondness of placing Corpse Piles as starting terrain. The boost to leadership from Mance will really help.