The Most Skilled Warriors in the Khalasar
The Dothraki cherish their nomadic lifestyle and love nothing more than a life spent in the saddle. These same equine traditions also include plenty of conflict. While many a young screamer doesn’t survive their first campaign, those that do refine both their horsemanship and fighting prowess to a brutal edge. These are the elite Dothraki Veterans and soon, House Targaryen players will be able to add more of these versatile warriors to their armies. First seen in the Targaryen Starter Set, let’s take a look at what they bring to the tabletop.
The Dothraki Veterans are an expensive unit to field, costing 10 points. However, for that cost, players get a true offensive powerhouse. They have the standard Cavalry rules of 3 wounds apiece as well as the ability to perform a free Maneuver action at the start of their activation. This means that their already-impressive Speed of 6 makes them truly one of the fastest units on the board, able to get where they’re needed in just a few turns. Defensively, the unit has turned their riding skills into a solid 4+ Defense Save. Considering that the unit eschews any armor, this is a testament to their experience and skill in the saddle. In terms of Morale, the Veterans aren’t going to balk at first contact with the enemy, but they also know when to cut their losses. This translates to a respectable 5+ Morale value.
It’s offensively that the Veterans truly shine. They have both a melee and ranged attack option. Their Dothraki Shortbows, appropriately limited to Short Range, roll 7 dice when at full ranks and hit on a 3+. The Veterans also have their vicious Arakh, a nasty melee weapon, of which they roll 8 dice when at full ranks. These formidable weapons also hit on a 3+. Individually, these attacks would be impressive, but the ability to pair them up is what makes the unit truly devastating. The Dothraki Veterans have the Charging Volley Order, allowing them to make a free Charge against a unit they’ve just targeted with their Shortbows. This potentially means 15 attack dice, all hitting on 3+, plus any bonuses from making a successful Charge and tactics cards their commander chooses to apply to the attack. This combination of attacks can easily decimate an enemy unit in a single turn. Even heavily armored foes don’t like to roll that many Defense Saves in a turn. Few other units in the game can boast that sort of offensive power.
The Dothraki Veterans can also be parted out as Unit Attachments into other Targaryen cavalry units, allowing for their experience to be passed to the next generation of warriors. As was originally included in the Targaryen starter box, the veteran’s unit box comes with two calvary unit attachment cards, the Screamer Ko and Outrider Ko. The Screamer Ko UA gives Sundering to its unit’s Charge attacks, letting those attacks deal more damage as the enemy’s armor crumples. The Outrider Ko UA gives its unit the Mark Target Order, which causes 1 enemy unit within Long Range to gain the Vulnerable condition. It’s less direct than the Screamer Ko’s Sundering, but allows the Outrider Ko to give a bonus to whatever unit attacks that enemy, not just the UA’s unit.
The Dothraki Veterans may be a costly unit to field for House Targaryen commanders, but they bring moderate defensive abilities along with the possibility of overwhelming offensive force. These elite warriors have the battle experience and training that has turned them into a unit that enemy commanders certainly feel trepidation seeing across the battlefield. When utilized as Unit Attachments, the Dothraki Veterans make sure that the army’s cavalry units, which were already rather formidable, can deal even more damage to enemy forces.
The Dothraki Veterans unit box is coming to store shelves on November 20th. Be sure to talk with your FLGS and make sure they have them on order for you.
You can read more about the Dothraki Veterans here.
