Given that many of our Armoured Clash miniatures come in handy box sets, it stands to reason that most Generals will (at least at the start of their hobby journey) have a very similar range of models in their collection. Opening up your chosen faction’s ORBAT and studying the mandatory elements and unit limits in the Faction Battlegroup would appear to inform your options still further. You might be forgiven for thinking that any two Commonwealth or Alliance forces will invariably look the same, but you would be wrong.
We’ve taken the time to get the inside scoop as to the army lists our Game Development team have built and/or painted, and run in games, getting a glimpse into how they aim to take control of the battlefield
Ziz (Senior Games Designer) and Pete (Games Designer): Enlightened
All Crabs, All the Time
Listen closely, and you might just hear your miniature whispering, “All crabs, no humans” prior to deployment
Ziz: I had one goal with my Enlightened Force, and that was All Crabs, No Humans. I adore the Horsell Super-Heavy Extractors. They are my darling boys and I love them. No humans are allowed to be near them.
I was more focused on the paint scheme, figuring that the list would come later (especially as I knew I'd begrudgingly have to allow some humans into my force.) I looked at many crab species before deciding that the Orchid Vampire Crab would be a good basis for my paint scheme.
With the paint scheme decided, Pete was kind enough to help me find a way to make this dream come true.
Pete: This is the list that I came up with for Ziz.
My list philosophy was to maximise the number of multi-legged units and minimise the number of humans at all costs. Going to 2,000 points will let Ziz take a Behemoth as command units for both Battlegroups. I had to take one infantry unit, so I put in a Helion Cohort. Ziz has already painted some up, so they needed a place in the army. There aren’t many units in this army, but the ones included are as bolstered as they can be. This is a list of hard, chaotic, aggressive action, and having played against it, it is wonderfully overwhelming.
Ziz: Playing the list was super fun. I did choose to charge my two beautiful crab behemoths onto my opponent’s side of the field and use Overcharge to trigger Spectacular Demise. This caused enormous damage and left two smoking crab carcasses belly-up as obstacles for them to deal with.
Ed (Games Designer): Imperium
The Power Behind the Throne
I love the secret organisations of the Dystopian Age. Those whose dark machinations shape the politics and power of the setting. And which organisation is more shadowy than the Ordo Teutonic? Well… maybe there is one other. (I’ll get into it at the end!)
As such, and especially given the wonderful new rules for a bespoke Teutonic Commander, I knew exactly what I would be building my Imperium force around: the Ordo-themed Gelve Auxiliary Battlegroup. Using the mandatory elements of the Imperium Faction Battlegroup to provide my force with some much-needed mobility, especially in the form of Panzerwagen Armoured Transports to help my Teutonic Armigers get up the battlefield, I was then able to fill my list with as much Arc weaponry as I could lay my armoured hands on, not least a glorious Sieger Vitruvian Colossus.
Ed made this fantastic Sieger conversion using parts from the Dystopian Wars Hochmeister Battlefleet Set.
Of course, while many of these units are extremely powerful, they don’t come cheap. Given the high points cost of my Teutonic units, I will struggle for board control, with only five scoring units. This is where the Kriegsspiel boon comes in, allowing a friendly unit to act immediately after another’s Activation. Coupled with my powerful colossus, field guns, and walkers bombarding the enemy from afar with the Arc quality, my hope is to distract my opponent long enough with lightning before the thunderous hammer of my knights falls upon the enemy and the objective. Eagle- eyed readers may have noticed that one unit in the list has become a mainstay option… all will become clear soon.
Alas, when it comes to hobbies, I am nothing if not easily distracted. And given how beautiful last year’s Sultanate models are, I find myself thinking just how chaotic the Dystopian Age has become. And how it could benefit from a little Order…
Dave (Games Development Editor): Enlightened
Unleash the Hordes!
Folks here in the studio know me better for my commitment to the Manifest Destiny of the Union, and if this were a Dystopian Wars blog, you would undoubtedly have found me delivering freedom and democracy on the back of a hefty broadside. In Armoured Clash, however, I’m more partial to the Covenant of the Enlightened, for reasons I can sum up in two words.
Over and Charge.
I chose to share this list simply because of the insane contrast with Ziz’s “All Crabs” force.
Suffice to say, I’m a huge fan of infantry. Partly, this is because I genuinely just love the look of massed ranks, and the look on my opponent’s face when they realise they are outnumbered 3 to 1. Mostly, however, it's because I’m easily frustrated by small bits of plastic and am monumentally lazy (I just want to plug a little guy into a little hole!) Anything that stands between my unpainted hordes and the tabletop has been officially designated an “Enemy of Progress” and has been methodically eliminated from my hobby life.
Commander units are especially important to Enlightened forces, so naturally, I made sure to take as many of them as I could get. Taking them at full strength, meanwhile, allows me to overcharge their attacks without having to worry too much about how many of my own soldiers die in the process. Exactly how an Enlightened battle plan should be. The Brute Wardens, meanwhile, are there to plod in front of those all-important commander units and make sure that the only person killing them is me.
My favourite units, however, are the Scythe Drones. I don’t expect them to last very long, coming in at just a single model apiece, but with Overcharge and Coruscating, all it takes is one well-executed sortie to really ruin someone’s day.
Without a Behemoth, this force struggles against armoured adversaries, relying on the Walkers and melee attacks to bring down Heavy targets, but such is the burden of the truly Enlightened…
Parker (Games Designer): Crown
The Old-Fashioned Way
A fixture in the gentlemen's clubs of Mayfair, Field Marshal Horace Batholomew Parker is rumoured to have the ear of Sir Mycroft Holmes himself.
The Crown are, in their minds at least, the protagonist of the Dystopian Age. Full of arrogance and burdened with the weight of history, they have a proper way of doing things and battle is no exception. My list is, accordingly, the "best" way of playing Armoured Clash.
At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
In reality, I wanted to take a ton of units but couldn’t fit them all in. I’m lucky enough to have a reasonable collection, so I wasn't beholden to taking everything in the starter set with a "one of everything" approach. I’ve tried to pick units that will be useful against almost any enemy list. I’m aware I may be lacking in anti-aircraft attacks, but so be it.
To begin with, I needed a solid core, and for me, that means infantry and tanks. A reinforced command platoon and two reinforced rifle platoons felt like a great start. As for tanks, we’ve got some of the best in the shape of Galahads. They’re just so tough and can take a beating, so a pair of reinforced units was next. I knew I wanted to represent the Crown’s penchant for big guns, too, so I had to take a support battlegroup, giving me the chance to take a full strength unit of Mordreds. Enemy behemoths beware!
At this point, decisions had to be made. While the Crown behemoths are certainly glorious, I chose not to take one as there were too many other wonderful toys I wanted to play with. This freed me up to take some of my favourite units. Some Spitfire Rocketeers (RAF Lakenheath is close to where I grew up, so I feel like I'm representing home) are great for either a fire-and-forget burst of damage, or a mobile way of dealing with infantry that manage to get behind my lines. Also, a full strength unit of Horse Guard Cavalry not only looks great but is a fun way of dealing with enemy artillery in a Flank Attack, or just screaming up the centre of the table, forcing your opponent to give them attention.
Next, I realised I needed at least some anti-air, so I chose the Black Watch Heavy Dragoons. They’re intended to stalk the rear, ready to go on lookout for aircraft or any flying units that get too close. They won’t win me the game, but I’d be foolish not to take them. Similarly, I took a pair of Defiance Fighters to either help against enemy flyers, or own the skies if my opponent decided not to take any.
Now it’s getting tricky, I could have gone with some Royal Engineer Sappers in Tristan Armoured Transports, supported by a unit of Black Watch Assault Dragoons for some offensive punch but held off… this time. Instead, as I already had the Support Battlegroup, I leaned into the big guns. I realised I needed some light attacks to complement my Mordreds, so I chose a reinforced unit of Bors Heavy Bombards. Finally, a unit I think is criminally underrated: two reinforced units of Drake Field Guns. They are perfect for mowing down infantry and, thanks to the Gun Luggers Command Bonus, I should be able to position them in just the right place to cover key objectives or defend other units.
All this left me a cheeky 20 points to spend, and I just couldn’t resist the Ready for Anything boon. I’ll admit that 95% of the time, it will be used to place the Mordreds on Lookout. Behemoth bashing, I will go!
Now I’ve committed to this list, I’d best get painting before I get distracted by any future Crown releases. Pip pip and cheerio!
As you can see, there are as many ways to build a force list as there are players of Armoured Clash. You can pursue sheer effectiveness in battle, tailoring your force to the weaknesses of your foe, or creating a balanced list that can sweep all before it. Alternatively, you might want to base your force around a subfaction, a theme, a favourite model or a legendary force from a moment in Dystopian Age history.
Our Studio forces probably won’t be dominating many tournaments, but they are certainly fun to play with and against!
Do you have an Armoured Clash force with an interesting theme or a unique colour scheme? We’d love to see it! Share some pictures of your force and the story behind it on our Facebook, Instagram, and X.