In the north of the world, the great bear stirs. United by Vladimir Rurik-Navoy, King of Poland-Lithuania, Tsar of Russia and Gur Khan of Mongolia, the Commonwealth seeks to prove itself as a major force on the world stage after enduring years of disunity and discord.
With a lower technological base and smaller economy than the other Great Powers, the Commonwealth relies on tried and tested methods of war, their long-standing military traditions continuing to prove their worth even in an age of impossible technologies run amok. Winged Hussars, having exchanged their noble steeds for mounts of iron and steel, still wield the lance in combat, much as their predecessors did in ages past. Cavalry from the steppes weave their way through infantry regiments and armoured columns, sowing death and disorder amongst their foes before moving onto a new target. War dogs, the ever-faithful companions of their masters, hunt tanks and other war machines as if pursuing big game through ancient taiga forests.
This is not to say that they are without their own scientific marvels. When the Commonwealth marches to war, it can unleash all manner of horrors befitting the Dystopian Age. Mutated monstrosities, the product of unethical experiments, are set loose to rush headlong at the closest enemies. Burrowing engines break from the earth like great, mechanical cetaceans, their bowls disgorging soldiers and tanks behind enemy lines. Through mastery of the cryogenic sciences, the Commonwealth may even wield the power of winter itself, with enemies finding their equipment freezing in the bitter cold.
May the other great powers tremble as the Commonwealth unfurls its full might.
Long live the Commonwealth; long live her People, long live the Tsar!
Privyet, citizens of the Commonwealth!
This blog provides an overview of how the Commonwealth plays on the Battlefield, including their key strengths and things to look out for, and provides insights into how to build a Commonwealth Force, with example Force Lists for all three Force Scales.
How the Commonwealth Plays
The Commonwealth are at their most deadly when they have a chance to get up close with the enemy, as many of their units possess formidable close-quarters capabilities. The Commonwealth’s principal Infantry unit, the Ryadovoy Rifle Platoon, can go toe-to-toe with most other basic Infantry thanks to their Melee attack possessing the Shock special rule. When upgraded to the Ryadovoy Rifle Platoon Command, these units gain the Chain of Command (10”) special rule, making them the perfect Commander unit to firm up your front line.
Some of the more specialised close-quarter-centric units in the Commonwealth roster are notable for the unique ways they function on the Battlefield. The Azhdaya Berserker Gang, for example, sports a very respectable dice pool for their Melee Attack but have the potential to increase this significantly with the Overcharge weapon quality. This (as any Citizen-Scientists out there will be familiar) allows you to increase the unit’s attack pool by a random amount at the cost of taking Damage for every Blank rolled. The Winged Hussar Treadbikes, on the other hand, are a Cavalry unit with a powerful Impact attack that can potentially stop targeted units from Activating during a Round due to the Cryo weapon quality. Think of these units less as conventional melee units and more as missiles that you launch at the enemy! However, be aware that their potency will make them a priority target for enemy Ranged (Light) attacks, so be sure to consider how best to protect them as they advance across the Battlefield.
The Cossack Ovcharka War Dogs, on the other hand, are a real Swiss army knife that can deal with a wide range of different targets, provided you pick your targets carefully. Its powerful Ranged (Heavy) attack can easily destroy most Armour and Artillery models thanks to the Penetrating weapon quality. Uniquely, this attack can only be made as Opportunity Fire and cause the unit to gain the Reloading status, meaning that a General must decide carefully when to gamble with this potentially devastating attack. Additionally, the Point Blank weapon quality on its Ranged (Light) attack means that it can wreak havoc on Infantry and Cavalry units that get too close. Its Melee attack also possesses the Shock weapon quality, which significantly increases its dice pool against Light targets, and it has the potential to attack the same target twice owing to the Overrun special rule.
The Commonwealth’s Mongolian contingent provides excellent skirmishers in the form of Steppe Outrider Cavalry and the Kheshig Sky Cutter Wings. Both of these units have the Hit and Run (X”) special rule, letting them make an additional Advance manoeuvre at the end of their Attack Step, provided they do not have the Suppressed status. This makes them ideal for rushing forward, striking opportunistically before moving out of attack range or onto a Strategic Objective. The Kheshig Sky Cutter Wings can also be upgraded to Kheshig Sky Cutter Wing Command, which gains the Inspiring (1) special rule. When a unit with this rule ends its Move Step, a single unit within 12” loses the Suppressed status. Combined with its high speed, this allows the Kheshig Sky Cutter Wing Command to move where they are needed most, clear Suppression from a unit at a crucial moment, and then move on to put themselves in an advantageous position for the start of their next Activation.
This is not to say that the Commonwealth have no tools with which to bombard their foes from afar. Gobyata Field Guns can do surprising amounts of damage to Heavy targets, whilst Trayasti Seismic Mortars can throw enemy units into disarray as their Ranged attacks have the Seismic weapon quality, giving the target unit the Disordered status if it fails a Discipline test due to this attack.
In terms of heavier units, the Commonwealth’s primary form of Armour, the humble Tsar Tanks, provides respectable Ranged (Light) and Ranged (Heavy) attacks that make them a worthy addition to any Force. The Tsarevna Strike Tanks represent a more specialised option that excels at taking out Infantry, thanks to its Ranged (Light) attack with the Suppressive and Torrent weapon qualities, ideal for flushing enemies out of cover or Defensible Buildings.
The Ryadovoy Rodina Squadron is a relatively inexpensive support option that allows a nearby Infantry unit to Activate, allowing a canny general to pull off a nifty one-two-punch - moving up a Rodina Squadron to Suppress a target and then send in some nearby Ryadovoy to finish the job! This unit and the Kometta Interceptor Squadron also represent the Commonwealth’s most reliable sources of Ranged (Aerial) attacks, so it is always prudent to include at least one of these in your Force.
Some of the most unique units in the Commonwealth’s roster are their Subterranean vehicles. These units always begin the game in Reserve, with their General placing a Subterranean Marker in their Deployment Zone for each Subterranean unit in their Force. Subterranean Markers can move at the start of the Clash and during the Deploy Reserves step of each Round. Moving Subterranean Markers provides a number of advantages: they can move through enemy units, forcing them to make a Suppression test, and, when they move under a Defensible Building, they have a chance to reduce it to rubble, forcing any Garrisoned units to immediately evacuate!
A Subterranean unit can be Activated whilst in Reserve and be immediately deployed within 3” of any Subterranean marker, which is then removed. This unit then completes their Activation as normal. As any Subterranean unit can emerge from any Subterranean Marker, Commonwealth Generals can engage in a deadly blushing game with their opponent - will the unit emerging from this Subterranean Marker be a unit of Dikobraz Artillery Borers or a mighty Miron Super-Heavy Borer?
Krot Armoured Borers are a Transport option with the Capacity (4) special rule, meaning that you can easily use them to get your Ryadovoy Rifle Platoon or Cossack Ovcharka War Dogs behind enemy lines or onto a strategic objective, catching your opponent completely off guard. Dikobraz Artillery Borers, on the other hand, have long-ranged Ranged (Light) and Ranged (Heavy) attacks with the Indirect weapon quality, making them ideal artillery pieces. As a bonus, both of these units possess an Impact attack with the Penetrating and Wreckers weapon qualities, making them surprisingly dangerous should they go on the offensive against Heavy targets. Additionally, these units also have the Demolition special rule, allowing them to attack Defensible Buildings as if they were enemy units, with the potential to destroy them outright if they roll well.
The mightiest of these war machines are the Commonwealth’s two Behemoths: the Miron Super-Heavy Borer and the Mamont Subterranean Cryo Transport, both of which are towering Fortification units that are deployed via Subterranean Markers. In addition to a plethora of powerful anti-Light, anti-Heavy and anti-Aerial attacks, the Miron has the Heavy Carrier (Armour) special rule, which allows it to begin the Clash carrying either up to two Basic or one Reinforced Armour unit, to be deployed as if they were disembarking Infantry units. This gives Commonwealth Generals the ability to unleash an armoured column anywhere on the Battlefield, either to smash into the enemy backline or to trap their main thrust in a deadly pincer. The Mamont, in comparison, is specifically designed to get a large unit of Azhdaya Berserker Gang into combat as quickly as possible, its short-ranged attacks with the Cryo weapon quality allowing you to freeze enemy units in place before releasing the burrowing monstrosity’s enraged cargo.
Battlegroups
The Commonwealth Faction Battlegroup offers Generals a surprising amount of tactical flexibility, as it can contain a variable mix of 2 - 5 units of Infantry and/or Cavalry, up to two of which can be Bolstered. With both Ryadovoy Rifle Platoon and Steppe Outrider Cavalry as Mainstay units, this allows you to tailor your Force to reflect not just your preferred strategies, but also any specific background or narratives that you’ve created for your miniatures. Consequently, a Commonwealth General can use this Battlegroup to field a solid wall of Infantry, a core of swift Cavalry or some mixture of the two. The large number of optional Armour units this Battlegroup can include allows you to field a sizable tank corp, with the single Bolster option enabling you to field one of the Commonwealth’s Subterranean Behemoths in even a Battle-Scale Clash.
Grim Resolve, the Battlegroup’s Commander Bonus, is a special command that can be issued to a Commonwealth unit that has just participated in a Close Quarters Combat. If successfully issued, this Close Quarters Combat ends in a Draw regardless of which unit lost the most models. This is an excellent way of preventing your units from Falling Back and potentially losing Suppression tests - crucial for keeping a unit on a Strategic Objective or preventing models from being Destroyed should they be pushed into another unit or Impassible Terrain.
The Commonwealth Bardiche Auxiliary Battlegroup allows you to specialise your Force by including even more units of Infantry and Armour. This synergises well with this Battlegroup’s Commander Bonus, The Deluge, which allows the Battlegroup’s General to discard a card from their hand to allow a unit to re-roll Blanks during a Close Quarters Combat, provided that the target unit has the Suppressed status. With Krot Armoured Borers as a Mainstay Unit in this Battlegroup, Commonwealth Generals can field a large number of Subterranean Makers, which they use to inflict Suppress Tests on enemy units before charging them with powerful Close-Quarters specialists. This tactic works particularly well with Azhdaya Berserker Gangs, as it allows you to minimise any Damage they might inflict upon themselves should you overcharge their Melee Attack.
If you are looking to create a highly mobile Force that specialises in wearing the enemy down, the Commonwealth Jad Auxiliary Battlegroup helps you maximise the number of Cavalry and Rotorcraft units in your Force. The Battlegroup’s Commander Bonus, Legacy of the Khans, allows a Commonwealth General to discard a card from their hand when a unit uses the Hit and Run (X) special rule, increasing the extra Advance manoeuvre granted by this special rule to the unit’s Speed value. Additionally, the unit does not lose the On Lookout status if it makes this Manoeuvre, making it perfect for setting up ambushes.
Boons
The Commonwealth has access to two unique Boons. Oprichnina Agent, costing 25 points, grants a Commonwealth General a once-per-round ability for a unit of Infantry or Cavalry to immediately pass a failed Discipline test, at the cost of losing its Officer and gaining the Disordered status. When applied at the right moment, this Boon can keep a unit operating at its best, prevent it from being pushed off a Strategic Objective, or stop it from Breaking.
Seismic Primanka, on the other hand, is a 50-point Boon that allows a General with at least one Subterranean unit in their Force to place an additional Subterranean Marker at the start of the Clash, which disappears once all Subterranean units in the General’s army have arrived from Reserve. This not only increases the number of potential options from where your Subterranean units can emerge but also gives you even more opportunities to disrupt the enemy Battleline through the careful movement of your Subterranean Markers.
Key Strengths
Terrors from Below
Subterranean units provide Commonwealth Forces a great deal of tactical depth. Bringing these units onto the Battlefield late into a Clash can prevent them from being whittled down by enemy ranged attacks early on. Subterranean Markers can also force units they move through to make Suppression tests, with Subterranean units themselves also forcing Suppression tests on nearby units when they deploy owing to the Dynamic Entry (X) special rule. Additionally, as Subterranean Markers have the chance to demolish buildings they move under, Commonwealth players have the ability to reshape the Battlefield to their liking.
Death from All Directions
Several Infantry, Cavalry and Rotorcraft units in the Commonwealth roster have the Vanguard (X) special rule, allowing them to move up the Battlefield and apply pressure from the first Round. Additionally, units of Steppe Outrider Cavalry, Winged Hussar Treadbikes and Kheshig Sky Cutter Wings all possess the Hit and Run (X) special rule, allowing them to traverse the Battlefield with ease and relative safety whilst inflicting pain on enemy targets.
Subterranean units can be deployed directly behind the enemy battleline, with Transport units and those with the Heavy Carrier (X) special rule being able to disgorge Infantry and Armour units respectively. With these tools and the correct battle plan, a Commonwealth General can encircle their opponent’s Force or break it into smaller pieces to be destroyed at your leisure.
Winter’s Wrath
The Commonwealth’s ability to weaponise the biting cold of their homelands also gives them some interesting abilities. The Cryo weapon quality, present on both the Winged Hussar Treadbikes and the Mamont Subterranean Cryo Transport, means that, if the target unit fails a Suppression test, it immediately gains the Activated status if it doesn’t have it already. Triggering this on a powerful enemy unit will rob your opponent of a potentially crucial Activation.
This is not the only winter-themed aspect of the Commonwealth, as the Mamont Subterranean Cryo Transport has two Special Rules that represent the extreme cold generated by this manifestation of the frozen wastes. The Obfuscating (6”) special rule gives the Mamont, and all friendly units within range, the Shrouded special rule, making them harder to target with Ranged Attacks, while Hoarfrost Aura (6”) makes all nearby units, save the Azhdaya Berserker Gang, move as if they were in Difficult Terrain. When combined with their ability to deploy practically anywhere on the Battlefield, this Commonwealth Behemothunit is perfect for disrupting your opponent’s battleline.
Watch out for…
The Slow Succumb
Commonwealth units need to keep moving in order to survive. Use Terrain to shield your melee specialists, making full use of the Pioneers' special rule on many of these units to move through Difficult and Dense Terrain without penalty. Units with the Hit and Run (X) special rule can make an additional Advance manoeuvre at the end of their Attack Step, allowing them to move and attack before retreating out of an enemy unit’s range or firing arc. Subterranean units that are Transports or have the Heavy Carrier (X) special rule can also help to get your units in the ideal position without being picked apart as they slog their way across the Battlefield.
While few Factions can outflank and destroy an enemy Force the way the Commonwealth can, a General also has to think about how to ensure that the units on the Battlefield from the beginning of the Clash are not overwhelmed before their burrowing brethren emerge. The same is true for the Commonwealth’s skirmisher contingent, which can be quickly cleared from the table if they are your opponent’s only targets. Do not be afraid to deviate from your intended battle plan if deploying a Subterranean unit prematurely will draw your opponent’s attention away from other units.
A Ponderous Advance
Many Commonwealth Armour units have the Ponderous special rule, meaning that all models in these units must use the Turning Template rather than freely rotating. This can make directing them towards a specific threat or target difficult, requiring a little thought and planning on where to position these units at the start of the clash. Alternatively, Subterranean Armour units can be deployed in exactly the right place to strike at their preferred targets, so long as you’ve managed to position a Subterranean Marker in the right location. As the Miron Super-Heavy Borer can also carry Armour units, thanks to the Heavy Carrier (X) special rule, this also allows you to set up units of Tsar Battletanks and Tsarevna Strike Tanks mid-clash, ready to engage.
Building your Force
In terms of building a Force, the Commonwealth Faction Battlegroup Set gives you a good mix of units that are perfect for your first Battle-Scale clash and comes with a wonderful Behemoth unit that can be built as either a Miron Super-Heavy Borer or the Mamont Subterranean Cryo Transport. The Commonwealth Introductory Set provides a similar collection of units, sans Behemoth, making it ideal for building a trial Force or expanding an existing one. Want yet more Behemoths in your army? Of course you do! The Miron Battlegroup not only contains one of these immense war engines but also a smattering of Cavalry and Armour units. For those on the hunt for specific units, the Commonwealth Infantry Regiment and Commonwealth Armour Regiment contain a number of Basic-strength units that are perfect for expanding your Force. If you want to add any Aircraft to your Force, the Kometa Interceptor can be purchased as single models.
Skirmish-Scale List (1,000 points)
This Force, produced by combining models from the Commonwealth Introductory Set, the Commonwealth Infantry Regiment, and the Commonwealth Armoured Regiment, aims to get in the enemy’s face as quickly as possible, especially as many of its Infantry and Cavalry elements can make a free Advance manoeuvre at the start of the Clash with Vanguard (X). The Azhdaya Berserker Gang acts as the perfect close-quarters specialist: devastating in melee, and hardy enough to weather the storm of enemy fire they inevitably attract. The Krot Armoured Borers can get an Infantry unit onto a Strategic Objective without exposing it to a murderous enemy barrage. The Gobyata Field Guns and Tsar Tanks provide some much-needed supporting fire, especially against Heavy targets.
Battle-Scale List (2,000 points)
Drawing from models found in the Commonwealth Faction Battlegroup Set and the Commonwealth Introductory Set and a Kometa Interceptor box, this Force aims to neutralise the enemy with a classic ‘one-two punch’. With your opponent occupied by your main battleline, your Mamont Subterranean Cryo Transport erupts behind their force to unleash a deadly payload of Azhdaya Berserker Gangs! This tactic can be further enhanced by the Commonwealth Bardiche Auxiliary Battlegroup Commander Bonus, The Deluge, as the re-roll it provides against Suppressed targets can help minimise the damage you inflict on your own Berserkers when you c Overcharge their Melee attack. The Dikobraz Artillery Borers not only provide vital, long-ranged firepower but also an additional Subterranean marker to keep your enemy guessing.
Cataclysm-Scale List (3,000 points)
By combining the contents of two Commonwealth Faction Battlegroup Sets and three Kometa Interceptor boxes, you can create a truly mighty Force! Containing both Behemoth units available to the Commonwealth, these can be used to launch a devastating pincer attack, the disgorged units of Azhdaya Berserker Gang and Tsarevna Strike Tanks creating a second front to trap the enemy between a rock and a cold place. The Legacy of the Khans Commander Bonus, provided by the Commonwealth Jad Auxiliary Battlegroup, makes your units with the Hit and Run (X) special rule, such as the Kheshig Sky Cutter Command Wing, the Steppe Outrider Cavalry and the Winged Hussar Treadbikes, even more mobile, potentially baiting your opponent into a reckless action that you can capitalise on later. The Ryadovoy Rodina Squadron and Kometa Interceptor Squadron round out this list, their anti-Aerial attacks serving to punish any Rotorcraft or Aircraft units your opponent might bring to the fight.
In Short…
The Commonwealth are a faction that wants to be in the thick of combat, surrounding the enemy and shattering them as they flail in the face of your aggressive battle plan.
Commonwealth Infantry and Cavalry units can often handle themselves well inose-Quarters Combat, especially when they get to charge. Subterranean units not only allow you to bypass enemy ranged attacks, but can also Suppress units and potentially bring down buildings as your Subterranean markers travel across the Battlefield. Units with the Hit and Run (X) special rule are handy for repositioning after an attack in order to strike and fade, minimising the damage they take from reprisals.
However, should a Commonwealth Force lose momentum, then they may begin to fragment, leaving them vulnerable to a well-organised and co-ordinated enemy. Maintain cohesion, stay mobile, and your opponent will struggle to withstand your fury!