Greetings and salutations fellow defenders of Her Majesty’s Dominions! If you’re reading this, you either understand that the Crown is the most gallant and glorious of the Great Powers or you’re a dastardly spy trying to uncover secrets to use against them. If you’re of the latter persuasion, I can assure you that there will be no such secrets for you to glean here and if you’re the former, I urge you to pour a cup of tea and make a cucumber sandwich, because you’re in for a treat.*
As mentioned in the main update blog the focus has been on melee units becoming a much more viable option in all factions and I can assure you that the Crown have been blessed with their share of points reductions and improvements. But that’s not all. It’s always interesting to see how a simple addition of a Special Rule or tweak to an existing one can change the usefulness of a unit and I’ll cover those in greater detail as we continue.
There’s no better time for new Crown generals to jump on board with the Crown Faction Battlegroup, serving as a perfect entry point.
*Crusts removed, of course.
A Royal Points Reduction
Whether kilt-wearing engineers or sword-wielding cavalry, melee units across the Crown ORBAT have seen a significant reduction in points cost. Both Black Watch Assault Dragoons and Horse Guard Cavalry have dropped by a whopping FORTY POINTS when taken as Full-Strength units. This is enough to squeeze in a Basic unit of Rifle Platoon or The Standard of Albion Boon to embolden your troops as they march to the front line. Horse Guard Cavalry have also had their VPR reduced from 3/4/5 to 2/3/4, so you can be a bit less concerned about losing them in battle after performing their glorious charge. The change to Overrun, while not only affecting the Blackhoof-riding champions of Her Majesty, allows the second attack to be rolled with a Neutral Combat Rating rather than Weakend, as it was previously. Huzzah!
Interestingly, the reduced costs to transport units is a side-benefit to our beloved Royal Engineer Sappers. A common tactic is to put a Reinforced unit of them into a Basic unit of Tristan Assault Transports and careen them towards the enemy. This will be even more fun when the 15 point saving across both units, a VPR reduction on the Sappers and an improvement to the Wreckers quality on their Melee attack. Enemy tanks beware!
Majestic Munitions
Speaking of transports, the majestic Sovereign Landship has gained the Open Top and Strongpoint special rules. Clearly, someone has fixed their roof hatch issues! This turns one of the most imposing units in the game into a veritable moving fortress. A Reinforced Rifle Platoon unit can be carried safely into the fray, able to fire at will upon the enemy while scoring a key objective.** Prepare yourself for the lamentations of your opponents.
One area in which the Crown have been perceived as lacking is in anti-air capability. To an extent, this is by design. Their minimal potential to deal with aerial targets emphasises their traditional style of warfare, and weaknesses are as central to a faction’s identity as their strengths. However, it could certainly feel bad if an opponent leans heavily into their Aerial choices, making the Clash an impossible uphill battle. To this end, the iconic Defiance Fighter has had (what I believe the youth call) a glow up. The Interceptor special rule allows the Defiance to, unsurprisingly, intercept enemy aircraft while the change to Tail Gunner now makes this an easier proposition. Add the increase to the Aerial attack value and you've got a whole new way of keeping the skies safer than ever.
**Not to mention someone in the office suggesting that it would make the perfect castle for a Full Strength unit of Sharp Rifles.
A 2000-point list
Thanks to all these changes and more, we've taken a look at the 2000 point list we created for the original Crown Tips and Tactics article a little while ago, and made some tweaks.
Once you tally the points, there are already 40 points saved from the Horse Guard Cavalry reduction. Now things get interesting. You can switch out the Bors Heavy Bombard for a Reinforced unit of Glamis Mobile Guns. I’ve not yet mentioned that they’ve gained the Rapid Response special rule, allowing them to come in from reserve during the first round. This will be great alongside the Horse Guard, either arriving a turn ahead to soften up the enemy or on the opposite flank to split the enemy force. Either way it will keep your opponent guessing.
With those savings, you can lean into the improvements to the Defiance Fighters. Taking a full strength unit will give greater aerial control, especially with their added Interceptor special rule. Also, you can squeeze in the Mad Minute Boon. The Rifle Platoons are suitably pleased.
Points values correct as of the Crown v1.04 Beta ORBAT
And there we have it, not vastly changed from its previous iteration, but a refinement nonetheless. The Horse Guard gaining a flanking partner with the Glamis spreads the load and provides a greater threat. Also, the improvements to the Defiance add some much needed anti-air capability. Much like the global update itself, this is not a complete rewrite but an adaptation to refocus and rebalance. I hope you all enjoy the changes as much as I do and I look forward to reading about your exploits via telegraph. Pip pip and cheerio!
For more information regarding the overall changes of this Global Update, read the summary blog.
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