PRO VS CON: SWASHBUCKLER
Hello folks. I’m Robert Allen and tonight I’m here to talk to you about a little game called… Hell Dorado.
Wait wait. There’s the logo, but where’s the brimstone smell? I asked for brimstone smell for every column. There’s no budget for it? BRIMSTONE IS FREE IN HELL PEOPLE. Sheesh.
Okay, fine, readers: you’ll just have to imagine the brimstone.
This may be the first time that some of you have heard of Hell Dorado. I forthwith apologize that this isn’t really going to be a run-of-the-mill introduction to the game. There are lots of those – I’ve even written some – and you can find good ones here, here, and here.
What we do have tonight is a little periodic piece I’m going to call
PRO
VERSUS
CON
The objective: two men enter, we discuss a model, and one man leaves with his army in tatters. Or something like that.
I’m joined by Dave Leach, one of the folks behind the Total Command Podcast, exclusively talking about Hell Dorado and being irredeemably Canadian. I hear moose bites can be painful. Say hello, Dave.
DAVE: You wouldn't last a day up here, Robert.
ROBERT: Personable, ain't he.
ROBERT: There are a couple of rules about Pro VS Con.
Neither of us are actual experts, but we DO play them on the internet. Don’t take our perspectives on these model as absolute gospel, but consider them as advice and ideas that you might not have fully realized without some play experience.
One of us takes the PRO side of a given model – they talk about the good stuff of the model, and how to use them in the game.
One of us takes the CON side, and we talk about the best way to stop the model in its tracks, kill them or at least shut them down and make their owner cry.
And that’s it.
TONIGHT’S MODEL: The Swashbuckler from the WESTERNERS faction
DAVE: The Swashbuckler and I have a pleasant and longstanding relationship. He's one of my favorite Westerner models, in fact, and a regular in the majority of the European lists that I build. Zero protection (PR) and faith (FTH) notwithstanding, his stat line is otherwise respectable. He's fast for a human (MVT 5), his base combat (CBT) of 6 grants a re-roll before modification, defense (DEF) 5 is the best thing shy of Invulnerable, and he brings a command (CMD) point of his own to offset the cost of his order. Speaking of which ...
“The Lord Guides My Hand”, his one and only order. While his base stats are nothing to scoff at, his order takes them straight to crazy town. 2 permanent command, one of which the Swashbuckler provides for himself, grants +1 movement (MVT), +2 shooting (SHS), +2 CBT, and +2 FTH for the remainder of the game. CBT 8 before modification? Yes please. My only complaint is that the order is “active”, meaning he must perform a concentration action in order to issue it. This can be something of an inconvenience should you opt to conserve command and hold off until a later turn, as the necessary concentration action hampers movement and saddles him with penalties should he find himself engaged in melee when the time comes.
ROBERT: He’s got good stats, but he does pay for them. He’s 31 points, the most expensive non-Unique, non-Officer model in the Westerners. He’s more than double almost any basic trooper! Then on top of that, he’s going to eat two permanent command to get to his “crazy town”. Even though he brings one Command to the party, Westerner commanders generally don’t have permanent command to spare - they need it to Vae Victis their generally underwhelming line troopers. (I'm looking at you, Arquebusers!) And sure, he’s fast, and he hits often when he’s pumped up by that order, but he’s still got the armor of a silk shirt (Protection: zilch!) and he lacks anything like Rapid Strike or Evasive. Too often Westerners get overly excited by his high Combat and Movement and rush him to his death.
DAVE: He is expensive, indeed the most expensive of his lot, but someone has to claim that title and I would argue that he's worth the price of admission! Crazy stats come with a real price, this cannot be argued. Command is precious and investing two is no small thing. Unsavory characters will insist that the Westerner faction is command-starved and should be wary of the investment, but I tend to disagree. We may not compete with Demons on that front (who does?), but we can hold our own so far as total command is concerned.
Yes, his PR is zero. And yes, he lacks defensive abilities beyond Man-at-Arms. You're depending on his DEF 5 to do much of heavy lifting and, like most Westerner models, he requires the love and support of his fellow Europeans to excel. Which brings us to Charisma. Not only is he a sterling Independent who can hold his own solo, he also supports his allies with +1 CBT within 4”. You don't often see this special ability on non-officer models and it is fantastic to have multiple sources on the table. It permits him to operate as a pseudo-officer capable of leading a flanking operation, allowing you to divide you forces for scenarios that demand it.
ROBERT: True, but his high movement is wasted when he’s slowing down to lend his Charisma to most of the slowpokes in the Westerners. In fact that’s one of the Swashbuckler’s biggest issues – he’s typically going to go out like a super solo, and he might get some serious results – but generally he’s going to be unsupported and he’s going to pay for it. Even if you pair him with Blades for Hire his Movement 6 (under “The Lord Guides My Hand!”) will start to add up and leave them behind.
DAVE: Oh Robert. Simply because one CAN move 12” does not mean one SHOULD move 12”. When you consider that the Swashbuckler also ignores control areas with his evasive ability, an opponent has no choice but to play around it. The threat of his movement is often more useful than the movement itself.
If I'm building a Westerner list, the Swashbuckler is nearly an auto-include (alongside the Missionary). He's limited 3, which is great and all, but I rarely include more than one. Each Swashbuckler intent on using his order will require 1 additional CMD beyond the 1 he provides, amd the permanent CMD investment becomes harder to justify with each model beyond the first. Which isn't to say you have to use the order to get work out of him. A Swashbuckler with base stats alone is more than capable of holding his own, assuming he is properly supported. Maybe not the best use of 31 points, however.
ROBERT: Most auto-includes in Hell Dorado tend to be even sweeter in pairs. The Swashbuckler is a very obvious breaking of this trend – because he’s damaging to the Permanent Command pool. Plus he doesn’t really have the same killing power as many other independents – at 5 hits, which he has decent chances of rolling against Defense 4 models, he’s still only going to do 9 damage. Against every other similarly priced Independent, that’s not enough to one-shot them – however, if they can land 5 hits back on the Swashbuckler – not easy, but not impossible – he’s going to be flattened by: the Great Damned One of Wrath, the Squamata Spitter, Kuan Yi, Husaym Al Din, and Ashoka. Even a piece trade with a Squamata Warrior – who might struggle with his Defense 5, but since they can easily get to Combat 7 and have you at Defense 4 (thanks to Vorenus nearby) it’s going to be an embarrassing loss for you.
DAVE: Unlike many of the blunt instruments listed above, the Swashbuckler is a scalpel. He is a finesse model, a thinking man's unit. True, his power table lacks somewhat compared to other high end independents and his total lack of protection is cause for concern, but it is the Swashbuckler's utility and flexibility that make him so worth having.
So long as you're wary of what your opponent can bring to bear, position him as a blocker and dare your opponent to charge and suffer the penalty. Defensive shot is fun in this role, Man-at-Arms helps with survivability. Not only is he forcing a decision on your opponent, he's also buffing his allies with charisma (while he himself enjoys the charisma from your officer). In this role, beware of enemy models with attacks and powers that ignore his DEF stat! Lemures packing direct damage spells, blast and explosion templates, these things will make quick work of a careless Swashbuckler.
Seeing as Vorenus has suddenly made an appearance on Robert's side of the table, it's only fair that the Swashbuckler bring some friends of his own. Make no mistake, his allies will be there and our hero will be better for it. The Missionary provides several auras to help the situation, lowering enemy CBT, or adding an additional hit , even healing the Swashbuckler if his FTH stat has been buffed by Lord Guides (which also permits him to benefit from Francisco Vargus' order “Bastion of the Lord”). Stand him shoulder-to-shoulder with Ana Bogna Pavlova for additional healing and bodyguard, and the new Apothecary model from Inferno has great potential. He a Papist and therefore benefits from Alvaro's “Aura of Fanaticism”, and the only thing better than a Swashbuckler under the effects of his order is a fanatical Swashbuckler under the effects of his order. Remember: a CBT score above 10 means instant damage that ignores PR, and that is no pipe dream when your base CBT stat before modification is a 9. With proper support, the Swashbuckler becomes a serious force to be reckoned with.
Against opponents I'm otherwise unable to drop with a single blow, I will often choose to inflict 4 hits as opposed to 5 (a choice I'm permitted to make more often than not, considering his CBT stat), which hobbles enemies with a stunned state in subsequent combats.
He's also amazing on offense, as MVT 6 and elusive grant him significant freedom to skirt the edges of combat and ignore the control areas of enemies who attempt to dictate his movement. Remember: In Hell Dorado, charging does not require a straight line or even line-of-sight. These factors alone allow him to surgically remove threats in the enemy backfield, should one decide to throw him into the meat grinder.
ROBERT: I admit that he does give the Westerners a great problem solver. But he’s sadly very alone in his role. Most of the Westerners want to hang back and shoot, whereas the Swashbuckler really has to put himself into harm’s way to be effective. If you’re dictating the battle, you might get to use him as a scalpel – but just like a surgeon’s blade, when the job is done, the scalpel is getting thrown away. The Swashbuckler doesn’t have the stats to survive the inevitable reprisal that is coming to rain retribution down on his unprotected head. The best way to beat a Swashbuckler is to bait him with a tasty but not critical piece, and then when he’s over-extended himself, far from the rest of the Westerner’s force, nearly any two Troopers can beat him into a messy grave. Two Damned Ones of Wrath, two Dibbukim, two Squamata Warriors…even two Deserters – any of them will put down a Swashbuckler on average dice. (and if you can manage a couple of points of damage from the odd ranged attack, any one of them can do it alone)
DAVE: You plan to waste your precious non-template ranged attacks on a DEF 5 model? Be my guest! As for drawing him out, your gambit is only as good as your bait, as you won't see me tossing my Swashbuckler away to remove a lowly trooper model (unless claiming dominance is a life-or-death matter at a crucial point in the game). I would, however, consider sending him deep to kill a Mourner, an Infernal Ambassador, 30 Coins, or a similar model of inherent value. The point trade may be in your favor, but I still dictate the match-up and in that I am rarely disappointed.
If you insist on throwing your Swashbuckler away, do it for the right reasons. Simply because he can move great distances doesn't mean you should look for the first opportunity to charge. Yes, he has the ability to strike at the rear ranks of your opponent's company, but that is not always the best option. Scenarios win games, and his MVT stat allows you to claim far flung zones in Conquest, sprint for the table edge in Ambush, and make quick work of treasure tokens in Scavenging.
Some will insist that you issue The Lord Guides My Hand during his first activation of the game. Before doing so, consider the scenario, examine the enemy company, take stock of your opponent's deployment, then ask yourself these questions: Do I need his boosted movement right away? Do I plan to piece trade him for a nuisance model? If so, are his boosted stats required to deal with said model, or will his base stats be enough to get the job done? Will his faith stat play an important part in this game? Two permanent command is a serious investment and should be delayed for as long as possible. Knowing when to give the Order is a big part of playing the Swashbuckler properly. That said, beware the active trigger should you wait and later decide to commit him to combat, as having to perform a concentration action while engaged is never recommended.
The well supported Swashbuckler is a happy Swashbuckler. Keep him close to your officer, for instance, and enjoy the benefits of reciprocal Charisma. Fun times!
Be wary of attacks that ignore his DEF 5, as his lack of protection will be made all the more apparent. Robert is correct in that a DEF 4 Swashbuckler is almost certainly a DEAD Swashbuckler. If your opponent has a way to reduce your DEF, you have a priority target. Committing your Swashbuckler to remove such a troublesome unit would not be the worst use of his prodigious skill set.
ROBERT: Definitely respect the capabilities of the Swashbuckler. But don't let your opponent dictate the game with him - unless he's sending the Swashbuckler on a suicide mission, in which case, let him! Find ways to isolate the damage the Swashbuckler can inflict, and absolutely make sure you can put him out of the game as quickly as you can as a counterstroke.
If you can lower his Defense, do it! If you can inflict damage that bypasses Defense, even better. You're probably going to be stuck in a piece trade for the Swashbuckler - he's fast enough that he's likely be able to dictate when and where he attacks, especially with canny use of Vae Soli from your opponent. Protect your fragile pieces from a Swashbuckler racing across the field, and then concentrate some models on him - as stated above, it doesn't take a lot to do the job, provided you can roll the 5's.
Well that's it for our first Pro VS Con. Please let me know in the comments if you enjoyed it, hated it, or anything in between. Thanks!
--Robert