Fannish Faction : Apt Armies

[Karasu]

Just recently I read through the first two books of the Shadows of the Apt series, by Tchaikovsky (no, not that one).  His world is populated by interesting almost-humans and giant insects who go to war in a big way.  So, without further ado, my idea for the armies.  I’d love to get quotes from the books as flavour text, but haven’t figured out what yet…

ANT-KINDEN CITY STATE
Ant-kinden are inarguably the best kinden at warfare in the world.  However, the people that ant-kinden most like fighting are ant-kinden, so each city-state is a army unto itself.

Ant-Kinden Ballistae
Offense: (4)5/7  Defense: 1/2  Range: 21  Morale: 12  Move: 2.5"  Hits: 3 Green, 2 Yellow, 2 Red
(-1)-1/-2 when engaged. Move or shoot. Cannot shoot over blocking terrain.
Equipment:  Leather Armour, Short Sword

Ant-Kinden Cavalry Scouts
Offense: (4)5/5  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale: 12  Move: 6"  Hits: 2 Green, 2 Yellow, 2 Red
Cavalry
+1/0 when charging
Mount: Horse
Equipment:  Reinforced Chain & Shield, Short Sword

Ant-Kinden Crossbowmen
Offense: (3)6/5  Defense: 1/2  Range: 14  Morale: 12  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 5 Green, 3 Yellow, 3 Red
Core
(+2)0/0 +1/0 when engaged.  LoS
Equipment:  Reinforced Chain & Shield, Crossbow, Short Sword

Ant-Kinden Militia
Offense: (5)4/5  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale: 11  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 4 Green, 3 Yellow, 3 Red
Core
Equipment:  Reinforced Chain & Shield, Short Sword

Ant-Kinden Nailbow Squad
Offense: (4)5/7  Defense: 1/2  Range: 7  Morale: 12  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 3 Green, 2 Yellow, 2 Red
When making a ranged attack, each 6 rolled cancels 1 hit. (0)-1/-3 when engaged. LoS
Equipment:  Reinforced Chain, Nailbow

Ant-Kinden Scouts
Offense: (3)5/5  Defense: 1/1  Range: 14  Morale: 11  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 3 Green, 2 Yellow, 2 Red
Core, Skirmisher
LoS
Equipment: Leather Armour, Repeating Crossbow, Shortsword

Ant-Kinden Sentinels
Offense: (5)6/6  Defense: 1/3  Range: -  Morale: 13  Move: 2.5"  Hits: 6 Green, 2 Yellow, 4 Red
Elite
Equipment:  Sentinel Plate Armour, Halberd

Ant-Kinden Spearmen
Offense: (6)6/5  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale: 12  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 5 Green, 3 Yellow, 3 Red
Core
(-1)0/0 when charging.  (0)+1/0 +1/0 v Cavalry/Large.  (0)0/+2 v charging Cavalry/Large.
Equipment:  Reinforced Chain & Shield, Spear

Ant-Kinden Swordsmen
Offense: (5)6/5  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale: 12  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 5 Green, 3 Yellow, 3 Red
Core
Equipment:  Reinforced Chain & Shield, Shortsword

Armoured Automotive
Offense: (3)5/5  Defense: 0/5  Range: -  Morale: 13  Move: 5"  Hits: 7 Green, 7 Yellow, 0 Red
Elite, Collosal, Fearsome, Wheeled
2 Impact Hits.  Has an additional ranged attack (3)6/5 @ 14 LoS.  Attacks with Power 4 or less cannot damage this unit.

Flying Ant Riders
Offense: (3)5/5  Defense: 1/3  Range: 10.5  Morale: 11  Move: 5"  Hits: 2 Green, 2 Yellow, 2 Red
Elite, Flying
Equipment: Leather Armour, Repeating Crossbow, Shortsword

Giant Ant Swarm
Offense: (8)4/4  Defense: 1/2  Range: -  Morale: -  Move: 2.5"  Hits: 3 Green, 3 Yellow, 3 Red
Always has Close orders, Passes all courage tests.

Army Ability
Ancestor Art Mind-link
All members of the Ant-kinden army are telepathically linked.  This gives 2 advantages.  All units have a 360 degree Front arc.  For 1 Command Points 2 units can have their Standing Orders changed.



EMPIRE OF THE WASP

Ant-Kinden Auxilians
Offense: (5)6/5  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale: 11  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 5 Green, 3 Yellow, 3 Red
Core
Erase the Ancestor Art mark to declare a Final Rush at a unit outside your front arc.
Equipment:  Reinforced Chain & Shield, Shortsword

Auxilian Spearmen
Offense: (6)5/5  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale: 10  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 3 Green, 4 Yellow, 3 Red
Core
Erase the Ancestor Art mark to ignore terrain modifiers to MC this turn.
(-1)0/0 when charging.  (0)+1/0 +1/0 v Cavalry/Large.  (0)0/+2 v charging Cavalry/Large.
Equipment:  Scale Armour & Shield, Spear

Auxilian Swordsmen
Offense: (5)5/5  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale: 10  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 3 Green, 4 Yellow, 3 Red
Core
Erase the Ancestor Art mark to ignore terrain modifiers to MC this turn.
Equipment:  Scale armour & Shield, Shortsword

Heliopters
Offense: (3)5/5  Defense: 0/3  Range:-  Morale: 11  Move: 0  Hits: 4 Green, 4 Yellow, 0 Red
Elite Flying
No Ancestor Art box.
LoS.  Attacks with Power 4 or less cannot damage this unit.
Equipment:  Crossbows

Leadshotters
Offense: (3)5/8  Defense: 1/2  Range: 21  Morale: 11  Move: 2.5"  Hits: 2 Green, 3 Yellow, 2 Red
Erase the Ancestor art mark to gain the Pila ablity for the turn.
When making a ranged attack, each 6 rolled cancels 1 hit. (0)-1/-4 when engaged. LoS

Mole Cricket-Kinden Auxilians
Offense: (5)4/6  Defense: 1/3  Range: -  Morale: 10  Move: 5"  Hits: 5 Green, 0 Yellow, 5 Red
Elite
Erase the Ancestor Art mark to remove a wall marker this unit is touching or gain (0)+1/+1 v Earth, Stone or Fortifications.

Wasp Cavalry
Offense: (3)5/6  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale: 11  Move: 5"  Hits: 2 Green, 2 Yellow, 2 Red
Cavalry Flying
Erase the Ancestor art mark to gain the Pila ablity for the turn.
Rage
Mount:  Giant Wasp
Equipment:  Light Scale Armour

Wasp-Kinden Hornets
Offense: (7)5/5  Defense: 1/1  Range: 3.5  Morale: -  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 4 Green, 4 Yellow, 3 Red
Flying
Erase the Ancestor art mark to double the Pila ablity dice for this turn.
Rage.  Pila.  Always has Close orders, Passes all courage tests.
Equipment:  Short Sword, Javelins

Wasp-Kinden Light Airborne
Offense: (5)5/5  Defense: 2/1  Range: 3.5  Morale: 11  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 4 Green, 4 Yellow, 3 Red
Core Flying
Erase the Ancestor art mark to gain the Pila ablity for the turn
Rage.
Equipment:  Light Scale armour, Short Sword.

Wasp-kinden Sentinels
Offense: (5)5/6  Defense: 1/3  Range: -  Morale: 12  Move: 2.5"  Hits: 4 Green, 4 Yellow, 3 Red
Flying
Erase the Ancestor art mark to gain the Pila ablity for the turn
Rage
Equipment:  Sentinel Plate Armour, Halberd

Wasp-kinden Snapbowmen
Offense: (4)5/6  Defense: 1/1  Range: 17.5  Morale: 11  Move: 3.5"  Hits: 4 Green, 4 Yellow, 3 Red
Elite
Erase the Ancestor art mark to gain the Pila ablity for the turn
Rage.
Equipment:  Light Scale armour, Snapbow.

Wasp-kinden Spearmen
Offense: (6)5/5  Defense: 2/2  Range: -  Morale:  11 Move: 3.5"  Hits: 4 Green, 4 Yellow, 3 Red
Core
Erase the Ancestor art mark to gain the Pila ablity for the turn
Rage. (-1)0/0 when charging.  (0)+1/0 +1/0 v Cavalry/Large.  (0)0/+2 v charging Cavalry/Large.
Equipment:  Scale Armour & Shield, Spear

Army Ability
Spend a Command Action to mark a unit’s Ancestor Art box.
Rage  A unit with rage receives (0)+1/0 -1/0 and +1 Morale when not in the Green.

[Quelmotz]

Two in one?

I don't have time to comment on everything, but it seems great! 

[Karasu]

There's actually an article on armies at the author's blog and a fair amount of warring in the second book, so all I had to do was translate it into numbers and effects: much easier than trying to make the things from whole cloth.  Although, I am missing some ideas for cards so far...

edit: doh, forgot link: http://shadowsoftheapt.com/

[Karasu]

I've been doing some more thinking about these now, so here are the cards

Cards:

Ant-kinden

Combat Reform
Play this card on a unit that started the turn engaged.  You may change the orientation of that unit; it must remain engaged with all enemy units that it was engaged with.

For my Brothers
Play this card when a friendly unit in close combat fails a rout check.  The enemy do not get to make a free strike but instead deal 1 point of damage.  Rally this unit at the end of the turn.

Precision Volley
This unit gets (0)-1/+1 and may fire at an engaged enemy unit.

Co-ordinated Defense
Play only on a unit that is engaged with more than one enemy unit.  That unit gets +1/+0 until the end of the turn, but counts as having played a defensive card against all enemy units.

Co-ordinated Attack
Play only on a unit that is engaged with more than one enemy unit.  That unit gets (+0)+1/+0 until the end of the turn, but counts as having played a offensive card against all enemy units.


Empire of the Wasp

Fight for your Family
Play during the Movement and Command Phase.  All your units get +1 courage until the end of the turn.  All your Auxilian units get and additional +1 courage until the end of the turn.
Conquered territories have their men-folk conscripted and forced to fight on the other side of the empire.  Rebellion is might with executions - back home.

Superior Training
Unit gets (0)+1/+0 +1/+0  and +1 courage until the end of the turn, you may not play any more cards on this unit this turn

Inland Rekeff
=I kill you meself
The inland Rekeff act as a secret police for the empire, ensuring loyalty from all ranks of the army.

Death from Above
An enemy unit receives -1/0 and an additional -1/0 if a non-flying unit fighting against a flying unit.

Shock Tactics
Get (+1)0/0.  If the enemy unit must make a morale test this turn, they do so with a -1 modifier.