Kossite Woodsmen

It is the law of Khador that all citizens must serve in the military, and the Kossite clans of the far north are no exception. Despite their motley appearance and simple weapons, the Kossite woodsmen are fierce warriors. They wait in ambush with the patience and instincts of a hunter, and strike at the perfect moment to kill key assets or crumble the enemy’s flank.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Advance Deployment
• Template:Pathfinder
• Template:Ambush2
• Template:Backstab
• Template:Prowl

Weapons

Hunter's Weapon
File:Gun icon.jpg		RNG			ROF			AOE			POW
		10			1			Template:-			10
Hand Weapon
File:Sword icon.jpg		RNG				POW				P+S
		0.5				3				8

Theme Forces

• Khador
  • Template:Jaws of the Wolf
  • Template:Warriors of the Old Faith

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this unit in the Template:Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Malakov2 is leading the army.
  • Protectorate players can use this model in the Template:Warriors of the Old Faith theme.

Thoughts on Kossite Woodsmen

Kossite Woodsmen in a nutshell

Kossite Woodsmen are militia. They are cheap, and don't have much in terms of stats or weapons - if they face the enemy head-on. Add in Backstab and Ambush though, and all of a sudden they pose a threat to DEF 14 ARM 18 models in their their back arc - especially single-wound infantry, who may die in droves due to some strategically placed lead and arrows.

They can amend the inherent weakness of the jack-heavy lists by scoring in circular zones, and thanks to Ambush they may do it early on. Ambush also allows scenario (counter) play - even more so in scenarios with far-flung zones, where your battlegroup and caster can't be everywhere at once. They can run up to 15" on their arriving turn, contesting flags and zones - and though they die to basically anything the enemy might throw at them, that "anything" usually costs more than their 7/11 point cost.

While other, self-sufficient troops like the Widowmaker Scouts the Kayazy Eliminators, or the cavalry in the Warriors of the Old Faith pose a frontal and direct threat, Kossites are adept at putting pressure on the enemy's flanks, weakening it sufficiently that its eventual collapse will ensure victory on the long run.

Combos & Synergies

• Malakov2 - Discombobulate turns on Backstabs on from any direction, so you don't lose out on it if you Advance Deploy.
• Yuri the Axe - His Elite Cadre makes Kossites infuriatingly difficult to be removed from forests, and if you find a forest near the board edges, your troops can discharge their guns from beyond the forest patches, forcing the enemy to go either through or around to deal with them.
• Vladimir1 - Signs and Portends makes anything sing - especially with Backstab on.
• Vladimir2 can use them as great Hand of Fate or feat targets.
• Vladimir3 - Hand of Fate again, he also pays much closer to the front so he can put HoF on them easier.
• Old Witch2 - Curse of Shadows makes their shots more devastating and they can hide in a Windstorm to protect themselves from shooting if need be
• Sorscha3 - Winter's Wrath makes things easier for them to hit and she appreciates the extra scenario pressure the Kossites exert while her MoW and jacks trundle up the field.
• Feora3 in Warriors of the Old Faith can cast Incite to buff their damage.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Treewalker from Yuri is worthless if there are no forests around and you play outside Jaws of the Wolf, where you get at least one forest patch.
• If you cannot trigger Backstab, they just have horrible stats.
• Once the enemy gets bead on them, they'll die in no time. And for some armies they are just cheap corpse/soul token.

Tricks & Tips

• Stats-wise they are among the weakest Khador units - meaning, they are very low on the target-priority list. Any shot that falls upon them will be spared from your more valuable units.
• They have a 19-inch threat range from the edge of the board with the guns on the turn that you ambush. Sometimes it’s worth waiting an extra turn just to make sure you can get into back strike range and shoot some support models.

Other

Trivia

Released in Warmachine: Escalation (2004)