Meet the Militia
“I don’t get paid enough for this…”
In this week’s Meet the Fighters article, we get down and dirty with the riff-raff: the humble Militia.
Background
Militia. These are the recruits, soldiers, thugs, hirelings and sidekicks who bulk out warbands venturing into Tempestia.
Usually under-experienced, under-equipped and under-appreciated, such fighters are often viewed by others as little more than human shields to be placed between the enemy and more important things.
They view themselves as underdogs, resented-but-necessary bodies, or down-on-their-luck lackeys on their way to better careers.
However you look at it, the life of a Militia is a hard one.
Appearance
Militia keep things simple and efficient, usually lacking the funding or social standing required to equip expensive or outlandish gear. They wear light-to-medium armour and may wield all manner of basic weaponry: swords, maces, spears, you name it.
Often enough, Militia end up being the pack mules of the group, so it is not uncommon for them to be laden down with baggage, bedding, accessories, pots and pans, and so on.
Rules
Link to Militia fighter profile.
All the fighters covered so far in this series have been 2-Slot fighters. Militia, due to being a bit less fearsome and a little more squishy, only take up 1 Slot in a warband. In addition, they have a Limit value of 2, meaning you can take 2 of them. In short, the advantage Militia give you is a numerical one.
Magewinds is a game with a tight activation economy built into it. It’s often a good idea to be able to move and attack with your strongest fighters as late in the round as possible. Having more fighters than your opponent allows you to play for time, because you have more activations to play through.
For example, your Militia can advance early, get in the way, and draw attacks from enemies. Meanwhile your Warrior hangs back, ready to charge when the enemy fighters are out of actions, and vulnerable.
In scenarios with objectives that must be captured, Militia give you the advantage in numbers needed to win out. In scenarios with carriable objects such as treasure, Militia make good caddies – or caddy-protectors.
Conclusion
We all need grunts.
Next week, we take a look at the Militia’s magical counterpart.