Dragon Dice™ - Amazons

The Amazons

Heavy Melee	Light Melee	Missile	Cavalry	Magic
Soldier	Runner	Darter	Charioteer	Seer
Warrior	Envoy	Javelineer	Battle Rider	Visionary
War Chief	Harbinger	Spearer	War Driver	Oracle
Centaur	Chimera	Hydra	Medusa

Introduction

As the First Races continued their struggle for supremacy across the war-torn landscapes of Esfah, they recruited many other allies to aid them in their quest for dominance over their neighbors. Their armies swelled, their battles intensified, and ever-greater numbers of dead littered the fields after each skirmish. Through all of this Death rejoiced in the carnage, growing ever more powerful with each passing day, and fed ever more ravenously on the spirits of the dead warriors on all sides. Nature, determined to stem Death's resurgence, wove together all the elements of nature to create a powerful, yet noble race of humans that they called the Amazons. While short-lived as compared with the First Races, the Amazons proved to be ferocious warriors, able with the sword, spear and javelin, yet also able to draw upon the energies of the land for a wide array of magic.

Amazon special abilities

Amazons count maneuver icons as missile results when making a missile attack in flatland terrain
When in the reserve area, Amazons may use missile fire to attack targets at their owner's home terrain or at the frontier. When Amazons are part of an interracial army in reserve, their missile results are counted when the other units roll for magic
Amazons can cast magic based on the colors of the terrain they're in. (This means, for example, that an Amazon in coastland can cast both blue and green magic, for instance.) They may double their ID icons for magic only when at a terrain which has a Standing Stones for its Eighth Face. The Amazon units do not need to be in control of the terrain in order to be able to double their magic results.

Amazon SAIs

Double Strike (Hydra): During melee, hit for four points and then reroll this unit and count the new results as well.

Kick (Centaur): During melee, inflict four damage on a unit of your choice.

Flame (Chimera): During melee, kill and bury two health worth of enemy units, with no saves possible.

Stone (Medusa): During missile, inflict four damage on the target army, with no saves possible.

What the Amazons do best...

The Amazons are fairly average when it comes to melee and magic, they save well with a total of 32 save icons, and they have impressive maneuverability with 40 maneuver icons. While they may appear to be slightly below average in missile capability with only 26 missile icons, their greatest strength lay in their ability to launch massive missile barrages in the flatlands. They throw their javelins with ever increasing speed and accuracy from their speeding war chariots, counting their maneuvers as missiles, for a total of 66 icons that can be used for missiles. As a result, they far outdistance any of the other races in ranged warfare. In addition, their ability to strike fear into their enemies by launching deadly missile strikes from the relative safety of the reserves, leaves them as the most missile-potent race of all.

Amazon Units

Commons...

Soldier [maneuver, save, melee, melee, melee x2]
The Soldier is a good melee Common, with an effective mix of melee, maneuver and saves. Having some melee punch can be effective in keeping opponents out of your way as you march your way to an Eighth Face.

Runner [maneuver, maneuver x2, melee, missile, save]
The Runner is one of the most widely used Commons in an Amazon missile army. The 3 maneuvers and 1 missile icon add some serious punch to missile attacks in Flatlands.

Darter [missile, missile x2, melee, maneuver, save]
The Darter has only 3 missile icons, which is less than the missile Commons of several of the other races. However, it has added effectiveness in that it can also operate from the reserves.

Charioteer [melee x2, save, maneuver, maneuver, maneuver]
This is a standard cavalry unit. The difference here is that, unlike other cavalry Commons from other races, the Charioteer is more reliable when it comes to generating maneuvers, with 3 of its face containing one maneuver apiece.

Seer [maneuver, save, magic, magic, magic x2]
Amazon mages take a hit when they aren't in the vicinity of a Standing Stones, and a truly effective Amazon mage should have an additional magic icon to make up for this. For this reason, the Uncommon and Rare mages tend to be used more often.

Uncommons...

Warrior [maneuver x3, save x2, melee x2, melee x2, melee x3]
Like the soldier, the Warrior is a good reliable melee Uncommon. With 3 maneuvers, it can also add some punch to a missile attack as well.

Envoy [maneuver x2, maneuver x3, melee x3, missile x2, save x2]
The Envoy is another unit that is widely used in Amazon missile armies. The 5 maneuvers and 2 missiles are quite effective in Flatland missile strikes.

Javelineer [missile x3, missile x3, melee x2, maneuver x2, save x2]
The Javelineer is much like the Darter in that it has twice the health and exactly twice the icon count for missiles, maneuvers, saves and melee. Like the Darter, the Javelineer is also a serious threat from the reserves.

Battle Rider [maneuver x3, maneuver x3, melee x2, melee x2, save x2]
The Battle Rider is a competent cavalry unit that can play a major role in a Flatland missile strike. An army of these at a Flatland Eighth Face can have some devastating results. A few of these in an army can allow for an opportunity for promotion when Amazon missiles slay a Dragon.

Visionary [maneuver x2, save, magic x2, magic x3, magic x4]
The Visionary has more magic icons than almost other Uncommon mage, save the Firewalker Sunflare. A few of these in at a Standing Stones can generate plenty of magic.

Rares...

War Chief [melee x3, melee x4, maneuver x2, save x3, Smite x4]
The War Chief, like most other melee Rares, has the powerful Smite SAI. A couple of these in an army can dissuade opponents from sticking around, once the terrain is in melee range.

Harbinger [maneuver x3, save x3, melee x3, melee x3, Counter x4]
The Harbinger is a good melee Rare, that saves very well between its 3 natural saves and its 4 Counters. It can occasionally contribute to a missile strike with its 3 maneuvers, but is generally geared for skirmishes.

Spearer [missile x3, missile x4, melee x2, save x3, Bullseye x4]
On a per-health basis, the Spearer packs more missile punch than any other Amazon unit. An effective strategy can be to place a few Spearers in the reserves, generating a load of missiles and deadly Bullseyes.

War Driver [Trample x3, Trample x3, missile x3, melee x4, save x3]
The War Driver, with its 6 Tramples, as well as assorted missiles, melee, and saves, is a powerful all-around fighting unit, that is especially effective in either Flatland missile strikes or in charges. A few of these in one place can make an opponent think twice about sticking around.

Oracle [maneuver x2, save x2, magic x4, magic x5, Cantrip x3]
The Oracle has only 3 Cantrips, where most Rare mages have 4. However, it makes up for this deficiency by having more total magic icons than most of the other Rare mages. Including the Cantrip, it has 12 magic icons where most Rare mages have 11. This means you can count on some extra spells when working with Oracles.

Monsters...

Centaur [Kick, Kick, missile, missile, melee, melee, Trample, maneuver, maneuver]
The Centaur's is effective in either melee or missile combat, and maneuvers well. However, don't count on it to provide any saves.

Chimera [Fly, Rend, Flame, save, save, Smite, melee, melee, melee]
The rarest of the Amazons, the Chimera combines a number of melee SAIs, and as a result is one of the tougher units to get into a melee brawl with. It also saves well, with two save faces and a Fly.

Hydra [Double Strike, Double Strike, save, save, save, save, melee, melee, melee]
The Hydra does two things, and two things only. It fights ferociously, and is very difficult to kill. The Double Strike SAIs allow the Hydra to keep inflicting greater and greater amounts of damage, and few monsters have 4 faces with saves.

Medusa [Stone, Stone, melee, melee, melee, melee, save, maneuver, maneuver]
The Medusa is another good fighting Monster, that can provide melee or missile as needed. The curious thing is that its SAIs are geared towards missile combat, whereas most of its other faces are melee-oriented. This means that finding a situation where a Medusa can be really useful requires some careful thought.

Amazon Magic

The Amazons have the most varied selection of spells in the game, but their spell selection is always limited by the terrain at which they reside. This means that the Amazon player needs to have a firm grasp of all colors of magic, save black. Should a Goblin player cast Deadlands on a terrain though, then even Death magic becomes available to the Amazon player. The key to success with Amazon spellcasters is to be versatile and to be prepared for anything, as game circumstances may find your Amazons at a terrain that you hadn't planned on, with spells that you wouldn't normally have planned on casting. Unlike the other races, the Amazons have no special racial spells, so the basic spells will have to suffice. Still, many spells in the basic list can easily prove to be your key to victory, when used at the proper time and place.

Strategies

Away from the flatlands, the Amazons are much like any other race in the effectiveness of their missile attacks. In order to be truly effective, it is essential that the Amazons find themselves at a flatland terrain. You'll want to use plenty of cavalry units in order to be able to maneuver the terrain into missile range, and then to boost the power of your missile strikes. At the same time, you'll want to consider using some missile troops, in case you need to pull back to the reserves in order to continue the fight. Even with their magic-doubling restrictions, the Amazon mages can be very effective, especially at flatland terrain, where they have access to the very powerful combination of blue and gold magic. That way, they can cast Lightning Strikes to soften the enemy, Wind Walks to help their forces control the terrains, and combinations of Path and Transmute Rock to Mud spells to steal a dramatic victory at a crucial moment. Amazon players often opt to place a flatland Standing Stones at the frontier for just this reason.

While the Scalders are much feared as a missile threat, due to their Intangibility ability that allows them automatic saves against missile attacks, the Amazons have one trick up their sleeve. While in control of an Eighth Face, their maneuvers double before being converted to missiles, launching a missile strike so massive that it can often overwhelm even the Scalders. For this reason, most Amazon players bring a flatland Tower as their home terrain, and then do whatever is necessary in order to capture it. An Amazon cavalry army in control of a Tower is one of the most feared sights in the game! The key is to capture an Eighth Face before the other players pay enough attention to try to stop you. Once in control of a terrain, you are master of the skies!

Here are a few strategies when building an Amazon army:

Use plenty of cavalry units, for maneuvering ability, and to bolster your flatland missile strikes. The common Runner is an excellent choice with 3 maneuvers and 1 missile icon.
If you expect to spend time in the reserves, bring lots of missile troops, to hinder your opponents that set up camp at your home terrain, or at the frontier. The rare Spearer is an excellent choice for this important mission.
Bolster your horde in order to help ensure that you can install a flatland as the frontier. Without a second flatland in the game, it becomes that much more difficult for you to win.
Pool your units together as you move towards capturing that first terrain; there's safety in numbers and you need to be prepared for players that will try to stop you from taking any terrains.
Bring flatland Knolls to the game. A Flatland terrain has missiles only on faces 2-4, and it's a long set of marches from there to the Eighth Face. While moving through the melee faces, you're likely to be a sitting duck. A flatland Woods would also be helpful to have, as it can give you a better shot at doubling your saves and shaking off any attacks that come your way.

Strategy for playing an Amazon army:

You primary abilities lie in offense, not in defense. In order to win, you will need to damage your opponents in large numbers, filling up their dead unit areas in the process.
Do your best to win the horde roll, so as to have at least two flatlands in play; pool your units at a flatland, and begin to move it towards an Eighth Face.
Before moving the flatland into melee range, take time for one or two missile strikes against your opponents. You'll need to soften them up a bit, and reduce their chances to hurt you once you maneuver the terrain into melee range and towards the Eighth face.
If you have plenty of missile troops and are getting beaten up at the terrains, don't be afraid to pull back to reserves and deal out damage from there. Your opponents may forget that your javelins can reach all the way to the frontier.
Once you capture an Eighth Face, begin the missile barrages. Once you scare your opponents away from the other terrains, then move a few (not too many) of your units to a second terrain and start to move that terrain up as well. In order to stop you, your opponents will have be at a terrain, either to oppose you directly or to harm you with missiles with spells, and they'll once again be within your range if you have a Tower.

Army Construction

Missile-Cavalry Amazon Army:

15 Runners
2 Darters
2 Javelineers
4 Spearers
3 Speed Slippers

Stock your horde with Runners and Speed Slippers and try to win the horde. Gather your Javelineers and Spearers at the frontier. If your horde roll is successful, place a flatland City or Standing Stones as the frontier; your home terrain will be a flatland Tower. If you're lucky and another player has a flatland terrain as their home, then move your horde there. If possible, take missile actions with both armies, then pull your missile troops back to the reserves where they can do some damage next turn. If your horde army is out of place, then pull it back to reserves as well. Next turn, re-deploy your troops in large numbers at a flatland terrain, so that there is safety in numbers. The following turn, launch another missile strike if possible, and then begin to move the terrain die up. When you reach a flatland Eighth Face, terrorize your opponents with massive missile barrages. Chances are good that your opponents will flee the field of battle back to the reserves. Then send one or two units to another terrain, and move it to an Eighth Face as well. Once you are in control of your first Eighth Face, the battle is well over half won.

All-Amazon ATACSS Army:

19 Runners
9 Speed Slippers
8 Trueflyers

This is the Amazon-Trueflyer-Any Cavalry-Speed Slipper (ATACSS), variants of which have been popular at past conventions. Max out your horde with 9 Runners and 9 Speed Slippers to win the horde roll at all costs. Once the flatland frontier is in place, move your campaign army of 9 Runners and 8 Trueflyers into missile range. Your missile army will have enough firepower to knock out most armies (with the possible exception of a Scalder army) on the very first strike. If successful, your opponent may have to pull back his forces in disarray, and you will be in control, free to move the terrains up. Be careful with this army, though. With almost half of its total health in magical items, you'll start losing magical items very quickly if your armies begin taking damage. If you aren't in control of the game by the second turn, then you're in trouble.

Bringing in the big guns...

2 Battle Riders
7 War Drivers
1 War Chief
2 Hydras

Use the War Drivers to immediately start moving a flatland terrain towards an Eighth Face. You'll have the bases covered, whether by missiles or melee. Your War Drivers will also count their Tramples as missiles in the flatlands. Once you reach melee range, you will be a formidable foe as your War Chief leads your forces into battle, aided by the pair of ferocious Hydras that he keeps as "pets". It will be a brave player that stands against you in your march toward an Eighth Face.