Dragon Dice™ - Goblins

The Goblins

Heavy Melee	Light Melee	Missile	Cavalry	Magic
Thug	Mugger	Pelter	Wardog Rider	Trickster
Cutthroat	Ambusher	Slingman	Wolf Rider	Hedge Wizard
Marauder	Filcher	Deadeye	Leopard Rider	Death Mage
Death Naga	Harpies	Shambler	Troll

Introduction

In the dark fastness of night, Death watched his siblings play with their fledgling creations, and hatred burned bright in his heart. He saw his brother Eldurim bid the others a good night and wander off, seeking rest. The mad child, born of Nature and the Void, fell upon Eldurim, striking him from behind. Death ripped away great chunks of earth, defiling them as he flung them aside. Tiny creatures sprang from the scattered pebbles of blackened earth, and they grew into the twisted, vicious race known as the Trogs, or Goblins. Death laughed at the sight of his offspring, delighted with their vile spirit and corrupt nature. There were five loathsome Younger Monsters created: the poisonous death naga, dissonant harpy, repulsive shambler, and cunning troll. Of the fifth Goblin, there remains only the darkest rumors. Some say it remains inside Death's stronghold, feeding still on its creator's malevolent spirit. Others say its haunts the dark regions of Trogland, where whispers name it cannibal.

Goblin special ability

As their only special ability, Goblin units double their maneuvers when in a swampland terrain.

Goblin SAIs:

Poison (Death Naga): During a melee action, choose 4 health of opposing units. These units must save or be killed. Any that are killed must save again or be buried.

Regenerate (Troll): When rolled during any action (except maneuvers), count as 4 saves, or bring back 4 health of your units from the dead unit area to this location.

Screech (Harpy): During a melee action, subtracts 4 from the opponent's saves.

Smother (Shambler): During a melee action, choose 4 health of opposing units. These units must roll a maneuver or are killed.

What goblins do best

With 40 maneuver icons and 33 save icons on the six-sided Goblins, they are rather effective at maneuvering the terrain and in staying alive. Not only are they difficult to kill, but Goblin mages have access to the Reanimate Dead spell, allowing them to heal Commons at a low cost of 2 spell points. On the other hand, the Goblins do not have access to any spells that heal multi-health units, so this needs to be accounted for when constructing a goblin army. In the swamps, their cavalry units are just about impossible to stop, and can charge their opponents into oblivion, if given the chance. The Goblins are average when it comes to magic, have fairly good melee potential, but are rather weak when it comes to missile attacks.

The Goblin units

Commons…

Thug [maneuver, save, melee, melee, melee x2]
The Thug is a good melee Common, concentrating heavily on melee, with a bit of saves and maneuvers. It can be very useful to have in an army that is marching to an Eighth Face, and the Reanimate Dead spell can bring the Thug back for a cost of just 2 spell points.

Mugger [maneuver, maneuver, melee, melee x2, save]
The Mugger is similar to the Thug, except that it has one less melee icon and one more maneuver. The Mugger is very useful in any melee army, and its two maneuvers make it very useful in a charge, especially at a Swampland terrain.

Pelter [missile, missile x2, maneuver, save, save]
If you're looking to build a missile army, but want to trade off some missile power for extra saves, then the Pelter is a good bet. It has less missile icons than most missile Commons, but makes up for it in terms of defensive capabilities.

Wardog Rider [maneuver, maneuver x2, melee, melee, save]
The Wardog Rider is one of the most widely used Goblin units. In a Swampland in particular, a group of Wardog Riders is almost impossible to out-maneuver, and when massed for a charge, groups of 18 Wardog Riders at a Swampland Eighth Face have at times dealt out in excess of 70 points of damage - enough to wipe out even the largest armies.

Trickster [melee, maneuver, magic, magic, magic x2]
The Trickster is another widely used unit. In addition to the standard 4 magic icons that are present on most magic Commons of other races, it provides a bit of maneuver as well. With access to Gold magic, Transmute Rock to Mud and Path spells can be used at just the right times to steal a quick Eighth Face.

Uncommons…

Cutthroat [maneuver x3, save x2, melee x2, melee x2, melee x3]
Like the Thug, the Cutthroat is a good unit to have in a melee brawl. It packs a heavy melee punch, but also maneuvers well and has some saves.

Ambusher [maneuver x2, maneuver x3, melee x3, missile x2, save x2]
The Ambusher maneuvers almost as well as the Wolf Rider. It can be occasionally useful in either melee and missile strikes, and has some saves as well.

Slingman [missile x3, missile x3, maneuver x2, melee x2, save x2]
The Slingman isn't quite as useful as most of the missile Uncommons from the other races. With only 6 missile icons, it's focus is diluted somewhat by its 2 melee icons. Other than that, like many other Goblin units, it provides both maneuvers and saves, which are always useful.

Wolf Rider [maneuver x3, maneuver x3, melee x2, melee x2, save x2]
The Wolf Rider is very fast in the Swamplands, with its 6 maneuver icons. Its icon distribution is similar to the Wardog Rider, with the main focus on maneuvers and melee, with a few saves on the side.

Hedge Wizard [maneuver x2, save x2, magic x2, magic x3, magic x3]
Unlike the Trickster, the Hedge Wizard has some saves instead of melee. This means that the Hedge Wizard is more likely to stay alive than the Trickster, which is important when you consider that the Goblins have no magic that can heal multi-health units.

Rares…

Marauder [melee x3, melee x4, maneuver x2, save x3, Smite x4]
The Marauder, like most heavy melee Rares, is strong in skirmishes (especially with the Smite face), and also has a few maneuvers and saves. A few Marauders can help to ensure that your enemies clear out of your path as you move the terrain into melee range and on towards an Eighth Face.

Filcher [maneuver x3, save x3, melee x3, melee x3, Counter x4]
The Filcher has everything that you'd expect of a light melee unit. It saves well with its save and Counter face, is strong in melee, and has a few maneuvers as well. The Filcher will often have a place in any army that is marching towards an Eighth Face.

Deadeye [missile x3, missile x4, melee x2, save x3, Bullseye x4]
The Deadeye is a better missile unit than either the Pelter or the Slingman, with 7 missile icons and a 4-point Bullseye. It also saves well, but doesn't have any maneuvers.

Leopard Rider [Rend x3, Rend x3, missile x3, melee x4, save x3]
The Leopard Rider is one of the most feared units in the game, due to its two Rend faces. It is not uncommon to see a half dozen Leopard Riders together at a terrain, ready to skirmish opponents to death. The Leopard Rider maneuvers well (especially in a Swampland), has some saves, and most of all is a melee powerhouse.

Death Mage [maneuver x3, save x2, magic x3, magic x4, Cantrip x4]
Like the Hedge Wizard, the Death Mage has magic, saves, and maneuvers. Its 4-point Cantrip is especially good for bringing in Dragonkin, casting a pair of Reanimate Dead spells, or casting a Path or a Finger of Death.

Monsters…

Death Naga [Poison, Poison, magic, magic, melee, melee, maneuver, maneuver, save]
The Death Naga is a somewhat varied unit, focused mainly on melee, but with a bit of magic to add to its maneuvers and its save face. The Poison SAI can be very helpful in getting a few enemy units buried and out of play.

Harpy [Screech, Screech, Fly, Fly, Fly, save, melee, melee, melee]
The Harpy is a solid melee unit, that both saves and maneuvers very well, due to its three Fly faces.

Shambler [Smother, Smother, save, save, save, Smite, melee, melee, melee]
The Shambler is another strong unit that is especially effective against units that don't maneuver well. The Smother will kill units that can't get out of the way in time. In addition, the three save faces will help your army withstand missile and melee attacks.

Troll [Regenerate, Regenerate, save, save, Smite, Smite, melee, melee, maneuver]
The Troll is probably one of the top three units in all of Dragon Dice™, due to its two Regenerate SAIs. Having the ability to instantly heal 4 health of units can often be the key to victory when you get into a war of attrition. It's not unusual to see two or three Trolls in an army. If one of them dies, the other Trolls have a good chance to bring it back to life.

Strategies

One of the best strategies for playing a Goblin army is to make use of their maneuver doubling ability in the swamplands. If possible, get your mages to a terrain that is in magic range and the rest of your units to a swampland. Summon a few dragonkin for protection and cast some protective spells such as Open Grave on the rest of your units. Then outmaneuver your opponents as you move as quickly as possible towards an Eighth Face. If you happen to find yourself under an Open Grave and are within melee range, then charge. Your maneuvers will double before they are converted to melee hits, punishing opposing armies with massive strikes. Once you reach an Eighth Face, pull your mages over to that terrain, and consolidate your position.

What you do next depends on what condition your opponents are in. However, summoning a few Dragons on them can help to soften them up until you're ready to make your move. A common tactic is to wait until an opponent turns another terrain up to a 7, and then make your move to capture the terrain on your next turn. First roll for magic, doubling any ID icons for gold magic. Then Path a single Goblin unit such as a Harpy or a Leopard Rider (since they maneuver well) together with a Speed Slipper to another terrain, and drop a few Transmute Rock to Mud spells on your opponents to slow them down. Then on your second turn, attempt to capture the second terrain.

Goblin mages have access to black magic, which means that they have the powerful advantage of being able to bury opposing units to double their black magic. If your opponents have few or no dead, then the Goblin player has the option of casting Deadlands on their terrain, allowing them the opportunity to double their black magic without units having to be available for burial. In addition, the Goblin player has one trick up his sleeve if the tide starts to move against him. By casting Spirit Furnace, enough black magic can be generated to make a last desperate strike back against your enemy, probably with a fleet of dragons. This can be a common tactic to try in tournaments where time is about to be called, and you need to damage your opponent in order to have a chance to steal a victory.

Army Construction

Some sample armies to try

7 War Dog Riders
7 Bog Runners
4 Speed Slippers
12 Tricksters
6 Bog Adepts

This army combines the special abilities of the Goblins and Swamp Stalkers. The War Dog Riders double their maneuvers, while the Bog Runners provide some extra saves. The War Dog Riders help ensure that you can continue to move the terrain die up, while the Bog Runners ensure that enough of your cavalry army will stay alive to make it all the way to the Eighth Face. The Bog Adepts will provide Mire spells, as well as the occasional Bloodlust, while the Tricksters provide Stoneskin, Path, Dust to Dust, Transmute Rock to Mud, and Deadlands spells as needed. In addition, the Bog Runners and Tricksters can work together to heal units, as well as summoning black dragons and dragonkin. A Swampland Standing Stones at the frontier can be very helpful, to give the Bog Runners access to Gold magic, when Path and Transmute Rock to Mud spells become critical for a quick victory.

3 Trolls
4 Leopard Riders
3 Death Mages
2 Sight Stones
1 Speed Slipper

This army is fearsome to behold, especially when it moves within melee range of another army. The Leopard Riders have the ability to Rend their opponents to death, while the Trolls can Smite and Regenerate, to damage their foes and heal their allies. This army is likely to be unopposed on its way to an Eighth Face, and once there, this army is unlikely to be harmed, especially if in possession of a City. If a Troll falls to a Lightning Strike, simply promote a Leopard Rider to a Troll on your next turn. Enough Trolls will occasionally roll Regenerate SAIs to keep your forces alive. The main drawback to an all-Troll/Leopard Rider army is a lack of magic once the first Eighth Face is reached. So substitute a few Death Mages instead of Leopard Riders, and add a couple of Sight Stones for a bit of extra magic, and you'll have some more options. That way, you can Path a Leopard Rider (with a Speed Slipper) to another terrain later on, if you need to. One of the nice things about this army is that opponents will usually think twice before sending dragons your way, since they will be so easy to kill with your melee results.