Brotherhood of Kul

The land of Terrinoth is thrown into chaos in Runewars Miniatures Game! In the broken steppes of the Ru Darklands, the locust hordes of the Uthuk Y’llan rise up to seek revenge. After a thousand years of gathering their strength in secret, their army is nearly ready to take to the field, filled with berserkers, demons, and countless deadly creatures that thrive in the unforgiving Ru. But there is one band of warriors among the swarm that practices a subtler, but no less deadly form of warfare.

The archers of the Viper Legion practice Hgri’ech, roughly translated as “hero-living,” where they devote themselves to embodying the ideal set long ago by Kul the Serpent, who killed thousands though his use of ambushes and mastery of poisons. These warriors hope to honor Kul by continuing his life’s work, and as Terrinoth goes to war, there are countless enemies waiting to be sacrificed.

Today, we're pleased to offer you a closer look at the Viper Legion Unit Expansion for Runewars Miniatures Game—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website!

The Path of Hgri’ech

In any Uthuk army, Viper Legion archers can provide ranged support to your Uthuk Y’llan, allowing you to ambush your opponent with unprecedented proficiency. Their arrows are tipped with sorcerous poisons blessed by the Blood Coven, and the Viper Legion archers are natural raiders, training in the treacherous Darklands where they test their hunting skills on vicious beasts and hapless travelers alike. In order to survive in the wastes, the Viper Legion must be ready to adapt on the fly, able to spring away from danger. As such, their command tool features more maneuverability than many of their Uthuk brethren, with three blue march actions in the middle of the round and two green shift actions to help them navigate amid tight terrain.

But where the Viper Legion really shines is with their attack actions. Similar to the Latari’s Deepwood Archers, the Viper Legion can launch a ranged attack at initiative five, but if the two even meet face to face in melee combat, the elves will be instantly remorseful. Every aspiring member of the Viper Legion crafts their own longbow, fitting it with jagged spikes or the teeth of wasteland beasts so that the bow may be used in close combat should the need arise. With these dual-purpose weapons in hand, these Uthuk warriors can strike earlier their Latari rivals with a melee action at initiative eight, and they are much more likely to find hit icons on the red die they roll in melee combat.

Bought in Blood

In the Viper Legion Unit Expansion, you will find a full unit of eight archers that you can customize in the colors of your Uthuk army or to reflect the sect your archers hail from. The Viper Children, for example, proudly protect a sacred ravine filled with vipers, which they believe to be Kul’s final resting place. Meanwhile, hunters of the Ash Walkers favor cunning and concealment as they slink across the Ru and the mysterious Scions of the Lotus brew their own venom and consume it in sacred rites to inoculate themselves against its effects.

In addition to the figures themselves, this expansion also provides you with two movement trays, a command tool and a collection of tokens, and five upgrade cards to strengthen your archers’ serpentine skills. You can add a Viper Trapmaster to your ranks, allowing you to set traps on the battlefield and spring banes upon your enemies. Otherwise, you may choose to bring the wisdom of the Blood Sisters to your Viper Legion if you train them in the use of Ritual Venom.  Before activating your Viper Legion, this upgrade allows you to offer your own blood in sacrifice, suffering wounds to gain access to the same number of bane tokens of your choice. Once you have paid your blood price, you may freely inflict one of these banes on your target during a melee or ranged attack! This low-cost upgrade makes your Viper Legion masters of manipulating the battlefield, forcing your opponent to fight on your terms.

For example, the Viper Legion could have Ritual Venom equipped when they face the noble Daqan Lords. In the first round, there are three natural energy runes on the field. Much of the Daqan’s strength lies in their Oathsworn Cavalry, the powerful vanguard that can ride down opponents across great distances. Upon seeing this threat, the Viper Legion decides to suffer three wounds, sacrificing three of their archers, to gain access to three immobilize tokens. The moment the Viper Legion is within range of the cavalry, they may use ranged attacks to spend these tokens and force the cavalry to a full halt, potentially tying them down for nearly half the battle. Best of all, Ritual Venom does not replace the Viper Legion’s attack—rather, it adds to it, meaning that the archers can spend up to three turns raining deadly arrows on the Oathsworn Cavalry while they are unable to escape. 

The Viper Strikes

After centuries of secrecy, the time has finally come for the Uthuk to proudly return to the battlefield. With each drop of blood you spill, you will honor the memory of Kul the Serpent and bring your spirit closer to the Uthuk hero. Add the Viper Legion to your ranks and rain death upon your enemies from the skies!

Pre-order your copy of the Viper Legion Unit Expansion (RWM36) at your local retailer today or on the Fantasy Flight Games website here!