Playing the Four Horsemen

[ben th3 bear]

Hey there,

 

Since I really like the idea of it and seems like an interesting and fluffy thing to run. I am planning on using at 50ss Levi with the 4 horsemen(riders) and was wondering what peoples thoughts were on using them as an overall group along with suggestions as to any known synergies and combos that work well between them?

 

[Fetid Strumpet]

There was a play test battle report posted here:

 

http://wyrd-games.net/community/topic/100089-0401-alevi-vs-von-schill/

[ben th3 bear]

unfortunately they dont have the immortal horsemen thing anymore so the playstyle will ultimately be different.

[Scirian]

unfortunately they dont have the immortal horsemen thing anymore so the playstyle will ultimately be different.

What are you talking about?

Levi's avatar still has Blackened Scepter which buries horsemen instead of letting them be killed.

Horsemen are still incredibly survivable and more so once Levi manifests.

It may change, true, but it hasn't yet.

[ben th3 bear]

my mistake I had an outdated version of the avatar rules, thanks I will relook at stuff now.

[zFiend]

I think this is such an amazing idea to have all the Riders led by Leve. I really hope this avatar turns out nice and well and then I will propably have to get all the Riders as I really like the whole Riders of Apocalypse run. 

[ben th3 bear]

yeah it was really interesting to me hence why I chose to do them, I am painting them like the 4 horsemen (so the white/red/black/pale) will likely post pictures once theyre done. 

 

What are good models to spawn with the mechanical rider??

[zFiend]

Have you decided yet who gets and what colours? I would love to see them when finished. So please do post them up!

[ben th3 bear]

Yes I went through them and thought about which was which and here is what I came up with (feel free to disagree with them if you so wish)

 

White/Conquest - Mechanical Rider

Red/War - Hooded Rider

Black/Famine - Pale Rider

Pale/Death - Dead Rider

[zFiend]

Pretty much spot on how I would have envisioned them. 

[Kadeton]

I presume you'll take the Avatar in order to hire all the Riders. Out of interest, what Manifest method do you plan to use? In a 50SS crew with all four Riders, you've got no stones for anything else, but presumably you want to manifest as soon as possible - what's the best way to do that?

 

Sacrificial is out, since you've got nothing to sacrifice. Delayed would take too long. Desperate is controlled by the enemy, so quite risky. Bloody is equally risky since you would have to guarantee Leve gets the kill on something significant.

 

So I guess you go for Planned? That's still an end-of-Turn-2 manifest, which seems like a lot of time to spend just getting your crew going (though I guess it matters less with the Riders, since they only ramp up to full power near the end of the game).

 

Let us know how it works for you.

[AgrilusHunter]

Why the end of turn two? Shouldn't the four riders be able to walk and drop scheme markers before Leveticus activates on turn one.

[Kadeton]

It's one of those tricky situations where I suspect people will argue about whether the Rider starting within the deployment zone and moving 6" then dropping a marker constitutes that marker being at least 6" from the deployment zone. I thought I'd play it safe and go for the guaranteed option rather than the one that might cause disagreements.

[zFiend]

Well if they have walk 6" I think that takes them 6" away and can drop a marker so that it counts, or am I misunderstanding something? 

[Kadeton]

One argument would go something along the lines of "The Rider's base has to start inside the deployment zone, so after it moves 6", it's still inside 6" of the deployment zone."

 

The other would go "The Rider's base starts exactly on the edge of the deployment zone, so after it moves 6", the marker is placed exactly 6" from the edge of the deployment zone."

 

Sorry, I don't mean to derail the thread with this stuff, it's just an argument I've seen play out a whole bunch of times before.

[zFiend]

That's true as well. Could go both ways I suppose. It's not really derailing I think as the topic is Playing the Four Horsemen and this is relevant on how to play them.

[Bengt]

If they are fully within the deployment zone and walk 6", their furthest edge is fully within 6" of the deployment zone. A discussion of whether a marker in base contact is at least 6" of the deployment zone could go along similar lines as the thread about blocking LoS with same sized bases.

 

Edit: Ninjad!

[Ratty]

Yes I went through them and thought about which was which and here is what I came up with (feel free to disagree with them if you so wish)

 

White/Conquest - Mechanical Rider

Red/War - Hooded Rider

Black/Famine - Pale Rider

Pale/Death - Dead Rider

I disagree as I don't think the Riders are the 4 Horsemen entirely.

I think they are Baba Yaga Horsemen with the Mechanical Rider representing the future, there are lots of little clues, the Hooded Rider has the sun reflected in it's blade no-matter what time of day it is.

Which explains why the Dead Rider is on a Black Horse and the Pale Rider a White Horse.

 

"Presently the old witch sat down to supper and Vasilissa brought all she had cooked, enough for five grown men, and set it before her, and brought beer and honey, and then she herself stood silently waiting. The Baba Yaga ate and drank it all, every morsel, leaving not so much as a crumb of bread; then she said snappishly: "Well, why dost thou say nothing, but stand there as if thou wast dumb?"

"I spoke not," Vasilissa answered, "because I dared not. But if thou wilt allow me, grandmother, I wish to ask thee some questions."

"Well," said the old witch, "only remember that every question does not lead to good. If thou knowest overmuch, thou wilt grow old too soon. What wilt thou ask?"

"I would ask thee," said Vasilissa, "of the men on horse back. When I came to thy hut, a rider passed me. He was dressed all in white and he rode a milk-white horse. Who was he?"

"That was my white, bright day," answered the Baba Yaga angrily. "He is a servant of mine, but he cannot hurt thee. Ask me more."

"Afterwards," said Vasilissa, "a second rider overtook me. He was dressed in red and the horse he rode was blood- red. Who was he?"

"That was my servant, the round, red sun," answered the Baba Yaga, "and he, too, cannot injure thee," and she ground her teeth. "Ask me more."

"A third rider," said Vasilissa, "came galloping up to the gate. He was black, his clothes were black and the horse was coal-black. Who was he?"

"That was my servant, the black, dark night," answered the old witch furiously; "but he also cannot harm thee. Ask me more."

But Vasilissa, remembering what the Baba Yaga had said, that not every question led to good, was silent."

Ask about them and she will answer you. Ask about any other and you will be her supper.

http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/textonly117-baba-yaga-and-vasilisa-the-fair.html

[ben th3 bear]

True there are some similarities, but if you read the text they also happen to include the same 3 colours as the first 3 horsemen of the apocalypse. They also have some similar key words that relate those riders to the apocalypse variety, for instance the red rider is described as having a "blood red" horse.

 

It's an interesting take on it with potentially an intertwined origin but you do make a good point

[Ratty]

True there are some similarities, but if you read the text they also happen to include the same 3 colours as the first 3 horsemen of the apocalypse. They also have some similar key words that relate those riders to the apocalypse variety, for instance the red rider is described as having a "blood red" horse.

 

It's an interesting take on it with potentially an intertwined origin but you do make a good point

It's also explains their link to Zoraida, and the fact that Vasilissa is now another Neverborn model. Not to mention the fact that the Dead Rider in all the artwork is shown on a Black Horse. And the sword descriptions definitely point towards them being Baba Yaga's riders.. But... I do think that they have some traits of the Biblical Riders too..

[ben th3 bear]

again that is another good point, however my link for them being the horsemen of the apocalypse lies with the connection with leveticus and his avatar, there is a definitive link between him being the avatar of entropy and the ability for him to specifically take the horsemen.

 

Plus theres 4 horsemen and Baba-Yaga had only 3

[Fetid Strumpet]

5 horsemen.

[ben th3 bear]

5th? you mean avatar Levi?

[Ratty]

In the story the Mechanical Rider is something a bit different. It didn't really exist until later on, They originally get visited by just the 3 Riders.. But yeah I think there are links to both.

[steelwraith]

play style - t1 - hold the horesemen back in cover, moving forward 2-3" 

   t-2 - move horsemen forward to beyond 6" to start laying markers

   t-3 - go agressive with 3 horse men to pick off advanced enemy models, 4th positions to drop markers near enemy deployment zone

  t- 4 - 4th horsey drops markers and harasses enemy back line (pale rider is good for this) , mechanical rider creates a minion to drop a scheme marker and reactivates another horse man ( maybe pale rider to get another marker )as needed

  t - 5  hooded rider does the judgment bomb, dead rider targets enemy master of henchman and atempts to horrify , mechanical moves, markers and reacivates, pale rider kills stuff and the minion moves and markers ,

this is all dependant on scheams ect and leaves your master free to cause havoc with the enemy - just my take on what i do with riders