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I was inspired by the new edition, but didn't want to start Skaven and I already have plenty of Stormcast. So I picked up a bunch of new-on-sprue Kruleboyz and spent the summer painting and playing. Got a few playtest games in before attending two local tourneys.

The first event was at 1000 points to try and reduce all of our mental loads. I went with:

General's Regiment:

Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker with Slippery Skumbag to allow him to get out of a fight on a 3+ (and Trophy Finga sub-faction for Companion weapon bonuses)
Man-killer Bolt Boyz x 3

Regiment 1

Swampcaller Shaman with staff (double-cast)
Beastkillers
Beastkillers
Beastkillers

Game 1 - Border War vs Hedonites of Slaneesh

He had two fast cavalry units, a 10 strong foot unit and a 5 strong foot unit plus a hero wizard. He had one drop and he gave me the first turn. I was worried about getting enveloped, but I buffed up one of my Beastkillers and went into the centre with the Sludgeraker to Seize the Centre, daring him to counter-charge into a fully-buffed unit. He declined and on his turn sent both cavalry units down each flank for a battle tactic. I kept priority and sent a fully-buffed Beastkiller unit and the Sludgeraker into his left-wing cavalry while the Boltboyz wore down his infantry. The Kruleboys with Damage 2 Crit Mortals on 5+ exploded for enough MWs to allow the Sludgeraker to pick off the last model (who was also Strike-Lasted). His right-flank Cavalry then moved for my backfield, killing my Shaman but also getting locked in combat. I kept priority and mopped them up with my third unit. He was down to his wizard by turn 4. Victory.

Game 2 - Shifting Objectives vs Slaves to Darkness

He had ten Warriors, three Ogroid dudes, a Mutalisk thingy (Monster), a sorcerer and a Daemon Prince. I was outdropped but he went first. I was being cagey so not much happened on his turn, but my Monsterkillers killed his Monster in my turn. I also forgot to move my Sludgeraker, costing me an objective and putting two of my units out of buff range. Oops.

His counterpunch was fairly light, due in part to one of my units teleporting out of harm's way. My unbuffed Beastkillers got hung up in my turn, though, by his Warriors although I did kill his Sorcerer. His Ogroids got into my Sludgeraker, and instead of using Slippery Skumbag to get away I used Strike Last and hung around, counting on killing at least one and then surviving to set up a Kunning Approach in my turn. His All-Out-Defence bounced all my Rend 1 attacks, and my General then died. I tried to grimly hang on to the edges but he now took down my last two remaining units. Loss.

Some bad mistakes and decisions on my part. I picked the warlord trait to be able to run away to do just that! I got too optimistic and then paid for it.

Game 3 - The Jaws of Gallet vs Stormcast

He had Annihalators, Vindictors and Prosecutors. I used my Dirty Tricks to catch him flat-footed and used successive fully-buffed Monsterkiller units to take down a unit each turn. He was tabled by Turn 5. Win.

So, 2-1 and now had a much better understanding of the faction and the little intricacies. The Monsterkillers inflicted 24 mortal wounds in one attack (Crit 5 with D2 and roll well...) and Sneaky Sneaky can give them remarkable mobility. The Boltboyz with Priority Target were also good at chip-damage. I used Primal Energy but my Shaman kept dying...The army can fall apart quickly, and you have to know when to float out of range when you don't get your buffs up.

Nice.

Do you feel that Kruleboyz have enough tricks at the higher levels?

I've been slow growing a Kruleboyz army for some time.

 nels1031 wrote:
Nice.

Do you feel that Kruleboyz have enough tricks at the higher levels?

I've been slow growing a Kruleboyz army for some time.

Still new to the army, but I got another RTT under my belt this past weekend. This time it was a four-round 2K tourney so I had to reconsider a number of fundamental factors.

As a new player I have a fairly limited collection - its mostly Dominion and 3rd Ed starter boxes that were being cleared out. As such, my choices at 2K were a bit limited! I ended up going with three Regiments due to my available models. I would have likely gone with two Regiments had I had more Gutrippers.

Middul Finga (extra 3" of range on three ranged units each turn)

General's Regiment: Kill-Boss on Sludgeraker with Slippery Skumbag; Boltboyz x 6 and a Beastskewer Killbow
Regiment 1: Murknob for the 6+ Ward; 20 x Gutrippers; 20 x Gutrippers
Regiment 2: Swampcaller Shaman (with staff for extra cast); Beastkillers; Beastkillers, 3 x Boltboys
Krondspine for my Manifestation Lore

Game 1: Shifting Objectives vs Maggotkin of Nurgle

He had Rottigus, a Great Unclean One, Bloab, two units of Blightkings, unit of Plaguebearers

He won the roll-off so I went first. I started peppering Rottigus with missile fire while Beastkillers manoeuvred to be ready to close on him. My two big Guttripper mobs moved up the centre with the Krondspine in front to absorb a charge. He outplayed me in the centre with his Plaguebearers (tying me up), but my big units and the Sludgeraker were able to wipe out his units by Turn 4. The 5+ Wards on Nurgle were tough, but a 20-strong Guttripper with both buffs could explode pretty much anything (albeit only one unit a turn could get those buffs). My shooting was great, although my Battle Tactic scoring was weak.

Game 2: Battle for the Pass vs Slaves to Darkness

He had Belakor, two units of Varanguard (not reinforced), a Chaos Lord on Daemonic Mount, the Mindstealer Cat thing, a Chariot and 10 x Chosen. With only two drops I knew he would dictate first round order, so I deployed my warmachine and Boltboyz forward in range of Belakor to try and snipe him out. I knew he would be able to get the first charge off with his Varanguard, so I deployed my big units of Gutrippers one behind the other with the Beastkillers on the wings. This way, I could absorb a charge and then clean-up with the rear-unit of Gutrippers.

I think the Beastskewer Killbow got into his head because he took first turn and went full-send with his Varanguard in an effort to kill my warmachine. I was able to extract my big-unit of Boltboys with Sneaky Sneaking (on a 2+), but my warmachine and most of the front Gutripper squad were killed. This left his Varanguard exposed, though, and I was able to get my Crit Mortals on a 5+ Dirty Trick plus the Sludgeraker Damage 2 buff on the rear unit. The Boltboys killed one Varanguard unit while the Gutrippers killed the rest.

I then won the priority roll, and since I have a hard time with Battle Tactics I took the double, aiming to kill his Chosen. Belakor took the opportunity to use his once per game ability to shut down a unit, which of course was my big unit that had been buffed. So I took a breath and used the Beastkillers to score primary on the flanks while my Krondspine went for Belakor to tie him up after my Boltgoyz softened him up. I also rallied the first Gutripper squad over two Hero phases to have a reserve. Belakor actually died to nine-Boltboyz and the Krondspine. His Chosen then smashed into my lead, full squad. The Chosen were then mobbed by the Krondspine, the somewhat rallied first Gutrippers, the Sludgeraker and the two Beastkillers. The StD were tabled by Turn 4.

I would like to say that I meant to bait him into going first by setting up my Beastskewer Bow so well forward, but that was not the case. I thought he make me go first so I wanted to put some damage on Belakor before the inevitable double-turn curb-stomp I felt was coming. Still, I took note of the psychological effect of that Damage 6 weapon on armies with centrepiece models.

Game 3 - The Vice vs Soulblight Gravelords

He had two units of Bloodknights, two reinforced units of Graveguard, a big unit of wolves, some bats and some characters. He had the mobility advantage, and we could both put out some damage.My plan was to use the use the Beastkillers for the flank, early game while the two big units of Gutrippers took the centre. The plan worked, more or less, although one of my big units got tied up with his Knights and bats. We were tied going into Turn 4, but I held the centre while his units were stuck on the flanks. As such, I eked out a win. My dirty tricks were very helpful to allow me to place my Beastkillers were I needed them (well, at least one a turn).

Game 4 - The Jaws of Gallet vs Stormcast

He had Krondys, two big units of Prosecuters, a big unit of Longstrikes, some Gryph Hounds, a small unit of Prosecutors and Yndrasta. Once again he would be deciding who went first as he had two drops. I deployed my Beastskewer Killbow well centre in range of Krondys. He took first turn, sending a big unit of Prosecutors and Longtrikes from the heavens into my centre to kill my warmachine while Yndrasta flew into a gap in my lines to engage my General...

I didn't use any Dirty Tricks until the fight phase, saving it to Strike Last Yndrasta. My Beastskewer Killbow and some Gutrippers died to the Longstrikes' fire and Prosecutors' charge, but Yndrasta was taken down by my Sludgeraker and a mob of Gutrippers. Most of the Prosecutors were also killed by the other Gutripper unit. So things looked good. Krondys hung back while his remaining units scrambled to get points, and I used my turn to move up my units to trap Krondys. By Turn 2 Krondys was dead to a combination of Boltboy fire and a Beastkiller charge. He was down to three small units by Turn 4 and then tabled.

So I went 4-0 and learned more about the army. Dirty Tricks can be game-breaking, but of course they can desert you. I have learned to have a Plan B and to try to be patient. Don't commit if the conditions are not set. The army reacts well, so going first can be OK. I need something with some speed - a Killboss on the Vulcher will be an acquisition going forward to open up the Battle Tactics playbook. I planned to get three each game and just focus on Primary and tabling my opponent. Dead armies don't score!

Having two reinforced Gutripper units might be excessive, but it did give me some resiliency and that Plan B. The Boltboyz were money at chip damage and making my high-save opponents burn CP. They also took my CP with Covering Fire, but Priority Targets can make it worthwhile. The Beastkillers are great. They hit hard, have anti-monster Tech and are really cheap. They cannot be reinforced and they have less resiliency. Still, I figure they have a nerf in-bound. There is no real point in unreinforced Gutrippers in the Beastkiller Economy. I think a mix of reinforced Gutrippers and Beastkillers, though, is useful. You could go all Beastkiller if you don't care about drops and take Light Finga for the double teleport.

The Beastskewer Killbow was a last-minute addition to my list, and was great. He crippled Rottigus in Game 1, and even in the two games were he died turn 1 he influenced my opponent. Since I knew I would be out-dropped I just deployed one unit at a time until I saw where they big centre-piece was and deployed my long-range Beastskewer to get a Turn 1 shot. This made into a Distraction Carnifex type of piece. Well worth the points and unit slot.

Didn't have to face Nighthaunt, and my one test game against them at 1K did not go well. They can out-trick us...

As someone who is learning AoS and playing Kruleboyz, I appreciate the writeups. I personally think Gutrippaz are overcosted, and Monsta-Killaz pretty much invalidate small units of them like you said. Problem is I only have one unit of Monsta-Killaz, but I do now have 40 Gutrippaz thanks to picking up a couple of cheap starter sets from last edition. Now that Gobsprakk is cheaper I definitely want to run him, as I do have the model. Nice to see that the Sludgeraker boss is good too, as I also have one of those. So far I've only played Spearhead, but I'm hoping I can make things happen in full games.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
As someone who is learning AoS and playing Kruleboyz, I appreciate the writeups. I personally think Gutrippaz are overcosted, and Monsta-Killaz pretty much invalidate small units of them like you said. Problem is I only have one unit of Monsta-Killaz, but I do now have 40 Gutrippaz thanks to picking up a couple of cheap starter sets from last edition. Now that Gobsprakk is cheaper I definitely want to run him, as I do have the model. Nice to see that the Sludgeraker boss is good too, as I also have one of those. So far I've only played Spearhead, but I'm hoping I can make things happen in full games.

I was pleasantly surprised that Monsta-Killaz got through the balance pass unscathed! Kruleboyz have had some success in the opening events, but they are not top-tier and I figure that the team did not want to hurt an army with a fairly now unit selection. I will try to offer some generalized thoughts on Kruleboyz - hoping that others might chime-in.

A traditional Tier List does not really work, in my view, for Kruleboyz. There are not that many units, and they basically break down into two categories: Take and Don't Take. Within Take there is some choice depending on your selected path to victory. The special rules for Kruleboyz also mean that a unit can perform much better than a scan of its points and datasheet indicate. An understanding of Dirty Tricks is important. I won't do a deep dive into each one, but basically you can usually have one unit in your army have Critical Hits on 5+ each round and you can often make one (and sometimes more when dealing with Monsters) enemy unit Strike Last. This is a Johnny Army, though, so sometimes it all falls apart on a die roll.

Take Units:

Gutrippaz - An unassuming profile with a 5" move, 2W, a 5+ save, 2 attacks hitting on 4 and wounding on 3 with no Rend. They can make non-Heroes subtract 1 from hit rolls against them. In combat they can expect to inflict 3 or 4 Mortal Wounds and another 3 or 4 wounds without Rend. Hardly inspiring. With the Venom Encrusted Weapons Dirty Trick, though, that unit of 10 can expect to influct 6 or 7 MWs (and maybe 1 wound requiring a save without Rend). With the Sludgeraker buff doubling damage on weapons that have Crit Mortal, that unit will likely inflict 12 to 14 MWs. You can only buff one unit a round in this manner, and the Sludgeraker buff is only for your turn so it takes some planning to pull off. I think most armies want a reinforced unit of Gutrippaz buffed by a Sludgeraker to be the Hammer.

Man-Skewer Boltboyz - For 110 points you get three models that can shoot once out to 18" or twice at 12". The single-shot version is one of your few sources or Rend 2 and both versions do two damage. These guys are great - every list should have them. A reinforced unit of 6 can do some real damage in both turns of a round, even with the nerfs to Priority Targets. Small units of 3 can screen, bounce around the table with the Sneaky Sneaky Dirty Trick to score tactics and points. You could build an army around them, but their melee is bad bad.

Kruleboyz Monsta-Killaz. They are similar to Gutrippaz in that they have 5" move, 2W, a 5+ Save, but they have 3 attacks each at Rend 1 with the same Crit Mortals. They have Rend 2 against Monsters and can make a Monster Strike Last on a 3+ (2+ if the monster is wounded). They can turn-off Rampages on a 2+ within 6" of the unit. And they cost 120 points. So for 50 points less they can put out one more attack than a basic unit of Gutrippaz with access to the same damage buffs. They are less resilient to damage than Gutrippaz, but at that price who cares. They can also bounce around the table with Sneaky Sneaky. They cannot be reinforced, though, so they have a lower damage ceiling than a Reinforced Gutrippaz squad. You can make an army with these guys as your damage dealers backed-up by Boltboyz. You will likely be high drop. At a minimum, though, I would have one or two squads any Kruleboyz army as utility units that can also hit hard and can mess-up enemy monsters.

Beast-Skewer Killbow - For 160 points you can inflict up to 12 damage a turn on enemy monsters at 24" range. Enemy monsters with fly hate these things. Perhaps not an auto-take, but I have not regretted having one in my lists. Taking multiples has diminishing returns as only one a turn can inflict flat damage 6 against monsters with its two shots.

Take Heroes

Swampcalla Shaman. In a Manifestation meta this guy has to be every list. He becomes a 2-cast with an artefact and he starts the game with a +1 casting bonus. His spells are good (he has the old Mystic Shield by another name), and of course he can unleash Manifestations and also Banish them. If you are not worried about drops then take two since they only 120 points. Only one of them, though, can be a 2-cast.

Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast He can theoretically inflict lots of damage in combat, but at Rend 1 he really struggles against anything with a 3+ Save and with 14 Wounds on a 4+ Save he is not all that resilient. At 320 points he is quite expensive. I am not selling him very well so far. He can, though, give one unit that has the Crit Mortal abilty Damage 2 for the rest of that turn (its on a 2+). This guy allows Gutrippaz and Monsta-Killaz to really punch above their weight. Give him Slippery Skumbag to get out trouble.

Killaboss on Corpse Rippa Vulcha - He is not cheap, but he fast in a slow army. He is fairly survivable. He has some fun tech such as MWs on the charge which can pair well with Slippery Skumbag and sometimes Power Through. He is really there, though, to score Battle Tactics.

Breaka-Boss on Mirebrute Troggoth - He is pretty much the only Hero that is a legitimate damage dealer with access to Rend 2 attacks at Damage 3. These spicy attacks are Companion attacks, but you can boost the number of attacks by taking some MWs. These can also benefit from All out Attack (pretty much the only unit that tends to use AoA) and can also benefit from the Trophy Finga formation giving Companion Crit 2 Hits.

Whereas I think any army can benefit from having all four of the Take Units in them, you have to make some choices with the Take Heroes. Drops are a thing, and some are also quite expensive. If you are banking on a Guttrippaz bomb as your path to victory, then the Sludgeraker and a Shaman can suffice. If you are going with shooting or a bunch of Monsta-Killaz then a Breakaboss can give you a melee damage dealer while you have a Shaman for manifestations and a Killaboss on Corpse Rippa Vulcha to score battle tactics.

Don't Take

Hobgrot Slittaz - At a 100 points for ten 1W models with a 6+ Save that also take a slot in a Regiment they simply do not have a role. Mork knows I tried to make them work in July and August. If you want to screen or bounce around the table then Boltboyz at 110 points or Monsta-Killaz at 120 points do those tasks but can also do real damage. There is a Hero that can buff them, but its a weak buff. I don't think they can salvaged with a points drop. Even their special rule to get out of combat after combat doesn't really matter since they have to survive. They need a new War Scroll to have a point.

Any of the Other Foot Heroes - The Killlboss on foot has a melee buff that doesn't really matter (we rely on MWs in melee), and while he can be an extra hero in a Regiment he is still a slot and for his points you could get more Boltboys or Monsta-Killaz. The Murknob does give a 6+ Ward, but he costs you a drop. I've tried these guys but they just don't work fo rme.

Killboss on Gnashtoof - A cool model that might see play were he not a Hero that costs you a Drop. He is fast and does have a 3+ Save, but his buffs don't really matter and even at his now-reduced price of 200 points he sits on the shelf. If he was 150 points and not a Hero then he might see the table to score Battle Tactics at a cheaper price point than the Vulcha. Its sad, because he is a cool model that most people will have. I tried to make him work. I really did!

Swampboss Skumdrek - He went down in points, but his thing is to buff a single Hobgrot unit. Sorry. No table for you!

Gobsprakk - He is too fragile at a 5+ Save. He has some magic tech, but even with the recent points-drop I think he is still too pricey for what he brings. Would be happy to be proven wrong! A 4+ save might bring him to the table? I think that GW want him on the table, so I hope to see more buffs?

Unsure.

Marshcrawla Sloggoth - As a War Machine he does not cost a drop like all those big Heroes in the Kruleboyz list. His granting of Run and Charge to infantry within 12" is intriguing to allow a buffed-unit of Guttripaz to get into combat. His attacks are a bit "meh", but he did get a points drop. I will try him out.

Conclusion.

Its early in the edition, and my opinion is that of someone who plays at local events. Would love to get other people's thoughts and experiences!

Yeah, the token points drops from GW in the recent balance pass were downright insulting. Teeny tiny drops on stuff that doesn't see play won't suddenly make them see play. I'm just glad Monsta-Killaz didn't eat a nerf; that would have been the last thing we needed!

One model you didn't mention was Kragnos; I'm of the opinion that he just doesn't gel with Kruleboyz' game plan. But then, since we are a bottom-tier faction maybe any help is good help?

 ZergSmasher wrote:
Yeah, the token points drops from GW in the recent balance pass were downright insulting. Teeny tiny drops on stuff that doesn't see play won't suddenly make them see play. I'm just glad Monsta-Killaz didn't eat a nerf; that would have been the last thing we needed!

One model you didn't mention was Kragnos; I'm of the opinion that he just doesn't gel with Kruleboyz' game plan. But then, since we are a bottom-tier faction maybe any help is good help?

With so few units, any adjustments will have a big impact so I am glad they didn't get all worried about "internal balance" with the Kruleboyz at this point. We could really use some Gnashtoof Cavalry when our book comes out!

Regading Kragnos, I don't have him, I haven't used him and I haven't faced him in 4th Ed. So I am not in a position to have an informed opinon. At 680 I didn't even consider getting him (never mind the dollar cost). At 580 maybe he could find a place? Theory-crafting here, he provides a hammer that doesn't need buffs. He can take down monsters, but we already have the tools for that. He does give that 3d6 charge buff, which could really help a buffed-up Gutrippaz unit. He is still pricey. I just made a list with him, two reinforced Gutrippaz units, one Monsta-Killaz unit, one Boltboyz unit, a Shaman and the Sludgeraker. Its bare bones, but it would hit hard. You could go with just Monsta-Killaz instead of the Reinforced Gutrippaz to have more utility units but still have a buffed-up unit each turn to send into the enemy. Still, it would be a big pivot for me - not about to go get Kragnos just yet...

Maybe some TTS folks have played with him?

Went to another local three-round event at 1500 points. Brought a two-Regiment list and actually took Hobgrotz to see if I had been unfair.

General - Sludgeraker with Slippery Skumbag
Unit - Reinforced Gutrippaz
Unit - Reinforced Boltboyz
Unit - Beastskewer Killbow

Hero - Swampcalla Shaman with Staff
Unit - Monstakillas
Unit - Monstakillas
Unit - Hobrgrotz

Game 1 - The Vice vs Nighthaunt

He had Reikenor, two reinforced Grimghast, a reinforced shooty-unit and some support units.

I took second turn, and he advanced up the flanks achieving a battle tactic. I didn't really have a viable battle tactic, but I did try to set up a counter-charge on the bottom of Turn 2.
He moved in on both flanks, being able to advance and charge on my left. He charged into my Killbow on my right and one of his big units went into my left flank Monstakillaz. I contemplated for a moment and went for a counter-charge into my left with my Gutrippaz, hoping for a Strikes Last on a 3. The idea was to wipe one unit on his turn and then swing into the unit that was on my Killbow. I didn't roll a 3+ (that is part of being a Kruleboy) and while I was able to whittle his left flank down a little he was able to do lots of damage as well. I was in trouble now, so I sent my General into my right flank foes while my Boltboyz set up to try to contest the centre by Turn 4. I wore down his Grimghast (killing one unit and crippling another) and killed his shooty unit, but I was down to a handfull of models and he took the centre on his Turn 4 and 5. A decisive victory for the Nighthaunt.

Game 2 - Close to the Chest vs Ironjaws

He had a Boss on Mawcrusha, six Goregruntas, a unit of Hardboyz, the Kruleoyz Regiment of Renown and a Mawgrunta. I had loss drops and chose to go second. He moved up with his big monsters in the centre and his cavalry with Regiment of Renown on his left. I bounced some Monstakillaz to the open right flank behind the Mawcrusha while the Reinforced and powered-up Gutrippaz moved up. The Killbow inflicted a horrific twelve wounds on the Mawcrusha while the Boltboyz took down the Mawgrunta. The Monstakillers then finished off the Mawcrusha.

The Hobgrotz took the Turn 2 charge of the Goregruntas, which left the Ironjaws cavaly exposed to the Gutrippaz. A combination of shooting and powered-up Gutrippaz took down the cavalry, adn the next two turns were spent grinding down what was left of the Ironjaws. A decisive win for the Kruleboyz against a list that I could really do work against. A tough match-up for my opponent!

Game 3 - Scorched Earth vs Idoneth

He had a Turtle, two units of Namarti and two units of Eels plus two support characters. He went first and went for my Killbow, worried about what it would do to his Turtle. The bow died, but he had committed all his Eels and the Turtle (I was able to teleport my screening Boltboyz out of harm's way). One unit of Monstakillers also died, but not before they had crippled the Turtle. My turn 2 counterpunch with powered-up Gutrippas killed the Turtle and both Eel units, supported by Boltboyz fire. The next two turn were tricky as the Namarti were quite speedy, but he was tabled by Turn 4. A victory for the Kruleboyz.

Conclusion

A 2-1 result and a fun day of Age of Sigmar. Of note, another Ironjaws player went 3-0 and won the event, taking down the Nighthaunt in Round 3 with similar list to the one I faced (no Regiment of Renown). The NH player just couldn't do enough damage to the three Ironjaws monsters who had the mobility, damage and durability to clean-up.

I was happy with my list. I had a Krondspine, but it really only came into play in the 3rd game against another Krondspine. The Swampcalla spells were quite useful, with the Choking Mist spell (minus 1 to the Attacks Characteristic of the target) giving me a chance against the Nighthaunt and coming in very useful against the Namarti. The Hobgrotz did succeed in screening in each game, and since I was 100 points shy of 1500 when building my list I figured I would give them a chance. In a horrible ironic twist, I lost one Hobgrot down a sewer grate as I exited the store. As a last-minute non-magnetized unit I had thrown them in a plastic container and it was perched on my carry case. A gust of wind and ten Hobgrotz flew onto a busy street, one going down a grate...The Sewer Jacks had best be on their guard! I do feel bad for the little guy...

The list needs something cheap and speedy to achieve some early Battle Tactics, but that is a challenge! Our next event is a 2K, and I will likely lean into Reinforced Gutrippaz and Reinforced Boltboyz.

Big picture, Kruleboyz are looking a little sad in the win-rate column while still being able to place well in some situations.

Nice write-up, and sorry you lost a model. You mentioned needing something cheap and speedy; that's one thing we just haven't got, and I'm hoping we get some kind of cavalry unit whenever they get around to doing our book. Screening is probably all Hobgrots are good for, but my concern is enemies just using Power Through.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
Nice write-up, and sorry you lost a model. You mentioned needing something cheap and speedy; that's one thing we just haven't got, and I'm hoping we get some kind of cavalry unit whenever they get around to doing our book. Screening is probably all Hobgrots are good for, but my concern is enemies just using Power Through.

Power through is kinda irrelevant tbh, odds of hobgrots surviving melee are pretty damn low.

Playing in a local league with fixed lists where we are in four-person pods after which we enter a playoff. Sticking with Kruleboyz, but made some adjustments from the last event I attended. I found my Gutrippers a little too slow, so I added a Marshcrawla Sluggoth to gain advance and charge for my infantry. Kept my army construction tight with the goal of two Regiments to win the Drop War:

Killaboss on Sludgeraker
Reinforced Gutrippers
Reinforced Boltboyz
Beast-skewer Killbow
Marshcrawla Sloggth

Swampcalla Shaman
Reinforced Gutrippers
Reinforced Boltboyz
Boltboyz

Game 1 - Scorched Earth vs Stormcast

He had four Regiments with Reinforced Annihilators, Reinforced Praetors, Reculsians, Liberators, Vindictors and Yndrasta (plus some other characters).

I tried to screen out as best I could to survive his opening drop, hoping to then counter-punch with Boltboy fire and Gutrippers. I lost the Killbow, but a unit of Boltboys was able to disappear into the mists. My Gutrippers then wiped the Annihilators. In his second turn I was able to countercharge a big unit of Gutrippers into his central unit of Vindictors. The damage buff was no longer active but the Crits on 5+ meant I was still able to get enough Mortals through. I crunched through his chaff and got a little cocky with a double turn that didn't turn out so well. I promptly lost a Gutripper unit to the Praetors, who can deal serious damage. My second big unit, though, was able to then clear out the last Stormcast unit with the support of constant missile fire.

Major Victory for the Kruleboyz. The Marshcrawla worked out well, although I was out of positon for my double turn due to some incautious pile-ins. Unbuffed Gutrippers are kinda sad...Still, I liked the weight of fire the list could put out and I didn't find myself missing the Monsterkillers.

Game 2 - Shifting Objectives vs Soulblight

He had a Reinforced unit of Bloodknights, the Vampire on Dragon, some skeletons, some wolves and a couple of characters. He had three drops and I chose to go second. He moved his cavalry up to the centre with a screen of bats. In my turn I was able to send a unit fully-buffed Gutrippers into the Bloodknights, thanks to the Boltboyz clearing out the screen and the advance and charge bonus from the Marshcrawla. The Bloodknights were wiped. The game continued back and forth for the full five rounds, with his Dragon somehow surviving three turns of Beastskewer shots before finally succumbing. The Sludgeraker actually entered combat on his own volition (against the Skeletons...)

A major victory for the Kruleboyz. The Marshcrawla was a big help against the speed of the Bloodknights, and the Boltboyz were great. The Beastskewer Killbow did reliably inflict six damage each turn on the Dragon which made it killable when the Gutrippers finally caught it.

Game 3 - Border War vs Slaves to Darkness

He had Belakor, Abraxia, a sorceror, Varanguard, Knights and two Warrior bricks. I chose to go second, relying on a screen of Boltboyz in case he landed a charge. His Varanguard and Abraxia failed their charges and were looking vulnerable. I buffed up a Gutripper unit who were promptly "noped" by Belakor. So I sent in my other un-buffed unit of Gutrippers and hoped that Bolt fire would do enough damage. I was able to kill Abraxia and a Varanguard and pinned the rest of the unit. A Warrior unit and a Chariot cleaned out my Gutrippers in combat with the Varanguard, but my second unit (fully buffed) plus a Krondspine and the Sludgeraker wiped out that group. In the meantime I was pinging away at Belakor with missile fire and he died by Turn 3. I was behind on points until the start of Turn 5 when I was able to have a big turn while he was down to one unit on his home objective. Still a Major Victory, but a near-run thing.

The Beastskewer Killbow was great against Belakor, as were the massed Boltboyz. Belakor can really mess up Kruleboyz being able to "nope" a unit as well as turning off Crits with a spell. Varanguard and Knights are tough as nails, but that is were MWs come in. My list was not very good at Battle Tactics - I only achieved 3.

Will sit back and await the next round. No list adjustments, so its kinda relaxing. Just roll with it!

Great write up. Also looks like the boyz are getting a bit of a reward sometime in the future

Thanks for the positive comments!

The Hobgrotz leader is unexpected, and I agree that it is likely that our book is coming relatively soon. Hate to look a gift-horse in the mouth, but we have plenty of foot Heroes! Having said that, if he makes Hobgrotz playable then I'm all for him!

I really think we need a fast and relatively cheap unit. Maybe we aren't supposed to have one, but it sure would make Battle Tactics less stressful. Maybe Hobgrotz riding Lesser Gnashtoofs?

I just saw in a Goonhammer Competitive Innovations article where someone placed well with Kruleboyz. They didn't give the full list, but apparently it was a Killaboss on Vulcha, a Sludgeraker, 2 Swampcalla Shamans, and some number of Boltboyz and Monsta-Killaz

Went to another 3-round RTT this past weekend with 18 players. A good mix of factions.

I took my league list to keep things simple for me:

Killaboss on Sludgeraker Beast with Slippery Skumbag
Reinforced Gutrippaz
Reinforced Boltboyz
Killbow
Marshcrawla Sloggoth

Shaman with Staff
Reinforced Gutrippaz
Reinforced Boltboyz
Boltboyz

Round 1 - Starstrike vs Nighthaunt

Oh boy - talk about eating the ugly frog first...He had two big Bladegeist units, two Hexwraiths, the shooty ghosts and some support characters. My plan was basically to keep my Gutrippaz and Heroes protected and try to kill one big unit a turn. And maybe get lucky with the random objectives. I made him go first, and he was able to kill one of my reinforced Boltboyz units and the Killbow. Losing the Killbow was fine, but I had hoped to get the Boltboyz out of their screening position with a 2+ roll. The first objective had landed in the centre, and he had a big Bladegeist unit on it with the other on my deep left flank.

I decided to charge forward with the aim of killing the central unit and seizing the objective. I succeeded and then won the priority roll. I considered for a moment, and since my list is not very good at Battle Tactics I took it and plowed through his shooty-ghosts and his support characters. My remaining Boltboyz acted as sacrificial screens which set up my Gutrippaz to finish off the Bladegeist and Hexwraiths. The objectives landed in areas I could get to in Round 3 - sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!

First win against against Nighthaunt for me!

Round 2 - The Better Part of Valour vs Seraphon

He had three big dinosaurs, four units of Saurus, a unit of Cavalry and that little Hunters unit. I regretted not having Monstakillaz, but the Killbow crew sharpened their bolts. He had three Regiments so once again I gave him the first turn. He moved up conservatively, but still Seized the Centre as his battle tactic. In my turn one unit of Gutrippaz wiped the central Saurus unit while missile fire took down the dinosaur that was with them. I then got the double turn and doubled-down on shooting. Two units of Saurus were crippled while my forward Gutrippaz took his central objective and crippled the last Saurus unit (but did not wipe it out). He was able to get one of my Boltboyz units with his Cavalry, but his Dinosaurs had to be cagey without screens. n Round 3 the last of his Saurus were wiped as were his Cavalry so it was down to mopping-up.

Round 3 - Battle for the Pass vs Slaves to Darkness

He had Belakor, Reinforced Varaguard, Reinforced Chosen, a Sorceror, a Mutalist Beast and a Chariot. He had two Regiments but the die-roll determined that I had the choice: I made him go first. He advanced and Seized the Centre. Belakor and the Varanguard were front and centre. I failed my buffs on my Gutrippaz so I held them back, but my massed missile fire took down Belakor. I did get my Krondspine into the Varanguard - didn't kill any but somehow survived (he saved his Fight Twice). I then won Priority and took a double. This time the Gutrippaz got their buffs and charged into the pinned Varanguard. The Chosen counter-charged, but the Varanguard were wiped out. The Chosen cleaned up my first Gutrippaz, but in my turn the second Gutrippaz unit got their buffs up and wiped the Chosen. He was tabled by Turn 4.

I went 3-0. Keeping my list tight for a two-drop paid off with three Double Turns where I was also the Underdog in that turn. The Double Turn was especially important against the Nighthaunt. My shooting was a little oppressive with a double-turn. The run and charge from the Marshcrawla was money in each game. I was worried about using Boltboyz as screens but they worked out.

In all my games I planned on only achieving two or three Battle Tactics and focused on scoring as much Primary as possible while crippling my enemy as quickly as possible. I avoided risking my forces trying to achieve Battle Tactics that would make my vulnerable. It worked out this time!

I will take this list through to the end of the league. I look to adding a Killboss on Vulcha to have some mobility.

Nice job on the 3-0! Looks like I should add a Marshcrawla Sloggoth to my want list now. I noticed you did well even when according to your account your dirty tricks failed; does that mean the dirty tricks are more of a "nice to have" thing and won't break you even if you fail a bunch of them?

Another problem I have with my collection is that I don't own any of the Endless Spell models, or a Krondspine. It sucks that those things are so necessary to even play the game these days.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
Nice job on the 3-0! Looks like I should add a Marshcrawla Sloggoth to my want list now. I noticed you did well even when according to your account your dirty tricks failed; does that mean the dirty tricks are more of a "nice to have" thing and won't break you even if you fail a bunch of them?

Another problem I have with my collection is that I don't own any of the Endless Spell models, or a Krondspine. It sucks that those things are so necessary to even play the game these days.

Thanks!

I do think that Dirty Tricks (and other Kruleboyz shenanigans) are essential, but a player needs to have a Plan B for situations when the Dirty Tricks rolls do not go our way.

Looking at Gutrippers (or Monstakillas), damage output really swings with Dirty Tricks and other random-die-roll buffs. A Reinforced Gutrippa unit without buffs can expect to inflict six or seven Mortal Wounds and maybe another three or four unsaved Wounds against an opposing 3+ save unit. So they could take down a small, weak unit but against a typical enemy hammer this is not going to be great output. With the Venom Encrusted Weapons Dirty Trick and the Sludgeraker Venom buff from the Snatchaboss (not a Dirty Trick but a 2+ roll to activate) the expected MW production soars to 28. I only take one or two such Reinforced Gutrippa units, so if I do not get those buffs activated in my Hero phase I will likely hold back until the next turn. To mitigate this I take plenty of Boltboyz to screen the Gutrippas until they are ready and also inflict more reliable damage. This is another reason why I have been liking the Marshcrawla. This effective 6" boost to movement before a charge means that I can keep my Gutrippas somewhat out of harm's way until the conditions are set (ideally both buffs but at least one at a minimum).

A mistake I have made several times is relying on Sneaky Sneakin' in my movement phase to grab a terrain feature and acheive Take Their Lands. Its great if if works, but if you fail that die roll then you've lost that Battle Tactics and don't get another swing at it. So I now try to set up Take Their Lands with a Sneaky Sneakin' move in the opponent's movement phase, giving me two attempts (the second in my turn if I fail the roll in my opponent's). Another option is to take the Light Fingas sub-faction to have two attempts.

All that to say, Dirty Tricks are a key part of the Kruleboyz, but we need to have a plan for when our luck abandons us. This may not always be possible, and this is part and parcel of the Kruleboyz experience!

Regarding Manifestations, I proxied my Krondspine with a D&D Great Ape on an appropriate-sized base painted like a giant Howla from the Monstakiller box. I would buy a Krondspine from my FLGS if they could get them!