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Article
complied by
Jeremy Vetock
With the recent White Dwarf
focus on Warhammer Siege, I commented
that a Black Gobbo article
on mantlets would be pretty cool.
While I was hoping one of the Black
Gobbo boyz would write the article,
the cunning Grots penciled me in instead.
Outsmarted again. The nice Gobbos
did suggest several titles for this
article, such as "Manly Mantlets
and the Archers Who Love Them,"
"Why I'm a Sissy and Shoot from
Behind Giant Logs," or "Better
a Mantlet Than an Arrow Upside the
Head." However, I digress.
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Mantlets are mobile barriers (or
giant shields, if you will) that are
used by sieging armies as protection
from missile fire. Normally, mantlets
are too cumbersome to be used in anything
but a siege game. However, a special
scenario that allows one (or both)
sides access to such cover would be
fun.
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The Warhammer Siege appendix in
the Warhammer rulebook lists mantlets as
providing hard cover (-2 to Hit for enemy
missile weapons). Only missile troops are
allowed to field mantlets, and they may
do so at the cost of 1 point per model in
the regiment. What's more, troops with mantlets
are allowed a "pre-game" move
of an additional 2D6" that will allow
them to move closer to the castle. This
move represents how ineffective enemy fire
is against them as the troops advance behind
their mobile cover. Hopefully, this additional
movement will allow your besieging missile
troops to get into range since moving with
mantlets is a bit difficult (no Marching).
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Okay, it's true: you aren't going to win
a siege game through archery. However, if
you are going to field a unit of archers,
the measly cost of an additional point each
to supply them with a -2 to Hit modifier
is a bargain. You can bet that a castle,
which also confers a -2 modifier, is costing
the defender a lot more than your mantlets.
 Archers
in a siege are there to thin down the Defenders
on the walls and aid the army as a general
distraction. Ideally, a good siege Attacker
has got a couple of things going on: siege
towers at the walls, units with battering
rams at the gates, a war machine or two
blasting away, a few units with ladders
to scale the walls, and maybe a sneaky scout
unit with grappling hooks. The idea is to
keep the Defender from throwing all his
available troops to block a single attack.
Many Attackers find that their "main
push," often an expensive Elite unit
carried in the siege tower, is halted while
the low-priority distracting units (such
as troops with ladders) manage to take the
walls! This shifting melee is helped when
your archers thin down the Defenders on
the walls with missile fire. I've even seen
games where entire wall sections of the
have been cleared, and ladders or grappling
hooks go up unopposed! I've also seen a
Sorcerer join a unit of archers with mantlets.
This combination gives you an excellent
defensive position from which to clear the
walls of Defenders with Fireballs or other-such
spell!
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Each Warhammer army is unique, with its
own troop types, magic items, spells, and
more. So why not create your own army-themed
mantlets? After all, no self-respecting
Dwarf would haul around mantlets of the
same technical level as those of a lowly
Gobbo. This theme can work in two ways:
- Keen modellers have yet another opportunity
to add a cool level of detail to their
army.
- Adventurous gamers can even experiment
with making their own house rules.
For some examples of what I'm talking about,
follow the links below:
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