The mortal warriors of the Free Cities have their work cut out for them in the Age of Sigmar, fighting as they must monsters, daemons, and even the living dead simply to defend their homes.
Regardless of the mismatch in power, the standing armies of the cities and warriors of the Dawnbringer Crusades have little choice but to battle these horrors to secure their future. A single human warrior can do little against a towering Chaos Warrior or Orruk Brute, but they rarely fight alone. Instead they stand shoulder to shoulder in the sturdy Castelite formations while experienced Freeguild Marshals bark orders to outwit and outmanoeuvre these formidable foes.
These orders are time and again the key to the success, allowing regular men and women to punch up into odds that would otherwise seem impossible to beat. Grit, determination and a whole pile of guns and shields are nothing without direction, and the orders system that the Cities of Sigmar utilise in battle is the secret of their success.
It works like this. Just after the priority roll has been made, a Cities of Sigmar army can issue one order to each friendly CITIES OF SIGMAR HERO on the battlefield, with no more than three heroes able to receive the same order. These are issued in secret, using the tokens which come with every Cities of Sigmar battletome, and remain face down until they are revealed leaving the enemy general to second-guess them until the last possible moment.
Advance in Formation can be revealed at the start of the movement phase, adding 3” to the Move characteristic of any CITIES OF SIGMAR unit that starts within 3” of the HERO with the order. CASTELITE units like the Freeguild Fusiliers and Ironweld Great Cannon can take up fortified positions even if they moved.
Even the most mushroom-addled Gitz will soon notice that several extremely beleaguered humans are bellowing battle-defining orders to their followers, and will start singling them out. The response is simple – the Return Fire order can be revealed by a CITIES OF SIGMAR HUMAN HERO who has been targeted by a shooting attack, allowing a unit within 3” to immediately unleash a retaliatory volley – even if success comes at the cost of their commander’s life.*
Clever use of orders can turn the tide of battle, and Marshals who have survived enough battles to hone their tactics are a rare and well-protected breed. Their lofty station comes with plenty of benefits, including a fabulously feathered Griffon, and from atop these winged steeds they easily communicate multiple orders with Tactical Acumen, taking two orders at the start of the battle.
There are two universal orders, three orders that apply exclusively to HUMAN units, and two orders each for AELF and DUARDIN units, opening up a host of tactical options for armies using these troops.
It’s time to unveil the hidden order, set-up face down at the start of this article, you’re now commanded to keep an eye on Warhammer Community for even more Cities of Sigmar coverage over the coming weeks!
* The Great Wheel isn’t powered by smiles and good cheer.