Profile Review: King Brand, Bard II Prince of Dale & Knights of Dale - Justice for Dale?

Dale has been a somewhat limited Faction in the Game. There is little flexibility in the Army List, with only 3 Profiles available (Girion, Captain, and Warriors of Dale). This has often limited their appearances in Competitive Play to small Point games, or to function as an allied contingent. However, with the release of King Brand, Bard II Prince of Dale, and Knights of Dale, we are entering a new era for the Faction.

Brand, King of Dale, is the Leader of Dale during the War of the Ring, so it fits for him to be the List's first Hero of Legend. He is also a relatively cheap Hero of Legend at 110 Points, meaning you won't be hamstringing your ability to actually fill those Warband spaces.

As stats go for a Leader of Men, Brand is solid, if unspectacular. His 3 Wounds and Defence 7 means he shouldn't be conceding Leader Kills too easily, but with only 1 Fate, he is by no stretch invincible. His main weakness as a Leader is likely to be his Fight Value 5 and Strength 4, with no bonus to wound. Brand is not going to be a major threat with the damage output he has. However, he does have Heroic Strike and Strength, so some smart, clever play means he can still tackle big guys if needed.

As the Lord of Dale, Brand comes with a 12" Stand Fast. Having this range of Stand Fast is always handy as it will cover most of your Army. Brand only has a Courage Value of 5 though, which is solid but by no means guaranteed, especially if a model with Harbinger of Evil etc. is in range. Brand's second Special Rule is Stoic Fighter. It's safe to say this is a pretty unique Rule, but its use is likely to be limited. The ability to re-roll a Duel roll to win the combat and to Wound when Trapped enhances your survival chances in that situation, but it isn't a situation you want your Leader to be in in the first place. Additionally, when Trapped, you may still be better off Shielding.

Overall, Brand is a good profile with some cool thematic special rules and comes in at a reasonable cost.

Bard II Prince of Dale is the son of Brand, and is the second Hero you get when you purchase Brand. As a Prince, not a King, Bard II is only a Hero of Valour. At 100 Points, Bard II is a little cheaper than Brand, but not the cheapest Hero of Valour around.

Bard II is one of a number of the increasing amount of Profiles we're seeing that have an Attacks value of 3, but a Wounds value of 2. This grants some offensive capabilities, whilst making him somewhat vulnerable at the same time. Bard II has Defence 7, 2 Fate Points, and Heroic Defence to help negate the frailties of the 2 Wounds, but this is no guarantee for survival, and a little bad luck could easily see him go down. Nevertheless, another Fight Value 5 Hero with Heroic Strike and Defence is good for the List. A further interesting point to highlight is Bard II actually has higher Courage than Brand (with Courage 6), so he shouldn't be running away. This certainly helps if you face a large Terror meta, and means he can save his 2 Will Points to resist Spells.

Bard II has the Wall of Blades Special Rule. This Rule, in short, gives him +1 to Wound against models that have Charged him. With 3 Attacks, this dramatically increases his damage output, and suddenly makes him a threat to almost anything in the Game. The problem is, you won't be choosing who you are in combat with, and he will still be vulnerable to being tied up by a single model. It does, however, potentially make Heroic Combats more reliable. An interesting point to consider is that you can gain this benefit against any model that has Charged you. This could potentially put people off counter-charging Bard II as the risk is much greater.

Overall, Bard II Prince of Dale, is an interesting, and useful, Profile. Compared to Heroes from other Lists, he may be a tad expensive for his Points, but he certainly has a role in the Army and would still be a solid inclusion. I would, however, lean towards taking Brand if I only had the Points for 1 named Hero in the Army List, or taking Girion if I sought a cheaper option.

The Knights of Dale are the elite forces of Dale. Like the standard Warrior of Dale, they maintain a Fight Value of 4 and gain +1 Courage, which is pretty handy if you find yourself facing an Army with Terror. With Heavy Armour and Shield, they bring a solid Defence 6 line to the List. This in itself is a bit of a game-changer for the List, enabling them to go toe-to-toe with the majority of Shield Walls in the Game.

Like Bard II, the Knights of Dale have the Wall of Blades Special Rule. This will only benefit Charged models, so despite having Spears, these models will often be in the front rank. It also presents a conundrum for both you and your opponent; are you better off Moving first and picking your combat, or second and gaining +1 to Wound? It will be situational, but there is certainly less need to call Heroic Moves with these guys around. Even if you do Move first, anyone tempted to outflank and counter-charge will have to think again.

At 11 Points, the Knights of Dale really hit the 'affordable sweet spot'. They compare favourably to most other models, but more importantly, they bring both resilience and offensive capabilities to a List lacking in both. I would not be surprised to see Dale forces comprised of entire front ranks of Knights, supported by their Army's strong Shooting, in order to bring the enemy into a deadly combat - it's a potentially nasty combination.

Conclusion

In a single stroke, Dale has gone from a niche List with little viability, to a useable Army. Both the Heroes are good inclusions, and cheap enough to offset the expensive troop choices. The List lacks natural speed, but Captains of Dale are solid, unnamed Heroes, and provide you with Heroic March. Combine this with some of the best Shooting in the Game, and mobility should not be an issue for a canny player. Girion remains a solid option at low Points, and now has some more flexibility with the Knights. They have more options now as Convenient Allies, but I would want to keep the Army Bonus. They are also more viable as an ally, with the Knights providing a much better-value, non-Bow-armed alternative than the Warriors of Dale had done previously; meaning your Armies can use the ranged threat Dale already has without compromising too much on the rest of the List.

To put it simply, I think this is 'Justice for Dale", and with the prospect of future Legendary Legions, I hope there may be more to come.