Para Bellum Delve Into The Tactics Of Conquest’s Vanguard Clones

February 28, 2020 by brennon

The team at Para Bellum Wargames has been diving into some more details on their newly released Vanguard Clones and Vanguard Clones Infiltrators for Conquest. We thought it would be awesome to dive in and have a little look at their background as well as some of the tactical nuances when in battle.

If you're looking for units which are going to be a pain in the backside of your opponent then these would be of great use it seems. They also seem very creepy indeed!

Unlocking The Lore

We will start with a little bit of lore on these particular units.

“The lads say they were just passing through, a vanguard force that was rushing to harass the shorties marching further north. Good riddance and to the Fall with them, I hope they kill each other off. The world will be better for it.

They came in formation, right? All disciplined and such, not some group of ragtag spear-creeps. Anyone can thrust with a spear behind a huge shield, but them new guys had bucklers or as close as can get with them, I guess, and they knew how to use them. This lot were trained, dealt precise blows and made manoeuvres, all the while being covered by their cousins with the weird crossbows. Countered all our steps and moves, they did, brought us right where they wanted us with bolts, then the melee fell on us.

One bastard almost got me. I’d be done for were it not for ol’ Fred, and..do you know the worst of it? I had accepted that the last thing I’d see before I die would be some stranger’s face, snarling, frothing, struggling, panting… something, you know what I’m saying? But that empty stare of a mask, and the cold eyes behind, not even caring enough to hate? That image haunts me.” - Michelle “Missy” Derule, Man-at-Arms

It's rather awesome to dive in and find out how the other factions view these units on the field of battle. This is an element of lore that I was used to getting from old mass battle games and it's nice to see it return as part of Conquest.

This is one of the things about the Spire that I have always liked. I love the idea of genetically engineered killers which have an alien quality to them but placed in a Fantasy world. These are some terrifying enemies that really build on the haunting quality of the army as a whole.

Imagine also being one of these creatures, woven and built into a being that was meant for a single purpose. It would be a rather terrifying existence although I imagine they don't 'feel' much. It would be interesting to see if that unravels somewhere down the line!

Tactics On The Battlefield

As well as learning more about the lore of these creatures of the Spire, we also found out a bit more about the tactical use of these units on the battlefield. Leo has written up this rather awesome tactical article that you can view...

Regiment Spotlight: Vanguard Clones

...above. This gives you a pretty in-depth look at the use of these warriors. As you might imagine from units which are adept at infiltration and assassination, tasks that require a delicate hand, they are very good at harassing the enemy and making sure that your foe can't use his army to its fullest. Make sure to also check out this...

Sample Army List

...as it gives you a breakdown of how the Vanguard Clones could be used as part of a larger army. Maybe you have some ideas that could take things in a different direction?