WHAT'S HOT AND WHAT'S NOT IN WARHAMMER LUSTRIA
The steaming jungles of the New World present new challenges for every Warhammer army, and this article by Hobby Specialist, Alan Bligh gives you a brief introduction to what units will prove battle-winners and which will sink without trace (often literally!) in jungle fights.
When fighting to get your hands of the fabulous wealth of the Lustrian temples (or prevent those pesky mammal-things from stealing it) your first port of call of course is our new Warhammer Realms: Lustria book. In particular you should have a good read of the Jungle Fighting rules on pages 5-7 as well as the Events and Encounters rules that follow; these are the things that are going to significantly affect your army make up.
FOETID SWAMPS & HELLISH GREENERY
The first thing to take into consideration is the terrain of the jungle; don't expect wide flat areas to charge across (the undergrowth rules mean even relatively clear patches can be classed as difficult terrain for movement), so take into account the risks of being out manoeuvred, stalled up, having your lines of fire badly restricted, and leave the chariots at home unless you want them bogged down!
MAKING LIKE A CROWD
The effect of the jungle terrain is mitigated by the new Loose Order rules, allowing Unit Strength 1 infantry models to adopt a loose formation like skirmishers (although without all the benefits that skirmishers get), to make their way through the jungle depths. This will benefit smallish blocks of light and elite infantry types, but shy away from larger blocks doing this as they will get tangled in the scenery and get in each other's way.
Deep in the jungles of Lustria, two opposing armies face one another.
THE HEAT, THE DRUMS & THE FLIES
Other effects of fighting in the jungle include black powder weapons becoming randomly unreliable and a restriction on flyers owing to the dense jungle canopy, as well as events such as tropical storms and getting hopelessly lost on the way to the battle! Full rules for these can be found in the Lustria rulebook, but it's good to remember that heavily armoured troops (not withstanding those with scaly skins) can be most easily affected, boiling alive by the heat or sinking in quicksand that lighter troops will avoid.
LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT SNAKE! AAAAAAGH!
So… still want to go to Lustria? Of course you do – you're the adventurous sort who likes cool gaming challenges, I knew it the moment you walked in! But the wise general picks his troops carefully if he wants to succeed, so to help you out here's a quick rundown, army by army for units you might like to pick up for your Lustria army.
