It seems as though we have had a recent influx in newer players looking at starting W'adrhun or at least being in the faction selection stage so I thought I would put down some thoughts on if W'adrhun is a good force for a newer player and how I would maybe get started
First up is how they play. I'm going to link the section of Para-Bellum's website with a detailed how they play article HERE as I think they are generally quite good reads. There is one for each faction in The World section of the site and they provide a good overview and some lore. The only thing I don't like about the article is the last little section as at least at the time of this writing there aren't really sub-factions when it comes to actual rules.
To jump into my own thoughts I'd describe W'adrhun as being very different than your typical fantasy orcs. We really aren't going to be drowning our opponents in waves of cheap bodies. Typically W'adrhun lack high defense and resolve values but have a lot of flexibility and attack volume. The basic W'adrhun stands do have an additional wound on average though which can be just enough to tip the dice in our favor. I would consider W'adrhun to be of moderate skill floor with a very high skill ceiling. Getting the most out of a W'adrhun force is often going to require good positioning and setting up beneficial trades and our Faction special rule - the War Chant mechanic - also puts some additional planning pressure on your activation deck order. This type of force can be a little bit challenging at first but rewards experience and can be very satisfying to play.
I'm not going to dive too deeply into the War Chant mechanic here as I already have an article about it I'll link to at the bottom. I would read through the War Chant rules in the army list once or twice first anyway. My article is hopefully a decent supplement to those with some tips and more examples. Getting solid chants off can be very impactful in shifting or maintaining momentum in a game so it's worth getting a decent idea of how it works.
On to some purchase considerations I think one of the biggest pros of play W'adrhun is that the internal balance is fantastic. The vast majority of the army list is quite good and the outliers are less bad and more, in my opinion, over-costed. This makes the long term playability of the faction excellent as you'll eventually end up with a huge variety of viable lists. Want to play mostly Dinos? It probably works. Want to play big blocks of infantry? W'adrhun can support that. Want to play lots of ranged and mobility? Right in the W'adrhun wheelhouse.
Are some of those archetypes going to be more efficient purely from a competitive view? Of course there are always going to be choices that squeeze more efficiency out of a list but I think with W'adrhun you can have a real game with a large array of different builds. At the time of this writing the one player starter sets are going to be switching to a new box. I think both are really good starting spots for a new force.
The current box consists of 6 stands of Braves or Blooded, 6 stands of Hunters or Slingers, and one Predator character. I don't think there is a wrong way to assemble this box although I would probably go 3 stands each of Hunters and Slingers and then decide what you want to do with the melee choices. I have a write up specifically for Braves vs Blooded that I will also link at the bottom.
The upcoming box comes with with 3 stands each of Braves/Blooded and Hunters/Slingers and a Predator character but replaces the rest with sweet Dinosaurs. You get 3 stands each of Hunting Pack (18 little raptors altogether!) and 3 stands of the fantastic Raptor Riders. The update adds more variety and the dinosaur kits are excellent from a hobby perspective. I would in this case lean towards assembling the ranged kit as Slingers as they compliment the rest very well.
Expanding from the starter box I would pick up a second character (and probably third) relatively early in my W'adrhun journey. All of the characters are good and provide interesting warband choices but I would lean towards one of the two more support type characters as an early purchase. Both the Matriarch Queen and the Scion of Conquest offer a lot in terms of gameplay with their support abilities. The Queen is our source of healing and the Scion is our only spell caster. Currently most of the Scion's warband are not released which maybe a reason to choose a Queen initially.
As far as units goes - yes you can absolutely buy and play an Apex Predator to go with a starter. It's a fantastic kit and a great show piece model and despite being maybe a little squishy it is an elite damaging piece that compliments both starters. If you wanted more dinos you could also add to your Raptor Riders. They work very well in a small 3 stand regiment as well as in a larger group with a character. I would advise some caution when using them - just because they are fast and have a lot of reach doesn't mean you should just dive in. They are wonderful on the edges as a harassment regiment early and they do fight most other lights very well. Warbred should also be a consideration for an early purchase especially if you pick up a Queen. They are a mainstay unit for her and like the Apex will compliment your starting force by adding some needed hitting power.
From there I think expansion can go in whichever direction you like. I have found I always enjoy a game more when I am using models that I like and with how strong the depth is for W'adrhun I think that's a viable way to look at purchases. I find the light regiments are all fantastic and would personally probably add more Hunters - I use them as my primary front line unit as they can do some damage from ranged and have a better than average melee punch. If you wanted to go in a more elite direction the Chieftain and the Veterans should be available by the time this posts. I'm not hugely fond of Veterans but they bring some extra durability and an interesting twist on the Chant mechanic with their draw event. The Chieftain himself brings strong melee potential in a character with access to the full combat retinue and good base stats.
I should probably wrap this up before I get too deep into list building considerations which definitely deserves an article. I've included a couple of links below with more detailed articles as well. As always thanks for reading.
-K
For my thoughts on the chant mechanic check HERE
For Braves vs Blooded check HERE
For a release schedule and some ramblings check HERE
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