Topic: Forest and battleline.

[Footpatrol2]

So if you take a large unit of free company say 25 -49 ish put a bsb with griffon banner in the unit your getting static CR 7 which is almost the magic number. If you take a close order supporting units with a banner parked next to the free company unit to be support your pushing above CR7.

Ok that's whatever. Now park that free company unit in a forest. So many benefits for a defensive play style.

Forests are fairly common for terrain

Open order/free company does not lose its rank bonus if in a forest.
You only care about the two close order supporting units with banners next to your free company to push you above CR7+.  You don't really care about the ranks since your getting most of them from the free company. The purpose of the supporting banner units is to guide enemies into the free company and to provide the +1 banner and +1 close order to stack with the free company.

Enemy units that are close order will loose their rank bonus while in the forest.

Enemies charging you have too deal with the forest meaning they charge 2d6 and pick the lowest.

Can play peek-a-boo in a forest. Dance in and out of it to mess with line of sight.

Chariot protection. Chariots hate forests.

You get minus one to hit while in the forest. Making warmachines -2 to hit while in a forest. Warmachines have skirmish.

Certain magic lores stack well when in a forest.

Just thought I'd share this. It's for a more defensive play style. If you can't get a forest in your deployment or quick easy first turn access it's not a huge deal. Having the free company + bsb isn't horrible without the forest. .

[commandant]

I don't think war machines get -1 to hit because they are not US 1.

The difficulty with this option is how do you make your opponent come to you?

Why do I not just sit back and bombard your free company from a safe range with magic missiles and such.

[Footpatrol2]

Fair enough. Ya this would be a more defensive play style thing. As in having guns to force them to come to you. But they could just ignore that unit I guess.

[Voltan Ignatio]

Some good thoughts here.
I would rather people be shooting free company than knights, but I guess they could work on the FC brick after.
Think this may have some legs

[Voltan Ignatio]

Just thinking about this, if you put a screen Infront to take away first charge/mean the enemy contact you on their turn via overrun it will enable getting those other units in. Your Bsb will be vulnerable with the standard though but could make him tanky/put him on an edge