In the tumultuous age after the first Rupture, the Silver Line, finds itself facing unprecedented challenges. Tasked with not only maintaining peace within the human kingdom of Astira but also gathering more essence crystals to sustain the weakening Shroud, the Silver Line shoulders a heavy burden. The people, once united by the protection of the Shroud, are now divided by the increasingly escalating demand for essence crystals, for the Shroud’s appetite for energy seems insatiable. The Silver Line, once accustomed to being a symbol of unwavering protection, now faces the challenge of maintaining order in a world where fear and uncertainty reign.
A well-oiled machine of war
On the tabletop, the Silver Line is all about consistency. They field (mostly) well-trained troops with top-of-the-line equipment that fill specific roles. This playstyle is underlined by their two-part faction ability. On the one hand, their COMMANDER units are able to hand out “Orders” at the beginning of the game round, enabling your units to accomplish their tasks with even more certainty. Most COMMANDER units also brings a unique “Order” to the table, reinforcing their intended playstyle even further. On the other hand, each Silver Line unit may use an essence reroll once during its activation, without paying the associated essence cost, due to their extensive Silver Line Training. This makes all Silver Line units incredibly efficient when they engage their enemies.
It’s all about the armour
The standard foot soldier of the Silver Line army has an armour value (ARM) of 6 with the base armour of some troops reaching 8 or even 9 with essence abilities. If you compare this with the average armour value of the other factions, you see that the Silver Line units can really take a punch before going down.
Okay, it’s not all about the armour
In the years after the first Rupture, the Silver Line quickly realized that they needed more troops to handle their increasing responsibility. Hence, Goblins were added to the ranks of the Silver Line. On the battlefield, the Goblins are cheap units intended to disrupt your opponent and distract their army from your more valuable troops. With their slightly higher defense value, especially against arcane and ranged attacks, and quite frankly, their annoying abilities, they can be a surprising thorn in the side of your opponent’s army.
What’s the catch?
The downside to this consistency and troops with a strong stat line is that the Silver Line has fewer tools at hand to indirectly influence your opponent's plans. Only a few abilities can displace your opponent’s models and most of them are also rather restrictive in application. Furthermore, many abilities of Silver Line units fall off rather significantly when their units start losing models. A Silver Line player needs to wisely plan when and where to engage with their expensive troops. Units like the Blade Wardens can be an incredible asset when used correctly, but losing such a unit before they achieve their task can be a crippling blow to your plans.
The Silver Line is a force to be reckoned with, that excels at executing set game plans. Still a Silver Line player needs to be able to adapt to the tricks and shenanigans other factions might bring to the table, or they might find their army out of place and not able to engage their opponent as swiftly as they would like.