New vehicles join the Astra Militarum range soon, so today we’re getting an early look at rules for Commissar Graves and her personal vehicle Vigilance, plus the Hippogriff AFV and the Centaur RSV.
We’ll kick things off with the most impressive and ostentatious one of the lot – the fearsome Commissar Graves, who rides into battle on her extensively modified Centaur known as Vigilance. More than just a body kit and a few spicy guns, Vigilance is a monster of a vehicle that can take a hit, punch back, and act as mobile Order support all in one sleek package.
The Mechanised Spearhead rule is the driving force you need to surround Graves with a big push of Centaurs and Chimeras packed with infantry, as any Regiment units who hop out within 6” of her can get a free Order as soon as they touch ground. Got an objective deep in enemy territory that you need to stop the enemy from scoring next turn? Send the Commissar up the board with some Cadians and the Duty and Honour! Order will all but guarantee they wrestle it away with a hefty OC 3.
The gleaming armoured prow at the front isn’t just for show, either – we’re particularly keen to ram Vigilance right into enemy units thanks to the Aquiline Prow rule, which will deal a pile of mortal wounds and soften up your target so Graves can finish them off with her power fist, Manus Mortis.
If you so desire, you can alternatively use Commissar Graves on foot – she’s still an excellent Leader who can pack a punch in close combat while ensuring her chosen squad remains steadfast.
Both versions of Graves have the Brutal Disciplinarian ability – on foot, the range matches that of her bolt pistol, while in Vigilance, it matches the range of the gatling cannon!
The regular Centaur RSV is the perfect vehicle for keeping up with the dread Commissar’s front line charges, as it can pack a squad of 10 Guardsmen with two attendant Characters into the back while leaving them free to fire out through its impressive Firing Deck 12. That capacity means you could also jury-rig a potent ranged threat with two squads of three Cadian Heavy Weapons Teams,* shooting six lascannons or missile launchers while the Centaur speeds across the field.
In fact, the troops inside needn’t disembark at all if it’s a bit… death and destruction-y outside, as the Rapid Strike Vehicle rule gives the Centaur up to 4 extra OC depending on how many Guardsmen are inside. Bumping the OC up to 6 means it handily beats plenty of common five-man elite squads, which can be crucial for claiming or denying objectives in a tight game.
The Hippogriff, on the other hand, is all about getting the right gun in the right place at the right time, then scarpering out of there before heavier vehicles knock it out. This versatile chassis can mount one of four powerful weapons – a heavy lascannon, vigilator cannon, melta cannon or chiron gatling cannon – and back them up with either a heavy stubber or meltagun, letting them tackle a wide variety of enemy units.
Its speed does mean that it’s not quite as well-armoured as some of the heavier tanks, but it makes up for it in unparalleled mobility – dashing back behind cover after a well-placed shot thanks to the Convoy Escort Vehicle rule. They can also be run in squads of two, so you can get double the impact from an incoming Order or Stratagem.
We’ve still got a few more units left to have a look at before they go up for pre-order, so stay tuned to Warhammer Community if you want to find out what Intranzia Fraye and Inquisitor Kroyle will be doing up on their esoteric mounts.
* Each model counts as two for the purposes of Transport and Firing Deck, see.