The Kruleboyz are a more subtle Warhammer Age of Sigmar army than most. But while less boisterous than other Orruk forces, they are no less dangerous. Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of the good men and women of the Mortal Realms like a thunderous Waaagh!, the blood-curdling war cry that signals the coming of an Orruk horde. Yet away from the thunderous hooves of Goregruntas and the beating of Maw-krusha wings, hidden from the vigilant eyes of Sigmar’s Stormcast, arises another green threat.
For the twin-headed god of the Orruks possesses two qualities: brutality and cunning. Lurking in the swamps and undergrowth of the eight realms are the Kruleboyz, the true embodiment of ‘kunnin’ and the exholters of a quieter Waaagh!, one whispered at the edge of a night watchman’s picket and along the dripping blade of a poisoned knife.
Welcome, generals, to an overview of one of the newest armies to enter the Age of Sigmar, the Kruleboyz. These lanky, slimy greenskins represent everything cruel and kunnin about Orruk society, prioritising hard ‘finkin’ over the ‘fightin’ of their larger, thicker kin. Like all Orruks, Kruleboyz are organised into Warclans composed of tribes, each practised in a different form of stealthy, stabby, warfare. If you’re going to face these backstabbing bullies or lead them to victory, you’re going to need to learn a thing or two about how they fight!
Kruleboyz Leaders
Kruleboyz leaders are the ones most like their Ironjawz kin. They tend to be larger, meaner, and brighter than the boyz of the Battleline. For the Kruleboyz, this means that their Leader choices walk a narrow path, between plotting tricks and pounding their foes.
The Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast is a formidable foe with some terrible tricks up his sleeve. Not only does he boast 14 wounds, a 4+ save, and significant damage output, the Snatchaboss can also live up to his name by doing some snatching. Once per battle, the Snatchaboss can select a single model with a wounds characteristic of seven or less and attempt to stuff them in a cage. If you manage to roll over that wounds characteristic on two dice, the model is instantly slain.
Every midnight raid needs magic, and for that the Kruleboyz turn to their Swampcalla Shaman (and accompanying Pot-grot). This dirty duo can only cast and unbind a single spell, but their real power comes from their ability to give out poisons and elixirs to nearby troops. The poisons work with the Venom Encrusted Weapons Battle Trait to improve Mortal Wound rates, and the elixirs add one to saves, which, when combined with the All Out Defence Command Ability, can lead to a resilience approaching the heavily armoured Ardboyz of the Ironjawz.
Kruleboyz Battleline
The core of any Kruleboyz armies are the Gutrippaz. The most numerous of the swamp dwellers, these greenskins march to war with either spears or cleavers and Skareshields. While on paper Gutrippaz aren’t terrible frontline soldiers, they’re much better at holding a position than charging out and doing damage. With their Scare Taktikz, they can make it harder for nearby enemies to hit them. If this is combined with improvements to their save, they can be mighty difficult to dislodge from an objective.
One of the real benefits of a unit of Gutrippaz is that it enables you to take a cheap unit of Hobgrot Slittaz which, while weak, can be positioned as a useful speed bump.
Kruleboyz Support
Defying trends in Orruk society, Kruleboyz play host to some of the sharpest of sharpshooters in the mortal realms. Whether the target is big, or really big, the Kruleboyz have a bolt thrower to match, and any enemy general who forgets this is soon going to be leading an army of pincushions.
Man-Skewer Boltboyz can play havoc if allowed to fire unchecked. Hitting on a two or better if stationary and four or better with reduced range if moving, and dealing two damage per wound, there’s no doubt the Man-Skewers live up to their name. Pairing them with the Kruleboyz ‘Covered in Mud’ battle trait means the enemy won’t even see where the shots are coming from, just as long as the Man-Skewers stay in cover.
The Beast-Skewer Killbow can play terrible mind games with an opponent general’s deployment. These massive missiles also hit on twos if stationary, and roll dice equal to the wounds characteristic of their target. For every five or six on those dice, another wound is added to the total. Against monsters of all stripes, the Beast-Skewer’s potential is enough to force generals to seriously contemplate if they want to close the distance.
A Kunnin’ Kruleboyz Kombo
There are more than a few ways to skin a Squig, and there are more than a few kunnin combos of units and special rules that can make Kruleboyz a terror on the battlefield. While they may struggle against certain match ups competitively, there are few forces in the mortal realms that can hope to withstand what the combined might of Kruleboyz brains and brawn can dish out.
There is already something inherently terrifying about an Orruk landing a massive crossbow bolt on a two or better from 24 inches away, but the Kruleboyz Man-Skewer Boltboyz don’t stop there. While taking the Big Yellers warclan subfaction makes these slimy snipers Battleline and extends their range, the true terror is what happens when crafty generals pair them with a Swampcalla Shaman and a luckless screen of expendables.
Swampcalla Shamans can give poisons to nearby Kruleboyz units, improving their faction-wide battle trait, Venom-encrusted Weapons to a Mortal Wound on a five or better. A massive unit of Man-Skewer Bolt Boys can then fire off a volley that, aside from hitting on two or better if they didn’t move, will automatically cause two damage per five or better on the To Hit roll.
If these skulking sharpshooters happen to be screened by a unit of cheap Hobgrot Slittaz, then the enemy isn’t even safe on their own turn. Once a turn, each Man-Skewer within six inches of an enemy that just charged can Unleash Hell for a Command Point and gun down the onrushing assailants. If a few hobgrots die for the cause, well then, they weren’t being kunnin’ enough.