The Marksman

The Marksman is the ranged attack master… for now, anyway.

He has an attack of 1 but it is very important to remember the Marksman must use his defense action to reload his crossbow before he can use his attack action again.

The Marksman’s defense action is nothing more than reloading his crossbow. The hassle of having to reload may make it seem like the Marksman is not worth it but this couldn’t be further from the truth as the Marksman’s ability to shoot diagonally up to 3 spaces away makes him very useful indeed and a strong counter to a number of units when used properly, despite having to reload between attack actions. His ability to attack from further away than anyone also makes him easier to boost with the King/Queen, keeping them nice and safe while the dealing 2 damage per boosted attack.

When using the Marksman, it is best if you can maintain the furthest distance possible while still be able to attack. Thinking “Move, attack, reload.” is a generally good formula to follow but sometimes you’ll find it more important to do something else for your 3rd action and reload on a different turn. Also, if you know you Marksman is doomed, don’t waste an action reloading.

When playing against a Marksman it is about closing the gap. That is decently achievable on small maps, but on the larger maps; Marksmen, like other ranged units, start to become more dangerous as closing the gap gets increasingly more difficult. Remember that trees, columns and other large obstacles block the Marksman’s line of attack. There are many safe spots one can stand on in order to make attack from an angle impossible. These spots are a Marksman’s greatest foe. Well... that and an Executioner in blust mode.