The Rouser

[Becephalus]

Now I have no problem with the Rouser as a unit. But as it's current stats are there is almost no case where it makes sense to get one. It needs some sort fo stat boost.

Either that or the Impaler needs to be toned down.

Right now the stats are as follows.

HP 26
DMG 5-3
Leadership of goblins

vs

HP 26
DMG 7-3 firstrike
DMG 5-1 ranged

So you are giving up firstrike a 5-1 ranged AND 2-3 on your main attack, for the chance to do an extra 1-3 (or 2-3 vs drakes or horses at night) for adjacent GOBLINS. It is just a horrible tradeoff and I cannot see how any sane person would take a rouser in normal MP play. I think this leadership was treated like normal leadership which it is not. Even if you have 3 goblins lying around the chances you will have the 4 facings required to employ them all seems slim.

ANyway nothign radical maybe +3 hp for rouser or +4? Something to give it some attractiveness over the impaler.

[Tomsik]

IMO Rousers are indeed useless as they are now, but instead of direct stat-boost I think giving them more powerful leadership would be ok, for example 50, or even 75% instead 25% leading bonus. (but still only for gobbos)

[zookeeper]

IMO Rousers are indeed useless as they are now, but instead of direct stat-boost I think giving them more powerful leadership would be ok, for example 50, or even 75% instead 25% leading bonus. (but still only for gobbos)

A lvl2 advancement for the rouser would sound good to me. The leadership bonus could still be limited only to goblins, if it would be too odd to have a goblin leading orcs and trolls.

[Sapient]

/me agrees with Becephalus.

The altered leadership ability sounds a bit odd. I'd prefer a simple HP and/or melee boost.

[JW]

This has been in the back of my mind since the unit has been added.

I'd rather have the Rouser keep his ranged attack. The loss of being able to take free shots at enemys is a big loss IMO.

IDC how it's improved though, since I hardly use gobs in the first place.

[Darth Fool]

Maybe what he needs is to gain more ranged attacks instead of losing one.

[Maeglin Dubh]

Problem is, he makes his attacks with his standard. What will he use for ranged? Spare spears?

[Darth Fool]

Problem is, he makes his attacks with his standard. What will he use for ranged? Spare spears?

Sure! The fact that he is making his melee attack with his standard is an argument to weaken his melee attack, not his ranged attack.

[Eleazar]

Problem is, he makes his attacks with his standard. What will he use for ranged? Spare spears?

Lots of units with only one visible spear have a ranged attack(s).
It is best not to probe the mysteries of the universe and ask where all those extra spears come from.

[Maeglin Dubh]

Ok. I wasn't being incredulous, just making sure.

[Jetrel]

This has been in the back of my mind since the unit has been added.

I'd rather have the Rouser keep his ranged attack. The loss of being able to take free shots at enemys is a big loss IMO.

Yeah, this guy could use some buffing.

IDC how it's improved though, since I hardly use gobs in the first place.

:\ wow. That comes as a surprise.

IMO, they're the most crucial unit in the faction (against all but, say, undead); the trick of course is that to make them useful, you truly have to use them like cannon fodder. Not outright stupid cannon fodder, but being willing to attack at many times when you otherwise would not be willing to do so. Along with assassins, they're a great unit for breaking entrenched enemy positions, even elves in forest. They have enough strikes to get a hit or two in, are cheap enough that you don't care if they die, and give the enemy very little experience - none if they don't die.

They're dramatically cheaper than most other units, because the "shadow cost" of most level-1 units is often well over 25-30 gold. Upkeep costs a heck of a lot more than is intuitively obvious. If a unit is around for 14 turns, he costs 14 more gold than you were originally advertised. That's twice the normal cost of most units(!).

[JW]

IDC how it's improved though, since I hardly use gobs in the first place.

:\ wow. That comes as a surprise.

A surprise it may be but I usually only buy 1 a map, if that, to hold villages.

Then again, I've only played Northerners in maybe 5% of my games in the previous month. Stupid random. (Undead + Loyalists!!)

[Jetrel]

*bump*

The keep the ball rolling on this, I posit the following suggestion:

Rouser:
HP 26 -> 28-30
DMG 5-3 -> 7-3 firststrike
Leadership of goblins

vs

Impaler:
HP 26
DMG 7-3 firststrike
DMG 5-1 ranged

So then the only question for a player would be, "Is a 5-1 ranged attack worth 2-4 HP & not leading goblin spearmen?"


For comparison:
Wolf Rider:
HP:32 MP:8
melee: 5 - 3

Grunt:
HP:38 MP:5
melee: 9 - 2

[Ranger M]

Surely the impaler should have more health than the rouser?

Aside from that it looks fine.

[Noyga]

My own idea for the Rouser for the Rouser :
- They cannot use firstrike since they would usually point their flags to the sky rather than forward
- They tend to like their flags, so don't throw their spear => no ranged spear.
Btw being some kind of chief among the goblins, they could recieve another (small) extra weapon like a dagger or knife they could throw.
- They would be the most resistant spear wielder. I was thinking of giving them steadfast, but it doesn't work with units with no particilar resistance boost. Then a significative HP boost would do the trick.

So, how about :
Goblin Rouser :
Level 1 leadership
HP : something like 31-33 (was 26)
melee attack : 6-3 spear (was 5-3 which looks too low compared to the spearman)
and perhaps add a ranged attack : 3-2 knife ?