Longbowmen - Unit Guide (english)

Longbowmen
The well-trained longbows are interesting again in 2.0 thanks to an 11% price reduction in the basic costs and a 25% reduction in the additional stands

Overview & gameplay

What stands out immediately are the usual weak stats for the Hundred Kingdoms, where nothing really positive stands out except for the movement. With D1 R2 W4, they quickly fall in melee combat, and even Cleave 1 doesn't help with C1 A4. But the name is Longbows, and that should be the program! With a range of 24", we can shoot 2" further than the Spire, currently having the longest range of all, and we pay 135 points and 40 points per additional stand for that. For only 215 points, we get 16 shots! The reason the Spire Marksman Clones have this for 150 points is probably because Para Bellum rates Armor Piercing 1 as Barrage 2. We take what we can get, and as a Light Regiment, they can threaten the enemy early. Arcing Fire also helps since we can shoot over our large knights. This allows us to fire Volley 2 on regiments in the front arc without line of sight if another friendly regiment can see the enemy. Of course, with the Eye and/or a Wind Mage, there are options to significantly buff the regiment, repeat all sixes in the attack, and get an additional shot per stand. However, the fun costs 150+ points, and for that, we also get 3 stands of Longbowmen, which theoretically make more sense, as you can easily leave up to 6 stands behind your own lines. Also, the Chapter Mage must first use "Seek New Escort" or be a Warlord to profit sensibly from the overall package.

Nevertheless, due to Volley 2, one should not expect too many hits, and targets that are obscured, benefit from effects where hits need to be repeated, or avoid loose formation as targets. Ideally, they want to deal with enemy shooters like Slinger and Marksman, as they usually win those fights, as each hit there is a wound.

Unfortunately for the Longbows, luckily for the game, the current scenarios in September 2023 disadvantage stationary shooting and lights in general, making them a less frequently seen choice for the Hundred Kingdoms. Especially since they share a restricted slot with the Household Knights, who now have roughly the same costs. If you choose the Imperial Officer as a Warlord, the following funny trick arises. The unit can march with Vanguard, run or aim again, and then shoot. Many of the fast, light units like Raptors or Mounted Squire don't like that. With 16 shots, it's only ~3-5 wounds, but that often seems intimidating to opponents in Round 1.

Veterans
The Longbows have no access to an officer and, therefore, cannot get Volley 3. That will never happen because there was a brief time in 1.3/1.5 when it was possible, and Para Bellum fortunately corrected it in time.

Relentless Drills
If you play 5s or 6s Longbows, it's not so uninteresting to have a few extra dice, but ideally, the Longbows shouldn't get into melee. It's important to note that only shots from the front row generate hits, so support has no influence on the shooting.

Conclusion: A nice addition to the Hundred Kingdoms' arsenal, and like many choices, they suffer a bit from their warband and character. Nevertheless, they can offer the exact type of support needed in the right list since almost everything in the Hundred Kingdoms comes down to combinations of multiple regiments to achieve a usable result.