How to play Knalgans2

WARNING
This article is being re-written right now. Nothing you can see here is final and may have a lot of wrong statements.

Dwarvish units

Dwarvish Fighter is important unit with two melee attacks, so he can choose which one is better. Also, strong front-line unit.

• maximum defense and speed in mountains(70%)
• neutral
• strong vs mages, woses, outlaws, ulfserkers; weak vs nobody, usable in any match
• strong melee attack (blade and impact)

Dwarvish Ulfserker is your specialist. He will be killed easily, but he can also kill someone not good in melee fighting.

• average defenses everywhere, but moves fast in complicated terrain.
• neutral
• strong vs mages, saurians, archers and enemy leaders; weak vs grunts, ghosts, drake clashers
• strong melee attack with berserk (blade)

Dwarvish Thunderer is a strange unit with powerful, but only one ranged attack.

• maximum defense and speed in mountains(70%)
• neutral
• strong vs drakes and units on wrong terrain; weak vs skeletons
• average melee attack (blade), strong ranged attack (pierce)

Dwarvish Guardsman is a solid defensive unit. When you need someone to guard important hexes, he is your guy. Not very good in attacking. Make sure he can use his steadfast ability.

• average defenses everywhere
• neutral
• strong vs melee attackers; weak vs ranged attackers
• average melee attack with steadfast (pierce), weak ranged attack (pierce)

Gryphon Rider is very fast, moving quickly in every terrain. Most expensive unit in game.

• good defense in mountains, average on every other terrain, what is awesome.
• neutral
• strong vs retreating wounded units; weak vs multiple enemies, heavy infantry and archers
• strong melee attack (blade)

Outlaw units

Footpad is fast. That is his main strengh. Better in scouting than in fighting.

• maximum defenses (70%) in many terrains, but vulnerable to pierce, blade and impact weapons
• chaotic
• strong as a blocking and fast moving unit; weak in fighting
• weak melee attack (impact), average ranged attack (impact)

Poacher is a chaotic version of classic human bowman, capable to fight even in swamps. They have much more ranged hits than dwarvish thunderers.

• good defenses in many terrains
• chaotic
• strong against drakes and units with no ranged attack; weak in melee fighting
• weak melee attack (blade), strong ranged attack (pierce)

Thief is a very special outlaw. He (or she) can do minimal damage during the day and a lot of damage during the night, when well placed. Also thieves are very cheap.

• maximum defenses (70%) in many terrains, low hitpoints and vulnerable to pierce, blade and impact weapons
• chaotic
• strong when well placed at night; weak in fighting when backstab cannot be used
• average melee attack with backstab (blade)

Starting troops - random opponent

(100 gold)

Main thing to condider is the price of Gryphons. If you need more of them, than you will have less units in total. With less or no gryphons, you can recruit more powerful dwarves. You can also switch gryphon for ulfserker and thief for a poacher. This combination cost 96 gold.

Rogue is probably the best leader for the Knalgans. These men and women are very agile, so they can move fast and also run from danger. They can also work wonders with their backstab and skirmisher abilities.

General Knalgan strategies

The Knalgans have perhaps the greatest tactical flexibility of any faction. Because of this, there is no one way to play the Knalgans. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your personality. You can use dwarves for power and defense and outlaws for movement and low prices.

• Dwarvish Fighter: It can take more hits than most units, making it a great defender. It also has two damage types, making it offensively versatile. It shares the downsides of all dwarves: slow movement (though few terrains slow it down) and low defense on non-specialized terrain.
  
• Dwarvish Thunderer: Although powerful, it can just as easily do no damage at all, making this a tricky unit to know how to use. Fortunately, it is almost as durable as the fighter.
  
• Dwarvish Ulfserker: This utility unit has value in many match-ups. It will ensure that either its opponent or it dies. Thus, it has a 100% kill chance against a non-melee unit such as the dark adept, and a very high kill chance against many non-melee-centric units, such as the Mage, Saurian Augur, Bowman, Elvish Shaman, and a wide variety of others. The problem is that your opponent can very easily kill an Ulfserker: they will lose to any dedicated melee unit unless very exceptional circumstances are in play (remember that the ulf cannot get nearly as high defensive values as the Dwarvish fighter, for example), starting hitpoints, time of day, or a combination of the above. Since it is an expensive unit, letting an elvish fighter kill your ulf out of the blue is unwise: however if he just killed a Mage and in killing the ulf the fighter is severely weakened, this is obviously a good trade for you. When using Ulfs, plan how you want them to kill and how you want them to die.
• Footpad: Opinions on the footpad vary widely. In this guide you will not see them recommended often, but many good players consider these a staple unit of the Knalgans. Regardless, this is not a unit you should overrecruit or your offensive power will be very low. It has excellent defense where your dwarves might be very vulnerable and you might not want to risk your more costly riders. Use it for it's great ZoC abilities even if its offense isn't high-powered.
  
• Poacher: Also a very useful unit for the Knalgans, this unit provides a reliable ranged attack to counterbalance the power of the thunderer, plus it fills many useful hexes (notably forests and swamps) well.
  
• Thief: This unit is possibly the highest damage-dealing unit in your arsenal when used correctly. A strong thief at night does 12-3 damage: the equivalent of a level 2's damage output. However, they have very few hitpoints and their low resists compound this problem. High defense and low cost offset these disadvantages. Remember to backstab with it whenever possible.
• Gryphon Rider: Possibly the best scout in the game in terms of combat, this is tempered by its high cost. Use it as a lookout for enemy advances and pick off weak or wounded units that are retreating behind enemy lines.
  

Keep in mind that that the dwarves should stay in mountains, hills, and other high-defense terrain and the outlaws should stay in any non-grassland terrain, if possible. Keep in mind that since your footpads and thieves have 60 defence on grassland, and your enemy will often have 40 or even 30, it can often be to your benefit if the enemy chooses to attack them on open ground.

Villages

Outlaws have 70% defense in villages, so they will get little hits. If hitted, they can heal rapidly. Another good unit for holding villages are guardsmen, but only against melee enemies. Use your fastest unit, gryphon rider, to quickly collect villages. If you need gold, you can also recruit a footpad for this job.

Knalgans vs Undead

A A B C C C D E

If you know you're playing against Undead, the smartest thing to do is to recruit a Dwarvish Ulfserker. He will automatically kill any Dark Adept that he attacks. He is also good for taking on Ghouls and Skeleton Archers. Beware of ghosts: at night the phantoms can kill your ulf, although at day your ulf will come out victorious. Here are the units you will want to recruit to counter Undead units:

Dwarvish Ulfserker: counters Dark Adepts, and most other undead units in daytime. Don't recruit many unless the opponent has no Skeletons. Skeletons can kill an Ulfserker even in day. Ulfs are also expensive, so you don't want to trade them 1-for-1 with Undead units unless you get a Ghost. Be mindful of what can counterattack them on your opponent's next turn.

Dwarvish Fighter: counters Skeletons, Skeleton Archers, and is a generally high HP unit that can soak up nighttime damage for your front line. Dwarvish Fighters are probably the best all-around L1 heavy infantry in the game. If your opponent is smart, however, they will spam ghouls—and the dwarvish fighter really sucks against poison. Their lack of mobility is a major disadvantage; their armor is also ineffective against poison.

Dwarvish Guardsman: Do not recruit this unit if you are fighting Undead. His Pierce damage is less useful than even Blade against Undead. His low damage also makes him a bad unit to counter-attack with. Even for pure defense you can use better units in this match.

Dwarvish Thunderer: This is a good unit to have in your front line in mountains. His high defense and good resistances should keep him alive from nighttime Skeleton attacks, and his 18-1 ranged will make it very risky for Dark Adepts to come after you. Thunderers are also good to attack Ghosts, as 2 ranged hits will kill a Ghost - this even works at night.

Thief: They are only good against dark adepts. Attack adept with thief and finish him with ulfserker or gryphon. Or attack skeleton archer with thief and finish with ulfserker/gryphon/fighter again. Thieves will be much more useful on level 2 as rogues. Still, not the best unit you can have. Ghouls are a real nuisance for you—and the thieves’ high defence (= much better chance to not get poisoned) and higher mobility (= much less time to get to a village and heal) make them ideal for finishing off the toxic undead. Their combination of arcane resistances and high defence are handy against ghosts, especially at night; Like many knalgan units, the thief is situational, and works to fill a particular niche. Do not use them against skeletons, for which you are much better off with fighters.

Poacher: A utility unit versus Undead. It's good for finishing Ghosts and killing Walking Corpses. It can also be used to pick at Skeletons and Ghouls. Money is spent better on other units, but don't forget that he may be useful.

Footpad: This weak character is really only useful versus Undead as a cheap scout. His Impact damage is good against Skeletons and Skeleton Archers, and he has the added bonuses of being Chaotic (which deals more damage when Undead try to advance at night), and being hard to hit. His best feature is his ranged attack versus Skeletons at night, and that's only 6-2. Recruiting 1 on your first turn to grab villages is likely the only use you'll get from this guy, unless you need a unit to occupy forest hexes (which dwarves do very poorly at 30% defense).

Gryphon: Probably not the best expenditure of gold versus Undead, but they do serve many purposes that can justify their cost: they give extended view of battle, allowing you to know what is coming and to counter appropriately; they are good for getting behind enemy lines to finish hurt Dark adepts; and they serve as good ZoC units for plains and forest hexes. Note that this unit is much more useful against ghouls and adepts than against skeletons — the latter’s 40% blade resistance is what really makes them ineffective. But their speed makes them very handy against the former, as they can threaten adepts, work in conjunction with thieves, and heal quickly after being poisoned by a ghoul.

Generally you'll want a good dose of Dwarvish Fighters, a few Thunderers, a Gryphon for vision/utility, an ulf or two, and maybe a Poacher or Footpad. Dwarves are really what you want to use, for their high HP and decent resists. This helps them survive the nighttime onslaught, and their neutrality will give them good damage in defense and also the ability to press the attack in daytime. Don't be afraid to send an Ulfserker at a ghost in daytime - make sure to check the CTK, but it should be good if your Ulfserker is at high hp: bonus if you can get great terrain. Defeat for the Ghost will be nearly certain if the Ulfserker is Strong.

Dark adepts will, as always, be the main danger to your army: they'll knock dwarves out of their mountains, footpads out of wherever, and even gryphons are in danger from them. Be especially mindful of where her dark adepts will most likely attack next turn.

Knalgans vs Rebels

A B B B B B D E

This is one of the trickiest match-ups to play. Both factions are Neutral, so neither has an advantageous time of day to attack (with their main units). To win this battle you will need smart recruits and good unit placement, as well as a little luck; the same goes for your opponent. Knalgans may have a slight advantage with the "one unit must die" Ulfserker, but Rebel defense as well as heal, slow, and magic are serious counters. Look for opportunities to grab mountains and hills, especially if they have no forest next to them. Forests are your biggest enemy, so occupy them with your Outlaw counterparts or Gryphons.

Dwarvish Fighter: Again, these will be the meat of your forces. Any front without one of these will succumb to Elvish Fighters. Dwarfs beat Elves 1-on-1, but they are more expensive. They are good damage soakers and damage dealers. Stay on preferred terrain at all times.

Dwarvish Ulfserker: counters Mages, Elvish Shamans, and oftentimes Elvish Archers. Again, don't recruit too many of these, as Elvish Fighters will easily come back to finish them off, and they are 5 gold cheaper. If you get a chance to take out a Mage, do so. Not only will you gain 1 gold in attrition, but another unit will likely have to expose itself or get hurt to finish you off. Elvish Archers should be #2 on the "to kill" list, and they are sometimes worth jeopardizing your Ulfserker for if you catch one of them off of forest. Again, the reasoning is you only lose 2 gold in the trade and the opponent must waste moves and usually HP in order to finish you. Again, they may also expose themselves. You might be able to get away with ulfing Woses if it's nighttime and you're in a mountain. Make sure he isn't a Quick, Intelligent Ulf, and check the CTK as always.

Dwarvish Thunderer: Another staple. This unit is good against Rebels with luck. Stick him on a mountain and Elves will hurt themselves trying to remove you. They aren't so great for dependable offense against the high defense of the elves, but their counter-attacks are great.

Dwarvish Guardsman: Guardsmen are great for holding frontline villages and chokepoints - with backup. A lone Guardsman can hold out for a turn, if lucky 2 or 3, while on a town. He deals very little damage in return, especially against the ranged specialized Rebels. Recruit 1 if necessary, and no more than 2. They just aren't worth the lack of offensive/counter-attack units.

Thief: You'll want 1 or 2 of these guys depending on your play style. At night, a combo of thieves can destroy Woses, Elvish Archers, Mages, and Shaman. Keep them in the forest hexes your opponent will want, but not in daytime. They can be quickly killed by mages and sharpshooters - if you do not kill them first.

Poacher: Poachers are useful to fill up forest hexes and to attack Elvish Fighters. Their main usefulness is as a counter-attacking utility unit to grab forest and press at night. They are cheap, somewhat weak, but deal more dependable offensive damage than the Thunderer. 5-4 at night is equivalent to a 17 gold Elvish Archer, and you only spend 14.

Footpad: Don't recruit this unit when fighting Rebels. It lacks both firepower and hitpoints even while in the forests Footpads and Elves both enjoy.

Gryphon: These monsters are incredible useful against Rebels. Their utility lies in fighting any water battles against the weak Merman Hunters, scouting, taking opportunistic attacks against poorly placed Elves, and if you find a hurt Wose, you may consider attacking one - even though Gryphons have a weakness for Impact. At night they do essentially equal damage to each other, and you may not be able to get the finishing blow with one of your slower units. Do so as a calculated risk when you only need 1 hit to kill. Otherwise it's quite a risk.

Generally you'll want a healthy dose of Dwarvish Fighters and Thunderers, along with several gryphons for map control. An Ulfserker, perhaps a Guardsman, and some Outlaws will provide added flexibility. Whichever chaotic units (if any) you recruit, make sure to protect them at day.

If your opponent purchases scouts, feel lucky - they are next to useless against you. Beware of ambushes, and don't scout unsure forests with your Gryphon in daytime. Take as much tactical forest as you can with the appropriate units, and make a stranglehold on mountains. Ulf when you get a good chance, and be ready to counter in day as well as pressing at night. Each battle will play out differently in this matchup according to what your opponent recruits, so see what he has early, and keep track of any Woses. Also, do not let your Ulfs be slowed or they are certainly dead.

Knalgans vs Northerners

A A- A- A- B B B- D-

The biggest problem you will have with Northerners will be their numbers. Northies will gladly trade units with you and gain a monetary advantage. Make them depend on luck by staying on good terrain, and their high upkeep may start to become a factor.

Dwarvish Ulfserker: Recruit one of these guys if you're really having a problem finishing their units off, or your opponent likes to use Assassins. He's expensive, and Northerners are melee oriented, so most of their units will be able to take a majority of this unit's HP away, if not kill him outright. Assassins' Poison will quickly erode your army's HP though, so having one may prove valuable. Since Assassins cost 17 gold you'll only lose 2 in attrition, and you'll likely take lots of hp from another unit with you.

Dwarvish Fighter: Again a necessity. His damage dealt in defense is how you'll deal a majority of your damage. If possible, get a rotation of these guys in the front line. You'll deal more damage than your opponent on average, but he will come with more units - 4 Grunts cost the same as 3 DFs.

Dwarvish Guardsman: Another good guy to have one of if not more. He can survive nighttime assaults better than the fighter, and will still do respectable damage back to the enemy. Use your ranged attack on Grunts to make them turn around and heal.

Dwarvish Thunderer: Nice to have. Their combination of good resistances and ranged damage make them good counter-attackers. For cheaper ranged counter-attackers, use Poachers as they will also be used to hold forest hexes. Recruiting DTs may crowd your hill hexes, especially since that's what the Northies will be grabbing.

Thief: Not a great buy against Northies. His melee-only nature along with his Chaotic alignment make him most effective in the same way Northeners are. Avoid the urge to recruit these guys. Also, no costly priority targets from your enemy make this units almost worthless.

Poacher: Again, these guys you'll want to recruit a few of. When the Northies come after you at night, you can make a strong counter-attack with their 5-4 ranged.

Footpad: This guy can be a utility unit against Northerners, but the money is better spent elsewhere. Footpads can harass Grunts and Wolfs, take forest hexes, and block Assassins from poisoning your Dwarves. Not the best buy, but you may be able to get your money's worth.

Gryphon: Again, it's usually good to have one of these guys to scout, plug up grassland, and be a defensive damage dealer. He's also good for trapping/killing Assassins and being a target for their poison. He is very costly, compared to your outlaws and enemy grunts.

The biggest thing you need to worry about will be poison; this cannot be overemphasized. If you get a good foothold on mountains and hills, poison will be the weapon of choice to knock you off your perch. Be ready to fill in with a replacement unit, and try to kill assassins before any other units. Melee strikes will have to get through your resistance - poison does not. You also don't deal any damage back when poison hits you. If you know you're going to be facing poison on the next turn, have a plan for how you will be rotating units to villages to detox and heal.

Recruit a Dwarvish Fighter and a mix of other good units. Stay on villages or mountains for the first assault to minimize the effect any poison will have and reduce the chance of it hitting. Let your opponent attack you, and then counter-attack with your Poachers and Thunderers if you have them - even a Guardsman's ranged attack will add up. Send Ulfserkers against Assassins whenever you get a decent chance, as the Poison will hurt more than their melee attacks. If the northerner overrecruits assassins, you should be able to power through his ranks, so normally eliminating an assassin removes the immediate threat of poison.

Allow your opponent to attack you from forest hexes if they are next to mountains that you occupy. Your 70% defense will outdo his 50% defense, and his confidence will be higher to attack since he won't be on grass. Even if an Assassin uses that hex, if an Ulfserker is within reach, he should be able to take him out from on top the mountain.

To kill Trolls, you will want to focus exclusively on them until they die. Thus it is best to ignore them and kill others than to only do a minimal amount of damage to Trolls each turn. Their regeneration will give them essentially limitless HP if you do this. Kill his friends and then focus on him. If there are several, take them out one at a time. Try to avoid water battles with Nagas, unless there is only one. You won't want any Gryphons you get to be pinned, especially where you cannot help them, so be cautious with water battles.

To sum up, kill poisoners fast, get units that deal good melee damage in defense, and get good counter-attacking ranged units

Knalgans vs Drakes

Knalgans vs Loyalists

Knalgans vs Knalgans

Knalgans vs Dunefolk