Elven Jesters Tactics

Elven Jesters
Setting:	Grimdark Future
Games:	Grimdark Future, Grimdark Future: Firefight
Species:	Elf
Version:	v2.50

Note: as v2.50 is in constant development the following might not be accurate.

Why Play Elven Jesters

Jesters are very evasive, even more so than other elves. Though you aren't anywhere near as diverse in approach, your entire army is way more focused on the charge.

Pros:

• Almost your entire army is some shade of Fast along with Dodge, Stealth and Strider
• Plentiful Rending on the guns
• Universal Furious offers plenty of melee output

Cons:

• Your army has pitiful armor at only 5+, requiring protection from Stealth and Dodge
• Costly units
• Incredibly narrow unit selection
• One psychic model

Army Special Rules

• Apex Killers: The model and any attached unit improves their AP by 1 when fighting in melee.
• Dodge: Your army gets +2 to defense rolls when fighting in melee, which helps protect them from being splattered by the enemy.
• Graceful Brutality: The model and any attached unit may move by up to 3” after shooting, allowing for protection even when opening fire.
• Very Fast: Fast+1. Some of your models can move +4" and rush/charge +8". Your entire army can cover obscene distances without even blinking. You absolutely will be needing it considering your army's pretty lightweight.
  • Speed Boost: How a model can improve their speed to Very Fast, usually by buying a bike.

Psychic Spells

• Psychic Fog (4+): Two enemy units within 12" takes -2 to their next morale check. Your army focuses on ripping up units quickly, so making the enemy fail morale is a very important part of this.
• Discord (4+): Enemy unit within 6" takes 3 AP(2) hits. Not quite a sniping spell, but still helpful for shooting.
• Shadow Dance (5+): Two friendly units within 12" get +1 to defense next time they take hits. Absolutely vital because of your overall flimsiness.
• Sorrow (5+): Enemy model within 12" takes 2 AP(4) hit. Great for finishing off heavies and heroes.
• Veil of Madness (6+): Two enemy units within 6" get -3" next time they Advance, or -6" next time they Charge/Rush. With its short range it wont be preventing charges but it can prevent the enemy from running away.
• Light Shards (6+): Two enemy units within 6" take eight hits each. Pretty easy way to clean up mobs.

Unit Analysis

Heroes

• Master Jester: Your lone hero, provided quite a bit. Not only are they given extreme mobility between Fast and Strider, but they also get protection from both Stealth and Dodge. Their offensive game is nothing to mock either, as they have a pair of CCWs with Furious to threaten anything up close. If you're looking for even more speed, you can buy a Jetbike, giving Very Fast as well as a Shard Cannon for long-range fire.
  • Melee: By default, the Master Jester gets two CCWs with only A2, but each one can be swapped out for whatever is necessary. The Deathly Touch gives a cheap means of Blast(3) to wipe out crowds, the Deathly Caress provides AP(1) Rending to take care of most infantry, the Deathly Embrace offers AP(4) against high-defense heroes, and the Deathly Kiss offers a surefire way to demolish tanks with AP(2) Deadly(3). One of these CCWs can also be swapped out for an Energy Sword, giving an extra attack on top of the Deathly Caress.
  • Ranged: The Master Jester starts out with a Shard Pistol, offering only one shot with Rending. This can be replaced with either a Neuron Pistol (replacing Rending with Poison), Fusion Pistol (Short-ranged tank-popping with AP(3) Deadly(3)) or the long-ranged Shriek Cannon, providing Poison and more importantly Sniper to pick off priority targets. In addition, you can purchase either the bike and it's built-in long-range cannon or the Hallucination-GL for some mid-range crowd control, which you lack on foot.
  • Upgrades: The Master Jester also includes three different upgrades based on what you intend to use them on. Apex Killers works the best for a melee-focused unit where the AP boost will matter. Graceful Brutality will see the most use in cases where the shooting is more of a priority, such as with the Shriek Cannon or on a bike. Jester Seer gives you your singular source of spells with Psychic(1). Solitaire provides Ambush and Regeneration, turning the Master Jester into something of a kamikaze to throw at the enemy.

Infantry

• Fools: Your budget troops, all coming as-is. Each comes with only Shard Pistols with Rending and CCWs, so they act as close-quarters fodder. Don't expect much more than that though, as they have a 5+ on quality and defense.

• Jesters: Advanced fools with an improved 3+ quality. Any of them can grab Neuron Pistol if you like Poison more than Rending, or they could get Fusion Pistols to pop tanks. They can also buy improvements to their CCWs in the same way the Master Jester can. This makes them more reliable for the front lines and more than likely the unit to accompany a Master Jester with Apex Killers.

• Jokers: Flying Jesters with Exploding Bolas for some small blasts. Sadly, their range is no better than the rest of the army, meaning that they cannot afford to stay in any place for long. Flying also means that they won't be able to accompany any heroes as nothing gets that rule alongside them.

• Pranksters: Ambush is the means that they should be brought in. Their only weapon is an Energy Glaive, so they need the Impact it provides to contribute in any meaningful way. Fortunately, they have Regeneration to keep them alive against anything that survives the charge.

• Jetbikes: Jetbikes are fun because they have Strider and Very Fast, meaning they can pretty much be anywhere you want. Fortunately, they also get a 4+ defense, making them relatively well-protected. Each one starts out with long-range Shard Cannons with Rending, but you can replace any of them with shorter-ranged but more rapid-fire EMP Cannons. In addition, you can also buy either Exploding Bolas to supplement the shooting with crowd control or Energy Glaives for Impact.

Vehicles

• Heavy Jetbike: A bigger and beefier jetbike, and it can act as a well-armed transport if you sacrifice the Energy Glaive and its Impact value for the space. If you're not keen on that, you can instead use that Energy Glaive complement its Twin Shard Cannons with one of a few other guns. The Focus Cannon provides you with your only long-ranged means for crowd control with Blast(6). The EMP Cannon provides rapid-fire Rending at mid-range, similar to the Shard Cannons. The Lance Cannon gives you your most effective anti-tank weapon, using AP(3) Deadly(6).

List Building & Tactics

General Advice

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Tactics

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See Also

• Elven Jesters
• Elven Jesters Quickplay Armies
• Grimdark Future Tactics
• Grimdark Future List Building
• Grimdark Future Strategy
• Grimdark Future

Elven Jesters
Overview - Tactics - Firefight Tactics - Miniatures - Quickplay Armies - Firefight Quickplay Armies

Grimdark Future tactics
List Building - Strategy - Special Rules
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