Monday Mercenary Mutterings: General "Awesome" Ossrum

I've liked Ossrum pretty much since I started playing Mercs, mainly because he reminded me strongly of a more condensed version of Khador's Irusk (1 and 2). He gives a lot of support to the army, whether it's in his spells, his feat, or just outright buffs like tactician.

Mk III didn't change him much, and the ways it did I actually really like. His feat is virtually the same, but now allows him to benefit from the speed portion of it, Martial Discipline is now just plain old Tactician (Rhulic) which isn't very different, and his spell Energizer changed from a variable cost battlegroup movement to a solid cost 2, move 2. Mostly, these changes are just tweaks to make him run more consistently, and he still does what he used to do - but is now LOADS better at it, considering he can take all the Warjacks he always wanted to take.

That seems like a bit of a theme in Mk III, doesn't it? Lets dive in.

First things first, I'm going to rule out right now the Ossrum + 17 Gunner list. That thing is ludicrous and rather expensive to actually bring to the table (not to mention the problem of fitting 17 medium bases into a single Control Area, though Ossrum can do it thanks to Tactician), and I'm pretty sure someone at PP is going to notice how deranged and over-the-top that could be and put at least a somewhat sane limit on Blasters and Gunners before too long.


Now that that's out of the way, on to the Feat - normally, the spell list would have more say over what to take in a list, but Ossrum's feat is really good, and more... specifically discriminating than other feats.

The basics are pretty simple - for one round, friendly faction Rhulic models in his control area gain Pathfinder, a SPD buff, and an ARM buff. Since most Rhulic models are A). lacking in speed, and B) have really good ARM to begin with, this is a great feat for Rhulic models like Horgenhold Forge Guard, Hammerfall Highshield Gun Corps, and all of the Warjacks. It also means it can be used aggressively to get better board position and (in very rare situations) strike first, but also defensively to keep your models alive or weather an enemy feat turn or alpha strike in one piece.

However, it is also very, very specifically Rhulic, so no crazy fast Nyss or better-armored Steelheads. This trade-off isn't as bad in Mk III than it was in Mk 2, since Rhulic models have always been good at dealing with jacks and high ARM, both of which are more prevalent in the new edition. More importantly, Rhulic Jacks are amazing and you can now run a LOT more of them than before. But it does mean that if you want to take full advantage of it, your list is going to be benefiting from a much smaller pool of models and solos.

For spells, Ossrum has (in my opinion) one of the best support spell lists in the faction, and possibly the game. Bullet Dodger for himself or a combat solo to keep them alive longer; Energizer to move his many warjacks to better firing positions; Fire for Effect to absolutely crush something with an AOE attack each turn; Snipe is self-explanatory; and Stranglehold and Unstoppable Force for denial and board positioning. I can see myself using every spell on this list in any given game (though the last 2 are a bit situational), and picking models that specifically work well for his amazing buffs seems like the best way to make an Ossrum list.

Baah, I talk too much - the lists!!


List #1 - Ye Bog Standard Bunnyswarm
Ossrum1 (General Ossrum) -28
* Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker 4

* Wroughthammer Rockram 14
* Ghordson Driller 10
* Grundback Blaster 6
* Grundback Blaster 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6

Ogrun Bokur 5

Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord 4
Lanyssa Ryssyll 3
Horgenhold Forge Guard (Leader and 9) 16
Horgenhold Artillery Corps 6
Herne & Jonne 5

There's a few models I think work ludicrously well with Ossrum in just about any list - Horgenhold Artillery Corps (for just amazing Fire for Effect synergy), the Ogrun Bokur (to keep Ossrum alive), and Sylys Wyshnalyrr (because a free upkeep and longer range are good things with Ossrum). Forge Guard also pretty much universally benefit from his feat, so they go in every list with him besides an outright purpose-built gunline (even then...). Finally, Herne and Jonne provide a backup target for Fire for Effect (when things close) and a good snipe target in the meantime. I'm a bit torn on whether Herne and Jonne or the Artillery Corps are better with Fire for Effect (range has a lot to do with it, especially when maximizing template placement), but having both fills a niche.

Gunbunnies and Spraybunnies are good in any situation, and really kick it up a notch with Energizer for re-positioning. The Driller and Rockram are personal choices - 2 Drillers wouldn't be a bad choice, but the Rockram has some nice board control with that Sledge Cannon (Batter) and Crit-Stagger is one of the nastiest abilities in the game.

Finally, Lanyssa Ryssyll is there because his feat seems to really like getting the alpha strike in to be fully effective, and despite the speed buff in the feat and Energizer, these are Rhulic models.

List #2 - Bunnyswarm v1.1
Ossrum1 (General Ossrum) -28
* Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker 4

* Wroughthammer Rockram 14
* Ghordson Driller 10
* Grundback Blaster 6
* Grundback Blaster 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
Ogrun Bokur 5
Thor Steinhammer 4
Horgenhold Forge Guard (Leader and 9) 16
Horgenhold Artillery Corps 6
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt 8

This list is a bit paired down, but including Aiyana and Holt gives the list a non-feat damage buff (or a stacking one, when dealing with Colossals). It also swaps Rhupert with Thor, who (if nothing else) can handily help power the Rockram's gun or give the Rockram or Driller a bigger edge when charging.

List #3 - Less Bunny, More Boom!
Ossrum1 (General Ossrum) -28
* Sylys Wyshnalyrr, the Seeker 4
* Wroughthammer Rockram 14
* Ghordson Driller 10
* Ghordson Basher 9
* Grundback Blaster 6
* Grundback Blaster 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
Eiryss, Mage Hunter of Ios 7
Ogrun Bokur 5
Horgenhold Forge Guard (Leader and 9) 16
Horgenhold Artillery Corps 6
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt 8

Evolving from the previous list and moving a bit away from the gunbunny swarm concept, I'd be interested in trying out the Basher with Ossrum. He offers it a lot of placement and speed bonuses, not to mention the feat turn - during which it becomes an absolute monster - but given how the rest of the list runs, I'm not sure a 2nd driller wouldn't be better, and it's easy to switch out if you swap the Artillery Corps for Herne and Jonne for that extra point. If nothing else, it essentially runs itself like it's smaller cousins, which is a huge point in it's favor over the more focus-demanding Drillers.

Eiryss1 is there as a Snipe target - because who doesn't like a 'ha-ha-you-get-no-focus' shot at RAT 9 from 16" out?


List #4 - Earthbreaker Gunline
Ossrum1 (General Ossrum) -28
* Reinholdt, Gobber Speculator 4
* Ghordson Earthbreaker 38
* Grundback Blaster 6
* Grundback Blaster 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
* Grundback Gunner 6
Ogrun Bokur 5
Thor Steinhammer 4
Gobber Tinker 2
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt 8
Horgenhold Artillery Corps 6

Eh, why not? Ossrum still runs the Earthbreaker better than his short compatriots, even without Thor's old ability making it ridiculous, and gunlines are fun. The Bokur is there to prevent Eiryss1 shots and other nasty stuff, Thor can keep the big beastie going and boost it's first shot while Ossrum upkeeps Snipe on it, and the Tinker is the repair caddy. Reinholdt is there over Sylys because stealth issues take precedence, and honestly since he only needs to shell out for the Earthbreaker (that he can hide behind), Ossrum's fury isn't as much of an issue.

That being said, the Earthbreaker is a lot of points, and even in competition I don't think it's as good as 6 more gunners (but WOW that's a lot of jacks...). I'm not convinced this list can out-shoot Cygnar or do a lot against a choir-heavy Menoth list, but it's hellishly durable and can pump out a lot of shots each turn.


Anyway, there you have it, 4 interesting Ossrum lists. Numbers 2 and 3 are on my short list for the next game I play (maybe tomorrow??), but until then, comments are always welcome!