You can smell their stench from miles. The very smell warns of terrible death at the point of a stone hatchet or sling bullet. Troggs are deaths variant of dwarves. They are steady producers and are focused on the attack and manoeuvre as dwarves are, but they are more focused on the offence rather than the counter attack. Because of this I suggest using a two front assault using magic and melee, all the while racing to the coveted eighth face.
Racials
Swamp Mastery:
When at a Terrain that constrains Earth (Yellow), Goblins may count melee results as if they were Manoeuvre results.
Much like the Dwarven Mountain Mastery, the goblins burrow though the land to get to their objectives. This will be nice if you can get terrain advantage with your opponents and you will be able to race them much more efficiently.
Foul Stench:
When an army containing Goblins take a Melee action, the opposing player must select a number of their units after they have resolved their save roll. The selected units cannot preform a counter-attack action during this melee action. The number of units selected this way may is equal to the number of goblin units in the goblin player’s DUA, up to a maximum of 3 per dragon you bring.
Racial Spells:
Decay: Black: 3: Goblin
target any opposing army, subtract 2 (stacking) melee results from the target’s rolls until the beginning of your next turn.
While not as effective as dancing lights, it is effective for a build up for a Trogg Melee action. This will help keep your Troggs safe while they keep attacking.
Scent of Fear: Yellow: 5:
Target up to three health-worth of opposing units at any terrain, the target units are moved to their Reserve Area.
No Save necessary, if you can make the most dangerous, or most armored, units in the opposing army flee to the reserve area, giving you more safety on the attack.
Heavy Melee:
Marauder: Rare: 3 Health: 2 Manoeuvre, 4 Melee, 3 Melee, 3 Save, 4 Smite
Cutthroat: Uncommon: 2 Health: 2 Save, 2 Melee, 2 Melee, 3 Manoeuvre, 2 Melee
Thug: Common: 1 Health: 1 Save, 1 Melee, 1 Melee, 1 Manoeuvre, 2 Melee
Fast on favourable terrain and deadly in the throes of Melee. The heavy Melee goblins will be a scary sight to those who oppose them. We’ll revisit these guys later in strategy
Light Melee:
Filcher: Rare: 3 Health: 3 Manoeuvre, 3 Melee, 3 Melee, 3 Save, 4 Counter
Ambusher: Uncommon: 2 Health: 3 Melee, 3 Manoeuvre, 2 Manoeuvre, 2 Save, 2 Missile
Mugger: Common, 1 Health: 1 Melee, 1 Manoeuvre, 1 Manoeuvre, 2 Melee, 1 Save
Trogg Light melee are a bit faster on the manoeuvre rolls but still lack in hitting power. They also don’t offer much in missile support like most other light infantry.
Missile:
Deadeye: Rare: 3 Health: 2 Melee, 4 Missile,3 Missile, 3 Save, 4 Bullseye
Slingman: uncommon: 2 Health: 2 Melee, 3 Missile, 3 Missile, 2 Manoeuvre, 2 Save.
Pelter: common: 1 Save, 1 Missile, 2 Missile, 1 Save, 1 Manoeuvre
The missile units of the Troggs are standard producers as much of their race is. However they are a bit more manoeuvrable in Earthy terrain. Use them well and control the distance to see victory.
Cavalry:
Leopard Rider: Rare: 3 health: 3 Missile, 3 Rend, 3 Rend, 3 Save, 4 Melee
Wolf Rider: Uncommon: 2 Health: 2 Melee, 3 Manoeuvre, 3 Manoeuvre, 2 Melee, 2 Save
Wardog Rider: Common: 1 Health: 1 Melee, 2 Manoeuvre, 1 Manoeuvre, 1 Melee, 1 Save
The Leopard Rider’s rend comes up more often than not. However I suggest using your cavalry to supplement your other troops to keep the ranges to your liking.
Magic:
Death Mage: Rare: 3 Health: 2 Save, 4 Magic, 3 Magic, 3 Manoeuvre, 4 Cantrip
Hedge Wizard: Uncommon: 2 Health: 2 Save, 3 Magic, 3 Magic, 2 Manoeuvre, 2 Magic
Trickster: Common: 1 Health: 1 Melee, 1 Magic, 1 Magic, 1 Manoeuvre, 2 Magic
These guys will be your major workers in your games. The use of magic will detour your opponents from having too many successful attacks against you while you can rack up the minuses to your opponent.
Monsters:
4 Health
Cannibal: Swallow, Save, Stun, Melee, Save, Manoeuvre, Net, Surprise, Sleep
The Cannibal thrives in melee combat, it can stop a counter-attack before it starts occasionally, and it can also be used for spot removal as well through the use of sleep, stun, net, and swallow.
Death Naga: Manoeuvre, Magic, Poison, Melee, Save, Poison, Magic, Manoeuvre, Melee
Partial magic support and more at home in a melee environment. The Naga screams to be included in a monster army with Lava Elves to benefit from Necromantic Wave. On the other hand they are really fast in Yellow Terrain and will help Manoeuvre to a more favorable spot or just race for the eighth face.
Harpies: Fly, Save, Melee, Fly, Melee, Screech, Melee, Screech, Fly
This monster wants to race, then brawl. Harpies have a reasonable chance to contribute in melee, by either subtracting saves or assisting in damage, and they literally run away with contribution chance on a Manoeuvre roll when in Yellow Terrain
Shambler: Save, Melee, Save, Smother, Smother, Melee, Save, Melee, Smite
Another Monster designed for melee, the Shambler offers spot removal in Smother and, again, with Swamp Mastery active, they can assist in Manoeuvre rolls.
Troll: Regenerate, Melee, Save, Smite, Save, Melee, Regenerate, Manoeuvre, Smite
Trolls are wrecking balls of speed ( in a swamp), power, and durability. They are the only unit in the game with regenerate! That’s is better than the resurrection spell! There are very few auto include units in the game. This is one of them! You can never go wrong with a Troll!
Terrains:
Terrain choice is one of the most important choices you make in the game of Dragon Dice. They will determine your tactics and what racials you will have access over the game. Goblins have a Great racial in their black and they can race rather well with their yellow passive. Due to their aggressive nature I suggest swamplands terrain. With it the Troggs can manoeuvre through the faces to a favourable position relatively easy. If you favor a melee strategy, I suggest a swampland dragon’s lair for it’s ability to get dragons in play, but goblins are selfish, so go and kill that dragon to promote your own guys.
Minor Terrains:
just as important as minor terrains can bring your passives to play in environments that normally don’t allow for such. Because goblins are black they are not limited to needing 2 colours. So you have a few ways to get yellow into the playfield. I suggest a swampland, 2 flatlands, and a deadlands. The deadlands will enhance your stench while keeping a unit available to you in play while the swampland and flatlands will add yellow to your weakest areas, any terrain without yellow.
Tactics:
A good tactic to use with Troggs is to use a magic phase to cast scent of fear to remove units, then follow up with lots of decay. The more the better. From there you can then attack with a small (8 Health-worth) to medium (12 Health-worth) force of melee units to win a battle of attrition.
Another Strategy is to use lots of Palsies to lower save results for a massive missile barrage. Then follow up with a smaller force of melee to clean up the remains of an army relying on the goblin’s stench to avoid counter-attack.
