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The streets of King's Landing are generally considered safe for travellers. This is because of the ever-present Gold Cloaks, whose distinctive attire makes them easily seen from afar. Where they go, justice follows. But who's form of justice?
Unboxing
For those who already play A Song of Ice and Fire, you already know what a pleasure it is to unbox. For those who do not yet, you are in for a treat! Like all CMON ASOIAF miniatures, the gold cloaks come pre-assembled in red plastic and sit neatly in a plastic tray that fits each pose perfectly and securely. It is so good, even after painting, you will find yourself using this as your primary mode of transport for your minis. Each box includes a suitable movement tray, unit card, and card for any unit attachments. This box has 12 Gold Cloaks miniatures and a unit attachment, Gate Warden.
Models
Something I hate about ASOIAF is something I also love about it. As I said above, these models come pre-assembled. Unlike some other systems, where pre-assembled models have gaps, massive mould lines, or don't look right, these models are stunning. Fine detail is still visible with facial features, beards, and chain main all clean and visible. They, of course, have their signature cloaks, and wielding heavy spiked batons means anyone breaking the king's peace may receive some broken bones, at least.
The unit comes in four poses for the main unit and a unique pose for the gate warden. Although it does not sound like a great variety, the poses fit well together on the base and still have a very dynamic feel to them.
Although armed well, the models really show that this unit was not designed for heavy combat. It had no shield or heavy plate armour, only a basic helmet, chainmail, spiked club, and knife. Gold Cloaks are armoured well enough to keep peasants in line but could be better for frontline battle.
Gameplay and Tactics
As the models show, Gold cloaks are not the unit you want leading the charge. Their strength is subjugation and fear; they can also help clean up a mess when needed. The rules for Gold Cloaks reflect this.
They are a 5-cost unit, bargain price, meaning they can be squeezed in as your fourth unit most times, or even five if you want to play with low NCUs.
The primary stat line for the Gold Coaks is in the middle of the road.
Armour 4+ To hit 4+ with attacks 7-5-4 and moral 7+.
There is nothing terrible there, but also nothing that is a must-take. Again, this fits nicely into the fact that Gold Cloaks are a support unit, as shown in their abilities below.
The Gold Cloaks have an order ability (Orders can be used once per turn) and a passive ability (Always active)
Oppressive Peacekeeping—This is the Gold Cloaks' passive ability. If you control the crown, enemies at short range suffer -1 to any moral test.
This fits very well into Lannister's gameplay. Lannisters focus a lot on morale, so having a unit be able to move about the board and cause additional negatives to morale is excellent! Pairing them up with a Hear Me Roar tactics card, corpse piles, or the crown all make for a great way to ensure a unit fails a panic test. It comes at the cost of taking the crown early or using Joffery Baratheon NCU to always count as having the crown.
Laws of the Realm - Gold Cloaks order ability.
Again, a fantastic support feature: when an enemy attacks within short range, they can spend this order to make the enemy fight at -1 rank or be vulnerable if they only have one rank! This can be huge for fighting against glass cannon units that are only good at fighting at full strength; you can blunt the blow into any unit with short.
Overall, Gold cloaks are a vital support piece in most armies. You can play a game in which they never touch combat, and they are still MVPs. Their area of control is small, so make sure what they support does not get swept away quickly, or they may not be around much longer.
The gate warden, which also comes in the box, provides some survivability for the unit. He allows them to re-roll attack dice when they are fighting something with fewer ranks and also enables them to restore a wound every time they activate; again, only if you control the crown.
At 1pt, he is okay if you are struggling to fill out your list, but there are better attachments for you to lean into the support element of Gold Cloaks. It may be too late if you have to use them to fight.
So, keep them behind a unit like Clegans Mountain Men and watch all your enemies run in terror!
Overall
I love this unit. The models are excellent, and the rules align with what I want my Lannisters to do—a great support piece for most armies. They require some good placement and are not the most forgiving unit on the tabletop, but once you click with them, they are devastating.
