Blood of Titans
Previewing House Brobnar in KeyForge
Loot the Bodies! Hit the Floor! Loot the Bodies! Hit the Floor!
–Brobnar War Chant
Order your own copy of KeyForge: Call of the Archons at your local retailer or online through our website today!
In KeyForge, you journey to the Crucible, an artificial planet built from the pieces of countless civilizations scattered across the stars. Here, the Archons clash in endless conflict as they race to unlock the hidden Vaults, gaining their ultimate knowledge and power. Each side battles with unique teams, assembled from three of the Crucible’s seven Houses, using their creatures, talents, and technology to gather precious Æmber, stave off their opponent, and forge the three keys that will earn them victory!
Across the diverse world of the Crucible, you will find every kind of creature imaginable, all mixed together by the enigmatic Architects for some unknown reason. In the coming weeks, we will be looking at each of the Houses featured in KeyForge: Call of the Archons in detail, examining how they may fit into your unique Archon decks and contribute to the team as a whole.
To begin, we meet the varied warbands of Brobnar, a fearsome House filled with boisterous giants and mischievous goblins. These communities often remain aloof, cautious of the outside world, but today we're proud to offer you a closer look at the mighty House Brobnar of KeyForge: Call of the Archons—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website!
Sound the Warhorn
The oral traditions of House Brobnar speak of a distant, mythical land known as Vanhalla, but since their arrival on the Crucible their population has become so diverse, filled with giants, goblins, and any other proud creatures who are willing to fight, that their origins have only a vague relation to the House as it stands today.
What has remained with House Brobnar across the stars and years is their spirit and belief that might is right. The people of Brobnar value strength above all and each clan is ruled by the strongest among them. This may mean that a leader has proven themselves in the Champion’s Ring or on the battlefield, but even a strong personality or brilliance can earn a leader the respect of their peers. Appearing weak is the same as being weak— after all, this is a House built upon the Blood of Titans (Call of the Archons, 50).
While they may value physical strength more than many of the other Houses, members of House Brobnar are also great proponents of technology, especially if it is loud or destructive, and they often equip their own axes and hammers with such upgrades. With such powerful weapons at their disposal, the members of Brobnar need to be quite careful in their technology. As this is often not the case, accidents do occur. But when a limb is lost to the glory of the fight, the people of Brobnar are able to make use of cybernetic replacements or upgraded implements like the Gauntlet of Command (Call of the Archons, 22), to not only restore their strength, but increase their ability to fight alongside their allies when they unite under the banner of a chosen Archon.
In Brobnar society, each member is only entitled to what they are able to take and defend, meaning that it is perfectly acceptable to raid the unguarded stockpile of a rival (or friendly) tribe or Loot the Bodies (Call of the Archons, 10) left after a particularly nasty clash between Archons. On the Crucible, death is a bit more… temporary than on other planets. So even when stealing from the dead, one must choose their targets wisely, for they may come back to claim what’s theirs.
Relentless Assault
Members of House Brobnar are dangerous enemies and valuable allies. Some hire themselves out as mercenaries, becoming mavericks for other Houses. Many spend their time living among other peoples, showing off the strength of House Brobnar and learning about life on the Crucible.
When they take to the battlefield under the command of their chosen Archon, the members of House Brobnar specialize in using their physical strength and prowess to gain Æmber. For example, the Headhunter (Call of the Archons, 35) gains an Æmber every time he fights, while events like Warsong (Call of the Archons, 18) can lend this ability to all of your friendly creatures for a short time. In KeyForge, you have to make the most of every turn, and when you command House Brobnar, a single massive attack can provide you with all the Æmber you need to forge a key and move one step closer to victory.
Even if you find that you do not have enough creatures to launch such a coordinated assault, individual warriors of House Brobnar have their fair share of tricks up their sleeves to make sure their Archons do not fall behind. Smaaash (Call of the Archons, 46) can stun a creature when he enters play, keeping them unable to reap or fight until they spend an action to remove the condition. In rapid clashes where the advantage can shift in a moment, this may mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Brothers in Battle
As strong as they are apart, the true power of House Brobnar shines when every team member works together. When this happens, the whole Crucible trembles. This continues to hold true even when you look beyond House Brobnar and examine how multiple Houses can work together within an Archon Deck. A Smith (Call of the Archons, 14) may prove indispensable if you have House Untamed in your deck, which features cards like Flaxia (Call of the Archons, 352) to compound the Smith’s ability, or the rare Teliga (Call of the Archons, 366) that punishes your opponent for playing creatures. The true strength of a deck comes from how the Houses are able to work together, playing off one another and discovering synergies that make every deck more than the sum of their parts.
But perhaps the greatest strength of House Brobnar is their variety of cards that allow you to ready and fight with friendly creatures. Perhaps the best example of this is Follow the Leader (Call of the Archons, 8), which allows each friendly creature to fight, regardless of which House they align with. This grants you access to the fight abilities of all of your ready creatures and gives you the added strength you may need to destroy a particularly powerful creature. If you fight alongside House Sanctum, you may be able to use Champion Tabris (Call of the Archons, 240) to capture an Æmber, or switch up your battleline with the Sanctum Guardian (Call of the Archons, 256). Then, if you end your turn with a Relentless Assault (Call of the Archons, 13), you can do it all again!
When two Archons discover one of the Architects' hidden Vaults, conflict is inevitable. If you wish to ensure that your clashes big, brutal, and loud, there is no finer ally than House Brobnar. Ultimately, how you command your teams is up to you, but the colorful and boisterous appeal of a giant's brawl is hard to resist.
Phoenix Heart
House Brobnar is always ready for a glorious fight, and as the time approaches when they will be able to take to the battlefield, you can hear the call of the horn and the beat of the wardrums. Will you be able to use these mighty warriors to their full potential? Keep your eyes on our website as we count down to the release of KeyForge: Call of the Archons with in-depth looks at each of the Houses who will enter the fray upon the game’s release!
KeyForge will hit shelves in the fourth quarter of 2018. To be sure you are not left in the dust, you can pre-order your copy of KeyForge: Call of the Archons (KF01) and your personal collection of Archon Decks (KF02a) at your local retailer or here on the Fantasy Flight Games website today!