Why play Caledonia?

If you are reading this then either you are interested in playing Caledonia or just curious what I got to say about the army. Either way I hope you will find this useful and perhaps join the Caledonia Highlander Army!

Caledonia is part of the Ariadna faction so you can expect very limited access to hi-tech equipment and weapons, but just like Ariadna, Caledonia offers lots of cheap troops and plenty of camouflage. This way you can almost always outnumber your opponent and keep them guessing with hidden units. What makes Caledonia stand apart from Ariadna and its other sectorials is more aggressive play style. 

It is not the only way you can play Caledonia but the army does excel at getting close to the enemy and most of the units are good in Close Combat. If you like the idea of destroying your opponent with claymores and giant werewolfs, Caledonia army might be for you.

This list of strengths and weaknesses is not exhaustive but it should give you a good idea of what to expect.

Strengths 

• Cheap and effective units
• Aggressive
• Plentiful access to T2 ammunition

Getting close to the enemy requires Orders, in Caledonia you won't struggle finding those Orders because you will have access to Regular Troops as cheap as 6 points. The Volunteers are just very basic Line Troops but they do a good job of giving you lots of Orders. Other cheap troops are Highlanders, who by default are Irregular but they are very cost effective. They are fast, have Smoke Grenades, Chain Rifles and extremely good in Close Combat. The most expensive unit in Caledonia is only 43 points (excluding a Mercenary TAG), which means you will not struggle to fill your army with elite troops supported by plenty of Orders provided by Line Troops.

Playing aggressively is not for everyone, it does require you to play in a certain way but if you are up to it, Caledonia is great at taking the fight to your opponent. The army has a selection of very mobile units and plenty of Smoke Grenades to make it easier for your troops to maneuver on the battlefield. Cameronians are one of the toughest and fastest units in the game. They have 6"-4" Move, Super Jump and Total Immunity, which means they can get wherever you need them to and are hard to kill.

For those new to the game, T2 ammunition causes two Wounds for every failed armour save, instead of one. This makes it lethal to Heavy Infantry which usually has two Wounds, and worries even units with three or more Wounds. In Caledonia there are five units with access to a T2 weapon, so you will not struggle fielding this deadly ammunition type in your army.

Weaknesses

• No units with Airborne Deployment
• Impetuous and Frenzied units 
• Expensive Infiltrators

 

No Airborne Deployment (AD) units is not as bad as it can sound, it does mean you can't flank your opponent with paratroopers but Caledonia does make up for it with being mobile in different ways (see above). But from experience, I find it easier to forget AD units exist because I can't play them in Caledonia so they are not on my mind. 

Playing aggressively is not always a choice in Caledonia, some units force your hand because they are either Impetuous or Frenzied, which makes them Impetuous once they kill something. This can be daunting because it makes your units rampage towards the nearest enemy and they loose all advantages from cover but if you learn to manage this, you can use it to your advantage as it technically gives some of your troops extra free Orders!

Caledonia's Infiltrators are the SAS. Their cheapest option is 20 points and for a Specialist it is 24 points. In comparison, Foxtrot Specialist (from USA Ranger Force) is 18 points. The difference might not seem that big but these points add up quickly. However, the SAS do stand out from other Infiltrators by having Martial Arts special skill and good Close Combat value. This gives them a unique application on the battlefield and you can easily surprise your opponent with infiltrating camouflaged assassins.