Festung Europa pre-orders are in full swing, and this is a book that promises to see a lot more dead men walking across tables all over the world. We’ve already looked at the awesome new plastic Totenkorps sprue, and with influencers starting to delve into advance copies of the book, we’ve seen some fantastic new artwork of them as well. Don’t worry – you can also see it below!
You might notice there’s a particular Axis walker which arrived on pre-order at the same time as the book featured pretty heavily in that artwork – the Sd.Kfz. 501/1 Nachtzehrer. This plastic kit is packed with poseability, and also makes another vehicle – the Sd.Kfz. 501/4 Infernospinne – which trades all the special rules we’re about to talk about for a really big flamethrower and bad intentions. Let’s take a closer look at the Nachtzehrer in all its sinister glory, and see what the sprues hold:
So, what is this mechanical monstrosity, and what does it do? A cousin of the infamous Spinne and Vogelspinne walkers so familiar to Axis players, the Nachtzehrer has a very simple job – reanimating fallen soldiers for service in the Totenkorps! It accomplishes this by means of injectors on its blade-like forearms, which are connected to a huge tank of Albrecht von Zögling’s newest serum. When a suitable corpse is pumped full of this liquid, it rises to fight once more, old loyalties discarded in favour of an unthinking obedience to the Axis cause. The Nachtzehrer are thus at the forefront of the massed Totenkorps formations doing battle across Europe, something covered in detail in Festung Europa.
So what does this actually mean on the tabletop? What does the Nachtzehrer do?
Quite simply – it kills things, turns them into Totenkorps, and makes nearby Totenkorps units better! It does this courtesy of a couple of nifty special rules, and a very powerful Active Rift Enhancement, as well as the aforementioned stabbing arms!
You’ll be able to find all of these rules in detail in the free PDF army lists, alongside plenty of other new units and characters, which will of course be updated when Festung Europa is released, and on the Warlord Games App, but for now let’s take a look at them in general terms:
Dead Medicine
When nearby Totenkorps units attempt to bring back models using The Dead Rise – Again!, they get a bonus to the roll, making them more likely to regenerate casualties.
Medical Implements
While the Nachtzehrer’s arms aren’t quite as powerful in close quarters as normal walker arms, they come with a deadly benefit. Every time the Nachtzehrer destroys an enemy infantry model (with a few exceptions!), it can make a test. If that test is passed, the model reanimates, and can join a nearby Totenkorps unit as its newest member – and this can even take Totenkorps squads over their maximum size!
Corpse Harvest
The Nachtzehrer’s special rules are certainly powerful, but its Active Rift Enhancement is what really sets it apart. If an infantry unit – friend or foe! – is destroyed within 6”, the Nachtzehrer can Exhaust its Rift Die to turn them into Totenkorps! Not reinforcements to an existing unit, though – we’re talking a whole new unit, with its own Order and Rift Die, freshly raised and ready to kill. There’s a reason we put so many Totenkorps in our new plastic box; we know that if you’re going to run Nachtzehrer, you’re going to need plenty of extra corpses!
All of this gives the Nachtzehrer a very clear battlefield role – you want yours right at the front, supporting your waves of Totenkorps as they shamble towards the enemy. It’s almost like it’s a complete concept that could easily be turned into a starter army… or a
NEW PLATOON STRUCTURE!
That’s right – the Totenrotte Platoon will be joining the Axis army list as a brand new way to field your forces. This can be taken instead of the Assault Platoon as the mandatory platoon in your force, and gives you everything you need to command a mighty horde of the living dead. With two Totenkorps squads and two Nachtzehrer among the mandatory units, it’s not subtle – taking a Totenrotte is a pretty clear statement of intent – but it is brutally effective if you use it well. It also comes with a very handy special rule, allowing your Totenkorps to become scoring units for objectives under the right circumstances. Want to field an army composed of nothing but the risen dead and their handlers? Now you can!
The Totenrotte Platoon is the first new platoon to be announced, but if you don’t play Axis, don’t worry – we’ve got another one to show off before Festung Europa launches. This is just one of the ways we’ll continue to expand Konflikt ‘47, giving players even more ways to field their models and tailor their forces to both their preferred playstyle, and the lore that makes up each of the supplements. This is just the beginning, and you can expect to see plenty more new platoons on the way as the game grows.
So – now the truth behind the Nachtzehrer and its place in the ranks of the sinister Totenrotte has been revealed, there’s only one question to ask…
