Being that I tend to grab every expansion for a game I really enjoy, buying Goblin Marauders was a certainty. Loving it so much, however, was a surprise.

In case you haven't been keeping track, the box gives you a Goblin Band, Ostrich Rider cavalry, and Hyena Rider cavalry. All these units adhere to the same Goblin rules as the base game, charging into melee and being extra-prone to retreat and panic losses. I must say that taken together with the options offered by their deployment cards, this is my favorite expansion as of yet.

The Goblin Band is identical to the one found in the Goblin Skirmishers pack. It comes with it's own duplicate deployment cards and banners. This allows for some nice variety on the field; you can now deploy six goblin drummers, making six gobliniod foot units as bold as their dwarven foes. Note however, they will still do the goblin hustle if forced to take a 2nd flag beyond their boldness. Alternatively, you could field one band and three drummers, or (wait for it) two bands. Two goblin bands in the same section of the board will make the ENTIRE section bold; a tremendous boon for any army! This is a fairly obvious combo, but I'm happy they allowed us to use it without buying completely duplicate sets!

Hyena Riders are based on blue-banner cavalry; they roll 3 dice and use Long Swords like the standard game. Their specialty is their enhanced pursuit. If an enemy unit retreats or is destroyed by their attack, they advance into their hex and then two hexes beyond, double what all other cavalry currently in the game is capable of. It's a simple bonus, +1 hex of movement, but it changes the way you'll play with them. One time, they attacked a red-banner cavalry unit with 5 figures from the King's Allies card, forcing them to retreat one hex, then caught up with, surrounded, and destroyed it in a single move by blocking their retreat. The ability to circle around defeated units and trap them without a path of retreat is priceless and caught me by surprise several times.

Ostrich Riders are also unique in that they are the first ever ranged cavalry units. Green banners, they can run 4 hexes and still attack at full strength, pelting enemies 3 hexes away with 2 dice. This is the first unit of it's kind; a dedicated harasser. Crafty players will dance these guys right on the edge of the enemies range. It's a psychological thing; when they're played against me I can't help but chase them, losing figures on the way. One other interesting thing is that the ostriches and hyenas share 2 duplicate deployment cards; each simply reads that you can place a mix of 2 ostriches and/or hyenas on your base line.

Between board-wide morale effects, real harassing units, and cavalry that can hit an enemy from both sides in one attack, this is definitely a must have for goblin loves and Battlore fans everywhere. Until the dwarves get those bull riders, goblins are the kings of cavalry!