The Kurgan A Total War Army List 

Life of the Kurgans The howling Chaos Wastes to the northeast of the Old World hold a great expanse of dark plains

and vast steppes. It is here that the Kurgan hold claim to the largest human territory in the world. They are northmen and servants of the ruinous powers, much like the Norscans who regularly raid the Empire, but are never ones to settle in one place for long. Their entire civilization is that of hordes who cross the frigid landscape on horseback. This lifestyle of being “born on the saddle” allows them to traverse great distances rather quickly in pursuit of new raiding targets. They are proficient in mounted archery, easily rivaling their Ungol cousins in Kislev and even Elves.

No strangers to conflict, a Kurgan tribe is as likely to war against other Kurgans as they are to

attack any other races they come across. This often leads to conflict with the Ogres, Hobgoblin Khans, Grand Cathay, Kislev, and the tribes of northern Norsca. The Varg in particular seem to have a hatred of the Kurgans… one must wonder if this has anything to do with the nature of a particular Varg chieftain.

They revere the gods and daemons as personifications of nature itself, not seeing the dark forces

as “evil” as the men of the south. Mutations are cherished as blessings and a Kurgan who gains a new mutation is immediately elevated in position among his or her kin. The major gods revered by the Kurgan are Khorne the Skull King, Loesh the Serpent, and Nieglin, the Father of Plagues. However, the god held in highest esteem is Tchar, the great eagle who soars over the world, high up in the blue, endless sky. It is he who sees all and knows the hearts of men better than any other. Kurgan shamans believe that through entering trance, they may soar with their great god and commune with him so that they may heed his will and enact change accordingly.

Those who are versed in real-world history should know that the Kurgan correlate to the nomadic Scythian and later Turko-Slavic peoples of the Eurasian steppes, and that their reverence and worship for Tchar is reminiscent of the Turkic god Tengri.

About the Army List Following in the footsteps of Norsca, this book is an attempt to create a new and interesting army

list for another race which has never had one in order to make the ever-expanding world of Total War: Warhammer more interesting. I believe CA has done a fantastic job realizing Norsca thematically, and by following similar steps, it can be done again for the even more under-appreciated Kurgans. Everything in this army is either sourced from Total War itself or from one of these canon sources:

● Liber Chaotica ● Tome of Corruption ● Storm of Magic ● Monstrous Arcanum ● Tamurkhan: Throne of Chaos

This army list is loosely designed to fit as a cavalry counterpart to Norsca’s infantry-focused culture. Marauder cavalry, including new horse archers, are meant to be the backbone of the Kurgan forces. Their infantry options are polarizing, with most being low tier units and the ones which aren’t coming with a heftier price. The Kurgans’ closeness to the heart of the Chaos Wastes allows for the recruitment of several new and vile monsters, many of which have beautiful Forge World models to work off of.

Note: Text in Tchar Blue are notes regarding speculative elements, both in regards to the rules of units and semi-unsubstantiated fluff. They merely represent possibilities for the units they comment on.

Tamurkhan - Champion of Nurgle and claimed son of the legendary Great Kurgan. His true form is a grotesque maggot-like creature which resides in the dead body of an ogre tyrant, and he always rides into battle atop Bubebolos, the greatest of the toad dragons. Armour-Piercing. Cause Terror. Mark of Nurgle. Scaly Skin. Unbreakable. Feast of the Maggot Lord: The unit which deals the killing blow against Tamurkhan takes heavy damage. On the tabletop, if the target died because of this, Tamurkhan would take over their bodies as a new host; this may not be replicable in-game. May need some sort of replacement. Black Cleaver: Item which grants poison attacks. Unspeakable Foulness (Bubebolos): Breath attack. Tongue Lash (Bubebolos): Bound ability which strikes an enemy within melee range with a poisonous strike.

Sayl the Faithless - Hated by his own people and loyal to no god or daemon, Sayl leads the Dolgan tribe as its dreaded arch-sorcerer. Immune to Psychology. Lore of Heavens. Lore of Shadow. Mutant Sight: Bound ability which grants a reduced miscast chance on Sayl’s next spell. Traitor’s Mist: Bound augment spell which grants himself or an allied unit movement speed. Summon Nightmaw: Bound spell which summons Nightmaw to do its master’s bidding. Viperous Staff: Item which grants poisoned attacks and a ward save. Schalkain’s Teeth: Single-use item which allows Sayl to redirect the damage of his next miscast at an another spellcaster.

Marauder Chieftain - Marauder Chieftains carry over from other Chaos factions as a lord choice. While the Norscan tribes are lead by Jarls, the Kurgan tribes have their mighty Zars. This unit does not retain the Rage or Berserk rules found on the Norscan army list.

Shaman-Sorcerer - Shaman-Sorcerers carry over from other Chaos factions as a hero choice. They commune with their gods and daemons and then execute their will through the use of several lores. Choose from: Lore of Death, Lore of Nurgle, Lore of Shadow, Lore of Slaanesh, Lore of Metal, or Lore of Tzeentch.

Marauder Infantry - Marauders, Marauders (Great Weapons), Marauder Spearmen, Marauder Hunters, Marauder Hunters (Throwing Axes) all carry over from other Chaos factions. New are the Marauder Bowmen. None of these units retain the Rage or Berserk rules found on the Norscan army list.

Marauder Cavalry - Marauder Horsemen, Marauder Horsemen (Throwing Axes), Marauder Horsemasters all carry over from other Chaos factions. New are the Marauder Horse Archers, who are very efficient skirmish cavalry which serve as the bread-and-butter of any Kurgan horde in their right mind. None of these units retain the Rage or Berserk rules from the Norscan army list. Reflecting their skill with the bow and other ranged weaponry, they may be more accurate with their projectiles. Fire Whilst Moving. Vanguard Deployment.

Darksouls - Many hostages taken by the steppe tribes find themselves subject to strange rituals which bind daemons to their mortal bodies. The daemons do not inhabit the hosts long, leaving the victims in a state of madness and scarring their bodies due to the dark energies which surged through them. Now they fanatically blabber in heretical tongues and carve masks to honor the daemons who have long since abandoned them. Frenzy. Unbreakable.

The Tong - Tong Warriors, Tong Warriors (Great Weapons), Tong Warriors (Halberds). The stuff of nightmares for many men and greenskins in the steppes, the Tong are a near-mythic tribe whose horrific brutality slaughtered every last tribe who did not flee their warpath. Due to their typical proximity to the Realm of Chaos, their blessings are hideous and many so that they barely resemble men. They occasionally return south to join Chaos incursions The Kurgan are almost always horse-tribes foremost and do not count elite infantry under their number; the Tong act as an expensive high-tier infantry unit to fill this gap when the Kurgan most need it. Cause Terror. Immune to Psychology. Monstrous Infantry?

Mammoths - Feral Mammoths, War Mammoths, Warshrine Mammoths all carry over from other Chaos factions, with the latter two now carrying Marauder Bowmen on their backs. Cause Terror. Favour of Ruinous Powers (Warshrine). Giver of Glory (Warshrine). Siege Attacker.

Other Chaos Monsters - Chaos Warhounds and Feral Manticores also carry over from the other Chaos factions unchanged. Cause Terror (Manticore). Flying (Manticore). Scaly Skin (Warhounds). Very Fast (Warhounds).

Blood Eagles - Large birds of prey tainted by Chaos, seen as a symbol of Tchar’s power. Kurgan tribes are fond of sacrificing live captives to these flocks. May serve well as war machine hunters. Cause Fear. Mark of Tzeentch. Vanguard Deployment.

Basilisk - Horrific, eight-legged serpentine monster whose very presence causes anything in the vicinity to crumble and decay. Basilisks can be found across the entirety of the Warhammer world, but perhaps the cavalry-heavy Kurgan may find use in such a destructive beast to crumble the walls of their enemies. The creatures’ inherent magical prowess is surely a sign of Tchar’s embrace, while their poisonous aura nothing short of Nieglin’s blessing. Cause Terror. Forest Strider. Poisoned Attacks. Scaly Skin. Siege Attacker. Aura of Vitriol: All units near the Basilisk, both friend and foe, suffer reduced weapon strength and are damaged over time. Maleficent Gaze: Bound spell which has a chance to damage and impede a single unit. Functions best against units with lower model counts.

Cockatrice - An avian relative of the Basilisk with similar unique traits, although much smaller and far less keen on entering direct confrontations, preferring to scavenge the dead from the outskirts of battle. Cause Terror. Fly. Poisoned Attacks. Scaly Skin. Acidic Vomit: Breath weapon. Petrifying Gaze: Bound spell which damages and freezes a single target. Functions best against units with lower model counts.

Giant Spined Beast - This breed of Chaos beast constantly twists and howls in pain as muscle and spikes constantly bulge and burst, giving way to a shifting and grotesque visage. The massive spikes erupting from their hide provides a very respectable melee defense. The Kurgan may find this pitiful creature useful as a sort of massive warhound which specializes in countering other giant monsters. Anti-Large. Cause Terror. Frenzy. Regeneration.

Warpfire Dragon - Crackling with unnatural green energy, this line of mutated dragons find themselves addicted to consuming warpstone and corrupt magic. So unnatural are they that even Cathay, a nation who reveres dragon-kind, refers to these as daemonic beings. Too resilient to be bound by even the strongest spells, they may agree to ally with those who can offer them what they crave… is it not a tempting offer for the steppe tribes, who seek to destroy not only Cathay, but the lands beyond? Armour-Piercing. Cause Terror. Flying. Magic Attacks. Regeneration. Scaly Skin. Warpfire Blast: Breath weapon. Chance to misfire. Warpfire Aura: Both friend and foe units within proximity are slowly damaged over time and suffer 25% increased chance to miscast spells. Warpstone Resistance: Takes far less damage from warpstone-based attacks. Explosive Demise: Violently explodes upon death, damaging friend and foe alike.

Bile Trolls - A beast of Kurgan myth said to dwell in the distant Cold Mire. They hold the mark of Nieglin, but not as a blessing. Rather, their greedy consumption of a slain host of the Rot-Lord’s champions has left them with a twisted curse. Cause Fear. Mark of Nurgle. Poison Attacks. Regeneration.

Toad Dragon - Another strange beast originating from Cold Mire, this monster is a far cry from the dragons it descended from. This colossal reptile is very tough to kill due to its high health and armor. Armour-Piercing. Cause Terror. Immune to Psychology. Scaly Skin. Unspeakable Foulness: Breath attack. Tongue Lash: Bound ability which strikes an enemy within melee range with a poisonous strike.