General Gunnbjorn brings rolling thunder (Lock & Load 2026)
Do you hear that rumble? General Gunnbjorn is barging through the jungle, and he’s not travelling light.
Kithguard’s most experienced soldier has returned to the front in the only way that feels appropriate: standing tall from an armoured battle tank, flag raised, cannon loaded, and ready to blast a tank-size clearing in the green.
Gunnbjorn is Southern Kriels’ new 80mm-base apotheosis warlock, a veteran commander built for shock and awe, and turning the battlefield into one big Kithguard firebase.
Now over to Warmachine Developer Fraser McFetridge, who’ll give you the full rundown of those battle plans.
Welcome to the Gunn show
There’s more than one way to repel an invasion, as General Gunnbjorn demonstrates with aplomb.
While other Kithguard warlocks utilise their tunnel network to set up a variety of different ambushes, Gunnbjorn uses those same tunnels as mid-battle supply lines to fortify and reinforce his position.
When Gunnbjorn claims territory, he intends to keep it.
Let’s take a look at how.
He’s a tank
This both is and isn’t a metaphor.
Starting with the literal, Gunnbjorn’s stats and weaponry are are quite befitting the array of impressive weaponry on his miniature.
Gunnbjorn leads from the front, leveraging his armoured bulk to bring his medium-ranged, very powerful guns to bear.
His Battle Cannon brings armour-piercing blast damage. His Bazooka has the potential for 4D6 damage.
His Side Guns push enemies out of engagement and off scenario positions. And if something gets close enough to make him ram it, well, that’s a real pyg’s dinner for whoever’s standing in front.
On a turn-to-turn basis, Gunnbjorn gets work done.
And because he’s not just a tank, but a tank commander, he projects those same qualities onto the rest of his force.
He makes his army into tanks
To fully explore this aspect, we have to look at several areas of his rules. So, without further ado, here’s the rest of his card.
Where to even start with this?
Temporarily increase his entire force’s resilience to claim board position in the first place? Check.
Permanently supplement his army with +1 ARM near his Trapdoor markers? Check.
Keep enemy tricks from shoving key models away from those trapdoors? Check.
Literally build a wall to weather enemy guns and charges? Check.
Punish enemies that get too close to his frontline position? Check.
If Kithguard are already fond of ambushes, trapdoors, and making the enemy fight on their terms, Gunnbjorn takes that doctrine and parks a tank on top of it.
Unleash hell
From this solidified position, Gunnbjorn bombards his foes with precision and accuracy, supported by his Rune Mark spell.
Rune Mark doesn’t just help his army line up shots through the messiest battlefields. It also opens the door to boosted ranged attack rolls for models that would usually be stuck rolling two dice, especially when attacking out of activation.
Why is that so relevant?
To answer that, let’s talk about the previously revealed Kithguard Journeyman and Ramhead.
Ramhead, meet Gunnbjorn
If you recall, the Journeyman has the Open Fire spell, while the Ramhead brings a RAT 4 gun to the fight. That combination can lead to a low number of direct hits.
With Gunnbjorn, however, we add out-of-activation boosting to the equation, and suddenly the Ramhead gets a lot more exciting.
On top of that, it’s an excellent recipient for +1 ARM and Impervious Flesh; a wall of metal that fits Gunnbjorn’s playstyle perfectly.
Kithguard, Roll out
Bring rolling armour to the battlefield. General Gunnbjorn turns the Kithguard battleline into a dug-in wall of steel, stone, and modern trollkin firepower.
Muster your forces, mark your trapdoors, and get ready to park a tank right in the enemy’s plans.
