City States: Eidolon and Warband – How the Faction Armies Play
By Asmodee – Asmodee USA | Published: 2026-10-31
Category: How-to Guides
Learn how to set up and run a City States warband for First Blood, from list building with the Eidolon to card support and painting your Promethean Oracle.
Quick answer
Start with a small First Blood warband built around the Eidolon as your centerpiece, add the City States Army Support Pack Wave 5 for command and objective cards, and treat the Promethean Oracle as a painting project or dual-faction centerpiece rather than a required first purchase.
Why the Eidolon anchors a starting warband
The Eidolon is described as the Scholae’s refined counterpart to the Inquisitors: reinforced flesh, alloy limbs, and enhanced lungs built to handle phlogiston-bonded blood. In practice, that makes it a natural focal point for a City States force. If you are coming from other Conquest factions, expect a model that rewards deliberate positioning rather than reckless charges.
Because the catalog does not list a point cost or full profile for the Eidolon, treat any list you see online as a starting sketch, not a verified tournament list. Confirm the current rules in your First Blood rulebook before you commit to a purchase.
What the Army Support Pack Wave 5 actually adds
The Army Support Pack Wave 5 is a card pack, not a miniature set. It contains 17 Command Cards, Secret Objective Cards, Spell and Incantation Cards (including the new Mechanist Utility Spell), plus TLAOK and First Blood Scenario cards. For a new warband, the First Blood Scenario cards and Secret Objectives are the most immediately useful: they give you legal scenarios and hidden goals without hunting through separate books.
One trade-off: if you already own an earlier support pack, check whether the scenario cards overlap before buying Wave 5. The catalog does not list which scenarios are repeated, so compare contents at your local store if possible.
The Promethean Oracle as a painting or dual-faction project
The Promethean Oracle Artisan Series is a Michael Kontraros sculpt designed by Para-Bellum, and it can be built to play in either City States or Nords. That dual-faction option makes it a flexible centerpiece, but it also means the model is a larger painting commitment than a standard infantry kit. If your goal is to get a warband on the table quickly, paint the Oracle after your core units are finished.
The catalog does not specify the material, base size, or assembly complexity, so plan for pinning and gap-filling as you would with any resin artisan miniature.
Step-by-step: assemble and run your first City States warband
- Choose your game size and confirm the rules: Decide whether you are playing First Blood or TLAOK, then read the current rulebook for warband size and point limits. Common mistake: assuming the Eidolon’s cost from an older edition or a forum post. Checkpoint: write down the exact point limit before you build anything.
- Pick the Eidolon as your centerpiece: Build the Eidolon first and plan the rest of the warband around it. Common mistake: buying three centerpiece models before you have enough core units to screen them. Checkpoint: your list should have at least two non-centerpiece units for every centerpiece.
- Add Army Support Pack Wave 5: Open the pack and separate the First Blood Scenario cards, Secret Objective Cards, and Command Cards. Common mistake: mixing TLAOK and First Blood cards into one deck. Checkpoint: sleeve each game style separately so you never draw the wrong scenario.
- Build a 30-minute practice list: For your first game, use only the models you have assembled and the cards from Wave 5. Common mistake: adding every available option before you know how the faction plays. Checkpoint: play one game with no proxies, then adjust. If you lose, note which card or unit you never used — that is your first cut.
- Paint the Promethean Oracle last: Assemble and prime the Oracle only after your core warband is tabletop-ready. Common mistake: starting with the most detailed model and burning out before the army is playable. Checkpoint: keep the Oracle on a separate painting tray until at least five core models are finished.
Product facts
- City States: Eidolon: The Eidolon is described as a Scholae-built body with reinforced flesh, alloy limbs, and enhanced lungs for phlogiston-bonded blood. That description points to a durable, tech-forward centerpiece, so build your first list around protecting and positioning it rather than treating it as expendable.
City States: Eidolon - City States: Army Support Pack Wave 5: Army Support Pack Wave 5 includes 17 Command Cards, Secret Objective Cards, Spell and Incantation Cards, and First Blood Scenario cards. You get the scenario and objective cards needed for First Blood in one pack, which shortens setup for a new warband.
City States: Army Support Pack Wave 5 - City States: Promethean Oracle Artisan Series: The Promethean Oracle Artisan Series is a Michael Kontraros sculpt that can be built for City States or Nords. If you already own Nords models, this single kit can serve two armies, but it is a painting project rather than a quick tabletop addition.
