The Veteran Hunter is a highly valued and elite soldier option within The Silver Bayonet: A Wargame of Napoleonic Gothic Horror, a skirmish game that blends Napoleonic warfare with supernatural threats. This soldier type is explicitly defined by their extensive experience battling the creatures of the night, making them much more than just a regular line infantryman.
Their substantial recruitment cost of 30 points reflects their superior training and survival instincts, placing them among the most costly non-Officer figures a player can field, alongside unique national figures like the Russian Werebear. This high cost is justified by their reliably strong combat stats and their exceptional flexibility in a monster-heavy environment.
A core advantage of the Veteran Hunter lies in their excellent combat values, typically boasting a +2 to both their Melee and Accuracy rolls. This means they are equally dangerous whether firing a precision shot with a rifle or engaging a brute monster with a sabre and bayonet.
Furthermore, their Defence of 14 and Health of 12 give them respectable staying power, allowing them to absorb more punishment than lesser soldiers before becoming fatigued or falling. Crucially, the Veteran Hunter comes with the ability to choose an additional Officer Attribute, a rule-breaking allowance that players almost universally use to boost their access to specialized equipment, a necessity for confronting supernatural enemies with specific weaknesses.
The expanded access to the Special Armoury is the Veteran Hunter’s defining trait. While most common soldiers are severely limited in the esoteric gear they can carry, a Veteran Hunter can load up on essentials like Holy Symbols, Silvered Weapons, or Cold Iron shot. This means a single Veteran Hunter can be geared up to counter multiple monster types—a vital tactical consideration when facing a mix of undead, were-creatures, and demons.
They act as the unit’s specialized arsenal, ensuring that when the officer’s unit discovers that an enemy is immune to conventional lead or steel, the Veteran Hunter is the one who can step forward and deliver the one attack that truly counts. As such, they are often the most crucial figure to keep alive in campaign play, as their continued survival means greater flexibility against the escalating supernatural horrors.