 | Main - Tactics - Fiction - Rumours - Army Features |
Tactica: Dwarfs - petrus | |
Core UnitsWarriorsGreat core troops. For 9 points you can have a core unit armed with great weapons. For 11 points they can have heavy armour and shield too. A unit of 20 with a full command will see off most things, especially with their high weapon skill, toughness and leadership. In my opinion you should have at least three units of these in a 2000 point game. Crossbowmen Crossbowmen are some people’s favourite unit and they despise Thunderers and others despise crossbowmen and love Thunderers. It's a matter of opinion really, but I normally include a small unit of each with a musician but not normally a full command. They have the same strength as a dwarf handgun and better range, which is very useful. Thunderers Like I said above, normally you either love them or you hate them (even more so than marmite!) but they have their advantages. Firstly they get plus 1 to hit at close range and can move and fire. These guys are great for a stand and shoot charge reaction. Like crossbowmen I only ever give mine a musician, not a full command. Miners These guys are some of my favourite dwarf units because they’re so damn dwarfish! These guys can really infuriate your opponent if kept in your carry case because suddenly, by turn 2 he has a fully ranked unit of dwarfs armed with great weapons is in his deployment zone. Worth it to see the look on your opponents face if nothing else. Rangers Many people say they hate Rangers and I have to say I agree with them. How undwarfish are these guys? How are a fully ranked unit meant to go through a forest? I leave them at home if for nothing else, they feel so, elfish (sorry, didn't mean to say the "e" word). Special unitsHammerersThe only thing to not like about these guys are the models (Why are they all holding their hammers in the same position?) However there usefulness on the table redeems them. Weapon skill five, strength four great weapon troops with heavy armour that count as stubborn when the general is with them for fourteen points! Yes please! These make a great bodyguard and given rune of slowness on their banner they might be able to get the charge in on a unit! It gives me exclamation mark fever! Long beards Okay, I've calmed down a bit now. Long beards are horribly underestimated. They cost the same as hammerers, have the same stats but get a shield and are immune to panic instead of stubborn. However, throw in a battle standard bearer with Master Rune of Groth One eye and now we're talking! Full command and runic standard are essential for this unit. Ironbreakers The most commonly taken special unit. Why? Because they have a 2+ armour save in combat. The problem is that they can't have great weapons so they aren't that hard hitting. Best bet is to give them rune of courage on their standard, get charged and get a unit of warriors next to them with great weapons to get in a flank charge. Ouch! Slayer Slayers are used by many as roadblock to hold up units because they won't run away. While it's possible, it's wrong. I always think one of the most important things about an army is to play in character with it. Therefore normally I only use slayers rarely and when I do, they do the most suicidal things (charging into a unit of chosen chaos knights comes to mind... I usually have two giant slayers, a full command and a lot of slayers as these guys are a missile magnet. Cannon Boom! The first piece of artillery I'm covering and boy do I like them! If you can guess ranges well then cannons are for you. They are hideously destructive and every now and then you get a really memorable shot with one of these (cannon ball in the flank of unit of chosen knights, all the knights die) which makes them so worthwhile. Can get some great runes too like rune of forging. If you don't have an engineer present consider Master rune of immolation to eliminate those pesky fast cavalry that just killed your war machine. Bolt Throwers Two for one! These things are very useful against infantry, especially with rune of penetrating (preferably times 3) to have a strength 9 bolt thrower! A pair of these at one unit can work wonders! Very good artillery. Stone Throwers Never been a fan of these but they have their uses. I'm still wary of them ever since a stone scattered and hit my own unit! Still, being able to fire over terrain is very useful and a rune of accuracy is good (and 2 runes of penetration) make this a favourite for some. Rare UnitsGyrocopterI have always liked these as it is great fun to prevent heavy cavalry from march moving and to take out very light infantry. Takes a bit of time to master but once in the right hands is very useful. Goblin Hewer The first dwarf tactics article on line to mention the goblin Hewer! I've played a few games with a proxy of this thing and let me say, it's sweet! Anything that gets into combat with it is pretty much destroyed as the crew have great weapons, Malaki has BS5, the highest for any dwarf in the game and D3 hits per rank may sound too random but it makes a mess of a lot of models. A 48 inch range and -2 to the enemies armour save make this very powerful indeed! It's a unit of BS5 Crossbowmen with even better range and a potential for a lot of shots, especially against the new lance formation. Flame Cannon Nice unit but a bit short ranged for my liking and if you mess up your deployment with one of these you’ve had it. Can't take runes either. Organ Gun Nice Stats but the short range and reliability of the thing mean that I normally leave mine at home. Mind you, when it works, boy does it work... MercenariesOkay, now that I've finished that, it's on to take a look at some of my favourite mercenaries for dwarfs, starting with the Dogs of War list and then the Regiments of Renown.I have to say, taking a level 4 wizard on a Pegasus has always tempted me but I think it's wrong. Cavalry have always been welcome, as have been anything with pikes. The Halfling hot pot is also a laugh, but I never really lose it unless I'm messing around. Out of the Regiments of Renown list, once again I like anything with pikes, Al Muktars Desert Dogs, a unit of ogres and Long Drongs Slayer Pirates as they are just so characterful and really pack a punch you've just got to love them. (They’re dwarfs too!) Next: Deployment, Movement, Shooting & Combat | |
Want to discuss this? Or anything else? | |
Main - Tactics - Fiction - Rumours - Army Features | |