[Archive] Best Armed Bull Centaurs

Tarrakk Blackhand:

Hi gang!

I’m just trying to decide which is the best way to build a unit of Bull Centaurs. I only have 5 models and 3 are already command units. Please help me with this poll. ThanX!

Malorn:

Hand weapon, Great Weapon, Heavy armour and shield for my parts

Loki:

Same as Malorn for me, thats how i do my bull centaurs then you have the best of both worlds :slight_smile:

Neil:

I agree with the comments above. They are the hardest hitting unit in your army and you don’t want to be scrimping on the points here.

Thorne:

Hand Weapon, Great Axe, Light Armor, Shield for the win,

Henroth:

And there can no be Bull Centaurs with: Hand weapon, Great Axe, Heavy armour and Shield?

A Bull Centaur has to be armored to the maximum.

Bolg:

two S6 attacks are a million times better than 3 S4 attacks…

Bassman:

Shouldn’t be in tactics section? :wink:

First: heavy armor is mandatory, 1 point for an upgrade that will cost you at maximum 10 points (if you field large unit of 10 bulls) and give you a 4+ save against shooting and 5+ in had to hand is a bargain. You’ll soon dicosver how fragile are bull centaurs.

Weapon choice is situational. I do agree with above that 90% of the time great weapons are better but, in case you’re targeting soft, large troops? I prefer 15 (frontage of 5 bulls) S4 attacks against most T3, 4+ AS troops than 10 S6. You can literally grind torought ghouls, zombies, elves and basic human troops.

If I’m facing T4 and/or 3+ or better armor saves, I go with great wepons.

Modelling wise: do you have fift edition bull centarus? Normally they have a great weapon, at least IMO they look like great weapons. Nobody never really complained with me becasue they do not have 2 hands wepons. They already have an headhache remembering their rules… :wink:

Alan the evil:

bassman spoke… and I’m agree!! 90% of the times GW is better… so I use GW!! and H/A is a mandatory

But even with H/A and shield they only have 4+ of SA and this does not justify a big unit because they gonna be a fire magnet!!

I usually spend 105 pts for 5 models with H/A, shield and GW: they are enough scary, very powerfull on charge and I’ve no regret to sacrifice them if I need

Border Reiver:

Chiming in for Heavy armour and great weapons. Hit hard, and hit often, but you’ve got to increase your chances of surviving to do so.

Bassman:

Thank you Alan :wink:

Here could start a nice discussion about the best setting for Bull centaurs.

I do play 5 of them with heavy armor, shield and GW/2 hand weapon.

I like them becasue they are cheap and expendable, but still have a lot of punch. A littl e bit fragile but they could be protected by enemy fire. Being 5 only they can ignore single bolt throwers and cannons: who cares if they waste shooting just killing a single bull centaur when the other 4 will be on them next turn, without any panic test (one casualty out of 5 is less than 25%)?

I do not have any more models but sometimes I wonder if it will be better to upgrade the unit to 6, just to have one more bull. This would give them a little bit more resilience and a little bit more power without being expensive.

Other people like big units of 10…

What about command? I run them “naked” but what is your experience? Do you like a champion? A musician? A standard bearer or a full command?

Imputs, imputs… please :slight_smile:

Swissdictator:

two S6 attacks are a million times better than 3 S4 attacks...

Bolg
Enh, I disagree. Against elves, the quantity is nicer. Same with most undead, especially if you've flanked them. Kill more, crumble more.

Tarrakk Blackhand:

ThanX for the input guys!

So what are these models suppose to look like? Are they holding the Great Weapon in both hands with the shield and hand weapon attached to their backs, or vice-versa?

Game-wise, do they get to choose which weapon they are attacking with per round, much like the Black Orc “Armed to Da Teef” rule?

Also, with the shield, is that save happening “all the time” like it was armor, or only when I say he’s using the HW and Shield? This little question came into contempt in one of my games when I fielded my Bull Centaur Hero, who is holding 2 hand weapons and has a shield on his back. My opponients were trying to say he couldn’t use the shield because he was holding 2 axes. They were trying to tell me that he couldn’t get the save bonus until I declaired he was holding the shield.

Is that true, or are these guys just trying to save their own skin?

Bolg:

@Swissdictator I agree that against low T/save models the extra attacks are better… BUT when playing an enemy with low T/save there are always some exceptions, and I Rather use my centaurs against those (dragon princes com to mind, you really need those S6 attacks to get trough the armour).

@Bassman I use them 10 strong full command (or actually 9 strong with BC hero) the unit is that big because its a missile magnet, I only need 4 to make it into combat to do some damage. (so I start with more so the last longer).

sometimes they make it into combat at full strength, that always does wonders (unit strength 20, 1 rank+ banner+ all the damage they do)

If I would use a smaller unit I would still go for 6 (not 5) for the obvious reasons (with champion+musician).

Alan the evil:

@ swissdictator

I prefear S6 because I want to have more answers against high armoured units/big target with high toughtness. I take care of opponenet infantries with magic and stone throwers (and, of course my infantries!!)

@ bolg

in RH armylist I’m forced, because of italian metagame, to use 3 sorcerer and BSB, so I have no space for a BC hero who can justify a big BCs unit . IF my metagame should be different your advice could worth a lot.

@ bassman

playing a small unit automatically drops standard (they should be no more disposable) and champion (charging a single strong character is quite useless because he can challenge our champion… it happened to me and I didn’t like it very much) - it should be different with a big unit, because it needs full command but I already said before why I don’t use it.

we could talk about model #6 and/or musician but I couldn’t test it because I didn’t find 20/30 pts more for that (I prefear more ranks on infantry OR BT OR bait hobbos)

Thommy H:

So what are these models suppose to look like? Are they holding the Great Weapon in both hands with the shield and hand weapon attached to their backs, or vice-versa?
Game-wise, do they get to choose which weapon they are attacking with per round, much like the Black Orc "Armed to Da Teef" rule?
No, that's the point of Armed to Da Teef. Anyone who doesn't have it has to stick with the same weapon for the whole combat.
Also, with the shield, is that save happening "all the time" like it was armor, or only when I say he's using the HW and Shield? This little question came into contempt in one of my games when I fielded my Bull Centaur Hero, who is holding 2 hand weapons and has a shield on his back. My opponients were trying to say he couldn't use the shield because he was holding 2 axes. They were trying to tell me that he couldn't get the save bonus until I declaired he was holding the shield.
They were correct: if you're using two hand weapons, or a great weapon (which requires two hands) you can't use a shield at the same time. Your shields can only be used against missile attacks and when you opt to use a single handed weapon (i.e. a hand weapon or magic weapon) in close combat.

Bassman:

ThanX for the input guys!

Tarrakk Blackhand
You're welcome ;)
So what are these models suppose to look like? Are they holding the Great Weapon in both hands with the shield and hand weapon attached to their backs, or vice-versa?

Tarrakk Blackhand
this is up to your taste, are going to use 5th edition Bull centaurs or are you going to model your own?
Game-wise, do they get to choose which weapon they are attacking with per round, much like the Black Orc "Armed to Da Teef" rule?

Tarrakk Blackhand
No, they choose at the beginning of the battle.
Also, with the shield, is that save happening "all the time" like it was armor, or only when I say he's using the HW and Shield? This little question came into contempt in one of my games when I fielded my Bull Centaur Hero, who is holding 2 hand weapons and has a shield on his back. My opponients were trying to say he couldn't use the shield because he was holding 2 axes. They were trying to tell me that he couldn't get the save bonus until I declaired he was holding the shield.

Is that true, or are these guys just trying to save their own skin?

Tarrakk Blackhand
As long as I understand they trying to save heir own skin. WYSIWYG is perfect with your mini as he has two hands weapons and a shield. He can choose to use whatever he wants. Next time explain them your miniature is not alive and he cannot move! Thus preventing him to swap his weapon for a shield. :~

Thommy H:

No, they choose at the beginning of the battle.
Combat, actually. You decide in the first round of each combat which weapon you'll be using.
WYSIWYG is perfect with your mini as he has two hands weapons and a shield. He can choose to use whatever he wants.
Yes, but he can't use two hand weapons and a shield at the same time. He has to just use one hand weapon to get the save bonus from a shield.

Bassman:

No, they choose at the beginning of the battle.
Combat, actually. You decide in the first round of each combat which weapon you'll be using.
WYSIWYG is perfect with your mini as he has two hands weapons and a shield. He can choose to use whatever he wants.
Yes, but he can't use two hand weapons and a shield at the same time. He has to just use one hand weapon to get the save bonus from a shield.


Thommy H
Really? Can you change during the same battle? That's cool. I always misunderstood the rule! If so, thank you :D

Sure, sure, you can use shield and one hand weapon or two handweapons without shield. I believed it was about the miniture itself..... :/

cornixt:

You declare before anyone rolls to hit, and you have to keep using those weapons until one side is dead or breaks. The next time you get into combat, you declare again, and it may be a different weapon combo.