Auretious Taak:
Been playing them for quite a while in Mordheim now, and I have never given informers anything other then slings (which are ownage!). You can use all of your money in way better ways, especially when you get some CD hero's.
Kilov
As a general rule, if you have a hand free in combat you aren't maximising the potential damage output on a model. An Informer is the equivalent of a Human Warrior stats-wise, str and T 3 with 1 base attack is decent and gets hits and damage in but if you leave the Informer without a secondary weapon and he isn't holding a shield nor usinga spear, you're wating optimization. A second dagger costs 2 but is inferior to the club which costs 3 - better weapon rules, better crit table, you can't go far wrong for Informers with Slings, maces and daggers at 20gc's. You're basically looking at a slower but much braver standard Skaven Verminkin for 5gc's cheaper. ow, slings really don't need to be in hand to be modelled onto the models and representative. A sling is, afterall, just a strip of leather with a slightly larger bit in the middle, one could easily improvise a belt as a sling, or have a sling in a pouch. Just let your opponent know that the model has a sling and you should be fine regardless of whether your informers have bows (just let the opponent know they don't have bows yet - easy).
Posted by cianty - 07-15-2009 04:38 AM
Nice.
Remember that with 9 models you will only rout after losing 3 models whereas with 8 models you have to start taking Rout tests with 2 models out of action. So it is well worth squeezing a ninth model (another informer) in. If you don't want to lose any of the more expensive weapons (double handed weapon) for that, then you can just live with it and buy another warrior after game 1. But I would try to start with 9 models.
Posted by Ancre - 07-15-2009 06:47 AM
He, I haven't noticed that. Well, I guess I'll drop the blunderbuss and take another informer, with a bow.
Thank you !
You could push to 9 members, but in so doing you are taking away a powerful board control item in your starting arsenal. As much as people proclaim that 9 members is the way to go, for a small warband (12 max models) with solid survivability (on everyone barring the Informers anyways) it isn't so much of an issue. You can get away with 8 or even 7 members to start with in order to ensure you have a solid build to begin with. That first game is more about surviving rather then dishing out the pain - surviving so as the Chaos Dwarfs get a point of experience and you get more income from the heroes surviving. That income can then get you extra henchies if you so desire or go towards setting you up for a very strong early game.
Now, I know this thread is 3.5 weeks old so you are probably into a Mordheim Campaign already but maybe try this as a starting warband:
HEROES
1 sorcerer , 85 gold crowns
with a sword and a dagger, 10 gold crowns
1 bull centaur , 100 gold crowns
Hammer 3 gc's and dagger
1 gaoler , 50 gold crowns
with a steel whip and dagger, 10 gold crowns
and a blunderbuss, 30 gold crowns
1 gaoler , 50 gold crowns
with a double-handed weapon and dagger, 15 gold crowns
HENCHMEN
Chaos dwarf , 40 gold crowns
Dagger, Mace 3 gc's
Chaos Dwarf , 40 gold crowns
Dagger, Mace 3 gc's
Chaos Dwarf , 40 gold crowns
Dagger, Mace 3 gc's
Informer , 15 gold crowns
with a sling, dagger and Club 3 gold crowns
8 Members, 500/500gc's.
Now, there's a few things modified here, basically alot of cost cutting that can be replaced with better weapons after the first game. Shields by themselves are not great, they are more an extravagance really, and unless you are playing house rules that allow a hand-weapon and shield to give you an extra point of save then a 6+ save against a good chunk of attacks against you will be next to useless. Don't get me wrong I usually stock up on shields on my guys, but only after the essentials are there. So, the Warriors have no shields. I know the warriors are armed with Axes, but you likely also have some sort of hat or mask on the warriors too, in a pinch you now have a mace represented and after the first game can get yourself an axe for each of them to increase their effectiveness. Every model gets a free dagger as standard so you automatically have a back up weapon or just need a single one-handed weapon to get that extra attack, so for now the Bull Centaur gets a single Hammer and also uses the dagger whose special rule is cancelled by the base strength of the Bull Centaur so it isn't that much of an issue in anycase. The Gaoler with double-handed weapon also has his free dagger because at times you want to strike first.
8 members, a 3rd Chaos Dwarf Henchy (all in separate henchy groups) for increased heroness and retaining the Blunderbuss for board control, with everyone armed with 2 hand weapons except for the gaoler that has a bit more smackdown instead.
What do you think?
Auretious Taak.
O and I would buy the informers in 1 group instead of seperate ones, if you have the feeling they will get raped you just walk back 1 of them so they still get exp.