This came from a conversation with Bilbo over messenger. Perhaps we shouldn’t look at is as good and evil… but certain alignments.
Below is how I’d see each of the armies… though a couple might fit in a few.
[Slaver/Xenophobic
Skaven
Chaos Dwarfs
Dark Elves
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Empire
Brets
Dwarfs
High Elves
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Wood Elves
Lizardmen
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Vampire Counts
Tomb Kings
… kinda Nurgle… ish…
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Chaos Mortals
Chaos Demons
Chaos Beastmen
Thoughts?
I think it’s just people play to their personalities.
Whacky troop and machines: O&G, Skaven, Chaos Dwarfs
Shooting: Empire, Dwarf mainly, but Dark Elves and Skaven also.
Nobility: Bretonnians, High Elves
Fight anyone: Lizards, Wood Elves and Skaven
Magic: High Elves, Lizards, Dark Elves, Chaos TZeensch
Anarchy: Chaos (ALL)
Lots of cheap troops: Skaven, Goblins
Annoying GW: Dogs of War and Chaos Dwarfs.
There are a few exceptions to the rule.
A friend of mine has Vamps, Tomb Kings, Chaos Mortal (Tzeensch) and Empire.
I know another who plays Empire who also plays Khemri.
I know I’m the exception with Empire, Slayer Army of Karak Kadrin, Dwarf and Chaos Dwarf. I normally take Slayers and Chaos Dwarfs with me when I go to GW, talk about polar opposites.
My wife loves Lizards and Bretonnians, but she has O&G too.
The factions in Warhammer aren’t so easily described, in my opinion. Most factions don’t fall into any one neat category and this is probably by design - there are tons of little hooks to build conflict on, and thus promote the nature of the game itself - have a reason to fight everyone, always!!
Chaos isn’t necessarily anarchic - Tzeentch is all about the great plan, manipulating people along predestined paths that it attempts to create. Khorne is about supremacy of the strong - there is order to it. Even Nurgle could be said to contribute to the order of life, by promoting creation.
Lizardmen aren’t isolationist - they are enacting what they interpret at the Great plan left by the Old Ones, which means subduing Chaos at all costs, and those who would bring Chaos into the world, voluntarily or not.
The trends are what I’ve seen in my time playing in Philly. There are exceptions to this.
But what I stated was no matter good/evil army people who play more than one tend to have armies of similar traits.
Rites of War’s resident Emperor stated his two favorite armies are High Elves and Chaos Tzeentch. Both tend to be considered Heavy Magic Armies.
My Armies are Empire, Dwarf, Chaos Dwarf and the Slayer Army of Karak Kadrin. 2 use magic (E and CD), 3 are shooty (E, D and CD), all can be messy in combat.
Ogres are missing from this list - they are probably isolationists more than anything else the only contact they require with the outside world is either to eat it or to get paid to fight for it (or both)
When they awoke after the great ritual, they despaired when they saw how their land was defiled. Some tried to restore it to its former verdant glory. They don’t hate the living, unless they try to loot their tombs or trespass on their land. They have no plan to spread the curse of undeath either, and have no means to do it either, perhaps with the exeption of a lengthy and expensive embalming process.
People with more than one army will perhaps have some similarities between them. But when I take up a new army, it is also to get something different.
I have High Elves for their speed. I have Skaven for their horde aspect.
I am collecting Chaos for their heavy hitters and heavy armour. I have Tomb Kings for their ability to be unbreakable and being raised again and again. And lastly I have Chaos Dwarfs for their war machines. Of course I am collecting them all because I love their fluff and models.
Bilbo, I play two of the “Annoy GW” lists - Cult of Ulric and CDs (obviously). And until they are formally dropped from the roster (or they supercede the lists) I will continue to play them.
Where else can you get a list that can almost shut down a Tzeencth player’s magic phase (my Cult army)?
Possibly Bretonnians.
Lizardmen (They are just following the secret ideas of the Old Ones.)
Wood Elves (The Hippy Tree Huggers keep to themselves but try to save the forest.)
Bilbo, I play two of the "Annoy GW" lists - Cult of Ulric and CDs (obviously). And until they are formally dropped from the roster (or they supercede the lists) I will continue to play them.
Border Reiver
I hear you. I play DOW and CD so I am all about the annoying. I am taking the DOW down a more certainly evil path then they are usually depicted.
Being selfless would in my book, amongst other things, mean that you help others with no thought for oneself or personal gain. I have a hard time imagining the Brets doing this. And their feudal system is not very selfless… Some of their ideals might be, but not their actions.
Wood elves could not care less for others, not very selfless there.
Lizardmens are just pawns for dead gods. But their actions are not for personal gain, thats for sure. They are however more or less religious fanatics, and do not act on their own will, but what they interpret as the will of the old ones. They are capable of unimaginable bloodshed if they deem it is a part of the Great plan.
It’s not really about how we see the armies but the style of play of the armies you choose.
The theory is that people tend to use armies that have similar styles of play. My Empire, Chaos Dwarf and to some part Dwarfs and Slayers play similar. A mix of Shooting, magic (well dwarfs miss this part) and combat.
Bilbo: I’ve often said Dwarfs do what I want to do with Empire, they just do it better. This would also apply to Chaos Dwarfs perhaps… and in some way Chaos Dwarfs can do it better then Dwarfs do to the Shaker.
I’m talking: Solid infantry blocks that stick around, while I reduce their numbers with shooting… then hit them in the flanks.