Norngahl:
Ahoy all!
I'm sitting on a small batch of Mantic Abyssal Dwarves and might get some forge world love. (crazy expensive love...but love nonetheless)
I'm wondering if Chaos Dwarfs can work without all the crazy shooting/ warmachines. Could you actually run a fun list with multiple threats...of which there's low shooting? Or does this army hinge on shooting?
Even better w/o the Kadai...as it brings your comp to crud where I'm at.
I'd like to know before I start collecting.
Bull Centaurs seem highly durable, but with just 2 attacks base, they seem to lack a punch. Or are these designed to house a B.C. hero? I love the models, but not crazy about a large base 2 attack cav.
Ironsworn, worth it?
Are the hobgobos worth it now? Cheap and steadfast, but taking up a nice LD bubble....like our army
Not 100% opposed to some shooting, but in moderation. A small unit of fireglaives or a brick with blunderbusses (blunderbussi?) Maybe even a lone rocket...
Thanks for any and all input
Blackspine
Hey!
I tried some very different armylists and found out that:
1. A sorcerer prohet on taurus (cheap 145 points) is a pretty nice tool to have. Against shooty opponents you can hang hided on the back, countercharging or going more offensive if needed, or if your mount got shot sneak back to the troops. Against aggressive opponents, you have pretty much nothing to fear from shooting, so you can freely move and deny marches/charges and countercharge or kill the small tarpit units alike. Against mixed armylists, you will always found a role for him.
A taurus is a great choice. It allows you the lacked mobility, some very nice offensive potential AND wasnt expensive if the mount gets shot. I dont leave home without a prophet on taurus anymore. If you dont get to face 3+ cannons, you will have a hell of fun and tactical advantage with it.
2. You really NEED the warmachines. At least 2, from which one is either the Magma Cannon or the hellcannon. Babysitting is quite expensive and very hard to do if youre going to face fast and elite enmies (chaos flyer chars and dark elves -.-), don't build all comers lists which have to babysit the warmachines. Personally I llike going with 2x DS and 1xMC, cheap 345 points firebase (2x small cannons OR pie plates which cause panic AND the flaming hell), but really, even with 30 BB in front of it you still often havent got the troops to protect the flanks, so the stuff gets eaten against an agile enemy pretty fast. And don't forget, that your warmachines have no targets once combat breaks out. With short ranged CDs, you really gotta watch not to spend too much points on shooting (they will loose shooting duels with empire/dwarfs). See the WMs as support.
3. I dont understand why people are always focussed on kdaais and bull centaures so much. Sure, bull centaures are great and hard to take out, but they dont offer much damage in return. Yes, you can spend 200 points on a tauruk and another 275+ on 5 centaures, but really, thats some really heavy point sink, that can easily be bound (imgaine 40+ regiments) or reduced by shooting to next to none serious damage output.. They are good, sure, but to make them killy you have to spend around 500 points for them.. Kdaai are also nice gainst moist low-medium armored infatry, but when it comes down to armor/several rounds, they burn themself like hell, without incorporating the losses in combat.. They are unfortunately rather fragile, and spending 450+ points to make them work as a reliable hitter is quite as nice as the centaures ;)
But why does anyone and his mother forget about the skullcrusher? I mean, with hellbound upgrade this is an average 10 s8 auto hits beast with T8, W8 and 3+ AS in return.. Most stuff seriously cant harm it, its unbreakable. Sure, it can easily be take out by cavalry or monsters/m infantry. But you dont see cavalry very often these days and the rest can be dealt with, as you can send the destroyer into that stuff. But a Skullcrusher causing 8+ wounds on ironbreakers or something like that each rund without taking much damage in return is just awesome. And thats just before you casted metal spell for 1+ AS on it.. It takes more carefull handling than blocks of BC/Kdaai, but is awesome when it strikes. Combined with a destroyer, it makes a great flank denial part :) It becomes even more attractive in restricted tournaments, where destroyers are bound to heavy other restrictions or where you have a point limit on units (max. 350 points on a single unit beside chars).
4. Infernal Guard
Fireglaives suck compared to the other options, nothing more to say. 30+ Infernal Guards with great weapons and Castellan are a serious enemy (for a core choice!) and good to take, especially if you have a Sorcerer Prophet who can cast hatred on them... 30 S6 Attacks with rerolls are mean... Very mean. If you put the ironcruse icon on the castellan, the IG becomes even more resilent. Definately a must have item on your castellan. Same goes for HW/S. They are more all round and work even without a castellan (give them the gleaming pennant) pretty good. Fair offense, great defense. Both a good to take for all combat lists, but when i go all combat (or just 2 WM), id prefer the GW block for the extra punch. Nothing more to say, good core choice as well. The Blunderbusses are a bit special.. If you know what you are facing, or if there are limited options (restrictions for tournaments) they are definately a good choice to add some more firepower to your armylist without giving up CC abilitys AND they do a decent point bunker. But lets be gentle- id rather do another Magma Cannon than spening the core choice an extremly costly short ranged and unreliable S3 gun. But again, in an restricted area, they do great.
Summary:
-Never go without a Magma and/or Hellcannon. You seriously need it.
- Dont overlook some options like Great Taurus/Skullcrasher. Definately worth to take a look at, even if they require more playskill/army composition.
- Target overload is golden for cc armys. Ever dealt with a destroyer, a skullcrasher, a sorcerer on taurus, 40 IG with GW and castellan AND BC/Kdaai rushing on you at the same time? Just awesome.
Best regards :hat off