Spikes:
How do you play these guys?
I’m preparing for a 2500pt. tournament that doesn’t accept the new indy GT list and I can’t figure out how to even make this unit earn back its points. I play against stegadon/skink/saurus/temple guards/slann lists and the greater movement of the saurus warriors allows them to avoid my template area (mv 4!) while the stegadon has a charge range that is long enough to avoid any shots.
Then the skinks can march block me while being away from my shot area–at 45º ahead so that if I turn they’re not completely in the template zone; my 2 inch remaining movement is not enough for me to wheel and completely cover the skirmisher group with fire.
Then again, I could run my unit 4 wide to wheel better. Then I’d lose the +1/+2 rank bonus when they invevitably get charged.
Spikes:
The only way that I found them to be able to “earn their points” is by denying certain obvious areas to the enemy. Simply put, if I’m obviously angled to cover an area against low toughness/average armor troops, these troops better had a good reason to go ahead and enter the “fire zone”. But generally it’s simply a matter of saying “I’ll send my multiwound ogres or kroxigors/heavily armored cavalry against the blunderbusses and I know that the stand and shoot will not affect me”.
Thommy H:
Huge units. Huge. I’m talking a block of twenty at least. More if you can. Blunderbusses are amazing not only because they have a potentially game-winning shooting attack (you should never underestimate the power of a Strength 5 missile weapon), but because they’re the only missile unit in Warhammer that gets better the more ranks you give it. A unit of twenty can take six casualties before you even start to see any loss of efficiency in shooting and even then you can keep reforming to get the best out of what you have left. And then anyone who survives getting up close will then have to reckon with what is still essentially a fully ranked unit of Dwarfs in heavy armour.
And, hey, if they want to avoid them, then let them! That’s a few hundred points that are still going to be on the table when victory points start getting counted.
Time of Madness:
I like using small units of 12, 15 or 18 and locking down certain areas (mainly flanks). Two small units can be quite effective if played right. I find they don’t usually earn their points back, but they do cause my opponents headaches.
Time of Madness
Da Crusha:
I think the key to using the Blunderbuss correctly is to know all of your positioning possibilities. what I did is reread the movement section in the brb and keep blunderbuss in mind. it helped me know how to move them correctly.
Spikes:
My opponents generally field highly mobile troops on the flanks. Cavalry, chariots, skirmishes that can move somewhere else in an instant. If I guard the flank with blunderbussers, I will just ensure that no average rank and file unit will end up there. A few high powered cavalry models means that I couldn’t take many shots, and it becomes worse if the target is, say, a unit of 3 kroxigors, a giant or a chariot. The blunderbusser’s template is virtually useless in those cases.
I was personally fond of units of 17 with a musician, just so that I could suffer a few casualties. But except against barebones STR 3 troops, they usually lose when they are charged.
Baggronor:
Then again, I could run my unit 4 wide to wheel better.
'My unit', singular? There's your problem. BBs work a lot better when you have more than one unit. 2 units can support each other; both of them firing at the same enemy unit makes people cry.
Best set up is a large unit, I usually give them command and use them like a block that can shoot. Keep someone on their flanks ready to help out if they get into melee and they shouldn't do too badly. Back when I used RH a lot, I had 2 blocks of BBs and a block of shield warriors in the centre, with Black Orcs on one side and Sneaky Gits on the other. BC BSB in the Black Orcs (they were fun) and general (CD Hero) in the central unit of warriors.
Earthshakers + BBs is also devastating as the enemy can get slowed down in the fire zone. Not pretty.
Spikes:
So you give them a champion and banner?
Most of the time, when somebody got into combat with the blunderbussers, it was over for them. At 204 a pop, it’s an expensive amount of troopers to lose to any non-static CR block.
Worse, if I take a banner, they’d get 100VPs more. I’m not convinced, but I’ll try…I’ll try running a FC 20+ BB unit paired with a less expensive 17 BB (musician) and get back here once I have a battle report to make.
Thommy H:
There’s no reason you can’t run them as a mid-range combat unit. Like I said, they’re still Dwarfs in heavy armour. They’re not going to run through enemy units, but they should be able to hold their own. And, really, anything that’s lining up to charge you (except cavalry) is going to be getting a face full of blunderbuss the turn before they charge anyway. And for those pesky guys with a charge range greater than 12", well that’s why you have your second block of twenty in support…
The other advantage of a block of twenty is that they’re ranked four wide from any direction, so even if you get someone lining up a charge from a flank, you can just change the unit’s direction and unleash a volley to the side - they can move and fire without penalty after all.
Baggronor:
Most of the time, when somebody got into combat with the blunderbussers, it was over for them. At 204 a pop, it's an expensive amount of troopers to lose to any non-static CR block.
They're still WS4, T4 and Ld9, they shouldn't lose by too much vs most melee units if they have ranks and banner.
War Banner and melee Heroes are also a good way to give them a boost in a tight spot, as is someone with the Black Gem of Gnar for those pesky large creatures.
Thommy H:
I generally put a Sorcerer in there with Lore of Fire so he can blast anyone lining up a charge as well. That little line about “one character in the front rank not affecting the unit’s fire” makes a surprising amount of difference - not many missile units get better if you put a combat character or a wizard in the middle.
Spikes:
Thanks for your tips guys.
I’ll play a game this weekend and come back with my observations.
Spikes:
Played half a game against lizardmen.
The blunderbussers did dictate a bit where enemy troops went, but two different units failed two different panic tests. I was magic light and he was magic heavy; thus I got metal-lored to death a couple o’ times.
I kept my scrolls to dispel the EotG’s comets.
So the BBs managed to make some skinks flee. Maybe 140 pts vs 400+ points (two units of 17 with musicians).
The earthshakers and ballista galore were more worth it, with stegadons, saurii and temple guard slowed down to half speed and the skink priest dead from a randomised ballista shot.
The BBs were worth enough to make the opponent double guess my movement phase, but he DID send scrap units to divert my attention.
The sauruses were kept at bay with the BB. They knew they could get a quarter of their numbers shot down by marching up to my leftmost BB unit (if I’m statistical enough in my rolling.) So I only faced the “points” of the EotG and slann; not their support units. Perhaps this is what blunderbussers mean: tacticalk/psychological denial.
My two warrior units also simply soaked some magic and shots without ever getting into combat–even fleeing due to panic tests by rolling 11’s three times in three rounds.
It ended up a draw (for what it’s worth in a 3 turn game) by having me make three groups of skinks and a group of terradon riders flee while killing a stegadon with my taurus lord; killing the EotG priest with a ballista shot and getting half the points on the EotG stegadon thanks to Earthshaker and ballista shooting spam (even if he had a 5+ ward against shooting attacks).
He got one earthshaker, half of many warrior/BB units (because of magic heavy), a group of archers and half of my taurus lord. We called it a draw.
So that’s my experience for you. I’m sure that by facing skaven, wood elves, dark elves or empire humans I could make back the points by template-spamming some rank and file blocks. But against that opponent, it didn’t happen!
Baggronor:
Those filthy lizards are always tricksome. Its probably true that BBs are 50% psychological, I always thought they were good though. They’re a better bet vs anyone with blocks (they’re horrible against Dwarfs and undead). There’ll be more and more blocks in 8th ed so it should be worth keeping them.
AssurBahniZharr:
I’m gonna trying having 20 of them with hero (crown of command) and armour piercing standard (it can be used also during HtoH)
Usually my opponents have no problems charging them (my problem are the dices when it comes to inflict wounds :p)
And most of the time i need them to be in place as long as possible to avoid contacts with warmachines
PS: BBs can do Stand and Fire no? i always do it 
Bassman:
I'm gonna trying having 20 of them with hero (crown of command) and armour piercing standard (it can be used also during HtoH)
Usually my opponents have no problems charging them (my problem are the dices when it comes to inflict wounds :p)
And most of the time i need them to be in place as long as possible to avoid contacts with warmachines
PS: BBs can do Stand and Fire no? i always do it :D
AssurBahniZharr
Of course. They can.... unless something changed in 8th edition...
cornixt:
Nothing has changed since 7th in that area, they can still stand and shoot.
Spikes:
What are the different banners that you would put on RH Blunderbussers?
I reckon that armor piercing is nice, a banner of flaming attacks is also cool.
Kered:
I am very fond of the RH BB rules they can be very nasty but are easily avoided so I feel is kind of evens out. On a side note flaming attacks seem to be more of a hinderance than help there are more items that offer immunity to them than there are units that are flammable.
Bloodfire:
I’ve been thinking of using a horde of blunderbusses in my army, mainly due to the size of the fire zone available and being able to reform to gain multiple ranks against elite troops. The prospect of hitting more than one unit or even a whole horde is a bit to tempting :hat off
