catbarf:
TACTICS: HOBGOBLINS
Hobgoblins. Compared to the Chaos Dwarfs, they’re relatively fast, relatively strong, easily hurt, and cowardly. One thing, however, that is not relative is their low cost. They’re cheap compared to EVERYTHING. And this gives them such wonderful roles when paired with the expensive Chaos Dwarfs. Let’s go into some detail about the differences:
1. They’re fast(er). While M4 doesn’t seem great, it allows them to maneuver and a much better rate than CDs. However, the biggest advantage is in charging. Whereas a CD unit might not be able to charge the enemy due to the pathetic M3, a Hobgob unit can charge any infantry that can charge it. This means that you can actually go on the offensive with the blighters, and be able to maneuver at close range. It’s a big advantage.
2. They’re strong(er). S3 isn’t great, but do remember that it is the same S as the Chaos Dwarfs- which cost 4� times more. So, for the same cost, you get 4.5 times(!) the firepower of the average CD. This means that whereas CDs will be used as an anchor, easily defending against attacks with their T4 and 3+ save, Hobgoblins are much more suited to going offensively to attack enemy infantry. We’ll get to this in a moment.
3. They’re less tough(er? Nahhh). T3 and no armor means they drop like flies when hit. Coupled with #2, this means you have a powerful unit that must be protected from enemy fire. However, this is exactly the opposite of what we’re going to do.
4. They’re cowardly. With Ld6, you need to keep them close to a unit with Banner of Slavery at all times. At Ld6, there is a 41.7% chance of the unit fleeing. With a re-roll, this changes to 66%. This is a huge bonus.
5. They’re cheap. At 2pts per model, you can very affordably field several large units for the price of a small unit of CDs- and I guarantee those Hobgobs will be more effective.
Now, we must look at equipment. We have bows, light armor, shields, and wolves to choose from. Wolves will be for another article, but the others I can do here.
Bows can be useful. They aren’t the pathetically useless shortbows of Goblins, but they aren’t as good as Crossbows or Handguns. So why use them? Because, quite simply, they’re cheap and we have no other choice.
CDs lack midrange missile troops. The only missile options are Blunderbussiers, which are short-ranged, and the Hobgobs. Hobgoblin bows are weak, inaccurate at BS3, and unlikely to kill much. However, they’re the only missile troops that can reach out to more than 12", and they’re cheap, so they should be a serious consideration for any CD army.
For bowmen, you have two roles. The first is light harassment fire- take ten, put them in a line, and find somewhere in your battle line to stuff ‘em where they can annoy infantry blocks and cavalry- not too shabby for a 50-point unit. The other use is for massed ranged fire. Get 20 or more, put them in two ranks, find a hill, and spam anyone who comes near. This can be very effective in actually doing damage- again, a unit of 20 is very cheap (100pts), but if that unit of 20 fires on a unit of Empire Halberdiers 24" away they’ll get 6.66 hits, 3.33 wounds, and 2.77 kills. Although that is only a meager 13.85 points, seeing as that is 1/7 of the shooting units’ cost from one round of shooting, I think that’s pretty good- especially for Hobgoblins, whose uselessness is legendary.
Now, let’s look at the armor options. If you have a choice between shields and armor, go for the shields. However, it is most effective to use them both in concert- in melee, it grants a 4+ save, doubling their survivability for double the cost.
“Ross, why do that? By using unarmored troops, we get double the number of attacks for the same cost!” True. However, Hobgoblins will not win a fight by getting kills- they win a fight by static combat resolution. Thus, you need ranks, a standard, a flanking unit to deny their ranks and hopefully outnumbering. However, despite an increased likelihood of outnumbering the enemy, having a big unit of naked hobbos will hardly get any more kills, and will get slaughtered in enormous quantities such that your opponent might win the fight despite your ranks and flanking. On top of this, an enormous unit will be much harder to maneuver and get into combat- especially when your Move is a paltry 4.
So, similar to the ranged Hobgobs, there are two roles for CC Hobgoblins- meatshield and melee.
The meatshield Hobgoblin is essentially a naked hobbo (no armor). Take a unit of ten (for 20pts) and set them up to screen from missile fire, block your flanks, or die horribly so that your CDs can be a little safer. I got a small gem from Cornixt’s website (Obsidian Halls) that had in turn been adapted from a quote by an O&G player- ‘Think of them not as individual troops- think of them more as 2pt ‘extra wound’ upgrades for a Chaos Dwarf Warrior." While this analogy isn’t exactly accurate (it’s another wound at T3 with no armor save.) the basic premise is correct. Hobgoblins are meant to die instead of your Chaos Dwarfs, and if the CDs make it into combat unharmed then the Hobbos have made their points back.
The other role is as a light/medium melee unit. By using a standard, full ranks, and both armor upgrades, you get a unit that is cheap enough to be a diversion, support or flanking unit, but also tough enough to act (in a very limited fashion) on its’ own. This unit will not be breaking enemy units, but my maximizing CR and survivability you ensure that the enemy unit will not win combat by a large margin- and by staying near the General and/or a Banner of Slavery you can be certain they will not flee. However, they can win combats- either with help or as help. By this, I mean that the support of a unit of Bull Centaurs or Wolf Riders into the enemy flank will be enough for you to win the fight- but also, since the Hobgobs are so damn cheap, you can use them in concert with a CD unit to flank the enemy and win with ease. Thus, they are a melee unit that is cheap, but by supporting other units can break and route even the toughest of infantry.
Numbers are up to you. A large unit of meatshields is hard to get into position, and might break, leaving quite a bit exposed. On the other hand, a small unit may be blown away before the CDs can get into melee. Likewise, while a large unit of melee Hobbos is likely to get the outnumbering bonus, it’s unwieldy and hard to get into position. Generally, I use 10 naked hobbos for a meatshield unit, and 20 for a melee unit- but everyone has their preference.
Command is the last thing I will discuss. I usually use just a Standard for a unit of melee Hobgobs, or no command for a screen unit. The reasoning is simple- the other upgrades aren’t worth their points. Why tack on a 30pt command for a unit that costs only 80pts? The standard is only worth it because the Hobgobs need all the static combat resolution they can get. Thus, 10pts for +1 CR is a steal. However, ties are infrequent, and since this unit will rarely need the +1 for rallying (Banner of Slavery gives you a 2/3 chance at Ld6 anyway), the musician is fairly useless. The champion isn’t effective because of his high cost relative to his stats, but also because an enemy unit can challenge him and overkill him for easy CR. While this tactic does work for CDs, which are much tougher, Hobgobs just don’t have the same reliance. It’s better for the unit to lose four troops, barely lose the combat and stay in the fight than it is for the champion to get overkilled and lose the fight by a large margin.
And this finishes up the Hobgoblins article. Everyone uses theirs differently, so please tell me your uses and thoughts on the matter. Wolf Riders will not be next (because of the time it will take to compile everything), but I think I might do one of the pieces of artillery.