So, I have had a few games of TOW and wanted to share thoughts, tactics, strategy etc. We play mostly at 2000 points.
Apologies for the format, but…I am lazy like that and on mobile:crazy_face:
I did not try K’daai, but they seem like the typical glass cannon. My problem with those is that they are relatively easy to remove for the points they cost.
Centaurs are tougher and faster and cost the same.
The Blackorcs.
Arguably a great choice. The Warboss on Wyvern with trollhide pants and talisman of protection is perhaps the best unit in the game, for its points.
Blackorcs are “core” as well, they are a formidable unit for relatively cheap. They are no loss or just a tax by any means. A good choice if you don’t have/want ironsworn. I wouldn’t take both in big units because that becomes very expensive, naturally.
Hobgoblins.
Are a bread and butter unit. Cheap, extra chaff wounds, blockers. Low LD is countered by many ranks, horde, warband. A Khan can be added if you want it to have the ruby ring or breath weapon, otherwise it is better to have the Overseers Sigil magical Standard on a nearby dwarfline if you run more than one unit or small archers/blockers. Khan: 45 points, banner: 25 points and an aura.
You can get 25 hobos(5x5) for under 100 points; that is with full command a whopping +5 flat combat resolution. Units like this are really good, even if they are weaklings and don’t seem like it.
The chorf variation is great, because they cost only 3 points per model (ppm).
I’d keep them cheap, and bows can be a nice addition. Even if bows are by no means a reliable source of wounds output, they can take out fast riders or such, or plink a last W off something. ALL MODELS that have los can shoot at a large target. So a big blob of hobo archers, theore for their volley fire, is as good a choice as a few smaller ones.
If anything, this could save points/the need for a banner and double as a chaff threat if you only want one unit anyway.
Imo armour is secondary for them, better have more bodies instead.
As mentioned, with the banner to remove their levies special rule, 10-hobo units can be effective to stand in the way or have bows or both, otherwise they are almost useless in that configuration and just fail morale asap.
Sneaky gits I did not play yet, but they seem solid. A min unit of 10 or 15 as an (unreliable but again cheap)
ambush threat look solid enough. Though do not plan to rely on something that has a 50/50 chance of not showing up. Ambushers is like that in TOW.
Bolt throwers are a good addition to any list. Again cheap, and can threaten almost anything. 2 or 3 in a 2000 PTS list, four if you have the points. 2damage and the through&through rule are formidable. Only the bad hit roll is not great, but that’s how it is. For only 45 points per model. One good hit into a cav unit of 40pts knights easily makes them worth it, or to keep threatening roaming characters in line.
Tauruk and bull centaurs: the Tau’ruk with a stone mantle is nice for relatively cheap, T6 is a big deal. It is not a wyvern or bale Taurus, but it only costs like 190 points. Can run around on its own or stay near it’s brethren. Joined it makes them more powerful of course, but the bigger footprint means potential trouble. You want to apply those impact hits for sure and have a slim footprint. I guess a bigger unit would be good, but I personally would always prefer a second unit over a second rank for the unit tht has impact hits as their main stick.
In general, I’d give them great weapons as their ini is bad anyway. Like this, they are t5 and s6.; shield and darkforged for the Tau’ruk, but a hand weapon can work too, since it has ensorcelled weapons.
Their big strength is their sheer amount of impact hits. They, as a standard 3 models full command, can even charge and deal with large infantry blocks. They are like heavy cavalry, basically, but tough. Sure, they go down too, but 4 T5 wounds makes them reliable and hard to remove before they can act, and impact hits are first.
War machines and stuff:
While potentially powerful with a few D6 damage options, chorfs have no cannon/ grand cannon. Those do not need to hit conventionally and deal big ouchies. Templates are not as great in practice, since the “may be hit on a 4+” thing. Do not plan for that lucky direct hit D6 damage, it usually doesn’t work out as planned. Another psycho weapon, with the good potential of high damage.
So, imo, take one or two of the options and plan to make use of the additional rules instead.
They are threatening, but forced panic for the rockets, or for the dreadquake the minus move/no swiftstride thing, are what they do reliably and what you should plan for instead.
Hellcannon is unreliable and even crippling imo. Two tests and it can shoot your own stuff for expensive cost. Would not use it in a competitive setting, but it sure looks like a lot of 
The magma cannon is perhaps a good/solid choice for the 125 points it costs, it would be good against something T4 with armour naturally. Often wasted against chaff units, though it can of course devastate them with a little good rolling. The big flame template is something at least, and it can be a good choice for general target saturation because it isn’t harmless after all.
Iron Daemon: the steam tank, but only with the 2artillery dice S5 shots. Big big bones T7 and BS4 plus the d6 impact hits and Stomps make it worth its points. It is a heavy chariot though, so hellforged is an almost mandatory choice here, or there will be no rerolls possible.
The shredder upgrade looks crazy, but it forgoes shooting entirely. Centaurs are cheaper and more equal in their output imo. Not many instances where you need many high S impact hits. The shooter has more options and can just stand there and be a general menace that nobody wants to get too close to still.
The dwarfs themselves.
Always keep in mind the short legs, M 3 and low I make them into a generally defensive frame. But we can shoot. A lot.
Perhaps I am wrong, but it is huge that they all have a strong S4 T4 WS4 profile. Shields are always a good choice for bigger units.
For core, there are many options, however: Blunderers are a menace to be reckoned with. Skilled and shields seem like a mandatory choice for them. Idk about the 20-30 to get their special ruling (rerolls for wounds for the shooting), seems like a huge basket full of eggs. But their potential output can not be ignored. They stand at the front in the middle(figuratively and often practically), since 12" range is shortish. The slow movement is offset by their shooting.
There is hardly anything that they can add when played with only shields. Blorcs are stronger, Hobgoblins are cheaper, basic dwarven meat sticks are just there and can be outmaneuvered when necessary.
Heavy infantry is always good though, they do not get disrupted by flankers and such. If I had to, I would ply them as 16 man full command, 4x4.
Of course the problem here is that you need at least as many rank and file as characters in a fighting rank. So there is no room for that in a 4x4.
Fireglaives are nice and all, but they are hardly effective in big units, and S4 one shot is not necessary against most things. However detachments…
The option to have 5 dwarfs as a detachment can turn an infantry dwarf formation into a strong tool. Fill out core, and protect those precious Blunderers with fireglaives for potential ranged and countercharge output. But beware of standing in your own way 
One support for a bigger unit is probably the way to go otherwise it can quickly become crowded.
Ironsworn are not cheap, but they can basically do anything. Shields and ensorcelled weapons, they will hold the line with their many options and 2A base, to react to a lost combat, should they be beat. I’d have either them or blackorcs as a hefty beat stick unit, possibly even as a command unit with BSB. Although this role can be filled by Blunderers as well. Otherwise a small unit of 5 blackorks to harass because they are mandatory to get the Warboss.
When all seems bad and there is but a full unit of ironsworn, they can turn a tide and are worth the investment.
Characters and mounts.
As mentioned at the beginning, they all suffer from the presence of the Blackorc Warboss on Wyvern.
Only the wizards can have a mount, but many options like blood of hashut can turn them into a relative melee threat still. It’s just a little awkward, you pay a lot of points for a model that is something like a jack of all trades. Alone as an only target they are pretty much lost.
Their generally worse defense is a problem.
The very unique choice of the Lammasu is only viable in conjunction with other large high T monsters and such.
In that regard, together with the wyvern as the distraction carnifex, the chorf mounts have some potential after all.
The daemonsmith is only T 4 base, so a stone mantle is always necessary on a mount for him, making the choice almost obsolete since the sorceror prophet is already level 3 and has T5.
The bale Taurus (I won’t consider the small one) is in an equal spot: it has only high T as defense, which makes it less viable since we are now for the sorcerer prophet at around 450 points. Vs the 360 that a wyvernrider orc costs with three layers of saves. Making the big bull T7 with the stone mantle looks good on paper, since that makes it immune to S3. BUT: if the enemy has cannons, that makes little difference. Nice option still.
The problem with this is that giving it a ward save becomes expensive because the wyvern will want that amulet of protection. A bale Taurus with T7 and a level 4 prophet with the armor of destiny costs 455 points. Now you will need to add a few more to make it decently effective in melee. The “good” multiple wounds magic weapons cost more than the rest of 30 points available. (Edit: this is false, since the bale Taurus rider needs the mantle of stone to make it T7. So we are at 485 points. Add the 70 points armour and that is 100, no space for a weapon left. Either way, with 100 points of items it costs 555 points…) Blood of hashut can be a saving grace, but random amount is not a save investment or legitimate use of those many many points, imo.
So, my guess is that either a Lammasu or just a flying carpet are the best choices. Putting that level 4 general on a big target with only low armour and no ward seems very risky, so again: target saturation if you want to play that.
The non wizards are not terrible, and you might want a BSB. But they are and stay slow expensive dwarfs. Wouldn’t want to have to rely on that to dish out some damage, the general lack of a ward makes them all suffer from higher cost. I’d rather have another level 2 for less points than an infernal castellan. The chorf weapons are great, but the model itself is slow of course. A dedicated meleer would probably wipe the floor with them.
But in a unit of iron sworn such a model would be very strong, this could even deal with dragons or what-you-have.
Last but certainly not least:
Wolf riders and the Khan on Wolf.
The Khan on Wolf is not a lost cause at all. It can run alone and be a mediocre nuisance, if it has either a hell shard or breath weapon, it can be teleported per spells, and generally outmaneuver a lot of things.
S5 with the cav spear on the charge is quite okay for such a small and cheap versatile model.
The unit itself is a must pick for my understanding. They are a fast skirmisher and hunter unit in an army of dwarfs. Always a worthy addition.
Should you have the space and opportunity, join them with the Khan anyway and deploy them in open order as a marching column. Often not easy to pull, but their M9 times three takes you slightly behind enemy lines turn one. Sure, that’s just theory because the opponent might stand there and the rear end of the unit is too close to get out of all charge archs, but it is not a weak option to hold on to.
