[TOW] The Big Chaos Dwarf Tactics Compendium

Chaos Dwarf Discussion Chaos Dwarf Tactics
21

Dreadquake Mortar

The big kahuna among your war machines! Fire again like a stone thrower, the Dreadquake has a ridiculous 72" max range and uses the large 5" template. Nowhere to hide! Hits are resolved at S3 AP-, but the target under the central hole gets a S6 AP-3 Multiple Wounds (D6) hit, making the Dreadquake a bit like a mix of the two types of Deathshrieker ammunition. The unique feature of the Dreadquake is the Quake special rule though: any unit (friend or foe!) within 2D6" of the central hole suffer -1 to movement and cannot use Swiftstride, making it the perfect weapon to pin units down and making it harder to charge/flee/pursue. The Dreadquake itself is very sturdy at T7 W4.
All this goodness comes at a price, though, so after every shot you need to roll a D6, and on a 1-2, you cannot shoot in the next turn. You can remedy this a bit by getting an Ogre loader, which not only adds +1 to the reload roll, but also adds +2 wounds to the model and 2 S4 attacks in melee.
You can get the Hellbound upgrade to help with a misfire or Steam Carriage for more mobility, although it seems a little pointless for a stone thrower.

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Special Rules

  • Backstab: Re-roll all failed to-hit rolls when attacking in the rear or back. Excellent rule, especially for Sneaky Gits and Wolf Riders.

  • Blackshard Armour: Allows our Sorcerers to cast/dispel while wearing armour which is excellent. Also gives a 5+ Ward Save against flaming attacks, which is welcome but not a game changer. Probably not worth buying as an upgrade for units unless you’re sure to encounter excessive flaming attacks.

  • Blazing Body: All (!) models in base contact suffer a flaming S3 hit at the start of every (!) close combat phase. Free hits out of initiative order are always welcome. Unfortunately wounds caused by Blazing Body do not count towards combat resolution, which is just a damn shame. Can help mitigate challenge delays by slaying enemy champions before they get a chance to issue their challenge.

  • Ensorcelled Weapons: Magic attacks and AP-1. Only applies to a (single) hand weapon or Darkforged Weapon, which is a really enticing prospect, when considering that the ensorcelled bonus stacks with it.

  • Hellbound: 6+ Ward Save against mundane attacks, Fear/Terror, Re-roll one scatter/artillery dice per game but has -1 on misfire chart. Must have upgrade on our Iron Daemons: The buffs are all welcome, and there is no drawback, since it lacks a misfire chart. The re-roll is nice on war machines, if you’re not keeping a sorcerer around to babysit, otherwise it is a bit of a waste.

  • Resolute: Decrease flee/pursuit roll by 1 (minimum 1). That rule is mostly bad. You’re less likely to catch a fleeing enemy and chances of successfully escaping after a lost combat are not good. That’s bad. Potential upsides are a decreased risk of fleeing/FBIGOing off the board and you might just FBIGO 2" instead of 3" and deny a pursuing chariot a fresh set of impact hits. Good but a bit more situational. Most of the times it’s a just a disadvantage.

  • Stampede: Impact hits have AP-2. This is pretty good and really makes Bull Centaurs into the shock troop they were always meant to be.

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Magic Items

Befitting their status as evil forgemasters, Chaos Dwarfs have access to some incredible magic items!

Please be aware that Black Orc Bosses cannot be equipped with these magic items but have to use the ones from the Orcs & Goblin Tribes.

Magic Weapons

  • Black Hammer of Hashut: A very powerful weapon, gives S+2 (but doesn’t have Strikes Last!) AP-1 and has flaming attacks with Multiple Wounds (D3). Against Flammable targets that even gets upgraded to Killing Blow!

  • Dark Maul: AP-2 with Killing Blow. Target muss pass a strength test after suffering an unsaved wound or immediately suffer another one. Not bad on a Bull Centaur Taur’ruk.

  • Dagger of Malice: Hatred (All enemies) and Frenzy, which cannot be lost. Changes neither the model’s strength nor has it any AP so, unless you’re a Bull Centaur Taur’ruk, it’s only good to scythe through chaff. And Armour is still an issue. Probably better to skip.

  • The Graven Sceptre: S+1 and you always wound on a 4+ at worst. Only good against high toughness low save models, probably better to skip as well.

Magic Armour

  • Armour of Bazherak the Cruel: Our only access to full-plate armour. Oh, the shame! Also confers Immune to Psychology and Magic Resistance (-2), so it’s really really good. It’s a great item for a BSB in a big unit of Infernal Guard/Ironsworn.

  • The Mask of the Furnace: You take this for the +1 to Armour Saves. The added 3+ Ward Save against Flaming Attacks is nice too.

Talismans

  • Mantle of Stone: T+1 for I-1. Arguably our best magic item, and it’s even extremely common! Slap a couple on a Bale Taurus sorcerer and hope for a miscast. In all seriousness, it’s basically an auto include on prophets and seneschals. Our remaining characters don’t have abysmal initiative, so consider whether the trade-off it’s worth it on them.

  • Hellshard: D6 S5 AP-1 hits on the unit that killed the bearer. For Hashut! :boom: Plop this on a champion, enter a challenge with an enemy character, blow them up. Now that is a wonderful (cheap) trick.

Magic Standards

  • The Lammasu’s Beard: Now we’re talking! A unit with the banner has a 6+ Ward Save against any attacks (5+ against shooting) and Magic Resistance (-2). Even more, all units within 6" enjoy the 5+ Ward Save against shooting and Magic Resistance (-1).

  • Ashen Banner: A flat -1 to hit on incoming shooting attacks is super welcome on our elite units that are fairly low in number. Infernal Guard are tough, but the lack of full plate makes them a bit vulnerable to massed shooting.

  • Overseer’s Sigil: Hobgoblin units in 9" lose the Levies USR, so they can benefit from the General’s Inspiring Presence or a BSB’s Hold your Ground rules. Sounds good, but that also means a unit of Hobgoblins will cause a panic test in your Chaos Dwarfs when they inevitably break from close combat. Also, due to Horde and Warband, Hobgoblin units with a Khan are LD10 anyway. Only worth considering if you go very heavy on Hobgoblins and intend to have multiple units without Khans.

  • Shroud of the Ancestors: Unit gains Hatred (Dwarfs). Obviously only interesting when playing Dwarfs.

Enchanted Items

  • Daemonic Familiar: Enemy models in close combat reduce ward and (!) regeneration saves by 1 (minimum 6+). An excellent item against characters and certain armies which heavily rely on ward/regeneration.

  • Breath of Hashut: Single use (!) S4 AP-2 flaming magical breath weapon. Templates sadly aren’t what they used to be, but this is still a great item for a flying character or a Hobgoblin Khan on Wolf.

  • Obsidian Vembraces: +1 to strength and Magic Resistance (1) for only 15pts is fantastic. Unfortunately, on a to-hit roll of a natural 1 the item breaks and can no longer be used. The better the model you give it to, the more likely this is going to happen.

Arcane Items

  • Daemon Flask: Single use and 50pts, but all enemy units within the command range (which can be 18", if your general is on Taurus/Lammasu!) must make a panic test. Obviously very powerful against low LD armies, but unless they are below 50% of their starting unit strength, they will only FBIGO. Unfortunately it also triggers in the command sub-phase, so you cannot combine it with Gathering Darkness from Daemonology. Can be game-deciding in the right moment but a lot has to go in your favour before.

  • Vial of Lammasu Blood: Single use auto-dispell for 40pts. Unfortunately not an extremely common item, but one is almost an auto-include.

  • Scroll of Binding: Single use but an extremely common item for 30pts. Roll 3D6 for your casting (and you don’t discard any dice!), but any double 1s are a miscast. Very effective for getting that one crucial spell through at the right time.

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Weapons of Zharr-Naggrund

Chaos Dwarfs have interesting equipment outside of magic items, leaving your points allowance for other important stuff.

  • Blood of Hashut: Use instead of CC attack, works like the old lore of metal: Use the target’s armour save as your to-wound roll. Still needs to hit, so very likely only works on a 4+ (or worse). But or Sorcerer-Prophets and especially Daemonsmiths aren’t exactly the best fighters anyway, so foregoing 2 or 3 mediocre attacks for one which has the chance to really do some damage is not a bad idea. Single use and not cheap but you can have as many as you like.

  • Darkforged Weapons: (Potentially) useful on characters that will be going into melee. Works with Ensorcelled Weapons and doesn’t count towards magic items. Skip it on sorcerers that are meant to only be casting, unless you have points to spare.

  • Fireglaive: Halberds are great, handguns are great. Stick 'em together and you have something even better. Our Infernal Guard don’t have the greatest BS, but the CC benefits are awesome, and the occasional pot shots and stand & shoots are welcome.

  • Hailshot Blunderbuss: The classic Chaos Dwarfs missile weapon. Very short range with 12" but has Multiple Shots (D3) and Volley Fire and ignores a lot of the to-hit modifiers. Truly devastating against mid-armoured T3 models and strength in numbers against anything else.

  • Naphta Bombs: Not worth it for characters but may be a small surprise for a unit champion. Don’t expect too much though. Has a peculiar combination of Ponderous and Quick Shot special rules. Skip unless you have the points to spare.

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Lore of Hashut

Whether your wizards use Daemonology, Elementalism or Dark Magic, they can swap one of their spells for one of these unique signature spells:

  • Curse of Hashut: A magic missile targeting a single character (can be in a unit and even in combat, but please be aware that hel’ll benefit from Look Out Sir!) in 18". If a toughness test is failed, D3+2 S5 hits no armour or regeneration. Absolutely devastating against T3 (hello Elves) and still decent against T4. Skip if playing against T5 characters. (tbf, if the toughness test is passed it’s D3 S2 AP- hits)

  • Ash Storm: All enemy to-hit rolls within 9" suffer -1. A natural 6 unfortunately is unaffected, would be great against poison. Still a good spell, especially together with the Ashen Banner.

  • Flames of Hashut: A mediocre assailment spell with D3+1 flaming S4 AP-1 hits. Our wizards aren’t exactly monsters in melee and this spell doesn’t really change that.

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26

Army Composition

This space should include useful information about “must have” or overrated units. Please do not post complete army lists. You can link to your army lists in external threads though.

There are many different ways to build a Chaos Dwarf army, closely connected to your preferred battlefield tactic. Where your cousins from the Dwarfen Mountain Holds are petty much shoehorned into a very static build with 95% infantry, you enjoy much more freedom.

Characters

  • Although magic has lost some of its outright killiness, games can still be won or lost by magic, and your army needs to have a response in place! You either need 1+ Daemonsmith Sorcerers to at least provide some basic protection from magic (and they also help with your war machines) or you double down and get a Sorcerer-Prophet. In fact, unless you want to go for an all-out melee army, get the Sorcerer-Prophet. And maybe still an additional Daemonsmith Sorcerer.
  • Most armies benefit from a BSB as he helps keeping your line in place.
  • If you want to go fighting in melee, Black Orc Bosses or Bull Centaur Taur’ruks are your weapons of choice. Remember that they both require certain units in the army to be unlocked. A Black Orc Warboss on Wyvern can even take part in the current Monster-Character-META.
  • Conversely, a Hobgoblin Khan unlocks Hobgoblin Wolf Riders, who fulfill a vital role in any army.

Troops

  • First one is easy, 1+ units of Infernal Guard is mandatory. Either view it as a tax, get a minimum 10 model unit and be done with it, or embrace it and have your Infernal Guard form the sturdy core of your army. If you want, play around with Detachments.
  • If you want to focus on melee, your army should include a Black Orc Mob and probably a unit of Infernal Ironsworn. These two can go toe to toe with all but the strongest units in the game.
  • It is tempting to build an uber-elite low model count army of specialists, and while they don’t have to fear the strongest units your enemy can throw at you, you can just be swamped by unending hordes of chaff. Have an honest look at your roster and ask yourself if you have enough models and units on the table. If you only have 2-3 units and your opponent has 6-7, you will be outmaneuvred, charged on all sides and probably just be dragged down by weight of numbers. Hobgoblin Cutthroats and Sneaky Gits offer more wounds for your opponent to kill at an affordable price.
  • K’daai Fireborn and Bull Centaur Renders are fast and have decent damage output. Use them either for an all-out offensive army or as flanking units (i.e. the Hammer) to relieve pressure from your core (i.e. the Anvil).
  • Hobgoblin Wolf Riders play a vital role in almost any army, be it an offensively melee one or more stationary. Wolf Riders can redirect enemy units, screen your own vital units, attack war machines and lone characters, block enemy movement and so on.

War machines

  • Let’s start with the hard truth: War machines aren’t what they used to be. And for an army, which used to rely on war machines, that’s a tough blow. They can still do a lot of damage if things go your way, but with the way templates work, they just won’t do as much damage as they used to. However, with access to two war machines that do D6 damage, you still can pose a threat to the current Monster-Character-META.
  • For the same reason, the humble Hobgoblin Bolt Thrower is now actually a viable choice. Likewise the Iron Daemon, as he doesn’t use a template.

Allies

An army of Chaos Dwarfs can include up to 25% of its points cost from the Warriors of Chaos Grand Army list. It is important to note that an ally contingent is effectively a small army on its own and follows the same army composition rules desribed in the Grand Army list, meaning it needs a general and at least one non-character unit. It is also not possible to have characters join units across army lines and neither can benefit from the respective other Inspiring Presence or Hold Your Ground. For all other purposes, including Spells and Combat Resolution, they function as one army.
Given those restrictions and calculating from a 2000pts Chaos Dwarf army list, there are a few units from the Warriors of Chaos which might be interesting for a Chaos Dwarf army.

  • While a Chaos Lord or Daemon Prince can just about be made possible, not many points would be left to kit them out. And it would be very cheesy. Better skip for truly massive games. For the most part, you have to make due with an Aspiring Champion or Exalted Sorcerer. They are more or less comparable to their Chaos Dwarf counterparts, but can be given Marks of Chaos or Gifts of Chaos for bonusses.
    • An Aspiring Champion can be mounted on a Chaos or Gorebeast Chariot, offering some rare tactical options
    • Exalted Sorcerers are your only access to Battle Magic, should that be your fancy.
  • Thankfully for the limited points available, the core section already holds the most interesting units for allied forces
    • The humble Chaos Warrior does not offer much above and beyond Infernal Guard or Black Orcs, but can have a Mark of Chaos of course. Only use for thematic reasons.
    • Chaos Marauders are a step between Hobgoblin Cutthroats and Infernal Guard. They can be taken in units of 5+ and have the Skirmishers formation, opening up interesting tactical variation.
    • Forsaken are a bit expensive and unreliable for a allied contingent. But they can be quite effective in the right circumstances. Put them next to Black Orcs so they don’t suffer Impetuousity!
    • Chaos Knights fill a niche in your roster as a classic Heavy Cavalry unit. Half the price of a Bull Centaur Render, better armour, lances, can have Marks of Chaos. If you go for allies, this is one of the most interesting units!
    • Marauder Horsemen offer an alternative to Hobgoblin Wolf Riders. In many aspects they are identical, but have slightly other special rules and equipment options. If you don’t want to have a Hobgoblin Khan or your rare slots are already filled, Marauder Horsemen are a good option.
    • Chaos Warhounds are a dirt cheap screening unit and don’t have a counterpart in the Chaos Dwarf Grany Army list. Can be given Vanguard and Poison, but they get expensive quickly. Still, they offer something to your army which you usually don’t have, being immediately interesting for an allied contingent.
  • If you don’t overload on characters and core units, you can field one decent unit from the specials section
    • Chaos Chosen Warriors / Knights are the elite versions of the base troops. That extra attack, access to Full Plate Armour and 6+ Ward Save really set them apart. Your units of choice if you want to go uber-elite.
    • Chaos Ogres / Trolls compete with K’Daai Fireborn and differ only in details. They have that critical third wound which make Fireborn a bit flimsy, but tactically they offer little which you don’t already have.
    • Chaos Spawns are an interesting choice for a small screening unit. Their random movement circumvents charge reactions but also makes them a bit unreliable. But they are a good choice if you just want to throw them in your opponent’s way.
    • Chaos Chariots work well in an aggressive list, maybe accompanied be some Chaos Knights, an aspiring Champion on Chariot, a Black Orc Bigboss on Chariot, Bull Centaur Renders etc.
    • The Chimera always has been a classic lone monster. It has abysmal LD, so make sure it will never have to do any tests unless it’s within a General’s Inspring Presence, but other than that it’s still more than capable to take care of war machines, small units or lone characters on its own or lend crucial support to another unit making the charge. Even with all upgrades (always go for all the upgrades!) it fits into a 500pt allied contingent.
    • Dragon Ogres are interesting competition for Bull Centaur Renders and differ in a lot of ways. Where Bull Centaur Renders have T5, Dragon Ogres only have T4. But they have better armour, W4 and, most critically, that third attack, all at S5! Worth a look.
  • Unless we’re talking about a very large main force, you won’t have enough points to take anything meaningful from the rare section.
    • Gorebeast Chariots fall in the same category as regular Chaos Chariots
    • The Dragon Ogre Shaggoth is an absolute beast and is definitely interesting, if you have the point.
    • The Chaos Giant used to be something we could take directly. It’s still interesting, if you have the points.
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Flame, Ash & Smoke Tactics

Your match is scheduled, your army list is created and you arrived at the table with your models - now what? Here you will find actual battlefield tactics.

The Chaos Dwarf Grand Army list offers a varied host of different units that can support almost any playstyle.

Let them come!

Let’s face it, Dwarfs are slow. But they are also tough and have a lot of firepower. Lean into your strength, don’t try to force charges that you likely wont get. And nothing is worse than finally getting that charge off only to have a filthy Elf kill you before you coud attack anyway. But that does not mean playing (Chaos) Dwarfs is easy - if you don’t pay attention, you can very much lose the game before the first dice are even cast. Your most important phase is not shooting, it’s deployment! Many of your units are just not fast enough to remedy mistakes made at the start of the game. Have a plan and place your units accordingly.

Don’t panic!

Even your basic core troop has LD9. That is more than many armies’ Generals. Not to say that you will never fail a LD test (most likely it will be the most important one), but you have to trust your good LD. Your units will stick around. Your opponent knows that too. Use it!

Panic!

Your opponent may not be so lucky though. You have many ways to force panic tests in your opponent’s units. The easiest battle to win is one you don’t have to fight (uh that’s good, I should have that on a pillow… - Jasko). And even if they will often only FBIGO, that’s still a way to disrupt your opponent’s strategy, and that’s alway the first step to victory (Damn, that’s another pillow right there. I’m on a roll, move over Sun Tzu)

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29

The Empire

Humans are numerous and their spirit is easily broken. They are lacking in strength and durability, but they are a little smarter than greenskins and still make useful slaves. On your raiding parties throughout the Empire, you might occasionally encounter resistance…
What are things that were especially effective against the Empire? Which things do you need to be careful of?

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30

Kingdom of Bretonnia

There’s another land of men. Most of them cannot read or write, the other ones are all on horses. They don’t have war machines, so that’s a plus…
What are things that were especially effective against Bretonnia? Which things do you need to be careful of?

Strengths

Lots and lots of heavy cavalry, First Charge and Counter Charge. Obviously knights hit very hard, they are well armoured and likely have a ward save from their Blessings of the Lady. The Duke is a formidable fighter and able to kill almost anything in one round of combat, given the right upgrades.

Weaknesses

Peasants are not that good and knigts are expensive. Knights are also not impervious, weight of numbers will drag them down quickly and every dead knight hurts. The only thing going for the lance formation that it combines rank bonus with a large fighting rank. That’s about it. And the nice thing: Everyone in your fighting rank counts as in base contact. A charge in the flank will blunt the lance, which is just as good as it costs the knights attacks.

Tactics

If Knights Errant are on the field, abuse their Impetuousness and redirect them.

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31

Dwarfen Mountain Holds

Our lost cousins who still cling to their old faith. You should despise them, but they are not to be underestimated…
What are things that were especially effective against Dwarfs? Which things do you need to be careful of?

Strengths

Much of what makes Chaos Dwarfs are good army also makes Dwarfs a good army: High toughness, leadership and armour across the board. Dwarfs are hard to shift, many units have a combination of Stubborn, Shieldwall and Drilled. They don’t look like it, but Dwarfs usually take their strength from the shooting phase. All their missile weapons have S4 or higher and have AP and/or Armour Bane. They can bring a host of war machines, which can further be boosted by magic runes and Engineers. Due to their runic system, Dwarfs can build arguably the best (infantry) characters in the game. While Dwarfs have units with Ambushers, Scouts and Vanguard (including the highly annoying Gyrocopters), they are largely a more stationary army. Dwarfs excell at taking the charge, where their missile weapons don’t suffer a -1 penalty to hit and their special rules take their full effect. Be especially careful when charging Hammerers or Irondrakes. At least try and don’t charge them in the front arc, since Dwarfs have a few nasty runic standards which can take away all of your charge bonusses: No Impact Hits, no First Charge, no Choppas, no initiative bonus, no cavalry spears etc. That’s a rude awakening!

Weaknesses

The big one: Magic! Yes, all Dwarf units have at least Magic Resistance (-1) and they have access to straight-up dispel runes, but they are at a massive disadvantage when it comes to wizardly dispels. Their two infantry Runesmiths count only as Level 1/2, so they only have 18" dispel range on top of their meagre 3" movement. And they end up in combat sooner or later where they cannot dispel at all. The Anvil of Doom dispels at level 3 but cannot move at all! It has some powerful bound spells, so if you want to dispel those you’ll have to move into his dispel range too, but if you focus on Enchantment, Coveyance and Vortex spell, you can just stay out of the dispel range and just cast away, and those types of spells don’t even trigger Magic Resistance!
Dwarfs also do not have access to any type of monstrous characters, so that’s something you don’t need to worry about. Dwarf Lords on Shieldbearers can be made quite tough too, but it takes all of their magic items allowance to do so, which leaves them more or less with a simple Great Weapon. They can also be made more punchy, but then they’re not as durable. Unlike armies with access to Dragons and the like, Dwarf characters cannot have both.

Tactics

Dwarfs are slow and cumbersome. With the exception of Gyrocopters, their maximum charge range is 9". You need to use this to your advantage and control movement. Dwarfs are vulnerable when charged in flank or rear, use your faster units and Ambushers/Vanguard/Scout accordingly. Sneaky Gits e.g. can take care of war machines. Also keep in mind that overrun does not trigger a charge reaction (i.e. shooting). The worst rune, the one which takes away all charge-related special rules and weapons, thankfully is a Master Rune, so you can only face one unit. Find out which it is! If there are Hammerers or Irondrakes on the board, chances are it’s one of those two.
Another big thing is magic. You can easily circumvent dispel ranges and use spells which don’t trigger Magic Resistance.

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32

High Elf Realms

Only rarely will one of those arrogant Elves be in your way. They easily break like twigs, but their magic is strong and they have dragons…
What are things that were especially effective against High Elves? Which things do you need to be careful of?

Strengths

Quite a few, actually. High Elves often times will attack first, even if you charged them. And especially their special and rare units hit very hard. High Elves are fast on the battlefield and will likely control movement. Their wizards have access to High Magic with some incredibly powerful spells. The lore has rather high casting values, but all High Elf wizards can re-roll one (1) failed casting attempt per turn. All characters can get a cheap Regeneration (5+) save and they have access to a lot of monstrous mounts, including the mightiest of Dragons. Their basic troops are not extraordinary, but reliable troops and often their humble archers punch above their weight class.

Weaknesses

High Elves are the archetypical glass cannons. With the exception of characters on monstrous mounts, the whole army has toughness 3 across the board, making them susceptible to small arms fire and all manner of S3 or S4 attacks.
Even though it’s unlikely to snipe a character within a unit, the Curse of Hashut can really ruin the day of some careless lone character.

Tactics

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33

Wood Elf Realms

Hashut is always hungy and the fires of our forges may never fall cold. But fire needs fuel and wood is a good one. Chop down enough trees and these treehuggers will show up to form a drumcircle and put a daisy chain around your neck…
What are things that were especially effective against Wood Elves? Which things do you need to be careful of?

34

Orc & Goblin Tribes

Sometimes the myriad Orcs & Goblin tribes want to fight before they inevitably live out the last days of their miserable lives in your mines…
What are things that were especially effective against Orcs & Goblins? Which things do you need to be careful of?

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35

Warriors of Chaos

More often than you’d think the manlings from the north don’t want to pay for the goods and services we provide. Our lost cousins are wrong on many accounts, but they have it right when they demand a contract be served. Only a bad arms dealer gets killed with his own merchandise, but remember we keep the best stuff for ourselves…
What are things that were especially effective against Warriors of Chaos? Which things do you need to be careful of?

36

Beastmen Brayherds

When these savages come down the mountains, don’t try and reason with them but put them to the blade. Some make a mockery about our father by looking like giant bulls. Kill them first…
What are things that were especially effective against Beastmen? Which things do you need to be careful of?

37

Tomb Kings of Khemri

There’s riches to be found in the desert which can be traded for slaves. Sometimes the dead want it back. Finders keepers, so show them the door…
What are things that were especially effective against Tomb Kings? Which things do you need to be careful of?

Strengths

Fighting undead armies is always special. First of all, the whole army is immune to psychology, causes fear and is unbreakable/unstable. This is especially sad for Chaos Dwarfs, since so many of our tactics hinge psychology. Of course, the worst thing about undead is their ability to raise fallen models back to life.

Weaknesses
Most individual models in the army are not particularly strong or tough. Their power comes from their Regeneration and ability to be raised from the dead. Both rely on their Hierophant model, and that should be the first one you kill. Unfortunately that model can be a Dragon, though.
Additionally, the army in large parts is pretty slow, since they usually cannot march.

Tactics

You need to disrupt enemy magic and kill the Hierophant asap. You cannot do much against their LD bases resurrection, so if you engage an enemy unit, make sure to overwhelm it with superior force. Every last model has to be killed, lest the unit gets brought back in the upcoming enemy turn.

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38

Daemons of Chaos

The denizens of the aether must be properly bound into service. When a ritual fails, you might find yourself facing them in combat. Shame on you for your weakness!
What are things that were especially effective against Daemons of Chaos? Which things do you need to be careful of?

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Dark Elves

Finally, another enlightened race that sees the value in slave labour. Sometimes you can trade with them, as they foolishly prefer humans over greenskins. But why trade greenskins for humans if you can just take both plus the elves that come with them?
What are things that were especially effective against Dark Elves? Which things do you need to be careful of?

40

Lizardmen

The larger ones would make exceptionally good slaves if they weren’t so god damn hard to press into service. Not worth it. Just kill them and be done with it.
What are things that were especially effective against Lizardmen? Which things do you need to be careful of?

41

Ogre Kingdoms

Our neighbours to the east are not easy to subdue, but if it works they are fantastic tools…
What are things that were especially effective against Ogre Kingdoms? Which things do you need to be careful of?

Strengths

Ogres are unique among the factions in having an army (almost) exclusively made out of Monstrous Infantry units. That means tough individual models and their damage output only decreases in steps and not continuously with every wound inflicted. They hit like a ton of bricks and, thanks to Impact Hits on basically all models, can swipe a front rank at Initiative 10. Their characters on monstrous mounts are especially beefy. The army is pretty fast at M6 for their basic troops and want to be in combat asap. But that doesn’t mean they cannot hurt you in the shooting phase, between Leadbelchers and Ironblasters they can really ruin your day even before close combat started.

Weaknesses

As it is so often the case, one of their strengths is also one of their weaknesses: Everyone is a monstrous infantry model, that means they’re having an even lower model count than you do. Access to Gnoblars can remedy this a little, but they are even weaker than Hobgoblins and will easily succumb to low strength attacks.
While Ogres themselves seem to be very tough, on closer look that’s not even the case: Yes, they all have T4 or higher, but that’s true for many armies, and their armour save is often underwhelming. Another weakness is the Leadership: Only the Tyrant has LD9, often times you can deal with LD8 or even LD7

Tactics

Key to beating Ogres is controlling their movement. More than most armies, Ogres depend on getting that charge off. Your redirecting and screening game has to be top notch. Use Hobgoblin Wolf Riders to redirect their hardest hitters and Cutthroats to screen your units for a counter charge. Remember that Impact Hits need a minimum 3" charge distance to trigger, so a single file of cutthroats in front of your units to take the charge will rob Ogres of their most effective strength. Great Weapons on your Infernal Guard and Black Orcs are your best weapon against Ogres, and even Fireglaives can be quite effective. Leave the Magma Cannon at home and invest in Deathshriekers, Dreadquakes and Hell Cannons: The Deathshrieker’s Demolition rockets have Multiple Wounds D6 under the central hole, which is perfect for going after those tough characters on Stonehorn, while their Infernal Incendiaries are great to trigger those panic tests. The Dreadquake also has Multiple Wounds D6 and the Quake ability is perfect in hindering their movement and stop them from making that critical charge. The Hellcannon has S5 and Multiple Wounds D3 under the whole template, which is fantastic against Ogres, and also easily triggers panic tests. You can also use the Iron Daemon to great effect, but you have to make sure to get that charge off.

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