Here, will be posted the revised edition of my Tactica's for the public to view. Any comments should be made in the comments thread, and I may revise this accoringly.
*Yak: I'd like to keep this clear of comments. When it gets to a certain size, I'll index it so as to make searching easy.*
Index:
Woodelf Kindreds: This post
Army Composition: Warbands
Scouting for Dummies
Against the Peasants
Asrai Special Characters: Naestra and Arahan, the Sisters of Twilight
Historical Tactics: Battle of Gaugamela
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Wood Elf Kindreds
Along with the ability for Lords & Heroes to take Magic Items Wood Elven Generals may also choose to be from a kindred or accompanied by a Spite. This article focuses on making your Lords & Heroes from each of the seven wood elven kindreds available at your disposal.
Wardancer Kindreds
Both a Highborn and a Noble can take the wardancer kindred as well as most other ones available for wood elf players. The Wardancer Kindred is basically self-explanatory, the Highborn/Noble that has it literally becomes a wardancer. Gaining all the bonuses that a wardancer would with only losing the ability to take a longbow and other non-wardancer magical weapons is a good deal. A Highborn/Noble with this kindred should be accompanied by at least 8 wardancers to give one awesome close combat unit. The ability for a noble to add 5 attacks to your wardancer unit definitely makes up the amount of points it costs (assuming you use the Shadow Dance “Storm of Blades”).
With the above comments in mind, you need to figure out what to equip your Wardancer Kindred with. Highborns are much easier, as they have a larger magic item allowance but Nobles are just as easy to make an effective character out of. For spites, An annoyance of netlings might work well as it will help you with challenges and his survivability. The Spite I recommend though would be a murder of spites. For only half of a noble’s magic items allowance you can get +d6 attacks in which are magical and count as poisoned. Though they are weak attacks the sheer number of them if you roll a 6 will surely kill something.
A murder of spites is the best spite for the Wardancer Kindred, so now its time to decide on what protection you’re going to give him. You can’t give him armor, so talismans are the way to go. Amranthine Brooch seems like the best choice but with how expensive it is only a Highborn can take it along with a murder of spites. Amber Pendant oculd also give you some protection, allowing you to strike first and hopefully stops the enemy from striking back. Now you have a decision to make, whether or not to take a spite for your noble or a talisman of some sort. I would suggest a talisman, as it gives you the protection for such a costly character while the sheer amount of attacks that a wardancer can strike with should make up for not taking a murder of spites. For your highborn though, you have a much larger magic item allowance which can be used to take a spite, some protection and even a weapon. I would suggest taking Amaranthine brooch because it gives you a good ward save along with a murder of spites and blades of loec if you have the points. Now this character can really pack a pucnch when put in a unit of 8 or 9 wardancers.
Eternal Kindreds
Being the cheapest of all the kindreds, the Eternal Kindred wont cost you much. Also what you would regularly get for 8 pts (light armor, shield, and extra hand weapon) you now can take for 5 pts. Better yet you can fight with an additional rank making this bargain even more tantalizing.
I would recommend, in most cases, to take a noble as your eternal kindred. Unless you want a unit that can really pack a punch, then I would suggest a highborn. But the addition of a noble would be best as the unit of Eternal Guard it joins is stubborn when you accompany it a noble. For items it would probably be best to make your noble the cheapest you can get it. You already have armor and you cant take any magical weapons or armor without losing the bonuses of the Eternal Kindred, so taking a spite would be best. Just like a wardancer kindred should, an Eternal Kindred should take either annoyance of netlings or a murder of spites. A murder of spites might seem to be the best choice here, but when your opponent finds out that your noble is the one making your unit stubborn than he will make him first on his target priority when engaging this unit. Now the best choice would be annoyance of netlings, because if you issue a challenge with, the enemy character or champion that accepted hits only on 6’s. Even better, if your opponent refuses then you have effectively taken away 2-3 potential attacks while allowing you character to attack the enemy unit itself.
On the other hand, if you take a highborn with the eternal kindred then some more choices come into play. Taking rymer’s harp will allow your whole unit to have the same ward save as a dryad and the ability to move over any difficult terrain you have trouble moving over (and if you have a unit of 19 Eternal Guard then it’s definitely worth the points). An annoyance of Netlings should be a staple on the highborn too because if you equipped Rymer’s harp then that will just entice the opponent to get rid of him even more than he did before.
Furthur more you can take Merciw's Locus, an extremely good item when combined with annoyance of netlings and a great weapon.
Alter Kindreds
My personal favorite, the alter kindred, is probably the most effective or versatile kindred that the wood elves have at their disposal. Mainly used as a mage hunter and a warmachine hunter, this bad boy has many different jobs in which he can take up. Also with the ability to move as fast as an elven steed (that means out running any of those bretonnian and imperial cavalry) he can be at any plce he wants to within a couple of turns. What job he will perform, though, will reflect on how you equipped him.
The first job an Alter Kindred can take up would be a warmachine hunter. Equipped much like a mage hunter, this variant is cheap yet effective. All you need is some armor and you’ve got an effective Alter Kindred. Usually players like to add more to them to give them more versatility. But a cheap Alter Kindred kitted out for war machine and mage huning would probably have either an enchanted shield, light armor, a great weapon, and the helm of the hunt or a shield, light armor, a murder of spites, a great weapon and helm of the hunt. These two combinations are suitable for the job for just under 150 pts.
Another job for the Alter Kindred is a knight hunting alter kindred. This can be taken in two ways. One with a murder of spites, the helm of the hunt, and light armor, shield, and a great weapon (same as the one for warmachine hunting, redundancy is a good thing in warhammer). The other would be a shooty Alter Kindred with arcane bodkins, light armor, a shield, and helm of the hunt. This will allow you shoot and then engage in combat and so some reasonable damage. Though this comb would be better with a highborn, taking bow of loren with arcane bodkins to have 4 shots. This isn’t as popular though because these items would be better spent on a scout kindred.
Also, to expand the versatility you can take a different Alter Kindred. This one would be a noble, kitted out with hail of doom arrow and the helm of the hunt along with light armor, a shield, and a great weapon. Or you can try a highborn equipped like this along with a blight of terrors and get some interesting results.
Wild Rider Kindreds
The Wild Rider Kindred, a fast and hard hitting kindred, is usually taken in summer themed lists. Otherwise it would be taken to add some more punch to your hard hitting wild riders. Whichever reason you take him for, the most important thing to do first, like with the rest of the kindreds, is to figure out what to equip him with.
Most likely you’ll place your wild rider kindred in a unit of wild riders (preferably composed of 5-6 models). With this in mind, you can decide what to take for him. He already has a couple of ward saves and a mediocre armor save. For better survivability a highborn should take Oaken Armor, allowing him to regenerate his wounds. So a suitable Wild Rider Kindred Highborn would have Oaken Armor, Dawnspear, and an elven steed. The Dwanspear has the potential to reduce the damage caused by enemy units, and of course the elven steed is required unless you mount him on a Great Stag.
You have the choice of being mounted on a Great Stag, which is basically a great eagle with more strength and less movement. Taking a great stag would give you a close combat beast and more survivability since all shots against the stag and highborn are randomized. If you have the points and you want the Great Stag then take it, otherwise leave it.
Equipping a Wild Rider Kindred Noble is a bit trickier. You only have 50 points for magic items which doesn’t give you much space for items. Equipping the noble with a murder of spites or annoyance would be good but that leaves you with 25 pts left which leaves practically nothing else to equipped onto him. I would suggest If your taking a wild rider kindred that it would be a highborn and if not it isn’t worth it. Also taking either one of the spears one a wild rider kindred would be good, as they both do well on him.
An interesting tactic would be putting a Wild Rider Kindred in a unit with a treeman. This of course would provide you with better survivability but with less mobility. Who needs mobility though when you have the moonstone of hidden ways?
Scout Kindred
The ability to give a character the scouting ability is a good one indeed, allowing your character to accompany your units of scouts. A noble/highborn with the scouting kindred can act as one of two things. One being a sniper, excelling at taking out lone wizards and other things like ratling guns. The other one being a supportive character, accompanying your unit of scouts.
When equipping a scout kindred it is useful to get an idea of what his role is. Will he be a sniper or will he be a supportive scout? Both of these options should be considered when choosing how to equip your scout kindred.
A Sniper should be equipped with a pageant of shrikes giving him an extra ranged attack along with hunter’s talon. For a noble this fits the maximum magic item allowance which means you can have a cheap sniper for your army. Otherwise, a highborn could be equipped with the bow of loren, arcane bodkins and a pageant of shrikes. Also you could switch arcane bodkins with hagbane arrows. Other than that a noble would be better suited for this job for its points unless you were to take a waywatcher kindred (see below).
The other option, a supportive character, I would recommend rather than the sniper as a waywatcher kindred could perform the same job with more finesse. When equipping supportive scout kindred you have to think about the unit he will be in. If it is a unit of 7 scouts with the banner of Zenith then it would be wise to invest some points to protect the unit. Otherwise a weaker unit should be accompanied by the same noble/highborn to make it a more capable unit. For a highborn, the bow of loren and hail of doom arrow seem like two weapons that wood do good on this scout kindred. Well I’m here to tell you they are. Hail of doom arrow will reduce ranks while bow of loren will give you more shots per a turn. Also taking a scout kindred in a unit of scouts would make the unit more than capable to take out some warmachines. For a cheaper alternative you can take a noble with either one of the items listed above.
After these two options comes another, a close combat scout, which will be described below in the waywatcher kindreds.
Waywatcher Kindreds
Another way to make your character a scout, possibly the best scout in the game, is to take a Waywatcher Kindred. Although the Waywatcher kindred has no armor and cannot take a great weapon or anything like that, you can still make a waywatcher kindred that adds that extra punch to your unit of Waywatchers. Also, as described above a waywatcher kindred can be a sniper. The waywatcher kindred is the better choice when taking a sniper even though it’s a bit more costly.
First, the waywatcher kindred has the Lethal Shot rule. If you take a magical bow and/or magical arrows then the Lethal Shot rule is nullified when using them. For a sniper waywatcher kindred I would suggest taking a pageant of shrikes, and hail of doom arrow for a relatively cheap highborn. This may not be the best choice, as your highborn is usually your only lord choice. A noble would most likely be seen with one of the above. To give these two choices better survivbability amaranthine brooch should suffice.
A second choice for waywatcher kindreds would be to take a close combat waywatcher kindred. This waywatcher kindred would be used to take out such units like warmachines and other scouting units. Also if distance permits you might be lucky enough to charge a fast cavalry unit. A close combat waywatcher kindred should have a murder of spites to give him the extra attacks. For more attacks you should take the sword of battle giving you a total of 5+D6 attacks with a noble and 6+D6 attacks with a highborn (Note that the +D6 attacks are not at the same strength and initiative as the user).
Glamourweave Kindred
Finally, the last kindred and a special one indeed. Only Spellsingers and Spellweavers can take this though. This will give your spellcasters better survivability but at a cost. The Kindred requires them to be mounted on an elven steed, but it gives them the “forest spirit” special rule.
Most players don’t take this as it’s a waste of points just for the few bonuses you get but in all forest spirits lists you can now take dispel scrolls. Also if you take the special character Drycha then you must have an army composed of nothing but forest spirits. That’s when glamourweave spellsingers come into play. Also the glamourweave kindred has more maneuverability allowing them to dodge any danger that might present themselves as a threat to the unprotected spellsinger.
Don't forget that glamourweave spellsingers/weavers also have the choice of being mounted on a unicorn which could bring in a new range of tactics in which I will not get into right now.
In conclusion, the Wood Elven Kindreds are not something that should be taken lightly. They should be used to support specific roles or to add more versatility to your army while assisting your overall battle plan.
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Dori's Tactica's
Moderator: Council of Elders
7 posts
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Dori's Tactica's
by Dori » Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:03 am
- Posts: 2023
- Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2005 8:39 pm
- Location: In the dark and mildly active crypt that some people call the Battle Report Section
Shadow Sentinel
by Dori » Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:24 am
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Army Composition: Warbands
Over the years, many gamers ranging from newer gamers to veterans have gotten into a variant of warhammer called Warband’s. To sum it up Warband’s is basically the same as Warhammer, played with the same rules, except the unit sizes are smaller. This allows for smaller games and in my opinion the most fun games.
Small Warbands (1-199 pts)
With such small numbers, you can probably guess there will be less of a threat with the amount of magic certain armies take. This can be quite useful when playing wood elves as you probably don’t want to spend a bunch of your points on magical defense. The most advisable choice for a army of less than 200 points would be to take no magical defense because you most likely won’t be faced with much.
The first thing to think about when making a small warband is to think about who is going to lead it. Most likely it will be, a unit champion as they can provide a cheap yet proficient general. For wood elves, the unit champion I would advise on taking would be a branch nymph. A Branch Nymph will provide the best close combat fighter in your army, since you are only limited to core choices.
The troops of your warband have to be core with such a small army. With this in mind you can pretty much decide on what you want to take with out having to deal with variation. I’m not saying variation is a bad thing, it is good but with a restricted amount of points you variation shouldn’t be required. So with the choices you have you can choose from Glade Guard, Dryads, and Glade Riders. This allows for much flexibility and with the right choices you can make a pretty competitive list. The first thing I would go with is a unit of dryads, 8 of them would be the ideal size, for a unit to accompany your Branch Nymph. You have now spent almost half of your points (for a 200 pts army). Next I would suggest some shooting; a unit of 3 glade guard will work. With a little amount of points left you can either take 3 scouts or 4 more glade guard. I would not take Glade Riders as they are too expensive for such small points and have no armor, which means a lot of points wasted.
In summary a 199 pts list would look like this,
1 Branch Nymph
8 Dryads
3 Glade Guard
3 Scouts
This would give you the most flexibility and with such small numbers it’s nice to have that. This is the basic structure of a small warband.
Large Warbands (200-500 pts)
In Large warbands, as you will see, there is more variety and flexibility as you can take special and rare units now. This changes everything from the way it was in Small Warbands. Now players can feel free to take anything they want in their warband.
With this in mind, it would now be wise to take a hero for your commander instead of a unit champion. First of all this will give your army, possibly, more leadership and will allow you to involve new tactics by being able to take items such as the Moonstone of Hidden Ways. Although any elves, especially wood elves, can be really expensive when playing them, nobles and the alike still play a vital role in your warband. For the example below I will illustrate how to make a 500 pt warband.
I would suggest for a general either a Wardancer kindred noble or a branchwarith. Both of these hero choices have a lot to offer to a warband and will affect the overall look of your warband. With a Wardancer Noble, you should either take it without anything, with a murder of spites only, or with blades of Loec. Either one of these will provide you with a great leader in which is combat effective. A branchwraith on the other hand, should be taken with either a cluster of radiants, a murder of spites, or an annoyance of netlings. These three spites would do well for a effective leader and a branchwraith equipped with either of those would only cost 90 pts, giving you a good amount of points to spend on troops. But with the new rules, you apparently can’t take a wardancer kindred as your general. Therefore something else you could do is to include one, but take a unit champion as your general.
When choosing core choices you must decide what their purpose is. I suggest dryads because they will give you a good screening unit while also adding the combat ability of your army. Two units of 6 will work, while giving you a good base to expand upon. If you’d rather include shooting, then Glade Guard units would be the best option, at 5 models per a unit. Instead of having two units of dryads you could opt for one unit of both dryads and glade guard. This will give you more flexibility when playing a variety of foes. Either way it will cost you around the same amount of points. I wouldn’t take Glade Riders in a warband because they simply are to expensive for having no armor and take up too much space in a warband.
Special choices, my personal favorites, are not to be taken lightly. I would take a unit of 7 wardancer, if you were taking a Wardancer noble. On the other hand I would take a unit of 1-2 Tree Kin if you were leaning towards taking a forest spirit army. Wild Riders and Warhawk Riders are good but simply take up to much space.
Since you are allowed a rare slot it would be wise to take one. I personally would take Waywatchers, 5 of them, to take as scouts but I know some people out there would rather not consider their vulnerability. The other choice is taking a Great Eagle, to take out any warmachines and march block the enemies warband. A Treeman just doesn’t work for such small battles because it costs way to much! Of course if you wanted to you could probably fit one in but many people would then dislike playing you. It would be beset not to take it at all.
Based on what I said above I will show you my 500 pt warband list,
1 Wardancer Noble
6 Dryads
6 Dryads
6 Wardancers, Blade Singer
5 Waywatchers, Shadow Sentinel
Overall this army has some shooting, and a good close combat capacity.
Warband Variations
With the current Wood Elf list a couple of themed lists can be chosen and made. These variants range from a scouting force (otherwise known as an ambushing force), a wardancer cult, and a forest spirit army. Here will be shown the different variants long with their advantages/disadvantages.
Ambushing Warband
1 Wardancer Kindred w/ Moonstone of Hidden Ways
4 Glade Guard
6 Scouts
5 Wardancers
6 Waywatchers
Advantages: Mobility
Disadvantages: Unarmored Units, Expensive Units
Wardancer Cult
1 Wardancer Kindred
5 Glade Guard
5 Glade Guard
8 Wardancers
7 Wardancers
Advantages: Awesome Close Combat
Disadvantages: Unarmored, less mobility
Forest Spirit Warband
1 Branchwraith
6 Dryads
6 Dryads
6 Dryads
1 Tree Kin
5 Wild Riders
Advantages: Cheap Units, Better Survivability
Disadvantages: Weak to Magic, trouble vs. ranks
These are three variants you could choose from, each of them varying in tactics. A Wardancer Cult would excel at close combat while an ambushing army would excel in mobility which gives two very different yet very viable options.
With this I close this article in hopes that you one day will make a warband worthy of battle.
* * *
Army Composition: Warbands
Over the years, many gamers ranging from newer gamers to veterans have gotten into a variant of warhammer called Warband’s. To sum it up Warband’s is basically the same as Warhammer, played with the same rules, except the unit sizes are smaller. This allows for smaller games and in my opinion the most fun games.
Small Warbands (1-199 pts)
With such small numbers, you can probably guess there will be less of a threat with the amount of magic certain armies take. This can be quite useful when playing wood elves as you probably don’t want to spend a bunch of your points on magical defense. The most advisable choice for a army of less than 200 points would be to take no magical defense because you most likely won’t be faced with much.
The first thing to think about when making a small warband is to think about who is going to lead it. Most likely it will be, a unit champion as they can provide a cheap yet proficient general. For wood elves, the unit champion I would advise on taking would be a branch nymph. A Branch Nymph will provide the best close combat fighter in your army, since you are only limited to core choices.
The troops of your warband have to be core with such a small army. With this in mind you can pretty much decide on what you want to take with out having to deal with variation. I’m not saying variation is a bad thing, it is good but with a restricted amount of points you variation shouldn’t be required. So with the choices you have you can choose from Glade Guard, Dryads, and Glade Riders. This allows for much flexibility and with the right choices you can make a pretty competitive list. The first thing I would go with is a unit of dryads, 8 of them would be the ideal size, for a unit to accompany your Branch Nymph. You have now spent almost half of your points (for a 200 pts army). Next I would suggest some shooting; a unit of 3 glade guard will work. With a little amount of points left you can either take 3 scouts or 4 more glade guard. I would not take Glade Riders as they are too expensive for such small points and have no armor, which means a lot of points wasted.
In summary a 199 pts list would look like this,
1 Branch Nymph
8 Dryads
3 Glade Guard
3 Scouts
This would give you the most flexibility and with such small numbers it’s nice to have that. This is the basic structure of a small warband.
Large Warbands (200-500 pts)
In Large warbands, as you will see, there is more variety and flexibility as you can take special and rare units now. This changes everything from the way it was in Small Warbands. Now players can feel free to take anything they want in their warband.
With this in mind, it would now be wise to take a hero for your commander instead of a unit champion. First of all this will give your army, possibly, more leadership and will allow you to involve new tactics by being able to take items such as the Moonstone of Hidden Ways. Although any elves, especially wood elves, can be really expensive when playing them, nobles and the alike still play a vital role in your warband. For the example below I will illustrate how to make a 500 pt warband.
I would suggest for a general either a Wardancer kindred noble or a branchwarith. Both of these hero choices have a lot to offer to a warband and will affect the overall look of your warband. With a Wardancer Noble, you should either take it without anything, with a murder of spites only, or with blades of Loec. Either one of these will provide you with a great leader in which is combat effective. A branchwraith on the other hand, should be taken with either a cluster of radiants, a murder of spites, or an annoyance of netlings. These three spites would do well for a effective leader and a branchwraith equipped with either of those would only cost 90 pts, giving you a good amount of points to spend on troops. But with the new rules, you apparently can’t take a wardancer kindred as your general. Therefore something else you could do is to include one, but take a unit champion as your general.
When choosing core choices you must decide what their purpose is. I suggest dryads because they will give you a good screening unit while also adding the combat ability of your army. Two units of 6 will work, while giving you a good base to expand upon. If you’d rather include shooting, then Glade Guard units would be the best option, at 5 models per a unit. Instead of having two units of dryads you could opt for one unit of both dryads and glade guard. This will give you more flexibility when playing a variety of foes. Either way it will cost you around the same amount of points. I wouldn’t take Glade Riders in a warband because they simply are to expensive for having no armor and take up too much space in a warband.
Special choices, my personal favorites, are not to be taken lightly. I would take a unit of 7 wardancer, if you were taking a Wardancer noble. On the other hand I would take a unit of 1-2 Tree Kin if you were leaning towards taking a forest spirit army. Wild Riders and Warhawk Riders are good but simply take up to much space.
Since you are allowed a rare slot it would be wise to take one. I personally would take Waywatchers, 5 of them, to take as scouts but I know some people out there would rather not consider their vulnerability. The other choice is taking a Great Eagle, to take out any warmachines and march block the enemies warband. A Treeman just doesn’t work for such small battles because it costs way to much! Of course if you wanted to you could probably fit one in but many people would then dislike playing you. It would be beset not to take it at all.
Based on what I said above I will show you my 500 pt warband list,
1 Wardancer Noble
6 Dryads
6 Dryads
6 Wardancers, Blade Singer
5 Waywatchers, Shadow Sentinel
Overall this army has some shooting, and a good close combat capacity.
Warband Variations
With the current Wood Elf list a couple of themed lists can be chosen and made. These variants range from a scouting force (otherwise known as an ambushing force), a wardancer cult, and a forest spirit army. Here will be shown the different variants long with their advantages/disadvantages.
Ambushing Warband
1 Wardancer Kindred w/ Moonstone of Hidden Ways
4 Glade Guard
6 Scouts
5 Wardancers
6 Waywatchers
Advantages: Mobility
Disadvantages: Unarmored Units, Expensive Units
Wardancer Cult
1 Wardancer Kindred
5 Glade Guard
5 Glade Guard
8 Wardancers
7 Wardancers
Advantages: Awesome Close Combat
Disadvantages: Unarmored, less mobility
Forest Spirit Warband
1 Branchwraith
6 Dryads
6 Dryads
6 Dryads
1 Tree Kin
5 Wild Riders
Advantages: Cheap Units, Better Survivability
Disadvantages: Weak to Magic, trouble vs. ranks
These are three variants you could choose from, each of them varying in tactics. A Wardancer Cult would excel at close combat while an ambushing army would excel in mobility which gives two very different yet very viable options.
With this I close this article in hopes that you one day will make a warband worthy of battle.
* * *
- Posts: 2023
- Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2005 8:39 pm
- Location: In the dark and mildly active crypt that some people call the Battle Report Section
Shadow Sentinel
by Dori » Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:47 am
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Scouting for Dummies
Scouts, a most frequently played unit, are usually employed in Elven armies but can be used in other armies such as dwarfs, empire, and lizardmen. Basically scouting units are used to provide missile support while distracting and diverting enemy units into basic traps. Although expensive, scouting units can play a vital role in any army.
Wood Elves are more apt to take scouting units when making an armylist than most other list. This could be for the reason that any wood elf player can choose to take them as an upgrade from glade guard or in the more expensive version of waywatchers. Both choices are viable in such a list; Glade Guard Scouts acting as march blockers and moderate missile support and waywatchers acting as knight hunters while both being able to perform other similar jobs.
In this Article you will see a more in depth description of scouts along with tactics. Though it is hard to provide specific tactics for every situation you can think of, this will at least give you a good start how to properly use them.
Hunting-
Warmachines and the Alike
One of the main goals of scouting units is to eliminate any threats that the enemy might pose. Such threats range from spellcasters, warmachines, alone characters, and even fast cavalry units. These can be very hard to deal with and therefore will need to be taken into consideration when deploying your army. Remember, scouts are deployed last allowing you to place them in the most convenient place possible to maximize their potential. This makes for some careful decisions when deciding when deciding where to deploy.
Waywatchers are more able to deploy in those convenient places with their Forest Stalkers rule. This can put them in the beneficial positions in which are easy to hunt warmachines and mages.
The main goal of hunting such units is to shoot at them until you get in range of charging them, and that’s when you charge. Most likely you wont be able to charge on your first turn so moving forth and shooting will work just fine. Some units, though, can be only shot at because of their high mobility. These units are usually fast cavalry or mounted characters and should be dealt with the right amount of firepower until they are dead. Again waywatchers can do this better than regular scouts with killing blow and better ballistic skill.
Warmachines are easily taken out in combat while not as easily when shooting. This is because your shots will randomize when shooting, so when dealing with them engaging in close combat would be the quickest route to getting rid of them. Dwarf warmchines can be a problem though, especially with the new rules. They are able to take a master engineer and an apprentice engineer giving them five crew members who are all Stubborn. There are also many runes that can be taken with those warmachines giving them better survivability. To deal with these, shooting would be the better option, slaying the engineers and then going in for the kill.
Mages aren’t that hard to take care of, they are just one against your scouting units. Unless they put them in a unit (and therefore reducing their flexibility and LOS considerably) you should have a problem taking them out. Shooting might be the only thing you need to do with the survivability of spellcasters. Also, if you deploy in a forest and your opponents mages spells don’t need LOS for most of their spells then you have effectively taken the safest spot for them to take.
Knights, on the other hand, should be dealt with waywatchers by simply shooting them with their supreme ballistic capabilities. Also scouting characters can help with this and in a wood elf army a hero or lord can take the combination of the Bow of Loren and Arcane Bodkins.
Finally, fast cavalry can be and should be dealt with shooting, for the reason that you usually can’t catch those units. Most fast cavalry don’t have a save below 6 and can be easily shot down when necessary.
Baiting-
Diverting and Distracting the Enemy
With the scouts ability to deploy closer to the enemy, a desirable aim for any scouting unit is to distract and harass the enemies’ flanks while making possible for flank and rear charges. Most of the time the enemy will concentrate their firepower on your most expensive and skilled units in hope of then ripping your army apart form there. Scouts can quite possibly put a stop to this and make the enemy dedicate their units toward your scouts. This can be achieved in a couple of ways.
First you can move your scouts forward towards the enemies’ rear or flank. This will put your scouts in a good position for flank and rear charges, but it will also allow the enemy to decimate them with shooting and magic. When facing vampire counts, chaos, or any other armies that do not have any missile troops then it can prove to be a good tactic and force your enemy to turn around to face the oncoming threat and therefore basically taking that units capabilities out of the game. When they turn to face you, it would be wise to either move back or to flee from a charge. Don’t worry when you flee, that is the sole purpose of baiting. If you spend 85 points on a unit of Wood Elf scouts and you force a enemy unit to dedicate it’s next couple of turns to getting rid of them, then you have effectively gained their points back even if they do flee of the table.
Another way to divert the enemy is to simply lie suppressive fire on an enemy unit which will hopefully get the enemy to dedicate some of their troops to destroying your scouts. When you have done this you will have distracted the enemy from its original plan which can, in some cases, cripple their overall strategy.
Unit Composition-
In or out?
Sometimes players struggle with the unit composition of a scouting unit. Wood Elf players can now take characters in the form of kindreds. This along with the ability to take command and the question of how many scouts to put in a unit can leave a gamer confused and uncertain. Don’t fret; this can all be dealt with.
As stated above, when playing wood elves, you can take lords and heroes as scouts by properly equipping them with scouting kindred or waywatcher kindred correspondingly. When deciding whether to take a lord or hero in your unit of scouts you must decide the units’ purpose on the battle field. Usually if you want more firepower or a higher close combat capacity then you should take a lord or hero. Otherwise it would just be a waste of points that could be better spent on other things.
Another choice with regular wood elf scouts is to take a standard bearer. When taking one you can take the Banner of Zenith, allowing you to more easily slow enemy units down. This combination can be quite effective and can slow the enemy significantly.
A more frequent question by newer gamers is how many scouts should be put in such a unit. I would usually recommend 5-7 depending on the units’ purpose on the battlefield. Waywatchers should be deployed in units of 6-7 to allow, on average, at least one killing blow shot per a turn. Regular scouts, on the other hand, should be deployed in smaller units because they usually are assigned less important jobs that can be accomplished with small numbers.
Characters-
Are they really worth it?
While taking characters may be a good idea to add to the flexibility of the unit, in some situations it just wastes points. If your considering on taking a lord or hero you must first decide which kindred he will be apart of and then you must decide what to equip on the highborn or noble.
Waywatcher characters are good and all but they are more restricted than a character with the scout kindred. Unless you have a specific purpose or reason to take a waywatcher kindred then I would advise that you take a scout kindred as they are cheaper and less restricted when it comes to equipping them.
Once you have decided on your choice of kindred, you must decide what to equip him with. Some common combinations are the Bow of Loren w/ Arcane Bodkins for a highborn and a Pagaent of Shrikes w/ Hunters Talon for a noble. These both add to the effectiveness of whichever unit you decide to take; the highborn combination allowing more shots and the noble combination acting as a sniper.
Since waywatcher kindreds have the Lethal Shot rule it would be useless to take the Hunters Talon/Paegant of Shrikes combo with one. That combo belongs to a scouting noble along with another combo that I have yet to mention; a scout noble with Raegeths wildfire blades, briarstheath and murder of spites. That combination is geared more towards taking out small missile units considering they have a -3 to hit modifier when standing and shooting.
The next question is whether to put this character into a unit. Waywatcher Kindreds can set up by themselves with the Forest Stalker rule, creating two difficult units to deal with if you have a unit of waywatchers. Further more, scout kindreds in which are equipped as a sniper should be deployed alone and thus giving you more flexibility. Characters that would be used to support a unit of scouts or waywatchers belong to the unit in which they are going to support.
* * *
Dori
Scouting for Dummies
Scouts, a most frequently played unit, are usually employed in Elven armies but can be used in other armies such as dwarfs, empire, and lizardmen. Basically scouting units are used to provide missile support while distracting and diverting enemy units into basic traps. Although expensive, scouting units can play a vital role in any army.
Wood Elves are more apt to take scouting units when making an armylist than most other list. This could be for the reason that any wood elf player can choose to take them as an upgrade from glade guard or in the more expensive version of waywatchers. Both choices are viable in such a list; Glade Guard Scouts acting as march blockers and moderate missile support and waywatchers acting as knight hunters while both being able to perform other similar jobs.
In this Article you will see a more in depth description of scouts along with tactics. Though it is hard to provide specific tactics for every situation you can think of, this will at least give you a good start how to properly use them.
Hunting-
Warmachines and the Alike
One of the main goals of scouting units is to eliminate any threats that the enemy might pose. Such threats range from spellcasters, warmachines, alone characters, and even fast cavalry units. These can be very hard to deal with and therefore will need to be taken into consideration when deploying your army. Remember, scouts are deployed last allowing you to place them in the most convenient place possible to maximize their potential. This makes for some careful decisions when deciding when deciding where to deploy.
Waywatchers are more able to deploy in those convenient places with their Forest Stalkers rule. This can put them in the beneficial positions in which are easy to hunt warmachines and mages.
The main goal of hunting such units is to shoot at them until you get in range of charging them, and that’s when you charge. Most likely you wont be able to charge on your first turn so moving forth and shooting will work just fine. Some units, though, can be only shot at because of their high mobility. These units are usually fast cavalry or mounted characters and should be dealt with the right amount of firepower until they are dead. Again waywatchers can do this better than regular scouts with killing blow and better ballistic skill.
Warmachines are easily taken out in combat while not as easily when shooting. This is because your shots will randomize when shooting, so when dealing with them engaging in close combat would be the quickest route to getting rid of them. Dwarf warmchines can be a problem though, especially with the new rules. They are able to take a master engineer and an apprentice engineer giving them five crew members who are all Stubborn. There are also many runes that can be taken with those warmachines giving them better survivability. To deal with these, shooting would be the better option, slaying the engineers and then going in for the kill.
Mages aren’t that hard to take care of, they are just one against your scouting units. Unless they put them in a unit (and therefore reducing their flexibility and LOS considerably) you should have a problem taking them out. Shooting might be the only thing you need to do with the survivability of spellcasters. Also, if you deploy in a forest and your opponents mages spells don’t need LOS for most of their spells then you have effectively taken the safest spot for them to take.
Knights, on the other hand, should be dealt with waywatchers by simply shooting them with their supreme ballistic capabilities. Also scouting characters can help with this and in a wood elf army a hero or lord can take the combination of the Bow of Loren and Arcane Bodkins.
Finally, fast cavalry can be and should be dealt with shooting, for the reason that you usually can’t catch those units. Most fast cavalry don’t have a save below 6 and can be easily shot down when necessary.
Baiting-
Diverting and Distracting the Enemy
With the scouts ability to deploy closer to the enemy, a desirable aim for any scouting unit is to distract and harass the enemies’ flanks while making possible for flank and rear charges. Most of the time the enemy will concentrate their firepower on your most expensive and skilled units in hope of then ripping your army apart form there. Scouts can quite possibly put a stop to this and make the enemy dedicate their units toward your scouts. This can be achieved in a couple of ways.
First you can move your scouts forward towards the enemies’ rear or flank. This will put your scouts in a good position for flank and rear charges, but it will also allow the enemy to decimate them with shooting and magic. When facing vampire counts, chaos, or any other armies that do not have any missile troops then it can prove to be a good tactic and force your enemy to turn around to face the oncoming threat and therefore basically taking that units capabilities out of the game. When they turn to face you, it would be wise to either move back or to flee from a charge. Don’t worry when you flee, that is the sole purpose of baiting. If you spend 85 points on a unit of Wood Elf scouts and you force a enemy unit to dedicate it’s next couple of turns to getting rid of them, then you have effectively gained their points back even if they do flee of the table.
Another way to divert the enemy is to simply lie suppressive fire on an enemy unit which will hopefully get the enemy to dedicate some of their troops to destroying your scouts. When you have done this you will have distracted the enemy from its original plan which can, in some cases, cripple their overall strategy.
Unit Composition-
In or out?
Sometimes players struggle with the unit composition of a scouting unit. Wood Elf players can now take characters in the form of kindreds. This along with the ability to take command and the question of how many scouts to put in a unit can leave a gamer confused and uncertain. Don’t fret; this can all be dealt with.
As stated above, when playing wood elves, you can take lords and heroes as scouts by properly equipping them with scouting kindred or waywatcher kindred correspondingly. When deciding whether to take a lord or hero in your unit of scouts you must decide the units’ purpose on the battle field. Usually if you want more firepower or a higher close combat capacity then you should take a lord or hero. Otherwise it would just be a waste of points that could be better spent on other things.
Another choice with regular wood elf scouts is to take a standard bearer. When taking one you can take the Banner of Zenith, allowing you to more easily slow enemy units down. This combination can be quite effective and can slow the enemy significantly.
A more frequent question by newer gamers is how many scouts should be put in such a unit. I would usually recommend 5-7 depending on the units’ purpose on the battlefield. Waywatchers should be deployed in units of 6-7 to allow, on average, at least one killing blow shot per a turn. Regular scouts, on the other hand, should be deployed in smaller units because they usually are assigned less important jobs that can be accomplished with small numbers.
Characters-
Are they really worth it?
While taking characters may be a good idea to add to the flexibility of the unit, in some situations it just wastes points. If your considering on taking a lord or hero you must first decide which kindred he will be apart of and then you must decide what to equip on the highborn or noble.
Waywatcher characters are good and all but they are more restricted than a character with the scout kindred. Unless you have a specific purpose or reason to take a waywatcher kindred then I would advise that you take a scout kindred as they are cheaper and less restricted when it comes to equipping them.
Once you have decided on your choice of kindred, you must decide what to equip him with. Some common combinations are the Bow of Loren w/ Arcane Bodkins for a highborn and a Pagaent of Shrikes w/ Hunters Talon for a noble. These both add to the effectiveness of whichever unit you decide to take; the highborn combination allowing more shots and the noble combination acting as a sniper.
Since waywatcher kindreds have the Lethal Shot rule it would be useless to take the Hunters Talon/Paegant of Shrikes combo with one. That combo belongs to a scouting noble along with another combo that I have yet to mention; a scout noble with Raegeths wildfire blades, briarstheath and murder of spites. That combination is geared more towards taking out small missile units considering they have a -3 to hit modifier when standing and shooting.
The next question is whether to put this character into a unit. Waywatcher Kindreds can set up by themselves with the Forest Stalker rule, creating two difficult units to deal with if you have a unit of waywatchers. Further more, scout kindreds in which are equipped as a sniper should be deployed alone and thus giving you more flexibility. Characters that would be used to support a unit of scouts or waywatchers belong to the unit in which they are going to support.
* * *
Dori
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- Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2005 8:39 pm
- Location: In the dark and mildly active crypt that some people call the Battle Report Section
Shadow Sentinel
by Taishar » Sun Jun 25, 2006 8:00 am
Just posting corrections, not opinions. Maybe opinions later ;p
Alter Highborn with Bow of Loren has 5 shots a turn, not 4.
When a character has Merciw's Locus, a great weapon does nothing for them (as it negates strength bonuses from weapons for the character).
Characters can never fight with an additional rank. Even if there are sufficient command/other characters to push them to the second rank, they can't attack from it unless specifically stated they can do so (as in the skaven army book). Even if they could, you'd only get a single attack (per EG rules).
You don't need to be glamourweave kindred to ride an elven steed; so it does not grant additional manueverability.
Cheers
Alter Highborn with Bow of Loren has 5 shots a turn, not 4.
When a character has Merciw's Locus, a great weapon does nothing for them (as it negates strength bonuses from weapons for the character).
Characters can never fight with an additional rank. Even if there are sufficient command/other characters to push them to the second rank, they can't attack from it unless specifically stated they can do so (as in the skaven army book). Even if they could, you'd only get a single attack (per EG rules).
You don't need to be glamourweave kindred to ride an elven steed; so it does not grant additional manueverability.
Cheers
"Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected" - The Art of War
Wood Elves (Retired), Empire - 7 Time Best General
Wood Elves (Retired), Empire - 7 Time Best General
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- Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2005 9:31 am
Newcomer
by Dori » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:01 pm
* * *
Along with my "How to Cope with Peasants" article, I have decided to write an "Against the Peasants" article. Well, here goes nothing;
Against the Peasants
Another Tactica Written by Dori
First and foremost in a well-themed Bretonnian peasant list you will find that you are outnumbered, severly. This may not be as evident with peasants as it is with goblins. All aside, an all-peasant force can be force to be reckoned with. Let's take a look at some of the things that could potentially hurt us.
Braziers. This is a quite cheap upgrade for peasant bowmen. The ability to cause flaming attacks is vital when used against you. Usually you will see a large core of peasant bowmen and all they have to do is inflict 3 wounds on a treeman to slay it. This is the same for Tree Kin. Braziers also can affect any units in which have regeneration. The spell Ariel's Blessing can be easily negated with this, along with such armor as the Oaken armor. There isn't much you can do abou these though, except for shield your most vulnerable units.
Static CR. Static combat resolution is particulary prominant in such units like men-at-arms and battle pilgrims. Both of these units (especially the battle pilgrims with the grail reliquae) can be taken in large quanities to uphold their combat resolution. Also, pole-arms count as halberds giving even the weakest of peasants a better attack, thus allowing for more CR. One way counter this is to fight static CR with static CR. Eternal Guard are perfect for this job. When accompanied with a BSB and a highborn they can be extremely stable. The Battle Pilgrims w/ the Grail Reliquae are a different story. With all their special rules and ability to have static CR they can provide a worthy opponent for wood elves or any army to deal with.
Along with the above can be added the fact that WE lack armor. A high multitude of peasant bowmen will do some damage vs. such vulnerable units despite how cheap they are.
To be Continued...
Against the Peasants *Continued*
Tactical Ploys versus the Lowlife’s
In the second part of this tactica I will explain some tactical gambits that you might find effective to use against a variety of opponents but primarily versus peasants.
The first of many tactical ploys I will explain is the “teleporting tactic.” This simply uses a character equipped with the Moonstone of Hidden Ways along with his unit. A Wardancer kindred Noble and/or Highborn is probably the most efficient character to use such a magic item with. After accompanied by a troupe of Wardancers all you have to do is to teleport to a desired wooded terrain piece.
More in depth…
Let’s say you have a unit of 7 Wardancers with a Wardancer Noble equipped with the Moonstone of Hidden Ways. First you have to think about deployment. Also if you’re playing a pitched battle it is more important to concentrate on terrain placement. Before you place your 6” wood (gained from the special rule “Woodland Ambush”) try to get another forest placed in the enemies’ deployment zone. Then deploy your forest in an advantageous position that will also aid other units (this will be described latter). When the deployment of your units starts then deploy your Wardancers either in the forest or behind it. In approximately two turns you will be able to charge him if the terrain is placed right. So why is this tactic predominantly effective on such an army you ask? This tactic is effective because in a well themed peasant list you will only see a max of 3 units of cavalry. One of them will include the required Knights of the Realm while the others Mounted Yeomen. This means he has a relatively slow army to play with compared to other Bretonnian armies. Also a peasant army will have a plethora of archers and trebuchets which will stay back shooting the heck out of you. By exploiting your maneuverability you can get in that devastating multi charge. Wait a second, what’s a multi charge? This tactic is even more effective for a multi charge with wild riders or even a great eagle.
More ploys to come...
* * *
Along with my "How to Cope with Peasants" article, I have decided to write an "Against the Peasants" article. Well, here goes nothing;
Against the Peasants
Another Tactica Written by Dori
First and foremost in a well-themed Bretonnian peasant list you will find that you are outnumbered, severly. This may not be as evident with peasants as it is with goblins. All aside, an all-peasant force can be force to be reckoned with. Let's take a look at some of the things that could potentially hurt us.
Braziers. This is a quite cheap upgrade for peasant bowmen. The ability to cause flaming attacks is vital when used against you. Usually you will see a large core of peasant bowmen and all they have to do is inflict 3 wounds on a treeman to slay it. This is the same for Tree Kin. Braziers also can affect any units in which have regeneration. The spell Ariel's Blessing can be easily negated with this, along with such armor as the Oaken armor. There isn't much you can do abou these though, except for shield your most vulnerable units.
Static CR. Static combat resolution is particulary prominant in such units like men-at-arms and battle pilgrims. Both of these units (especially the battle pilgrims with the grail reliquae) can be taken in large quanities to uphold their combat resolution. Also, pole-arms count as halberds giving even the weakest of peasants a better attack, thus allowing for more CR. One way counter this is to fight static CR with static CR. Eternal Guard are perfect for this job. When accompanied with a BSB and a highborn they can be extremely stable. The Battle Pilgrims w/ the Grail Reliquae are a different story. With all their special rules and ability to have static CR they can provide a worthy opponent for wood elves or any army to deal with.
Along with the above can be added the fact that WE lack armor. A high multitude of peasant bowmen will do some damage vs. such vulnerable units despite how cheap they are.
To be Continued...
Against the Peasants *Continued*
Tactical Ploys versus the Lowlife’s
In the second part of this tactica I will explain some tactical gambits that you might find effective to use against a variety of opponents but primarily versus peasants.
The first of many tactical ploys I will explain is the “teleporting tactic.” This simply uses a character equipped with the Moonstone of Hidden Ways along with his unit. A Wardancer kindred Noble and/or Highborn is probably the most efficient character to use such a magic item with. After accompanied by a troupe of Wardancers all you have to do is to teleport to a desired wooded terrain piece.
More in depth…
Let’s say you have a unit of 7 Wardancers with a Wardancer Noble equipped with the Moonstone of Hidden Ways. First you have to think about deployment. Also if you’re playing a pitched battle it is more important to concentrate on terrain placement. Before you place your 6” wood (gained from the special rule “Woodland Ambush”) try to get another forest placed in the enemies’ deployment zone. Then deploy your forest in an advantageous position that will also aid other units (this will be described latter). When the deployment of your units starts then deploy your Wardancers either in the forest or behind it. In approximately two turns you will be able to charge him if the terrain is placed right. So why is this tactic predominantly effective on such an army you ask? This tactic is effective because in a well themed peasant list you will only see a max of 3 units of cavalry. One of them will include the required Knights of the Realm while the others Mounted Yeomen. This means he has a relatively slow army to play with compared to other Bretonnian armies. Also a peasant army will have a plethora of archers and trebuchets which will stay back shooting the heck out of you. By exploiting your maneuverability you can get in that devastating multi charge. Wait a second, what’s a multi charge? This tactic is even more effective for a multi charge with wild riders or even a great eagle.
More ploys to come...
* * *
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Shadow Sentinel
by Dori » Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:10 pm
Asrai Special Characters: Naestra and Arahan, the Sisters of Twilight
Written by Dori
Basic Overview
The Sisters of Twilight, Naestra and Arahan, are bound together by ancient magic. One cannot die while the other remains alive. They both ride a faithful steed, either a dragon or a great eagle. This means that the twins, unlike any other Asrai special characters, can’t join a unit. So with no specific army that the twins need, we can focus more on them alone and their strengths and weaknesses.
Naestra, Arahan and their faithful steed
Obviously, since the twins cannot join a unit, they function totally by themselves. Well, maybe not totally but you get what I mean. So we cannot put them in a unit but instead have to choose which steed is right for them.
To choose either a dragon or an eagle is largely tied in to what you want the riders to do on the battlefield. Naestra and Arahan, for example, depend on their bows to harm an opponent’s units. If this is the sole manner in which you are choosing to use them then taking the eagle mount will be the best choice. By taking this option you are freeing up points that would be useless in choosing to use a dragon for the simple reason that it would never see combat. With an eagle, they will still have a 20” flying move and this will keep them out of combat while at the same time giving them the ability to be where they need to be, when they are needed.
So what we are looking at here is Ciethin-Har who has better close combat prowess, a poison breath and causes terror; and Gwindalor who can move the same and functions similarly without all the benefits gained from taking a dragon. Looks like Gwindalor the great eagle wins this one.
Also Gwindalor would be a better choice for a tournament as balanced lists are most frequent and it would save a lot of points. Being able to perform the same jobs without causing terror or having poison breath is definitely worth the extra 270 points you save by not getting the dragon.
However, if you are instead planning on the sisters ending up in combat on a flank or rear charge then the dragon will be the better option. While it will be easier to hit due to the Large Target penalties it suffers from, the bonus arrives in the form of how much you are gaining in the offensive capabilities of the sisters. Now they will be of use both in and out of combat.
Going further into the subject, Ciethin-Har would protect Arahan and Naestra better, providing that the shots randomize. A unit of twelve Empire Handgunners would on average hit with six of their shots. The hits would then be distributed randomly, hitting the rider on only a 5+. Then they wound with only four shots. This way, almost three of them would hit the dragon while the other one would hit either Arahan or Naestra. Not much to worry about, is it? If you are facing (or often face) more firepower than this, then it is important to choose a mount that will be able to withstand a lot of firepower. Therefore the right choice would be Ciethin-Har (i.e. a dragon is much more capable of surviving a cannon than a great eagle).
In addition to this, Ciethin-Har would be a significantly better choice if you often choose to engage in close combat. He has a better stat-line than a treeman, so this means that he will be able to take on giants and the like due to his awesome survivability. On top of all this, slaying enemy characters would be a suitable job for a dragon while not so much with a great eagle.
Overall, though, it really depends on whom you’re facing and what they take. great eagles are more versatile with the points that you spend on them but the dragon will help you with survivability and combat.
Weaknesses of the Sisters of Twilight
Since they cannot join a unit, they are left a little unprotected and somewhat vulnerable to enemy fire. But all missile weapons randomly hit either one of the sisters or the steed. And of course if one dies, their wounds are recovered as long as they don’t both die. However, they have the same low toughness as the rest of the elves. So we must come up with a way to protect this valuable special character. Woods, anyone? When flying around make sure to keep behind woods (and other terrain) as much as possible. So now that we have taken care of the primary issue with their vulnerability, we are going to focus on some of the strengths that they possess.
There are many ways to be offensive, of course, and they all tie in to the basic tactics of dragon-warfare. But this is the principle method provided that you are wary of dangerous magic that could spell their doom such as spells from the Lore of Life and the Lore of Heavens.
Strengths of the Sisters of Twilight
First on the list of strengths would have to be their ability to shoot an arrow that explodes and one that traps the enemy. These can be used to great effect. Let us take a look on how we can use them.
Bow of Arahan – This bow can work in many diverse ways. If you want to cause a panic test just shoot and you will probably cause one. If you want to inflict as many casualties as possible it can do that too. Want to get rid of those pesky warmachines? Use this.
Bow of Naestra – My personal favourite and the most potentially useful out of the two. If you want to hold up a unit or slow its progress by pinning them to the spot, this is what will do it. It is perfect for delay tactics and it will help your march blockers do their job.
Read on for more on these two potentially devastating bows.
The choice to take a great eagle or a dragon makes the Sisters of Twilight more versatile, being able to adapt to the playing style and army list of the opponent. This can help greatly because it allows players to take a cheaper version of the character or the big whammy of the Sisters on a Dragon.
The Twins and Delay Tactics
We all know that anything fast should have some part in delay tactics and the Sisters of Twilight are a perfect example. They can fly around the flanks, march blocking, then cause terror in any unit they pass. As if this were not enough, the Bow of Naestra allows her to shoot at an enemy target and force them to take a strength test. If they fail they cannot move in their next movement phase. It is perfect for dealing with those fast-moving, dangerous units that would otherwise be quite capable of tearing through your lines.
So along with the many other units that excel at delay tactics, the Sisters can most certainly be one too.
The Sisters’ Bows
We know that both of the sisters have a bow, and each bow can be fired at a different target. Let’s take a look at their bows and what they can be used for:
Arahan’s Bow
A template from a single arrow? Yes please! It could be useful for taking out war machines and rank-and-file units along with taking care of fast cavalry. You could shoot a different target every turn and cause a lot of panic tests from the casualties.
Naestra’s Bow
Do you need help delaying the opponent’s army? With Naestra’s Bow you’re just one strength test away from stopping a unit in its tracks. Stopping a unit for one turn can disorient the opponent’s line and shift the initiative over to you. If the opponent decides he wants a coherent battle line then you have just halted his entire army.
Now that we have looked at them separately, we can take a look at how to use them together.
Using their bows together can be devastating (obviously.) Arahan can cause casualties while Naestra disorients your opponent’s line by halting units. One thing you do not want to do however, is shoot at the same target. It’s a waste because if you stop the unit and then cause a panic test you have stopped the unit for no reason. If you target separate units then you can cause a panic test on one and stop the other.
Naestra’s bow should be used on cavalry, since stopping them is always going to be vital. Arahan can target war machines and infantry but Naestra should stick to slowing down the cavalry from march blocking and harassing your units. In addition, Arahan’s bow is best suited for shooting infantry thanks to the fact that it causes a blast template, which could result in a lot of casualties for the opponent to deal with. Once you have delayed cavalry you can pick them apart by setting up good flanking positions and once you have reduced your opponent’s infantry units you are free to destroy them with shooting/magic.
The Sisters in Battle
Now that we have taken a look at the strengths, weaknesses, choice of steed, their bows in detail and how they do with delay tactics we can finally look at how they do in each phase.
Sisters of Twilight in the Movement Phase
Being mounted on a flying mount helps the twins in this phase all too well. They are able to get around the flanks easily and attack from the rear influencing the enemies with terror. This may lower their ability to travel through woods but why travel through them when you can travel over them? (Editor’s Note: if mounted on a dragon, they can move 3 or 1.5 inches through the woods depending on the type of terrain the wood has been decided to be)
Sisters of Twilight in the Shooting Phase
The Sisters of Twilight are perfect for panicking and slowing down units in the shooting phase. This is probably because of the magic items that each of them possess. They can basically just shoot and cause a world of pain on big ranked units. Remember that they don’t have to shoot at the same target, so pick different targets. (eg. You can pin one unit with Naestra’s arrows and cause a panic test on another.)
In addition to this, the dragon can shoot its poison breath which can devastate even the most protected cavalry unit. Thanks to its -3 save modifier it is capable of reducing the armour save of an average knight unit to 5+.
Sisters of Twilight in the Close Combat Phase
The Sisters do not have much for combat but if you mount them on a dragon then they could do some real damage to your enemies. Wait… let me change that…it WILL do some real damage in combat. With its incredible stat line, the dragon could even match a treeman!
Versus Specific Army Types
Horde
Skaven, Orcs and Goblins and even Empire hordes seem vastly overwhelming in some cases. Don’t let this get you down as you have the Sisters of Twilight! Since horde armies usually (unless you’re fighting Skaven) have low leadership and flee easily to panic tests, this is where Arahan comes in. With the shot of her bow she can cause a simple panic test making even that three hundred soldiers large goblin unit flee.
Naestra can help too, slowing the enemy advance with her bow and allowing you to choose your fights more (and trust me, Wood Elves will need to do this). Holding enemy units in position allows you to manoeuvre vital troops into excellent flanking positions.
Shooty
Such Armies can include Elves, Empire, Dwarfs, and Skaven, who can be referred to as a bit shooty with the Clan Skryre lists that people frequently take (commonly called the SAD – Skaven Army of Doom.) Naestra’s Bow will not do much here, as most missile troops do not need to move anyway. So it will be necessary to engage in close combat to get rid of those units (and war machines) that cause so much trouble to your army. In this case, taking a great eagle instead of a dragon mount would most likely be the best option as it saves a lot of points (270 to be exact), and you do not need a dragon given that you will not find much close combat where the Sisters will be needed. The protection the dragon provides could come in handy though…
Basically, the best choice against these armies is to take a great eagle and to have them take out war machines and missile units while keeping close combat units (if any) in check.
Elite
Armies in this category are most likely to be the Elves, Dwarfs, Bretonnia, Ogre Kingdoms, and Chaos. Usually armies of this calibre have fewer units than normal and usually don’t have any expendable units. Stopping or routing one of those elite units could well ruin their entire strategy. In addition, causing terror in these units could very well cripple even the most well planned out army.
Armies that take dragon-mounted lords will be matched (well maybe not matched) by mounting the Sisters of Twilight on a dragon. Overall, a dragon mount would probably be the best choice against this type of army.
Now, its time to wrap all this up. Use the twins to the best of their ability and make sure they don’t die, because they would just be a major point sink for any Wood Elf army that kills them turn one. Woods will help greatly with this so use them! Finally, the choice of steed can really affect the outcome of the battle so choose the mount that most fits your playing style and/or army list.
Dori
Written by Dori
Basic Overview
The Sisters of Twilight, Naestra and Arahan, are bound together by ancient magic. One cannot die while the other remains alive. They both ride a faithful steed, either a dragon or a great eagle. This means that the twins, unlike any other Asrai special characters, can’t join a unit. So with no specific army that the twins need, we can focus more on them alone and their strengths and weaknesses.
Naestra, Arahan and their faithful steed
Obviously, since the twins cannot join a unit, they function totally by themselves. Well, maybe not totally but you get what I mean. So we cannot put them in a unit but instead have to choose which steed is right for them.
To choose either a dragon or an eagle is largely tied in to what you want the riders to do on the battlefield. Naestra and Arahan, for example, depend on their bows to harm an opponent’s units. If this is the sole manner in which you are choosing to use them then taking the eagle mount will be the best choice. By taking this option you are freeing up points that would be useless in choosing to use a dragon for the simple reason that it would never see combat. With an eagle, they will still have a 20” flying move and this will keep them out of combat while at the same time giving them the ability to be where they need to be, when they are needed.
So what we are looking at here is Ciethin-Har who has better close combat prowess, a poison breath and causes terror; and Gwindalor who can move the same and functions similarly without all the benefits gained from taking a dragon. Looks like Gwindalor the great eagle wins this one.
Also Gwindalor would be a better choice for a tournament as balanced lists are most frequent and it would save a lot of points. Being able to perform the same jobs without causing terror or having poison breath is definitely worth the extra 270 points you save by not getting the dragon.
However, if you are instead planning on the sisters ending up in combat on a flank or rear charge then the dragon will be the better option. While it will be easier to hit due to the Large Target penalties it suffers from, the bonus arrives in the form of how much you are gaining in the offensive capabilities of the sisters. Now they will be of use both in and out of combat.
Going further into the subject, Ciethin-Har would protect Arahan and Naestra better, providing that the shots randomize. A unit of twelve Empire Handgunners would on average hit with six of their shots. The hits would then be distributed randomly, hitting the rider on only a 5+. Then they wound with only four shots. This way, almost three of them would hit the dragon while the other one would hit either Arahan or Naestra. Not much to worry about, is it? If you are facing (or often face) more firepower than this, then it is important to choose a mount that will be able to withstand a lot of firepower. Therefore the right choice would be Ciethin-Har (i.e. a dragon is much more capable of surviving a cannon than a great eagle).
In addition to this, Ciethin-Har would be a significantly better choice if you often choose to engage in close combat. He has a better stat-line than a treeman, so this means that he will be able to take on giants and the like due to his awesome survivability. On top of all this, slaying enemy characters would be a suitable job for a dragon while not so much with a great eagle.
Overall, though, it really depends on whom you’re facing and what they take. great eagles are more versatile with the points that you spend on them but the dragon will help you with survivability and combat.
Weaknesses of the Sisters of Twilight
Since they cannot join a unit, they are left a little unprotected and somewhat vulnerable to enemy fire. But all missile weapons randomly hit either one of the sisters or the steed. And of course if one dies, their wounds are recovered as long as they don’t both die. However, they have the same low toughness as the rest of the elves. So we must come up with a way to protect this valuable special character. Woods, anyone? When flying around make sure to keep behind woods (and other terrain) as much as possible. So now that we have taken care of the primary issue with their vulnerability, we are going to focus on some of the strengths that they possess.
There are many ways to be offensive, of course, and they all tie in to the basic tactics of dragon-warfare. But this is the principle method provided that you are wary of dangerous magic that could spell their doom such as spells from the Lore of Life and the Lore of Heavens.
Strengths of the Sisters of Twilight
First on the list of strengths would have to be their ability to shoot an arrow that explodes and one that traps the enemy. These can be used to great effect. Let us take a look on how we can use them.
Bow of Arahan – This bow can work in many diverse ways. If you want to cause a panic test just shoot and you will probably cause one. If you want to inflict as many casualties as possible it can do that too. Want to get rid of those pesky warmachines? Use this.
Bow of Naestra – My personal favourite and the most potentially useful out of the two. If you want to hold up a unit or slow its progress by pinning them to the spot, this is what will do it. It is perfect for delay tactics and it will help your march blockers do their job.
Read on for more on these two potentially devastating bows.
The choice to take a great eagle or a dragon makes the Sisters of Twilight more versatile, being able to adapt to the playing style and army list of the opponent. This can help greatly because it allows players to take a cheaper version of the character or the big whammy of the Sisters on a Dragon.
The Twins and Delay Tactics
We all know that anything fast should have some part in delay tactics and the Sisters of Twilight are a perfect example. They can fly around the flanks, march blocking, then cause terror in any unit they pass. As if this were not enough, the Bow of Naestra allows her to shoot at an enemy target and force them to take a strength test. If they fail they cannot move in their next movement phase. It is perfect for dealing with those fast-moving, dangerous units that would otherwise be quite capable of tearing through your lines.
So along with the many other units that excel at delay tactics, the Sisters can most certainly be one too.
The Sisters’ Bows
We know that both of the sisters have a bow, and each bow can be fired at a different target. Let’s take a look at their bows and what they can be used for:
Arahan’s Bow
A template from a single arrow? Yes please! It could be useful for taking out war machines and rank-and-file units along with taking care of fast cavalry. You could shoot a different target every turn and cause a lot of panic tests from the casualties.
Naestra’s Bow
Do you need help delaying the opponent’s army? With Naestra’s Bow you’re just one strength test away from stopping a unit in its tracks. Stopping a unit for one turn can disorient the opponent’s line and shift the initiative over to you. If the opponent decides he wants a coherent battle line then you have just halted his entire army.
Now that we have looked at them separately, we can take a look at how to use them together.
Using their bows together can be devastating (obviously.) Arahan can cause casualties while Naestra disorients your opponent’s line by halting units. One thing you do not want to do however, is shoot at the same target. It’s a waste because if you stop the unit and then cause a panic test you have stopped the unit for no reason. If you target separate units then you can cause a panic test on one and stop the other.
Naestra’s bow should be used on cavalry, since stopping them is always going to be vital. Arahan can target war machines and infantry but Naestra should stick to slowing down the cavalry from march blocking and harassing your units. In addition, Arahan’s bow is best suited for shooting infantry thanks to the fact that it causes a blast template, which could result in a lot of casualties for the opponent to deal with. Once you have delayed cavalry you can pick them apart by setting up good flanking positions and once you have reduced your opponent’s infantry units you are free to destroy them with shooting/magic.
The Sisters in Battle
Now that we have taken a look at the strengths, weaknesses, choice of steed, their bows in detail and how they do with delay tactics we can finally look at how they do in each phase.
Sisters of Twilight in the Movement Phase
Being mounted on a flying mount helps the twins in this phase all too well. They are able to get around the flanks easily and attack from the rear influencing the enemies with terror. This may lower their ability to travel through woods but why travel through them when you can travel over them? (Editor’s Note: if mounted on a dragon, they can move 3 or 1.5 inches through the woods depending on the type of terrain the wood has been decided to be)
Sisters of Twilight in the Shooting Phase
The Sisters of Twilight are perfect for panicking and slowing down units in the shooting phase. This is probably because of the magic items that each of them possess. They can basically just shoot and cause a world of pain on big ranked units. Remember that they don’t have to shoot at the same target, so pick different targets. (eg. You can pin one unit with Naestra’s arrows and cause a panic test on another.)
In addition to this, the dragon can shoot its poison breath which can devastate even the most protected cavalry unit. Thanks to its -3 save modifier it is capable of reducing the armour save of an average knight unit to 5+.
Sisters of Twilight in the Close Combat Phase
The Sisters do not have much for combat but if you mount them on a dragon then they could do some real damage to your enemies. Wait… let me change that…it WILL do some real damage in combat. With its incredible stat line, the dragon could even match a treeman!
Versus Specific Army Types
Horde
Skaven, Orcs and Goblins and even Empire hordes seem vastly overwhelming in some cases. Don’t let this get you down as you have the Sisters of Twilight! Since horde armies usually (unless you’re fighting Skaven) have low leadership and flee easily to panic tests, this is where Arahan comes in. With the shot of her bow she can cause a simple panic test making even that three hundred soldiers large goblin unit flee.
Naestra can help too, slowing the enemy advance with her bow and allowing you to choose your fights more (and trust me, Wood Elves will need to do this). Holding enemy units in position allows you to manoeuvre vital troops into excellent flanking positions.
Shooty
Such Armies can include Elves, Empire, Dwarfs, and Skaven, who can be referred to as a bit shooty with the Clan Skryre lists that people frequently take (commonly called the SAD – Skaven Army of Doom.) Naestra’s Bow will not do much here, as most missile troops do not need to move anyway. So it will be necessary to engage in close combat to get rid of those units (and war machines) that cause so much trouble to your army. In this case, taking a great eagle instead of a dragon mount would most likely be the best option as it saves a lot of points (270 to be exact), and you do not need a dragon given that you will not find much close combat where the Sisters will be needed. The protection the dragon provides could come in handy though…
Basically, the best choice against these armies is to take a great eagle and to have them take out war machines and missile units while keeping close combat units (if any) in check.
Elite
Armies in this category are most likely to be the Elves, Dwarfs, Bretonnia, Ogre Kingdoms, and Chaos. Usually armies of this calibre have fewer units than normal and usually don’t have any expendable units. Stopping or routing one of those elite units could well ruin their entire strategy. In addition, causing terror in these units could very well cripple even the most well planned out army.
Armies that take dragon-mounted lords will be matched (well maybe not matched) by mounting the Sisters of Twilight on a dragon. Overall, a dragon mount would probably be the best choice against this type of army.
Now, its time to wrap all this up. Use the twins to the best of their ability and make sure they don’t die, because they would just be a major point sink for any Wood Elf army that kills them turn one. Woods will help greatly with this so use them! Finally, the choice of steed can really affect the outcome of the battle so choose the mount that most fits your playing style and/or army list.
Dori
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- Joined: Sat Jul 30, 2005 8:39 pm
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Shadow Sentinel
by Dori » Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:19 pm
I was inspired from someone else's webmag tactica (Historical Tactics: The Battle of Marathon) and decided to write on by myself. It's purposes were to be published in our second issue, but since the Sigil is dead, it's going here. If you spot any historical inaccuracies, feel free to start a new topic to discuss (In the Off Topic Section probably. Game related material can be discussed in the Tactics forum).
* * *
Historical Tactics: Battle of Gaugamela
Written By Dori
The Battle:
On the first of October 331 BC, Alexander marched his army across the Tigris and Euphrates without opposition, seeking to defeat Darius and the Persians. His army compiled of roughly 7,250 Cavalry and 40,000 infantry was well outnumbered by the waiting war host of Darius. His army nearly outnumbered Alexander’s force 5:1 containing 34,000 specialized cavalry, 200,000 Persian infantry, and 200 Indian scythed chariots. Although the chariots had played nearly no role in the battle whatsoever Darius had prepared the battlefield to maximize the charioteer’s effectiveness.
Darius’s army included many kinds of cavalry including Persian cavalry, Dahae cavalry, Arachrosian cavalry, Suisan cavalry, Cadusian cavalry, the Scythians, and the Bactrians. These were commanded by Bessus on the left flank. The Indian chariots were in a group in front with the Bactrians. On the right flank there was Syrian, Median, Mesopatamian, Parthian, Sacian, Tapurian, Hyrcanian, Albanian, Sacesinian, Cappadocian, and Armenian cavalry all commanded by Mazaeus. In the centre with Darius, was a host of Carian cavalry, Persian Horse Guard, and Greek Mercenaries. To his right were the Indian cavalry, Mardian Archers, and Persian Foot Guard.
On the opposite side of the field the Macedonians stood, split into two sections, the right flank commanded by Alexander himself while the left flank was commanded by Parmenio. The Paeonian cavalry and Macedonian light cavalry made up the companion cavalry in which was directed by Alexander. Along side this was the Macedonian Archers and the Agrians while the Mercenary cavalry was split into 2 sections, one placed on to the right, the other in front of the Agrians. These were stationed next to a phalanx of infantry. Parmenio was left with the Thesselin, Greek Mercenary, and Thracian Cavalry units. He was also assisted by another allied Greek Cavalry along with a double-lined phalanx. Parmenio’s force was meant to be as a holding force and Alexander’s would launch a decisive attack into the right flank of the enemy.
Since Darius’s army greatly outnumbered the Macedonians, their line stretched nearly a mile further than them. This would inevitably allow the Persians to outflank Alexander’s army. But Alexander had a plan. He planned to draw out as many enemy cavalry as possible to the flanks therefore opening a gap into the Persian line. This would allow them to attack Darius in the centre.
To lure the Persian cavalry the Macedonians advanced with their lines forming a step like formation. They moved right to lure the cavalry and this worked because they were soon to come off the ground Darius had prepared. Darius was forced to attack.
Darius ordered his chariots to charge in first, but luckily the Macedonians could counter this. They split the first Phalanx leaving a gap into the Macedonian line. The horse would refuse to charge a wall of spears and shields so it would enter the gap. This allowed the phalanxes to pick off and kill the Persians with ease.
The Persians then advanced their multiple cavalry units upon the Macedonians flank. This opened a further gap in between Bessus and Darius, and Alexander prepared for a final attack into the centre of the Persian Forces at Darius. He sent his last reserves of cavalry followed by his phalanxes and then his remaining light troops. He formed his unit into a wedged shaped formation, which would be useful against the many ranks of the remaining Persians. With a final blow Alexander struck Darius’ already weakened forces, taking out the royal guard and some Greek mercenaries. Bessus was afraid of this “wedged shaped” formation and so he began to pull back his forces. The remaining Persian cavalry charged, but not against Alexander. They charged in hopes of looting their camps only to find Alexander waiting for them when they came back.
Darius then broke and ran, followed by Mazaeus which was caught by the Thessalian Cavalry. Alexander pursued them, hoping to catch them but they did not. The day ended with 100-1,200 Macedonians killed and 53,000 Persians killed resulting in a stunning victory for Alexander.
The Warhammer Application:
Applying this to the tabletop may be hard, as you can’t form your troops into a wedge formation, etc. but it can be done. Now let’s examine how to use this tactic in detail including what Elven units to use and how to perform it.
WHEN TO APPLY THIS TACTIC
Like the double enveloping flank maneuver, this tactic would best be performed when you are either outnumbered in troops or army size. Some examples may be an elven army of elite troops vs. a Skaven or Greenskin horde, or playing a scenario that limits your army to fewer points than the opposing player.
TROOP SELECTION
Right/Left Flanking Forces:
The best choice for your Flanking force is cavalry. Cavalry can not only speed along the flanks and marchblock, but they can also draw out opposing cavalry from the central troops of the opposing army, and this will leave the centre unassisted, perhaps allowing it to be taken on with overwhelming numbers. The ideal unit for this job would be fast cavalry as they can bait units, such as Ellyrian Reavers, Dark Riders, and Glade Riders in the case of an elven force.
Along with the fast cavalry needed to bait units, you must have another unit to back them up and destroy the baited units, such as Heavy cavalry. These units need enough killing power to destroy enemy cavalry while still leaving some left over for the central attack on the enemy forces. An elven army might use Silver Helms, Dragon Princes, Cold One Knights, or Wild Riders for this job. The only problem is that Wild Riders can’t get a beneficial rank to add on to the first one which reduces their combat abilities. The best places to deploy these are on the inside of your fast cavalry units, but you must leave enough points for the rest of your army after taking some cavalry to spend an ideal amount on the centre of your force.
Characters deployed in these units will also have a big impact on how they perform their intended jobs. Characters are recommended to be placed in the Heavy cavalry units to give them more hitting power. Putting them in fast cavalry units may make them stronger but their role in the battle is to bait and you don’t want your general in a baiting unit. Characters in Heavy cavalry units should be supporting characters only meant to increase the overall effectiveness on the flanks.
Another approach to where to put characters in a flanking force could be in a chariot. They have a decent amount of speed with a lot of hitting power to take out cavalry units, and they could be put alone on a Great Eagle/Dark Pegasus so that they can assist either the flank or the centre of your army. This choice will give you the most flexibility and tactical options out of the three choices described.
Central Troops:
The central troops of the army must be able to take a charge and also be able to give a charge. These units may include anything from Heavy cavalry to spearmen. Archers and warmachines could be added to the centre part of your line, but it is not recommended. The point of the central troops is to march slowly towards the enemy line and survive any shooting/magic and then charge their opponents after the flanks have done their job. Although Wood Elves don’t have many rank-and-file units they can still use units that would be well protected and able to take some damage from shooting and magic. Units like Dryads and Tree Kin would perform this job well. Along with Treekin and Dryads, who are able to hold reasonably well against a variety of foes, comes the Eternal Guard. They will provide static combat resolution along with a good number of attacks to win combat. When accompanied by a Battle Standard Bearer and an Eternal Highborn they can be nearly unbreakable, and this is not to mention the staying power of a Treeman Ancient.
Suitable units for other Elven armies may include High and Dark Elf Spearelves, and perhaps even Corsairs. All of these units are capable of holding their ground and advancing towards the enemy while the flanking force rides down the flank of the opposing army.
Characters in the centre of your army can have a great effect on how your army performs. A Battle Standard Bearer would give your army a better chance of surviving panic tests and minimal chances of being routed. An army general placed here would help your army with leadership too, as your units can use their leadership when taking break tests and panic tests.
Variations:
Although your army may not be the same as that of Alexander, much variation can be applied to obtain the same results as he did. Scouts could be used to help draw out cavalry. Chariots could also be used in the flanking force or in the centre to provide a more devastating strike on the opponent’s army. Flying units could be of great assistance to your flanking forces as they can move faster than your cavalry, while fast cavalry in the centre of your army could be used to bait and disorient the opponent’s line and leave him confused and indecisive.
DEPLOYMENT:
Deployment for this tactic should be obvious by now with your fast cavalry on the outer flanks; heavy cavalry beside them followed by the central part of your army. Figure X below shows a typical deployment for such an army.
When using this tactic deployment is a vital step to victory. Deploying units in a random order will mislead the opponent toward your overall battle plan, while another alternative to this would be to deploy a different way each time to further mislead your opponent. A final approach could be to have one flanking force on the right/left side, which would probably make your opponent deploy his/her cavalry on the opposing flank and leaving your infantry free to march towards the enemy line without hassle. Remember to leave enough space to deploy units where they need to go when deploying randomly because you probably don’t want to spend the first and second turn realigning and positioning your troops.
DURING THE BATTLE:
During the battle your moves should go along with your opponent’s moves. In saying this I mean that if your enemy’s cavalry charges for your centre then move your cavalry to threaten their flanks, or if your opponent maneuvers his/her infantry towards your cavalry then move your infantry to threaten their flanks.
Also beware of Scouts and fast cavalry that will bait and marchblock your line. When someone baits you it would be best to just carry on with the original plan or just hold your position. Holding your ground might just bait the opponent’s unit itself, but if not just take them out quickly with shooting/magic.
Another thing to consider is terrain. If terrain gets in your way then it could possibly screw up your army coherency and even your overall battle plan. So if terrain is a pain, then just try to adapt to it. This means to maneuver around it to achieve your desired result. However, terrain can also be used to your advantage. When baiting chariots, for example, bait them into a wood which will take care of that threat and allow you to also trap other units in difficult terrain. Once you have them trapped you can then prepare your final assault.
Overall the tactics used at Gaugamela allowed Alexander to rout Darius in his final attempts to defeat him. Although he was against great odds he still showed his brilliant tactical knowledge on the battlefield. Warhammer Fantasy Battles may be a little more balanced but that’s no reason to stop you from using tactics such as this.
Dori
* * *
Historical Tactics: Battle of Gaugamela
Written By Dori
The Battle:
On the first of October 331 BC, Alexander marched his army across the Tigris and Euphrates without opposition, seeking to defeat Darius and the Persians. His army compiled of roughly 7,250 Cavalry and 40,000 infantry was well outnumbered by the waiting war host of Darius. His army nearly outnumbered Alexander’s force 5:1 containing 34,000 specialized cavalry, 200,000 Persian infantry, and 200 Indian scythed chariots. Although the chariots had played nearly no role in the battle whatsoever Darius had prepared the battlefield to maximize the charioteer’s effectiveness.
Darius’s army included many kinds of cavalry including Persian cavalry, Dahae cavalry, Arachrosian cavalry, Suisan cavalry, Cadusian cavalry, the Scythians, and the Bactrians. These were commanded by Bessus on the left flank. The Indian chariots were in a group in front with the Bactrians. On the right flank there was Syrian, Median, Mesopatamian, Parthian, Sacian, Tapurian, Hyrcanian, Albanian, Sacesinian, Cappadocian, and Armenian cavalry all commanded by Mazaeus. In the centre with Darius, was a host of Carian cavalry, Persian Horse Guard, and Greek Mercenaries. To his right were the Indian cavalry, Mardian Archers, and Persian Foot Guard.
On the opposite side of the field the Macedonians stood, split into two sections, the right flank commanded by Alexander himself while the left flank was commanded by Parmenio. The Paeonian cavalry and Macedonian light cavalry made up the companion cavalry in which was directed by Alexander. Along side this was the Macedonian Archers and the Agrians while the Mercenary cavalry was split into 2 sections, one placed on to the right, the other in front of the Agrians. These were stationed next to a phalanx of infantry. Parmenio was left with the Thesselin, Greek Mercenary, and Thracian Cavalry units. He was also assisted by another allied Greek Cavalry along with a double-lined phalanx. Parmenio’s force was meant to be as a holding force and Alexander’s would launch a decisive attack into the right flank of the enemy.
Since Darius’s army greatly outnumbered the Macedonians, their line stretched nearly a mile further than them. This would inevitably allow the Persians to outflank Alexander’s army. But Alexander had a plan. He planned to draw out as many enemy cavalry as possible to the flanks therefore opening a gap into the Persian line. This would allow them to attack Darius in the centre.
To lure the Persian cavalry the Macedonians advanced with their lines forming a step like formation. They moved right to lure the cavalry and this worked because they were soon to come off the ground Darius had prepared. Darius was forced to attack.
Darius ordered his chariots to charge in first, but luckily the Macedonians could counter this. They split the first Phalanx leaving a gap into the Macedonian line. The horse would refuse to charge a wall of spears and shields so it would enter the gap. This allowed the phalanxes to pick off and kill the Persians with ease.
The Persians then advanced their multiple cavalry units upon the Macedonians flank. This opened a further gap in between Bessus and Darius, and Alexander prepared for a final attack into the centre of the Persian Forces at Darius. He sent his last reserves of cavalry followed by his phalanxes and then his remaining light troops. He formed his unit into a wedged shaped formation, which would be useful against the many ranks of the remaining Persians. With a final blow Alexander struck Darius’ already weakened forces, taking out the royal guard and some Greek mercenaries. Bessus was afraid of this “wedged shaped” formation and so he began to pull back his forces. The remaining Persian cavalry charged, but not against Alexander. They charged in hopes of looting their camps only to find Alexander waiting for them when they came back.
Darius then broke and ran, followed by Mazaeus which was caught by the Thessalian Cavalry. Alexander pursued them, hoping to catch them but they did not. The day ended with 100-1,200 Macedonians killed and 53,000 Persians killed resulting in a stunning victory for Alexander.
The Warhammer Application:
Applying this to the tabletop may be hard, as you can’t form your troops into a wedge formation, etc. but it can be done. Now let’s examine how to use this tactic in detail including what Elven units to use and how to perform it.
WHEN TO APPLY THIS TACTIC
Like the double enveloping flank maneuver, this tactic would best be performed when you are either outnumbered in troops or army size. Some examples may be an elven army of elite troops vs. a Skaven or Greenskin horde, or playing a scenario that limits your army to fewer points than the opposing player.
TROOP SELECTION
Right/Left Flanking Forces:
The best choice for your Flanking force is cavalry. Cavalry can not only speed along the flanks and marchblock, but they can also draw out opposing cavalry from the central troops of the opposing army, and this will leave the centre unassisted, perhaps allowing it to be taken on with overwhelming numbers. The ideal unit for this job would be fast cavalry as they can bait units, such as Ellyrian Reavers, Dark Riders, and Glade Riders in the case of an elven force.
Along with the fast cavalry needed to bait units, you must have another unit to back them up and destroy the baited units, such as Heavy cavalry. These units need enough killing power to destroy enemy cavalry while still leaving some left over for the central attack on the enemy forces. An elven army might use Silver Helms, Dragon Princes, Cold One Knights, or Wild Riders for this job. The only problem is that Wild Riders can’t get a beneficial rank to add on to the first one which reduces their combat abilities. The best places to deploy these are on the inside of your fast cavalry units, but you must leave enough points for the rest of your army after taking some cavalry to spend an ideal amount on the centre of your force.
Characters deployed in these units will also have a big impact on how they perform their intended jobs. Characters are recommended to be placed in the Heavy cavalry units to give them more hitting power. Putting them in fast cavalry units may make them stronger but their role in the battle is to bait and you don’t want your general in a baiting unit. Characters in Heavy cavalry units should be supporting characters only meant to increase the overall effectiveness on the flanks.
Another approach to where to put characters in a flanking force could be in a chariot. They have a decent amount of speed with a lot of hitting power to take out cavalry units, and they could be put alone on a Great Eagle/Dark Pegasus so that they can assist either the flank or the centre of your army. This choice will give you the most flexibility and tactical options out of the three choices described.
Central Troops:
The central troops of the army must be able to take a charge and also be able to give a charge. These units may include anything from Heavy cavalry to spearmen. Archers and warmachines could be added to the centre part of your line, but it is not recommended. The point of the central troops is to march slowly towards the enemy line and survive any shooting/magic and then charge their opponents after the flanks have done their job. Although Wood Elves don’t have many rank-and-file units they can still use units that would be well protected and able to take some damage from shooting and magic. Units like Dryads and Tree Kin would perform this job well. Along with Treekin and Dryads, who are able to hold reasonably well against a variety of foes, comes the Eternal Guard. They will provide static combat resolution along with a good number of attacks to win combat. When accompanied by a Battle Standard Bearer and an Eternal Highborn they can be nearly unbreakable, and this is not to mention the staying power of a Treeman Ancient.
Suitable units for other Elven armies may include High and Dark Elf Spearelves, and perhaps even Corsairs. All of these units are capable of holding their ground and advancing towards the enemy while the flanking force rides down the flank of the opposing army.
Characters in the centre of your army can have a great effect on how your army performs. A Battle Standard Bearer would give your army a better chance of surviving panic tests and minimal chances of being routed. An army general placed here would help your army with leadership too, as your units can use their leadership when taking break tests and panic tests.
Variations:
Although your army may not be the same as that of Alexander, much variation can be applied to obtain the same results as he did. Scouts could be used to help draw out cavalry. Chariots could also be used in the flanking force or in the centre to provide a more devastating strike on the opponent’s army. Flying units could be of great assistance to your flanking forces as they can move faster than your cavalry, while fast cavalry in the centre of your army could be used to bait and disorient the opponent’s line and leave him confused and indecisive.
DEPLOYMENT:
Deployment for this tactic should be obvious by now with your fast cavalry on the outer flanks; heavy cavalry beside them followed by the central part of your army. Figure X below shows a typical deployment for such an army.
When using this tactic deployment is a vital step to victory. Deploying units in a random order will mislead the opponent toward your overall battle plan, while another alternative to this would be to deploy a different way each time to further mislead your opponent. A final approach could be to have one flanking force on the right/left side, which would probably make your opponent deploy his/her cavalry on the opposing flank and leaving your infantry free to march towards the enemy line without hassle. Remember to leave enough space to deploy units where they need to go when deploying randomly because you probably don’t want to spend the first and second turn realigning and positioning your troops.
DURING THE BATTLE:
During the battle your moves should go along with your opponent’s moves. In saying this I mean that if your enemy’s cavalry charges for your centre then move your cavalry to threaten their flanks, or if your opponent maneuvers his/her infantry towards your cavalry then move your infantry to threaten their flanks.
Also beware of Scouts and fast cavalry that will bait and marchblock your line. When someone baits you it would be best to just carry on with the original plan or just hold your position. Holding your ground might just bait the opponent’s unit itself, but if not just take them out quickly with shooting/magic.
Another thing to consider is terrain. If terrain gets in your way then it could possibly screw up your army coherency and even your overall battle plan. So if terrain is a pain, then just try to adapt to it. This means to maneuver around it to achieve your desired result. However, terrain can also be used to your advantage. When baiting chariots, for example, bait them into a wood which will take care of that threat and allow you to also trap other units in difficult terrain. Once you have them trapped you can then prepare your final assault.
Overall the tactics used at Gaugamela allowed Alexander to rout Darius in his final attempts to defeat him. Although he was against great odds he still showed his brilliant tactical knowledge on the battlefield. Warhammer Fantasy Battles may be a little more balanced but that’s no reason to stop you from using tactics such as this.
Dori
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