Dog's of War and Skaven
At first glance the Dog's of War seem like a Skaven players every dream. At least they were my dream imagine units with good fighting skills and decent leadership scores to boot, what more could you ask for. Unfortunately there is a big down side which I didn't notice until recently just about all the regiments of renown move an inch slower than the rest of the rats. One of my more ignorant friends said why don't you just slow down the advance. The thought appealed to me when I realized that giving the other guy an extra turn of shooting is bad. So after I got done beating my friend about the head with a brick I sat down and began to think... how could this be used to our advantage?
The answer is Daddalo and his Birdmen
Just think for one turn a war machine won't be able to fire, one unit of archers will be tied up giving your army the chance to surge forwards at it's above normal pace and crush the enemy with a tide of squeaking furry bodies. The potential is limitless and 6 birdmen can be bought for only a 180 points that's quiet a deal for something that is just so useful to you. Another wonderful use for these boys is picking off individual characters. If you read the article on how to use scourges in White Dwarf (2??) then you have a pretty good idea on how to use Daddalo in this manner. Their BS of 4 and the fact that there're using crossbows means that they can pick off wizards with disturbing ease. This is the only unit on this page that I could find a use for every game against any opponent all the rest relay on something or another to happen so just trust me on this it's a good unit to have. If this unit is used properly it could give you the game.
Golfang
**Warning put the words in theory after every idea in the next paragraph**
This is a very very expensive unit to drag onto the battle field but just think of the havoc it will cause. You all saw how it crushed that beastmans flank in that battle report it was beautiful. also their movement of 6 allows them to keep up with the rest of the army. While using the ogers I use them like I would use titans in epic 40k, as support. When one unit gets in trouble I'll use the ogers to crush them.
Any sort of Calvary Units
The thing Calvary is good at is flank attacks and the Skaven could benefit from this ALLOT. How so? well think about it unit of knights charge pesky good unit while another Skaven unit sets up a Warpfire shot. If the Calvary can hold out for one turn a good deal of the enemy regiment can be turned into a soup like substance forced to take a panic test then chased down by a bunch of guys on horses (or wolves). *Rule check is necessary on that last sentence but I think it's right* Voland is a bit to expensive for my tastes but Ali Mukart works well and so do the hobgoblins.
The Hobgoblins
These guys deserve a special section because they have bows with which they can shoot stuff with. Now as you will read below I'm a bit leery about taking a archer unit but this one can also put a serious wumping on some unfortunate fools who have wandered into their charge range. This unit has some very big potential for taking on those scary units such as blackorcs.
Any sort of unit that shoots stuff
I'm really on the fence when trying to decide weather or not archers would be worth it in a Skaven army. The pros would be that you get to shoot stuff with crossbows which go far and are very strong. You would be able to weaken down enemy units that could other wise become very troublesome and the would be a wonderful distraction to your opponent who would most likely spend a great amount of time trying to get rid of the archers. The Con's are that they cost points, allot of points for a Skaven army that relies on massed troops in very very big numbers. personally I haven't tried out any of the new archers so I don't rightly know if there worth it but if you have let me know at bentleyd@bellsouth.net.
Pikes and such
The only thing I got to say about them is that they would be great if they moved faster! However if you know your fighting an army that has little or no missile troops pikemen can be your best friends just simply trade your StormVermin for some pikemen and your in business.
Galoper Guns
Galoper guns can be allot of fun if used properly, just think of them as a doomwheel that shouldn't attack a unit all on its own. They can be great for scaring the crap out of your opponent especially if they like to use lots of Calvary (shooting a Britonian Knight wedge right down the middle with one of these babies results in endless amusement). As you may have figured out they work well in pairs especially when some annoying flying things swoops down out of the sky it'll have to pick one or the other. Put the Galoper gun guy with the gun you value the least so that when your opponent has to make a choice on who to attack maybe he'll pick the wrong one. Also if you haven't already taken them out for something gutter runners could be very useful in a support role for the Galoper Gun.
What to take out
A troubling question that is raised next is if we use the mercenaries what do we take out of our army list. Well it first depends on how the army is set up then it depends on what unit your choosing. Basically the way I do it is to look at the roll of each unit and warmachine in the army and then decide what to take out. For example if your using my Calvary strategy then assassins globebaiders rat ogers and doomwheels won't really be necessary. This is because if I were to do the Warpfire set up strategy I would use these units to do it. But since I'll have a unit of fast maneuverable knights these other units aren't as necessary. If your taking the Galloper Guns then you can take out a doonwheel and a Warpfire thrower, that's more than enough points for the guns. Also a gun acts allot like a doomwheel in terms of damage and maneuverability and it can do the damage of a Warpfire shot without all the fuss. Daddalo is problem the easiest unit to add just take out the Globebaiders, some assassins, any and all Jezzails and if your still need points you can ditch some censer bearers but only as a last resort.