Beastmen Tactica

By Peter Henry (Dark Angel)

This is a combination of many tacticas, and some of my own tactics that I have found useful, and I thank the people who wrote and distributed them. Who knows you may even find some of your own tactics. (Note: " I " does not always refer to me it can be any person who's tactics I have blended in) May the dark gods of chaos watch over you in your many battles.

Choosing your army:
When constructed your Warherd, centre it around the Warlords, especially a central core of Beastlords. As a general rule, always take a Shaman lord, as they may now be the generals, you can even take one in 1000 point battles, which, in such tiny battles, will allow you to control the magic against all but Undead, who will also doubtless have either a Necromancer Lord, Liche or Vampire. In battles which are slightly larger, always take Beastlords whenever you are able, as they are the best fighters you have access to(excluding the Minotaur characters) and are very cheap for what you get. As a basic rule, accompany the general with the most solid troops, eg. large blocks of Gors, etc. While you leave your shock troops under the control of other characters. This keeps your General in a solid and stable unit, which will leave him in a good central position, so his Leadership can be used by the majority of the Herd. The Beastmen are the corrupt children of Chaos, and are almost the epitome of everything that Chaos symbolises, anarchy, hatred and brutality. As a Beastlord, you will have many troops at your disposal, mainly Ungor, Gor and Bestigor, as well as the Tuskgors, which pull the chariot. The first thing you must decide upon is who is to be your general, in smaller battles it would be advisable to take a Shaman. Although Beastman characters are remarkably cheap relative to other Chaos Characters, thought this is no excuse to field them as you would field a human or goblin character (ie. as a decoy or sacrifice) as they are still quite capable fighters, and should be used in one of the two classical champion roles: · Killing rank and file quickly, or challenging enemy characters that threaten to do that to your units. If you choose to use your characters for the first purpose, then they are best equipped with a magic sword which either allows better chances of hitting, or extra attacks, coupled with an extra hand weapon. For the second purpose, equip them with as much mundane armour as you can(heavy armour and shield in most cases), and then give them a special save, such as the Black Amulet or similar, then give them a suitable anti-character weapon like a Boneblade, Sword of Heroes, etc. Obviously, Shamen are not going to fulfil a battelfield role that a Beastlord would be expected to, you are better advised equipping them to make up their points in casualties using magic, I advise the use of Dark Magic, as this also allows you to use dispel cards as powers, so your shaman will be able to cast more of the highly destructive spells. However, if you wish for your Shaman to fulfil some sort of tactical magic role, then use the Chaos Decks, which are much more specialised and tactical. The Slaanesh deck is made for picking out characters and holding regiments, so the Shaman carrying these spells would be best used accompanying a retinue of Minotaurs, who can take advantage of the lack of movement to wreak carnage in the frozen targets. Nurgle magic is very 'Orcy', it is intended for use at close-quarters. It is more of a combat enhancing magic deck, giving the unit bearing a Nurgle Shaman that edge when it gets into the magic phase. I advise using a spell such as Rancid Visitation to 'soften' the target up a bit before charging into them. The best location for this sort of Shaman is in a Chariot, allowing them to get into combat as quickly as is possible, or in a unit of Bestigors, whose combative abilities can be complemented by the magic. The Tzeentch spells are typically long ranged and quite destructive, and are best used to blast the enemy from a distance, and Incandescent Assassin is especially good at picking out characters, especially against races with low WS, as is Bolt of Change(identical to Chaos Spawn except half the range and it kills the character instead of turning it to spawn). For the retinue, I advise a large block of Gors, who can assist the shaman if he is forced into combat, but with Shield of Fire and Pink Fire of Tzeentch he should remain quite safe. In general, equip your characters for a battlefield role, as they are not as capable as Chaos Warrior champions, they will have to specialise. Retinues, as you can see, play an important part in the whole army. A Warlord may join any unit in the army, but be aware that in some cases this is undesirable, for instance, a Shaman would be useless in a unit with the Banner of Rage, while a Beastlord would be in the best place there, as opposed to being with Ungors. The best location for your general(who should always have the Crown of Command) is fairly central in a large block of Gors, as they aren't looked on as the most dangerous threats, so the Beastlord is safe from the majority of anti-character items, as well as being in a large unit of multiple wound troops with high toughness, which is handy for those 'Look Out Sir!' rolls, which will inevitably occur. Unless the Herd contains a number of Chariots, I don't advise putting your general in one, as this will leave him away from the main part of the Herd, leaving the army with lower leadership (unless you have another Beastlord or similar with a Leadership enhancing item), as well as placing a high concentration of points in one very vulnerable location. Minotaurs and Chaos Hounds provide excellent shock troops, as their speed and good stats allow them to move in quickly and hit the enemy giving you extra time to move your slower units up into the fray. Minotaurs in particular are excellent, with the amended Bloodgreed rules, they become even more dangerous than before, with the possibility of Frenzy giving you a massive 4 attacks (5 if you take an extra hand weapon), with their better than average WS and strength, as well as three wounds. This is one Chaos army where you can actually have numbers of troops.

General tactics:
Certain enemies are more troubling than others when fighting them. Undead would be the most notable of these, as their fear can be very damaging to an army with such typically low leadership. Against undead, always take the Crown of Command and as many characters with high leadership or leadership enhancing items as possible, as well as many Minotaurs, who cause fear and are hence immune to its effects, and are also exceedingly good at killing undead. As a general rule against Undead, always make sure your general is well equipped to take down very tough characters, as vampires and Tomb Kings are otherwise very dangerous to a Beastlord's safety. I advise giving them Heavy Armour, shield, Black Amulet, Sword of heroes and the Crown of Command, as this will enable you to deflect most of the attacks directed against you, mesmirism will work only rarely, and you will be able to strike back with strength 7 against the tougher opponents(those you would ordinarily have difficulty wounding) as well as inflicting d3 wounds on said foes. Against Undead, always keep a Shaman with Dark Magic or the Book of Ashur(taking a High Elf Spell) near to your general, as this will ensure at least some damage is done with the Dark magic against enemies who could potentially threaten your Beastlord. If you take the Book of Ashur with a High magic Spell, then you will also be able to use powers as dispels, and you may get lucky and get Drain Magic, a very useful spell against Necromantic magic. A Beastman warlord should always field at least one large unit of harpies, as they are your only chance at taking out your enemies war machines. If you play against elves you should take two-three regiments of harpies and get them into fly high quick. The biggest problem here is your enemies bigger fliers such as dragons as they can make minced meat out of regiments up flying high. To avoid these include a chaos dragon or/and a griffon. They can slaughter the dragon and keep your harpies safe. Your harpies should now charge war machines or shooters and kick some butts. If your adversary doesn't have to many war machines then charge "easy kills" such as clansmen or skaven plague monks in the rear. You should also include a big mob of gors (beastman) with no additional equipment and use them as a Kamikaze squad and charge anything with them, As they are cheap you can have really impressive mob, and not many can fight off 20-30 angry beastmen not even if they charge. You should watch out for cold one knights though. You can get big problems from these guys so take them out with plague wind or something that slows them down like a good slaaneshy blast. Now get an elite unit of bestigors (big mean beastmen) and give them heavy equipment plus a hero or champ with hydra sword and a standard bearer with standard of arcane warding. As support include a Minotaur lord with Minotaurs (6-9) or a unit of dragon ogres. A beastlord with black amulet, Executioners axe, crown of command and voila, you can kick anything to the moon. Also include a Minotaur lord as he is counted as a retinue. You should have more characters than these but these are the only essentials. There isn't much more to say really. (Note: The Executioners axe is now a Dark elf only magic item). Monsters: As I said include some harpies, as they are counted towards the monstrous hosts section. A unit of dragon ogres is great support but they cost both money and points, if you have some of these they will gain all your enemies' missile fire so your other troops can get into hand to hand combat without any problems from shooters. Always include a chaos dragon and make a barbecue out of low toughness regiments such as skaven. You should also us them to take out your enemies dragon/s so you can attack with your harpies. A cheap griffon or hippogriff always comes in handy when you are "up high" or/and when you need some support for your chaos dragon. With these troops, I would suggest your army contain mostly Ungor and Gor units, with Chariots and Minotaurs as shock units. With Ungor Skirmishers as screens, and Chaos Hounds for their harassment value, I would always have at least a Beastman Master Shaman, and one lesser Shaman. I would lead the army with a Beastlord on a Chariot and I would mount the Battle Standard Bearer on a Chariot also. Chariots should be used either on the flanks or in a single combined unit to strike and destroy a chosen target in the enemy's line. Minotaurs should also be used to destroy a chosen target. Do not just randomly attack with these expensive units, conserve them until the time is right, and then attack relentlessly, where they will do the most good. I like to hold a Chariot/Chariots unit as a reserve that can be used to attack where I find an opportunity or to rescue any weak link in my own line. This army has the numbers to make the Horns Line Formation a very good choice against some of the more restricted armies such as Brettonians. Surround them and destroy them. Against armies that have a high concentration of missile troops, use terrain and Ungor Skirmishers to protect your troops until you can get into hand to hand. Against most missile troops, your units should be able to defeat them in hand to hand, so engage them as quickly as you can. Don't give your opponent the time to decimate your ranks with missile fire. Chaos tactics are pretty straight forward. Get into HtH as soon as possible. Almost all of the chaos troops and characters have great stats and an awesome points cost so you'll almost always be outnumbered but your troops will be of a far superior quality. Chaos excels in one area above all other armies, combat. Not many armies can defeat a chaos war host in close combat and that's where you want them. Get stuck in as fast as possible. However since you lack artillery of any kind you really don't have much of a choice! At your disposal you have scores of medium paced troops with high hitting power so you have every opportunity to reach your enemy fast and shred him. Many Chaos Generals just charge in and rely on their superior troops to win the battle. This won't work against a good opponent since he will take measures to bog you down and attack you with superior numbers, spells or warmachines. This means that your proper tactic should be to attack units you can break real quick and then move on to the next one - don't get bogged down. Try to take out your enemy's artillery and spellcasters since they are your primary threat and can cause immense havoc if left unattended. For this use your flying units, attack the crews and then you'll feel a lot safer. You have loads of troops that causes fear, so use it. This will help you to rout units even faster and it makes your units immune to fear which is great since you often have smaller units than your opponent. Treat chaos gifts as bonuses and don't rely on them to win the battle, as the chaos gods are fickle. Try to keep a low-level champion at hand if that dreaded cosmic duel or eternal labor comes up. Last but not least use your opponents fear of your army against him. Many generals' dread to face Chaos because of their rumored powers and this will hopefully make him hesitant. Use this and increase his doubts by bragging and pointing out your many strengths. This is also in character with chaos so it's ok to brag and gloat. You and I know that chaos is far from unbeatable and that it has its strengths and weaknesses like any other army but hey they don't have to know that. Beastman Warlords Chieftains are powerful and viscous leaders there is two levels of Beastman Chieftain: Beastman Chiefs and Beastlords Beastmen Champions, Heroes and Lords: These have relatively low points cost and with that extra wound these guys are really worthwhile. They don't count as chaos champions which means that they lack access to chaos rewards and can't be chosen for certain chaos gifts. They don't, however, have to take the eye of the god test, which means that you happily can rain gifts on them without risk. They suffer from a low leadership compared to chaos champions especially for the so they are less suited as unit leaders. One exception is the Beastman Lord, which is a bargain at 200 pts as he has good stats and is good enough to lead a unit. They don't have a mark of chaos so they don't get that bonus but they are good solid characters. I recommend as a magic weapon the Sword of Grungni Ironheart or the Chaos Tombblade. I also recommend that you take some kind of armour such as the armour of protection. I know that many people recommend the black amulet but I prefer the Armour of Protection as it gives a basic save as well as a special save and is not exhaustible. For the spare slot either take the Crown of Command or Amber Amulet. The characters in the Chaos army are some of the strongest you'll find in the world of Warhammer. They do come with a hefty point's cost though so you'll struggle to stay within your character allowance. I love these guys. I always have at least a beastman champion (but prefer a hero) in my beastman unit with the crown of command. They are also very survivable with high toughness (T5 for heroes and lords) and a lot of wounds. The Warlords are very important to the Beastmen, possibly more so than any of the other types of Chaos Warbands, as their Ld is needed to overcome the Infighting rule. Plus: They've got two wounds and 5 toughness, so they can take a heap of punishment, they are also a good deal for their points cost. Characters can be given Chaos Gifts without an Eye of God test. Minus: They've only got 4 strength and 9 Ld and they don't have access to Chaos Rewards (Which I personally think is discrimination). Interesting: Perhaps use them in units where the unit will absorb all the damage that would otherwise hit your Beastlord, and the Beastlords kills will add to the combat result. Beastman Shamans Beastman Shamans are also Warlords. The Beastman Shaman can take spells from any of the three Chaos spell decks, and he may mix spells from all three. Alternatively, he may choose spells from the Dark Magic deck. I believe the Beastman Shamans make very good magic users, as they have a wide variety of Chaos spells. Beastmen shamans are slightly cheaper than chaos sorcerers, but with more wounds. They can also take spells from different chaos gods at once (i.e. a level 4 shaman can take 2 Tzeentch, 1 Slannesh, and 1 Nurgle spell if he wished). This is the only exception to the general rule that mages cannot combine spell decks. They can also alternately take dark magic. I field one in my beastman unit if I have enough points after adding the beastman champ. I suggest using Dark Magic as its Malediction of Nagash has helped me destroy that super powered pesky unit once or twice (Notably Chaos Knights, the little buggers). Beastman Battle Standard Bearer You can only ever include one Beastman Battle Standard Bearer, and you should include a Beastman Battle Standard Bearer. The rerolls of Ld tests that he allows are very important to a Beastmen Warband. If you have the points, and it is allowed in the game you are playing, the army standard should be a magic standard, and I would choose one of the Chaos Banners. Banner of wrath is also a good option, for I have found that it tears through Brettonian cavalry (or any cavalry really) because most cavalry really on their high armour saves and not on toughness, so its "no armour saves apply" is brilliant. Beastmen Retinues Beastman Gors Gors are the average Beastman, and their stats are superior to that of most other races, having a high WS, T and 2 wounds, the only let downs being the low strength and leadership (an extra attack and no infighting would be nice). I advise equipping them with extra hand weapons if facing Skaven, Elves, Empire or Goblins, or Halberds against other races. If I am facing Orcs, I occasionally even hazard to use double-handed weapons, as the low WS of the Orcs means that when the Gors get to attack, they will inflict maximum damage. Gor herds are tougher are tougher than Ungors due to their two wounds, and they have slightly better Ld and WS. They make good basic shock troops, and I would arm them with halberds, light armor, and shield. These are another troop type that is a real deal for the price! You have a troop that has WS 4, T4, 2 Wounds, halberd (+1S), shield and light armor (5+ save) for a total of 15 points each. I don't think you will find a more efficient use of points than these are, except maybe Chaos Marauders. These can stand against any other army's standard troop type, except possibly Chaos Warriors, and you can have two of these for every Chaos Warrior. You should always include a standard bearer and musician, and I would give these something on the line of the Battle Banner to aid their combat result. Also, with this unit, I would always include a Beastman Champion. Make sure you have at least four ranks. Another good option is 2hw and nothing else as they get S5 and only cost 12 points. A lot of people worry about striking last with gors and I did to at first but the gors T4 and 2 wounds mean they can cop the attack and when they strike back, boy do they strike back. These should be the backbone of your Beastman Warband, as they have good WS, T, and 2 Wounds. I would place a champion with as many units of Beastmen as possible always include a standard bearer and musician, and I would give as many as possible magic standards. Plus: They've got two wounds and four toughness, so they can take a heap of punishment, they are also the cheapest troops Chaos can lay their hands on. Characters can be given Chaos Gifts without an Eye of God test. Minus: They've only got three strength and one attack, they're also subject to infighting. Interesting: Perhaps use them as cannon fodder to absorb all the damage that would otherwise hit your more expensive troops. Use them in huge regiments and engage those small elite regiments your opponents always have, even if they don't kill any, the rank bonus will ensure victory. Two wounds, toughness 4 and a decent WS makes these guys a bargain for the points. Their weaknesses are mainly the Strength of "only" 3 and a low leadership. The leadership is taken care of by including a leader but it also means that if the leader is taken out the unit is in danger. The infighting rule can also cause trouble despite the average Ld of Beastlords. Sometimes you roll that 10, 11 or 12 so be prepared for the fact that your Beastmen might suddenly be taken out of the action. Beastmen are wonderful in large units with their high survivability coupled with the low cost per model (compared to other chaos troops anyway). It takes the opposing general a LONG time to whittle down your regiments with missile fire and in HtH they can hold their own. Sure they're not as good as the Chaos Warriors but their cost means that you often have more of them and can enjoy a full rank bonus of +3. They're not as vulnerable to magic as the Chaos Warriors as their survivability lies in their wounds and toughness and not in their armour. Watch out for warmachines that cause multiple wounds, such as the Dwarf organ gun. A unit of Beastmen often benefit greatly from a banner that can be used to increase their battle prowess further or add even more protection. With the standard of Slaanesh you can render them immune to psychology and break tests which makes for a very persistent unit indeed. They are relatively cheap (in comparison to other chaos troops) and have T4 and 2 wounds! I take a large unit of these (20+) with doubled handed weapons and the Dread Banner magic standard being led by a beastman champion or hero with crown of command (and second magic item in the case of the hero such as a spell shield). They make a solid infantry unit with S5 attacks (their T4 and 2wounds keeps them alive long enough to survive striking last) and ranks. They are hard to kill with missile fire. I never bother with armor because anything strong enough to wound them reliably will negate a 6+ save. Ungors The Beastman Ungors are also far from poor. The Ungors, even, are excellent troops for the mere 4.5 points you pay for them, having 4 toughness and the ability to carry spears. Although their low leadership and infighting can be troubling, so always take the Beastman Champion and keep them within close proximity of either the battle standard bearer or General. In Skirmish formation, the Ungors enter a class of their own, being the only Chaos troops able to do so, which also makes them immune to infighting, as well as being harder to hit when shot at. Build these five ranks deep so that if they take casualties they will still have full rank bonuses. I would arm them with spears and shields, which only cost 1/2 point each, making for a very cheap priced basic troop. You should always give them a standard and musician. I like to give them the Banner of Defiance, as they are armed with spears. Give the Champion the Crown of Command, if you can get away with it. If not, choose a magic weapon that will increase the number of hits and/or wounds he will get. Plus: Hmmm smell that cannon fodder. Very cheap and get equipment at ½ price. T4. Minus: Shocking leadership. Interesting: If using them as skirmishers have about 15 to 20 and spread them out in front of the rest of your army where they will absorb all the missile fire and then flee a charge from the enemy units leaving the enemies in charge range of your gors/Bestigors. Ungors (little beastmen) these guys are better than a human, can skirmish and costs a little more than half the points cost than a regular human. Get a horde of them and use them as cannon fodder. Ungors are very cheap troops; they are under 5 points each, which means that all equipment is at half price. They have decent stats, with average WS and S, good T, but low Ld. You should always lead these with a Champion. I would think about giving the Champion a magic item that aids Ld or gives rerolls of Ld tests. One unit of Ungors may skirmish, and they are good for this role. I would use these troops in large horde units to maximize their rank bonus and staying power, as they are cheap enough in points to be able to afford a lot of them. Bestigors You may have one unit of Bestigors. This is your shock unit. I would give them shields to protect them from shooting until they have a chance to close with and charge the Bestigors are the greatest of the Beastmen, they have awesome stats, and are only limited by their single attack and the one unit you are allowed, so make that unit as big as you can! I feel Bestigors are let down by a regular Beastman Champion, so I usually accompany them with at least a Chief. A good idea with Bestigors in large regiments is to give them the Rapturous Standard, so that they will never flee, nor be affected by any psychology so that their large numbers and awesome combative abilities will eventually tell on the foe. Plus: God damn powerful. Excellent fighters. Best unit for beastmen Minus: Only 1 unit allowed (oh damn). Expensive. No equipment options (2hw's). 1 attack. Ld 7. Interesting: Use your beastlord or chief with them to just add that little something to the combat result. Standard of shielding gives them a 4+ save and a 6+ unmodified save. The Banner of Rage would be a good standard for this unit. Another good banner would be the Battle Banner or standard of shielding. Bestigors are excellent assault troops, with high WS, above average S and T, and 2 Wounds. At 18 points, this is also a good deal, as they are immune to infighting and panic caused by Ungors. I would give them a shield to aid their survivability against missile fire. If you have not given the Battle Banner to a Gor unit, give it to this unit. Or give this unit a Chaos Banner. A Champion also should lead these. Make sure you have at least four ranks. Attack with these; do not allow them to be attacked. Chaos Chariots Do not ever charge wardancers with these!!! Beastman Chariots are very hard hitting units, and at 88 points each I would include them in my army. I like to give the crewman halberds, and light armor and shields, and give the chariot scythed wheels. These make good mounts for your Beastlord, Chieftains, and Standard Bearer, and they are best used as shock troops. The Beastman Chariot is excellent, as its low points cost(relative to other chariots) enables you to take several without any great expenditure of points. Although slightly slower than the average chariot, the 'steeds' (Tuskgors) and crew are much more resilient, so they are more likely to survive combats. In each squadron of chariots, I advise taking a Chief to both boost the leadership of at least that one chariot as well as providing an excellent fighter to hack even more of any survivors to pieces after the charge has been resolved. Don't take these guys in groups, they will be targeted by spells such as Hold or net (Battle Magic). You must have at least one unit of Gors, Ungors, or Bestigors to have any Beastman Chariots. Beastman Chariots are pulled by fierce Tuskgors and make good shock weapons, but remember, they fight as individual units, so use them to attack flanks and weak units that are susceptible to being broken. Do not charge strong enemy units with these frontally if at all possible. I would give the Chariots scythes to increase the damage they do and the crewmen halberds. I would also give the crewmen light armor and shields. The Chariot makes a good mount for a Beastman Warlord, as it gives him mobility and somewhat extra protection. One Chariot may be given a magic standard chosen from the magic item cards in Warhammer Magic. I've only used these once, but they worked well. Against an army of undead I say don't take chariots because beastmen have trouble passing fear tests (My chariot once fled 7 times in a row from 18 skeletons). Against most other armies, Beastman chariots are great, with scythed wheels. Plus: Very fast and the only war machine available to Chaos armies. Scythes make them devastating against rank-and-file troops, particularly elves and Skaven, as low toughness makes them most vulnerable. Relatively cheap if you use Beastmen. Can carry a magic standard. Slaughters Chaos warriors. Minus: Vulnerable after the charge, especially Beastmen. Prone to charge out and end up separated from the rest of the army. Interesting: Ideal against elite elf troops such as Phoenix Guard and Black Guard, as their armour is rendered useless by the strength of the charge, as is their weapon skill if they are only a small unit. Minotaurs Minotaurs are your cavalry. They move 6" normal move, and 12" charge move. A unit of three Minotaurs with a Minotaur Champion can truly do massive damage. I like to arm them with two hand weapons and light armor, a standard bearer, especially with the Banner of Rage makes this a very potent unit, and one your opponents will come to fear. Use them to take out your opponent's best unit. Make sure you are the one that gets to charge. Minotaurs are expensive points wise, but in my opinion, worth it. They have a M of 6, WS of 4, S and T of 4, 3 Wounds, and 2 Attacks, with a Ld 9. This is another very hard-hitting unit, and Minotaurs have good mobility. Minotaurs may have a magic standard; they may have a standard specific to one of the Chaos Gods. This is another good flank unit. Minotaurs may have Leaders based upon the size of the unit. The larger the unit, the more powerful the leader can be. Very tough HtH troops that should get into combat as soon as possible. Their three wounds and high toughness makes them very hard to kill. Better WS than the trolls and a very good Ld for basic troops. High movement and the ability to carry a standard re their other advantages. Their main fault are their high points value and their low armour protection (6+ as best). Look out for Repeater Bolt Throwers and other warmachines together with magic. Since they can take a magic standard it can be wise to ake that a protection against magic. Minotaurs start to feed on their victims after the first combat so they can be hard move after a fight so keep that in mind if you intend them to continue to fight after their first combat. Minotaurs cause Fear. I'v never used them, but with their high movement and leadership, along with 3 wounds, they could work well. However they can never pursue a broken opponent, as they will feed on their beaten foes' bodies. Minotaur Champions, Heroes and Lords: These guys are real good fighters but they do have some quirks. Their stats are excellent except for Ld and WS. They suffer from the same thing as all other Minotaurs - they feast on your opponent's corpses. This i quite in character but it means that you may end up having loads of points eating and burping instead of fighting for a couple of turns so consider yourself warned. They are devastating to the unit that they attack though so they are quite useful and ma y opponents' fear them because of their size and reputation. I have only used these guys in a group of 1 or 2 and they did not work for me, but I think I should have used them as flankers instead of fighting corsairs etc. Plus: They are really fast, strong, tough and have lots of wounds, they also have two attacks and high leadership, to overcome their Bloodgreed. Frenzy if disturbed while feeding. Minus: Bloodgreed stops them from tearing enemy troops apart when pursuing, as they can't. Low initiative, and quite expensive. Interesting: Well deployed against Chariots and other war machines, as they are amazingly resilient to damage. Try a minotaur lord with the Sword of Grungni Ironheart (M6 WS8 BS6 S6 T5 W5 I6 A6 Ld10, Shudder!) Chaos Hounds Fast troops with good statistics. Chaos hounds make for good raiding troops and is really good at supporting charges by charging in the flank. Their relatively high movement allows then to maneuver and take up good positions on the battlefield. Look ou for their low Ld and lack of armor. The leadership can be addressed by including a champion and it also looks good on the battlefield (The General surrounded by his pack of hunting Chaos Hounds). Try giving the champion a demon steed. Cheap troops but vulnerable to missile fire since they lack extra wounds or armour. Plus: Fast, tough and strong with two attacks, can have a character to lead them. Very cheap (by Chaos standards). Minus: The character slows the regiment to infantry speed. Low leadership without a character. No standards or equipment options. Chaos Hounds Interesting: Use a champion on the Demonsteed so he can keep pace, or a hero with a Demonsteed and Ruby Chalice, it then gives the Hounds the Leadership bonus, and the regiment keeps its speed. And with the ruby chalice defends them from archer fire. Chaos Hounds are useful for harassing your enemy and blocking and tying up enemy units until your more powerful units can deal with them. Chaos Hounds can also do quite a bit of damage in their own right. A Beastman Champion should always lead chaos Hounds. They have above average stats with 2 Attacks, but with low Ld. They can be led by a Beastman Champion, and they should be. Monsters Trolls These creatures are tough and good in a fight especially against opponents with high toughness. They're very resistant to punishment due to their regeneration and stone Trolls have a 4+ dispel against magic. They're fast for an infantry unit and are exc llent as flank protection or for engaging large blocks of enemy troops. Watch out for being made to take any leadership based tests and keep your general close or else you will loose them fast. . River trolls are better than Stone Trolls in a fight due to the slime but aren't resistant to magic so which type of troll you take depends on what role they're going to play on the battlefield. Trolls cause Fear. Dragon Ogres The ultimate heavy cavalry. They are very strong, have a lot of wounds and attacks, plus with light armour have a 4+ save. I give them either an extra hand weapon and light armour or double handed weapon and light armour. However, with only a leadershi of 7, they should be kept close enough to the general to benefit his leadership or be led by a beastman Chief. They are expensive, but do not need to be fielded in units of 5. I like fielding a unit of 3. They are also a great place to spend those cha s gifts that grant extra attacks. The heavy cavalry. Excellent strength and toughness coupled with four wounds makes them a horror on the battlefield. Their leadership is not as good though so watch out for Ld based tests and I tests as this is also lo . Just charge them in and bash some skulls and give your opponent as little time as possible to hammer them with magic and warmachines. They draw a lot of attention due to their appearance and fearsome reputation. They can carry a banner which can be u ed to protect them or make them even more horrible to face in a battle. The champions of the Dragon Ogres are awesome too but very costly. Is further strengthened by lightning but probably all of your opponents will go out of their ways not hitting them with any lighting so it's of limited use. Causes fear. Dragon Ogre Champions, Heroes and Lords: Dragon Ogres on steroids. The character Dragon ogres is as tough as you get them but they do cost an absolute fortune in points. A Dragon Ogre Lord can crush almost anything in combat and is quite enjoyable to us on the field of battle. When your opponent sees you have a Lord he will wet his pants. However once he has changed his boxer shorts he will attack it with everything he has so beware of cannons and spells. That Dragon Ogre characters draw a lot of att ntion isn't necessarily a bad thing since it lessens the damage the rest of your army will take. Plus: Fast, tough, superhuman strength, heaps of attacks and three attacks. Light armour gives them 4+ save. Double-handed weapons are actually good in their hands, as they can take heaps of punishment. Fear. Lightening Frenzy. Minus: Cost absolutely HEAPS! Low Leadership; attract too much missile fire. Low initiative. Interesting: Use a shaman with the Cloak of Mists and Shadows and the Skull Staff to find the Banner of Wrath (High Elves love it), and send your Dragon Ogres to attack it, as the Banner has to strike the nearest targets. As long as they don't break, the Dragon Ogres are frenzied. Harpies Cheap airborne harassment troops. They can hold their own in a fight but their lack of leaders coupled with a very low leadership limits their staying power. Harpies lack armor so missile fire can get to them but their T of 4 and two wounds saves them s me. They're really good at attacking warmachine crew, small units such as missile cavalry or lone weaker characters. They can also be used to great effect in staying close to units hindering march moves and for charging in the rear or flank on already e gaged units. Look out for magic and psychology effects (the scarecrow banner comes to mind). Don't engage good HtH units that you'll loose combat against or else you will watch your harpies flee the battle. One trick is to keep the Army Standard close o that you can reroll Ld-tests. Harpies: Great troops for attack enemy war machines or getting flank attacks. They have a bad leadership (it's a 6, not 8 like the list says), but WS4, S4, T4 and 2 wounds and their ability to fly make them very good for killing war machine crew and flan ing units. I always (if I can) take at least one unit of 5. Against undead however they will likely no pass a fear test. Plus: Able to fly, strong, tough, two wounds. Very cheap. They can be arranged into ranks. Minus: Cannot take a character, even if capable of flight. Low leadership, only one attack. No equipment options or standards. Can't use leadership of general. Interesting: With several ranks and the ability to fly high, they are exceptional anti-wizard troops. They can also catch fleeing troops that the Minotaurs are unable to pursue. Nasty Magic Item Hints A few nasty hints for using the characters in your herd: Give your general the Crown of Command and the Crown of Sorcery(OK, it's powergaming, but your general becomes really nasty). Crown of Command, Black Amulet and Sword of Heroes (the chars that will give you any trouble normally are easily dealt with by the Sword and Black Amulet). Shamans with the Forbidden Rod and amber amulet, beastman Shamans have loads more wounds than normal magic users. (Note that there are new forbidden rod rules in White Dwarf 214 and for those of you that know the new rules I don't suggest this combo). The new special rules for the Forbidden Rod are: - Spells may be cast at no power cost and count as having been cast with total power. On D6 roll of 4+ user takes D3 wound and Rod is exhausted. Give a shaman champion etc the Cloak of Mists and Shadows and the Staff of Nurgle then fly on over their and kill their general, Panic tests all round Yeah!!! Another nasty combo is the chaos runesheild and chaos armour (they count as one magic item together), ring of darkness, the cursed book and a 2hw as they can't hit you so who cares if you strike last and it makes up for that lack of a magic items. Unless they have the banner of might or some other +1 to hit Magic item, they can't hit you!!! Think of it like this : - Their magic weapons won't work thanks to the chaos runesheild, so the ring of darkness means they need a 6 to hit, then the cursed book subtracts 1 from their dice roll, so if they roll a 6 it becomes a 5, In other words they can't even hit!!! Note: It is not very good sportsmanship to use these combos continuously as they are a bit unfair and not very nice. I suggest that you use it against that player you can never beat as you will kick ass and teach them a lesson!!! I hope this tactica provides great insight for you, remember it is always good to design and customize your army to how you like it also remember this tactica is not to tell you how to play, it is for helping you to develop your own brilliant strategies for wargaming. Please feel free to copy, alter or distribute this to your friends.