# Updating The Guide to Armies



## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Hey Guys, you may have noticed that the army selection guide is woefully out of date. I really need some help updating the entries for 8th ed or for new army books: I just don't have the time to do more then a couple and haven't played enough recently to have much relevant knowledge on the last few army books released.

The thread is here


So far the up to date armies are:
*Ogre Kingdoms*
*Beastmen*
*Vampire Counts*
*The Empire*
*Wood Elves*

Left to do:
*Dwarves*- _8th_
*Orcs & Goblins*- _new army book and 8th_
*Dark Elves*- _8th_
*Daemons of Chaos*- _8th_
*Tomb Kings*- _new army book and 8th_
*Warriors of Chaos*- _new army book and 8th_ (yeah, very old entry)
*Chaos Dwarves*- _Warhammer Forge book_
*High Elves*- _8th_
*Skaven*- _new army book and 8th_
*Lizardmen*- _8th_

If you want to help please PM me or post them here and I'll edit it in if its up to scratch. Anyone who gets something accepted will be nominated for a Crest of the Wise and will get as much rep as I can give out (not inconsiderable).

If you re-write the entry from scratch you'll get sole credit but by no means feel you must: its far easier and quicker to work with what's there already. The only thing to bear in mind is that its a rough guide for n00bies to an army/WFB and so should give a quick overview of all aspects of an army without getting bogged down in complex tactics, magical items or anything else someone can ask about once they're set on an army (and of course people will still start threads asking for more detailed advice or comparisons of various armies).

Thanks for any help...
T/S


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## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

heres one i edited from the previous one:


*The Empire*
Written by Khroneforever



*Fluff*
The Empire began when Sigmar united the divided tribes of humans together under his common rule. During his reign, humans often fought along side the dwarves against the orcs and goblins trying to cross the mountains into their lands. This forged strong bonds between Empire and Dwarves, which the long memoried Dwarves still hold to, and have repaid by teaching the men of the Empire about cannons and black-powder weaponry. Sigmar was deified upon his death, and is now the center of the Empire's most prolific religion. Strictly though, the Empire is a polytheistic society, with several organizations such as the Knights of the Blazing Sun devoted to foreign gods.
Since the reign of sigmar the Empire has been wrought by civil war and invasions from every side, this culminated in the invasion of the Empire by the forces of chaos, lead by the warlord Kul. The emperor at the time, magus the pious, defeated the hoards of chaos, and determined not to be magically incapable again, he set up the 8 colages of magic in Altdorf.

In its current incarnation, the Empire consists of several loosely connected provinces, each run by an Elector Count. The emperor was chosen from among these counts. However in recent times, the emperor has always been chosen from the Reikland, the most prosperous of provinces. 

The Empire is threatened by enemies on all sides, with warriors of chaos invading from the north, orcs and goblins attempting to cross the mountains from the east, vampire counts causing ruckus from the fallen province of Sylvania, Skaven mobs pushing up from beneath their cities, beastmen who permiate the dark forests of the land, and dark elf raiders on their western coasts. The Empire maintains strong ties with the Dwarves who guard the mountains to their east, and the Bretonians, who they consider slightly barbaric, who guard them from the south. 


*Models*
GW has stated the Empire is the first army they want to move to an all plastic line, and it shows. The plastic lord/bsb kit has tons of variation, as does the plastic wizard kit which allows you to make two wizards reflecting any of the eight lores. Every single choice in the Empire army is either in finecast of plastic. The kits are great, with tons of extra bits for use in other conversions and spicing up your models, and no major difficulties in assembling. The most persistent complaint about Empire plastics is that they are in fact TOO detailed and can be quite involved to paint properly especially the cloth, with its many ruffs and flairs. 

The general look of the Empire is a break from more traditional fantasy humans. In dress they look more like Renaissance Germans, with puffy shirts and feathers in their hats. The variety of provinces gives a good basis for lots of different paint schemes, and GW have left it open so you can extremely easily create you own realm with its own heraldry and colours. The addition of knightly orders which may each have their own color scheme as well can make Empire armies look very colorful and visually distinct on the field.


*Gameplay*
At the end of the day, despite any gear and special rules a unit might have, your average Empire unit has a poor human stat line. The Empire rule book makes it very easy to play a pure combat, shooting or cavalry list, as each of these have several different troop choices and different heroes to bolster each fighting style. However where the Empire excels is its diversity, and synergy. 

To reflect this, the Empire has a unique system called "detachments." Blocks of rank and file troops my take up to half the number of the “parent” unit in detachments, up to 2 detachments, of supporting combat troops, or missile support. These units can allow a non-ranged block of troops to stand and shoot or to do an out of sequence charge with the detachment, almost guaranteeing a flank charge.

*State troops*
Basic human stat line, can “take” halberds, spears, swords; each of these is a diffent unit, spears are cheapest with swords coming in at the most expensive but they do have a boosted WS. Halberdiers, spearmen can both take shields, swordsmen come with them, all have light armour

*Handgunners/crossbowmen*
Same stat line, with crossbow and handgun rules from the BRB, constant debate about which is better, both cost same points, no amour

*Archers and free company*
Same stat line, archers have skirmish and bows and cost the same as swordsmen, free company are the only unit who cannot take detachments, come with 2 hand weapons and no armour.

*Knights* 
Basic stat line, boosted WS (same as swordsmen) come with a hefty 1+ save and lances, can take great weapons. Can be upgraded to better knights who have better strength.

The Empire battle wizards are some of the most versatile magic users in the whole game, each can choose any of the lores of magic from the main rulebook, this allows you to choose the lore that best fits your army, from beasts to make your combat troops better, or life to boost their resilience. Warrior Priests add an interesting angle into the Empire magic phase. They are melee heroes (and the arch lector is a lord choice) with access to some very powerful bound spells. Where neither a warrior priest or an Empire wizard could get spells through a reasonable enemy magic defence, in combination the two can effectively draw out enemy dispel dice and scrolls to get spells through.

Second only to the dwarves, the Empire warmachine list is diverse as well, with cannon and three of their own unique warmachines, each more wacky than the last. However be warned, as misfiring with some of these warmachines is fatal, and doing so is quite easy.

*Cannon*
Basic cannon from the BRB

*Mortar *
A stone thrower with a S2 blast, and armour piercing.

*Volley gun*
Fires 3 artillery dice of shots, range 24”. Misfires can range from ½ shots to the volley gun exploding

*Rocket battery *
Fires D3 small blast S3 armour piercing rockets. 

Some of the other special and rare units of the Empire include: 
*Greatswords*
Same statline as a swordsman (+LD), come with a great weapon and a 4+ save.

*Demigryph knights*
These are knights riding half eagle half lion monstrous cavalry! Come with a 1+ save and lances, can have halberds. Gryphs have armour piercing

*Pistoliers and outriders*
Both horse mounted missile units, outriders have powerful multi shot, move or fire handguns, pistoliers have a brace of pistols from the BRB

*Flagellants*
These are bat-shit-crazy troops who will buff themselves depending on how many “sacrifice” themselves at the start of combat, come with flails

*Steam tank*
This is a monstrocity, comes with a 1+ save and T10 and W10. Has its own cannon and can grind down troops in combat, only downside is its very high cost

A special mention has to go to the Empire heroes and lords, I believe that the Empire has one of the most diverse hero and lord sections in fantasy. Each character will add something different to the list, weather making your troops braver, more combat orientated or more resilient, and the lords are basically the same, but do it all better.


Oh and the crazy chariots that they have....

*Celestial hurricanum*
this is a chariot with a 5+ save and 2 weak troops on it, the good thing is that it will boost troops near it and can call down storms and meteorites onto opponents. And adds to your power pool

*lumiarck of hysh*
this is a chariot with a 5+ save and 2 weak troops on it, the good thing is that it will protect troops near it with a ward save, and has a massive bolt thrower of light on it 


*Money Saving*
The Empire steam tank is possibly the single most expensive GW model, coming in at $65 for single one. However it is very easy to magnetize the weapon choices on the state troops, and the missile units, which allows you to chance role between battles. Also, extra state troop bodies are readily available from ebay or bitsandkits, so you can use the spare arms and weapons provided in the boxes to cheaply make more of the basic troops.

*Summary*
The Empire is a great for a player who enjoys using all of their forces together in support of one another, and is not focuses on a few powerful units that can dominate a game. Price wise the Empire is reasonable. They are a horde army and state troops can get expensive, but the advantages of the wide variety of plastics keep the price in check. Power wise the Empire is also reasonable. They are strong enough to give competitive games against the newer armies, but not so over the top that playing against ok and the like provides no challenge. With their insane level of diversity, the Empire offer something to every player, whether it be massed ranks of firepower supported by cannons, or hoards of state troops buffed by warrior priests and mages or massed cavalry charges combined with the swift outriders and pistolieers.

so there you go


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## Ratvan (Jun 20, 2011)

Ok so a small unit breakdown for the Lizardmen

Slann
The big frog seems like a good place to start. In big games he will usually be several key parts of your army as the general, BSB, and main caster. The best lore that I have found for him is the lore of life, lizards have plenty of multi-wound monsters and our troops get great benefit from the buffs. 

Oldblood
A genuine combat superstar, the oldblood is really good at killing the enemy in all shapes and sizes. The real problem with this guy is that in eighth edition he just doesn't bring very much to the table. With a LD of only eight and no casting power, he doesnt do much to support the rest of your army and is usually a substandard choice compared to the slann. The only reason to bring him is if you just want to field another monster to beat on the other guy with and even without a carnasuar he is definitly a monster. I am not sure that there are any genuinly common builds for him since if you take him you will probably have something specific in mind for him. 


Scar-Veteran
The smaller version of an oldblood, the scar-vet does not compete with the slann for the same points slot and so is taken more frequently though really the concept is the same. If you want to put a little combat monster in a unit to up its kill count, then the scar-vet is usually your best bet. 


Skink Priest
The skink priest has two main uses in my armies as a way to bring an engine of the gods, and sometimes as a little extra magic defense in the form of a scroll caddy. With the engine he has the ability to kill heavily armoured elite units or to provide ranged combat protection for the rest of your army and is often underestimated in combat. 

Skink Chief
I will have to hear from the rest of you on the forum about good reasons to take this guy. The only way I would ever use him is on a stegadon of some kind with the warspear or the bsb. 


Saurus Warriors
One of the best core infantry options in the game, it is hard to go wrong with saurus warriors. Find them something with low armour and watch the slaughter begin. They are also useful as anvil units with thier good toughness, LD and armour save they can hold many enemy heavy hitters long enough for your own face beatters to get in the fight and give a little back. With the help of a little buff magic there is not much that the suarus can not at least hold their own agianst, just watch out for a few bad matches for them. Large monsters with stenght six and several attacks are a good thing to stay away from with your expensive blocks, as these will kill your warriors in bunches. 


Skink Cohorts
Our only "cheap" block choice, cohorts can either be used as small distaction units or with kroxigors to provide some fast moving hitting power on your flanks. These are a much better choice agianst most large monsters as skinks will die in droves agianst anything and your kroxigor have a decent chance of doing some damage back; just move up in the monsters way, stand and shoot when you get charged and hope your krox can bring it down or just plan on delaying it long enough that it will not matter anymore. 


Skink Skirmishers
If you ask most lizardmen players "how do you deal with ..." they will probably answer "shoot it with skinks". These little guys are pure gold, fast, deadly and cheap, they really are a superior support unit. Skinks serve the same jobs for lizardmen that fast cav does for other armies, annoy and distract or weaking stronger units. Their best targets are: 1 high toughness monsters with no armour. 2 warmachines. 3 really expensive units. and since they are skirmishers with a 12 inch range if your skinks are ever not shooting at something then you are doing it wrong. 


Swarms
They are a swarm, what more needs to be said. 


Chameleon Skinks
Just about everything skinks can do these do better, with there scout and better balistic skill, they are some of the best warmachine hunters in the game. Some things to keep in mind however are that they are almost twice as expensive and still die like flies to combat or magic missles. 


Terradons
In seventh edition these guys were a no brainer option, but the meta-game has rendered them without any real use. The days of small expensive units and close combat skirmishers gone and now that skinks are so good at killing the same targets as the terradons most people just don't use them very much. The one reason I can see to use our flyers is for their movment, charging things that are already fleeing, or parking behind things things to change their flee distance. This can be used to get enemy units off the board or your own units out of harms way. 


Kroxigors
Krox are good, but usually better in skink units as a core choice. They have a high strenght but hit last with little armour so without the skinks to do the dying for them they tend to not be around to hit back. In or out of cohorts these are our cure for high armour and toughness, just don't forget that with weapon skill three they will not be killing any fully ranked units on their own. 


Temple Guard Saurus
These guys should really just be used to guard your slann, they are not worth the points without the abilities that he provides them. They are even harder hitting than warriors and with stubborn and immune to psychology, with cold blooded rerollable LD9, they can be counted on to stick around and keep fighting even in the worst situations. 


Saurus Cavalry
High strength, lots of attacks, and a good armour save, they are a good choice for cavalry. Get them in the flank of a unit that is fighting something else or use them to guard a flank and take out weak supporting units. Stupidity means that they are immune to pyschology and they do cause fear so those or some small advantages. 


Stegadon
Another fast moving support unit, the steg is really good at making enemy blocks stay were you want them or keeping them from reforming in combat. Most opponents are really scared of any stegadon and will devote themselves to killing them. They tend to be mostly resistant to normal shooting, however it will bring them down eventually, usually saving the lives of countless skinks and suarus in the proccess. One point of intrest is that the giant bow might be one of the best options in the game for bringing down the ever-hated steam tank 


Ancient Stegadon
Most of the same concepts apply as the nomral steg. The giant blowpipes do provide better shooting at about the same level as a unit of skinks and the higher strenght means that it can more reliable kill larger targets. 


Salamanders
Eighth edition was a dream come true for these things, big blocks of infantry can be taken down to managable sizes in just a round or two with a unit of these. Nothing else will mess up a high elf players day quite like a few salamanders. They have become the auto include option of the army agian after terradons short lived rule in seventh. A lot of players forget that our running artillery can fight off the kinds of things that would hunt most warmachines and charging ranged units with them in the back turns is a good way to use them once the main units are all locked in combat. 


Razordons
Kind of like salamanders less talented stepbrother, they are not a bad option in their own right, they just don't hold up next to salamanders for most things. The big exeption is agianst monsters and monsterous infantry they are a much better choice and as the game changes to include these better targets more, I can see people starting to really get some use out of one of our most overlooked units.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

I'll make a start on Chaos Dwarves.

If you're interested, I'll do some of the side books as well - Blood in the Badlands and Storm of Magic? Quick overview of Creatures, etc? Only book I'm missing is the Monstrous Arcanum at the minute.


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## Stephen_Newman (Jul 14, 2009)

I will whip up a Tomb kings one and a Skaven one soon.


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## olderplayer (Dec 11, 2009)

I can certainly do Dark Elves and probably a number of the others, especially Daemons of Chaos. My son (17) is one of the top Lizardmen tournament players in the US as is one of my frends, so we might suggest some edits to that entry. Probably a couple of days before i can put in the time to write it up.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Cheers all, thanks for the support. I might have a crack at LM and daemons if I get some time later in the week (got time off work but am taking my lizards to the WHW doubles this weekend) but would prefer to as many people involved as possible: stops the posts all having the same feel and getting a little stale.

@Vaz- I won't add non-army books into this guide, but if you are willing to write up a quick guide to them I'll certainly sticky it as a secondary guide, always nice to have extra stuff up there.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

A quick update of WoC to fit with 8th Edition.

____

Warriors of Chaos
Fluff
At the polar regions of the Warhammer World lie the Polar Gates leading to the fabled realm of Chaos. The power of Chaos spills out warping reality and creating the Chaos Wastes. Close to the gates logic and physics are almost irrelevant but further away the influence becomes more subtle. It is this influence that the tribes of the North feel. Instead of the human faith of the other religions, the Northmen worship the Gods of Chaos, Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh, for the boons they provide. When a Northman first attracts the notice of the Gods they will often leave their tribe and become a Warrior of Chaos. Journeying through the Northlands they seeking renown and signs of divine favour. Banding with others or striking out on their own they tale what they need and respect only those strong enough to win.

If the Gods take notice they might grant rewards or mutations to the Warrior elevating them to an Exalted Hero or even Chaos Lord. However, this is but another test. Each mutation causes the tribesman to lose his identity, his humanity. If they possess the will to survive despite these changes the rewards are great; lesser Warriors will flock to the hero bringing power and wealth and the strongest few ascend to be a Daemon Prince and sit at the side of honoured ancestors and the Gods themselves. Those who lack the will lose both their mind and form becoming an idiot Spawn of Chaos. Strong enough or not any who walk the path are no longer truly human. Usually the followers of the Gods fight amongst themselves in endless betrayals and feuds; however the strongest heroes might hold together an army that threatens even civilised lands and when the Gods call even Daemon Princes will band together.
Unit Overview
Marks
Most units can be dedicated to one of the four major Gods of Chaos granting them one or more special rules, such as Frenzy fo Khorne or a bonus to cast for Tzeentch.
Gifts of the Gods
In addition to both the magic items form the main rule book and some unique items, many characters have access to a separate allowance for Gifts of the Gods granting powerful mutations or boons including weakening enemy attacks and re-rolling casting dice. 
Eye of the Gods
Chaos Warriors seek to gain the notice of their gods by defeating their enemies in glorious combat and slaying mighty beasts. If a character kills an enemy in a challenge or a large target they receive a randomly generated upgrade including +1 to a stat or a 4+ Ward save; however the majesty of Chaos may overwhelm them causing Stupidity.
Characters
Chaos Lord
Chaos Lords have exceptional close combat skills, exceptional toughness, and high wounds. Combined with access to an extensive armoury a Lord is a match for anything he may face and my be designed to take on tough opponents single-handed or decimate units. The bigest downside is that you are paying a premium for an efficient killer who is wasted out of combat. However, as Lords can be mounted on a choice of Barded Chaos Steed (with a better stat line than a Warhorse), Chariot, Daemonic Steed, Manticore, or Dragon, and Marked Lords can also be mounted on a steed allied with their patron (such has a Juggernaut or Disc of Tzeentch) getting into combat quickly is not usually an issue.
Sorcerer Lord
Beginning as a Level 3 wizard with the ability to upgrade to Level 4, Sorcerer Lords are powerful spell casters. Marked Sorcerer Lords use their patron's Lore whilst unmarked Sorcerer Lords chose from the Lores of Fire, Death, Shadow, and Heavens. With access to the same mounts as a Chaos Lord they can easily be equipped to have the manoeuvrability and enhanced line of sight to cover the battlefield. In addition, with a stat line equal to an average hero and 4+ armour as standard they can hold their own if they do end up in combat so can even serve as a fighting general if you do not want or cannot afford a Chaos Lord as well.
Daemon Prince
A Terrifying monster that can fly and be given up to four magic levels, the Daemon Prince can fill the role of either of the mortal Lords. However, without access to magic items it cannot be customised as easily as a Chaos Lord and, being great in close combat is always choosing between not fighting and not casting as a Wizard. For these reasons it functions better alongside another character, either as as a touch of magic in an extreme close combat army or as a front-lone caster in a magic heavy army.
Exalted Champion
With a statline equivalent to many army's Lords, Exalted Heroes can easily fill the role of character or monster killer leaving Lord slot free for a Sorcerer Lord. Alternatively their access to powerful defensive items can create a resilient Battle Standard Bearer.
Chaos Sorcerer
Starting as a Level 1 Wizard with an upgrade to Level 2 and a statline only slightly below an average hero, Sorcerers can fill the same role as Sorcerer Lords on a smaller scale, including being General in a small army. However, without most of the mount options and with unmarked Sorcerers limited to the Lores of Fire and Death, Sorcerers function best in larger armies as support units.
Special Characters.
Archaon
Lord of the End Times. A Chaos Lord blessed by all the Chaos Powers, accompanied by an upgraded unit of Chaos Knights. For those occasions when you want to burn the world.
Valkia
A Flying princess of Khorne who reduces the attacks and strength of her opponents and lets you reroll failed Break tests the Eye of the Gods.
Festus
An Alchemist of Nurgle, Festus is a Level 2 wizard grants 5+ Regeneration and poisoned attacks to his unit making him an excellent addition to lighter armoured units such as Marauders. However his statline is weak (especially compared to everything else in the army) and reduces his unit's pursuit distance so can have issues with both prolonged combat and broken foes. 
Vilitch
A Level 4 Sorcerer Lord of Tzeentch with a better statline making him even more match for a combat character. Also if you opponent fails to cast a spell, Vilich gains dice to his dispel pool so can force you opponent to use up their power dice on fewer spells.
Sigvald
A Chaos Lord of Slaanesh with many more attacks, who is so beautiful dangerous terrain moves out of the way of his unit. However he is so vain he suffers from Stupidity.
Wulfrik
A Marauder Warlord with the ability to enter the battlefield from your opponent's edge accompanied by a unit of Marauders, Wulfrik can catch the enemy between two battle lines. He wanders the world seeking worthy opponents so has the ability to pick an enemy character as his target for the game and gain bonuses against that opponent. However with only a Hero's statline and lacking a magic weapon his target cannot be too ambitous.
Galrauch
The original two-headed Dragon with a breath attack for each head and another for luck is Terrifying inand out of cose combat. As a Level 4 Wizard it can spread the carnage across another phase. However, this also bring the same issue as a Daemon Prince, whether to forgo casting or close combat.
Throgg
A smart Troll who allows Ogres, Trolls or Dragon Ogres to use his Leadership 7 as if he is General and reroll break tests as if he is a Battle Standard Bearer. As well as good close combat stats and Regeneration, he has a breath attack and a magical vomit attack so can deal with mundane or ethereal units just as as easily.
Kholek
A Dragon Ogre Shaggoth with a magical weapon that causes multiple wounds, so Kholek is more than a match in close combat for any character or monster. Like all Dragon Ogres he takes no damage and becomes Frenzied when hit with lightning based attacks; however he may also redirect any lightning based spells targeting units within 12" so they target him instead and attempt to throw lightning himself. Unfortunately he is an obvious target without a ward save so can struggle to reach combat.
Core
Warriors
With two WS5 Strength 4 attacks at Initiative 5 and 4+ armour save before upgrades, Warriors are the equal of most special choices from other armies. The closest thing to a weakness is that they are infantry so need to slog across the battlefield through enemy fire to reach their targets.In addition, each one can be tailor made to the task at hand: if a 4+ AS is not good enough then add a shield; if you expect to fight really tough opponents then take a great weapon; want to pack a punch without sacrificing your initiative then take halberds.
Marauders
Compared to Warriors, Marauders are a cheap unit. Compared to other armies they have good stats for a Core unit. With the option to add great weapons, flails, light armour and shields, they can also be upgraded to fill more than one role. Without several upgrades they are cheap enough to run as a Horde.
Marauder Horsemen
Without upgrades Horsemen are Fast Cavalry and have the same above average combat ability as their fellows, so can put pressure on your opponent from turn one and can be given flails to make them a real threat to anything they encounter. With the ability to take either throwing spears or throwing axes they can also harry the flanks with little risk. With the addition of both Shields and Light Armour they cease to be Fast Cavalry but become a cheaper alternative to Chaos Knights.
Warhounds
Warhounds are fast moving and cheap so can be used to draw fire from your expensive units while they advance or race up the flanks to add flanking or rear support to your main units. With the option to take an armour save and poison your attacks they can be configured to pose a risk to war machines and other mostly ranged units. However, Warhounds do not count towards the minimum number of units for a valid army.
Special
Chosen
As heavily armoured as Warriors and with the same options but a better stat line, Chosen are similar to a unit of heroes. With the addition of a free roll on Eye of the Gods table and the option to give the Champion a Magic Item they are easily worth their points. However, their cost limits their size so they will probably be outnumbered even by elite units.
Chaos Knights
Knights are the Chosen of the heavy cavalry world. As well as an excellent stat line and a 1+ armour save, their basic equipment includes a +1 strength magical weapon which makes them excellent against ethereal units. Alternatively it can be swapped for a lance to give their charge even more punch if your opponent is likely to be heavily armoured opponents. However, you are paying for their ability so a unit large enough to function well without support against larger units is very expensive.
Forsaken
With a higher Movement than Chosen and a random number of attacks for roughly the same cost, Forsaken are capable of putting out enough damage to wipe out an enemy that would survive against their fellows; however with a lower weapon skill and armour save and no available upgrades they are less effective against elite units.
Chaos Chariot
With the statline of several Chaos Warriors and Impact hits, a Chariot hits hard and can also be taken as the mount of a character. However, like Chaos Knights, Chariots are better on the offence than the defence so do not fare well if unsupported especially in protracted combats.
Ogres
Monstrous Infantry that can be given 4+ Armour save. With a poor initiative to begin with they also lose little if given great weapons. And, unlike the other Monstrous units can be given full command. With a slightly lower damage output and slightly higher survivability than three Chosen for the same cost Ogres can function as a more defensive close combat unit.
Dragon Ogres 
4 Wound Monstrous Beasts who move as fast as Chaos Knights with a higher strength. With the option to take either an additional hand weapon or a great weapons they can either be equipped to kill elite units or take on monsters.
Trolls
With a good movement, a magical vomit attack that ignores armour, and Regeneration that can gain them rolls on the Eye of the Gods, Trolls can handle many different opponents with ease. However they suffer from Stupidity and a have a very low Leadership so need babysitting to achieve anything.
Rare
Chaos Spawn
A mindless flailing mass of limbs with random movement and random attacks. At their best they launch many attacks into an unprepared enemy; at their worst they wander away from the battle at a critical moment. A true Chaos unit.
Scyla Anfgrim
A unique Chaos Spawn "blessed" by Khorne with faster movement, more attacks, Magical Resistance, and the ability to participate in challenges and roll on the Eye of the Gods. However he can still wander off when you need him.
Chaos Warshrine
A mobile altar which grants all unit Champions the ability to roll on the Eye of the Gods table if they win a challenge or kill a large target, and can give a blessing to one unit each turn. With many wounds a high toughness, and both good Armour and Ward Saves it is resilient and can deal some wounds. However it is more useful for support than killing so takes up points that could be spent on offence if you want a more brutal army.
Hellcannon
A Giant Stone Thrower possessed by a Daemon or a Monster that can shoot, the Hellcannon adds a solid War machine without giving up close combat ability. However, the Daemon seeks to be tear down the world so the Hellcannon can decide to rampage forward uncontrollably or cause all magic users to miscast.
Shaggoth
A larger, more dangerous Dragon Ogre. However, as with Kholek, is a tempting target for enemy fire.
Giant
Unsurprisingly Giants are large. They are also Stubborn and Immune to Psychology. However their attacks are randomly determined ranging from automatically winning combat to attempting to stuff an enemy in his trousers so Giants do not always fit well with a complex plan. Lacking a save they are also very vulnerable to ranged fire and overwhelming numbers.
Models
Characters
A multi-part plastic Chaos Lord/Sorcerer on Manticore kit and two plastic Chaos Sorcerers on foot are available and several characters are available in Finecast. No Chaos Lord on Dragon is available, although the Manticore riders or Chaos Knights can be easily fitted to a dragon kit from another army.
Core
All the Core choices are available in plastic. The models are high quality,; however the Marauder warriors are older and many feel rather ugly looking and (being bulkier than Chaos Warriors) can look oversized. In addition, not all of the Weapons options are available in the sprue: however these are available either as online bitz packs (halberds and great weapons for Warriors) or with an easy conversion (Halberds from Chaos Knight Lances for Warriors, and flails to great weapons for Marauders).
Special
Chaos Knights are available in a high quality plastic kit. Most of the remaining Special Choices are currently metal; however both Ogres and Trolls from other armies are available in plastic so can easily be converted to Chaos and Chosen can be converted from Warriors. Forsaken are not released yet, although again they can easily be converted from Chaos Warriors. The worst models by far in the Chaos range (perhaps in the Games Workshop range) are Dragon Ogres; however there are several ways to convert alternatives.
Rare
The Giant and Spawn are available in plastic kits with many optional parts. The Shaggoth and Hellcannon are available in Finecast. The War Shrine is not released yet but can be converted from a Chariot or other models.

Overall the range has plenty of opportunities for conversion but does not require it to field an effective army.
Game Play
Everything in the army (including Wizards) is very good in Close Combat for its point cost allowing you to build a lethal close combat army. However - while you will outclass almost everything that an opponent can throw at you - many units are expensive so you will often be outnumbered, allowing your opponent to outmanoeuvre and make each casualty expensive, so it is better to compete in other phases as well. As the Army Book was written for 7th Edition, Chaos Magic lacks the ability to cast spells at different levels. However, as befits power taken from the Realm of Chaos is still effective, either buffing units (such as Regeneration or making a Rank and File Trooper a Hero) or destroying the enemy (such as making a unit attack itself, or even opening a portal beneath them). Magic Items and Gifts of the Gods also allow a Chaos Army to re-roll casting dice and control the severity of miscasts saving your own wizards and dooming your opponents. With the addition of the Hellcannon, Chaos can also have a passable Shooting Phase.

The number of strong units available for Chaos mean that you can choose to field a mixture, or focus on a theme (such as heavy armour). With most units having more than one useful set-up you can easily build an army to counter any opponent.
Money Saving
Most of the plastic sets come with plenty of extra parts and can be interchanged with little or no cutting. As many chaos weapons and abilties stem from the Gods of Chaos any spare parts or even sprue can become powerful upgrades.
Summary
Warriors of Chaos are an army that not only trives but must get into close combat.

With many varied units that function well on the table the army lends itself both to players who want a winning force and players whose primary focus is modelling and painting.


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## Stephen_Newman (Jul 14, 2009)

Here is my attempt to make a Tomb Kings guide:

TOMB KINGS IN 8TH EDITION

Fluff

South to the lands of man, further south than the Ork ridden Badlands exists vast quantities of desert. It is here in this desert where the once proud and ancient kingdom of Nehekhara exists.

In its past Nehekhara was a glorious advanced civilization that was founded on the might of the priest kings and their servants in the mortuary cult. In death these mighty kings were mummified in exquisite burial ritualswhere they were promised that in their next lives they would lead glorious armies and live eternally. They were buried in great pyramids with marvellous statuary from faithful Necrotects and buried with entire armies to lead in the next life. 

However all this changed with the coming of Nagash. The most powerful and evil sorceror the world will ever know Nagash lead a bloody war against the priest kings and was eventually driven out in a series of bloody wars. however at the end of these wars Nehekhara had changed. Its people long all slain and a great necromantic chant had arisen the Tomb Kings and their armies. Denied the promise of eternal life and a glorious kingdom as promised by the mortuary cult their anger and wrath was great. To this day the Tomb Kings mean to expand their great realms to the extent that they once were and teach the lesser races of men who were once the most powerful.

Models

Having been of a recent army update the Tomb Kings range has a vast extent of wonderful looking models. Whether it is the look of the skeletons riding chariots pulled by skeletal steeds or the grand majesty imposed by a Warsphinx the range is almost bound to have a model that is in your taste.

One thing when getting a Tomb Kings army is a nice quick way of painting bone. After all you are going to be painting a lot of it! Luckily to help you in this certain task most of the Tomb King range is made of plastic, which is much easier to work with. They were even one of the first armies to have a substantial contigent of resin products which are also relatively easy to work with.

Gameplay

In game the Tomb Kings have a very unique nature. For starters every army has to have a character who is designated the Heirophant. This will typically be the most experianced wizard in the army and this particular model will be key to many of your plans. After all if the Heirophant dies then the army will slowly crumble apart. However to help with the protection of the Heirophant there is the option for vast legions of cheap troops in the form of Skeleton Warriors and archers. Alternatively there is also options for an all mounted host riding skeletal steeds or the more formidable chariot legions.

All of this is backed up by the Animated constructs. These units are statues dedicated to the Gods of Nehekhara in the forms of Giants, Idols, Scorpions, Sphinxes and other bizarre combinations. These models provide a solid core to the army and can be used to stop enemy charges or support charges of your own.

Model Rundown

Tomb King
These are typically the head honchos of many armies. They are dead hard characters with an impressive stat line, potential for good combinations for magical items and special rules which allow a mighty buff to the unit they occupy. This can allow a large part of your battleline to fight with the expert skill available normally only accessible to the mightiest heroes!

High Liche Priest
If you favour magic and want a powerful Heirophant then this is your guy. Whilst not having a great stat line they can be powerful level 4 wizards and when armed with the right magic spells can either create magical enchantments to protect your own units or magically move your army at ridiculously high speeds!

Tomb Prince
A lesser version of the mightier Tomb Kings but a great unit to field in lower point games. They mimic the Tomb Kings with an impressive stat line, equal to other Lord choices from other armies despite being a hero choice, the ability to buff a unit and good options.

Tomb Heralds
These guys operate as good bodyguards. Or super Tomb Guard so to speak (those guys covered later). Tomb Heralds have Killing Blow and a decent stat line to help them challenge other heroes from other army lists. They also have the option for a battle standard bearer and can protect your Tomb Kings and Princes from threats should they be close enough.

Liche Priest
Most armies will likely include at least one of these guys. Lesser versions of the more expensive High Liche Priest these old wizards provide magical support for an army and one of these is likely to be the army Heirophant if led by a tomb king

Necrotect
A last potential hero choice. These guys scultped the statuary of Nehekhara in their life and now are very anger about the damage caused by the lesser races against their sacred objects. As a result these master architects can provide a special save for animated constructs and confer _hatred_ to a unit they join which makes them much more effective in combat.

Skeleton Warriors
The basic foot soldier of the army. Not going to lie to you these guys suck stat wise but luckily to make them more appealing units of these are VERY cheap to make (at least points wise. Your wallet may differ) and when in large horde formations can tarpit even the most hard hitting units and strike back.

Skeleton Archers
The same as the Warriors. Except these guys have bows! However the Tomb Kings use special arrows that always hit on 5's. Whilst this might seem crummy when compared to other races but bear in mind these will NEVER suffer modifiers that the lesser races bear with. Skeleton Archers do not care if you are hiding in cover, skirmishers, have special rules etc because they will ALWAYS hit on 5's. Typically a unit of these guys are normally included in every competitive Tomb King list.

Skeleton Horsemen
These are also the same stat wise as your Warriors. Except they ride horses. Whilst the steed has an equally unimpressive stat line they do now have the mobility to zip around the flanks of an army and break ranks thanks to a high movement value and the _Vanguard_ special rule.

Skeleton Horse Archers
Think of these as Skellie Archers on horses. Being fast cavalry these guys are ridiculously fast and manouverable. Having both the _Vanguard_ and _Scouts_ special rules mean these guys can quite likely be behind the enemy army before the first turn. Also always hitting on 5's is never a bad thing, even on the move.

Skeleton Chariots
One of my personal favourite units. This is another area the Tomb Kings differ from the norm. The Tomb Kings are the ONLY army that fields units of Chariots. Being fast and generating a vast number of impact hits it might not surprise one to know they are not the cheapest models (although on the opposite end of the spectrum your wallet may like them more!) but pack a serious punch, especially when backed by Animated Constructs or by flanking Skeleton Horsemen.

Tomb Guard
These are sort of the upgraded version of Skeleton Warriors (or lesser Tomb Heralds) and quite a difference these upgrades make. Tomb Guard come with an impressive stat line, armour of some kind and the _Killing Blow_ special rule. This allows them to take enemy charges and cut through the most heavily armoured troops with ease. Especially when backed by the right spells units of these guys make the perfect bunker unit to hide fragile wizards (Like Heirophants for example).

Necropolis Knights
The Knights are comparable to slightly upgraded Tomb Guard (They get an extra attack) riding dirty great stone serpents (which do most of the work). Being animated constructs and having a good armour save they are quite hard. With killing blow and poisoned attacks between rider and mount they can fight their way through most units in the game whilst suffering little damage in turn.

Tomb Scorpion
Another Animated Construct. These cheap scorpions are useful for getting rid of enemy war machines. They deploy in a special manner that lets them pop up right next to their quarry (cue evil laugh at this point). Having a plethora of special rules allows these monsters to kill of their quarry pretty quickly. After dealing with war machines these guys are in a great position to rear charge enemy units to help break the combats you might have trouble dealing with at the moment.

Ushabti
Weird stone statues in the shape of idols to the gods of Nehekhara they are best comparable to the equivalent of Ogres by having a decent statline and being relatively cheap in points to field in large units to form a solid central battleline unit perfect to use as a hammer blow.

Tomb Swarms
Little critters that seem to get in everyone's teeth. Tomb Swarms are a great unit to consider if you want to run a defensive army. Another unit that deploys in a special manner like the Tomb Scorpion. Tomb Swarms are fab for raising a hard roadblock in front of the squishy battleline. Being swarms they get plenty of wounds per base and so stick around for a while. They also get poisoned attacks so they are quite good to set upon monsters that you feel may threaten your army such as Giants, Treemen, Dragons etc.

Carrion
These are big birds. Big birds who actually have a decent statline as well as deploying in a skirmisher formation as well as being fliers to help them get where they are needed. These excell as being annoying pests by being in place to launch flank charges or destroy war machines that are stopping your advance. Being realtively cheap they can be fielded in large units (although you are not likely to need more than 6 in a unit).

Khemrian Warsphinx
One of the biggest critters in the book. These giant leonine statues are solid rocks in the army. Boasting a very impressive toughness of 8 they can shrug off a lot of attacks that would breach the armour of lesser creatures. But they are certainly capable of bringing the pain themselves. Able to not only absorb damage easlily they can also run through units and even jump up and down on them until nothing is left (quite literally. They have a special rule to allow them to do this!).

Sepulchral Stalkers
Another of my favourite units. These snake like creatures are very useful in my army as rapid strike units. However these guys are best suited not actually in combat. They get a special shooting attack that allows them to turn enemy models into sand! However exposed frying of enemies can sometimes turn these guys into sand themselves. To help avoid being charges they get a special rule that allows them to pop up out of the ground. Preferably behind the unit you intend to blast off the table.

Necrolith Colossus
The first of 2 creatures that are the Tomb Kings answer to the Giant used by lesser races. The Colossus is a very powerful battering ram! With a very impressive statline with plenty of attacks with special rules allowing them to make MORE attacks in combat this unit can potentially rip apart entire units by themselves. However it is best is used among another unit to make any fight ridiculously one-sided!

Hierotitan
The second Giant equivalent. However unlike the Colossus this has a very different role rather than head down and charge! This model is a source of bound spells and allow buffs to nearby wizards attempting to cast spells by providing a helping hand. It also has a relatively decent statline to help it survive.

Necrosphinx
My favourite model in the range. The Necrosphinx is a bizarre amalgamation of many Nehekharan deities and this produces a very individual model. Packing a statline very similar to the Warsphinx but comes with special rules such as fly to make it faster than normal and even a special combat move that allows it to slice off even the heads of the most powerful dragons and Bloodthirsters in once clean sweep! This guy is awesome and definitely one I include in every army list possible. Even if only for the lovely model.

Screaming Skull Catapult
The first of two war machines employed by the Tomb Kings. This is comaprable to the stone throwers used by other races except they hurl screaming flaming skulls at the enemy (probably fashioned in a Ghost Rider style way). With a decent strength for the shot and the ability to panic units caught in the blast these machines are useful in many ways. Although best employed to destroy those hordes of troops.

Casket of Souls
The second war machine. This machine has a different way of firing. first off it provides a magical buff by providing magic dice as well as providing a bound spell that not only is vicious against low LD armies such as Skaven and Orks and Goblins but can very easily spread across half an army with relative ease. Another unit that is employed in certain competitive armies for its cheap cost and usefulness to the army.

Thats all folks!!

Created by Stephen_newman


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## Ratvan (Jun 20, 2011)

Not really sure if this is what you guys were after but I have been working on this http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=110375 for a little while now


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Thanks guys, uploaded them. That leaves: Dwarves, Orcs & Goblins, Dark Elves, Daemons of Chaos, Chaos Dwarves, High Elves, Skaven, Lizardmen.

Only problem with what we've got so far is length: these are just quick intro's for people who don't know the army, so brevity is a bonus. I doubt the unit breakdowns are really vital... but on the other hand it means that if someone does decide on an army they've got a cool guide to help them figure out what they want to throw into their first draft list.
So long as its a good guide content is entirely up to the writer: its your entry so do it how you want.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Shameless bump- still need the above armies. I can probably do justice to High Elves, Lizardmen and probably Daemons... but the others need someone with slightly better racial knowledge/experience then me.


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