# 40k-er asking about Wood Elves in practice



## reubiedoo (Mar 21, 2009)

:grin:I have read the tactics etc, and understand the principles, but how does it work in practice? Skirmishing and all that? Is it all a big orchestration? or with a little experience is it easy? kinda like your favourite chess plays - you can channel everything in that direction sooner or later?

I mean I understand the concept of running away and shooting til a unit is soft, then hammer and anvil-ing it with some fast cav and dryads or something, but surely that is impossible to coordinate all over a battlefield, ESPECIALLY when outnumbered, as is highly likely.

Also, are the archers that good at softening up big targets (thinking VP Boc etc)

I ask, as I'm thinking of building a take all comers (without modding) WE army as a first WFB army. Like a challenge me. :grin:


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## Grik (Jul 28, 2008)

Skirmishing is micro management to me. It can be very difficult to pull off, especially if you have alot of skirmishing units. Wood Elf archers are awesome. They are some of the best in the game I think, well Elf Archers in general. It will probably take a few games to get used to your army and the IMMENSE changes between 40k and Fantasy. In Fantasy, you actually have to USE your brain, not just run out and shoot everything in sight. It's a much more in depth game, and depending on what your opponent does, it will dictate what you do to a much, much higher degree than it does in 40k. I say go for it and have fun building your Wood Elf army.


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## reubiedoo (Mar 21, 2009)

Thanks very much. In my head at least that translates very much to a chess game scenario; very different as you say to some 40k games where you can force an opponent into no options.

I think I will enjoy the learning curve.


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## Grik (Jul 28, 2008)

Oh you can still force your opponent into what action you want him to do, it's just nowhere as easy to do as in 40K. And you won't have a single almighty powerful unit tear through his entire army like you can in 40k. Fantasy is a much more tactical, strategic and in depth thinking game, it's not "If I do this or bring this unit, then my opponent has to do this or this, it's much more of a reactive game than 40k, and I think a much better game. Granted you still have power build armies, but they are much easier to deal with. Best advice is once you have figured out what army you want to play, PLAY! Make a list and play it 9 or 10 or more times before you starting making adjustments to it. That way you will get a real feel of what your army plays like and what it can do in each of the game phases. And don't get discouraged if you lose the majority of your battles while you're still trying to figure out what exactly works and doesn't work with your army. Best of luck mate and let us know how your first few games go.


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## squeek (Jun 8, 2008)

Well the most important aspect of Fantasy is movement and Wood Elves are one of the best armies for capitalising on the movement phase. It helps define the combat phase since getting the all important charge can and will decide fights, not just because of who gets to strike first, but also more tactical aspects like where units will flee and pursue to, whether counter charges can be made, etc. Some people cry cheese when a Wood Elf player is really on form and able to dance rings around them, but in reality that player is just maximising the strengths of their army, they would more than likely be just as good with any other since they have had to learn to be that skilled.

The Wood Elves can also move and shoot with no penalty making them well equipped to hit and run, moving archers in to short range without being in charge range, etc. Short range being powerful for glade guard longbows due to their special rule making them stronger. The thing with skirmishers and dryads in particular is getting used to thinking in terms of more than just one unit. You can't just send a single unit of dryads in to a combat with a ranked unit as it will likely lose on SCR, you need to flank and multi-charge, which of course takes some finesse at times. 

It is a bit like chess in a sense, since you will find that you jockey for charge ranges and multi-charges, etc; the main difference about Fantasy and 40k for me is that in Fantasy there is less importance placed on powerful weapons. There are powerful options available, but there is less of a sense of you must take so many powerfists/lascannons/meltas to be able to counter this.


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## Dafistofmork (Jan 9, 2009)

in fact, the best way to deal with the afomentioned "power option" is to avoid it, and wood elves are the best at that, making them a potent force to be reckoned with. add in the ability to move around the terrain(well, partialy), and you can potentialy control the table for most of the game.

the second best way is to blast it to bits, which is the wood elves second strength, although some armies do this better, they dont have the mobility wood elves have to accompaine this (yes i am thinking dwarfs here).


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## JokerGod (Jan 21, 2009)

There is a lot of good advise here, just thought that I would add in, if you have other people that you can play with perhaps starting a Warbands campaign could help you learn about your army easier then just being thrown in to the mess. Its a lot less points so you can start playing with out spending 200$ just to figure out you don't like the army any more and its a good start to learning how to think the battle through for more then just the next turn.


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## Dafistofmork (Jan 9, 2009)

Oh just thought of a good 40k analgy-wood elves are like a non-contact eldar army, frustrating to begin with, then you will sail through most battles with ease.


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