# How to run Chaos Trolls effectively ?



## Sworn Radical

Well people, the question / headline says it all. 
How to tun Chaos Trolls more or less effectively in a WoC army ? And I'm *not* talking about an all troll army lead by Throgg, but a mere 1.500 Pts. force which might include one or two units of three trolls each.

The major drawback seems to be _'stupidity'_ coupled with their really low leadership value. :suicide:

One possibility might be to keep them in reach of the army general for the 12" leadership bonus, but my general will most likely be mounted (Steed of Slaanesh) and thus will be way to fast for the trolls. So, not an option.

Casting _'Hysterical Frenzy'_ on them won't cut the cheese either, since under 8th ed. rules they're immune to psychology 'cause of their stupidness - which makes them a non-valid target for this spell.

Now, what about attaching a lesser (unmounted) hero or sorcerer to the troll unit ?
The trolls would be able to use the hero's leadership value, but wouldn't slow down the hero in turn.

Thoughts on this ?


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## Creon

2x3 man units is too small, too likely to take missile casualties and break. What you need is a magic user or champion with them to bulk up their leadership. A 5 man troll squad joined by an Exalted champion on Demon Mount goes a long way towards fixing the Stupid problem.


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## olderplayer

An army focused on trolls generally needs supporting units which means that the army plays best at 2500 to 3000 points. Ordinarily, I would consider troll blocks of 4 wide by 2 ranks to 6 wide by 2 ranks as optimal. I usually only run one larger troll block or two decent sized troll blocks always supported by characters with LD and the BSB in a cav unit nearby. The largest unit should have Throgg. With 1500 points, running a 3 wide by 2 deep unit would make sense, even though 4 wide and 2 deep makes sense. At 3000 points, I've run a unit 5 wide with 2 ranks which will allow max attacks even against modest width units (6 models wide). The new supporting attacks rules in 8th edition rewards having a unit 3 wide or 4 wide and two deep. With throgg making them core, you then need to exploit their ability to roll on the eye of the gods table and having fear to boost them for getting 2 or more regens per phase. A warshrine with mark of tzeentch is a very good option for increasing the buffs on the trolls and giving you a chance of really boosting them into a deathstar unit. 

To reduce the stupidity risk, I would highly recommend either a very large marauder cav unit with mark of slaanesh with a BSB on disc (MoTZ) or on a chaos steed or, alternatively, a decent sized block of chaos knights with characters in it. At 1500 points, you simply do not have a lot of points for a second hero that is a BSB (one mounted exalted with not much on him) and probably will have to run the hero in a modest to smaller unit of marauder horsemen with mark of slaanesh screened by the largest troll unit and within range of the troll blocks so as to allow re-rolls of stupidity. A BSB is really important for a troll-based army. 

You really need magic offense and defense. The means considering a lvl 4 sorc or at least one lvl 2 sorc with maybe the puppet or a dispel scroll. 

The biggest problems with trolls are the cost per model (greater than Orc and Goblin trolls), the low LD, and the absence of command models and marks from the chaos gods. If Throgg is killed, then you will have to ensure that a general and BSB are in range or the unit (if not in combat) will generally suffer from stupidity the rest of the game. For that reason, some players run Throgg in a second unit behind the first. Without music, they do not have the swift stride and rally bonus and must use their M to wheel when moving more than one would like. For that reason, I have often opted for chaos ogres with chaos armour and great weapons.


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## Sworn Radical

Thanks for your input guys, much appreciated. Now, I'm going to figure out if those trolls will make their way onto my list or not.


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