Dwarves

[Saint Vierzehn]

I think you should play the list you are planning before you make a judgement.

 

When I first picked up this game, I had someone walk me through a tutorial using a list very different than one I've ever played since. After that, I sat down with the rulebook and chose the troops that I wanted. Then I walked into my first real game - and my first tournament - and went 3 - 0, and took first place.

 

I was able to do that because I am able to judge lists before I play them.

 

 

Since you think it is broken, you should play it, every game, win every tournament, and refuse to play anything else to show Gus and Reaper that they were wrong to listen to me and make the Valkyries Healers. You'd be helping the game.

 

I've very nearly done that with Crusaders, of all things. Crusaders do reward good play. But I loaned my Crusaders to someone once, and they lost horribly.

 

Have you seen the conversations about "that Rach list" on the CAV forum? That list was mine. I brought that list to the tourney for two reasons. One, because I was convinced that I could have fun playing it and win with it (and I was right), and two, because I thought there were some significant issues in CAV that I would like to see addressed. It looks like that's going to happen, too, and I'm glad of it.

 

You might want to be careful about throwing those sorts of requests my direction. I do take them up every once in a while.

 

That said, I don't owe this community, or Reaper, or the general well-being of the game, or you, any community service. This game is my hobby, not my job, and when I play a list, it is because it is the list that I want to play.

 

 

I had a list with Skadi, Valkyrie, Ursula and the bears, forgemaidens and daughters that I was going to play in a tournament next month. But I'll take an all Valkyrie list, with the sisters. If it is broken and I wax everyone I'll be the first to admit it. I may even take it to origins if the results are mixed.

 

A friend of mine played an Overlords list at the tournament that I helped him construct. It's an awesome list, more than equal to the one I played myself. But he didn't execute well, and so didn't score well. He's new to Warlord, though, and used to a different game system.

 

Anyway, here's the mountain sublist force that I've been considering. It's rather simple, straightforward, and effective. Folks who are familiar with how I play know that I generally favor combined arms. That this list has no need of combined arms is really all that needs to be said of its playbalance.

 

 

Troop 1:

Skadi

Valkyrie x 10

Margara, counterspell x 2

 

Troop 2:

Valana

Valkyrie x 8

 

Troop 3: (Merc contingent)

Calindra Silverspell

Bowsister x 3

 

1500 points even.

 

-StV.

[Zora]

Can someone point me towards the mountain sublist? It sounds like something I was trying to do when I started collecting the dwarves awhile back.

 

I was starting an all-female army, but got sidetracked by life.

 

During the time away, it sounds like somebody created just such a list.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

-Daniel

[rgtriplec]

The Datacards are over at Reaper Games in the datacards, datacard search, and 2008 Rage document.

 

 

Army List Name: Handmaidens of the Mountain God Sublist

 

Restrictions: The following Models only:

Freya Fangbreaker, Unq. Captain

Ursula, Bear Rider, Unq. Captain

Valana, Forgemaiden, Sergeant

Skadi, Half-Goddess, Unq. Hero

Gwyddis, Valkyrie, Unq. Cleric

Margara Firetongue, Unq. Mage

Kara Foehunter, Unq. Rogue

Daughters of Skadi, Adept

Dwarven Shieldmaiden, Adept

Forgemaidens, Adept

Valkyries, Adept

Dire Bear, Unq. Monster

Griffon, Unq. Monster

Lesser Earth Elemental, Unq. Monster

Stone Spirit, Unq. Monster

Annasha Tomebreaker, Unq. Solitaire

 

Models that change From Unique to Non-Unique:

Freya Fangbreaker, Captain

Margara Firetongue, Mage

Griffon, Monster

Lesser Earth Elemental, Monster

 

Models that change From Adept to Grunt:

Daughters of Skadi, Grunt

Forgemaidens, Grunt

 

 

Handmaidens of the Mountain God Sublist Faction Special Abilities

 

Half-Goddess

Skadi may be taken as a Warlord with Troop Capacity 3-12/2. Any Adepts in her troop do not count

against the adept limit.

 

Beast Master

Dire Bears may be taken as an adept in a troop led by Ursula.

 

Mountain God's Breath

All leaders get Innate Spell/6 (Mountain God's Breath)

Name: Mountain God's Breath

Type: Non-Attack

Range: Casting Model

Area of Effect: 2”

# Models Affected: All Friendly Models

Cast Defensively: No

Notes: Adds +1 Move (per Move Action) to Friendly Models that were in the Area of Effect at the time

the spell was cast for the remainder of the Action Phase

 

The Touch of the Goddess

The Valkyries gain the SA: Healer

[Zora]

The Datacards are over at Reaper Games in the datacards, datacard search, and 2008 Rage document.

 

 

Army List Name: Handmaidens of the Mountain God Sublist

 

Restrictions: The following Models only:

Freya Fangbreaker, Unq. Captain

Ursula, Bear Rider, Unq. Captain

Valana, Forgemaiden, Sergeant

Skadi, Half-Goddess, Unq. Hero

Gwyddis, Valkyrie, Unq. Cleric

Margara Firetongue, Unq. Mage

Kara Foehunter, Unq. Rogue

Daughters of Skadi, Adept

Dwarven Shieldmaiden, Adept

Forgemaidens, Adept

Valkyries, Adept

Dire Bear, Unq. Monster

Griffon, Unq. Monster

Lesser Earth Elemental, Unq. Monster

Stone Spirit, Unq. Monster

Annasha Tomebreaker, Unq. Solitaire

 

Models that change From Unique to Non-Unique:

Freya Fangbreaker, Captain

Margara Firetongue, Mage

Griffon, Monster

Lesser Earth Elemental, Monster

 

Models that change From Adept to Grunt:

Daughters of Skadi, Grunt

Forgemaidens, Grunt

 

 

Handmaidens of the Mountain God Sublist Faction Special Abilities

 

Half-Goddess

Skadi may be taken as a Warlord with Troop Capacity 3-12/2. Any Adepts in her troop do not count

against the adept limit.

 

Beast Master

Dire Bears may be taken as an adept in a troop led by Ursula.

 

Mountain God's Breath

All leaders get Innate Spell/6 (Mountain God's Breath)

Name: Mountain God's Breath

Type: Non-Attack

Range: Casting Model

Area of Effect: 2”

# Models Affected: All Friendly Models

Cast Defensively: No

Notes: Adds +1 Move (per Move Action) to Friendly Models that were in the Area of Effect at the time

the spell was cast for the remainder of the Action Phase

 

The Touch of the Goddess

The Valkyries gain the SA: Healer

 

Thank you very much!

[Maleko]

Morning everyone!

 

I'm having a really tough time trying to keep these arm/weapons and shields on these dwarves. I want to try to pin them but my drill bits or wire might be too big (I think the wire is around 1/16 to 3/64, i have bits all the way down to 1/32). The arms also got those tiny stubs and indents so you can piece the models together, but some aren't holding up for some reason. I've been using Krazy Glue and then priming them after the models are dry (I give the glue about a few hours, a day if I'm feeling lazy). Also, my griffon's wings are bugging me, one of them stays on but the other. Any secret techniques and contraptions you use for holding a model in place for gluing other than perhaps a vice or the traditional "by hand" method?

 

Perhaps you masters of the dwarves can help me with my plight. I can't have them falling apart in battle, even though it's pretty cool to see a one armed Dwarven Warrior slay hordes of skellies single-handedly (gotta love those puns). Thanks for your time.

 

Edit : I feel left out :(

[Outkast Samurai]

Ok guys with the RC 08 version I decided to try something a bit different. Other than running some demos I've been living CAV and I want to get back to what brought me to Reaper gaming in the first place. I'm leaving the swamp for a bit and venturing into the mountains. So it's time for Dwarves! I have the king, 23 warriors, 3 shield maidens, 3 halberdiers, 4 piercers, 2 bear riders, Ivarr, Margara, and Durgam. I know I'm sevearly short on leaders but I wanted some advise from those who've run them for awhile and see what would help me fill this out into a real army.

 

Thanks

[jdripley]

Outkast, you really can't go wrong with 23 dwarven warriors. No matter what anybody tells you.

 

You'll definitely be wanting more leaders, though... My advice would be to pick up a Gargram Heavyhands or two. He meshes very well with your warriors. You can take nice troops of warriors anywhere and they do just fine. They're kindof like American Express, if you catch my meaning.

 

King Thorgram is all you need for tougher leaders, though I've found that an army lead by Thorgram and Freya is quite nice.

 

You may want to spread your piercers out amongst your troops. Massed Piercers are fodder for cavalry, but if you spread out a bit and keep your piercers tucked in with their own troop, it makes it harder for the enemy to demolish your ranged ability quickly. Normally I would advise against spreading out, but as you have a large volume of grunts, as opposed to a more elite force of adepts, spreading out is fine.

 

I would use your halberdiers to back up your leaders. Particularly King Thorgram, but many of the others as well, with their high number of attacks, can take great advantage of the MAV boost. They go from "you'll probably hit with me" to "you will most always hit with me" and that's a great place to be.

 

I would leave your bears as solos. They make great units for flanking, and they're good as a second line attack. Bring in your grunts, rough 'em up a bit, then have your bears jump them in the midst of the fight. That'll break their back.

 

Don't forget about Ivar! Ivar used to be the main man for healing, then the Dwarves got fancy clerics like Logrim and Herryk. And now there's even more fancy clerics. For the most part, they're all better clerics than Ivar is - but Ivar comes at a bargain price, and that shouldn't be overlooked. Even if you take him for his Healer ability alone, I think it's worth it. He's not bad in a scrum either, so you're safe bringing him right into the thick of the action. I'd chance a few spells for him, but don't invest too heavily since he's not the kind of cleric that you build your army around.

 

If I were a Dwarf, Margara would be the girl I dreamed about. She's the sort of mage that does magic in a very dwarfly fashion. 3/12 capacity with a good CP means that you can pack one heck of a punch with her, and while she's frail by dwarf standards, she's rock solid by Mage standards. I like having Margara in my collection because most often I use a non-magical or cleric-magic list, and whenever I dust off Margara, my opponents are so ill-used to dealing with me and mages that I can just blast them apart. The surprise factor is awesome. I think most dwarf players tend to not field mages, since there's so many other more powerful mage type armies in the game. So use her when you want to switch things up. Take lots of AOE's one time, take direct damage spells the next time... Keep 'em guessing. I've always found Scare to be a wonderful spell for Margara, since it tips the balance of the battle even farther in the favor of the dwarves and their rock solid statistics.

 

Durgam Deepmug is one of my favorite models, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps because I bought him first. I've always wished that he had Warmaster, but another part of me is so glad that he doesn't. Firstly, lacking warmaster keeps his price down. Secondly, it separates him from the crowd. Every other awesome dwarf has warmaster, but not him. I like to tuck him into a fast moving swiftaxe/berserker/halberdier/bear troop. I also like to keep him hanging back behind a slower, tougher troop. Think of him as the fighter that they keep fueled and ready to go on the aircraft carrier - his excellent speed and fearlessness means that he can jump in wherever it's needed.

 

I'd also like to take this moment to give a plug to Snorri Oathbreaker and Kara Foehunter. I think these two gems are under-represented. Maybe less so now than before. Pick which one you want in a given list based on if you have elite slots to fill or solitaire spots to fill. I favor Snorri over Kara, but only slightly. He hits a bit harder, which is helpful always, but poison is a waste of points if you're fighting undead. You may as well bring the more efficient Kara if you're fighting Necropolis, some Nefsokar, and especially Razig. Otherwise, go for Snorri if you can. Poison really messes with your opponent's head. Use a token to mark the models that are currently poisoned, otherwise you may forget. If your opponent isn't used to dealing with poison they may forget too, and if you both forget it's a bit of a shameful waste.

 

And if you want to have just too much fun, give WildBill a nod and take a troop of Bear Riders! Ursula is just brilliant, and the bear riders are amazing. Take a minimum sized troop unless you want your army to have a large bear centerpiece. If you're using a sublist army, think about a Dire Bear in Ursula's troop.

 

I could go on and on... But honestly there's quite a bit to the faction that I haven't tried out, being that I'm quite content with my pre RC08 army and haven't seen it in my budget to expand yet. There are others here who could give you the scoop on the newer models.

[Outkast Samurai]

Thanks for the advise. It turns out I only have 17 warriors having given them away for demos and such. That was where the leaders I had bought went as well as the other shield maidens I had. I'll be picking up Freya and Gargram since I know they are at the FLGS. I believe that Snorri is as well so I should be able to pick him up too. I really like the look of Snorri so its good to know that he is worth the points. How effective are the piercers? I know that ranged attacks were backed off a bit in the latest version but I remember hating to face the dwarven crossbows.

 

Any input on the Dire Bear and Griffon? They are awesome sculpts and I really love griffons so that one I have to get.

[wildbill]

The Griffon used to be the scourge of the battlefield in the v1.0 game. Now, DV 14 is very nice for a flyer that only costs like 125ish points (I don't have it in front of me). But, the problem comes that 1) it doesn't have Fearsome and 2) the stats tank REALLY quickly once it starts getting hurt. You have to really support the Griffon if you drop it in the middle of the enemy. With that said, people that haven't faced flyers much will tend to overreact and leave like half of their army behind to deal with "the Griffon threat". That's awesome for you, since the rest of your army can now march forward and kick butt.

 

The Dire Bear can definitely hit hard at MAV 7, but with only 2 attacks, you definitely aren't killing anything quickly. He needs major support.

 

Never overlook the Lesser Earth Elemental and the Stone Spirit. Yes, the Spirit is kinda pricey, but if you have both of them on the table, the psychological effect on most opponents makes them well worth their points.

 

Kneebreakers kneebreakers kneebreakers. I love these guys. Their only weakness is that they have one attack. But, oh baby, it's a doozy. I have routinely put them on one flank and let them go to town. I'll send a Dire Bear or some other smaller solo (like the Lesser Earth Elemental) with them for a little additional support. You're good to go. Most players tend to overlook them because they are only 40 points each and have only one attack. But, they have 4 damage tracks at DV 11. Works for me. I take them over normal Warriors every time.

 

You can never have enough Bear Riders. I have 20.

 

Wild Bill

[jdripley]

Wild Bill has triggered my memory with his comment about kneebreakers being worth 40 points.

 

Check out the Dwarves data cards. Take note of the number and quality of the grunt options at the 40 point mark. There's a bunch right around there - swiftaxes, warriors, halberdiers, kneebreakers (kneebreakers are adepts. so sue. There also happen to be a few other adepts at the 40 point mark).

 

People don't normally think of the Dwarves as a "volume" type of army. You think Dwarves and you think of Shieldmaidens, Bear Riders, Stone Spirits, and Logrim Battlefury. These are all crazy tough models, and they're very much worth taking. Personally it's one of my favorite approaches. I love the romantic (not in the love way) appeal of a small, outnumbered cadre of elite warriors fighting a desperate action against overwhelming numbers. That's why I typically field very few, very powerful models, and pack a cleric or two to keep 'em swinging.

 

BUT

 

I've also had loads of fun running a list packed with ~40 point models. I think the Dwarves have a sweet spot at 40 points. For my play style, at least, below 40 points the models are seriously lacking in one or more area that I value very much. Above 40 points, and your army size is starting to drop. But right at 40 points, the models are tough AND you get plenty of them. Plenty meaning, you'll probably be outnumbered, but not by very much. And when you've got that many dwarves running around, your opponent will likely go crosseyed and keel over. Psychologically a player knowing that he'll face dwarves will think of how he can smash a tight knot of dwarves. Focusing his attacks, using magic to soften up the cluster, and so forth. It just plays havoc with them when they see so many of your models! You can easily have twice the number of troops if you swing from the maiden/bear approach to the ~40 point model approach. Heck you may even have enough points left over for some magic.

 

My best "~40 point model" dwarf list was lead by Herryk Aesir, had a gargram troop or two, and a Fulumbar troop with Ivar Silverfist. For troopers I used a bunch of warriors, some swiftaxes and halberdiers, and a smattering of piercers (smattering here being one or two). If I had kneebreakers, I would have put them in there in small numbers as well. Ivar might have had one spell, but otherwise he focused on using Healer. I remember one awesome battle against the Crusaders where he kept his troop going, then went down in a glorious struggle with Sir Conlan. Herryk was packing Cure(2) several times, and I gave him Hold.

 

Man, so many fun memories with that army.

Long live the dwarves!

[Outkast Samurai]

Well I picked up Gargram and Freya today and had my FLGS order the griffon because having an airforce is always good. I really enjoy the elite models but having a core of just your regular troops really appeals to me. I took my old DHL earth elemental (#2777) and am going to rebase him and use him as the lesser earth elemental. I can honestly see Herryk joining my forces as well before too long.

 

You can never have enough Bear Riders. I have 20.

 

 

wildbill, that's not cavalry that's a zoo

[wildbill]

I took my old DHL earth elemental (#2777) and am going to rebase him and use him as the lesser earth elemental.

 

This is who I use for my Stone Spirit: My Stone Spirit Model

 

I use the same model for my Lesser Earth Elemental too.

 

You can never have enough Bear Riders. I have 20.

 

wildbill, that's not cavalry that's a zoo

 

 

To be quite honest, fielding nothing but Bear Riders usually doesn't result in a win. But, it is very intimidating to plop down 20 bears on the table versus your opponent's horde. The opponent usually starts wringing their hands and stressing mightily. The bear horde can win, but only against certain armies like heavy shooty or magic based armies. I can cross the board in turn 1, and then on turn 2 I'm kicking your butt. But, against "standard" army builds, my large bases get in the way and I inevitably get swarmed and killed. It's fun getting there though.

 

Wild Bill

[Outkast Samurai]

Nice choice for the elemental. I think I'm going to do a conversion on a grave horror for mine till the actual mini comes out. I've started priming stuff and I think I'm going to go with a red/white scheme since I don't have a single army like that. I don't know how its going to work so I'm doing a test piece now so that if it gets the Simple Green treatment at least I'm not waiting on everyone to soak

[Zora]

Nice choice for the elemental. I think I'm going to do a conversion on a grave horror for mine till the actual mini comes out. I've started priming stuff and I think I'm going to go with a red/white scheme since I don't have a single army like that. I don't know how its going to work so I'm doing a test piece now so that if it gets the Simple Green treatment at least I'm not waiting on everyone to soak

I'm planning on using this for my Stone Spirit: http://www.reapermini.com/FigureFinder#detail/03168 it looks very much like a female dwarf to me.

 

I had started an all-female army before the sublist came out, and it fits perfectly. Now if life can slow down a bit I can continue

working on it.

[Outkast Samurai]

Not a bad choice for fitting with your theme if you give her a nice layered grey paint job. I think that a lot of people are using her for Skadi until a mini comes out for her but I don't have her so I'm not sure how well she'd fit on a large base compared to a giant base. Never a bad thing to go with a theme though. The more fun you have putting your army together the more fun you have playing them win or lose.