It's been a while since I've posted - close-out of the semester and family vacation didn't bode well for hobbying. But here we are, reviewing some work I did painting my Dwarves and trying to get them to a place where I like them. Though my best army (the most fun, potentially the most devastating, and the one that uses more obscure rules than any other army I've built) is my Wood Elves, I've got a very soft spot for my Dwarves. They are arguably the most resilient army in the game and if you don't mind being slow and not having spears (absent the new models for the Army of Thror), they have very few weaknesses.
Here's a quick look at the complete Dwarf list, to be followed by an in-depth review of each unit type and what it provides to the army. At the end will be a few sample lists and the steps ahead for the bearded fellows.
The Host of Erebor: 765 points
Sample Army List: The Host of Erebor - 600 points (Warbands)
Gimli, Son of Gloin - 90 points
1 Dwarf Warrior with banner - 33 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 36 points
2 Khazad Guards - 22 points
4 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes - 40 points
1 Dwarf Ranger with two-handed axe - 8 points
Balin, Son of Funding with Durin's Axe - 85 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 36 points
4 Khazad Guards - 44 points
2 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarf longbows - 20 points
2 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes - 20 points
Dwarf Shield-Bearer - 60 points
2 Dwarf Rangers with two-handed axes - 16 points
This army is nearly the same list, except instead of using a banner, you have three Rangers with both throwing weapons and two-handed weapons. The banner is useful for meeting the hero-to-warrior requirements of the warband rules, but under the revised LOME army-building rules used here at TMAT (where at least 33% of your army must be heroes), this army can have as many warriors as it wants. You could actually get another Ranger out the purchase of the banner if you passed on the throwing weapons and only went with two-handed weapons, but who wants that when you can have 9 throwing weapons that hit on 3s and often wound on 5s, right?
I bought a Radagast model not only because I love his spell selection, but because he can really help Dwarf players in a game. I've gone through the uses of Radagast in a past post, but here's a few highlights. Your Shield-bearer actually took a wound from an enemy volley team? Heal him on a 3+ with a free Will point on your next turn. Your army is about to be charged by a massive enemy line? Have your whole army (if around Radagast) cause terror. Want to target anyone with your volley fire (if you form a volley team)? Use Radagast's Master of Birds rule. Fight cavalry? Panic Steed baby. Big ugly Troll? Immobilize (combined with the Master of Birds rule is sick). This list is smaller and not as powerful as the two lists above, but Radagast can neutralize enemy heroes easily and empower the heroes you have. Balin with two shield-bearers surrounding him can carve a hole pretty quickly though your enemy's ranks (though he left Durin's Axe at home) and when protected by Aura of Dismay, can be kept from having too many enemy stack on him and his squad-mates.
Here's a quick look at the complete Dwarf list, to be followed by an in-depth review of each unit type and what it provides to the army. At the end will be a few sample lists and the steps ahead for the bearded fellows.
The Host of Erebor: 765 points
Gimli, Son of Gloin - 90 points
Balin, Son of Fundin with Durin's Axe - 85 points
2 Dwarf Shield-bearers - 120 points
8 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 72 points
10 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 90 points
1 Dwarf Warrior with banner - 33 points
6 Khazad Guards - 66 points
6 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes - 60 points
3 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes and two-handed weapons - 33 points
7 Dwarf Rangers with two-handed weapons - 56 points
6 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarf longbows - 60 points
Balin, Son of Fundin with Durin's Axe - 85 points
2 Dwarf Shield-bearers - 120 points
8 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 72 points
10 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 90 points
1 Dwarf Warrior with banner - 33 points
6 Khazad Guards - 66 points
6 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes - 60 points
3 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes and two-handed weapons - 33 points
7 Dwarf Rangers with two-handed weapons - 56 points
6 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarf longbows - 60 points
In-Depth Look: Heroes
There are currently four heroes in my Dwarf collection and I often play with the warband rules and take three in any given game. The two names characters are the melee powerhouses and the other two are decent attackers but provide more tactical benefits for your army. I've discussed how to use Gimli in a previous post during Fellowship month, so I'm not going to go into more detail now. Note two things about that post: first, Gimli shares the post with three other heroes, and second, though Legolas is a good companion hero for Gimli, so is Balin, who we will view now. |
In-Depth Look: Dwarf Warriors (with shields, Dwarf bows, or banner)
A dead spearman can't support anyone.
Sample Army List: The Host of Erebor - 600 points (Warbands)
Gimli, Son of Gloin - 90 points
1 Dwarf Warrior with banner - 33 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 36 points
2 Khazad Guards - 22 points
4 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes - 40 points
1 Dwarf Ranger with two-handed axe - 8 points
Balin, Son of Funding with Durin's Axe - 85 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 36 points
4 Khazad Guards - 44 points
2 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarf longbows - 20 points
2 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes - 20 points
Dwarf Shield-Bearer - 60 points
2 Dwarf Rangers with two-handed axes - 16 points
10 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 90 points
39 units, 10 Dwarf bows + 2 Dwarf longbows + 8 throwing axes, 7 Might points
This is my go-to list for the Dwarves - over half the army has ranged weapons, there's plenty of Defense 7+ units, there are options for throwing axes, Dwarf longbows, and a banner, allowing everything written above to play. What more could you ask for? You can also distribute your high-defense units out more to break up the volley team and ensure that you have a nearly-even number of ranged units and melee units in each group. Also remember to have the Shield-bearer race off to wherever Gimli is aid him when the battle rages!
39 units, 10 Dwarf bows + 2 Dwarf longbows + 8 throwing axes, 7 Might points
This is my go-to list for the Dwarves - over half the army has ranged weapons, there's plenty of Defense 7+ units, there are options for throwing axes, Dwarf longbows, and a banner, allowing everything written above to play. What more could you ask for? You can also distribute your high-defense units out more to break up the volley team and ensure that you have a nearly-even number of ranged units and melee units in each group. Also remember to have the Shield-bearer race off to wherever Gimli is aid him when the battle rages!
Sample Army List: The Guardians of Ered Luin - 600 points (LOME)
Gimli, Son of Gloin - 90 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 36 points
2 Khazad Guards - 22 points
6 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes - 60 points
Balin, Son of Funding with Durin's Axe - 85 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 36 points
4 Khazad Guards - 44 points
2 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarf longbows - 20 points
3 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes and two-handed axes - 33 points
Dwarf Shield-Bearer - 60 points
3 Dwarf Rangers with two-handed axes - 24 points
Gimli, Son of Gloin - 90 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 36 points
2 Khazad Guards - 22 points
6 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes - 60 points
Balin, Son of Funding with Durin's Axe - 85 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 36 points
4 Khazad Guards - 44 points
2 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarf longbows - 20 points
3 Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes and two-handed axes - 33 points
Dwarf Shield-Bearer - 60 points
3 Dwarf Rangers with two-handed axes - 24 points
10 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 90 points
41 units, 10 Dwarf bows + 2 Dwarf longbows + 8 throwing axes, 7 Might points
41 units, 10 Dwarf bows + 2 Dwarf longbows + 8 throwing axes, 7 Might points
This army is nearly the same list, except instead of using a banner, you have three Rangers with both throwing weapons and two-handed weapons. The banner is useful for meeting the hero-to-warrior requirements of the warband rules, but under the revised LOME army-building rules used here at TMAT (where at least 33% of your army must be heroes), this army can have as many warriors as it wants. You could actually get another Ranger out the purchase of the banner if you passed on the throwing weapons and only went with two-handed weapons, but who wants that when you can have 9 throwing weapons that hit on 3s and often wound on 5s, right?
Sample Army List: The Explorers of Esgorath - 603 points (LOME)
Balin, Son of Fundin - 75 points [188]
Dwarf Shield-Bearer - 60 points [136]
Dwarf Shield-Bearer - 60 points [136]
2 Khazad Guards - 22 points
Balin, Son of Fundin - 75 points [188]
2 Khazad Guards - 22 points
3 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 27 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 36 points
1 Dwarf Ranger - 7 points
4 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 36 points
1 Dwarf Ranger - 7 points
Dwarf Shield-Bearer - 60 points [136]
2 Khazad Guards - 22 points
3 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 27 points
3 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 27 points
1 Dwarf Ranger - 7 points
3 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 27 points
1 Dwarf Ranger - 7 points
Dwarf Shield-Bearer - 60 points [136]
2 Khazad Guards - 22 points
3 Dwarf Warriors with shields - 27 points
3 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 27 points
1 Dwarf Ranger - 7 points
Radagast the Brown - 150 points
32 units, 10 Dwarf bows + 1 throwing axe, 8 Might points3 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows - 27 points
1 Dwarf Ranger - 7 points
Radagast the Brown - 150 points
I bought a Radagast model not only because I love his spell selection, but because he can really help Dwarf players in a game. I've gone through the uses of Radagast in a past post, but here's a few highlights. Your Shield-bearer actually took a wound from an enemy volley team? Heal him on a 3+ with a free Will point on your next turn. Your army is about to be charged by a massive enemy line? Have your whole army (if around Radagast) cause terror. Want to target anyone with your volley fire (if you form a volley team)? Use Radagast's Master of Birds rule. Fight cavalry? Panic Steed baby. Big ugly Troll? Immobilize (combined with the Master of Birds rule is sick). This list is smaller and not as powerful as the two lists above, but Radagast can neutralize enemy heroes easily and empower the heroes you have. Balin with two shield-bearers surrounding him can carve a hole pretty quickly though your enemy's ranks (though he left Durin's Axe at home) and when protected by Aura of Dismay, can be kept from having too many enemy stack on him and his squad-mates.
Looking Ahead: Dwarf Kings
With all this talk of Dwarves, there's very little I'm looking to add to my collection. I'd like to get a set of Dwarf Kings, which not only provides me with heroes who have Fight 6, Defense 8, and 2 Will points over a normal captain's stats, but also allows me to take beefier heroes than Shield-bearers in normal games - great when facing a spell-caster army. I'm also looking into a conversion of one of the Kings into Durin III, who not only brings a war horn into battle (increasing the courage of your troops), but also sports Durin's Axe with 3 Attacks instead of Balin's normal 2 attacks. With 9 Defense and 3 Wounds, he's hard to break without a lot of spells and many warriors (which hopefully his terror rule will stop). For his cost being only slightly higher than Radagast's, the third army list can be duplicated with one less hero and 5-6 more units, perfect for having a force that can deal with any enemy threat!
Hope you enjoyed this post on the Dwarves - not only a painting update, but a tactica update. If you are a fellow Dwarf player, I'd love to hear in comments your thoughts on improving these tactics or combos you've used. I'm always looking around for blogs where other Dwarf players talk about what they do to mitigate weaknesses and capitalize on strengths. Happy hobbying!
Very interesting write-up on the dwarves - at some point I'd like to get a fight in against them (perhaps using your Goblin force to test out your new board and terrain pieces?). One thing I'd mention regarding a weakness for the dwarves is 1) very few Will points on the whole (I believe only 1-2 heroes have 3 Will), and there it lacks any form of caster (I wouldn't count Floi as a caster), meaning that the slow-moving army could be torn up by magic well before you reach your opponent. An Angmar v. Erebor match would be an interesting one to test this theory... :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Glenstorm - a couple things based on your thoughts:
Delete1) Like most armies, there are a few heroes with 3 Will points - Balin, Dain, and Durin (if you don't count Floi). This makes them vulnerable to casters, but these heroes can usually hold out for 2 turns (sometimes but rarely 3 turns). With the exception of Gimli and the generic Dwarf Kings, every other hero has 0-1 Will points, making them exceptionally vulnerable to magic. This is not uncommon for most armies though, so not a weakness that is absent from other forces (but still one of the many reasons I love casters so much).
2) The Dwarves do lack casters and can/have been torn up by Sorcerous Blasts and Command/Compel spells (to say nothing of your routine Immobilize/Transfix/Paralyze attack). Their slow movement is more of an issue here, as you stay within range much longer and your opponent (if he's able to continue moving) can always get away from you. This is where you need to rely on S3 bows to help shield you from your enemies.
3) Angmar (as much as I hate facing them) would probably be better, as my Goblins aren't well equipped to topple this Dwarf list until they get some Wild Warg Chieftains or Cave Trolls to thicken their ranks. Once time is my own again in a few weeks, we should totally set something up. :)
Good points - I suppose I'm more used to Grey Company (almost everyone has 2-3 Will), so the Will store seemed a bit low for the list. As an orc/Uruk-Hai commander, though, it does seem reasonable, though.
DeleteAngmar/MM is fine - some ancient enmity there as well, :) Unless of course you'd like to have me use a few of my Fantasy Minotaurs as stand-in Cave Trolls, in which case I'd definitely be open to taking your greenskins out for a spin, :)
Sorcerous blast will do almost nothing to dwarves, other than slow them down more. You need a five to wound the target, and sixes for anyone else. (Unless they're rangers)
ReplyDeleteAlso, take two shieldbearers and have them protect each other. If you can have them close but not in the same fight for 2-3 rounds they will tear through troops like nothing else. (Especially for a measly 120 points).
First off, welcome to TMAT!
DeleteIt's true, SB doesn't harm Dwarves very much, but the danger to Dwarves isn't in the S5/S3 hit that they take - it's being put on the ground where they can be mauled by Uruk-Hai (if Saruman cast SB) or getting to move 2.5" the following turn if they're trying to catch Elves with the Grey Pilgrim in their midst.
Finally, I've never tried 2 Shield-bearers guarding each other - sounds like it would work quite nicely. I did play a game (not recorded, unfortunately) against one of our local players where I had 2 shield-bearers flanking Gimli (with 1 Khazad Guard in between) and between the five of those units, they destroyed the center line of a Goblin army and broke them a few turns later. When not faced with spell-casters, Shield-bearers are beastly for their cost.
Also, do I sense another Dwarf player? :)
Indeed, the knockdown is the most dangerous part for dwarves, though with defence seven and fight four warriors on the ground shielding should survive quite well.
DeleteYes, I do love my dwarves. I also really enjoy playing wood elves, as well as goblins, uruk-hai and a haradrim/eastern alliance.
Well, in case you haven't perused this site much, you're going to love it at TMAT - I collect Dwarves, Wood Elves, Goblins, and Uruks, and my fellow admin Zorro uses Haradhrim and Easterlings. Lots of hobby tips and stuff too on these armies (and many others)!
DeleteHa ha, that's perfect! I haven't browsed around too much, but I definitely will in the future!
Delete