LO Wood Elves Tactica: 2006 - 2008

[DavidVC04]

Enemy Type: Armored Infantry
Contributors: churchic

Attacking with Ranked Units & Monsters
The Wood Elf army has only three units that get a rank bonus to combat resolution: Glade Guard, Eternal Guard, and Treekin. Glade Guard in close combat tends to lead to dead archers, and Treekin are very expensive models, with each full rank costing over 300 points. This leaves the Eternal Guard as the only unit that can feasibly fight in ranks and get the rank bonus for combat resolution. Eternal Guard are a decent unit, but S3 and a 5+Armor Save, is nothing to boast about especially when your opponent is armored infantry.

A unit of armored infantry will consistently have better armor, better strength, and better toughness. They will therefore stick around in combat for a few turns, if not just break you and your spirit outright. The key to beating a ranked up unit of armored infantry with Eternal Guard is time. Eternal Guard will lose a battle of attrition with most armored infantry, so you will have to count on the stubborn nature of your Eternal Guard to hold until help arrives

This help typically needs to either be a unit that can negate rank bonuses (Treemen, Treekin, Glade Riders, Wild Riders, or Glade Guard), or a unit that can do enough damage to turn the tide with kills and the flank bonus alone (Treemen, Treekin, Wild Riders, or Wardancers). Glade Riders are unlikely to survive sustained combat, so only use them if victory is assured, or the sacrifice warranted.

Attacking with Skirmishers and Flyers
Skirmishers and flyers can be extremely vulnerable while attacking anything that is heavily armored. Skirmishers and Flyers not only do not get a rank bonus, they also do not negate rank bonuses. This being said when your Skirmishers charge a unit of armored infantry, it is imperative that you have another unit supporting them. There are many combinations for this but it is ideal to have a unit that can negate your enemies rank bonus by hitting it directly in the flank or rear. Another thing that will help is challenges. The overkill bonus can help make up the difference in combat resolution. Make sure your Skirmishers and Flyers are supported when going up against a unit of armored infantry.

Shooting at Armored Infantry
Wood Elves have some of the nastiest archery combinations in the game. The best combination to take against Armored Infantry is the Bow of Loren with the Arcane Bodkins equipped to the Alter Highborn. This character is excellent at taking down armored foes of average to moderate toughness with his hail of four or five armor-negating shots every turn.

Glade Guard at short range can wound fairly easily but depending on your opponents armor save they will have a tough time taking anybody down. However, don’t underestimate the value of even a -1 modifier to intimidate your opponent, or to tip the balance against strong armor.

Waywatchers have the Lethal Shot ability at short range – the killing blow can take down armored troops, but it will never happen often enough for you to count on it as part of your game plan. Overall the Bow of Loren/Arcane Bodkins is your best bet for this.

Magic against Armored Infantry
Most Wood Elf magic is designed around supporting your army rather than hurting your opponent. However, the Lore of Athel Loren has two spells that can be useful for taking down an enemy or two – Treesinging and Fury of the Forest. However, the nature of Wood Elf wizards means that these spells are not always available, and never difficult to dispel.

The Lore of Beasts and The Lore of Life can be used to harm opponents somewhat, though like the Lore of Athel Loren, they are more likely to bolster your own troops than to cause harm to the enemy. One exception to this is the Lore of Beasts Spell, “The Hunter’s Spear.” This spell can penetrate ranks as though it were a bolt thrower, and ignores enemy armor saves. This spell is, however, easy to dispel. One must also remember the points cost involved in gaining access to these lores, as it can only be done by a Lord-level wizard in a Wood Elf army.

[DavidVC04]

Against Enemy Skirmishers
Contributors: DavidVC04

Don’t underestimate the problems a small, skirmishing unit can cause for your army. It may be tempting to send your forces against stronger foes or loose your arrows against advancing block troops. However, finding your own units marchblocked, your archers picked at and perhaps charge, can foul your plan and force you to deal with the enemy when your attention truly does need to be elsewhere late in the game. Also, skirmishers are ideal units for capturing or contesting table quarters late in the game. Don’t overlook them and give up victory points as a result.

First, don’t forget your army’s strengths when facing skirmishers. Shooting still works wonders, even with the to hit penalty. At short range, you’ll hit half of the time, and as most skirmishing units in Warhammer are low toughness, you’ll probably wound on 3’s. If you assess the skirmishers as a threat to your units or game plan, then fire away. Also, it's less likely, rare in the case of scouts, that an enemy general would be in range of skirmishers, making any panic tests you force less likely to succeed.

Dryads are particularly effective counters to skirmishers. They are stronger and tougher than most enemy skirmishers; plus, they won’t panic if shot. If possible, push the Dryads as close as possible to the skirmishers so that the now-marchblocked enemy can’t escape their charge the following turn.

Glade Riders can do the job, too, moving into short range to shoot at the enemy and perhaps charge the following turn, or flee a charge themselves. Unlike Dryads, though, they can not charge 360 degrees and are more limited in some aspects.

Flyer’s superior charge range can work well against skirmishers, though prepare for a stand and shoot reaction against enemies with ranged weapons. The Great Eagle is a terrific, cheap unit but does not have 360 degrees line of sight. Warhawks, on the other hand, do see 360 degrees.

Furthermore, our skirmishing units can match the speed and movement of most enemies, with few exceptions such as Skaven. It’s unlikely you’ll be outrun. Press the attack, and eliminate the threat.

In short, shoot them and run them down. Ignoring skirmishers is a calculated risk for you to decide as a minimal unit of Shades can cause more problems than a Wood Elf wants or needs.

[DavidVC04]

Dealing with Monsters
Contributors: DavidVC04

Monsters present a particularly beastly dilemma for Wood Elves. Few units in the Wood Elves arsenal can muster attacks above Strength 4, and Asrai units can suffer mightily at the hands of monsters who inevitably wield Strength 4 or better attacks.

Exceptionally powerful monsters, those with Toughness 5 or above, can be extraordinarily difficult to eliminate, much more so when ridden by a Vampire Lord, Orc Warboss, or the like.

This tactica will examine means of dealing with monsters of various types, from the common Ogre to the mighty Dragons of the High Elves.

General Tactics
First, do what you know to do with Wood Elves: Outmaneuver enemy monsters. Those monsters which come ranked, like Ogres and Kroxigors, should be easy to skirt, allowing for flank charges. You want a flank and not a rear charge for obvious reasons: Charging the rear of a unit of monsters allows all the models that survive your charge to attack back, making things quite unpleasant for you, even with your tougher models like Dryads. Hitting the flank gives you a flank bonus and the opportunity to drop the only model that can swing back, turning combat instantly in your favor.

That said, sometimes the opportunity to make multiple charges against a unit of monsters is too good to pass up. Hitting the flank and the rear can mean a bundle of attacks that should reduce the number of attacks back and insuring that you cause significant damage. The one caveat for this tactic is what can come of wiping out the unit you charged. If you hit the front and the rear of a unit, whether it’s a unit of monsters or not, you will not be able to overrun as your units will collide, possibly allowing for a brutal countercharge from another enemy unit.

Second, do something else that smart Wood Elves generals know to do: Pick your battles. Six Glade Riders getting the jump on Dragon Ogres can whet one’s appetite, but it’s a losing battle, even with good dice rolls. A Carnosaur might be too much even for Wardancers. Think carefully about what you want to accomplish with a charge. Sometimes the idea of winning a glorious combat against a fierce enemy is enough to push a player into a losing combat. Think smart, and keep the bigger picture of winning the battle in mind. Sometimes, just feigning a charge will buy you a turn or two and allow you to execute your game plan.

On the other hand, don’t be a lily. ‘Tis better to give than to receive, no? I’d rather charge a Hydra than be charged by a Hydra, especially if combat’s inevitable.

Speaking of Hydras, monsters with handlers can be a juicy pick. Familiarize yourself with the rules for creatures such as Salamanders. When those skinks push to the front to maximize combatants, direct attacks against them. Jabbing a spear through a skink is a much easier task than piercing the tough hide of the monster it’s handling. Win combat and look to kill the fleeing monsters during pursuit.

Third, do yet another thing that Wood Elves do well: Take down the beasties with your shooting. First many monsters rely on their toughness and not on armor. Asrai Archery can wound monsters more easily at short range and also modify any armor save they have. Concentrate 20 or 30 shots against a single unit of monsters can spell its doom. Against armies like Ogre Kingdoms and Beasts of Chaos, ensuing panic checks can turn the game in your favor.

Don’t forget enchanted arrows. The Hail of Doom Arrow can eliminate a threatening unit of monsters in one turn. The Hagbane Arrows don’t seem like a good choice as wounding the monster will be difficult with Strength 3 shots. You’d need the Bow of Loren just to give yourself a good chance of wounding. Then the monster would have to fail any save it has. And then it would have to fail a toughness test, which it would have a two-thirds chance or better of doing. The Arcane Bodkins are a slightly better option, but even then the Highborn will need 5’s or 6’s to wound. Only the Hail of Doom Arrow is a good choice, and then probably not against monsters with a Toughness of 5 or more.

Fourth, bring high strength attacks to combats against monsters. Characters with great weapons, forest spirits, Wardancers on the charge, and only in very favorable circumstances, Glade Riders or Warhawk Riders with their spears.

Fifth, consider challenges. Sometimes, a unit of monsters will have a champion or a hero. Consider challenging that champion or hero if it would mean preventing a pile of dead elves. The risk is of course the enemy gaining overkill as he grinds your Bladesinger into the dirt with his iron-shod heel, so consider this tactic with caution.

Sixth, beware Giants! Running a unit of Treekin or a Treeman into a Giant is especially tempting as the thought of bringing the brute to its knees with high strength attacks tempts the Wood Elves general into poor strategy. Bad dice means that the giant swings back with devastating results. Thump with club means that your slow tree spirits will likely fail their initiative test and suffer the worst day of their arboreal lives. A Treeman wouldn’t drop a Giant in one turn even if it hit and wounded with all its attacks. A much better strategy is to drop a giant with shooting. At the very least put two to three wounds on a giant from shooting before you pounce on it with Dryads and Wardancers which can muster a large number of attacks against the Toughness 5 monstrosity.

Other large targets, like Dragons, can be even harder to kill, but here Treekin and Treemen are much more effective. Try for a flank or rear if possible against Dragons, though that can be tricky against flyers. Wardancers, Dryads, and other man-sized units should consider attacking a rider if it might be easier to wound that the mount itself. When that rider is a Chaos Lord or Vampire, that might not be easy either. Try to set traps against flyers. If a Dragon or Wyvern drops behind your lines, arrange your units so that they threaten the monster both where it is and where it might go. Be prepared to flee, if possible, and countercharge. Be careful of charging ridden monsters with units that contain champions, unless it’s a hero with the Annoyance of Netlings, as the enemy can challenge that champion, taking away the bulk of attacks against it.

Last, another tactic is diverting the enemy. Use fast units like Glade Riders, Great Eagles, and Warhawk Riders to not only march block the enemy, but also to impede and redirect a charge from monsters. Against flyers, diversionary units are likely to die when fleeing but this might be for the best in some circumstances. The vast majority of monsters move 6” or more, so be careful with your positioning and choice of units to divert with.

A few other general tips will close us out. Be willing to ask your opponent about his units. Questions like, What’s that unit’s weapon skill? Are they armored? Those charge 12”? can mean a lot. Sporting players will offer up the information. Don’t rush into combats if they don’t seem like a good idea. Monsters with great weapons will make short work of Wood Elves units, even forest spirits. Force lots of panic tests as monsters tend to have low leadership. Be wiling to sacrifice a unit if it’s for the best. Also, don't forget that many monsters cause fear. Even elves fail fear tests on occasion, but many Wood Elves units are Immune to Psychology or themselves cause fear. These latter units can charge fear or even terror causing units without worry.

While monsters seem at first to be the bane of an army with a conspicuous glass jaw, using well-known Wood Elves strengths will win many battles for you. Be strong, move fast, and shoot straight, and remember to cut the head off of any grand beasts you slay as a token of your bravery and glory.

[DavidVC04]

Effective Flanking
Contributor: ArchonFarseerGuy

For a start, this is easy to do against most infantry-based armies. Just place a fast unit (Warhawks, Glade Riders, Wild Riders etc) on the flanks, and ride around the enemy, making a general nuisance of yourself. The general rule of thumb: Try keep out of LoS of enemy units. Fire as often as you can, and this will soften up most enemy units (even Chaos Warriors have something to fear when faced with the prospect of lots of arrows).

Alternatively, you can use the Moonstone of Hidden Ways to teleport a unit in behind them. A multiple charge suddenly becomes easier when you have units to the flanks and rear of the enemy.

You want to avoid a "battle line" unless it's particularly favourable. Move your units around and don't be afraid to use some "bait", especially if they can get away easily

[DavidVC04]

Principles of Attack – Fast Cavalry
Contributors: Skarsgard


Overview of Fast Cavalry Rules

1. Can reform as any stage whilst moving (not if charging) for free.
2. If they rally after a voluntary “flee” reaction they can move as normal in the remaining moves phase.
3. No rank bonus.
4. Can shoot in any direction, but not through models.
5. Can shoot even if they march.
6. Characters joining fast cavalry units only benefit from the movement abilities of the unit (i.e. the free reforms).

Deployment
Fast cavalry can have an impact on the game as soon as it deploys. With their fast movement and free reforms first turn can see them rapidly change their position on the battlefield. These units are perfect for setting up on a flank and having your opponent commit forces to that area of the board only to have the fast cavalry units rapidly redeploy first turn and leave the enemy unit facing nothing.

The unique abilities of Wood Elf fast cavalry, the ability to move through woods unimpeded, allows you to do this even if a woods are in the way. In fact it is even better as generally the woods will block LOS to the unit. They make the refused flank tactic work very well.

In addition to refused flanks, they can be used to bolster a flank. Sometimes your opponent will have more units to deploy than you and could load up one flank with a large amount of their force. Fast cavalry allow you to redeploy your units to face the threat.

Movement Phase
This is where fast cavalry excel. The ability to march and do as many reforms as you want whilst moving allows fast cavalry flexibility usually only enjoyed by skirmishers. Something to remember when using fast cavalry is that the 1” Apart rule must be observed at all times during the movement phase.

Fast cavalry can use their movement abilities to do many things. They can skirt around units and marchblock, they can threaten flanks and rears, they can punch through between enemy units (if there is a 3” gap between enemy regiments fast cavalry can move in between the two units without breaking the 1” Apart rule). This means that wherever you need them they can be. The wide footprint of a unit of fast cavalry allows you to easily marchblock several units at the same time.

Declaration of Charges
Here is the area where fast cavalry excel; it is important to note that this is not applicable to Wild Riders as they have the Immune to Psychology special rule and cannot choose “flee” as a charge reaction.

Bait and Flee
This is the main tactic used by fast cavalry. The ability to choose “flee” as a charge reaction and then if you rally at the beginning of your next turn you can move as normal in the remaining moves phase allows you pull enemy units out of the battleline. This allows you to get units facing the wrong way, deny them valuable movement, set them up for flank chargers and protect other units.

The way “Bait and Flee” works is to place the fast cavalry unit in such a way that your opponent has to charge them or they are effectively blocking their unit and marchblocking several others. This will force most opponents to declare a charge your positioning of the fast cavalry unit becomes crucial as your flee path determines the enemy units pursuit path. With a roll of 3D6 for the flee, on average they should get away from most infantry units.

Now that the enemy unit is pulled out of position you can ignore them for a turn or execute the flank charge you have set up. Remember, the “Bait and Flee” must have an objective, otherwise you are risking the unit for nothing.

“Bait and Flee” will only work if you can apply pressure. Most of your opponents know how this tactic works, your job is to make sure that they have no choice but to declare that charge. Application of pressure can some in many forms, firepower, magic and other units. Every turn a combat regiment isn’t fighting is a turn it is not earning its bacon. Your opponent has to be faced with the choice, “leave the unit alone and have half my army marchlbocked and exposed to more shooting” or “I know if I charge they will get away but I can’t have my army doing nothing for a turn”. Either way, you win.

Support
Most fast cavalry units are lightly armed and armoured and this is true for the Wood Elves. However both our units are armed with spears which can be of great assistance. They can be used to support the charge of another unit by hitting an enemy unit in the flank or rear and removing rank bonus and adding that valuable +1 or +2 to combat resolution for a flank/rear charge. However, a word of caution, choose your enemy wisely. Some enemy units can have a horrendous amount of attacks and you will be bringing more of them into the fight. Enemy units that have no ranks, things like Ogres, should be avoided as the bonus to combat resolution rarely overcomes the casualties you will take. Wild Riders with their high strength and multiple saves can choose their opponents more freely but the above cautions should still be considered.

Multi-threat
This is really a combination of shooting and combat. The ability of fast cavalry to shoot backwards means that you can threaten two units at once, one with shooting and the other with a charge. You could be facing a warmachine crew and lending fire support to a unit of glade guard. It is important with fast cavalry units to put as much pressure on your opponent as possible. Try and marchblock, lend fire support and threaten with a charge as much as possible.

Shooting Phase
Fast cavalry can shoot in any direction even after marching but note that they cannot shoot through friendly models. This means that you can move them anywhere you wish and still be able to bring maximum firepower to bear.

[DavidVC04]

Using Skirmishers
Contributors: Skarsgard

Introduction
This tactica will deal with general descriptions of the use of skirmishers. For more information on the different skirmishing units available to the Wood Elves, consult the relevant article for that unit.

Movement
Skirmishers move differently to ranked units. They can move in any direction without having to maneuver. They can move through difficult terrain without impediment. However, they can be marchblocked by units within 8”.

This brings me to the important part of moving skirmishers. If you wish to maneuver past an enemy ranked unit you have to ensure that you take their movement rate into account. For example, if you have a ranked unit of Empire Swordsmen and you wish to move past them with your dryads to set up a flank or rear charge. Move your dryads so that they stop more than 16” from the Swordsmen. This will mean that if they move 8”, they still cannot marchblock and you can use your full move to flash past them. You have now broken through the enemy lines. If you have marchblocked the Swordsmen with another unit then the distance is reduced to more than 12”. This maneuver is sometime referred to as “tap dancing” as your opponent will be reluctant to expose a flank to dryads.

Shooting
Skirmishers loose formation offers a protection from shooting in making them harder to
hit. Beware those things that hit automatically or on an unmodified number. Skirmishing archers, Glade Guard Scouts and Waywatchers, can shoot 360 degrees. They can move and shoot in any direction. They are extremely hard to out maneuver. Skirmishing archers are very good at taking out other archer units as they are harder to hit with shooting and our ones suffer no modifiers for moving and shooting.

Combat
In combat there is a bit of confusion about skirmishers. Skirmishers cannot negate ranks! They can, if their US is greater than 5, get the bonus for a flank or rear charge. So it is worthwhile trying to set up the flank/rear charge, if also helps avoid those nasty combat characters. Skirmishers cannot take on a ranked unit in a fair fight. The idea is to get multiple units to charge the same one. In our previous example the Empire player now has two dryad units, one has run past his Swordsmen and the other is to the front but out of charge range. If he moves his unit to face one, the other unit will get his flank. If he flees from the charge he will need to roll very well to get away.

Conclusion
The skirmishers are the masters of the “Game of Inches” move them one inch too much or not enough and they will be routed easily. But get you measurements (guesses) right and they are flexible and deadly. Always consider the placement of your skirmishers and what you wish them to accomplish.

[DavidVC04]

The Multi-Charge
Contributor: Brother Mike

Support:

Glade Guard
This was a must, they support like no other and should be protected.

Great Eagle
Mostly for march blocking and warmachine hunting can be used as a last ditch effort.

Warhawk Riders
For the reasons of the Great Eagle.

Waywatchers
Come on, we all know why.

Next up are support charging units, the units listed below are never supposed to charge the front and are good for flank charges:

Flank Chargers:

Glade Riders
They are fast cavalry and have longbows to boot. Cool J

Dryads
These ladies can take so much punishment with a limited 5+ ward so I decided to put them in Flank Chargers.

Now for the most powerful Wood Elf units, the Frontal Chargers.

Frontal Chargers:

Wild Riders of Kurnous
These guys are amazing, free musician, cause fear on the charge, +1 weapon skill, strength, and leadership base. That’s enough said.

Tree Kin
Personally I run these guys in 3 with no champion. They have performed above and beyond expectations for me. 3 strength 5 attacks, toughness 5, a 4+ armor and limited 5+ ward. Tree Kin is good J.

Treeman
We all knew this was coming. He is a beast in all phases. Movement he can go 10 inches. Can cast Tree Singing in bound form to times a phase. He can do an artillery dice worth of hits in the shooting phase and is, as we all know a monster in combat. I always take one in 2k+.

Eternal Guard
These ladies and gentlemen are better for receiving a charge but they are sturdy enough to charge and stay alive until the end of the combat phase. And hey +1 attack because of additional hand weapons is nothing to sneeze at.

Wardancers
I decided in the end they could perform both support and frontal charge roles. The shadow dances are good for finishing combats and staying alive to survive or tie up a unit.

Now I’m going to go over some strategies that I use in my 2k build.

Bait and Switch
This one is pretty obvious I place some glade riders in front of a unit that is immune to psychology and once the glade riders get charged they flee and now they have a unit that is most likely powerful on the charge.

Support Charges
This is another obvious one. Now how I play is I have all my units paired up in twos. This way I have to units that are almost always going to have a unit flank charge hopefully FTW (for the win).

Not sure wait to call this one
This has become a personal favorite for me. In my 2k build I have many units that cause fear so I try to tie up an enemy unit for a turn and then flank charge them with a fear or terror causing enemy and has worked well for me.

[DavidVC04]

Dealing with Warmachines
Contributor: ArchonFarSeerGuy

Warmachines are deadly, but they too have a fatal weakness. They cannot stand and shoot. This makes them vulnerable to anything with a move value higher than 7. The way I defeat them is with an Alter Noble that has a GW, the Amber Pendant, and the Briarsheath. He massacres Artillery Crews, has a long range, and is pretty well impossible to hit with careful positioning.

Bolt Throwers, well, don't worry about them unless you're a Treeman. We have no ranks (for most of our troops) and specialise in small units. Treat Cannons with suspicion. If they have the Run of Burning, they cause double wounds on our Forest Spirits, AND negate our saves. Just hope you don't end up facing that nasty combo. Never faced Stone Throwers, but they can do some easy damage with no rolling to hit required. Artillery isn't terribly powerful against Wood Elves. There are higher targets. They're just a pain, and if you have dispatched a unit or two for the task of bringing down gun-wielding units, you may as well take out the Artillery Crews as well. Easy VP's and it's less 360 degree shooting to worry about.

Scouts

Glade Guard scouts and Waywatchers fall into this category. As units that deploy last they are uniquely able to respond to the threat of warmachines. They can be placed in close proximity and force your opponent to shoot them or redirect other forces. They are able to shoot at the warmachine or charge it and deal with it in combat.

Flyers

Warhawk Riders and Eagles are built for taking out warmachines. Their fast movement and long charge range mean that they can be a threat from turn 2. Most opponents will be reluctant to "waste" a shot on such unit and it is important to have at least 2 units threatening the warmachine just in case one does get shot.

Cavalry

Once again the long charge range and the inability of warmachines to stand and shoot makes these units a threat. Wildriders in particular, with their ward saves, will cause your opponent headaches. Included in this subset is the Alter Kin.

Skirmishers

Most warmachines are fairly limited in the damage they can do to skirmishers so they make a very good unit to target them with.

[DavidVC04]

Using Psychology
Contributors: Skarsgard

Panic
There are four situations that cause panic. When playing with Wood Elves, one should be mindful of the battlefield situation and how they can be applied. As a shooting army, stereotypically, Wood Elves have an opportunity to force a lot of panic checks. So let’s look at the four situations and how we can use them.

1. 25% Casualties: Fairly self explanatory, any unit that takes 25% or more casualties in either the Shooting or Magic phase must take a panic check. So when targeting units, look for where you can realistically inflict the casualties required. Work out how many models you need to kill and apply as much fire as needed to do it. Once you have caused one unit to panic, move on to another (unless you can inflict situation 2).
2. Unit destroyed within 6”: Any unit with US of 5 at the beginning of a phase that gets wiped out during that phase forces a panic check on every friendly unit within 6”. This is one of the most important aspects of panic. There will often be several small units near larger units -- for example, a unit of fast cavalry protecting the flank of a block unit. One could target the block unit to get the 25% casualties or target the fast cavalry, wipe them out, and force a panic check on the bock unit. The second option allows you to achieve the same goal (panic check on the block unit), but also wipes out another unit. Be mindful of what you want to achieve, for there may be more than one way to do it.
3. Friends breaking from combat within 6”: Once again this only applies to a unit that was US 5 or higher. If the unit flees from combat, all friendly units within 6” must test for panic. How can we achieve this? In the example above of the fast cavalry unit near the block unit, if we charge it with say an Alter noble and wipe it out the block unit must test for panic once again. The recurring theme is to try to achieve more than one thing with each move.
4. Friendly models fleeing through unit: Once again the magic US 5 applies. Here the trick is to force a fleeing unit to move through more friendly units to force panic checks. All units that flee from panic do so from the source of panic (a very important point). If, for example, we shoot at a unit of cavalry and inflict enough casualties to force it to flee through an infantry due to panic, the infantry unit will have to check for panic. It is important to preserve the cavalry’s US 5 (if possible) in this case, since US 5 is necessary to provoke the check. If the infantry unit fails their panic check and flees far enough to take it through a third unit, then the third unit also has to take a panic check. This seldom a planned event and mostly a byproduct of chance, but if you keep it in the back of your mind you can recognize a potential situation arise and try and make the most of it.

Fear
As Wood Elf players we have an abundance of Fear causing models. There are three situations where Fear comes into the game. Two rely on leadership checks when charges are declared and won’t be dealt with, as their fate is determined by a dice roll and not by player consideration. The main consideration is a defeat at the hands of a Fear -causing unit. If the losing unit is outnumbered by the Fear -causing victor, then the losing unit must either roll Insane Courage on their break test, or flee from combat. It is important to note that the loser must be outnumbered by actual Fear -causing enemies, not just outnumbered with fear-causers present.

For example, 12 Dryads and eight Wardancers defeat 18 Swordsmen in combat. The Swordsmen are outnumbered, but they are not outnumbered by the Fear -causing Dryads alone, allowing them to take a normal break test.

We must ensure that our units are in a position to outnumber a unit, or at least have the possibility to outnumber a unit.

For example, 20 Swordsmen are charged by two units of eight Dryads. The Dryads do not outnumber the Swordsmen, but it is reasonable to assume that the Dryads will inflict enough casualties so as to outnumber the swordsmen at the end of the combat phase. If the Dryads win the combat, the Swordsmen must either roll Insane Courage on their break test, or flee from combat.

Terror
Terror is another trait that Wood Elves can get in abundance. Units within 6” of a Terror -causing unit at the start of their movement phase must pass a Leadership test or flee from the Terror -causer. Remember that each unit only has to test for Terror once. The application of this is fairly simple; get your Terror -causer within 6” of as many enemy units during your phase so that they test at the beginning of their turn. All the rules for fear in combat apply as well. So an enemy unit who has lost combat to, and is outnumbered by, a Terror -causing unit must either roll Insane Courage on their break test, or flee from combat.

Frenzy
Some armies have frenzied units/characters. The important thing to note is that frenzied units must declare charges if they are in range. This is done at the end of the Declare Charges phase. This nice quality can be used to lure frenzied units out of formation or into dangerous terrain or woods. The key is to know which of your enemies units are frenzied and move just into their charge range. If a frenzied unit breaks another unit in combat it must pursue, which is another facet of Frenzy that can be used to lure enemy units out of formation. The Great Eagle is fantastic for this purpose. It is one of the few “sacrificial units” in the Wood Elf army. One thing to note is that frenzied units are Immune to Psychology, so do not take panic checks, amongst other things.

Hatred
A unit that hates another and defeats it in combat must pursue, just like frenzied units. However, they are under no compulsion to charge.

Immune to psychology
This is something Wood Elves have a lot of. How do we use it though? Knowing the vulnerabilities of units like Glade Guard, you can intersperse your battle line with units Immune to Psychology. For example, instead of having two units of Glade Guard within 6” of each other, have a unit of Dryads in between them so that you still have a solid line but one panicking unit won’t affect other vulnerable units.