new WFB army?!

[federalchipmunk]

Hi all, sorry if this is the wrong place, but I'm looking to start another WF army, and I'm struggling to decide, just after some opinions on what you guys are running, pros and cons etc....... I've just finished a warriors army so would prefer a "good" army, but open to suggestions

cheers

[Blackheart]

I really dig Beastmen but they're kind of similar to WoC in that you're focusing on CC and magic augments for your troops. The models are absolutely awesome, some of the best in the game imo. Their non-core choices are lacking though, I'll admit that and of course their named characters limited in usefulness for the most part. With that said though they're fun and plenty killy but might not give you enough of a change to WoC.

I'm thinking of a starting a 1k army for all of the armies just to get a taste of all of them. You should probably ask the people you play against if you can switch off a couple games, you play their army and they play yours. This would allow you to actually test run a few armies and see which ones you like playing.

[rothgar13]

I run several armies (I won't trouble you with details on WoC, since you already have those), and here is my rundown of them:

Beastmen - This is my main army, and I love it. It's similar to WoC in the surface, but a closer look sees the differences emerge. Beastmen rely on numbers and magic much more than WoC typically does, and they have chaff units that WoC could only dream of (Razorgors and Harpies in particular). Now, one problem Beastmen tend to run into is that the book frankly isn't very well-written. There are choices that are clearly superior to others, and there's no good reason to take those poorer choices, because your army will struggle if you do. Another problem it has is that you MUST invest in characters, because their Leadership is absolutely crucial to the army's function.

Orcs & Goblins - This is the "Captain Random" of WHFB armies. They have a little bit of everything (artillery, small-arms fire, combat troops, magic), and their stuff tends to be very efficient for its price. The problem is that the majority of the army comes with some sort of quirk that can sometimes take the decision-making out of your hands (Animosity, Frenzy, Stupidity, and sometimes a combination of the above). If you're fine with living on the edge and knowing that your plan (which is large part enabled by your points-efficient troops) is a few dice rolls from careening out of control, they're a fine choice.

[Marnepup]

Well, I play TK and Empire. Empire just got a new book, it looks like they're going to be strongest when fielding three infantry blocks and then buffing the hell out of them. They're good for VP denial, and have nine lores to choose from, if you count prayers as one. Their artillery and shooting both got nerfed, and they lack decent hammers to go with their anvils, other than the new demigryphs.

TK are well balanced in that there's not really an inferior build (kinda like WoC, there are few bad units and really no wrong way to play them). You can go shooty, magic-heavy, monstrous, hordey, or chariot-heavy and have a viable list. Personally, I field a horde/magic list, who doesn't want to see an endless tide of skellies wash over the board?

[Blackheart]

Does anyone mind if I ask how VC are now? I love their models and wouldn't mind a third army just to change things up provided they aren't too much like WoC.

[CaptainSarathai]

I know how you feel, if Warriors were your first army, it would be tough to move on to another. I started Fantasy with High Elves as my focus, moved to Empire, then Vampire Counts (previous edition book) and then Warriors, which has been my main force throughout 8th. I've got to say that we're a bit spoiled as Warriors players - we have a very solid book. It may not cover every role, but it covers all of the ones that we need, and it leaves us with very few gaps in our armor. Furthermore, our army is easy to win with - the quality of our Core makes sure that we can usually bounce back from mistakes, and how hard is it to just charge down the throat of your enemy?

I'd have to second Marnepup when he says that Empire are a good choice. Their new book is a bit more focused actually - they've lost some of their shooting, but they've made up for it by focusing more on the buffs that their troops get in hand to hand. They've solidified the idea that the Empire fights as a unified force, making the detachment rules better, and giving huge bonuses for being within character and warmachine bubbles. They are also probably the only army in the game right now that doesn't need to rely on a L4 caster to cover their butts in the magic phase.
Unlike Warriors, they have numbers on their side- their most expensive infantry troop costs less than a typically equipped Warrior. Their "hammers" are definitely the Knights, and they have fewer/weaker hammer units than the Warriors do, but that's part of their different playstyle. Empire is more of a grind army, they're going to win, but they're going to do it at their pace.

VC? They've gotten... different, than they were previously. These days they're all about the Specials, rather than sending in auto-break waves of Skellies backed up with Vampires. They can still go that route, but it's much better to send in the shock-troops like Vargheists, Blood Knights, and the other big-bads. Vampires have gotten a bit better, Necromancers have made a huge come back as casters, and can now lead your army. Over all they're a solid army, which is true of all the 8th-ed reboots. If you like the models, fluff, or the playstyle appeals to you, then I say go for it.

[TypeSet1]

@Blackheart - I started out 8th edition playing Daemons, then I moved on to WoC, which I stuck with for a while. The new VC, however, has blown my mind. I've always liked their fluff, the models are awesome, and they looked fun to play. That being said, my only real complaint with the army is that there are more cool units than I can afford to run. Almost every model has a potential use, more than I've seen in any of the other new books. I've honestly raised nearly two hundred zombies in a single match, it's crazy. If you can get a horde of ghouls backed up by a corpse cart and a Necromancer or two, they can tear through almost anything, any you can just keep bringing back the ones that die. The only units in the entire book that I don't really plan on including in any future armies are Skeletons, Dire Wolves, and most of the named characters, as none of them have pros that outweigh their cons and points values, in my opinion.

Finally, though, I think the Terrorgheists may be more of a pain than they are worth. The are amazing, don't get me wrong. I'll keep my Terrorgheist(s) back until a unit that I really, really want mauled is within range, and then move the gheist out and take out that unit. The downside, though, is that the friends that I play with hate it. And I do mean HATE it. My opinion is that I could make a list with any of their armies that could take out my own list, but that's beside the point. I'm considering taking them out of the lineup entirely for future battles.

Seems like I got a little off topic, but if you do get a chance to flip through the Army Book for VC, I encourage it. Hands down my favorite army these days, and they play nothing at all like Warriors.

[MDSW]

A good choice for one of the 'good guy' armies would have to be Empire, as previously suggested. With their new book they seem to be solid and ready for 8th. My personal #1 army that i started with and love are the Brets. They used to be very one-dimensional, but the 8th cavalry nerf and horde boost made them change their tune quickly. They suffer a bit now until their book gets a rewrite.

[CaptainSarathai]

I do back MDSW - I have the Brets book, and a 2500pt army of them, I just never really post on their boards.
Most of us have been commenting on the assumption that you want an army that will play differently and win. If winning isn't an issue for you all the time, then your options are really limitless, since you could convincingly build any army you wanted, however you wanted, and switch back to your Warriors whenever you want to wreck face again. Remember too that Warriors are supposedly due for an update later this year, or early next year, so rather than switching armies entirely, you might want to save up some cash for when you'll inevitably have to retune your legions of Chaos-y goodness.