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spears vs handweapons

869 views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  CountTheff 
#1 · (Edited)
thank u very much for the tips
 
#2 ·
I use spears on one of my skeleton blocks, out of usually 2 or 3. It's all about who you are fighting. Something with only 1 attack and low toughness and armour, and they do quite well as you usually get a lot of attacks back. And if you have the Helm of Commandment its excellent.

As an example: I've only fought the new demons twice, and lost both games big. But in both games my spear-armed skeletons beat my opponents bloodletters. Those demons hit very hard, but only one attack and T3 with 5+ ward. Every wound is going to hurt. And I ran my skeletons 7 wide, so they managed to kill quite a lot.
 
#3 ·
There is no right answer to the Spears vs Hand weapons debate, as it comes down to a gamble in each game. Some players are prepared to pay the points for spears and therefore have the option of choosing to use them in a game, and it has saved many players having that option. While other players choose not to spend the points on spears believing that they won't often use them and most times their impact will be negligable. Both are true and you need to decide whether you would like to gamble those points which will only increase in biggest games with more Skelleton core units when points may better spent elsewhere.
 
#6 ·
The thread mentioned above is a good source of info. In the end, I think we determined that it's really a matter of personal preference.

As for myself, I like having the spears. 18 Skeletons with spears only cost 2 points more than 20 Skeletons with hand weapons... and you can still use the HWs on your Spear Skeletons, if you choose to do so. If you're using the spears, you'll make more kills (still not very many), but you'll die faster, as well. However, considering that you're likely to have a Vamp around with Lord of the Dead, raising more Skeletons isn't particularly difficult.. and against most opponents, anything your Skeletons kill is probably going to stay dead.
 
#7 ·
The thread mentioned above is a good source of info. In the end, I think we determined that it's really a matter of personal preference.
I'm certain you made the right decision, with different armies / play styles / gaming groups to account for I really don't think one is out right better.

Personally I throw my Skeletons into combats I expect them to lose, and for that reason I tend to find the slightly cheaper and more resilient HW&S better. How ever against a large number of armies Spears could make Skeletons more effective, so I'll be making my second regiment with Spears (In truth because they look awesome with spears :party2:).

I think where some of my doubt over Spear Skellies comes in, is if I wanted to actually kill stuff I'd take Ghouls.
 
#8 ·
I actually sometimes set my Skeletons up to win a fight or two. I like taking the Banner of Endless Nightmare and having a Vamp with Walking Death, Infinite Hatred and a Tomb Blade leading them. Occasionally, I switch this Vamp out and run a BSB Vamp with the War Banner. If you add in a little reroll magic and possibly ASF from the Corpse Cart, Skeletons can actually be a bit dangerous... it's a nasty surprise for that opponent who thinks they won't kill anything. If you're really looking for overkill, you can add in the Helm of Commandment... though if I use that, I usually prefer to use it with my Grave Guard.
 
#9 ·
In general I find that HW and Shield to be better than spears. It is cheaper to do and it will work even when you charge. All in all, an army that relies heavily on CR and numbers to win fights will want hand weapons over spears to keep their troops alive. The fewer skeletons that die the fewer you will have to raise and the more likely you will win combat with ranks and outnumber.

I tend to play much more aggressive than defensive, so I will often be wanting to find a way to charge and put my opponent in a bad situation, using hand weapons (and vanhels or the book of arkhan) supports this method. If we look at the math, adding spears in a unit of 25 skeletons only adds .625 CR on average for the exact same points a warbanner or that fancy walking death power would give you a flat +1. That is only if you get charged, it adds nothing at all if you charge.
 
#10 ·
The only reason I don't take spears is because they cost an extra point and I don't see that extra point helping me in the long run. With ASF and the helm of commandment skeletons can actually snag a few kills (just ask my dwarfs) and the hand weapon/shield gives them more survivability.

In an army where points are so tight, that's my main turn off. Otherwise, I'd love to have the extra attacks with ASF and the helm of commandment.



 
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