Dryads rock. First off, they are nails in combat. Multiple attacks at good strength with high toughness and a ward save?? Not to mention fear causing? Thats not to be messed with. On a combined charge with some Wardancers or Wildriders, they can help to easily take down a unit.
Second, they can be used as a 'skirmish screen'. This is done by placing the Dryads in front of something more important that you want protected, like Wardancers. Because Dryads are our cheapest skirmishing unit, it hurts less to lose a few. This tactic also works well because Dryads are Immune to Psychology so will never fail a panic test and panic the unit that they are protecting.
Personally, I use two units of Dryads in my current list to act as flank protectors for my Eternal Guard. It stops my EG from getting attacked suddenly from the sides or rear, and if some enemy unit wishes to attack the unit head-on, then the Dryads can engage the enemy unit in the flank and add a few more kills to my combat res.
Dryads also provide great protection for a Branchwraith, a fairly common character in most WE armies.
Maybe whoever you were playing in the past didnt know exactly how to use the Dryads, but trust me, they are hardly rubbish.
Actually, I've thought of a good use of them. You know how they are allowed to move around a unit to charge? (being Skirmishers). Well, take a unit that your Treeman, a last model in a unit, lone character or whatever. Place the Dryads behind them. If the unit doesn't want to end up in combat with the TM, character or whatever, they will probably either charge them, stay out of charge range or something similar. You can charge your Dryads around them into combat, freeing up your character or TM in question. Plus, it's plain sneaky, and it means you can charge 2 units quickly from such a small space.
I like Dryads on the grounds that they dish out a lot of pain, and can take quite a bit as well. They are ridiculously underpriced. Just watch out for long-reange chargers. Orc Big-uns, for example, annoy me.
I view nothing in my army as expendable. The whole point of the game is to not let things die, so why make that something's purpose? I dunno.
If I did have to pick one unit to let go every game, though, I personally would pick my Glade Guard. Theyre cheap and dont do much after the first couple turns anyway.
I don't think the point is to buy a unit of 8 Dryads with the intention for them to die without doing anything, but if sacrificing a unit of them opens up a tasty enemy to a flank charge, I'd do it in a second.
By "expendable" I think DotR means that if you need to sacrifice them, you've lost less than 100 points, making them more "expendable" than your Wardancers or Wild Riders. On that point, I agree. The only unit in the game that's more expendable is the Great Eagle - but then you're using a rare slot.
Most of the time I find ways for my GG to do stuff every turn. They start to shine after the first couple of turns bc you get S4. Last game, in the ~5 turn, I killed the enemy nurggle general with my GG. 10-20 shots can really do some nice good. GG aren't great at CC but they add a flank and numbers to the WE combined charge. I like my unit of Dryads, but I see them as more expendatble. 8 of them can't do too much by themselves anyway but a wise enemy general wants to kill them so they can focus a good bit on them. So I say let them use a few hundred of their points worring about my >100 while I set up lots of other things! And if they don't worry about them, charge in with one other unit and destroy!
Oh I know things will die, but its definitely not planned to be that way. The decision to sacrifice a unit is something that comes up on a moments notice during a game, not something I plan ahead.
Kinda contrary to what I said, but I don't mind my Glade Riders dying. I use them as "enemy-plan-stuffer-up-2000s", and they work like a charm. So, hey, if they can disable some powerful unit, its a worthy cause.
A prime example of this occured a while back. It was a 3-way game, and I got the short end of the stick so I was cornered, and forced to play defensive. One opponents COR were about to move in for the kill, so I set up some Dryads and GRs, so when the Riders fled (off the board), the Dryads could flank-charge the CORs. That almost won me the game, but for some botched rolls.
So, I kinda agree with you DoTR. They're a good unit to sacrifice, but I wouldn't get them jsut so they can die gloriously on the battlefield. That's what Conscripts (for the Imperial Guard) are for.
I'm just saying that they are expendable. Their purpose is not to be sacrificed, thats what great eagles are for.
However, losing them doesn't affect you very much.
I've had games where all of my soft troops were destroyed and I still won b/c they aren't worth very many points.
Dryads are very tough so often my opponent will send big troops after them. I've had Scar Vets lunge out of units to wipe them out. Of course they get destroyed but I really don't care, that just means those units are now without protection and the scar vet is vulnerable.
There are many wood elf units that I protect and worry about, and then there are dryads which I use to harrass, screen, protect flanks, deflect attacks, etc.
From a game perspective I see any unit as expendable.
Some times you have to bait a trap with something juicy to get the right prey.
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