[LiefBlackclaw]

A thank you goes out to Captain Sarathai for providing such a good template to work off and apply to Dwarfs.

Something to Consider​

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Nothing in this post or anything someone says about Dwarfs is LAW. There is no one way to play Dwarfs. Some work well for others and some do not. Anyone can wiff on a strategy or completely dominate on luck. Anyone can be in a certain situation with any of these choices and prevail. It’s up to you to put together an army that plays well and you have fun with.
Gold - Reserved for the best options in our book. These stand out in almost all situations and are as close to an auto-include as it gets
Green- These are the good options. These shine in most situations and can have synergy with most otherchoices in the book.
Purple – Sort of ok units. There are better things out there, but might fit them into a specific list.
Red – Never is a strong word,however if there was one, these guys are on that list.
Sometimes a unit might have one color, but there will be a certain build for that unit which has a better color. The best example of this is a Thane, but a BSB Thane isa winner and “should” be in every army.

Army Special Rules​

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These will not get a color coding, just things to consider when employing them in a game.
Ancestral Grudge-Adds fluff to the army. If you are facing Skaven or Orcs and Goblins it’s a devastating rule, but only has a big impact when you roll a 5 or 6. Send your General after units with Characters for maximum benefit no matter what.
Dwarf Crafted-Replaces +1 to hit with no penalties to stand-and-shoot. With so many ranged troop choices this rule is great for our army. Irondrakes benefit from this rule the most because that 4+ to hit and Strength 5 gun can deter even the most heavily armored unit from charging them.
Resolute- 8[SUP]th[/SUP]edition gave Dwarfs a chance to charge. Most of the time it will be a counter charge, but paired with Armor piercing from Runesmiths any unit that is Strength 4 armed with Hand weapon/ shield now turns into a viable hammer unit while still being able to function well as an anvil unit.
Shieldwall- This rule gives Dwarfs an awesome boost to employ hammer anvil tactics. One our most effective play style is defensive, with Shieldwall and multiple ways to give Stubborn we can take minimal troops to hold our opponents army at bay long enough for our guns to rip apart the enemy at range.
Relentless- With such a high Leadership across the board this rule is handy, but doesn’t havethe impact you would think in the course of a Game. The units that benefit most from this rule are Gyrocopters and Gyrobombers, they are the units we are ranging out ahead of the main army and need to be able to move freely among enemy lines.

Lords and Heroes​

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Dwarf Lord- These guys are Tanks. Having a base Toughness of 5 and with Runes that grant +1 Toughness, +1 wound, and improved saves a Lord can take any punishment dealt to him. While he has Leadership 10 a Thane also has Leadership 10 and for a much cheaper price tag, it's dependent on your list which one you include. What you get access to are Shield bearers, they grant improved Wounds and Armor save plus add Attacks to the mix. With the right build you can have a Strength 6, Toughness 6, Wound 6, Armor save 1+, and Ward save 4++. We are talking Dragon stats. The downside here is you are pumping a lot of points into a Character that may or may not do much in a game.

Runelord- A Rune Lord is simply a +1 Magic Resistance Runesmith. If you are going to include one go for 2 Runesmith’s instead, to spread the Magic Resistance and Armor Piercing over more of the army. Like the Lord what you get over the cheaper version is access additional war gear in the form of the Anvil of Doom! While this is a great concept GW really fluffed, because it is so expensive and will hardly ever gain its points back. You do get +1 Power and Dispel dice and a way to cast spells. Each has their merits, but are not game altering enough to pay for the Anvil and a Runelord.

Demon Slayer- Crazy good against Monsters and other combat Characters. The major downside here is no protection and can only join a unit of Slayers. You can huddle him with a unit of Slayers underneath a BSB with Master Rune of Grungi and hope they make it to a combat.

Thane- Tanks just like Lords, but much cheaper. With the right gear a Thane can last the whole game. As your General he grants his Leadership 10 to all units around him. Tool him up for combat and slap an Oathstone on him and watch his unit anchor a whole side of the board. A note on this would be that Ironbreakers get their 5+ parry saves all the time and the only way to lose that is to be Flank or Rear Charged, with the Oathstone your Unit has no Flank or Rear so you get your 5+ Parry saves all day long. Now we cover the BSB Thane, Every army short of Demons and Undead should have a BSB. The best standard for this guy is Master Rune of Grungi, a personal 4++ and 5++ to anyone close by arguably offers the best protection in the game. Do not leave home without one.

Runesmith- I went back and forth with this guy on whether to make him Green or Purple. I chose Green, because he gives use Magic defense and he buffs units. You don’t get that in other armies for his pricetag. The Synergy he grants is pretty awesome. Combine with Master Rune of Grungi to give his unit 4++ against Magic or run him with Ironbreakers or Handweapon/shield Longbeards and get -3 Armor save wounds on the charge and still be able to take a charge. A good build for this guy is Great Weapon for some punch, a Rune of Stones for defense, and Rune of Spellbreaking for a cheap utility Character.

Dragon Slayer- Same as a Demon slayer, but cheaper. I can see some people running him alone around their battle line to get him into a flank and deal some serious punishment. He has a small footprint and he is cheap enough to use this tactic.

Master Engineer-Lets start with what he does. He buffs War Machines. Our army has a vast array of War Machines. Point is if you are playing Dwarfs you like Cannons, Stonethrowers, and everything else we have. He allows re-rolls on artillery dice, he basically gives +1 Ballistic Skill, he fortifies War Machines, He even can take a Great Weapon and see off any War Machine hunters out there. I had to include a Master Engineer in a Gunline. On his own he is ok, but the minute you embed him in a gunline he makes everything around him that much better. You want to make sure your Cannon or Organ Gun doesn’t blow up use the Master Engineer. You want that Grudge Thrower to hit its target use the Master Engineer. You want to be super Accurate with Bolt Throwers use the Master Engineer.

 

[LiefBlackclaw]

Core​

Warriors- These are our most basic troops. They can be used one of two ways. You can equip them with shields, to give them 5+ Parry saves, make them 5+ ranks deep and you have a solid anvil unit. Or you can equip them with Great Weapons and gain Strength 6 on the charge and strength 5 all other times for a decent hammer unit. You are going to have to choose if you want to benefit from a Parry save or +2 Strength. I am more inclined to point people to Great Weapons, because Warriors are only Initiative 2 and we are going to be going last anyway, might as well pack a serious punch.

Longbeards- Our elite Core troops. I say elite because even if you only give them a shield they are only 1 point less than Ironbreakers who are better at being an anvil or if you give them Great Weapons they are the same price as Hammerers who are way better at being a hammer unit. Now most people compare Longbeards to Warriors and rightfully so they can perform the same tasks and both are Core choices, but is gaining +1 WS, +1 Strength, and Immune to Psychology worth the 4 point price hike. Fear and Terror aren’t what they use to be and most of your army will be within 12" of the General, which has Leadership 10, or the BSB, which will allow you to re-roll on that Leadership 10. We are an elite army and we need bodies to win battles. Let Hammerers and Ironbreakers be our elite troops.

Quarrellers- Quarrellers are what Lothern Seaguard are suppose to be. They have the range, the punch, and if charged the tools to see off most troops. We did lose our passive +1 to hit, but we still can stand-and-shoot without penalty. Quarrellers have the toughness to go toe-to-toe in a shooting match, and still be able to fight. The choice between Shields or Great Weapons is dependent on play style, but Great Weapon Quarrellers have alot of utility by being able to shoot at light troops effectively and stand a chance in combat against heavier armored enemies. Above I mentioned how we are an elite army and once we start getting into the 13 or 14 points per model our army size gets smaller. Quarrellers are going to be doing something every round, either shooting or close combat. Where as other units may never see combat and have no ranged weapons.

Thunderers- Thunderers perform almost the same role as Quarrellers. They are however better at dealing with heavily armored troops, but at less range. Where a Quarreller can shoot first turn, most of the time, a Thunderer may have to wait a round. A trade off, but with the extra punch can see off may units before they can even make it to our battle line. What Thunderers don’t have is access to great weapons, thus limiting them to only being truly effective at range. With shields and enough ranks they can tarpit long enough to get another unit to flank charge.

Special​

Hammerers- If you are trying to hit someone with a ton of bricks look no further. Hammerers are well hammer units. With 2 strength 7 attacks on the charge, 6 all other times, Hammerers break enemy units. The only draw back is only having heavy armor, but if Hammerers get a chance to swing things go very badly for those on the receiving end. The reason they are a Gold unit and not Green is because they have access to 75 point Runic standards. Most smart players would just shoot, redirect, or just flat out avoid Hammerers the whole game, but throw a Banner on them that makes all units within 12" Stubborn or grant +1 Combat Resolution to all units within 12" and the enemy must seek them out. These guys also Have Stubborn so you can go wide with them to get more attacks and not worry about rank bonuses just the carnage you will cause. A good consideration is to put your BSB with Master Rune of Grungi in this unit so that more Hammerers get into combat.

Ironbreakers- Probably one of the best combat units in the game Ironbreakers can go toe-to-toe with most other combat troops. Strength 5 on the Charge, strength 4 all other time Ironbreakers hit hard. 3+ Armor saves and 5+ Parry saves all the time Ironbreakers take hard hits on the chin and keep coming. Throw a Thane on an Oathstone so they get Parry save even fighting Flank or Rear Charges or put a Runesmith with a Great Weapon for added punch and defense against Magic. With Leadership 10 these guys do not need to be near the General for his Leadership, but you might want to hang close to the BSB if things do go bad.

Slayers- I like Slayers I really do. With minimal investment these guys can kill high Toughness Monsters, by wounding anything on a 4+. Slayer Axes are great too, 2 Hand weapons or Great Weapons offers great utility. The major downside is no armor. You can alleviate this with Master Rune of Grungi so that they have a chance to get into combat, but once there they are going to die in droves. Use them in smaller units to Flank Charge for best results.

Miners- Take a Warrior armed with a Great Weapon and give him Ambush and you have a Miner. Only problem is when you Ambush you most likely will be away from the rest of your army. If you do want to hunt War Machines you have to invest enough points to survive a round of shooting and again you are going to be left out in the cold away from any kind of relief.

Cannon- In the right hands a Cannon will earn its points back almost every time. People fear them and rightfully so, many knights and Monsters have been put down by a bouncing cannon ball. Add Rune of Forging for the Misfire you will undoubtedly roll and/ or Rune of Burning to get rid of those pesky Monsters with Regeneration.

Grudge Thrower- Where the Cannon offers pinpoint destruction the Grudge Thrower deals it to the masses. Cheap and effective, use the Grudge Thrower on big blocks of troops and watch the models come off the table. A good configuration for is GrudgeThrower with Rune of Penetrating, the added strength crosses the threshold to strength 4 to reasonably wound those toughness 4 troops out there.

Bolt Thrower- Bolt Throwers function a lot like Cannons. They are effective at killing Monsters and Heavily armored troops alike. To make them even better give them Rune of Accuracy. You might want to field them in pairs, one with Rune of Accuracy and the other with Rune of Accuracy and Rune of Burning. This comes in just over one cannon and gives you 2 good shots at whatever you don’t want getting to your lines.

Gyrocopter- Captain Sarathai in the High Elves forum coined the phrase Swiss-Army-Utility-Bird in reference to their Great Eagle. The Gyrocopter is Our Swiss-Army-Utility-Chopper. This unit has so much potential you can redirect, hunt War Machines, tie up Chaff units, ping lightly armored troops, even Flank or Rear Charge. The main thing it gives us is something that can move faster than 6” a Turn. At a low enough cost to be able to throw them away if needed, the Gyrocopter has its place in any army.

Rare​

Organ Gun- Organ Guns got a lot better from the last book. Potentially pumping out 20 range 30” Strength 5 Armor piercing attacks is nothing to sneeze at. The downside is you have 2 chances to misfire, but the chart is not bad. You have to roll 2 Misfires, possible but not likely, to have drastic problems. They got a Gold rating because there are multiple ways to get around this, one is to put a Rune of Forging on them or let a Master Engineer call the shots. They do use their Ballistic skill so consider a Rune of Accuracy for them.

Flame Cannon-Use the Flame Cannon against tightly packed light Infantry. The range got better, but the effects are not up to par with other choices vying for the Rare slot. The best comparison for what it is trying to accomplish is a Grudge Thrower, which does the job better and cheaper.

Gyrobomber-These guys cost 45 points more than a Gyrocopter, but have more chances to do more damage. The bomb dropping rule is great, makes total sense to me, and still effective in the game. They do require investment on a model that will be operating ahead of the main army so be careful they don’t end up in combat and they should gain their points back.

Irondrakes- The ranged cousin to Ironbreakers, Irondrakes suffer from Ballistic skill 3. Unlike other ranged troops in the army Irondrakes will set you back quite a bit for a unit that doesn’t do a whole lot of damage. Yes they look awesome, Yes their guns are devastating, but you will most likely be firing at long range, range 18", for 5+ to hit, lets say 10 guys, that’s 3.33 hits, 2.77 wounds on toughness 3 and 2.22 wounds on toughness 4. Not the best damage output, but when charged this gets way better, in fact most people will just not bother and take them out with Magic or Shooting.

Rangers- Think of Great Weapon armed Quarrellers scouting ahead of the army. Cool concept, but one that doesn’t pan out in a battle. Like Miners, Rangers get left out in to cold away from the rest of the army. Most of the time they will get some pop shots off and get charged, most likely run down because of the short legs and all, and you think why didn’t I take an Organ Gun instead.

Thanks for reading C&C welcome.

 

[LiefBlackclaw]

Could a moderator sticky this post please. Thank you in advance