[Steaknchips]

New to WHF and talking with everyone at my local store 3k is the magic number people like to play.

Like i say i'm new to fantasy and only really used to 40 lists. Anyway here is my first attemt...left it a little short on paints to give me some room to manouver units and upgrades...

Plague Priest lvl2 - Plague Censer riding a Plague Furnace - 266pts

Plague Priest lvl1 - Plague Censer - 116pts

Warlock Engineer lvl1 - Channeling staff - 80pts

Warlock Engineer lvl1 - Dispell Scroll - 90 pts

30 Clanrats - Sheild, Sprear, Full command, Ratling Gun team - 225pts

30 Clanrats - Sheild, Sprear, Full command, Ratling Gun team - 225pts

30 Clanrats - Sheild, Full command, Warpfire team - 225pts

50 Slaves - Sheild Slings - 152pts

50 Slaves - Sheild Slings - 152pts

30 Plague Monks (pushing the furnace) - Full Command, Banner of Vermious Scurrying - 245pts

30 Plague Monks - Full Command - 235pts

4 Plage Censer bearers + Plague Chanter - 93pts

6 Rat Ogers, 2Packmasters - 256 pts

Hellpit Abom - 235pts

Hellpit Abom - 235pts

6 Warplock Jezzails - 120pts

Comes to a grand total of 2985pts.

My basic goal was to build a list around a Pestilance base. 1 Priest in each Monk block, using a warlock to skitterleap the Warpfire team forward as an early distraction (does skitterleaping them count as moving? can they shoot after being skitterleaped?). Rat Ogers as flank denial in front of the Jezzails.

What am I missing? What should I change? Waiting for IoB box to come out for my copy of the rules, have the skaven book but i'm picking things up only from watching others play atm.

 

[Putch.]

This list looks alright for a first time, those plague censer bearers might not be enough however, 6 wont last a turn of shooting and even one magic missle could wipe the unit out. Hellpits are always a good choice, other than that the list looks alright, the slings on the slaves seem to be wasted points as they arent being used as a wide screen so wont fire to many shots off.

 

[Steaknchips]

Ahh silly me, forgot to note the slave units have musicians (assuming i'm right that they let me free reform?) so they can provide a nice wide screen that can collapse and allow charges.

If I was to drop the Censer bearers whats good to put in? 5 more clanrats in each unit? Or i guess i could boost the Jezzels to 10?

 

[Putch.]

Ahh silly me, forgot to note the slave units have musicians (assuming i'm right that they let me free reform?) so they can provide a nice wide screen that can collapse and allow charges.

If I was to drop the Censer bearers whats good to put in? 5 more clanrats in each unit? Or i guess i could boost the Jezzels to 10?

This depends a lot on what you will likely face, jezzails make a mess of heavy cavalry and armor, with their awsome str 6, I would personally take more jezzails. And yes the musician gives you the free reform, so im assuminng you will field them something like 15 wide 2 deep? for I think its 60 shots? then reform? That is a smart move on your part.:victory:

 

[Steaknchips]

Yeah thats the idea. Was taking over tactics with my local store manager who was excitadly showing me next months white dwarf with the new slave slings upgrade kit in it.

 

[Tim/Steve]

I can only really say that I suggest you doint start WFB by playing 3k with skaven- 3k would normally be too large a points value to learn the game but with skaven it gets even worse... you have so many models and so many units it will be incredible hard to 'learn' the tactics of any one unit.
I would normally advise <2k games for beginners but with skaven 1k or 1.5k is probably a better starting point.

I think you should draw up some smaller point lists as well and try to get some games at those limits, only playing 3k if you cant find a smaller game


As for the list itself- you really need a Lv4 grey seer in there- he'll increse the potency of ylur magic by quite a bit (and give you more range to your spells- very important for skaven as most plague type spells can be ignored until they ghet to ~12" away) but also ups your ability to dispel enemy magic. Everything else looks alright, but Im not too sure how they'll play.

 

[Aramoro]

Musicians let you take a Leadership test to reform for free, not quite the same thing.

Aramoro

 

[Steaknchips]

Thanks guys I'll have a look at the list tonight and try and squeeze a seer in. I'd love to try a smaller game and I'm currently making a 1k list too but unfortunatly almost all the players at my local store are stubbon and refuse to play anything other than their 3k fantasy and 1.5k 40k lists (good way to encourage new players and get varity....not).

I'm throwing togeather the betallion box for now and could probably steal the new skaven in store for some learning games.

I don't have anything to number crunch with at work but dropping the censer bearers and a warlock should get me well on my way to a seer.

 

[Tim/Steve]

My gaming store plays pretty much solid 2k WFB and 1.5k 40k... but if you ask for a different points value then people will accomodate you. Im sure almost any group of players will have at least a few people who are nice enough to run a different points value to help you out. Although having said that everyone has their limits... anyone looking for a 500pt 40k game normally has a very hard time in my local... so everyone needs about 1k of a new army before they find many games.

 

[Steaknchips]

Here we go 2k list to get started. Yes there is still kind of alot to learn in a 2k listed game but theres nothing like jumping in at the deep end.

Grey Seer - Warpstone token - 255pts

Plague Priest lvl2 - Plague Furnace, Shadow Magnet Trinket - 315pts

Warlock Engineer lvl1 - Dispel Scroll - 90pts

40 Clanrats - Full command, Spears and sheilds, Rattling gun team - 265pts

40 Clanrats - Full command, Spears and sheilds, Rattling gun team - 265pts

40 Clanrats - Full command, Sheilds, Warpfire team - 261pts

30 Plague Monks - Full command, Plague Banner - 265pts

4 Jezzails + Sharpshooter - 110pts

9 Plage Censer Bearers + Plague chanter - 173pts (Should they be split into 2 squads on each flank of the Furnace squad or will that make 2 very weak squads?).

1999pts I belive.

Out of interest with everyone here using large blocks of infantry for the horde rule will the spearmen units benefit more from sticking to 5 wide and using spears to keep a high number of attacks and a large rank bonus?

 

[VeronaKid]

Almost 170 models on the table???!!! In a 2000 point game??!!!

Good gravy, why am I still playing High Elves. . .:grin:

List looks good, although there is nothing terribly hard hitting in it. For comparison, my son plays rats and he uses Queek with the upgraded Stormvermin bodyguard unit. Having played him so many times, I know to stay FAR away from that unit. When he plays other people, though, he often annhiliates even elite infantry units with them. Rat Ogres, ranked up to take advantage of the new Monstrous Infantry rules, might be a good addition, and the Doomwheel has gotten much better. Finally, I think that Poison Wind Mortars are the way to go in 8th edition; templates are so much better now, and since you're rolling to wound ALWAYS on a 4+ (ignoring armor) with those, you can kill off some insanely expensive units (Chaos Knights, Dragon Princes, etc.) with a relatively cheap machine that can lurk behind the parent unit and use their line of sight.

I can't even imagine staring down the barrel of painting all those rats.

Good luck.