Various games played lately

Well, I haven't been posting much (okay, okay, not at all), but I have actually been playing games, so I figured I'd post an update of what I've been up to, by army.

Dark Elves:
What?  A fantasy game?  That's right- I played a 3000 point Fantasy game against Frans' Skaven last month.  Our scenario was Battle for the Pass.  It wasn't super close, but it did teach me a bit more about how fantasy works (at least from the Dark Elves' perspective).  I have a bit of learning to do, no doubt.

Cryx:
I've played a few games with Cryx.  Last month I played Iron Lich Asphyxious against Rob running Vlad, and got a win.  My highlight of that game was using my newly assembled Darragh Wraithe.  I didn't get much mileage out of him, admittedly, but the threat of Incorporeal Soulhunters did help dictate the game some.

I've been busy fixing a lot of my old Cryx models (mainly jacks).  My hope is to assemble Mortenebra soon and get them (and her) on the table.

Skorne:
I've been playing a lot more frequently with my Skorne, including breaking out some new warlocks.

First, I gave Naaresh a try, in two games- one against Jerry playing as Siege, and one against Rob running Harkevich.  Although I won in both games (although the one against Jerry was partially because I did a poor job explaining the scenario), I feel like Naaresh was just there to pop his feat and let his beasts do the work.  I've been running him fairly beast heavy (Titan Gladiator + 2 Cyclops + Razorworm + Basilisk Krea), because his feat is very good, I just haven't gotten a feel for what I should be doing otherwise with him.  Cyclone is a nice spell, but he's not going to be able to assassinate casters, and really its just there to get him out of unfavorable combats.  Still undecided about him.

I've been loving Dominar Rasheth however.  In three game (loss vs Ben playing Grissel, and wins vs BK playing the Harbinger and Rob playing Vayl) I've already decided I love the way he plays.  Running the Cannoneer + an Agonizer does a good job keeping him alive, and running Gatormen Posse and a few beasts seem to provide him with enough punch.  I'll be working to tweak what I run with him (I need to buy Nihilators!) and posting some battle reports of those games.

Finally, I ran Mordikaar once, against Rob's Bethayne army.  It turned out to be a pretty favorable matchup, but man Mordikaar seems like a boring 'lock.  I Revived what I could every turn, popped my feat on the second turn, and had Marketh cast Ghost Walk once.  Other than that, my warlock was basically a spectator.  Not too impressive... but I'll try some more times.

Legion:
I finally played a game with my Legion!  Unfortunately, it was a game using regular Lylyth with a bunch of melee elements.  Needless to say, I'm not very good with Legion, and I got destroyed by Ben's new Retribution army.  We'll see if I can get something working with these guys (maybe with Thagrosh).  I did, however, finish a fun conversion for Legion this weekend, which I'll post pictures of on Monday morning, most likely.  Let me know what you think when it's up!

Anyway- I'm still here, just not frequently.  I'm excited that I'm playing more games of late, so hopefully I can use that to drive my painting as well (since strangers now see my miniatures semi-regularly!).

Dark Elves in 8th, Monster List

So, a common army for Dark Elves is one focused on their monsters. Unfortunately, I don't think such an army is all that effective n 8th, but I'm sure we could put together something that works.

Dreadlord w/ Manticore, Deathpiercer, Other Trickster's Shard, Pendant of Khaeleth, Dragonhelm, Heavy Armor, Sea Dragon Cloak, Shield
Sorceress (lvl 2) w/ Sacrificial Dagger, Pearl of Infinite Bleakness
Sorceress (lvl 2) w/ Focus Familiar, Lord of Death
Master (BSB) w/ Armor of Darkness, Relic Blade
35 Warriors w/ Standard, Musician, Shields
10 Crossbowmen w/ Standard, Musician, Shields
10 Crossbowmen w/ Standard, Musician, Shields
10 Crossbowmen w/ Standard, Musician, Shields
6 Harpies
Cold One Chariot
Cold One Chariot
20 Black Guard w/ Full Command, Banner of Eternal Flame, Crimson Death
War Hydra
War Hydra

Well, this is a 7th edition army ported over to 8th. However, I think it could work.

You have some decent mobility in this army, and the ability to threaten your opponent's backfield with the Manticore or the Harpies. There's some shooting, although not a very scary amount. There's some magic as well, with Death chosen as a lore because we'll need to go after enemy wizards as early as possible. The Wizard with lore of fire will put some wounds on things early.

The Black Guard is there to hold up a unit. Then hopefully one or more of my hammer units can get there to break the opposing unit. Combined, one or two of my hammers (the Chariots, Hydras, or Manticore) can do a lot of wounds. Of course, other than the Spearmen or Black Guard, there's no real way to get past Steadfast. I'll have to hope that magic can drop a rank or two, and that my wounds from combat can do enough damage.

I'll be giving this list a try as soon as I can. I want to make a list with 3 or more monsters work, so I'm going to try a few things. This is a good starting point though, I hope.

Dark Elves in 8th, Shooting List

Alright, time for another Dark Elf army list. My last list was very close combat geared, depending on the power of the Black Guard to deliver my damage. This time, I'm going to focus more on the shooting part of the army.

The list:
Dreadlord w/ Heavy Armour, Shield, Sea Dragon Cloak, Cold One, Sword of Might, Dragonhelm, Pendant of Khaeleth, and Crown of Command
Supreme Sorceress (lvl 4) w/ Lifetaker, Darkstar Cloak, Lore of Shadows
Master (BSB) w/ Repeater Crossbow, Armour of Darkness, Pearl of Infinite Bleakness
5 Dark Riders w/ Musician, Repeater Crossbows
5 Dark Riders w/ Musician, Repeater Crossbows
10 Crossbowmen w/ Musician, Standard, Shields - 125
10 Crossbowmen w/ Musician, Standard, Shields - 125
21 Crossbowmen w/ Full Command, Shields - 256
5 Shades
- Assassin w/ Manbane, Rending Stars
5 Shades
- Assassin w/ Manbane, Rending Stars
2 Repeater Bolt Throwers
Hydra
Hydra

That's a fairly respectable amount of shooting, and the role of the shooting aspects of the list are fairly obvious. The other things may not be, however.

The Dreadlord's sole goal is to tie up a unit, or something scary. This army has a lot of shooting, but you're not going to be killing an opponent's army in a single turn. Units in the game overall seem to have gotten a bit faster in this edition, which means that your opponent could be on top of your army very early in the game. You need to worry about armies getting into close combat with you before you may have had a chance to wear them down with shooting. The Dreadlord will buy you some time.

The Hydras serve a similar role, but they are primarily there to break units after they have taken some shooting casualties. If a unit is down a few guys, a Hydra may be able to break it on its own. At the least, the shooting should (hopefully) mean there are fewer attacks coming back at you, which allows the Hydra can hold up a unit as well.

The Sorceress is taking Lore of Shadows. Every spell in the Lore, save Steed of Shadows, helps you out here. The signature spell will keep your opponent out of combat for longer (slowing them down). Enfeebling Foe will keep your crossbowmen alive longer should your opponent get into combat. The Withering will add to the effectiveness of your shooting. Penumbral Pendulum and Pit of Shades will add some extra damage. Okkam's Mindrazor will make even your lowly crossbowmen scary in close combat. Of course, you don't have a lot of magic defense in this list (which I may have to find a way to add), but I'll play a game or two beforehand. Hopefully I can put enough shooting out to buy me a win.

So there you have it. I'll revisit this list after trying it a game or two, and see if it really is at all effective. Anyone try anything similar?

Dark Elves in 8th, Part 8: Black Guard List

To start off, I'll admit that the list is pretty much a copy of the one listed here. That's not because I copied it (although I did agree with the combination of items on the Black Guard, so I adjusted to match), but because it is good advice, and it's what I consider the best choices for a Dark Elf army, myself. With that said, Stelek is pretty much spot on.

Here's my army choice for 2500 pts. I don't own nearly enough Black Guard, but I'll build towards it, definitely.

Supreme Sorceress (level 4) w/ Sacrificial Dagger, Pendant of Khaeleth (Lore of Fire) - 320
Sorceress (level 2) w/ Focus Familiar, Pearl of Infinite Bleakness (Lore of Metal) - 185
Master (BSB) w/ Halberd, Blood Amour, Black Dragon Egg - 154
5 Dark Riders w/ Musician, Repeater Crossbows - 117
10 Dark Elf Crossbowmen w/ Standard Bearer, Musician - 115
10 Dark Elf Crossbowmen w/ Standard Bearer, Musician - 115
10 Dark Elf Crossbowmen w/ Standard Bearer, Musician - 115
30 Dark Elf Warriors w/ Shields - 210
Assassin w/ Extra Hand Weapon, Rune of Khaine, Touch of Death - 151
20 Black Guard w/ Full Command, Banner of Eternal Flame, Crimson Death - 330
20 Black Guard w/ Full Command, Sword of Might, Banner of Murder - 335
20 Black Guard w/ Full Command, Relic Blade, Razor Standard - 350

I think this is fairly standard. The BSB will hope in the middle-most Black Guard unit, and he'll keep those three units around for quite a bit. Both Sorceresses go into the Spearmen. The Assassin really can go in any of the Black Guard units. After trying the one scenario a few times, I may drop some upgrades from the crossbowmen (depends how many banners I'll actually need). We shall see.

You'll have a lot of overall capability in this list. 70 Crossbow shots, very offensive magic, and fantastic close combat ability combine to give you a very good shot to compete. Your opponent's army will take a lot of casualties coming in to fight you, and once they get there, your Black Guard are more than enough to handle the task of beating them back. Also, depending on the scenario, you can even be more aggressive. Those Black Guard can advance into your opponent's face to force them to deal with them on your terms.

I'll work on posting some other army lists I think will be effective in upcoming days, as well.

Dark Elves in 8th, Part 7: Lores of Magic

Dark Elves are a bit limited in which Lores they can take, but they get enough choices to make things interesting. First, however, we need to talk about the spell all Dark Elf wizards know.

Power of Darkness: This spell, and having all your wizards know it for free, is what makes Dark Elves so potent magically. You gain 2-4 Power Dice for a spell you are very likely to get off several times during the game. Your regular sorceresses can cast it on two dice with a low chance of failure, and your Sacrificial Dagger sorceress can do it with one, adding the extra if she rolls only a one or two. You can cast it throughout the magic phase to keep it going, well after your opponent has run out of dispel dice and spell defense. Even a poor Winds of Magic Roll can be somewhat mitigated by this. Also, with the FAQ, most of the negatives have been taken care of. You CAN attempt to cast spells you normally couldn't succeed on in order to get rid of the dice in the pool. It's a huge boon to your magic phase.

Lore of Dark Magic: This is the Dark Elf lore, and its primary benefit is going to be that all the spells are easier to cast because of the new magic rules. A level 4 wizard can cast even the hardest spell in the Lore on a 7+. However, the spells themselves really aren't good enough when compared to the other Lores you could choose. Also, with no Lore Attribute, you're missing out on the handy side benefits of the magic phase.

Chillwind is still a nice spell since it stops a unit from shooting, and the range is just right to be useful. Doombolt is a fairly basic magic missile, and Bladewind operates as another direct damage spell, with the ability to drop Champions as well. Lore of Fire is a better option, overall, if you're trying to go for damage, however. Word of Pain is handy because it can shut down a unit's shooting, and make them terrible in close combat. Soul Stealer is short ranged, and I've found it rarely to be useful enough to give too much consideration. Finally, Black Horror (our big spell) is difficult to find a role for, since its best against low Strength models... that we are generally alright with dealing with. I'm not sure there's any need to take the Dark Magic lore in the new edition... especially with the new toys you get from the other Lores!

Fire: The main purpose of this lore is causing damage. With two direct damage spells, two magic missiles, and an augment and hex spell that cause damage, it’s designed to put extra wounds on units that draw the wizard's attention. For your level 4, I actually think this is a good choice. The damage spells will take a few models off various units, allowing your Black Guard to handle them easily, and in addition, the non-damage spells are great.

Cascading Fire Cloak is probably the least useful of the spells in the lore, but will make rushing into combat against the unit a little dangerous for your opponent. Fulminating Flame Cage is a great way to kill a good amount of models, or freeze a unit in place (if they don't want to risk it). Flaming Sword of Rhuin will make your Black Guard even more dangerous in combat, or alternatively it will make your shooting more effective. Flame Storm is probably the weakest of the top level spells in the game, in my opinion, but even so, combined with the other spells in the Lore, you're going to kill a lot of models.

Metal: Lore of Metal makes a good choice, because it offers Dark Elves something they can sometimes have problems with: heavy armor. The Signature Spell does the majority of the damage in this regard, but there are a few other spells here that help out in various ways. Plague of Rust will permanently reduce an opponent's armor save, which combined with all your armor piercing is going to add up quick. The Enchanted Blades of Aiban isn't going to be that big a help to you, but an extra +1 to hit is rarely going to cause you to complain. Glittering Robe will make your units a little tougher to kill, which is a huge help with T3 and normally 5+ armor save. Transmutation of Lead will help you a little with breaking armor as well. I'm not that excite about Final Transmutation, but it can be pretty handy for occasionally tearing chunks out of a unit (if you're lucky).

I look at Lore of Metal as a good supplementary lore. I don’t think it's good to put on a level 4, but a level 2 may be well off taking this. Some of the spells are useless against some armies (like Daemons and Skaven). If you're facing one of those, you're going to have a lot of spells that just do nothing. Even so- having a wizard take it will probably help more often than not.

Shadow: I think the Lore Attribute is going to very rarely help you, which is a shame. The spells are pretty good all-around though. Not a useless spell among them, no matter what army you face (although Steed of Shadows is pretty weak).

Melkoth's Mystifying Miasma is one the weaker of the spells, but is certainly capable of providing benefit. Reducing WS is going to help against a lot of armies, reducing I or M will be useful against others. It's really going to depend on the army you face to determine which to use, of course. The Enfeebling Foe will be useful against almost every army, since it increases the survivability of your costly and fragile troops once they get into close combat. Watching an enemy need 6s to wound elves would be classic. The Withering will help a different way, by assisting your troops in killing foes. There's very few times that you'll find that spell pointless. Penumbral Pendulum is interesting, but I'm not sure how effective it is without giving it a shot. If your foes are coming to you, I could see it taking a toll on advancing troops. Pit of shades is fantastic, of course- you can use it combined with the Miasma to wipe out entire units. Okkamm's Mindrazor makes your units TERRIFYING. Strength 9 Black Guard? It’s another spell that will provide a lot of use. Just wait until an opponent is in combat with your crossbowmen enhanced by this.

This Lore makes a good choice for either a primary caster, or a secondary one. Some of the spells are a bit high on the casting values, however, so a level 2 may struggle to get them off.

Death: The Lore Attribute of this Lore partners well with Power of Darkness to keep your magic phase running longer. You won't get too too many dice with it, but even two or three dice are enough to get another spell off. Unfortunately, all but one of the spells that deals damage targets only a single enemy model (and not a unit), limiting the amount of wounds you're likely to cause. The spells here are short ranged, which Dark Elves can negate with the Focus Familiar. They are also great for sniping models out of units, which is actually pretty handy. I suspect the spells are too unreliable to see much use however. Purple Sun of Xereus is the big spell here, your level 4 has about a 90% chance of getting the spell, and it is very nasty, but the rest of your spells aren't going to be useful enough to make it worthwhile overall. I think this is probably the weakest choice for your Dark Elf sorceresses, but I may be willing to revise my opinion after a few games.

To start, I'm going to run my level 4 with Fire, and my level 2 with Metal. I will occasionally switch to Shadow on the level 4 to try it out though.

Dark Elves in 8th, Part 6: Magic Items (Magic Standards)

Finally, magic banners. Keep in mind, a few Dark Elf units can take them as well as the BSB: Warriors, Corsairs, Witch Elves, Executioners, Cold One Knights, and Black Guard.

Banner of Nagarythe
It has a nice ‘fluffy’ feel to it, but it's so expensive and hard to imagine it’s going to be any more useful in 8th than it was in 7th. That's to say, don't expect to see it.

Hydra Banner
I've always liked the Hydra Banner, but it doesn't provide any help for supporting attacks, and with models being able to step up and continue fighting, you don't need 5 or so extra attacks in the first round of combat- you need more attacks throughout the length of the entire combat. Not useful.

Rampager's Standard
You're going to be at the mercy of the charge rolls in 8th, but this is too many points to help fix that. In addition, there's not much benefit for charging except on Cold One Knights... but who is going to put a BSB in the Cold One Knight unit? There are better choices.

Wailing Banner
Having a banner in a unit that can cause either Fear or Terror may be nice, however, for the rare chance of it working (and the ability to ignore it from others), but I'd just go with the Fear banner Dark Elves have. I don’t see Fear/Terror being very potent in 8th, but doing it for cheap would be handy (as in one of the other banners).

Ranger's Standard
Strider is a handy ability, and it's likely to save the skin of some of your models occasionally, but for the points you're better off being cautious about your movement. I will probably give this one a try at some point, however, because there is likely to be more terrain on the board, and I'll want a way to take advantage of my opponent's reluctance to enter some. We'll see just how much this is actually worth it.

Razor Standard
Dark Elves get a much cheaper version of this banner in the Banner of Murder, but having a second unit with this ability could be very useful. You're able to give AP to multiple units of Black Guard, for instance. Armor Piercing is fantastic, especially for units like Black Guard. I'd really consider taking this.

Dread Banner
Although I don't think Fear is going to be all that useful, it may be handy from time to time to be immune to it, or at the least, to give your opponent a chance to be WS1. I don’t see it happening or helping that much over the course of your games, however, so I don't know that I would bother spending the points on it.

War Banner
Dark Elves (and most armies at the moment, I think) get this for only 25 points. I'm going to bet that you won't see this taken as often- your primary source of Combat Resolution is going to come from wounds, given both the amount of infantry on the table, as well as the amount of attacks you’re going to see from each side in a combat. I think you're going to be better off taking a banner that will either increase the amount of attacks you send out, or at least the quality of the attacks. Pass unless you really have need for more banners somewhere.

Standard of Slaughter
My thoughts on the above are still valid here, added with the fact that this is more expensive, and only useful if you get the charge. With charges being a bit more unreliable, this is probably not getting used again.

Standard of Hag Graef
This was a favorite banner for Dark Elf armies, especially for using on Black Guard since they could take it without buying a BSB. Since all combat is in Initiative order, it's hard to see much use. ASF + Higher Initiative gives you free rerolls for all rolls to hit... but your Black Guard are Initiative 6 and reroll all to hit rolls anyway, so you're only going to be taking it to deny ASF to other units (mainly High Elves). There's only a few more things your Black Guard are likely to face that this comes in handy- Wardancers, other Black Guard, Greater Daemons and Slaaneshi Daemons, and characters. Is it worth taking this banner solely as a counter to that? I'm thinking not- at least not on your Black Guard units.

If your BSB is taking it, there may be some point. There are a few options in this case. Executioners with ASF are actually pretty scary, but won't have enough attacks to be dangerous. A Death Hag BSB in a unit of Witch Elves is VERY scary, but will be very vulnerable to ranged attacks. Other than that, I'm not sure there's a role for the banner anymore. I don't like catering armies to handle specific things, and as this is a choice to handle such things, I'm not taking it.

Sea Serpent Standard
If you're taking a unit of Corsairs, you want to take this. Immunity to Psychology plus an extra attack really makes them a more effective unit.

Banner of Murder
This one will probably be in every army you take, somewhere. Even Spearmen with this are pretty dangerous. Armor Piercing is very nice ability, and with this you can get it on a unit for cheap.

Banner of Swiftness
Don't really see a need for this one. Dark Elf units are M5 or higher and going up to M6 really doesn't add all that much in the way of threat or utility.

Lichebone Pennant
I think you'll have an easier time getting MR from a Talisman, which can be taken by a few champions in a dark Elf army anyway. Otherwise, you'll have your characters able to provide the MR. Skip this.

Standard of Discipline
Not really much help in a Dark Elf army. Your Leadership is fine across the board, and Black Guard backed by a BSB aren't likely to break or fail any leadership tests. This is handier for other armies.

Banner of Cold Blood
This was useful for Cold One Knights to help combat Stupidity, but for now most of your combat units are likely to be Immune to Psychology, or at least have a high enough Leadership that your BSB reroll is going to keep them around. Another pass.

Banner of Eternal Flame
A Fantastic Banner. First, it causes fear in a lot of different things for cheap. Although I don’t think Fear is very useful overall, it's a nice side benefit. It negates Regeneration and deals extra damage to Flammable targets which is awesome. It also makes the unit AMAZING against buildings. It's also available at a very reasonable cost. I'd take it in every list.

Gleaming Pennant
Spend the points to get a BSB and ignore this. You're not going to have many units that are far away from your BSB with Dark Elves (given the units that can take banners). Any unit that would be off alone is probably well protected enough from Leadership tests, as well.

Scarecrow Banner
Fear, as I've said, is not going to be that big a deal these days, although it may be a nice ability from time to time. Causing Fear against a small subset of the models out there (even smaller than otherwise) is just not worth it. Take a better banner instead.

Dark Elves in 8th, Part 6: Magic Items (Enchanted Items)

Wizarding Hat
Why? I'm glad they included this item, simply 'because', but don't expect to see it used. Especially not by Dark Elves.

Fozzrik's Folding Fortress
Not really sure what to think of this. I'm not sure there's going to be many good uses for this, although for some crazy shooting army this might actually be a pretty good item choice. 100 points is hard to swallow though. You could use it to cut off some movement path, I suppose.

Arabyan Carpet
For the same cost, you can take a Dark Pegasus, which has its own advantages, and lets you take other magic items. Don't bother.

Deathmask
Sadly, just not so good anymore. Terror doesn't work as well these days, and since BSBs can let you re-roll the test, it may never work. Don't spend your points here.

Hydra's Teeth
Too many points to be useful. You'll need to spend those points on making your character more useful in combat if you're already in range to use this.

Crystal of Midnight
You're very likely to see a wizard of some sort out there, and since most wizards aren't Ld 10, this may actually be worth its points. It's a bit random though, as it removes a random spell if it even goes off. I'm going to say you're probably not going to use this, but might be a nice trick to throw in from time to time.

Crown of Command
I love this. Ld10 and Stubborn for your Dreadlord means he can go out on his own and cause some damage without fear of being run down by combat resolution. There are a lot of builds that this comes in handy for. It even makes running a Dreadlord on a Dragon potentially useful!

Black Dragon Egg
Given the new rules for breath weapons, this seems to be everyone's new favorite item. I'd recommend throwing it on a character on foot if you can fit it in. It's a decent amount of free hits at a high initiative. Combined with a combat with another monster in it, or the Armour of Blood, it's going to be very valuable.

Potion of Strength
This is the one from the Dark Elf book, which is 10 points more than the one in the BRB. Good bet, you'll choose the other one. However, this item gives you the benefit of choosing later on in the turn, AFTER you know that you're in combat already. Is that worth 10 points? Probably not.

Gem of Nightmares
With the changes to fear, I just don't see a point anymore. Don't waste your points.

Healing Potion
A handy item, but too costly to take in most armies. Your Dark Elves are not likely to lose wounds in small enough number to get a chance to use this.

The Guiding Eye
It's not an exciting ability, but if you really want to run a huge shooting block, it's certainly worth its points. There are some army builds I could see finding a place for it, but not many.

Feathertoe Toric
A pretty costly item for a benefit that isn't likely to come up much. Will be worthless in most games.

Ruby Ring of Ruin
I actually quite like this item. It's a good points value, and even though the rules for bound items have changed, it's a 2/3 chance to get a free spell off that can chip away at your opponent. If I have room for this, I will probably take it from time to time.

Terrifying Mask of Eee!
Like the Deathmask (but so much cheaper), it's just not worthwhile in this edition.

Potion of Strength
Cheaper version of the formerly Dark Elf-only item. There are a lot of times where the extra strength comes in handy, so I would suggest throwing it on a Dreadlord (with an extra attack item) if you think he's likely to get in combat. 5-6 Strength 7 attacks can put a hurting on big things.

Potion of Toughness
Although it makes your character harder to kill for a turn, you have better ways to accomplish that task. Don't take it.

The Other Trickster's Shard
Pretty nifty item, and worth taking on a hero character from time to time. Against Daemons it's going to be VERY frustrating.

Ironcurse Icon
Very inexpensive, but almost worthless. If you really have nothing better to spend the points on, you may as well take it.

Potion of Foolhardiness
Not much use- you have good ways to make yourself resistant to psychology for the game. Not a big concern for a Dark Elf player.

Potion of Speed
Dark Elf initiative is generally high enough that this item won't get the jump on any opponents. Not useful.

Dark Elves in 8th, Part 6: Magic Items (Arcane Items)

Although many of the Arcane Items are cool, its important to keep in mind that you're going to be a little limited due to only taking a sorceress or two in your army.

Book of Ashur
Not really going to help you much. Especially not for its points cost. Pretty poor item.

Black Staff
Not very good with the changes to bound spells. I guess you could use it to have a single sorceress cast Power of Darkness more than once (maybe?), but it's going to be easier to cast the spell yourself, and since you're pretty likely to get it off these days, this item is just a waste.

Feedback Scroll
You're paying a high amount of points to try to damage an opponent's wizard. I don't really think it's worth it- the points spent here are better spent on trying to get more offensive magic out of your own sorceresses, I think.

Scroll of Leeching
This scroll is kind of cool, but I don't think it's going to be powerful or useful enough to warrant its cost. You certainly won't be putting it on one of the 1-2 sorceresses you're taking.

Sivejir's Hex Scroll
Pretty funny, but another scroll that's just not worth taking. Players likely will be running higher level wizards to take advantage of the bonuses provided by their level, meaning you're not likely to see this work.

Power Scroll
I'm not sure. A lot of players are talking about running this on a cheap flyer, flying next to your opponent's lines, and then throwing every die you can at a spell for it to go off, hoping that the miscast causes additional damage to the unit near the wizard. I don't like it. It feels against the spirit of the game, but I bet people end up seeing that. I personally can't see myself using it, but if you're interested, do it on a Supreme Sorceress (on 7 die, this trick will always work) with the Pendant of Khaeleth. You'll get it off, and likely survive the miscast to go and cause havoc later on. There are a few ways to stop flying sorceresses before they can pull this off, but there are other ways to get it to work too. Of course, it's possible that it won't do enough damage to warrant trying this. Hard to say at the moment.

Wand of Jet
Not so good. Use the Sacrificial Dagger instead.

Forbidden Rod
Has a pretty good chance to kill any Dark Elf sorceresses that tries to use it. Dark Elves have their own ways to generate more dice as well. I would skip it.

Staff of Sorcery
Might be worth it, but I think Dark Elf magic users should be equipped more offensively. Especially higher level magic users, who are going to be more effective than a level 2 Sorceress with this item at dispelling spells.

Trickster's Shard
Not worth it. You want your spells to go off, not try to salvage something useful after it's been dispelled. Use your points to get a better item.

Focus Familiar
Still a great item. Some spells have very short ranges, and using this you can extend your ranges without having to try for the harder-to-cast versions of those spells. This is definitely a top 2 Arcane Item for Dark Elf players.

Darkstar Cloak
A free Power Die is actually handy since it's hard to say how many you're going to get each turn. Power of Darkness is the better alternative here, of course, but if you're running enough Sorceresses, you may as well take this. Probably not for normal sized games.

Sacrificial Dagger
I'm convinced this is going to make Dark Elves THE scary magic race. There's a few benefits- it's a free die to every spell that sorceress casts, for the cost of a single Dark Elf soldier per spell. You get to see your roll before choosing to use the item as well. That's key. You can make sure to successfully cast those 'off by one' spell rolls, you can be very efficient in casting Power of Darkness, and you can see your risk for Irresistible Force/Miscasts. It's just a great item made even better by the changes to the magic phase.

Earthing Rod
A onetime help on the miscast table. No thanks. Take some protection from the results instead.

Dispel Scroll
Only taking one hurts, but it's still helpful to take it since magic is SO powerful now. You never know when someone will roll a 20-something on a spell without IF, and this is your only protection. Worth taking.

Power Stone
Not necessary if you're a Dark Elf since the Sacrificial Dagger and Power of Darkness give you plenty of dice.

Tome of Furion
Not bad, but it's hurt by the fact that there are better magic items you could take.

Sceptre of Stability
First, it's Arcane, which is sad because you have better Arcane Items. Second, you have the Seal of Ghrond, which is more useful over the course of a game. I don't see much place for it.

Channeling Staff
Alright, 15 points to slightly increase the chance that ONE of your wizards generates a die through channeling. Don't take it.

Scroll of Shielding
This is actually pretty useful, but I don't think you're going to see it widely in Dark Elf lists because there are plenty of good Arcane Items here. Perhaps if you're running Sorceresses solely for defense, but it still wouldn't be the first item you take. Not likely to see use.

Dark Elves in 8th, Part 6: Magic Items (Talismans)

Black Amulet
This isn't a bad item, but is it really worth 25 more points than a Talisman of Preservation for a chance to do more wounds occasionally? I don't think so, personally.

Talisman of Preservation
For 5 points cheaper you can take the Pendant, which is usually better. However, this is always usable which is a nice feature at times. Certainly not a bad choice, especially if the Pendant is already being used.

Obsidian Lodestone
Pretty good, and probably going to be pretty standard for at least one character to take. 3 Null Talismans is the same points with the same effect, so you could protect two units from magic using this.

Ring of Darkness
It's only going to be useful with the Glittering Scales if you're going for that sort of build. Other than that, it doesn't provide that much help against shooting, and will only help you in close combat slightly.

Pendant of Khaeleth
A fantastic item, made even better because it's a great defense against suffering miscasts. I would expect to see this in every list for one of the characters.

Talisman of Endurance
Inferior to the Pendant and really not a good value for the protection it offers.

Obsidian Amulet
I don't really see much point of this, honestly. If you're going to get the protection from MR, why not get MR(3)? If you don't have the points, then I suppose this suffices.

Seal of Ghrond
A good choice in 8th edition, given how dispel dice are generated. You're going to love having an extra dispel die from time to time, and you aren't really paying all that much for it. Will find its way in a few lists. Since Magic Resistance changed to a ward save, you're going to need to find other ways to power your dispelling ability.

Pearl of Infinite Bleakness
If you have a Sorceress with the Sacrificial Dagger, you'll want to include this. Keeping the unit from running for whatever reason will be a huge help, especially later in the game when your greedy sacrificing is causing panic checks.

Ring of Hotek
They've changed this item so that it only affects wizards casting their spells within a specific range (instead of targeting). Overall, I think this change is better for the game, although this really hurts the utility of the item. Unless you are running the build that people occasionally tried in 7th (Master on a Dark Pegasus, Ring of Hotek, and Cloak of Hag Graef with a crossbow and lance), I don't think you're going to see this make any more appearances.

Dawnstone
Taking this with the Armor of Darkness provides some pretty great protection for cheap. Of course, if you lose your armor save, you're screwed, but even an armor piercing weapon will still provide you enough of a chance to use this. I could see taking it from time to time.

Opal Amulet
I don't think this is going to be worth it. One-time protection just isn't going to cut it when you're going to see a lot more attacks coming at you.

Obsidian Trinket
If you're only looking at MR(1), it's probably not going to be worth it... for a character. On a unit it's kind of cool, but generally you're better off taking a weapon for that unit if you can.

Null Talisman
Just read what I wrote about the Obsidian Lodestone, Amulet, or Trinket to see what I think for this choice. Overall, you'll probably see it.

Talisman of Protection
A 6+ Ward for a character really isn't going to protect you much. Pass.

Seed of Rebirth
A 6+ Ward for a character that you can negate easily is going to help you even less.

Dragonbane Gem
A fantastic addition to your defensive load if you aren't already taking a Talisman. Partners very well with the Armour of Eternal Servitude.

Pidgeon Plucker Pendant
Oooooh, a very specialized 5+ ward save! Probably not much use in this edition. Utterly worthless against a lot of armies.

Luckstone
Even though it's 5 points, I don't see it ever getting used. You need better things if you want good protection.

Dark Elves in 8th, Part 6: Magic Items (Armour)

Onto Armor!

Armour of Living Death
You can turn your Dreadlord into T4! Oh wait, that's still pretty low. This is not the way to keep your Dreadlord alive. Especially for its points cost.

Armour of Destiny
Not bad... but you'll get more mileage out of running the Armour of Eternal Servitude with the Dragonbane Gem. If either of those are taken (and the Pendant of Khaeleth is already taken) THEN this becomes useful. Not a bad choice for throwing on a BSB however, since he's not likely to be the primary person to get the better items.

Trickster's Helm
It's a cool item, but for its cost I don't think it's going to be much help. Dark Elves are T3- you're going to be getting wounded so easily anyway that re-rolling isn't going to save you.

Armour of Silvered Steel
Take the Armour of Darkness instead. 20 points cheaper for a 1+ save. That's a ton better (and cheaper).

Armour of Fortune
It's not bad, but not great. 5+ isn't a high enough ward save to get excited about, but it's fine for its points. Given that you're not taking tons of characters, I would find better ways to equip them. Also, for non-flaming attacks, the Armour of Eternal Servitude is better.

Armour of Eternal Servitude
It's pretty fantastic, especially since you can combine it with the Dragonbane Gem to get good all-around protection, for a very reasonable cost.

Helm of Discord
This is kind of a cool item, honestly, but it's useless against some armies, and not really great against most. I bet there are armies out there that could make good use of it, but I don't think Dark Elves are one of them.

Glittering Scales
Unless you're trying one of the builds with the Ring of Darkness, this item isn't worth it. If you are trying one of those builds though, please let me know how it's working!

Shield of Ptolos
It's not very difficult for Dark Elf characters to get to 1+ armor save, or even to 2+. Designed for other armies.

Cloak of Hag Graef
This only helps if the character is on his own (or in a small enough unit), and if you're doing that, you're better off with the Pendant, or some other protection. No thanks.

Armour of Darkness
Still a great buy. 25 points nets you the best armor save you can get. Combined with the Pendant, you're VERY well protected. Makes a great item for your BSB, Dreadlord, or any combat hero.

Shield of Ghrond
Basically, you consider yourself to be Toughness 4. As I've said, that's really not enough protection, especially since you can't take other magic armour if you take it. Don't take it.

Spellshield
Better ways to get Magic Resistance. Don't take it.

Gambler's Armour
A 6+ ward save isn't worth spending 20 points on. Again, don't take it.

Blood Armour
This wasn’t a good item in 6th, but is not a terrible choice in 8th. Most people are saying that the Black Dragon Egg will work with this, and as far as I can tell, this works. That means this is a VERY easy way to get to a 1+ armor save. Coupled with a high Initiative as well as a halberd (a great choice for Dark Elves these days), you are going to get a great armor save for very cheap. Consider taking it.

Dragonhelm
I really like this, because it's a great counter for the Lore of Metal and pairs fantastically with the Pendant of Khaeleth. If you're trying to get good protection on your character, this is a good addition.

Enchanted Shield
If Dark Elves could pay 5 points for this, it would be great. Since they have to pay 15 for now, it's really not worth it. You can get a plain shield, and pick up the Dragonhelm for the same benefit, and a ward save against flaming attacks.

Charmed Shield
Not a good choice, even for its points. You aren't made much more survivable by having a single chance to ignore a hit.

Dark Elves in 8th, Part 6: Magic Items (Weapons)

Well, there are a lot of magic items in the new edition, so to save people from having to read one post with a wall of text, I'm going to break this up somewhat.

First, I'll start with weapons, and each category of magic weapons will follow.

One thing to keep in mind is that you have units that can take magic items: Black Guard and Cold One Knights. It's probably worth throwing a cheap item on them if you take either of those units, so that you can make them more effective (and give them a way to handle ethereal models).

Executioner's Axe
Always Strikes Last is a huge deal when you're a T3 model on foot. Being able to do multiple wounds is nice, but even if you're using the ASF banner so that you can strike at I8, you're still not likely to get many swings. This weapon is of course even less useful given all the infantry you'll likely see. Ditch it.

Giant Blade
Brings you up to S7, which is where you want to be to go after some of the big things in the game. A little costly, but it still leaves you enough points to take a magical armor (Armour of Eternal Servitude is a good choice) plus something small to give you some options. You can also take a mount, which can get you where you need to be.

Sword of Bloodshed
More attacks are going to be very handy in this edition. Combine with a Potion of Strength on your Dreadlord to really lay into big things. Of course, for 25 fewer points, you can take a Hydra Blade, which isn't reliable, but probably more cost effective. I likely won't be taking this.

Sword of Ruin/Obsidian Blade
I wouldn't bother with these, as you actually have fairly effective means of breaking through armor saves. Your KB assassins, Hydras, and Black Guard w/ AP attacks should do a fine enough job in that role.

Web of Shadows
Not worth it. 50 points to do a bunch of weak hits to a single model just isn't going to provide any benefit the army doesn't already have.

Chillblade
It's a fairly worthless item. It's only really helpful against characters (it's actually WORSE against single-wound units) or Monstrous anything, but it's not very likely to work against either. It's a lot of points for a slim chance to stop something from attacking.

Ogre Blade
Strength 6 is going to be very handy as well, but this is a pretty expensive way to go about it. For 15 points less, you can get the Crimson Death, which actually performs slightly better. Leave it out.

Sword of Strife
As good as the Hydra Blade for 5 points more. You'll probably take this over it, because it's more reliable, but if you need the 5 points for a combo or whatever, the Hydra Blade is a fine replacement.

Heartseeker
This is mostly pointless, as you already re-roll to hit in the first round of combat. You're paying the points here for the chance to re-roll wounds. With S4, that's handy, but you're better off paying the points for more attacks usually, or more bodies in a unit.

Hydra Blade
This is cheap enough to stick on a hero with something else. It's great if you take a Potion of Strength, and it's random enough to be annoying at times, but overall it's a good value, and it's probably going to be very handy for a cheap hero when you're going against all those units.

Caledor's Bane
It probably won’t to see much use. It's better than a lance for a lot more points. Negating Scaly Skin is nice against certain armies, and worthless against others. You also have to be mounted to use it. Perhaps with some of the Dragon Lord builds it may come in handy, but that will take a few games to determine its utility.

Fencer's Blades
WS10 is interesting. Combined with the Ring of Darkness and Glittering Scales on your Dreadlord, you will make it very tough to hit you in close combat (as well as provide the unit with protection against shooting). They'll need to be WS 9 or 10 to hit your Dreadlord on anything but a 6. Of course, what role could he really fill? Who knows? I'd pass unless trying it out actually shows some merit.

Dagger of Hotek
Kind of pointless. If you're really concerned about getting ASF, you're better off taking the Banner of Hag Graef.

Lifetaker
This is still pretty fantastic, especially now that the shots count as magical attacks. It's worth giving to your Sorceresses even. Put a Supreme Sorceress with this and the Guiding Eye (and maybe a Focus Familiar) in a unit of Crossbowmen (of decent size) and you'll have a fantastic shooting unit with a VERY impressive single turn of shooting at some point. Throw this in any list somewhere, just to take advantage of the easy magical shots.

Sword of Anti-Heroes
This will not be much use. Players are not going to be running multiple heroes in the same unit these days, and the benefits of meeting a single hero in unit are pretty light.

Crimson Death
Still fantastic. Your Dreadlord or Master can take this to strengthen up their attacks and still have plenty of points for other magic items (combines well with many of them). You could also put this on a Champion in a unit of Black Guard for three attacks that always re-roll to hit. Another Magic Weapon that will get a lot of play.

Deathpiercer
Still pretty effective, as Killing Blow is still really helpful, but I don't know if there's a good way to get a character wielding this delivered effectively. I'll give it a shot from time to time, however.

Whip of Agony
An inferior Crimson Death, but this lets you take a shield to be only S5. Armor Piercing means you're still doing a good job on breaking armor though. If you've already given the Crimson Death to someone, this is a fine choice.

Spellthieving Sword
The effect of this sword will so rarely be useful; I can't see ever spending the points on it.

Sword of Swift Slaying
Again, for the most part, you're better off taking the Banner of Hag Graef instead of this if you're so concerned about getting ASF. I don't really see much point, since you're pretty high Initiative to start, so this is another item that won't get much play.

Berserker Blade
Really not a bad choice. Our Sword of Battle is the same cost, so with this you gain Immune to Psychology with only a small drawback. There's potential here, especially for various 'hard to kill' lords (since he can ignore a lot of Psych effects).

Soulrender
Not bad, but you'll need to combine it with something to provide either ASF (Banner of Hag Graef) or protection (Pendant of Khaeleth) to get the most out of it. It's affordable though, and it's probably worth it if you can afford ASF or the protection.

Sword of Striking
I'd skip it. You have hatred to help with hitting, and there are not too many cases where you'll really need the +1.

Sword of Battle
We have to pay 20 points for this instead of the 15 that's listed in the BRB. I'd take the Berserker Sword instead.

Sword of Might
Another item that's cheaper in the BRB. Only worth taking if you badly need a magic weapon, but even so it's probably not worth it. Most times, take a Halberd instead.

Gold Sigil Sword
Moving from I7 or I8 to I10 isn't going to get you going ahead of many things in the game. Skip it.

Relic Sword
A fairly good item, but only really helpful against T6 or higher models. It's a cheap magic weapon, however, and you will need some magic weapons to handle ethereal models, so might be worth throwing on a character if you don’t have it covered otherwise.

Shrieking Blade
Eh, Fear isn't as good as it used to be, so I don't think it's worth taking.

Tormentor Sword
Cheap magic weapon, but Stupidity is not likely to provide much benefit, especially since you'll be in combat with the target anyway, which means they won't be testing for stupidity until either they've broken (and hopefully been run down), or you've broken (which is bad).

Warrior Bane
Don't bother. Better than the Tormentor Sword for cheap magic weapons, but I don't see it being useful enough to warrant inclusion. But only 5 points! If you need a magic weapon somewhere, this makes a good second choice (behind the Relic Sword).

Biting Blade
Dark Elves have to pay 10 points for this instead of 5. Sad. If you need a cheap magic weapon, this also can come in handy... but you're probably better off taking a slightly more expensive option.

Dark Elves in 8th: Part 5: Rare

Small post, as we have limited selection, and there’s not really much to say.

Repeater Bolt Throwers: They do exactly what they did before- give Dark Elves some long range shooting threat. With the changes to how wounds are done to warmachines, however, they have become very vulnerable to any other form of shooting. Before, you could depend on the randomization of hits to provide the crew some protection. Now you'll have to hope your opponent doesn't roll a 6 to wound, because if he does, you lose a crew. These guys are very likely to bite it once your opponent has range to it. Still... you may want to take one or two, just so you have that ranged threat. Depends on your army, I suppose.

War Hydra: Last edition, this choice was so common that you would almost always see a player taking two. They were fast, breath weapons were awesome, and they could break units all by themselves.

Now... not so much. A single one might be helpful, but really they're only going to be useful for adding extra wounds to a combat. Basically, it'll function as another chariot. On the first turn it gets into combat (and assuming you haven't used the breath weapon) you'll be causing over 10 wounds to most troops. Combined with a ranked up unit to help combat steadfast, you'll have a good chance to break an opponent. Of course, after that the Hydra isn't quite so effective, but will still help stack up some wounds in combat.

In short, either one is somewhat useful, but neither are great. Given I'm running Black Guard mainly, I could see running either of these choices as support, but probably only one. Will have to work out the points to figure out exactly what.

Dark Elves in 8th, part 4: Special

Now into the meat of the army: Special choices. With the ability to spend up to 50% of your points here (and of course, a limit of 3 of any particular choice), you'll be able to get a lot out of these units.

Shades: Still a pretty good choice, but you probably aren't going to be seeing any 'Shade Deathstars' given the new rules. Skirmishers took a bit of a hit, so they've taken quite a hit in utility. However, Shades are still very cool because they are scouts, which will come in handy for both occasional scenarios and to explore 'Mysterious' terrain.

There's not too much point to take a ton of points here, or even huge units- units of 5 or so will generally be all you need. They can hunt down lone characters, take occasional shots at warmachines, and hopefully get on your opponent's nerves. Throwing an Assassin in here will allow you to get it up closer to your opponent's army where he can do some damage. For now, I'd probably skip out on giving them any upgrades, but that's going to be a matter of your regular opponents, as well as personal preference.

Witch Elves: Witch Elves are probably the most capable close combat troops that Dark Elves have. On the first turn of any combat, they should be able to out-kill anything else in the Dark Elf army. Unfortunately, with no armor save, they don't have the staying power necessary to really be useful. They'll be torn apart with shooting, but will do a bunch of wounds if they get into combat. They are a pretty good choice... unfortunately Dark Elves have a better one. If you are running with a LOT of Special troops, however, these girls make a great unit once you've maxed out on other things.

Har Ganeth Executioners: No point in taking them. Striking last means they'll have to survive in order to fight back. T3 and a 5+ armor save means it's not likely to happen. For a single point more per model, you can take a Black Guard, who is vastly superior. That means you aren't likely seeing these guys again. Even running them as a flanking unit doesn't work, since they are sooo easy to kill, and again will be going after whoever they charge.

Really a pity, since they are gorgeous models.

Cole One Knights: Hard to say what their role will be. They aren't breaking units on their own, and now you'll need at least 10 models (at 27 points apiece) to break ranks. That's not horrible, since they are durable (2+ armor save), meaning if they hit a flank they are likely to survive. They also do a pretty good amount of damage on the charge. They suffer from Stupidity, which hurts them a bit, since you can't 100% depend on them. I'm not really sure. I won't be taking them for a while at least, until I can think of a good use for them. I certainly will take them once or twice to see if I can find a place for them.

Cold One Chariot: Another choice where it's hard to say- I don't really know what the role for chariots will be in 8th. It seems that their best bet will be to hit a unit late in the game, to help break already depleted units. Chariots are obviously tougher to kill, since they got rid of the strength 7 auto-kill, and Dark Elf Chariots are among the toughest. With all the extra attacks coming at them, they may be LESS durable overall. Regardless, Dark Elf Chariots will no longer be charging units on their own- they need to join in with at least one infantry units to help break an opponent unit. Probably not going to be used in most lists, but definitely not useless.

Black Guard of Naggarond: The Witch King's personal enforcers and bodyguards are certainly going to see a lot of play. I'm definitely not the only person to think so, either.

Black Guard are FANTASTIC. Not very expensive, good weapon skill, initiative 6, multiple strength 4 attacks, and their special rules mean that they are going to be chopping up a lot of enemies every turn. Stubborn and Immune to Psychology mean that your Black Guard are going to be sticking around throughout the game. With a BSB nearby, they aren't likely to break from combat, no matter how badly it goes. With Warrior Elite, they'll be re-rolling their to-hit rolls every round, unlike other Dark Elves. That means that even with a less than desirable to-hit number (as a result of items, maybe), you're still going to be hitting plenty.

They can also take a 50 pt magic banner (and there are several great options), as well as give their champion a 25 pt magic item (also several good choices). These are going to be your primary units (in the Special slot). They are just great against any unit your opponent is going to be bringing into them. Take at least one unit. Heck, take two if you can. The link I posted even says you should take three! Each unit has a max of 20- you certainly want to make sure each unit is full, along with a full command. That's 295 pts + up to 75 total points of magic items. Really, just a great deal and a great buy. I'll be fielding them- you probably will too.

Alright, overview of the Special choices done. Short synopsis, again: take Black Guard. Next up is a brief post on Rare choices, then Magic Items, then Magic Lores, then what my army list will end up being.

Dark Elves in 8th, part 3: Core

Dark Elf core choices are overall pretty good, even in 8th, so you can't go too wrong with any.

Dark Elf Warriors: Good initiative and hatred, but not much else. However they are very inexpensive, so will likely be used as Sacrificial Dagger food for most Dark Elf armies. I would probably give them shields, even so, since they'll be slightly better at handling bow fire, but the other upgrades are likely not going to be used. Maybe a musician if you think you'll be moving, maybe a banner (for 6 points!) if you need it to have enough for Blood and Glory. You have the option of giving them a magic banner as well, but it's wasted on these guys. Take them if you want to run a Sacrificial Dagger, otherwise don't bother.

Dark Elf Repeater Crossbowmen: Same as last edition- lots of shots for a pretty good cost. 100 points nets you a 10-man unit of these, and since they can fire in two ranks, they aren't taking much space on your battle line. Not sure if I'd bother with shields most of the time, but if you need the points to get to the minimum core, it's a good way to spend them. Since you must have a certain amount of core, these guys make a pretty good choice, and they can do a really good job of causing some casualties on units as they advance towards you. As you'll need a certain amount of banners (to handle the Blood and Glory scenario) they may be a good place to put them as well (in this case, maybe give them shields). A musician may be handy since you don't want them running for long. I would probably skip out on a champion, however. A unit of 10 with a banner, a musician, and shields is a reasonable 125 points. Definitely take one or two units.

Black Ark Corsairs: I love corsairs. I remember putting them down during games against Sam (our Daemon player), and hearing him vocalize his hatred of them. They've always been very effective for me, and although they haven't really lost effectiveness, I think they've been overcome by units from the special slot (namely Black Guard). Their Slaver rule helps to run down units, but since other units are better for breaking opponents it's not likely to come up except as a supporting unit. Sadly, they just don't have much of a place anymore. Take Black Guard or Witch Elves instead.

Dark Riders: Still serve a similar, but reduced, role as in the previous edition. They are fast (and slightly faster because of their Vanguard move, as well as being allowed to take a Leadership test to march). They are still very maneuverable because they get free reforms. They no longer get the 360 degree line of sight for shooting, which is a minor loss, and now they aren't going to be breaking ranks since you'll need at least 10 to do so. I'll still end up taking a unit with crossbows and a musician, solely for harassment and occasionally hunting warmachines, fliers, or skirmishers. They are a great unit for going and getting behind my opponent for whatever purposes I need. They are still a fine choice, and for the same cost as crossbowmen, you get half the shots but a lot more mobility to them. In my case, they're also my only painted unit, so they'll have to be included ;).

Harpies: Our flying skirmisher unit, and formerly a staple of many Dark Elf armies. They don't count for our minimum core requirement, which hurts. I'm not sure they have much of a role anymore. March blocking is gone, so they aren't too handy for that (yeah, your opponent can fail a leadership test, but I don't consider that reliable enough a strategy to justify taking them). They aren't really any better for hunting down warmachines (Dark Riders and Shades can do it just as well). Skirmishers are a little weaker, since they actually have a facing as a unit. Shades are a bit more expensive, but they can do any role these guys can, and are more offensively potent. I don't see Harpies making many appearances in Dark Elf armies.

Assassins: Not really core, but they're listed in that section, so they get covered here. Assassins in the last edition were fantastic. They'd pop up, wipe out a rank of infantry, and would often turn the course of the combat all by their lonesome.

Now... that's not really going to work. Assassins are really going to be relegated to specific roles. I can think of two primary ones:

Character killer - Assassin w/ Extra Hand Weapon, Rune of Khaine, and Touch of Death (151 pts). You're looking at 5-7 attacks, always re-rolling to hit, and going first, and usually getting at least 1 killing blow result. That should do some damage. I'd also consider giving him Dark Venom to lose your Poisoned Attacks (since they can't KB) as well as REALLY take advantage of killing something in a challenge.

Scouting Assassin - Assassin w/ Manbane and Rending Stars (145 pts). Combined with a unit of shades, this will STILL provide a great amount of effective shooting.

I could see taking at least one, regardless. Probably the former, however.

So, with a 625 point minimum, what am I likely going with?

5 Dark Riders w/ musician, repeater crossbowmen - 117
10 Crossbowmen w/ standard bearer, musician - 115
10 Crossbowmen w/ standard bearer, musician - 115
10 Crossbowmen w/ musician - 105
25 Dark Elf Warriors w/ Shields - 175

Just enough. That gives us plenty of shooting, and plenty of bodies to power your spells!

Next up: Special!

Dark Elves in 8th, part 2: Heroes

Continuing with my Dark Elf thoughts, let's look at the Heroes available to a Dark Elf army, and see if they are going to be useful in 8th. Although we have 625 points to work with, we don't want to spend all our hero points, since we'll need to stock up on rank and file.

Malus Darkblade, Scion of Hag Graef: 275 points for a 3 attack close combat model isn't going to cut it. You'll need attacks to break through the extra infantry you're likely to see, and he really can't do it, even with his special rules. Really has no place in 8th.

Shadowblade, Master of Assassins: Well, a special character that might have a role. With the changes to guess weaponry (i.e. getting rid of it) having an easy way to drop war machines will be handy. Shadowblade can do it, for half your hero points. I'm not sure whether he'll be worth it, since he's only killing one per turn, but if your opponent happens to line them up, he'll wipe them out. Shades + Rending Star assassins probably do the role better, however. They are also cheaper, and more versatile. That means he's not making the cut.

Lokhir Fellheart, Captain of the Tower of Blessed Dread: Not terrible, but for 100+ points more than a regular master for the same stats and only a few special rules to offset the difference, I'm not terribly sure he's worth it. The Merciless Slaver rule really could cause him to make up the difference in points VERY quickly, and Daring Leap can help extend Lokhir's survivability (since he only has a 4+ save and regen) - send him to a corner of the unit to help reduce the number of attacks coming his way. The big key will be his ability to kill things. Extra attacks per opponent's ranks will be a help with a more infantry-centric game, but if it's just 2-3 extra attacks I'm not sure it'll make up the cost difference between him and another master. I'm going to try running him in a list from time to time to see how I like him before putting the final judgment on him. For now, I'm guessing he's out.

Sorceress: A Hero-level wizard may come in handy for support, since I think going fairly magic-strong is going to be the Dark Elf's key to success. 185 pts for a level 2 w/ a few magic items isn't too pricey, but before buying one, we really need to examine their role.

If you're going 'magic heavy', you're probably running two level 4s (even just one would give you enough offensive ability, however). They are likely to be casting the majority of your spells, as well as using up most of your Power Die. That means the regular Sorceress would really only be helpful for casting a supporting spell of some sort, since she'll have to do it with few dice (although with Power of Darkness, she may get some extra to cast some higher spells). Lore of Fire would be a good choice here, since the signature spell is able to be cast at three different levels to suit the amount of dice you have available. Lore of Death isn't a bad choice either. I don't know that I'd bother running her with any equipment in this case. Maybe a Dispel Scroll or the Seal of Ghrond.

If I wasn't going magic heavy (or if I didn't take a Lord level wizard), I could see running a pair of Sorceresses effectively. One with Sacrificial Dagger and the Pearl of Infinite Bleakness would get a moderate amount of magic off, and one with a Dispel Scroll and the Seal of Ghrond would provide defense. Without a level 4 you're really hoping to remove enemy casters early for either of these to be effective.

I think the best and most balanced bet (as in last edition) will be to run a level 4 and a level 2. I'd give the level 2 the Seal of Ghrond almost always (the extra dispel die is going to be vital), but I'm not sure what else. I will have to look at the magic items fully (in a later post).

Master: There are tons of options here, and you're going to likely be taking at least one. The Master's role is entirely item-dependent, so I'm going to wait until I get to items to cover him more completely (mainly because I need to think more about it). You will probably want a BSB, given its current rules; of course the setup (and whether he takes a magic banner) will take some thinking.

Death Hag: More specifically, the Cauldron of Blood. I don't see why you wouldn't take this thing. With all the infantry you will probably be fielding given the new rules, this can act as a huge enhancement. Killing Blow, +1 Attack, or a 5+ Ward Save are all useful abilities, and having some flexibility to switch between them, as well as combining them with various augments or hexes mean that Dark Elves can have fairly potent infantry. I wouldn't bother putting Gifts on the Death Hag, since I really only view her as being useful in the Cauldron. Putting her with a unit seems to be too risky since she doesn't have a save without spending 30 points, and she's far safer and more useful with the Cauldron. I'll be keeping the CoB in mind when I start examining the infantry units we can take as well.

Again, not much useful information here I'm sure (since so much of heroes is dependent on their equipment), but I promise we'll come back and look at ways to kit these guys out usefully.

Next will actually be Core choices. Spells and Equipment are only really handy once we know what the rest of our army will be (and knowing what it can't handle). Will have it posted as soon as I can.

Dark Elves in 8th, part 1: Lords

Well, 8th edition is out, and is available all over to those who want it. Part of the fun of a new edition is that if there are significant changes, it's almost like getting a new army book for every army! That means it's helpful to go through your armies and try to figure out what's worth taking, and what might (or might not) work in the new edition.

Doing this for Empire would be easier, I'm sure, but unfortunately it just seems so tempting to run Empire as a gun-line given the changes to templates and the elimination of guess weaponry. Although that's not really want I want to run (I prefer to stay fairly balanced), it's going to actually take some more experience with the army before I can really tell what works (hordes vs. ranks, different infantry types, etc).

Dark Elves are a little simpler. That means I need to put some thought into them. So I'm going to write a few articles going over my thoughts on all the Dark Elf choices, and really try to determine for myself what I will be trying to build towards and running. Maybe my thoughts will be helpful to someone, or even better, maybe someone will have some thoughts that they can give me to enhance my playing!

I'm going off the basis that 2500 points is going to be the standard. I don't know if that's true, but it seems likely, and it's a perfectly fine place to start.

Today, we start with Lord choices. There are two things to consider with the analysis. First, I haven't played with these yet, so it's all theory. Second, I'm going to go through the magic items and spells as separate posts. That means I won't have much to say about magic item load-out on my characters quite yet.

Malekith, the Witch King: Let's start with the big guy. First, since we only have 625 pts for lords, he's going to be the only one we can take if we run with him. On top of that, he's not going to be able to afford a mount. That means Malekith on foot. He is a fairly powerful magic user (level 4 w/ both an extra power and dispel die), but he's twice as expensive as your other wizard choices. Due to a lack of mount, he's limited to a 4+ armor save and a 2+ ward against non-magical attacks, both of which are terrible, given how easy it is to get magic weapons or attacks now. Unbreakable and the ability to quell panic around him are very handy, but hardly worth the cost. Leave him at home.

Morathi, the Hag Sorceress: A better (but still pricey) choice. Level 4 with knowledge of all the Dark Lore spells, plus an additional +1 on all her casting is going to get all those Dark Lore spells off every turn (if you have the dice, of course). Of course, so would a Supreme Sorceress, minus knowledge of all the spells. 2+ ward save against magic (4+ against everything else) is nice, and there's no point to taking the more expensive of her weapon choices. Being able to buy an additional Enchanted and Arcane Item is nice as well... but she's already expensive. Another choice that will be better off left at home.

Crone Hellebron, The Hag Queen: First off, using her on her Manticore is out. No save of any kind? No thanks. She's not terribly overpriced, and does get 6+d3 Strength 10 attacks at Initiative 9. That's very killy. Sadly, with all the new infantry rules it's not going to be enough. Stepping up + attacking in ranks means that she's going to kill a lot, but get murdered with her T3 and no save. Making Witch Elves core is pretty cool (if you plan on using Witch Elves), and putting her in the unit would probably be alright, since the unit would kill a LOT with all those attacks. Heck, you could throw a Cauldron of Blood behind her and give the unit and her a ward save. That's a lot of points spent to just make her useful though. She's great for killing monsters or cavalry, assuming they are lower initiative than her, but it's probably not useful enough to warrant her inclusion. She's too vulnerable, and costs too many points.

Dreadlord: This is our basic combat/leadership lord. Decent overall stats, and not too terribly costly. His usefulness will really depend on his magic items. There are now a TON of options.

One build I always used last edition was the 'unkillable' lord. Of course, I didn't go the full way (didn't take the regenerating armor) but now he can be made even better: Dreadlord w/ Heavy Armour, Shield, Sea Dragon Cloak, Cold One, Sword of Might, Dragonhelm, Pendant of Khaeleth, and Crown of Command. For 280 points, that's a 2+ armor save, a reverse ward save, and a 2+ ward save against flaming attacks (to counter the Lore of Metal). He's stubborn on Leadership 10, also. This is apparently a common build on druchii.net, and its sole goal is to go after an opponent's block, and hold it up the entire game. If he's near a BSB, he's not likely to flee from losing combat, holding the block there even longer. I'll probably continue running this, since I loved it so much in 7th.

There are SO many different items and great combinations that it's hard to really know where to start. I'll try to cover things when I do magic items, but my likely Dreadlord build is there. Obviously his role changes, since he can't count on killing everything in contact with him, but he can make a fantastic assassin or do a fantastic job of delaying a part of the opponent's army.

Supreme Sorceress: Given how powerful the magic lores in the book are, and how important having a high level wizard is to competing in the magic phase, I think it would be a mistake to not take a Supreme Sorceress.

For 260 pts, you're getting a level 4 who has the potential to generate more power die through the Power of Darkness spell. Being limited to Fire, Metal, Shadow, or Death is hardly restrictive, as each of the lores has some significant benefits (and after I write about heroes, I'll try to decide what would be best to take her with). At her cost, you could easily run two, give them some upgrades, and have a very very effective magic phase.

Again, the choice of magic items is very flexible. The Pendant of Khaeleth (if I don't take my Dreadlord) is really helpful here, to protect her from miscasts. Combined with the Sacrificial Dagger, a single Supreme Sorceress can very effectively cause some serious damage. That would cost only 320 points, as well. For my purposes though, the Pendant is already taken, but the Sacrificial Dagger and the Pearl of Infinite Bleakness (common before) would only cost 310, and combined with a unit of Spearmen, would give me a fantastic magic phase. The Focus Familiar along with another item would be nice too, to get her out of the way and into some safety.

Again though, when I look at the magic items, I'll try to find some build ideas with her.

Not much help here, I realize, but I'd love to hear what lord builds people have been considering! Next I'll write about heroes, and after that our spell choices.

Dark Elves vs Daemons! 5/1/10

Played a game against Sam last Saturday, 2250 pts of my Dark Elves vs his Daemons.

My list:
Dreadlord w/ Sword of Might, Potion of Strength, Enchanted Shield, Pendant of Khaeleth, Cold One, Heavy Armor, Sea Dragon Cloak
Master w/ Ring of Hotek, Crimson Death, Heavy Armor, Sea Dragon Cloak
Sorceress w/ 2 Dispel Scrolls
Sorceress (lvl 2) w/ Dispel Scroll, Focus Familiar
5 Dark Riders w/ musician, crossbows
5 Dark Riders w/ musician, crossbows
20 Corsairs w/ Full Command, Sea Serpent Standard
-Assassin w/ extra weapon, Rune of Khaine, Manbane
10 Crossbowmen w/ musician
Cold One Chariot
6 Cold One Knights w/ Full Command, Standard of Slaughter
6 Shades
Hydra
Hydra

This is my fairly normal list. Ran 3 Dispel Scrolls since I know Sam likes his magic ;).

Sam's List:
Lord of Change w/ Tzeentch's Will, Power Vortex
Herald of Khorne on a Juggernaut w/ Armour of Khorne, Firestorm Blade
Herald of Nurgle
Blue Scribes
16 Plaguebearers
2 Bloodcrushers w/ Champion
10 Horrors
10 Horrors
20 Bloodletters
5 Chaos Furies
6 Flamers

Fairly balanced list, so far as daemons are concerned. Still good, since they're daemons though ;).

Deployment



My normal deployment. Dark Riders on flank, sorceress in woods, everything else up the middle. Sam put Horrors on the flanks, his hard/hard hitting units up the middle, and his Lord of Change somewhere where it could be safe.

I won the roll to go first, and chose to do so.

Turn 1

My army moves forward. I get Wall of Fire successfully cast on his unit of Plaguebearers, and shooting does minor damage to various units (4 wounds to Bloodletters, a fury, and a horror).



Sam also advances everything forward, losing 5 Plaguebearers to Wall of Fire. Horrors magic a Dark Rider to death, the Blue Scribe kills 3 Dark Riders, and the Lord of Change wipes out the unit of shades. Flamers shoot and kill 5 Corsairs.

Turn 2

I charge the Cold One Chariot into his flamers, the Corsairs and Knights into the Plaguebearers, and a Hydra into his Furies.





I kill a Bloodletter with magic, 3 more with shooting, and 2 Horrors with the other Hydra's breath weapon. Minor losses.

In combat, I kill 6 Plaguebearers, and instability kills everything but a single wound off the Herald (he rolled a 4). The Hydra kills the furies and overruns into the path of the Juggernauts, the Cold One Chariot does 4 wounds, takes 1, but Sam takes no instability wounds (rolling a 3?).



On Sam's second turn, he charged a Hydra with the Juggernauts. Magic did nothing, he had nothing to shoot, and in combat, the Chariot lost by one, but held. The Juggernauts destroyed the Hydra and overrun 16, well away from things for several turns. My Knights kill his herald.



Turn 3

Hydra charges the Horrors. Magic and shooting accomplish nothing. In combat, the Chariot kills everything but one Flamer, the Hydra kills the Blue Scribes, the Handlers drop 3 more horrors, but the unit doesn't take any wounds (another 3?)



Sam starts his turn by charging the Chariot with his Lord of Change (which was a bit of a surprise to me). He also moved the Bloodletters to put pressure on a major part of my army, and turned his juggernauts around.

He proceeds to destroy the chariot in combat (oh yeah- it's a greater daemon. D'oh), and overruns RIGHT into the way of my Cold One Knights (SWEET!). The Hydra takes another wound, but destroys the rest of the Horror unit facing it.

Turn 4

Pretty excited at this point... Until I roll an 11 for the Knights' stupidity. The move 3 1/2 forward and do nothing. I fail to do anything with magic, but kill the last flamer and 2 horrors out of the other unit with shooting.

We determine that the Bloodletters don't have the room to charge the knights (a huge relief). Sam moves the Lord of Change out of the way, Bolt of Changes the Cold One Knights, and kill 5 of them. Just the champion and the character left.



Turn 5

Cold One Knights + Hydra into the Bloodletters. I shoot and magic 2 total wounds off the Lord of Change (1 more wound until half points!). In combat, I kill 9 Bloodletters, and instability kills everything but a single Bloodletter.

Sam charges the Lord of Change into my last 2 Dark Riders. The Juggernauts charge into the Beastmaster-y flank of the Hydra. The Lord of Change casts Gift of Chaos, and kills my level 2 sorceress and a Dark Rider. He kills the other Dark Rider in combat. The Juggernauts kill the Beastmasters, and I end up losing by two, but hold in place.



Turn 6

The corsairs charge into the flank of the Juggernauts. I kill the champion, he kills the Hydra. He loses, but takes no extra damage.

The Lord of Change uses Gift of Chaos on the crossbowmen. They panic, including the level one sorceress with them.

Final round of combat, I win by one (not able to do much damage to the Herald of Khorne, and him killing 3 corsairs). He doesn't take any more damage.

Results

Well, after doing the math, I ended up having a win of 57 points. That's very very clearly within the range for being a draw, and it'd be hard to have the results be any closer than that.

The Lord of Change caused a lot of damage, and although I almost got half points on it, I didn't actually pull it off. Running my guys into combats helped keep them safe, but I might need to start investing in some Null Talismans to try to bolster how many dispel dice I'm getting. Getting some sort of combat pressure on it would've been nice too, but I couldn't accomplish that. (especially after I went stupid).

I really need to buy a second chariot. I've always wanted to run it, but having it would have really helped me crack some of Sam's units in a single turn instead of 2.

A fantastically close game overall though!

Well, since I have no original ideas... :)

This is really just me getting inspiration from Pete W's post, where he discusses what he would do if he had the time and the money. I think that's a fairly fun idea, because not only does it give me something to do, but it's good to flesh out my (eventual) goals with each game over the next however many years (I'm 26 now... so 20 years from now I'll still be able to play and maybe have accomplished some of these!).

I will try to do each game I intend on doing in a seperate post, starting today, with Warhammer Fantasy!

Fantasy was my first game- I remember buying my first ever miniatures and saving up to get that 6th edition starter set (with Empire and Orcs and Goblins). It's always had a spot in my heart, because it's filled with theme, and the universe you play in feels like just a perfect mix for all fantasy staples.

So let's see. There are currently 17 armies, but only 15 are supported at the moment. We'll hit up all of them.

Currently playing:
Dark Elves - Dark Elves were the first army I played, and I've always loved them. I still have plenty of work I want to do though. First, I need to paint an army. I'm working on it, I really am! I need to buy/assemble/paint a full unit of Black Guard, Witch Elves, and Executioners, just so I have them. I want to pick up another 2 units of Dark Riders too (since I hear there's plastic ones in the works!). After that, we'll have to see. They should be fairly 'complete' at that point.

Empire - I've had Empire forever. I'm probably going to go with a Talabecland color scheme when I start working on them. They need to finish getting assembled, plus they have a lot of work left to do. I want another Steam Tank (just for bigger games), and definitely want to get a War Altar, since I've never bother picking one up. I need to get more warmachines, state troops, support troops, special characters, etc etc. Plenty plenty plenty of work and growth for these guys. One of the gaming group guys here, Nathan, plays them as well.

Ogre Kingdoms - Bought a ton of them when they were first released, but never finished getting through them, and certainly haven't tried them yet. My first goal is to get them assembled, then get them painted and played, then start getting a few of the options I don't have, just for variety. Probably one of each of the different choices, just so I have them. Plus a bunch of Maneaters (one of each variant model!). Ben plays these as well.

High Interest:
Bretonnians - Lots of knights, lots of color, and lots of interest in starting them. These guys aren't very common it seems, but I'm really interested in giving them a shot one day. I think I have a unit of Knights of the Realm floating around, but if I started them I would definitely fit as many knights as I could in (well, duh). No one here plays them.

Orcs & Goblins - I would really like to run a goblin army one of these days. Heck with Orcs, give me tons of Goblins, tons or random acting toys, fanatics, squigs, and some snotlings just for variety. I own Goblins from the battle of Skull Pass box set, plus a few other Orc models (like I'd use them!). No one plays them here currently, but Sam's friend may be getting into them.

Tomb Kings - Love the theme, think the models are fairly terrible (just so goofy looking!). I like the play style of them, so if they got some new minis, I would love to pick them up some day. Shawn plays these guys, although I think he's lost interest in Warhammer for the time being.

Wood Elves - Another army whose theme I love. I definitely want to run either a Forest Spirit themed army, or a foot-based archery army. I feel like these guys would play very very very similar to Dark Elves, however, which tempers my excitement somewhat, but I would certainly have a good time with them I think. I believe I own 2 Wood Elf character minis at the moment. Another army that no one around here plays.

Medium Interest:
Chaos Daemons - The other top-tier army, these guys of course have some appeal because there is SOOOO much variety in their unit choices. I would consider starting them, but I would need to start themed with one of the Chaos Gods, then eventually moving to other ones. Definitely Khorne first. Who cares how boring it is to play, it'd be scary as heck to watch that come at you! Sam and Chaney play them- both fairly mixed legions overall.

Chaos Dwarfs - I'd love to get an army of these guys solely for the novelty of having them. Would certainly be unique!

Dwarfs - Would be kind of fun, but would want to go with mostly infantry. Seeing people run Dwarf gunlines is just annoying. I would actually try to run them with blocks of infantry if I could find a way to do so succesfully. Of course, that doesn't really work so well in Fantasy these days, but it would certainly look beautiful on the field.

High Elves - Eh, I think running a bunch of the elite units they have (Swordmasters, Phoenix Guard, Lion Chariots, for instance) would be fun, but they're really too similar to Dark Elves in play style to be too too exciting to me. I might pick them up just so I have them, or if I want to try a really magic heavy army, but they aren't really too high up in my interest. My brother owns a bunch of them, so I probably could start them for cheap.

Warriors of Chaos - Infernal Gateway spam + knights. That's how I would run them. Absolutely cheesy, but since I wouldn't run any marauders, I would still be running a terrible army. I love the models for these guys- the Warriors look beautiful, and they would honestly be a lot of fun to paint (I think). Aaron and BK play them.

Low Interest:
Beastmen - Ehhhh... maybe I could get into them, but I don't care as much for them now that they've switched to ambushing ranked units, and gotten rid of all the other monsters they used to have (no more Shaggoths :( ). Not really my style.

Dogs of War - Would be another novelty army, but the whole idea behind them is not really all that exciting. Can't see myself doing them.

Lizardmen - Not really that interesting to me. Hard, slow infantry + Dinosaurs + little lizard things. I've never been that interested in them. Just doesn't seem like they'd be much fun. Ben plays them, so they're covered in our group at least.

Skaven - Not too interesting either. Oh boy, a rat army. Meh. Lots of variety, and certainly lots of ways to run the army, but I don't forsee starting them ever. Frans plays them though, so I shouldn't need to.

Vampire Counts - Booooring. Boring theme, boring models, boring play style. Frans plays them, and Nathan has started them, which is good, because they definitely don't appeal to me.

There ya have it. My desires to start different armies, who plays what, and what I may pick up next year (since no new armies this year!).

Will eventually do this for 40K as well, as well as some of the other games I run. Just gives me something to do when I have down time :)

Dark Elves vs Ogre Kingoms, 2/20/10

Played a 2250 game vs Ben's Ogre Kingdoms army last Saturday at the Games Workshop Battle Bunker in Glen Burnie.

My List:
Dreadlord w/ Sword of Might, Potion of Strength, Enchanted Shield, Pendant of Khaeleth, Cold One, Heavy Armor, Sea Dragon Cloak - 277
Sorceress (lvl 2) w/ Dispel Scroll, Darkstar Cloak (rolled Black Horror and Bladewind) - 185
Sorceress (lvl 2) w/ Focus Familiar (rolled Doombolt, Chillwind) - 160
Death Hag w/ Manbane, Rune of Khaine - 140
5 Dark Riders w/ musician, crossbows - 117
5 Dark Riders w/ musician, crossbows - 117
20 Corsairs w/ Sea Serpent Standard, Full Command - 250
- Assassin w/ Extra weapon, Rune of Khaine, Manbane - 146
10 Crossbowmen - 100
Cold One Chariot - 100
5 Cold One Knights w/ Full Command, Standard of Slaughter - 210
6 Shades - 96
War Hydra - 175
War Hydra - 175

Fairly standard stuff, I tried running a Death Hag in with the Corsair unit. I thought I'd give it a try. Makes it more killy, certainly.

Ben's List will be on his page, likely tomorrow. (EDIT- Ben's post regarding the game is here)

Deployment:



Deployment on my left. Pretty standard stuff.



Aaand deployment to my right. Pretty normal.

You can see some of the Ogre Deployment, he can probably explain it better than I.

I won the roll to go first

Turn 1:

Everything of mine aside from the crossbowman advances.



I manage to roll Irresistible Force on my 2-die attempt to cast Power of Darkness... then miscast on my 2-die attempt to cast Chillwind. This all meant that my magic did nothing. Hydra dropped 6 trappers with a breath weapon attack, panicking them, while the shades killed a Leadbelcher.

The Ogres responded by advancing as well. His shooting goes well, dropping a Scrappalauncha template right on top of my corsairs, killing 4. The last Leadbelcher to my right fired 10 shots into the Dark Riders nearby, killing 4, and panicking them to uselessness. The ones on my left killed 3 Dark Riders. Pretty effective shooting for an Ogre army!

Turn 2:

My Cold One Knights go stupid. Not so impressive. The Hydra bravely charges the Maneaters in front of him, the corsairs, chariot, and right hydra charge the Ogre Bulls in front of them, which they flee from, right through an Ironguts unit who proceed to panic off the board (taking a Butcher with them). My shades finish off the right Leadbelcher unit. The Hydra deals three wounds to the Butcher, and receives a wound in turn (combat was a draw).



The trappers and bulls rallied, and Ben charges the Chariot on the Right with his Scrappalauncha. The chariot flees, so Ben redirects into the Hydra's flank. 2 units of Bulls charge the Hydra on the left.



The Butcher healed a wound during the magic phase, and the Gnoblars killed a corsair with shooting.

In close combat- the Scrappalauncha killed only a single Handler (the Hydra held), and in the other combat, the Hydra took 2 wounds, a handler died, but in return they killed Ben's last Butcher. The Hydra lost combat by 4, but held.

Turn 3:
Chariot rallies, Cold One Knights charge into the Maneaters, Corsairs charge the Gnoblars who run.

A Leadbelcher dies to Bladewind, and the Scrappalauncha takes a wound from shooting.

In combat, the Scrappalauncha kills the last handler (hydra holds again), the Knights deal 3 wounds to the Tyrant, kill a maneater, and deal 2 wounds to the other one. The Hydra ends up dieing, as does a Cold One Knight, but I win combat by 4. One unit of Bulls flees from combat, everything else holds.



Ben's Bulls and Gnoblars all rally, and a unit of Bulls charges the flank of my corsair unit.

The Hydra takes a wound, deals two the the scrappalauncha (another draw combat).

The Bulls kill one corsair, and because Ben wasn't sure whether I had given the Hag a ward save, he only sent 3 attacks its way, causing one wound. In return, the Hag killed a Bull, the Corsairs do a few wounds, and the Bulls lose combat by 4 and get run down.

I lose a Cold One Knight and the champion, the handler dies, and I end up losing combat by 5. I roll a 4 and stay! Now, Ben's major combat unit is stuck for ANOTHER round of combat!

Turn 4:
The Chariot charges a Scrappalauncha, the corsairs charge the other one. I do minor damage with magic and kill 7 gnoblars with shooting.





The Chariot kills the one Scrappalauncha, the Death Hag kills the other one almost by herself.

The Knights, Dreadlord, Tyrant, meaneaters, bruiser... everything in the general vs general combat fails to wound. I lose combat by 1, and hold.

Ben's Bulls charge my Cold One Knight's flank. The Trappers wound my one sorceress once. In combat, the Bulls' impact hits kill a knight, the dreadlord deals 2 wounds to the Bruiser, but I lose combat by 3 and run, getting run down.

This doesn't work in Ben's favor sadly. All his characters are out in the open, waiting for my turn.



Poor Ogres, just waiting for the punishment I'm going to unleash.

Turn 5:
My chariot charges into his Gnoblar. I do a wound to his Bruiser and Bull unit with Black Horror, then kill the Bruiser, the Maneater, and deal another wound to the Tyrant with shooting. The Chariot destroys the Gnoblar without issue.

Ben's Ironguts fail their fear test, and don't charge the Hydra (a common theme through the game), and the Leadbelcher does a wound to the Hydra with shooting instead.

Turn 6:
My Hydra charges his Ironguts, and chillwind kills the Tyrant. Ben concedes.

Conclusion:
Well, I will say there were several points where I was concerned about the game, around turn 3 and 4. In the end, I calculated that I had won a solid victory. Given that Dark Elves are considered the best army in the game by some, and Ogres are universally considered the worst, that really says something about Ben's play. I was outplayed almost all game, and still came out with a victory!

A few things made this so (aside from Dark Elves being a better army). My shooting was VERY effective throughout the game. I did a few wounds every turn throughout the board. After 6 turns, that really adds up, especially when Ogres have a low model count to start with.

Ben had a hard time passing fear tests. One of his Scrappalaunchas spent two turns trying to charge my Hydra, but couldn't. Killing it would have freed the units up to keep up his momentum.

My Dreadlord holding as long as he did really helped as well- if he had broken a turn earlier, Ben would've been able to set the unit up for a run at my crossbowmen and sorceresses, and I would've lost a lot of my ranged threat, which may have made the game very close.

In the end, I won, but I have to say it was the closest game I've seen against Ogres since they originally came out. Well done man!