Learning Warmahorde.

[Trojankiller]

Decided to log interesting things I learn about Warmahorde as a new player. Maybe I can get some feedback on my army choice, strategy, and general thoughts from the more veteran players if I post in a bit more detail about my experience. I can also up my post count =) I mostly only play 40k and was finally convinced by dubious friends to start the game. My friend was even willing to sell me his Trollbloods for a great price so I just had to!

Here are the models I have:
Warlocks: pMadrak, Borka, pGrissel, pDoomshaper
Warbeasts: Impaler x2, Axer x1, Dire Mauler x2, Blitzer x1, Bomber x1
Units: Scouts, Bushwhackers, Stonebearers, Trollkin Champion x10, Scattergunners

Game 1: 25 points vs Khador Old Witch.
My army: Had Borka Kegslayer along with a huge unit of Kriel warriors with command. I then used Stonebearers to form a huge brick that I just walked up the battlefield against my opponent. I supported to block with a Mauler, Axer and a Fellcaller. The result of a the game was a pretty slow crawl forward until I finally crashed into his line (after losing a lot of warriors in the process).

Things I learned:
1. Fury management has the potential of being quite complicated. I like the flexibility that fury has to offer over focus counterparts but its easy to make a mistake and end up having too much fury sitting around.

2. A brick of 20+ medium sized base models have a huge footprint and is so incredibly unwieldy. Its just plain annoying to use. I have read some stuff on Battle College about the effectiveness of using a mass of stuff supported by the Stonebearer's protective aura. What do people thing of the strategy?

3. Exposing the back of your Dire Mauler tends to get him killed =(

Result: We grinded each other down over a long time and I learned that it will take a lot of games to really grasp the rules and combinations of abilities. I urge new players to not get discouraged and be patient about asking questions of friendly players. I also urge veteran players to be nice to us noobs cause the game has so much to remember. In the end, I won the game when my warlock survived two fully boosted Gallows attacks with just 1 hit point left (phew).

[Trojankiller]

Game 2/3: Made the painful choice of deciding that I should play 20 minute deathclock match with a 15 point band as my 2nd and 3rd game. The short story is deathclock is NOT a good idea when you are new to the game.

My army: Captain Gunnbjorn, 1 Bomber, 2 Thumper guns, 1 Impaler

Thoughts:
1. Captain Gunnbjorn is pretty sick but he seems pretty lackluster at such small games. Guided Fire allowed me to throw two fully boosted bombs with my Bomber but he doesn't offer enough on his own but is definitely a force multiplier.

2. Is it just me or do Artillery suck?

I lost the first game quite badly. Khador heavy jacks just weathered all my shooting (no help from my Thumper guns) and just came in and beat everything to pieces.

The second game was one when my Impaler critical slammed my opponents Ironclad into his own warcaster. With her knocked down I was able to put snipe on my bomber and throw two bombs on her head, killing her in two shots =) I learned that knocked down warcaster/warlock = dead.

What I learned: Critical slam on the Impaler thrown attack + Guided Fire is great. Bombers are pretty funny. Deathclock added a lot of unneeded stress to the game. As a new player I struggled against opponents to understand what was going on and play quickly. Definitely need to save Deathclock for another day =P

[Trojankiller]

Game 4: 35 points versus Absylonia.

My Army: Expanded on Captain Gunnbjorn by taking 1 Blitzer, 1 bomber, 2 impalers, Scouts, Pygmy Bushwhackers (full unit)

Thoughts:
1. Absylonia's feat is disgusting. I basically had to focus fire and even then it allowed him to bring two of his warbeasts back up (I could not do enough to them due to bad rolling). Absylonia herself can do so much with her warbeasts due to her upkeep spells.

2. He took two heavy beasts, 2 light, 3 lesser and 2 forsaken. I felt quite outnumbered even after shooting down one of his heavys and lights before we even really engaged.

3. Scouts don't seem too great when your opponent has eyeless sight. Even on the charge I was just unable to do much to him and I think his lack of other units really limited their effectiveness.

4. Guided Fire + Blitzer rapid fire + bomber = a lot of hurt.

5. Blitzer charging into a Carnivean and failing to do much to it (some bad attack rolls) = bad.

6. Captain's lack of strong melee really limited my choices as stuff died. My opponent (even with a lot of his stuff stuck in combat or dead) was still able to walk up to my warbeasts with Absylonia and just put on the hurt.

7. Combined ranged fire seems really good. Second turn I was able to get off a really good shot on a Ravagore with my Bushwhackers.

8. I feel Captain is not a great warlock to start with. Can anyone suggest a more well-rounded one?

Final Thought: My shooting was amazing but I should have stuck to it. I got excited and charged my bomber and blitzer forward a bit too early when I should have just hung back and shot. Once I got in there I just got torn to pieces. Also, dice rolls can be a *****. On one hand I rolled an amazing 16 twice one 3 dice for damage rolls but later was stuck in combat with a light warbeast (unable to hit or deal any real noticeable damage for 2 combat rounds straight).

[thebarbalag]

Now that you've got a taste for the shape of the game with some 25-35 games, go back to the battlebox, or a battlebox equivalent and play about a dozen games. They go incredibly quickly, and will give you the experience you need with Fury management. You are very right that managing your battlegroup is key to Hordes, and this is the easiest way to learn it. The game has too many variables to account for even at 25 points to be learning basics like Fury management.

[under]

Yes, artilliary are bad. Larged based models that cannot move and shoot the same turn suck.

As for a more rounded Warlock, I would say Calandra the Dice F%^&er. She's pretty hands off and relatively forgiving on personal army composition. She matches up well with Borka, same army very differently played on the table, though of course neither is fully optimized, but that shouldn't be an issue for a newer player.

I think you are over valuing Abby's feat. You hit on the idea of Focus Firing things dead rather then almost dead, even outside of Abby's feat it's par for the course with beats since a beast with just three wound is fully functional.

As you've seen playing an army that is essentially all medium/large based has a large unwelded foot-print, but immunity to trample is freaking sweet.

On a parting note, I noticed you haven't mentioned targeting your own models with various non-enimy specific attacks (e.g. AoE and Slams) so as to damage/knockdown enimies. It's something I see a lot of 40k players not do untill told or see it done.

[black_numenorean]

Welcome to the hobby! I too just started with the two player starter and I am working on a circle of orobos army too. Thanks for posting your experience.

[Pudgeinabowl]

My first experience of Mk2.

Playing 25pts vs a doomy/mulg/ebdt list. Poor old Plylyth was introduced to a mulg slingshot and flattened. She now carries 1 fury always for transfers (even on first turn).
Second game I hid behind a forest. Was introduced to Mulgs ability to hit, move, hit, move hit, as we pinballed off a warchief and made Lylyth a pancake again.

In lines with the fluff, she will be back after her near death experiences in epic form, backed by ravagores, until then Vayl has stepped into the arena (and will probably get smooshed as well ).

[tonyzahn]

Yes, artilliary are bad. Larged based models that cannot move and shoot the same turn suck.

I wouldn't make the blanket statement that artillery is bad, but in a game as movement-heavy as WarmaHordes, stationary artillery is at a big disadvantage. The only one that really seems to get a lot of love is Khador's mortar crew, and that probably has a lot to do with its 20" range and arcing fire.

[under]

I wouldn't make the blanket statement that artillery is bad, but in a game as movement-heavy as WarmaHordes, stationary artillery is at a big disadvantage. The only one that really seems to get a lot of love is Khador's mortar crew, and that probably has a lot to do with its 20" range and arcing fire.

I'm willing to make that blanket statement, they're (Light Artillery) all bad and it does not require sticking oneself out on a limb to say that. Every single faction have better places to spend those point then on "move OR shoot with no aiming bonus" models. Even Khador's three point AoE 4 Mortar Crews which still suck even though in general are the "best" when you look at what you can buy or upgrade to for 3 points in that faction.


EDIT: Added the Light Artillery caveat as The Commodore Cannon is not in the same catageory.

[Mdw005]

The Commodore Cannon from Mercs and the Mortar Crew from Khador are the only consistent artillery fielded in the game. The Thumper Crew is not BAD, but there are better options. It sounds like you are grasping the game pretty well, its just a matter of gaining experience on it. Best bet is to branch out slowly and surely, giving each model their chance to be learned. Don't go TOO fast and stick with one faction for now.

-MW-