Post by Arguleon Veq on Jul 18, 2008 20:30:02 GMT -5
With almost ALL armies having the option of taking Dogs of War/Regiments of Reknown in their armies, I thought I should write an article about which units are worth taking, what each of them do and where they will be best suited.
Crossbow Units
We have three Crossbow Regiments to choose from. Braganzas Besiegers, The Marksmen of Miragliano and Ruglands Armoured Orcs.
None of them are really worth the investment. This is mainly due to the fact that you are forced to pay for the character and command of these units. Whilst this does give you decent Ld, and the chance of winning combats [which most units cant] they still aren't going to win very often and you are forking out nearly 200 points for something you can pay less than 100 for in most armies anyway. If these units to die in combat, they also give away an easy 100 VP's for losing their banner.
Braganzas Besiegers despite being one of my favourite units in the game, just aren't that great. They may find a use if you often find yourself facing lots of small arms fire and your own list is fairly shooting oriented. Their 3+ Save works great against Crossbows/Bows etc, although it is pretty wasted against Handguns.
The Marksmen of Miragliano are a dud choice really. You could get double the amount of crossbowmen at the same price from most regular armies, just for 1 extra BS Skill. Leave these guys at home [The models aren't even great!].
Ruglands Armoured Orcs are an interesting choice. They actually stand a pretty good chance of winning combats; Rugland with his 3 S5 Attacks, a Banner that gives +2 Combat Res, Decent Toughness and Armour and the normal Boys giving you a S4 Attack each in the first round. They could fulfill a nice counter attacking role in defensive armies, they will give you an extra 9 shots a turn and provide a nice combat punch when the enemy do reach your lines. Of the 3 units, this is the best. Still not a game winner bit they are usable.
Pike Units
We have 4 Pike Units to look at; Pirazzos Lost Legion, Riccos Republican Guard, Leopolds Leapard Company and the Alcatani Fellowship. Before we look at them individually I'd like to point out the Pike units generally are over costed and just don't work as well as they would appear on paper.
Pirazzos Lost Legion are one of the cheaper Pike options without seriously losing any combat potential, their special rule of also being able to use Crossbows isn't all that great though. In order to get much use from it you would have to deploy at least 7 wide. For 4 Ranks this would take you to a whopping 340 Points. As with all Pike units they work well with defensive armies, this unit in particular with their crossbows allowing them to hang back and damage the enemy from range. I feel their cost is too much though and they will still be beaten and broke by most dedicated combat units.
Riccos Republican Guard are just regular Pikes with better WS. This makes them slightly more durable and effective in combat but they are even more expensive than normal. Just not worth the points.
Leapolds Leapord Company are another of my favourites, again though, they aren't competative. Whilst Immune to Psychology [ITP]is nice, you pay out of the nose for it. Just 20 of these boys will cost you 330 Points and they don't even have Heavy Armour. The only place I can see these being even remotely useful is against Undead where there ITP will come in handy and their average combat prowess will actually net them kills. Striking first will also help against Deathly Vigour bound spells and Danse Macabre. The main problem here though is that you really need to be agressive against Undead. Against Daemons with their [generally] Low Toughness and Low Armour Saves they may also come in handy on rare occasions. Despite all this and fantastic models, I can't really advise them.
The Alcantani Fellowship, whilst the cheapest source of Pikes are no more dangerous than Skellies in combat and cost just as many points. As with all the other Pike units, I cant really see why you would want them.
Skirmishers
For armies without access to Skirmishers the option to actually take them is great. The problem lies here in the fact that most people want Skirmishers as re-directers, to lead enemy units away or to turn their flanks for you to hit. These Skirmishers are expensive and so you really wont want to sacrfice them like that.
Vesperos Vendetta isn't THAT bad of a choice really, you get a unit that is decent in combat and immune to fear thanks to Vesperos Death Mask. Vespero himself can character hunt and they aren't massively expensive. They are a decent harassment unit and can come in quite handy. They work well protecting the flanks of slower armies.
Lumpin Croops Halfling Fighting thingys are a bit of a steal at 90 points, and its only an extra 7 for more Halflings. They have great Ld, are great at range [BS 4 Bows] and are overall quite a reliable unit. The main problem here is the banner. It is easy points if the enemy decides to go for them making that 90 points into 190 for the enemy. They also cant support witha flank charge as they are more likely to give away combat res with their weedy T2. Again a decent unit that works well protecting flanks of slower armies. I think they would work great in a Dwarf army and they would look good alongside Dwarfs too.
Menghil Manhides Manflayers are the ultimate Skirmishers, fast, great at range, great in combat and they bag you extra victory points for chasing away units. The only drawback is the price. A highly recomended unit, Great Weapons on Skirmishers this fast will always come at a high price but if you have the points to spare and are lacking a harassment unit, take these guys!
Crossbow Units
We have three Crossbow Regiments to choose from. Braganzas Besiegers, The Marksmen of Miragliano and Ruglands Armoured Orcs.
None of them are really worth the investment. This is mainly due to the fact that you are forced to pay for the character and command of these units. Whilst this does give you decent Ld, and the chance of winning combats [which most units cant] they still aren't going to win very often and you are forking out nearly 200 points for something you can pay less than 100 for in most armies anyway. If these units to die in combat, they also give away an easy 100 VP's for losing their banner.
Braganzas Besiegers despite being one of my favourite units in the game, just aren't that great. They may find a use if you often find yourself facing lots of small arms fire and your own list is fairly shooting oriented. Their 3+ Save works great against Crossbows/Bows etc, although it is pretty wasted against Handguns.
The Marksmen of Miragliano are a dud choice really. You could get double the amount of crossbowmen at the same price from most regular armies, just for 1 extra BS Skill. Leave these guys at home [The models aren't even great!].
Ruglands Armoured Orcs are an interesting choice. They actually stand a pretty good chance of winning combats; Rugland with his 3 S5 Attacks, a Banner that gives +2 Combat Res, Decent Toughness and Armour and the normal Boys giving you a S4 Attack each in the first round. They could fulfill a nice counter attacking role in defensive armies, they will give you an extra 9 shots a turn and provide a nice combat punch when the enemy do reach your lines. Of the 3 units, this is the best. Still not a game winner bit they are usable.
Pike Units
We have 4 Pike Units to look at; Pirazzos Lost Legion, Riccos Republican Guard, Leopolds Leapard Company and the Alcatani Fellowship. Before we look at them individually I'd like to point out the Pike units generally are over costed and just don't work as well as they would appear on paper.
Pirazzos Lost Legion are one of the cheaper Pike options without seriously losing any combat potential, their special rule of also being able to use Crossbows isn't all that great though. In order to get much use from it you would have to deploy at least 7 wide. For 4 Ranks this would take you to a whopping 340 Points. As with all Pike units they work well with defensive armies, this unit in particular with their crossbows allowing them to hang back and damage the enemy from range. I feel their cost is too much though and they will still be beaten and broke by most dedicated combat units.
Riccos Republican Guard are just regular Pikes with better WS. This makes them slightly more durable and effective in combat but they are even more expensive than normal. Just not worth the points.
Leapolds Leapord Company are another of my favourites, again though, they aren't competative. Whilst Immune to Psychology [ITP]is nice, you pay out of the nose for it. Just 20 of these boys will cost you 330 Points and they don't even have Heavy Armour. The only place I can see these being even remotely useful is against Undead where there ITP will come in handy and their average combat prowess will actually net them kills. Striking first will also help against Deathly Vigour bound spells and Danse Macabre. The main problem here though is that you really need to be agressive against Undead. Against Daemons with their [generally] Low Toughness and Low Armour Saves they may also come in handy on rare occasions. Despite all this and fantastic models, I can't really advise them.
The Alcantani Fellowship, whilst the cheapest source of Pikes are no more dangerous than Skellies in combat and cost just as many points. As with all the other Pike units, I cant really see why you would want them.
Skirmishers
For armies without access to Skirmishers the option to actually take them is great. The problem lies here in the fact that most people want Skirmishers as re-directers, to lead enemy units away or to turn their flanks for you to hit. These Skirmishers are expensive and so you really wont want to sacrfice them like that.
Vesperos Vendetta isn't THAT bad of a choice really, you get a unit that is decent in combat and immune to fear thanks to Vesperos Death Mask. Vespero himself can character hunt and they aren't massively expensive. They are a decent harassment unit and can come in quite handy. They work well protecting the flanks of slower armies.
Lumpin Croops Halfling Fighting thingys are a bit of a steal at 90 points, and its only an extra 7 for more Halflings. They have great Ld, are great at range [BS 4 Bows] and are overall quite a reliable unit. The main problem here is the banner. It is easy points if the enemy decides to go for them making that 90 points into 190 for the enemy. They also cant support witha flank charge as they are more likely to give away combat res with their weedy T2. Again a decent unit that works well protecting flanks of slower armies. I think they would work great in a Dwarf army and they would look good alongside Dwarfs too.
Menghil Manhides Manflayers are the ultimate Skirmishers, fast, great at range, great in combat and they bag you extra victory points for chasing away units. The only drawback is the price. A highly recomended unit, Great Weapons on Skirmishers this fast will always come at a high price but if you have the points to spare and are lacking a harassment unit, take these guys!
