The Art of Warhammer:
Basic Strategy in Warhammer Fantasy

  Warhammer Fantasy is a multifaceted game that allows its players to focus on storyline, modeling, and painting; and I have always been crappy at those. The part of the game that guys like me play for is the strategy.  For people like us, Warhammer is a thought exercise used to challenge our wits against another’s. It’s like customizable chess, but better. In this series of articles, I am going to try and share some of the basics I have learned about the strategy aspect of this fine game.

  WARNING: This article is about strategy and winning the game. I will not take cheesiness or game fluff into account.

  With that out of the way, let’s start at the beginning:

Learn the Rule

  It may seem like a daunting task at first, but the Fantasy rule book is surprisingly thorough. Rules define the game, so they are essential to winning. You need to know if your opponent is playing his unit’s right, and you need to know that you’re being fair to your opponent. Countless games have been lost because a player makes a tactical decision based on an incomplete understanding of the rules, and then gets his unit blown away. A thorough grasp of the rules is key to crafting a winning strategy.

Learn Your Army

  It is shocking how many people line up their armies having no idea what their units do. How in the name of all that is good and holy can you say you have built a good army if you don’t know what your units do or what their stats are. Before you try to build a list learn about your chosen army. What are its strengths and weaknesses?  Play to your strengths; don’t be that guy face palming all the time because he wanted to make the shooty Bretonian list when the only thing that army is good at is close combat. What are the key units you need to use?  Make sure you are using the best guys for the job every time. What are some basic strategies that are use for the army? Being original is cool and all, but learn the basics from those that know. If you want to learn to how to play golf (or cheat on a Swedish model) then you may want to watch Tiger Woods. Learn why the best do the things they do, trust me it will make you a better player faster than anything else. 

The List

  The biggest mistake most people make when they start playing is not spending enough time on their army lists. When you start to learn the game you tend to focus on what’s happening on the board, learning rules, and rolling dice. Your first list was usually slapped together by a friend so you guys could get to the action on the table. This is understandable, because “on the table” is where the action happens, but it means that many players blow past one of the building blocks of a winning strategy; a good list. Look for unit interactions. Try to choose units not just because they help your plan, but also because they help each other. A banner that lets you reroll leadership may not be worth 50 points in a unit with a leadership of nine, but it may become worth it if you realize that it gives the bonus to every unit around it and those units have a leadership of three. By realizing the interaction of your units you can better assess the value of adding abilities and war gear.

The Plan

  Games are often won or lost before a model touches the table. When you write your list you must have a plan. Don’t just write down a unit because you like it, or because it looks cool. A basic strategy for your army is required to judge whether a model belongs in the list. Do you plan to assault, shoot or magic your way to victory? Every army is going to want to do a little of each, but if you want to win you need to do one much better than your opponent. Once you have figured out your focus justify each unit in your army.
  First, ask yourself “how will this unit help me reach my goal; what role will it be fulfilling?”. Second, justify the number of models in each unit. So many players simply pick the number of guys they are running because that’s how many come in a box, or simply out of thin air. Each guy over the necessary number is wasted points; each guy under the necessary number is hurting your unit. Third, justify the war gear you give each unit. Again, make sure each piece of war gear you buy has a specific benefit that complements your plan for the unit and does its job effectively.

  Another important point when building a list is to prepare for possible threats your opponent may present. You may have built the world’s most kick ass close combat list, but what is your plan against an army that can nullify your close combat with magic. (i.e. Vampire Counts) Your army is not going to fight in a vacuum, not only do you have to execute your plan well; you have to stop your opponent’s plan of attack.  It is not enough to try to adopt to your opponent’s tactics once you start the game; you have to prepare to fight popular strategies as you right your list. If you don’t want to lose to magic you need to have a mage with dispel scrolls in your army. If you don’t want your close combat army to get cut to ribbons by an Empire gun line you need to include units that will rundown opposing war machines early. One dimensional lists will always be crushed by strategies they did not plan for.

  Well that’s all for this week. Next week we’ll delve into another much ignored topic in Warhammer; setting up the army.

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