General's Handbook - Listbuilding

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Cinncinatti
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2014 3:01 am

General's Handbook - Listbuilding

#1 Post by Cinncinatti »

I picked up the new General's Handbook over the weekend and have been reviewing the scenarios and listbuilding. Overall, I'm pretty excited about the options. The scenarios for Matched Play seem challenging.

Current Army I've got planned for some games is as follows

10 Glade Guard 120 Battleline
10 Glade Guard 120 Battleline
5 Liberators 100 Battleline
10 Phoenix Guard 200
10 Phoenix Guard 200
10 Executioners 200
1 Anointed 80 Leader
1 Loremaster 100 Leader
1 Repeater BT 120 Artillery
1 Reaper BT 120 Artillery
1 Frostheart w Anointed 260 Behemoth, Leader
1 Flamespyre w Anointed 280 Behemoth, Leader
Spyreheart Warhost 100 Battalion

This list is a combined arms approach, which I see as being hard to shift off of objectives. The presence of 3 Anointeds provides great battleshock mitigation, as PG don't need to take battleshock tests if one is nearby. Also their native 4+ save, combined with a 4++ save should make them hard to shift. I see the executioners as the hammer to the Phoenix guard's anvil. Their Severing Strike ability can lay just about anything low.

The Glade guard are there to poke some holes, and with their Arcane Bodkins one shot ability they can be a threat to highly armored foes. I see the GG as also providing protection for backline objectives in certain scenarios.

The Loremaster I see as usually camping with the bolt throwers and throwing hand of glory on one per turn. If I'm using multi-shot for both throwers, then it goes on the reaper. The ability to reroll failed wound rolls that can turn into 2 damage if a six comes up is great upside. If I need to use the big shot of the repeater to take down something hardy, then the repeater gets hand of glory.

The Anointed on foot gives some magical protection as he can unbind and will be close enough to do so. The Two phoenix provide support and have enough speed to move around the board as needed. Plus, with the no cost anointed added on, they have a 4++ save, making them hard to kill even with Mortal Wounds. Also the Warscroll battalion will give them a short ranged attack that inflicts D3 mortal wounds.

The liberators...are there because they are cheaper than GG and allow me to use the Battalion. They aren't super easy to kill, though, so they might be a good jam unit, especially when factoring in the Grand Alliance Order ability.

So what do you think?
AlphaDecay
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Re: General's Handbook - Listbuilding

#2 Post by AlphaDecay »

I just picked up the book myself. Still trying to digest everything. Do you see a points value for sisters of avelorn? With everything being separated into subfactions it's obnoxious to find stuff. Hoping to make a list and play against my son (Skaven) and see how these points work out.
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Prince of Spires
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Re: General's Handbook - Listbuilding

#3 Post by Prince of Spires »

Sounds like you did some good thinking on the list.

It should be able to withstand quite a bit of punishment with the anointed and the PG. And you have some serious shooting. What the list is lacking perhaps is some more mobility. You have the 2 Phoenixes. But the rest is infantry. Which may create 2 separate contingents in your army. For a true combined arms list, I would add in a cavalry unit, which adds in a lot of mobile punch. It would connect the phoenixes with the infantry parts of the list. Where to get the points though is difficult. As always :)

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jolinarlorian
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Re: General's Handbook - Listbuilding

#4 Post by jolinarlorian »

Nice, any reason for not pooling the Glade Guard into a unit of 20 for the +1 to hit on your opening volleys?

I have put Darkshards in my list over Glade Guard, the one off rend is nice but I think Darkshards are more reliable over the course of a game. I couple mine with an Archmage on foot.

If you wanted some cavalry, some Dragonblades could replace your Executioners. On the charge both units will deal 5 damage on average vs +4 save units. The dragonblades have some good defence Vs ranged so will likely make it to combat.
Cinncinatti
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Re: General's Handbook - Listbuilding

#5 Post by Cinncinatti »

Thanks for the comments!

@ AlphaDecay
The Sisters are now under Wanderers and are called Sisters of the Watch (don't have the book so no points). Good luck in your game with your son, let us know how it goes. BTW Sisters will ruin Skaven now that they have the Chaos keyword (Sisters get +1 to wound on Chaos units, so they wound on a 2+) so they are a solid choice for that matchup.

@ Prince of Spires
Mobility is a great point. The mobility of the phoenixes won’t help me in some scenarios where you need at least 5 models to claim a backline objective (I still haven’t memorized the scenario names). I could lose the Battalion for 100 points (giving up the potential D3 mortal wounds ranged attack for the phoenixes) which also loses me an extra magic item (you can equip one extra hero with an item for each battalion you bring), and switch the Liberators for Silver Helms (Silver Helms are thankfully Battleline so I still meet requirements). This will give me some mobility to either scoot around for objectives or jam up enemy units before they can get to their objectives. Other upside is this puts me slightly below 2000 points, so I have the potential to gain a Triumph Ability, assuming my opponent has used more points than me. Plus I think the silver helms are just as survivable as the liberators. Plus plus, full Aelven force!

(For those who don’t know, Triumph Abilities are 3 randomly selected, one off reroll abilities for a unit IF you have used fewer points than your opponent when making your army. It’s a reroll hits, wounds, or saves for one turn options. I actually really like this, gives you some incentive to not Min-Max)

@ jolinarlorian
I’m not blobbing up the glade guard because in a 2000 point game you need at least 3 battleline units. If my opponent and I were playing just points, no other restrictions, then I’d def blob them for that ability. Darkshards def have some upside, and I think might be even cheaper at 100 points (not sure on that and don’t have book on me). But I don’t have any! In the words of Jon Snow, “We go to war with the army we have”. That said, I also prefer the greater range on the GG.

Regarding the Executioners vs Dragon Blades, I def favor the Executioners. That severing strike ability is just too fearsome. 2 mortal wounds on 6’s to hit? No amount of armor makes you safe from them. Plus they have a decent 4+ save. If I was going to add cavalry it would be as I described above. Still mulling over that one.
Cinncinatti
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Re: General's Handbook - Listbuilding

#6 Post by Cinncinatti »

So after mulling over some options, I have two new lists for consideration

Option 1
10 Glade Guard 120 Battleline
10 Glade Guard 120 Battleline
5 Silver Helms 140 Battleline
10 Phoenix Guard 200
10 Phoenix Guard 200
10 Executioners 200
1 Anointed 80 Leader
1 Loremaster 100 Leader
1 Repeater BT 120 Artillery
1 Reaper BT 120 Artillery
1 Frostheart w Anointed 260 Behemoth, Leader
1 Flamespyre w Anointed 280 Behemoth, Leader

Total: 1940

Option 2
10 Glade Guard 120 Battleline
10 Glade Guard 120 Battleline
5 Ellyrian Reavers 160 Battleline
10 Phoenix Guard 200
10 Phoenix Guard 200
10 Executioners 200
1 Anointed 80 Leader
1 Loremaster 100 Leader
1 Repeater BT 120 Artillery
1 Reaper BT 120 Artillery
1 Frostheart w Anointed 260 Behemoth, Leader
1 Flamespyre w Anointed 280 Behemoth, Leader
Total 1960

Both lists give me a more mobile Cavalry unit to give me greater flexibility on the field to contest objectives and harass the enemy and disrupt lanes. Both also put me below the 2000 point limit, thus giving me the opportunity for a Triumph (more on this later). This change isn’t without costs though. I would need to give up the Spyreheart Warhost Battalion to make these lists work. I am also sacrificing another magic item to make for a hero to take. I'd still take the PG as two separate units for the flexibility that offers regarding objectives.

But which unit to take! The Silver Helms are more durable with a 4+ save, and ability to reroll failed saves of 1 in combat and 1s and 2s in the shooting phase. The reavers only have a 5+ save in comparison, with no reroll capability. The Reavers, on the other hand, can move an extra 2 inches, making them more mobile. Their ability to shoot three shoots when at distance, and to move again before or after they shoot further adds an edge to their mobility. Their shooting isn’t shabby, having 3 shoots as long as they aren’t within 3” means they actually get more shoots than a single unit of 10 glade guard with the same 4 to hit, 4 to wound profile. Granted, they don’t have any rend capability but they can still harass.

It seems like an obvious choice to go with the Reavers, but I worry about their ability to hold any objectives once captured. They seem awfully flimsy compared to the Silver Helms, and I’m not sure their shooting ability makes up for that. I’m in a real pickle!

Regarding the potential Triumph for having used less points, I’ve been considering what unit to give the bonus. For the reroll to hit, and the reroll to wound, I think the glade guard are the best option. Giving one unit either option would ensure the Arcance Bodkins had maximum impact the turn they use them. After all, they aren’t elite ranged in AoS unless blobbed up so this small boost would increase their threat range further.

I’m less sure about the Triumph for rerolling failed saves. I think the Executioners would be a good candidate since they are at their deadliest when at full strength. I need to think about that one more.
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Re: General's Handbook - Listbuilding

#7 Post by Jimmy »

The general's handbook could be the single reason I look back at this hobby with interest. :)
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