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So it seems loads of folks are talking about stepping into Warhammer for the first time, or taking on either High Elves or Skaven as a new army in just a few short weeks. So I'm sitting here a little bored on a Sunday afternoon and was wondering what folks are thinking of doing?

By that I mean, which army are you taking on, any themes yet, general plan for your army to be, or plans for its background?


Myself, as I mentioned elsewhere, I'm taking on the Skaven, after my wife made my July a happy one and offered to take on the Asur, so as to give my other Warhammer army, *points at name* their hated foes.

I was talking this morning with her and I've come up with my story for the army. Two female Skaven born 'white' and taken from the birthing pits on the day of their birth by a Verminlord have been raised under the distant yet watchful eye of Lord Sneak. (i.e, he got one of his Warlords/Assassins to do it.) The larger of the two sisters has became a Grey Seer, while her sister blunt to magics was trained as a Assassin and now serves her Grey Seer sister as agent and bodyguard.

My wife is currently designing them via a few sketches and then will sculpt them both for me over the next few months. My inspiration for this is partially, female Skaven are recorded (by Dwarves anyway) as being generally stupid and overly large, so the idea of two blessed by the Horned Rat earning themselves greatness in the eyes of other Skaven appeals to me greatly. Plus as a former Legend of the Five Rings player, I used to like the Ratlings in that game, and one of my faves was a female hero. Finally, it's not something I've seen in a Skaven army so far, although I'm sure someone has done it somewhere.

Model wise I'm getting two IoB boxes, a Doomwheel and either the Battalion box or Stormvermin to form the heart of my new force. For the time being, the Clan Skyre Warlock that comes with the IOB will probably lead, until I can pick up enough points to warrent the Grey seer and her sister. I am very tempted to stetch out the budget and get a Skweel mind, the thought of him with Rat Ogres is pretty nasty.

I'll share those pics once they are done to let folks see where she is going, and I'm interested in hearing what other folks are coming up with for their new forces.

I've had a growing soft spot for The Empire over the years, but never ventured back into Fantasy.

Well, I'm heading back in with this new version. I've decided to go with an unusual army, Marienburg.

This city, the largest and wealthiest in the Old World, seceded from the Empire, has a strong bright colour scheme and most importantly hires tons of mercs to fight in it's colossal armies, along with a Sea Elven enclave within the city.

That means I'll have elven sorcerers, perhaps some elven cav and then opportunity for other units as well. Plenty of the dogs of war units I really liked, like the lost legion and marksmen.

This means no steam tank for me though, nor the knightly orders (although some merc heavy cav, made of a mix of races/types might make an appearance).

Oh and I'll be using the dogs of war rules for ogres from Ogre kingdoms, just a unit of bulls, in pirate garb, using that pirate maneater as a leader.

I plan to build a story around the mage, so far, I've decided he'll go on some sort of quest where he hitches a ride on a sea guard ship along with his body guard (some spearmen and sword masters) where he saves the ship from sea storm/sea battle/other event, a reward for this the prince at the head of the expedition he's riding with joins him with a small contingent of sea guard. Later on he does some act that gets the Reavers to join him but I've barely started on the main story line yet soooo...

I have no immediate plans... not enough money for that. But I do have long-term plans for an Empire gunline.

Plans are to expand and flesh out beastmen for now. Finally got a colour scheme I'm pleased with. Scorched brown on a black base coat for skin with Badab Black wash and graveyard earth highlighting. Then bestial and bubonic brown for the fur with badab black. Gives them a less red beastman look nor the more human flesh tones of the new schemes out. And to top it off bronze/steel looking metal parts and reds for cloth and shadow grey with skull white highlight for bone parts. Gives them a dark, brooding look I feel fits well with the army without looking dull. I've had the models for ages but just couldn't settle on a colour scheme.

I was thinking of basing the background for this brayherd as being from the Drakwald forest. The Night Legion Due to their shadowy skins and large ranks of gors. But go where the hunt leads. Replenishing their forces from smaller tribes they bully into line or reinforcements from their home territory eager for a battle with the herd. Led by Zharrak Rend-horn. This is my beastlord I have in any fight above 1000 Points. And closely advised and aided by a pair of bray shaman. And for smaller battles they command the herd. Leaving the Beastlord to go where the fights are biggest and fiercest. He craves battle over all. The Shaman have their own side motives and plans.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:I've had a growing soft spot for The Empire over the years, but never ventured back into Fantasy.
Well, I'm heading back in with this new version. I've decided to go with an unusual army...

I'm stealing some of your statement to use, MGS. Hope you don't mind!

But yeah. With an Escalation league starting up...I decided I wanted to get started, and after debating and getting to look through a copy of "Uniforms and Heraldry of the Empire"...I've decided to go with Wissenland.

Awesome province, awesome backstory of having survived some of the most brutal Orc invasions--and what's more, it's seemingly the most progressive of the provinces in that they don't limit themselves to just handgunners or crossbowmen.

It lets me add in Huntsmen, Greatswords, and pretty much every model I've really wanted to paint from the Empire line--simply because Wissenland is that important of a buffer between the World's Edge Mountains and the Empire proper.

It'll be nice too, with the fact that it seems Orcs and Goblins, Ogres, and even a pair of Chaos(both Warriors and Daemons) are seemingly what I'll be facing. It's gonna be a blast for me.

Mmm, nice aren't those funky looking elite Gate guard, looking over a map Wissenland?

Got a feeling Marienburg had an elite unit in the back of the book as well MGS.

When I go back to Empire (and it will happen eventually) I intend to do Ostermark again, and I am so doing a big unit of the Death Heads.

Kanluwen wrote:
I'm stealing some of your statement to use, MGS. Hope you don't mind!

But yeah. With an Escalation league starting up...I decided I wanted to get started, and after debating and getting to look through a copy of "Uniforms and Heraldry of the Empire"...I've decided to go with Wissenland.
It'll be nice too, with the fact that it seems Orcs and Goblins, Ogres, and even a pair of Chaos(both Warriors and Daemons) are seemingly what I'll be facing. It's gonna be a blast for me.

Taking a look through that book now (since I finally laid my talons on it yesterday!) and one of the knightly orders, Knights of the Broken Sword, was formed directly after the destruction of Solland by Gorbad Ironclaw's Waaagh, the Knights are made from the sons of dispossessed nobles and have more than a score to settle with the bad guys in that area, it would be a perfect fit!

My plans are to finally start Clan Skanje!

A Clan of Skaven found on the very brink of the Southern wastes, where very little Warpstone is availible. They have however perfected the art of Breeding Slaves and clanrats to the fullest of potentail and consequently are still able to trade for Skyres warmachines and Moulders Mutant creations. Clan Eshin is the only clan unwilling to trade with Clan Skanje as there Spies have told them that the lack of warpstone has left them crazy and incredibly untrustworthy, even for a Skaven!
Led by Grey Seer Krith and his Warlock Engineer Acomplice Frethburn, they seek to move onwards and claim as much warpstone as their twitchy noses can sniff out!

Ive been collecting skaven for a while and I plan to get the box set mainly for the plastic warlock engineer, warlord , warpfire thrower and mortar.
My clan is called Clan Warp Claw and is a breakaway clan from skryre. oh yeh and also i want to have a mini new rulebook aswell XD.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:
I'm stealing some of your statement to use, MGS. Hope you don't mind!

But yeah. With an Escalation league starting up...I decided I wanted to get started, and after debating and getting to look through a copy of "Uniforms and Heraldry of the Empire"...I've decided to go with Wissenland.
It'll be nice too, with the fact that it seems Orcs and Goblins, Ogres, and even a pair of Chaos(both Warriors and Daemons) are seemingly what I'll be facing. It's gonna be a blast for me.

Taking a look through that book now (since I finally laid my talons on it yesterday!) and one of the knightly orders, Knights of the Broken Sword, was formed directly after the destruction of Solland by Gorbad Ironclaw's Waaagh, the Knights are made from the sons of dispossessed nobles and have more than a score to settle with the bad guys in that area, it would be a perfect fit!

Oh definitely. I've got a battalion box incoming, and I don't think the Knights are going to get any play till at least 1250 points or so.

But then, you can bet your bottomdollar the Knights of the Broken Sword are gonna be getting some serious action alongside of their leader.

my plans are simple GETTING MORE BOYZ FOR DA WAAAGH

I'm actually at a toss up between Vampire Counts or Beastmen right now.

I don't have any fluff for my Beastmen yet but I have an entire story for my Vampire Counts. My Vampire Lord was once a general of the Empire from solland whose army was surrounded and destroyed by a Orc force that was only a small faction of Gorbad Ironclaws Waaagh because he didn't recieve the support his army needed during the time of the 3 Emperors. Well the General (named Viktor) and his captain were captured and taken prisoner. After watching his men butchered and eatn one by one the General began to curse Sigmar for abandoning them and the Empire for being corrupt and he swore he would tear it down and build it anew.

It was then that a voice whispered out of the darkness of the nearby woods offering him the power to achieve his vengance for himself and his men, it offered him the power to destroy the Empire. His captain pleaded with him not to listen to the voice before he fell unconcious due to his wounds. When the captain woke his bonds were cut, every single orc was dead and the general was gone. Viktor dissapeared for hundreds of years and was thought lost but in reality he was traveling the world with his master (hint hint).

For the next 800 years Viktor traveled the world increasing his power and making allies in preperation of the war to come. His actions include returning to the site of his last battle as a General of the Empire and ressurecting his army, taking the Dwarf Hold of Karak Vlag as his fortress and renaming it Bale Peak, trading vast amounts of Warpstone to the Master Moulders of Hell Pit in exchange for a truely monsterous mount (a dragon born from an egg provided by Viktor was mutated trough a mixture of Viktors magic and Clan Moulders skills).

He traded slaves to the Chaos Dwarves in exchange for weapons and armor, sent his forces into the wastes to fight the marauder tribes whose dead fueled his army even more and even traveled to Lustria seeking the aid of Clan Pestilens in creating a plague that would fuel his army with enough undead to smother the Empire in darkness.

Well I've caught onto the whole Skaven bandwagon, quite happily in fact. Island of Blood just gave me the excuse I needed to start a cheaper horde army.

Currently shelled out for 2 IoB sets, a Screaming Bell, 80 clanrats and a doomwheel... now I'm out of money, haha!

The fluff for my army is going to be centred around Clan Mors, and the tide of clanrats, slaves and Stormvermin that will follow! Though I am getting the bell as a centrepiece model and the doomwheel just because it's too awesome not to buy

My Skaven can roughly be described "Skrye-light"-they use lots of Steam powered machinery. For instance, I will hopefully be getting two sets worth of the Skaven, so one of the Warlocks will be converted to a Warlord on a Warlitter playing a steampowered organ. Beyond that, not really sure-though I have decided my general, Sceenkastor, will be unscrupulous and paranoid even for a Skaven.

No plans to use or get IoB. However I do plan to finish my 2 armies:

1) WoC - my current project for my FLGS build and battle campaign. I'm going with a unified chaos force and it will eventually be lead by Archaon. The army will have at least one unit with each mark.

2) Dark Elves - I'm hoping that after my WoC are finished that there may be plastic specials on the way for them. Otherwise I just intend to flesh out the force with the big monsters, the front rank of each special unit (no point in playing that much for entire metal units) and then getting more xbows, as I need at least 3 boxes of warriors to rework the army.

I've just sold my lizardmen and beastmen armies, but kept my Dwarves and Orcs. I'm pretty much planning on "8th editioning" both of those, as I love painting the models in them and love the fluff for both the armies.

My dwarves are based on the idea of a mercenary force from the Grey Mountains who have been driven out of their hold by Orcs. I have the standard Dwarven leaders and whatnot in there, no twists- I love the basic dwarven shtick.

My orcs and goblins originally started as an attempt to make a proper "common" orc and goblin tribe. No black orcs or savage orcs, no night goblins. As time has gone on, Da Whitefangs have expanded and I now have one of nearly everything, so I added to the background saying that Da Boss had conquered a bunch of other tribes. I love that army more than any of my others, and am really happy with how they look, but I hardly ever play with them because animosity is such a pain in the arse.

Island of blood is lovely, but actually, the price had the effect of pushing me into mantic plastics headlong. I might start an Undead force using their plastics, for the laugh.

Ah, I'm stuck at what army to collect. I'm tied between vamp. counts, daemons and woc. Any suggestions to help me choose?

What playstyle do you like?

Well, I really like a devastating cc army.

Okay, well Undead troops for the most part don't hit that hard. They've got a lot of advantages, and they are CC focused, but in an odd, magic dependant sort of way.
WoC also do well with some magic, but they're much more CC focused. I'm not sure how 8th has effected them, but they're pretty good at combat and can field a LOT of guys.
Daemons are a really elite army, and they are very powerful, mechanically. I've heard that 8th has weakened them a bit, which is good frankly- before they were far and away better than a lot of other books which made them less fun to play against and probably with as people were negative about them. They can make a very powerful CC army if you want, and they're also really good at magic.
So my advice would be look into the model ranges and background for WoC and Daemons and decide that way. There's some good discussions of how they play going on around the boards too. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the tips. But, can woc use summoned daemons like csm?

No, Daemons are a different army entirely. You can mount your lords on daemoic steeds, but that's about it.
You do get access to Trolls, Ogres, Dragon Ogres and Shaggoths though, if you like a more monstrous army. There's a Troll special character that lets you take them as Core choices too

I think I'm going to play warriors of chaos. I've always loved the bandits from fable, and I think with the marauders I can capture that look quite well. I aslo did some reading, and a warband of vikings/barbarians/bandits who love pillaging, sounds really cool to me.

Hmmm
Hadn't really thought about fluff for me dwarves and gobbos.

Like Casper I aim to finish these rather than get any IoB stuff. Inspired by peoples' posts I feel honour bound to think up a bit of background for the dwarves as they look like being my main guys.

Gobbos 2nd for the sheer greenskin funnery of it all.
Then there will be my daughter's Woodies to sort. Will probably take a leaf (see what I did there?) out of RiTides book and go Treekin

Have some ideas for a fairly unique Dwarf unit and will scratch the Treekin.
Hopefully someday in time for 10th edition

Well I have all this WoC stuff I'm slowly getting through I've had for years but never got round to building and painting. Replacing the old harsemen and knights as the newer plastics look damn nice. After that was considering HE, not played since 4th/5th ed but had been tempted to do another HE army and with isle minis looking so nice I'm almost sold. Just wanting to see what their new plastics bring then shall see

Stick the old models in the back ranks with the new ones in the front to have bigger units

I have a bretonnian army and i am starting up a dark elf army cant decided what color scheme.

I was toying with the idea of an all-female Empire army, might still follow that up at some point.

Munch Munch! wrote:I think I'm going to play warriors of chaos. I've always loved the bandits from fable, and I think with the marauders I can capture that look quite well. I aslo did some reading, and a warband of vikings/barbarians/bandits who love pillaging, sounds really cool to me.

Score 1 for fable. I always thought the hollow men looked susspiciously like Wight Kings