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Well the store I play at had a snaphew and ordered too many skaven battalion boxes, so I managed to pick up too at a VERY low price.... I've always wanted to make a skaven army, but never had anything to push me to do it until that offer. Anyway, I sat down and made a list and need your help deciding on what to do. First off, I end up with 200 points left and am unsure what to buy. I could buy 4 squads of 25 slaves... 2 squads of 5 jezzails, or some giant rats... Any suggestions? The second question is should I replace one of the warlock engineers for a battle standard bearer? Anyway, here's the list.

Warlord-194

-Weeping Blade, Bands of Power, Warpstone Amulet, Heavy Armor, Shield

 

Warlock Engineer-135

<dir><dir>

-Supercharged WP Accumulator, Upgraded Warp-Energy Condenser, Warp Blades, Storm Daemon, Dispel Scroll, Warpstone Token

</dir></dir>

 

 

Warlock Engineer-135

<dir><dir>

-Supercharged WP Accumulator, Upgraded Warp-Energy Condenser, Warp Blades, Eye of the Horned Rat, Dispel Scroll, Warpstone Token

</dir></dir>

 

Warlock Engineer-135

<dir><dir>

-Supercharged WP Accumulator, Upgraded Warp-Energy Condenser, Warp Blades, Skavenbrew, Warpstone Token

</dir></dir>

 

30 Plague Monks-300

-2 Hand Weapons

Full Command

-Umbranner

 

30 Stormvermin-346

-Halberd, Hand Weapon, Heavy Armor, Shield

Full Command

Ratling Gun

 

30 Clanrats-235

-Hand Weapon, Light Armor, Shield

Full Command

Ratling Gun

 

30 Clanrats-235

-Hand Weapon, Light Armor, Shield

Full Command

Ratling Gun

 

30 Clanrats-235

-Hand Weapon, Light Armor, Shield

Full Command

Ratling Gun

 

Warp-lightning Cannon-100

 

Ok having only played skaven during my Lizardmen days my advice might be a bit outdated but ill try and update it as per the new edition as much as possible.
First thing's first, what should you add: I'd say two units of 30 slaves to provide a 15 man wide meat shield for your units. You're really gonna need them for that as now the rules allow your ratling guns to be picked off individually I believe. With the remaining points get some jezzails to go after knights and the like, armor is hell for the rats to deal with.

Now onto the negative stuff:
1. No meat shield means your units will have to take on average around 3 rounds of fire before they get to grips. Now if it was only a gunline that might be ok, but against a well done dwarf army you'd probably be looking at, most of your ratling guns dead, and your two main units reduced in size to at least 20 models, which won't do you squat against something like dwarves.

2. 5 Ranked units means that on any board with terrain in the middle your army will most likely be bottle necked in places and be able to be taken apart piecemeal, after all most ranked units can hold their own against clan rats.

3. With no gutter runners or the like, armies like wood elves, and other skirmish heavy armies can simply go poke about the woods and move the tree's till they're close enough to charge you in the flank, rear, etc.

Other then that this army probably should work fine. I'd be worried about miscasts but there's nothing you can do there, so good luck once you get a bit more help around here

1. Can't I just place the ratling gun inside the unit and simply not move and fire with it?

2. You can't have terrain in the middle of the board anymore.... terrain has to be 12" from the centre of the board.... and how we do it around here is that each player puts down three pieces of terrain, and then both players get to pick up one.

3. I was wondering about this myself.... I've nothing to protect my flanks except for terrain placement.... I was thinking maybe a couple of rat swarms.... they'd seem like they'd be able to hold it better than gutter runners.

1. I don't have the codex so you should check but i believe they always have to be to the side and within 4 inches of the unit they're attached to. They act kind of like detachments with empire i believe and so cannot be within the unit itself.
2 Sorry i was so vague. I didn't mean the exact middle i just meant it'd be easy to come upon a bottle neck created by the other player where he could meet you unit for unit and take you on unit to unit.
3. I just dislike rat swarms because of the way swarms work nowadays. I wish i knew all of the unit choices for skaven so i could help more.

And i know i sound like a broken record but i really think 1-2 units of jezzails would help, when facing things like Khorne where your not likely to get a spell through, and other knight heavy armies that need to be thinned down by 3-5 models before they reach your lines, they're great.

Here's 3 examples as to why you might want to include them:
*1* 6 Chaos chosen knights of khorne have a good chance of ripping through a unit even up front, and with the current list you've got maybe 1 shot with a ratling gun to bring down at least 2. Which if we go by the 1/2 wounding ratio and 1/3 failed save ratio comes our to about what 12 shots? Not impossible but not easy. But with the 6 Jezzails you'd have at least 2-3 rounds of 4-5+ to hit, 3 to wound, and a -3 save. Again it may only plink a knight or two but with the ratling in there also your more then likely going to be facing maybe3 knights and a lord at most then, easily deal able with CR
*2*Lord on Dragon- Always at least 4+ to hit so 3 hits a turn, 2 that give the beast D3 wounds on a 5 +, and one that wounds the rider at worst on a 4+ with D3, and since they're on a dragon probably close to no armor save
*3* Pegasus knights- A bit hard to hit at either 5+ or 6+ but once you've hit you wound 2/3's of the time, and they'll only have a save of 6+/5+ plus a 2/3 chance of dying. Again not the best example here but they're murder when they get behind.

Posted By Angron on 11/24/2006 12:44 PM

1. Can't I just place the ratling gun inside the unit and simply not move and fire with it?

2. You can't have terrain in the middle of the board anymore.... terrain has to be 12" from the centre of the board.... and how we do it around here is that each player puts down three pieces of terrain, and then both players get to pick up one.

3. I was wondering about this myself.... I've nothing to protect my flanks except for terrain placement.... I was thinking maybe a couple of rat swarms.... they'd seem like they'd be able to hold it better than gutter runners.

1.  The gun team counts as a seperate unit.  Unless there is a rule that says units can join together then I would say no.

3.  Ya, I think swarms would be better then night runners.  They don't spook as easily.

IMHO, the rules just changed and Skaven are just kind of screwed in the interim until they get a new army book (or until next edition).  Seems both my armies are in this state (well Dark Elves have been screwed all edition).  Good thing I am playing a different game.  Maybe by the time they fix one of my armies fantasy will look fun again).

Forget the meat shield thing, its ridiculous for a skaven army to try and play that way. You want to avoid combat and keep shooting lanes open with this army, not block them with a giant panicy pincushion.

As-is I'm not a fan of the list. You'll win games through shooting and magic, and lose hard if and when people reach you to get into combat (or you shooting/magic backfire - which happens).

Add slaves, add giant rats, max out on both. Get yourself some Plague Censor Bearers for gods sake! Units of 30 are excessive IMO, but for the Clanrats not too bad. Stormvermin are generally overrated, and be careful to get the charge with the Monks. If they receive the charge instead they break just as easily and anything else in your army. I'd take the Banner of Hatred for them instead.

Also save some points by dropping the gear from the general. At the moment he is a 300 point swing waiting to happen at the end of the game due to the Amulet (not worth it IMO).