Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

This is what I am thinking, sorry if it has been beat to death.

Spearmen: 7x4, probably including the General. Give him either The White Sword (S6 w/ KB) or Blade of Sea Gold (ignores armour saves) for the Cavalry charge. Cool unit.

Along with two mages and a couple Repeater Bolt Throwers:

10 Archers (with a mage). I was thinking something like a front rank of maybe 6. Whatever I have room for and the rest go in the back. Does not have to be even.

20 Seaguard, full command w/ Shields. 10x2, they can reform and use hand weapons to accept a charge.

And ... that's it. Gives me three. With experience maybe I would just take units of Spearmen.

I am thinking fairly shooty with a solid middle of infantry and some cavalry support. Dragon Princes on one side and Fast cav on the other. Thing is I would like to have some fluff-iness. So strong Caledor with Swordsmen. And maybe support from Chrace so say 10 strong unit of White Lions with chariots. But I can do without the Reavers so Shadow Warriors instead.

Silver Helms are for pussies but Tiranoc Chariots are kind of cool, Gladiator style.

Anyway I was just wondering what people thought of the three Core, if anything. I do not really see the point of more although another block of Spears, or maybe two individual blocks may be useful. I like the extra bit of shooting from the Sea Guard at risk of the army becoming a mish-mash.

1. You dont need three Core units in normal games (2k points). Dont letme stop you though.

2. Archers should be in a single rank unless on a hill, even then ten archers is easy to fit in. The main value of archers is that they are viable for their role at 10 strong, so they are good for filling in mandatory sections.
They are a utility unit though, they will almost never make their points back, but by shaving off a rank bonus here or there they can help your main units do so.

3. Seaguard can work now but always need three ranks to take advantage of their rules, and a hill so two of those ranks can shoot, and shields too. This gets expensive and is semi mobile at best.
If you dont get all those benefits you have an inferior unit.

4. Spearelves will fit in any list, now that all cavalry is gone. They are also relatively inexpensive allowing you to have something resembling a body count.
I go with 7x3 for optimum efficiency, as mentioned in numerous threads in the past.

Rather than make your spearelf units bigger invest in another spealelf unit.

Orlanth wrote:1. You dont need three Core units in normal games (2k points). Dont letme stop you though.

2. Archers should be in a single rank unless on a hill, even then ten archers is easy to fit in. The main value of archers is that they are viable for their role at 10 strong, so they are good for filling in mandatory sections.
They are a utility unit though, they will almost never make their points back, but by shaving off a rank bonus here or there they can help your main units do so.

3. Seaguard can work now but always need three ranks to take advantage of their rules, and a hill so two of those ranks can shoot, and shields too. This gets expensive and is semi mobile at best.
If you dont get all those benefits you have an inferior unit.

4. Spearelves will fit in any list, now that all cavalry is gone. They are also relatively inexpensive allowing you to have something resembling a body count.
I go with 7x3 for optimum efficiency, as mentioned in numerous threads in the past.

Rather than make your spearelf units bigger invest in another spealelf unit.

I think I will take two Spearelf units. One 7x3 and one 5x4 to get the extra rank. Instead of taking a 5x4 Sea Guard I can take a 5x4 Spearelf with a Repeater Bolt Thrower for not much more.

Instead of Archers I think I will just use Repeater Bolt Throwers, I can even put a Mage in with one if I pick the right spells. Say ... Lore of Metal, Beasts or High. Although the squad of Archers helps me get away from rather than just 4x RBT. But they are good shooting, for their points.

I'm not sure why you would want 2 mages alongside your fighting Lord. Seems like you either want one scroll caddy, and fighting characters, or all casters except maybe a BSB. Last I knew magic in fantasy followed the "Go Long or Go Home" paradigm.

I said in another thread I was looking at a Mage, a Dragon mage (giving me 6 dice) with a Lord. And maybe toss in the Power Dice banner. Alternatively I can take Eltharion with a Dragon Mage and a Mage, giving me 8 dice.

That seems like plenty of dice for friendly games. If I want to go overboard I can always break out the Lizardmen.

I think this is going to be a cool army. High magic defence/ Cavalry charge might be the your mom to my paper.

I appreciate Orlath's thoughts in the other thread where he/ we limit Swordsmen and White Lions to units of ~10, just to get the attacks in. Twenty strong units of Swordsmen are probably a waste of points. If I need an additional strong defensive unit in say 2500 I can look into Pheonix Guard, or that is when I can toss in the Sea Guard.

One other aspect you can think about is the "hey look at me" factor of some units. I played a pairs tourney with my Lizardmen teamed with High Elves led by Teclis. In my opponents' furor to destroy that 475 pt toughness 2 model they ignored my Lizardmen systematically eliminating all of their shooting while Teclis shifted position from whatever RnF unit their shooting eliminated to the next one to hide while throwing out devastating magic. If the game was played to completion, it would have been a massacre.. but luckily for my opponents time was called before the big game breaking combats came about..

Sea guard woould be my last choice of all 3 core choices.

1 unit of archers first, just so you have a unit of archers to help your repeater bolt throwers with shooting.

Then a unit of spears 6x4. Rather than the prince throw in a mtd (barding of course) BSB with dragon armour and shield with the battle banner for +d6 combat res good times.

That is if you want core heavy, personally I think he works best in white lions for infantry and a unit of 7-8 dragon princes (so they can take a few hits).

Orlanth wrote:1. You dont need three Core units in normal games (2k points). Dont letme stop you though.
Rather than make your spearelf units bigger invest in another spealelf unit.

So, I'm going to be in a 5000-8000 point game tomorrow. I currently have 3 units of 30 Spearelves, 6x5. Should I be doing it 7x4?

and also, Seaguard aren't worth the investment. To use both their abilities you will sacrifice mobility, and they're expensive.