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Hi all, I'm about to start a mordheim warband (as well as several other players at our flgs) and I'm confused as to who I want to use. I like the look of the Reiklanders and battle sisters. As a starting force I was thinking more men instead of equipment so I managed to get 11 men into my reiklander list (5 heroes, 4 marksmen, 2 swordsmen) and 9 into my sisters list (5 heroes, 4 sisters). I'm kind of undecided on which to go for. I guess it comes down to how important shooting is in the game.

Also I'm gonna be the only newb. Everyone else had experience playing long before I arrived...any tips?

Tom's Boring Mordheim Forum is the place you should go to

Lukus83 wrote:Hi all, I'm about to start a mordheim warband (as well as several other players at our flgs) and I'm confused as to who I want to use. I like the look of the Reiklanders and battle sisters. As a starting force I was thinking more men instead of equipment so I managed to get 11 men into my reiklander list (5 heroes, 4 marksmen, 2 swordsmen) and 9 into my sisters list (5 heroes, 4 sisters). I'm kind of undecided on which to go for. I guess it comes down to how important shooting is in the game.

Also I'm gonna be the only newb. Everyone else had experience playing long before I arrived...any tips?

Welcome to Mordheim! Its one of the best games GW has produced. Make sure, however, that you're careful about which bands are being used. We found the rulebook bands to be fairly well balanced against each other, but when Beastmen, Dwarves, Orks, Shadow Warriors, etc. were added, things got wacky.

So, with that out of the way, on to the other tips:

The number of models you want to have largely depends on the metagame of the area you play. I've seen lots of people play with 4 or 5 really well equipped models (which I'll call RPG Mordheim). Our many campaigns have seen more models being fielded, as you did with your 11 man Reikland band. And here is why.

In Mordheim, Armour pretty much counts for nothing. Its very expensive. And gaining Strength buffs is cheap. Your models will naturally improve to 4 (or more depending on warband), halberds, double handed weapons, axes, skills, etc. all make tinfoil out of amour. Add to that the basic critical hit charts, which almost all ignore armor, and you're better off with more bodies. More bodies means (usually) more people to search, a higher 25% rout number, and more flexibility on the field depending on the scenario.

Shooting, again in the basic rulebook bands, varies depending on the band, and how much terrain you use. Shooting can be tough (Witch Hunters set up to shoot, and Skaven and Sister "all sling" bands) if the bands focus on those things. Some bands have almost no shooting (chaos, undead). Most of the time, shooting will not outright win you the game, however. A lot of the scenarios require you to take counters, hold objectives, or move, which will diminish shooting.

Good luck, let us know how you get along, and if you have more questions, ask! Even though this forum isn't that busy, eventually someone will respond.

Thanks for the advice.

The campaign has now started and in total there are 4 of us. 3 Mercenaries (2 reiklanders, 1 marienburg) and me...I decided skaven in the end.

In our group we have one veteran mordheim player and he has given us all some advice on how to equip warbands. It seems to be a universal fact that armour is pretty crap, so why not go for a race that can't wear the heavy stuff.

I have to admit that so far my first few games were tough. I haven't won yet, though 1 of my games was due to a rout test...which had I pulled off my counter attack would have demolished his warband. Any tips for skaven...I have a lot of slings in my warband (though not on my nasty cc heroes). Heroes have fighting claws/weeping blades.

Any advice welcome...

We've not actually had a Skaven band run in Mordheim yet, but there are probably a couple of "universal" things:

1) slings are really good. Each time you shoot you get two shots at 9" if you don't move. So the enemy either sits at 18" getting pelted, or they close with you to get hit twice as often. Don't be afraid to stand in front of the enemy and just throw sling bullets.

2) be careful with 'overequipping' a warband early. Buying things like weeping blades and claws for all your heroes is expensive and may not get the return you need. We found that the simple 'club and hammer' or 'two club' or even 'club and dagger' weapon outfit was really good. More attacks is good, more chances for critical, and if it ignores armor, it doesn't matter if its a dagger or a weeping blade. Save the bigger purchases until you have some skills, stat bumps, and decide how you want to use each (of course, there is nothing wrong with buying your leader something nice, just be judicious). I think we costed out 14 model skaven starting bands... which can be pretty scary.

3) make sure you get an unholy relic for your leader, to auto pass that first rout test (if its the first ld test he needs to make). Ld is a big problem for skaven though.

4) get lucky charms for all of your heroes. Ignoring the first hit on a 4+ is pretty nice, especially if you're going to stand still with the slings (in cover, of course)

Sounds like you're off to a good start, keep at it. Remember, skaven are fast, don't be afraid to be patient and redeploy, or really take advantage of cover.

Thanks again. I'm well on my way to getting the lucky charms, and I will definately get the unholy relic after my next game (in about 4 hours)! Now I have had my first few advances my characters are looking quite sweet (my assassin adept and 1 of my black skaven have an extra attack as well as +1 WS...Now im just looking for a nice T or W upgrade).