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.

I am not a completely new player, as about five years ago I played actively and had several multi-thousand point armies in 40k and FB. Now, however, things appear to have change a good bit. When I played I had Empire, Skaven, Dark Elf, and Lizardmen armies. My main opponent had High Elves (sidenote, we started FB together HE vs DE), Beasts, Warriors of Chaos, and Dwarfs. Of all his armies, the one I never beat were his Beasts. Ambushing, skirmishing, and fast moving powerful melee wrecked me no matter how I organized my army. Now, maybe I was just bad (I never truly got the hang of FB, being I started with 40k), or maybe Beasts were an amazing army then, as many forum posters back then said his list was powerful.

I tried Empire gun lines, but with too much distance and skirmish he didn't feel much damage and easily survived until his ambushers came up and started their slaughter; I tried magic heavy, range heavy Dark Elves, running into the same problem. I tried melee formats from both, his heavy hitter units tore a path through my hardest units with ease. My skaven... I'll be the first to admit I didn't have a very good skaven army, I just collected them because they're pretty cool. I had hundreds of ratmen, that combined with his ambushing and superior strength didn't last long. Maybe if I didn't field so many clanrats and night runners...

Anyway, I didn't ever play a single game with Lizardmen because I hated the models (they were the old ones, very uggo). So, my question is, are the beasts weak, was I just bad, was he just a better player? I have read several people say Beasts are not a good army, which I find shocking after getting my ass handed to me dozens of times by a pure beast army.

Lastly, if anyone is curious, we never played more than 2000pt games.

Beasts are collectively thought of as one of the weakest armies in the game, thanks to GW making the current codex "stand alone" and as such they can not reference the now outdated Hordes of Chaos army book, which means they lose out on those units and Magic Items.

Now currently, Beasts can make 1-2 army lists that are relatively competitive against most of the field, however they will still struggle against powerhouses like Daemons, VC, and even DE.

Generally the only things considered competitive are: Chariots, Minotaurs, and minimum sized skirmishing Herds that are meant to Divert/Flee rather than fight.

After the Warriors book came out Beasts really lost a lot of what made them good. The one build that I have used lately that works uses Kazarak the One Eye allowing for all units to ambush. The other one that sort of works is a Doombull leading a Minotaur army all marked by Nurgle. Without the better magic items of the Hordes book, the effectiveness has been reduced A LOT, just like Voodoo Boyz said.

I like the idea and the models (for the most part) for Beasts. I am really looking forward to the new book which I have heard is going to come out soon-ish.

Wait for the new ary book, should be 2 or 3 away

They really struggle unless in the hands of an experienced general.

The all minotaur army is just like the ogre army only good

Too bad GW can't sculpt a good Minotaur head to save their lives...

Take a look at the Mordheim Minotaur (the one carrying the bag of skulls).. It is bad ass and what a mino should look like

Yeah, not a big fan of the minotaurs, but hey, at least they are loads better than the ogres in the beasts list

Never noticed that guy before. He is a stronger sculpt than any of their others. Mordheim is weird- some awesome models and some absolutely terrible ones too.

RZ

I hadn't even noticed there was a new Warriors of Chaos book, I still have just the Hordes one. Any idea why they took away the "intermingling" armies?

To sell more models. Now you need a whole different army to run those units that you used to just plug into the beast list.

Beasts are still underpowered.

I still think they have the coolest models in the game, IMHO.

But yes, the standard Minotaurs look awful.

ill add to this.. dragon ogres are eye sores.

And to add to this further- Tuskgors are kind of fugly too. Making all the components of one of the only remaining Beast builds entirely composed of bad sculpts. Ouch.

RZ

While the "bad" beast options are, imo, some of the best models made by GW - the alex hedstrom centigors, gors and ungors, wargors/beastlord, and the shaggoth (whoever makes that)