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As I might end up getting the new box set (with skaven and high elves-- yeah, not interested in the latter...), I'm playing around with a low points Skaven list. As usual, I go for theme. In this case, it's a sort of yakuza style army. Generic low-level thugs (Clanrats) on the fore, more skilled pseudo-ninjas attacking from behind via tunneling (Night Runners), led by a warlord who's guarded by his trusty ogre-like bodyguard and assisted by his personal mad scientist.


Lords
General: Warlord
-- Rat Ogre Bonebreaker
-- Blade of Corruption, Enchanted Shield, Portents of Verminous Doom

Heroes
Level 2 Warlock Engineer
-- Warp Musket, Staff of Sorcery

Core
Clanrats w/Shields
-- 29 Clanrats
-- Full Command
-- Warpfire Thrower Team
Clanrats w/Shields
-- 29 Clanrats
-- Full Command
-- Warpfire Thrower Team
Night Runners
-- 20 Night Runners
-- Warp-Grinder Team

I don't know how good this would be-- the numbers somehow seem rather low for a Skaven army. At higher points levels, I'd want to include another Clanrats unit, another Night Runner unit, and a Gutter Runner unit. Possibly an Assassin as well.

i like it, im starting a skaven list too, and mines all about theme too, as everyone of my armies is lol! but im not sure about my theme, however yours sounds awsome...
it is very low on numbers tho.
AAAAAAANd how come you only ever do 1k lists? lol

I have to start somewhere. I'm deciding on an army to start. I really like gunpowder units... but then I also like the spider-riders. And this theme amuses me, especially since I could make a mockery of batman.

"I'm Ratmaaaaaaaaaaan...."

Melissia wrote:
Lords
General: Warlord
-- Rat Ogre Bonebreaker
-- Blade of Corruption, Enchanted Shield, Portents of Verminous Doom

Heroes
Level 2 Warlock Engineer
-- Warp Musket, Staff of Sorcery

Core
Clanrats w/Shields
-- 29 Clanrats
-- Full Command
-- Warpfire Thrower Team
Clanrats w/Shields
-- 29 Clanrats
-- Full Command
-- Warpfire Thrower Team
Night Runners
-- 20 Night Runners
-- Warp-Grinder Team

Welcome to the under-empire You'll never turn back now... we won't let you!

I like your theme, it's evocative, macabre, and very picturesque for Skaven.

As for the actual army the Night Runners and Clanrats are fine. Your numbers for roughly 1000 points are decent although I'd consider dropping a warpfire thrower for some slaves and the points to beef up one unit of clanrats to 40 models (or close to it). The hordes rule is where all the action will be for Skaven so make sure you take advantage of that with at least one unit.

Warlock Engineers are fantastic although if you plan on putting the engineer with a unit I'd drop the musket. He'll never fire the weapon otherwise since it's move-or-fire. Maybe consider the Warp Condenser for the extra possible power die and having a +2 to Warp Lightning really is fantastic. Only use a musket if you stick the engineer with some jezzails.

While I like the theme of the Warlord and his rat ogre bodyguard the truth of it is that since the bonebreaker is a monstrous beast, enemies will be able to snipe him out of units pretty easily.

I'm bothered by the fact that you don't have any power units. By that I mean all of the units in your list are relatively mundane and while they certainly pose a threat, they are more anvil units instead of hammers. Rat Ogres, Doomwheels, HPA, or even Jezzails would help.

So overall theme, A+. Overall competitiveness of list, C.

I'd say to try and pick up some rat ogres and that way your leader would be less susceptible to sniping, try and fit in some slaves at some point as you need cheap units to redirect in this list badly. Gutter Runners fit your theme well and would allow you to deal with war machines or possibly high toughness monsters (with poison). An Assassin would fit nicely in your clanrats and give them a sizeable boost to their effectiveness.

I don't think I have the proper mentality for using slaves-- I can never use IG conscripts, either... So I'd instead just put all the points that would go into slaves into, say, clanrats instead.

Melissia wrote:I don't think I have the proper mentality for using slaves-- I can never use IG conscripts, either... So I'd instead just put all the points that would go into slaves into, say, clanrats instead.

Fair enough. Slaves are pretty easy to use (run them forward and whell them slightly so an enemy will still be charging the front of the unit but expose their flank to your clanrats, nightrunners, etc).

Still, if you don't want slaves then I'd definitely recommend boosting the clanrats to 40 each.

woo! another skaven list! bit creepy as your topic appeared just after I had posted my own list ¬_¬ *suspects clan eshin treachery*

Like the theme you've got going, looking very much clan-eshin style, would suggest if theme is more important than competitiveness ditch a unit of clanrats for another unit of night/gutter runners.

In response to the guy who mentioned no hammer units, all I can suggest are: Ninja-style rat ogres!

Leigen_Zero wrote:woo! another skaven list! bit creepy as your topic appeared just after I had posted my own list ¬_¬ *suspects clan eshin treachery*

Like the theme you've got going, looking very much clan-eshin style, would suggest if theme is more important than competitiveness ditch a unit of clanrats for another unit of night/gutter runners.

In response to the guy who mentioned no hammer units, all I can suggest are: Ninja-style rat ogres!

To be fair, I did mention Rat Ogres as a good option for her list.

Apologies for missing that bit lol

I'll second Rat Ogres as being a nice fit for the theme of this list to raise its competitiveness.

Try to find a way to get a BSB in?

Double post