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 thinking of starting a small wood elf force. I want to use glade guard only with some eternal guard. I am planing on buying:
6 Glade Guard boxes, giveing me 96 total
1 Mage
1 Lord with bow

I will run the glade guard in 8 10 man units and one 16 man unit with the lord and mage in there. Is their anyway to tool out my lord and mage for a 2000 point game.

Also is this army even able to be considered competitve?

Any suggestions?

I'm not a WE player, but here some generic advice.

WE lists like this are good at points denial. You have to be moving to avoid combat at all costs, while dealing enough casualties to win when combat does come. Remember they only get VP's from killing the entire unit. Make sure to have a few banners in those units just in case that specific scenario happens.

I would think you may want 2 casters in the army, just in case something happens to the first one, you still have a magic phase (or bonuses to dispel attempts).

You are also going to want to add something to go after warmachienes, but what I'm not sure.

UNREALPwnage wrote:Also is this army even able to be considered competitve?

I wouldn't think so. 8x10 Long Bows isn't particularly scary for nearly anyone. Sure you're fairly accurate and have long range, but S3/4 is not that big a deal. Once anything touches them with combat, return fire, or magic, they are wiped from the board.

the most competitive WE lists nowadays tend to run things like Treekin (great monstrous infantry), Dryads, and the like. Of course, a couple of wizards with Lore of Fire or Dwarfs with flaming everything make them very sad.

I wanted to do a list of all elves. I was thining a couple 25 man blocks of eternal guard with a nobel in it, but i didn't know how competitive it would be, if all else fails i can always shoot the crap out of them.

UNREALPwnage wrote:I wanted to do a list of all elves. I was thining a couple 25 man blocks of eternal guard with a nobel in it, but i didn't know how competitive it would be, if all else fails i can always shoot the crap out of them.

The stubborn blocks are alright, not awesome.
If you want to go pure elves, you'll need a spell weaver for sure, just so you can get a decent lore.

Waywatchers are pretty good. Being able to march 10" and fire killing blow shots doesn't totally suck.
Wild riders pack a pretty good punch, and remember that your characters mounted on horses get a vanguard movement as well.

A pure elf list is playable. It is very fast moving, can pack a pretty good punch, but can't take one at all. You'll find it very unforgiving if you get into the wrong type of combat.

-Matt

So, i have the main idea, but how should i kit out my lords/ heroes?

The problem i found with 10man guard squads is if 3 get killed from return fire, its a panic test. If your relying on mobility you cant fit your general and BSB if you take one, within range of all 8 units.
LD 8 base is pretty good, but killing 3 elves is easy and forcing loads of panic checks is gonna be dangerous.

but even then in units of 20, when 5 die its panic time :(

A good ranged lord, i say probably bow of loren and arcane bodkins. 4 ignore armour save bow shots is pretty good. Alter-kin for more shots but then he can't be the general.
Can do some of the other arrows like auto-panic tests from 1 wound.
Or give him daith's reaper and armour of destiny for some combat awesomeness.

For Wizard heros, they can't take the 55pt re-roll dispel attempts item so really i dont think there is anything useful to even give them. so either keep him cheap or choose what ever you like. Wizards are still BS 4 with longbows so you can throw Hail of doom arrow on them if you wish. May come in useful if someone walks into short range

I have $300 to spend, how should i spend it to make the best army possible, no treepeople.

I wish I knew. I have always wanted to play an all elf woodelf army. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to make one competitive. WE have low T and armor along with low strength attacks. I know you can build a few characters for high strength, but most are str. 3 iirc. I guess if I were to attempt an all elf army....maybe....

2x20 glade guard. stretch them out to move and shoot all 20 shots until they run out of room and then reform to 5x4 to last an extra turn. Hopefully, the enemy will be sufficiently weakened by then.

one pretty big block of eternal guard might be your best chance at steadfast and an anvil. It is a shame eternal guard don't have bows and their fighting style doesn't give them a ward save instead of armor save. They are sweet looking models, I only wish they were plastic. Maybe there is a conversion to make something comparably cool.

Wild riders only hit a little harder than glade riders without the ability to shoot and annoy, which is the only way the WE will be remotely competitive imho. Since glade riders are cheaper money-wise I would probably go that route.

Wardancers are the elite combat unit, but suffer from low T and armor like all woodelves and they don't get any kind of rank bonuses.

Waywatchers are expensive point-wise, but are great at hunting and harassing.

War eagles are really good at that too.

I would suggest a spellweaver to get better lores. I have always liked building different noble kindreds, they are cool and effective. I am really partial to the alter kindred.

Sorry, I can't help anymore. I gave up on them when the rumors of 8th were popping up. Such a shame, since I like their model range the best.

I was thinking taking a dragon but im not sure if it would be worth it. It would be 465 points for a base dude on a dragon+it isnt that strong

Well I am a dragon lover. In fact most of my old lists had a highborn on dragon instead of a spellweaver. However, I don't think you can abandon magic as easily in 8th and spellsingers just don't cut it.

So, army wise what do you suggest?

Seriously? If you want to play elves, with no trees, play dark elves.

Spear elves > eternal guard (because they are half the cost)
repeater elves > glade guard
Dark Riders > glade riders
Shades > Way Watchers
Assassins > Altered Lords

Take any non-forest spirit unit in the wood elf book, and you'll find that the dark elves can fill the same roll, only better.

-Matt

Or, buy, paint and model up a nice wood elves army, and just use the dark elf rulebook for them, shouldn't be too hard to run them as "counts as" and takes you from arguably the least competitive book, to arguably the most competitive book.

If not, don't prepare for too many wins, as there will be few. Unless your meta features some not so great players, then you have a chance.

I've played wood elves for a while now but gotta say I've never been too happy with Glade Guard. The only game mass guard worked for me was against Vampire Counts and the guy was a really new player. The problem is that any close combat pretty much means your troops are going to die. And ya you might be able to keep a few of they out of the way but they just break like twigs.

Your shots won't really do too much on anything either. To stay away from the enemy you'll be hitting on 4/5's maybe depending and with only S3. Anyone with ok armor is just going to laugh. And goodluck with anyone fielding heavy armor. IT WILL EAT YOU!

Once had 152 shots on a unit of Bratonian Cal as it moved and then crossed over a bridge and set for a charge. Only got 3 wounds out of it. 2+ armor and houses will kill you. Even in small numbers you'll loose any CC due to wounds and will end up running.

It's sick but Wood elves are just too weak and don't have any armor to even stop pot shoting from this and that.

You can use the Glade Guard longbows to some effect at close range but that's only really good when dealing with infantry.

Basically you'll fair ok if your opponents use nothing but foot troops and get slaughtered if they even a small Cal backbone.

When me and my pals played I'd proxy all kinds of stuff and have played most of the list. Found that my best chance of winning was to pick off the weakier units and then run around avoiding stuff till the game was over. Only exception to this was the Treeman.... That guy is a like have a stack of tanks all piled on one another.

A beast! The crusher of everything! but his big flaws are that because the rest of your army is so breakable you can't give him any real support. They just get killed or take wounds and run. And him by himself will only stay around as long as you roll 8s ( i think) on your leadership. Cuz he'll be outnumbered. That and if your opponent knows your fielding him he'll buy some 25 point do-ma-gig that'll one shot him about 50% of the time (go 6 tuffness).

Your Calvary is nice to kill really weak stuff in the back of your opponents army but that plays to the pick on the weak and run strat from above. They also die to missile fire. Cuz elves use leaves for armor.

I havn't tried any forest spirit heavy builds. I did have some luck with Dryads+Branchwraith+ Terror. But that's just due to a bad roll. Lol they just were effective at going boo! But they can take some hits too. Still, I wanted a shooty army not a bunch of crazy trees.

But ya to sum it all up anything that's just an elf in your army is just a really high pt cost piece of dead. T3 and no armor! T3 and no armor! 12 pt for the cheapest thing! It just doesn't work.

Spellweavers are ok but you'll find yourself casting Fury of the Forest and wishing you had the woodland spells from the main book. Moving trees a D3+1 is just being cool cuz you can move terrain around. The Ariel's Blessing is nice only because it gives your guys some kind of save. Can't really remember the rest but... you'll really only need the Weavers to keep the dispell dice.

I kinda got disheartened after a while of playing them (see above) but still it did have it's laughs and was fun. The elven movement is nice but is negated by cavalry. And shooting arrows is really fun against mass undead troops and dumb opponents. But I must say if you take anything from this, an all Glade Guard build isn't going to do much and you'll find yourself "Standing and Shooting" alot and then getting mowed down by things in armor.

Hopefully i'll get a game tonight and try write some battle report.

i've never won a game so far (haven't played too many) With either my wood elves or dark elves. But the closest i ever came to winning was with Wood elves Vs Skaven. And skaven i think is one of our toughest opponents .



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Right i played against beastmen!

I killed 1 minotaur, did 2 wounds to the minotaur champion. Killed about 25gors across multiple units. 3 bestigors, a single razorgor and a chariot.

I got tabled.

Still fun though

I expect to get tabled with them, i am undefeated with bretonnians 12-0-0, vampire counts 16-0-0, and dark elves 23-0-1. I have a few other armies over 3000 points that i am very good with, i just wanted to start an army i know i will have a really hard time to win with.

Do you go to tournaments, meeting some new opponents may be what you need to truly challenge yourself.

UNREALPwnage wrote:I expect to get tabled with them, i am undefeated with bretonnians 12-0-0, vampire counts 16-0-0, and dark elves 23-0-1. I have a few other armies over 3000 points that i am very good with, i just wanted to start an army i know i will have a really hard time to win with.

Hubris is an enemy, humility a friend.

That said, why not just try some unconventional builds with the other armies? Take an (almost) all infantry brettonian list, or no RXB/hydras/casters on a dark elf list.

I use 150 M@A in my bretonnian list, a really bogus vc list, and a normal corrsair dark elf list with a cold one death star. I do go to tournements and am in one right now with my vc, we play tomorrow and should win then also. BTW i play a ton of games.

Well what i didn't mention is, i pretty much spend my 50% character allowance, All the time (its why i never win). Elven characters are pretty worthless exceptions being some dark/high elves with the 1+ re-roll armour 2+ ward kinda shimmy that they can do, or some random skin flaying crazy combat dolally.
Pretty much wood elf characters are poo ;p. Out of everything i had, my Scout noble with Hail of doom did the most damage. <3 14 str 4 shots that hit on 2's

Only wizards really seem worth their points and even then the winds of magic can go horrible

But from playing, i think If you are to run glade guard a single bigger unit would be much better then smaller units.
I had two units of 7x2 and they took up more space and easier to wipe out.
of course the problem with bigger units would be Pie-plates and magic, or magical pie-plates.

Lvl 1 branchwraith wizard, Always worth it