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Sorry, quick question from a friend I can't actually figure it out.

He asked if he could have a unit of monstrous infantry 2 wide by 2 deep. I couldn't really find anything in the 10 minutes I went through the book and online stating you couldn't, or that you could.

I am under the assumption that you must have a rank before you can add other models. Whatever the case, an answer and a source for the answer would be appreciated!

There is nothing that restricts you from forming a unit 2 x 2

Just remember he gets no rank bonus for a 2 x 2 unit

I am pretty sure you can have models at any width that you would like, but you do not get any of the bonuses for the second rank.

A rank is any number of models wide

To qualify for a rank BONUS you need a minimum number of models wide.

There is nothing in the rules preventing running a unit in ranks of two - or even single file (commonly called a 'conga line'). For a small unit such as your friend wants to use, it's not even that bad of an idea because it concentrates more attacks onto a smaller frontage - remember, monsterous infantry get 3 supporting attacks per model from the second rank. For larger units... it can quickly devolve into 'playing the rules, not the game' territorry.

Could you elaborate on playing the rules not the game in this case?

I was considering the merits of running fiends of slaanesh 1x2 as a 110 point character assassin unit. Any reason it would be a bad idea?

I say 'playing the game, not the rules' as... well, it goes like this.

WFB is recreating medieval and renaissance warfare on a small scale, as it would be if magic and monsters were real.

Real medieval and renaissance units went to great lenghts not to be outflanked, because usually if you were outflanked, you were DEAD. The other side just rolls your line up and your unit is gone.

So no unit would dare deploy such a narrow frontage unless there was some reason the enemy wouldn't just surround your unit on three sides and CRUSH them (in real battles, three-to-one odds are a loosing man's battle no matter how bad you are; taking those odds on means being able to maneuver and take them one at a time - something that is impossible in the confines of a unit formation).

Basically, this:

xxxxx
xxxxx
oo
oo
oo
oo

Quickly becomes this:

xxxx
xoox (<- these two guys are taking 3-1 odds and die very quickly. Then the next two are getting it, then the next two, etc.)
xoox
xoox
-oo-

and then this

xxxx
x--x
x--x
x--x

And yet, in WFB, there is little penalties for using a suicidally narrow formation by a stubborn or unbreakable unit; in fact by the artificial situation created by the rules, they gain great benefit by reducing attacks on the unit.

THAT is playing the rules, not the game - using wierd abnormalities in the rules contrary to the situation one is nominally trying to recreate.

I've been meaning to try out a 2x2 formation. Usually, I want larger units, but in a small game I think it could be quite good.

And if you're facing cannons / bolt throwers / artillery, you can always just deploy 4-wide instead.

The only drawback to 2x2 formation is not getting the stomps from the back two... but it can be worth it to reduce the number of attacks back, depending on what you're facing.

This would work well for ogre bulls, means while you only get two bull charges they're at a greater strength and while losing your two stomps from the back two (assuming you get them anyway) you still get the full number of attacks, the units themselves are much more maneuverable and you could still charge multiple units in if need be.