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Alright, so i cannot, at all decide upon a fantasy army, first WoC, then Dwarves, then WoC again, and now Skaven. My friend wants to start high elves and told me about The Island of Blood, and suggested we split the price, and take the Skaven half of the box. The only real gripe i have with Skaven is the whole cowardly issue but, i wouldn't mind fielding a master mind Warlock Engineer!

Other then that, what are some great units for the Skaven? Are Jazails worth the monetary and points cost? Stormvermin?

Jazails are terrible... But as far as im concerned Skaven are the best book around. You have HPAs, Greyseers, Bonebreakers, Slave and all that good jazz. I personally dislike Stormvermin as they are mildly expensive compared to your other core, but if you wanna run a magic banner you have to run them. I am a WOC player first and foremost and the cowardice thing bugs me, but it makes for some funny moments in a game. Skaven can be really built alot of different ways, from a lulz list to a hardcore no fun for your opponent list. Over all great book and a great army and IOB is a great deal

Commisar Von Humps wrote:The only real gripe i have with Skaven is the whole cowardly issue but, i wouldn't mind fielding a master mind Warlock Engineer!

Hate to be the one to break it to you, but Warlock Engineers won't fix that, they're LD5.

Platuan4th wrote:

Commisar Von Humps wrote:The only real gripe i have with Skaven is the whole cowardly issue but, i wouldn't mind fielding a master mind Warlock Engineer!

Hate to be the one to break it to you, but Warlock Engineers won't fix that, they're LD5.

Yes i know, im talking about the fluff aspect for skaven and being treacherous, back stabbing cowards. I mean a horribly evil and maniacal, always gets away Engineer.

Also, how are rat ogres? Better as a meaty shield to take a charge, or to charge with?

Skaven are very very good. A grey seer is necessary on the bell, swarmed by a big unit of clanrats-the bell makes the unit unbreakable. Plague furnaces do the same too with plague monks. It's a great way to get past the cowardly aspect. Plus, Hellpits are awesome. Enjoy rats-they're GREAT!!

Jezzails are a bit of a mixed bag, and rarely worth their 20 points per base. Most of the time, they won't make their points back. Sometimes though, they're worthwhile in small units for picking off the one or two models that make the difference between a unit making a panic test and not. Most of the time you can safely leave them at home though. :(

Like Ralin said, Stormvermin are one of only two units (beside the BSB) in a skaven army that can take a magic banner. Other armies like Chaos, HElves and Bretts can take them all over the place, Skaven get 3, tops, if you're willing to sacrifice the defense on your BSB. Still, there's something to be said for S4 units in CC.

Good Units
Gutter Runners - Poisoned Slings and the ability to show up on any board edge makes these dudes perfect for killing war machines, lone heroes or anything high toughness / low armor save.

Clan Rats - Not fantastic in and of themselves, but they do give access to weapon teams. The Poisoned Wind Mortar is a move and fire, non-LOS requiring weapon team that doesn't allow armor saves and uses a template. Decent against high toughness, high armor targets like Temple Guard, Chaos Warriors and the like, but still useful for firing into hordes.

Hell Pit Abomination - This is a unit that tends to go to extremes. It either does extremely well and mows through units with ease, or it tends to die without making its points back. Still, it is definitely a psychological unit, as most enemies will tend to focus it.

Rat Ogres - Haven't run them yet. Next game though. With 4 attacks each thanks to frenzy, plus 3 attacks per supporting rank I can see these dudes doing some damage. Still, no armor means they're still somewhat fragile.

And the MVP for all skaven:

Warp Lightning Cannon - Get 2. Just do it. 180 points for two cannons of warp firey lightning death. Your enemies will hate you for them, but these guys will almost never fail to be your MVP. I almost always take 2, always. They're amazing and I'd say the best choice in the skaven rare section, if not the whole army book.

Jezzails look good on paper, they don't live up to their cost.
They really need BS4 or a reduced point cost.
S6 save -4 is nice, but they need to be shooting high dollar targets, and the new cover and los rules makes it all too easy for your opponent to screen.

-Matt