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Hello-

I'm just starting to play WHFB with my local buddies. We have been playing 1k - 1500 point games. So far I have been using stand ins to represent most of the army...

My questions are, what are some of the "must have" units for a list of this size? How many models should my units have to be effective? Will I need a BSB? Runesmith?

I'm not looking for a crazy OP gunline list - just something I can have fun with and build upon easily once we start playing higher point games.

Thanks guys!

What models do you have so far? I think I wrote a pretty good guide here on getting started with dwarfs on the cheap: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/363667.page

Basically our bread and butter are great weapon warriors. BSB is a must in my opinion make him defensive too, leadership rerolls are nice, our leadership is good but rerolls means we fail rarely.

So you mentioned you do not want a gunline but went dwarf so I am sure you are not all anti gun for 1k I like this list:
Runesmith (RoResistance, RoStone, Shield) - 102
Thane (BSB, MRoGromril) - 115
29 Warriors (Great Weapons + Full Command) - 315
16 Quarrellers (Great Weapons + Full Command) - 233
Cannon (RoForging, RoBurning) - 130
Grudge Thrower (RoAccuracy) - 105
1000

As you get higher in levels maybe add another unit of warriors, ujpgrade the quarrellers to rangers and more grudge throwers are nice.

Last time I played my dwarfs was a few months back and I ran ninja dwarfs which is more unconventional but very in your face, it utilizes miners and scouting rangers, Bugman is a bonus as it allows 2 scouting rangers I ran this list:
Runelord (Anvil of Doom, RoStone, RotFurnace, Shield) - 328
Bugman - 155
Thane (MRoChallenge, RoBrotherhood, GW, MRoGromil) - 139
Dragon Slayer - 50
35 Warriors (Great Weapons, Longbeards, Rangers, FC) - 515
35 Warriors (Great Weapons, Rangers, Full Command) - 410
21 Miners (FC, Steam Drill) - 281
Organ Gun - 120

Anvil makes it so you can charge first turn and allows miners to charge when they show up, organ gun and dragon slayer sat back with anvil to protect it. Went against WoC and won. MRoChallenge if you line it up right can really throw a wrench in you opponents plans you park them 12inches + enemy movement away from a unit and make it so that if it charges you it has to go in front of their other units lanes they need a 12 to make contact so it's very rare it really is effective. Cool thing is you are in combat turn 1 or 2 tops and totally screw up any plans your opponent had.

Thanks Hargus, I've read through those posts at Bugman's and now I have a pretty clear idea about what I will want in my 1k list. Now all I need to do is start painting it.

Is there ever a place for shield warriors or are the GW ones so much better that no one ever uses them?

Hargus gives good advice to get you started. I find 1000 points to be a tough level for dwarfs. Characters are expensive and take a painful bite out of your available points at this level.

As for shield warriors- I use them, though some portion of that is because I don't have enough great weapons painted to be able to drop them altogether.

There are some matchups where the shields are more useful, but in general, the great weapons are a better default choice.

Zeke, that's definitely what I was thinking about Dwarf characters. I think my problem was I was trying to squeeze a combat Thane in there and had no points left for much else. I generally play against Vampire Counts so I was looking for something to fight his characters... anyway, that plan didn't work out.

Do you ever run warrior units as a horde?

Great weapons can go as horde, though you have to be careful, especially if your starting unit size is 30 or less. Striking last means casualties will knock out a lot of the advantages of horde early on.

For shield warriors, I think I've only gone horde once, and that was against skeleton archers.

VC characters are probably best dealt with by whacking them in the noggin with great weapons! I'll sometimes put a BSB into a fight with them if I've got the full MR of Gromril, Rune of Resistance set up (and often preservation, and furnace too).

Dwarves generally don't use combat characters. You can get much better milage out of that many points worth of Dwarves in most cases. A defenive Thane BSB is about all you need beyond your Runesmiths/Lords.

Sometimes an uberdefenseive Lord can be used with hammerers as a big tarpit unit. That's pretty much it.

For hordes generally you want 40 at least to ensure you are hitting with the max attacks possible at least for the first round, which with great weapons means you should win it since they destroy.