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Having trouble deciding which one to start...

I like the Skorne models better, but have heard complaints about their play style and lack of heavy hitters.

I'm also a 40k player who likes assaulty lists, if that's any help.

I like the Skorne models better, but have heard complaints about their play style and lack of heavy hitters.

I'm sorry, are we thinking of the same faction here? This IS the faction with Cetrati, Arcuarii, Titans, and Molik Karn. Heavy hitters are not an issue.

I don't know too much about the game or factions yet, but googling skorne came up with a bunch of complaints from last year that centered around blandness and troop centric playstyle.

So, I guess you're saying you don't have that issue.

Scorne has a number of fantastic beasts, the best fury management in the game and some decent infintry choices.

What they lack is a strong list of reliable warlocks. With the exception of eMakeda and a few others, their warlocks are usually left wanting. Its not that they are bad, just feels like something is missing. To add to that problem, or maybe because of it, they have a real in faction Synergy problem. You'll see people refer to it as "Scornergy". It looks good on paper but on the field it always feels like the warlock should have one more focus, or the combination of spells just doesn't fit together as well as it should, and I'm pretty sure there are more than a few that actually contradict each other.

Scorne is not a bad faction by any means and has all kinds of tasty bits and if the models appeal to you then I'd say jump on board, especially with Domination on the way, but be aware they do have some faction issues that some players overcome and others just can't.

Trolls on the other hand are like a direct opposite. They are one of the most synergistic factions in the game right next to menoth. Its really how they compete, by large numbers of infintry with beast support and lots and lots and LOTS of buffs in faction. Their casters are all good and help support their forces. Their weaknesses generally speaking come from the necessity of support for their forces draining some resources, they pay the "Snipe Tax" meaning since they can add 4" to range, their base range is usually low 8-10", and having all medium bases with high infintry counts can cause movement/activation issues. They are also one of the most costly, monetary wise, factions in the game. I'm a bit of a Troll fanboy and I adore their models, so take this all with a grain of salt.

Hope this helps and welcome to Warmahordes!

Ok as a Skorne player " Skornergy", while existant, is overhyped. Yes some stuff does not work as well with other rules/ spells/feats as it should, but that does not in any way mean that Skorne have a "synergie problem" at all. Please stop telling new guys stuff like that. Skorne are close to Trolls and Menoth in the fact, that they love to stack buffs. In fact they are pretty close to a more aggressive menoth force. ( Not that the new guys know what that means)

They also dont lack heavy hitters at all. Stuff like the Titan Gladiator or the Bronzeback Titan are among the heaviest hitters you can get in this game. In fact a enraged Bronzeback is propably the single heaviest non-character hitter in the game!

Skorne got 2 big problems: 1. They got a hard time killing stuff with high defense ( Kayazy Assassins and so on) while there are options to kill them most of them pecieved to be not exactly good for their points.
2. Reliance on close combat. Skorne do have useful ranged units, but nothing the buff them at all. (This is acutally the main reason for weakness 1). They also field some of the slowest models in the game. Due to this they are also very vunerable to speed debuffs and denial feats. Stuff like " you cant advance for one turn", will pretty much let you skip a turn, since your whole army will do nothing.

Sorry for the rant, but i really dislike it when wrong information is given, especially to the new guys.

That does not mean that Skorne are weak. They are quite competitive ( as is every other army). In one of the biggest tourneys this year the finalists were two Skorne armies.

They can field some of the the most heavily armored models in the game. Most caster are either very good at buffing the great infantry they can field, or are able sling a lot of very nasty spells. The heavy beasts are just plain amazing. The slow models they use can be brought to ridicoulus speed with the right buffs. ( Charge a Bronzeback 14" across the table with emakeda, your enemy will love that![ Yes i know Molik Karn will cover even more]) They can use one of the most annoying denial solos in the game ( the agonizer). They look awesome! ( ok that might be a personal preference)

It's hard to make really distinct generalities about either faction that set them apart.

They're both attrition factions. If you're trying to trade model:model against either Skorne or Trolls then you're probably losing.

They're both in-your-face factions.

They're both capable of obliterating any ARM value that they can get their hands on.

Skorne are a 'slow' faction in that they have low SPD values and many heavily armored, hard-hitting models. However they have many speed and movement buffing abilities that make them play like a very fast faction. Similarly Trolls are not a slow faction, but they have as much armor and can hit as hard as any heavy-centric list like what Menoth or Khador could put out.

I think the biggest delineation between the two factions would be that Trolls, as a faction, have a number of different abilities and synergies that focus on keeping their models alive. Skorne, as a faction, have abilities and synergies that begin performing at their best when their models begin to die off.

So if you want to feel like a benevolent warlord leading his tribes to reclaim what imperalist oppressors have taken from him, then play Trolls.

If you want to feel like a ruthless tyrant weighing the lives of his own men against the deaths they can inflict upon soft western cultures, then play Skorne.

Trolls, at least, as I've played them, tend to be tougher, slower, and can be more well-rounded.

Skorne (which I've got less experience with) tend to hit harder and faster, and generally are more directly offensive, and are much more melee-oriented, with few ranged options.

My advice would be to go for the faction with the models you like. Skorne is a perfectly competitive faction. They have some really powerful heavies, some good infantry, and a few very interesting casters.

I play trolls myself, but I've played against Skorne many many times and they can do very well in the right hands. They look amazing when well painted, too.

I have a few Trollsbloods and I might proxy up a couple of lists, but I think I would prefer a Skorne army myself. Their playstyle is more my speed (not much of an attrition player) and I like giant bashy elephants backed up by a few cyclopean beasts and some infantry that continues to serve me in death.

One thing you might want to take into consideration is that a lot of prominent skorne models are challenging to put together. You need to know how to work green stuff and pinning is also encouraged with them.

Skorne battle box is discouraging for a beginner as all of the beasts need some effort to put together.

Yeah that's a good point actually. The troll beasts all go together nicely with a little bit of gap filling.

Another consideration however is that Trolls are probably one of the most (if not the most) expensive factions on average, due to having a lot of beefy medium based infantry.

Skorne are evil, trolls are "good"... if that matters to you

Trolls ARE expensive... but I play them, and think they're fantastic! No one here plays skorne, I get them impression they're less popular/common, so that's always cool to play a unique force.

Yeah, no one plays Skorne at my store except our Pressganger, but he has admited he has almost ever model anyways, so he's a completionist.

If you're coming over from Warhammer, Trolls are going to seem the most familiar to you if you play ANY MEQ army, because of their tough rolls. And they are very assault oriented, so they love to get into the faces of their opponents (at least mine do, maybe I'm playing them wrong ).

Good luck either way with what you pic

Once Domination comes out, Skorne will have ranged options and buffs. I don't like Trolls in that they have a few really good options that outshine everything else. If I don't bring the Fenblades, I feel as though I've done something wrong. Both are really good, but I would just go with the models that interest you the most.

Mechnomancer wrote:Once Domination comes out, Skorne will have ranged options and buffs. I don't like Trolls in that they have a few really good options that outshine everything else. If I don't bring the Fenblades, I feel as though I've done something wrong. Both are really good, but I would just go with the models that interest you the most.

I never bring Fennblades, and I do just fine But I see what you mean. I tried a Kriel Warrior list, and felt naked without Skaldi and the Champions.

I have not read past the first post keep in mind, but I am just giving my personal opinion. I think that both armies have there strong suit. Skorne can have heavy hitters you just need to look closer. Personally I run Supreme Aptimus Zaal & Kovaas for my Skorne army with some Ancestral Guardians and Hakaar the Destroyer. With control over soul tokens you can max these guys out with all your little squish squads and Cryx cannot steal them from you.

Alfndrate wrote:

Mechnomancer wrote:Once Domination comes out, Skorne will have ranged options and buffs. I don't like Trolls in that they have a few really good options that outshine everything else. If I don't bring the Fenblades, I feel as though I've done something wrong. Both are really good, but I would just go with the models that interest you the most.

I never bring Fennblades, and I do just fine But I see what you mean. I tried a Kriel Warrior list, and felt naked without Skaldi and the Champions.

Kriel Warriors have a few important things going on for them.

1. Don't count on them being under the krielstone aura. When they
run, they Swift Foot to get there faster. If you can get the range
without Swift Foot, you charge with Fervor.

2. Dealing with light infantry, combine by twos. They become MAT 9
if Fervor is up when you do this.

3. Dealing with heavy stuff. Dogpile but leave room for one caber
to get in, then use all the little guys to combine with the caber to
make his attack more terrible.

4. For added shiggles, use Mauler or Pyre or Slag animus on
aforementioned caber.

5. Steady from the standard makes them a different kind of tarpit
from your champions.

6. Most important elements are those cabers and the UA. These
things CAN be protected in the Krielstone Aura if you're careful.

7. Full loadout = 11 points vs. 13 points for Champions with Skaldi.

8. Kriel Warriors are never your main strategy. They're part of
a combined arms force that will include Champions (for armor), or
Long riders (for board control) or Burrowers or take your pick.

In my experience Kriels are either a disruption/tarpit or a follow-up unit meant to deal the killing blow to whatever's left over in the endgame via cabers (typically with eMadrak).

The one time I used Kriel Warriors it was with a caber tosser and UA... they locked up a jack or two while Madrak and an Impaler went around and ate pretty much everything else on the board... just to get to the High Reclaimer...

Best moment of the game:
Just before I move the Impaler into melee, our table talk goes like this:
Me: He takes damage if I move him within 2 inches right?
Him: Yes, one damage.
Me: One Damage? Oh dude, roll where it hits, 1 damage isn't going to stop me from eating you for breakfast...