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.

Is it possible? What faction/caster would do best and with what?

Every army has something shooty in it. Depends on your flavor
and how willing you are to deal with rough matchups (fast moving
stealth to engage you, AOEs that wreck your light arm, etc.)

Pick a faction and shooty-ish list can be made.

Factions known for their ranged abilities:

Cygnar (Warmachine) - eCaine, Gun mages, lightning.

Legion (Hordes) - p/eLylyth, Striders, Ravagores, Deathstalkers, eyeless sight, etc.

As stated above, every faction has ranged elements and each will differ on effectiveness. It really just depends on what you want your army to do and build for it.

Why has Ravyn of the Retribution not been mentioned? :/

Look up Mastershake's list.

Dwarves?! Thor steinhammer can make an avalancher very scary with boosted atk and dmg rolls and being able to double move every turn. Not to mention when you finally get those fast stealthy units into melee, gorten will just suck em right back out again.

SuperMcFly wrote:Is it possible? What faction/caster would do best and with what?

yup, its possible. And its possible with pretty much every faction. Is it competitive? Sure, about as much as anything else - itll have its good match-ups and its bad ones. I've had armies shredded to bits by ranged lists and i've steamrolled ranged lists in return. you might find though while they kill things just fine, certain lists might struggle a wee bit with scenarios.

Doing it "best" though is a loaded question. Define "best", especially in a game where everything kills everything else, and one where, unlike 40k, there is no "this is THE list" approach.

Cygnar are the stereotypical ranged faction with Gun Mages, Long GUnners and chainguns. Haley, Kara Sloan, Caine and Stryker all support the ranged game with spells like "snipe" and "dead-eye".

However, other factions play an equally good game. For example, look at Osyran Retribution lists with riflemen and Invictors. Look at Khador lists that focus on the Winter Guard Rifle Korps, Mortar teams and Kovnik Joe. Look at Deliverer themed Protectorate lists. Look at Legion. Trolls, Circle and Skorne can also play this game. And any faction that can take Nyss Hunter mercenaries.

there is no "the ranged" faction - they're all capable of it. pick a faction, get the battlebox and get some demo games in. then build up from there.

I'm going to note that some factions actually aren't very good at shooting as one would first look at it.

Circle Orboros, for instance, has shooting. But no actual support for that shooting - it's on its own. So they can take things like Reeves, Woldstalkers, or Bloodtrackers, but the support to them doesnt' do anything to increase threat range, accuracy or most damage outputs. Circle supports melee and magic much more.

Cryx is similar. They have some incidental ranged support, and can take Steelheads or Nyss, but generally focus on melee, and are more successful when they do.

Different factions also might do what guns they have differently. Cygnar has the simpelst guns, with lots of good distance, high powers, and good accuracy. Retribution has similar to that, a bit less direct gun support, but awesome guns like those found on the Hydra, Banshee, or Daemon.

Other factions use weirder guns. Khador and Protectorate unload on templates. Trollbloods have a lot of short-ranged, but huge area or POW weapons. Legion has their guns on their beasts, Skorne has it on their troops, and so on.

To me, not every faction can do it. Most can. But even then, what kind of guns you want to work with will shift from faction to faction and caster to caster within those factions.

And stuff.

Blaque wrote:I'm going to note that some factions actually aren't very good at shooting as one would first look at it.

Circle Orboros, for instance, has shooting. But no actual support for that shooting - it's on its own. So they can take things like Reeves, Woldstalkers, or Bloodtrackers, but the support to them doesnt' do anything to increase threat range, accuracy or most damage outputs. Circle supports melee and magic much more.

Cryx is similar. They have some incidental ranged support, and can take Steelheads or Nyss, but generally focus on melee, and are more successful when they do.

Different factions also might do what guns they have differently. Cygnar has the simpelst guns, with lots of good distance, high powers, and good accuracy. Retribution has similar to that, a bit less direct gun support, but awesome guns like those found on the Hydra, Banshee, or Daemon.

Other factions use weirder guns. Khador and Protectorate unload on templates. Trollbloods have a lot of short-ranged, but huge area or POW weapons. Legion has their guns on their beasts, Skorne has it on their troops, and so on.

To me, not every faction can do it. Most can. But even then, what kind of guns you want to work with will shift from faction to faction and caster to caster within those factions.

And stuff.

I think you'd see more Circle ranged (and more ranged lists in general) if they
didn't have to engage in contesting scenarios and the like in tournaments. Circle
ranged lists would only want to engage on their terms since their ranged abilities
are up front and personal.

And every now and then you have to face the Bloat Thrall/Pistol Wraith from
hell. It's not what's best, but it's darn annoying.

So you're right, you can't build ranged lists at range for those factions.

I would say that is a good point. I'm not saying the ranged options for those factions are bad, per se. I'm just noting that they really aren't "ranged lists". They're skirmish lists that use short-ranged guns, guns as kind of back-up support for the infantry, or use those guns to help get things into melee.

And stuff.

SuperMcFly wrote:What faction/caster would do best and with what?

Personally, I think eCaine probably does it best, but eMagnus' and Kraye both have really fun skirmishing/ranged theme lists. Also, Winterguard alone can make any Khador list a pretty good ranged list.

just need to mention this:

If youre building a "ranged" list expecting to just plant your butt in a corner and shoot and expect to be effective

expect to lose. a LOT.