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.

Ok well i been looking thru and all over the net and i narrowed it down to what armies i am thinking about starting. Currently I am looking at dwarfs and wood elves. Dwarfs just look fun with the canons and all dwarf goodness now i am also at wood elves for the bow and magic and well its a tie for what i want to do! so Dakka let me know what you all think!

Any thoughts?

Both are fun, both are due for a army book update soon. You want to play the army you want and like the look of. Having said that neither are great for a beginner. With dwarfs you are missing out on the magic phase, that's 1/8 of the game (since you still can dispel in the oppoenents phase and occasionally RiP spells in yours). Wood elves are just a hard army to master, they are generally seen as the weakest army in the game, however the game is balanced when compared to 40k you typically see really experienced players pick them up for the challenege of having to be pretty much perfect every time. I had the opportunity when I was younger to hang out with retired 49ers Tackle Bubba Paris for a weekend and he said when comparing me to my friend who was about 50 pounds smaller then me but we both played guards he said a small guy could be as good as a big guy but has to be perfect every time, big guys can make mistakes and still overcome it with their size. If you choose WE you need to be perfect every time where some other armies can make mistakes and still possibly overcome.

Hargus56 wrote:
Both are fun, both are due for a army book update soon.

Dwarves aint due till next year with the latest rumors though

But yes both armies are a bit tough to play

Though I'd say dwarves are much easier. You have high armor saves and all the warmachines in the world so you can whittle down people from afar and smash them with great weapons

WE are very tricky, light armor and light stats except for some wood spirits means you best make sure you get the first hits. 8th edition REALLY hates them (as it favors ranked blobs over skirmishers and light infantry), but perhaps 9th edition next year will provide a much better environment for them

What would be a beginner friendly army?

The one you enjoy the most. If you could care less about the magic phase go dwarfs, they are great to start if you can get your hands on the dwarf end of a Battle For Skull Pass (the prior edition stater/Island of Blood) and a battalion you have a very good start to an army. And until they get a new book you can get access to some 6 dispel scrolls, they have very strong anti magic and can generally shut down the enemies magic phase. Lots of people will tell you they only do sit back and gunline, however one of my favorite ways to run them is scouting longbeards and miners backed by an anvil and some warmachines to take out threats make a very fun list, and everything is swinging great weapons and in combat by turn 2. Here is a great example of how that works: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/370840.page

The fun thing is you deploy your anvil a couple warmachines and that's it, the look on your opponents face is priceless when no infantry is down and you are asking if he is ready for scouts.

And if you don't mind losing go WEs, it will take some patience and a good group of players that want to help you out, but you will be a better player using them then any other army.

How hard are britonia to make work?

lynxstrife wrote:What would be a beginner friendly army?

Well it depends on your playstyle. Dwarves in reality aint bad for learning the game, just slow and not the most powerful. Though for newbs I guess lizardmen or chaos warriors (though they are getting a new book so no idea if the new warriors are nub friendly).

Empire is also decent I guess if you want a little bit of everything (and you get cannons, the best cannons)

lynxstrife wrote:How hard are britonia to make work?

Quite hard. 8th edition hates cavalry so you'll have to know when to do your charges. You lose the charge, good bye knights

Though you do get one of the best stone throwers in the game

Lol whfb is all over the place with armies!

Yep, ain't it great

I am lean more too brit and empire now. I would like some magic fun!

Bretonnia have their uses, excellent Calvary which can have upwards of 5 ranks. A S5/10 stonethrower which is ridiculously underpriced. The Empire are probably the best all-rounder army in WHFB, there isn't much they can't do. But it doesn't mean they are the best at what they do.

Yah i noticed that but there units look horrible! All that fluffy foo foo.

lynxstrife wrote:
Yah i noticed that but there units look horrible! All that fluffy foo foo.

Try to ebay their 5th edition models. WAY better (or use Perry if you could, way cheaper)

Though fluffy guys is quite historically based

Perry?

lynxstrife wrote:
Perry?

Perry Miniatures. They make some Late Medieval/Early Renaissance infantry and cavalry that could be used for State Troopers (and even greatswords with their plate armor guys)

Though they be more true scale so they're not as thick as gw minis and cant use them in gw only places

Ah ok i will have a look.