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Hey guys, finally found a club around here that plays KoW - but I have no idea how to go about it.

I've got very little experience in these sort of block based, mass combat games, so I'm wondering if someone could give me some basic advice on what I should be doing?

Cheers

Flank and Rear charges greatly increase your units offensive output.

Morale starts off very difficult to break on uninjured units but the threshold gets lowered the more damage they take.

The rules are really well written. Everything is streamlined but it plays really intuitively.

My main problem is, how do you go about getting those flank and rear charges?

I just move my blocks of dudes forwards in a haphazard faction and hope that something kills something.

Design your deployment with two aims - heavy blocks that can take a beating, and faster units that can flank.

Then missile troops and machines to support the blocks.

One strategy is the Refused Flank - most or all of your fast units on one flank, the slower and heavier units on the other.

So, for Dwarfs, you might have a far right flank of Brock, then a unit of or two of Rangers and/or Berserkers.

Ironclads and Shieldbreakers make up the other flank.

A few units of Ironwatch can be used to support the shield breakers and Ironclads, and a pair of cannon will work nicely to soften the enemy.

Bring the fastest units forward, past the enemy, then wheel to hit the flank or rear when the front of the enemy is engaged with your heavier troops.

The Rangers are multifaceted - and can make up for lack of speed by an advanced move (Vanguard). Then they can spend a turn or two softening a target before charging - hopefully catching their target in the front while the Brock hit the flank or rear,

You can do something similar with fast troops on both flanks, and the center being solid, with the ability to engage the enemy and not wither away.

Dwarfs are also good at Castling - if there is a hill, and it is a Kill! mission then a line of infantry in the front, a line of Ironwatch elevated behind them, and the cannon and other war machines behind and above them.

In that case, let the enemy come to you.

When my girlfriend and I play together then we tend to break our forces into a mobile force (called the Hammer) and a more stationary force (called the Anvil). The Anvil either advances slowly, or maintains position - and the Hammer comes up behind the enemy.

The only heroes that we bring are a Berserker Lord (if we bring Berserkers), an Army Standard Bearer (safely behind the Anvil), and a Warsmith (who stays with the cannon.) Only the Warsmith is a constant.

The Auld Grump

Cheers man. I don't play Dwarves but I can see how the same principles apply to Orcs and Gobbos

Be aware that Castling doesn't work as well if you don't have a strong ranged presence to force the enemy to come to you. Dwarves have a very strong set of ranged units and artillery, and ditto for Elves, but Orcs and Goblin armies have a notably weaker presence in those areas.

Not saying you can't use that strategy, but you might need to add very fast/maneuverable units to threaten their forces and force them to come to meet your main force. Fleabag riders can work, as can Kudgers on Winged Slashers (Since they can fly over enemy heads and hit exposed weak units)

Another key point to remember is that friendly units can charge (and move iirc) through other friendly units, prvided the move doesn't leave them on top of another unit. So you can keep a weak, powerful-in-melee unit screened behind a block of heavier units to reduce the chance of losses from arrow fire, or put a really week troop as a "speedbump" in front of a smashy unit

Anyone have any general human strategies they wish to share?

Might help in building a list and planning what to paint first.

 darkPrince010 wrote:


Another key point to remember is that friendly units can charge (and move iirc) through other friendly units, prvided the move doesn't leave them on top of another unit. So you can keep a weak, powerful-in-melee unit screened behind a block of heavier units to reduce the chance of losses from arrow fire, or put a really week troop as a "speedbump" in front of a smashy unit

No, units can move through friendly units but cannot charge through them. Page 31 (Unit Interpenetration - Friends) and then Page 31-32 (Moving Chargers).

 Dakkamite wrote:
Cheers man. I don't play Dwarves but I can see how the same principles apply to Orcs and Gobbos

Heh, I used dwarfs because that is the army that my girlfriend and I share - I have been using it to explain tactics and deployment strategy to her, so it was the example that sprung to mind.

@ Carlos13th - the tactics I described for dwarfs actually work better for humans - the humans have pike walls and fast cavalry, so their hammer is faster, and their anvil is sharper. Nobody does a combined approach as well as The Kingdoms of Men, and if you have The Captain as a special character you can really do some damage.

The pike wall works wonders for both Castling and Refused Flank.

The Auld Grump

Thanks Auld.

That sounds good because I am creating a Samurai Army which tended to favor the Yari/Pike quite a bit.

Are Pennient Mobs any good?

I want to use my Monks as them.

Also is it worth having a mob of cheap peasants to tie people up while you run around and flank?

 carlos13th wrote:
Thanks Auld.

That sounds good because I am creating a Samurai Army which tended to favor the Yari/Pike quite a bit.

Are Pennient Mobs any good?

I want to use my Monks as them.

Also is it worth having a mob of cheap peasants to tie people up while you run around and flank?

Penitent mobs can be really useful especially in troops. 15 attacks for 75 points with CS(1) is nothing to laugh at, but they only hit on a 5+. Still they're good for fielding a couple troops of and using them on the flanks. The headstrong also gives them a good change to save a waver if they get shot at and take 1 or 2 points of damage.

Militia are great! screen your whole army with a line of troops of militia. They serve as a speedbump and arrow shield.

I shall have to buy some old glory peasants to use as militia.