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I know that a regiment of archers/handgunners/whatever has a higher nerve than a troop, but gains no attacks. Are regiments worth taking just for that?

 JoshInJapan wrote:
I know that a regiment of archers/handgunners/whatever has a higher nerve than a troop, but gains no attacks. Are regiments worth taking just for that?

I don't think so; most missile troops will crumble in one charge whether a troop or a regiment. Troops are half as deep and cost less; so you can fit (and field, with the points savings) more vital crunchy close combat units in second and third lines.

Thanks for the advice. I'll have to make some troop-sized movement trays, I guess.

Cool. I was kind of thinking along these lines but I wasn't sure if I was in the right. Good to see a bit of confirmation

I use my missile troops as screening troops. So I have something like this

[M TROOP]........[M TROOP]
............|BIG KILLER|
............|REGIMENT|

because...

a) missile troops shoot for a couple turns, softening enemy up
b) if enemy charges m troop, will probably kill it. then on my turn, big killer regiment charges enemy where m troop used to be.
or
c) if I want big killer regiment to charge, then M Troopers do a side-step move (half movement to slide left or right), or charge other enemies, etc, opening the gap for big killer regiment to charge on thru

Whats the regiment in the back do?

Back when I played WHFB it seemed like the main focus was to try to force/trick your opponent into advantageous (for you) flank charges and what not. Is this layering thing you've outlined more the norm for KoW?

 GrimDork wrote:
Whats the regiment in the back do?

Back when I played WHFB it seemed like the main focus was to try to force/trick your opponent into advantageous (for you) flank charges and what not. Is this layering thing you've outlined more the norm for KoW?

I think that Big Killer and Regiment are the same unit - he is just showing that it has more depth than the Troops.

With rare exceptions *cough* Dwarf Rangers cough* keeping your missile troops to a Troop size does work best.

The Auld Grump - rangers are a special case - and work nicely for flanking....

Oh ho. Yeah that makes sense lol. Definitely making myself some dwarf rangers if I ever get around to making dwarf anything. Multibasing lets you make a pretty neat mixed shooting/melee unit.

 GrimDork wrote:
Oh ho. Yeah that makes sense lol. Definitely making myself some dwarf rangers if I ever get around to making dwarf anything. Multibasing lets you make a pretty neat mixed shooting/melee unit.

The best looking unit of Dwarf Rangers that I have seen were climbing a mountain and planting their banner at the top.

He made it using the Avatars of War Pathfinders - some of the dwarfiest dwarf miniatures out there.

The person playing the army made sure to tell folks 'They didn't bring their own mountain with them - the unit is still normal height.

But it looked great.

The Auld Grump... hmm... I was going to link to Avatars of War... but their site seems to be having problems....

 GrimDork wrote:
Is this layering thing you've outlined more the norm for KoW?

Screening your better units and using a... 'disposable' front line to draw your opponent away from their supporting troops are excellent ways to play. Kings of War is a game that rewards maneouvre, not just of single units, but of your whole battle line as you keep each units' flanks secure and maintain reserves ready to step into any gaps that may appear.

And the only time I would think to use a missile Regiment in KoW is if I had some magic item boosting them and I thought the nerve might help them stick around longer to use it. Even then though, I'd probably try to find the points to make them a Horde and get the item's effects on double the attacks.

So in summary, use 10s.

Is there an advantage in fielding lots of missile blocks, though? I was wondering because I have an excess of archers (40!) so I can field them in 4 groups of 10.

There's a cost inefficiency in taking multiple smaller blocks in that 10 is more than half the cost of a block of 20 but at the moment the smaller missile units work better for shootiness. Don't discount larger missile blocks just yet though as KoW v2 is rebalancing missile infantry and artillery (or buffing infantry and nerfing warmachines depending on your point of view).

Still seems safest to base considering troops of 10, you can always stack a couple of those to make a block later

 heartserenade wrote:
Is there an advantage in fielding lots of missile blocks, though? I was wondering because I have an excess of archers (40!) so I can field them in 4 groups of 10.

It is harder for the enemy to destroy two units of 10 than to destroy one unit of 20.

More units give greater tactical flexibility.

The downside is enemy missile fire has an easier time taking out your missile troops - archers are squishy, and the low Nerve makes it easier for enemy missile fire to break a troop....

The Auld Grump

Haha, yes, that was a BIG KILLER REGIMENT who, being a regiment, is twice as deep as a TROOP

Riquende has it right. Playing with souped up uber units will get you killed in KoW. I always deploy in at least two lines; preferably three if at 2k or larger games. I tend to play Orcs more often than not, so I screen with Sniffs as my first line.

That's kind of cool to have lines, WHFB seemed to only ever have one single line and if you were in danger of getting more models you just grabbed a big expensive wizard lol.

 GrimDork wrote:
That's kind of cool to have lines, WHFB seemed to only ever have one single line and if you were in danger of getting more models you just grabbed a big expensive wizard lol.

Yes, it's one of the many reasons I love KoW. Not that it's perfect; as a huge HUGE fan of WHFB6/7 I do miss some of the flavor, but I do not miss the length of time it took to play a game or the Warhangover Headachehammer you had after a 5 hour battle. KoW is fast, fun, with tons of minis, and the rules actually reward tactical thinking. So stuff like deploying with a defense in depth as well as the ability to rapidly move reserves into holes in your lines either accidentally or purposefully opened are all not only viable but also sometimes necessary tactics.

Hmmm, I think I'll wait for KoW 2 before I start making bases for my miniatures.

How do we feel about elite melee units (Orc Moraxe, Elf Palace Guard, anything with a better profile than basic soldiers)? Are bigger units with more staying power more important than having smaller, more maneuverable units?

Depends how you set your army up really. If I have elite units with a low Defence (Twilight Kin Blade Dancers etc) then I'll probably want to hide smaller troops between or behind my lines who can then run forward and flank the enemy when the opportunity presents itself.

If the elite unit can take a punch as much as anything else in the force (Palace Guard, KoM Foot Guard) then they might find themselves in bigger units in the battle lines properly. They usually don't cost too much more than spearmen etc in the first place (they aren't so much 'elite' as 'a little bit better/more specialised').

 JoshInJapan wrote:
How do we feel about elite melee units (Orc Moraxe, Elf Palace Guard, anything with a better profile than basic soldiers)? Are bigger units with more staying power more important than having smaller, more maneuverable units?

It depends. I often deploy Morax as troops, but Gore Riders as regiments (due to higher Def). Basically, for my lists, if you have good Def (5+ or better) I tend to field larger units as they will, by definition, last longer; while hard-hitting units, like Morax (20 At, 3+ Me, +1 CS !!) are expensive and I expect them to wreck whoever they charge. Plus I am a huge fan of as many units as possible in my army (more targets for the enemy, and greater ability to bait and outflank)