Dobie wrote:Skaven or Dwarves, all the way.
I tend to agree. Either of these warbands played correctly is VERY difficult to beat.
The Skaven are so fast (movement and initiative wise) and can come is such numbers that they can be tough to deal with.
Dwarves are so difficult to drop its stupid. I play them consistently. I've come up with what I like to call "12 angry dwarves" I give up entirely on ranged combat to begin with and max out my warband. The dwarves end up poorly equipped with only dagers and maces to begin with. That many dwarves is very hard to get to rout. Think of it, 12 dwarves all of whom are T 4 and only go out on a 6. You have the numbers not to get swamped by most starting warbands so you simply grind your opponents down.
Keep your dwarves in two large groups with the beardlings in front to take any charges and slowly pen your opponents in. Resolve that some scenarios are almost impossible for you to win because you are so slow. Lose with minimal losses when you get stuck in this situation.
You make sure you take one thunderer and clansman but the rest of you henchmen will be beardlings. You replace any lost beardlings with clansmen or thunderers.
You are hoping to get your lads soon and bump up those search rolls. Pick up a halfling scout (sometimes I start with one) and a dwarf trollslayer as soon as you can. Now you can have 14 angry dwarves (and a terrified halfling) I treat the hired trollslayer as a member of the warband and have found his expense is usually well worth it. I also like the pit fighter, Tilean marksman, warlock, and Arabian Merchant for hired swords (though not all of them obviously)
As you do this you start searching for those dwarf axes and buying up crossbows and pistols. Get to this point and you can demolish almost anybody. Your greatest nemesis will be those few warbands that can bring huge numbers to the table, Skaven and Orcs. If you move appropriately, even the shooty Reiklanders shouldn't be able to beat you and you will trap them and pound them flat.
While I agree with most people's assesment of armor in Mordheim I do begin to armor my dwarves once I have the weapons I want. They are so difficult to stop the armor accentuates this. It isn't an early campaign purchase by any means but I will actively purchase and seek out armorers when I can.
Getting toughness upgrades and taking the resilient skill can turn a dwarf hero into an unstopable killing machine. A model that is effectively T6 in
HtH is something almost no warband can handle unless that hero is overwhelmed with numbers.