We talked with the guy afterwards and he started talking about the factions and the Skorne seemed really interesting to me. Not because I am a sick person (no offense! ), but because they have a really cool color scheme and it seemed like you could have a good mixed force of range and melee which I like.
Liar. You know you like the Agonizer. Come over to the dark side...
As previously mentioned, while Skorne has some decent ranged choices in the Venators and Arcuarii, their primary focus is definitely melee. They've got what's probably the best heavy infantry in the game in the Cataphract Cetrati, and both types of Praetorians are amazing meatshields.
Mind you, this isn't to say you should avoid a combined arms approach. Venators and Karax, for instance, are a wonderful combination, and really help thin out the enemy before your melee units get stuck in, all the while keeping your Venators hidden and virtually unkillable. The catapult is also a nifty choice, as it's basically a poor man's mortar.
As for their melee units being slow, this perception is primarily a hold-over from MkI, especially before Metamorphosis hit the shelves. Most locks have a way to deliver your models far more quickly than your opponent will anticipate, and animi like Rush on the Gladiator make your beasts lightning fast. As an example, Cataphract Cetrati typically move only 5 inches a round while shield walled, making them among the slowest infantry in the Skorne arsenal. Using Makeda's Savagery and a Tyrant's plans, you can get them to walk 12.
Skorne have really moved towards being a synergy faction these days, with a wide amount of interlocking buffs provided by your beasts and support models like the Paingivers and the Tyrant. Depending on your play style and warlock, a lot of these move towards being "must haves," especially the Tyrant in infantry-centric lists, and the Paingivers when you're beast-heavy. The trick is keeping them far enough forward where they can do their job, yet far enough back where they won't get slaughtered by an opponent looking to take your list apart.
For a small list, 25 is probably about where you want to start, as it's one of the "official" point sizes and it should be easy to find people with lists written. I'd definitely look at picking up the warpack, as the Gladiator and Cyclops (Cyclopes? Cyclopsi?) are both great choices as far as beasts go, and Morghoul is a very strong caster.
The box alone is 11 points if you're using Morghoul. Morghoul loves him some beasts, so a good place to start would be a unit of Beast Handlers for additional support (minimum, probably). From there, it's really a toss-up between additional beasts or more infantry for a balanced list. Assuming beasts, I'd look at a second heavy, probably either the Bronzeback (hits stupid hard, makes your Titans into fury batteries) or Molik Karn (hits just as hard and is lightning fast). With the former, you'll have room for a 2 point solo, which is really a matter of taste. With Karn, you'll have 1 point left, which means Gobbers.
Of course, list design changes a hell of a lot once you switch out your caster. For beast-shenanigans, the Morghouls are your best choice, while most of the rest focus on infantry. For sheer straight forwardness, Xerxis and the Makedas are probably the easiest to learn with here, although Hexeris and Zaal aren't too tricky.
), but because they have a really cool color scheme and it seemed like you could have a good mixed force of range and melee which I like.
