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When do you use which?

I have a small elite army (Varangur;10 drops with the horde) and I can't decide between taking 2 regiments of Bloodsworn or 1 Horde (plus 60 points of upgrades across the army).

So I figured it would be a nice topic for discussion/beginners to read.

Regiments are easier to maneuver, but hordes are more survivable with more attacks. However Hordes are more likely to be hindered on the charge due to their wide frontage.

I'm a beginner too, and am mostly including a horde in my lists because for Abyssal Dwarfs I just don't have enough Warmachine/Hero/Monster slots otherwise!

Otherwise, the rest of my units are Regiments for now... will report back on how it goes

I used a Horde of Brotherhood Knights instead of two Regiments, and gave them the magic item that allows them to always have a Nerve re-roll. They were fantastic.

However, they were able to get two charges the whole game, because the unit size was so big. The rest of the time, they were either out of position, or were being hit in the flanks.

With that being said, they lasted the whole game. Even with flank charges. Because their Nerve was so high.

So, it really depends on the unit. A horde of Cavalry is a LARGE unit, but it hits like a truck, and has great Nerve.

In the end, I think it all depends on your army composition. A Horde is a fantastic anvil unit. It can take a hit, and stop 1 or 2 units in their tracks. Then, you hit those 1 or 2 units with the Horde and a Regiment or two on the flanks. You will not only stop a unit or two from blasting through your lines, but will also set them up to be destroyed in return.

You need to look at the Nerve values in your army. A Horde of Zombies is not a fantastic unit...until you realize that they can take a hit from anything in the game, and stop it from breaking through. If you position some Regiments on each flank, then they can usually make flank charges, which is really nice.

So, in all of my armies, I have at least 1 Horde as an anvil, and then I position at least two Regiments on each flank. This not only protects the Horde's flanks, but sets up charge opportunities. That is my hammer.

I usually put my Horde right in the middle of the table, along with their Regiment escorts. I then have fast movers on the right and left flanks, with some Troop units for chaff. It works REALLY well. I have only lost 1 game so far, and that was before I put a Horde down....


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Now, with that being said, you have to be smart about it. You cannot just leave a Horde out on its own, and expect it to last the whole game. Flank and Rear charges are easier to set up against Hordes, and Flyers can cause you some grief. You have to support them.

Just like in real life. Huge formations of troops had great staying power, but were unwieldy. They had to have flank support.

A regiment of bloodsworn is already quite robust, and still manuevarable. Yes, horde anvils are good to have but bloodsworn should be your hammer, I think.

 toasteroven wrote:
A regiment of bloodsworn is already quite robust, and still manuevarable. Yes, horde anvils are good to have but bloodsworn should be your hammer, I think.

I hope this does not come across as argumentative, I would really like a discussion.

I see your point, but what if I have a hammer already (cavalry, for example)? Should I forgo having an anvil and just be aggressive? The Varangur are pretty tough so that might work.

Not argumentative at all, and it's a good question.

I'm still pretty new to KoW myself, and I was basing my thinking on looking at the entries, and not from actual experience with the Varangur, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

I do feel that, as a fairly tough and expensive army, with some units that already have a wider frontage than average (the 25mm base guys) regiments are a better choice than hordes. Offensive might work better, yeah.

Thinking about it, though, a properly supported regiment of bloodsworn or sons probably could function pretty well as an anvil too.

Just some thoughts, I hope that someone with more practical experience with the army can show where I'm missing things.

This thread was helpful for me in thinking of army composition. I am new as well and have yet to build a horde unit.

With the elite army I'm finding that in trying to squeeze out as many extra individuals or troops as I can; I usually take the horde for it's cost effectiveness, so not much of a choice in the end.