http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/93.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7137413.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7137413.page GMT 2. people don't like rat ogres for some reason
3. SLAVES OF THE SLAVY GOODNESS. you can shoot into combat if slaves are the ones doing that combat.
4. warlock engineers are good for upping the LD of anything since they are so cheap. BUT if you put a warlock engi into a slave unit, you can no longer shoot into it.
Other than that the screaming bell is amazing, you need around 200 clanrats, so 10 boxes. use Hand weapons not spears.
buy the wheel of doom, or as boring people call it "doom wheel"
5.The warp lighting cannon is good.
6.Grey seer's and warlords are you best bet, I don't like most characters but they are generally good, but expensive. wargear wise, warlock engi's with brass orbs or doom rocket is always fun, and good whenever luck is on your side.
7.but luck being on your side determines a lot in the skaven book.
8.You can make a skaven list with a low model count if you buy lord skrolk and take plague monks as core, but even then you would want minimum core, and a ton of plague 9.catapults, plague censurs, and a plague furnace (beause if you do this, you are playing a pestilins army)
10.Slaves are the best unit if you play your skaven really shooty. if you have little to no range in your skaven army, the slaves just lost one of tehir biggest selling points.
11.My list is a grey seer on bell pushed by 50 storm vermin. around 200 clan rats, weapon teams for the clanrats, warplighting cannons, and doom wheels. I occasionaly use gutter runners or whatever models I have lying around.
hope this helped]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7138575.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7138575.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7143230.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7143230.page GMT Clanrats and slaves have the same models some people just paint them up differently and some people use the more armoured ones for clanrats while using the ones with more cloth and robes as slaves.

Your going to need a ton of models for skaven. That's just the way they play.

I semi agree with what the other guy said but some of it is meh in my opinion. The bell is just okay, and isn't really a super competitive choice.
Anyways 2000 points is around 150-200 models depending on the units you use.

Get a hell pit abomination and 2 cannons for a 2000 point game.
Bring a grey seer with talisman of preservation if you want some sweet magic.
A chieftain as your battle standard bearer with foul pendant or something similar. An engineer with doomrocket, and engineer with lvl 1 magic and a dispelled scroll.

2 units of 40 slaves, 2 or 3 units of giant rats. A unit of 30 clanrats to hold onto your lords and heroes but don't get them into combat. You will need more clanrats or stormvermin to meet the minimum required points. I wouldn't recommend weapon teams since they are costly but warp fire thrower is my favourite.
A unit or 7-9 gutter runners (with poisoned attacks and slings).
You can either bring a unit of 35-40 stormvermin or plague monks as a hammer unit.

Then that's a fairly standard type list. The bell is extremely expensive and isn't the best choice. I would rather take a plague priest with a plague furnace and 40 plague monks so more of an offensive unit.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7144553.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7144553.page GMT
More competitive lists run one unit of 40-50 slaves per like 750 points...
They are, the best model in the game for their points hands down. 100 points a unit of 50 of them is just stupid regardless of the statline.

Skaven are, in my opinion, one of the three best armies in the game right now. The only reason they dont see more play is because very few people want to paint up 300 models.

Rat ogres are not horrible, most people think so because they let them get frenzy baited over and over. Keep them near your general and BSB and they become the best hammer unit in the skaven book.

Warp cannons and hell pits are 2 of the best rare choices in existance for their points. Skaven magic is just sickeningly good, especially for a 7th edition book. Get off a 13th and watch as your opponent just melts.

Warlords can get very fighty for very cheap, a fully kitted out warlord will run you less than 200 points generally, and can be fairly strong at that.

Rat darts (minimum sized units of giant rats) are some of the best chafe in the game for charge baiting and redirecting.

Plague monks with the standard of godliness dish out some pain, throw a plague priest with a furnace in their and watch the QQ

Gutter runners for war machine huniting is great, again another amazing unit for their cost.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7144602.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7144602.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7145214.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7145214.page GMT lvl 2 plague preiet with foul pendant and a flail on the plague furnace.
I like to take plague banner with the plague monks with the furnace and it just makes it a huge killing unit. You might want to take the storm banner in another unit so that the enemy doesn't cannonball the crap out of your furnace and your plague monks.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7145363.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7145363.page GMT
- Skaven are a Horde army. The standard is to have around 1 model for every 10 points.
You don't need Slaves. But they are very, very good.
I don't think they're the best unit in the game or even in the book by any means, because they hold your opponent up for a few combat phases, but they don't earn you points.

People take Slaves because, with the General and the BSB nearby, and with Steadfast, you're often looking at Ld10 re-rollable break tests. Just make sure you keep your characters alive, or they'll turn tail and run fast.

- Don't fall into the trap of taking tons of Weapon Teams. They're very fragile and expensive, but also incredibly destructive. Sprinkle in one or two, to taste.

- Clanrats always take shields and never spears.

- Stormvermin are a pretty solid unit, and the Stormbanner is our 2nd best magic item.

- Nightrunners are not very good. They're not unplayable--I've run 10 with slings to pretty solid effect as a harassment/chaff unit--but our other stuff does the same for less or is better at it.

- Rat Swarms aren't a common choice, but 3 bases is only 75pts, and with M6 and 15 attacks and wounds, they can take out other chaff pretty effectively.

- 5 Giant Rats and 1 Packmaster, deployed 2 wide and 3 deep in the "Rat Dart" formation is easily our most versatile unit. Block/redirect charges for 23pts? Yes please.

- When you take Gutter Runners, you give them Poisoned Attacks and slings. Always.
They're a great unit for taking out war machines, harassing other units, etc. Trouble-shooters.

- Plague Monks are like Stormvermin, but way better against certain units and way worse against others. The Plague Banner only works once, but that one time is usually enough.

- Censer Bearers are devastating. But they're basically one-use. They have to choose their targets carefully, though.

- Rat Ogres are expensive and fragile. They hit pretty hard, and I4 is neat, but no saves, T4, and 40pts/model is pretty rough.

- Globadiers and Jezzails are tricky to use. Not a lot of people field them.

- the Warp Lightning Cannon is too cheap for what it does. Which is scare the crap out of everything in the game. It's got magic attacks, a template, D6 wounds, and ignores armour. Nothing is safe!

- the Catapult is far inferior to the Cannon, but it's not a bad unit by any means.

- the Doomwheel is a cheap min-monster. Great for clearing enemy chaff and for harassing/taking on monsters and monstrous things.

- the Hell Pit Abomination is not a reliable monster, but he's a threat to characters, units, other monsters...he's a fantastic unit.

- most lists include a Grey Seer. Skaven magic is okay. It's outdated, situational and short-ranged, but a lot of its spells from both Lores are still good.
The Dreaded 13th is pretty good. It's not Dwellers or Final Transmutation or Purple Sun, but it can actually finish off units, which is something the Skaven struggles with. That is, assuming the unit can actually be affected.

- Warlords are fantastic Generals. They're usually best off being built to survive and passing out their Ld7. But as said above, the Grey Seer comes first.

- Warlock Engineers. Take a Doomrocket. Best thing in the book, hands-down. It's stupid.
The Brass Orb is decent, and the Death Globe is okay, too.

- take a Chieftain, make him your BSB, and protect him at all costs. Usually with a 4+ Ward save.

- not many people take Plague Priests without the Furnace, so they're a big investment. Sort of a one-shot deal, but pretty scary Heroes for their points.

- Assassins are usually too expensive and not all that effective for most people's taste.

Hope that helps.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7149560.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/611489/7149560.page GMT