I'm focusing primarily on Lizardmen, because that is the bulk of what I have model wise, and because Lizardmen are just too awesome to not play. However, I inherited a small TK army from my brother, with some boxes of un-assembled TK skeletons...while at the same time as having a couple boxes of similarly un-assembled VC skeletons. My question is this, what is the best way to equip these skeletons. HW/Shield, or spears? I know spears are the way to go with Lizardmen, but I have no idea for the other two armies.
From my experience dealing with both armies, it seems as though the skeleton units are used to tie up an enemy unit for a flank charge by something more powerfull in the army. Making sure they last seems to be a priority and the less casualties you take, the longer the skeletons can hold that unit without healing magic. Most skeleton units I've seen utilize HW/SH for the extra armor save.
Completely agree with Baratok, skeletons are useless in combat so the spears aren't really going to do much. They are much better off with the additional armour save from hand weapon/shield.
Dont backsass those things man....I did and I got owned by a unit....it took out a unit of 30 plague monks with priest.....then it flanked and killed my temple guard.....and there was onlt 16 of them....
Hmm then you had incredibly bad luck against them. I have also had very lucky zombies, I threw up a wall of 5 of them once in front of some centigors and the centigors charge, did hardly any damage, the zombies killed a couple and they fled. In my turn, I boosted the zombie unit up a bit more and they proceeded to munch through a unit of beasts. Doesn't make zombies good, I still think they're crap, just luck of the dice. Actually I had a zombie kill a giant once, I now have the model proudly standing on a giant's bloodied head.
It was last edition where zombies were still S and T 3 not 2, which helped, and the giant was already weakened a decent amount from magic. But yes a zombie i a regiment managed over 2 turns to wound the giant twice which killed it. Almost as good as my dragon prince horse managing to kill a black orc warboss after the charging riders did nothing, but then horses often do better than the heavily armed riders on the back for some odd reason.
Anytime I fight mounted troops I am terrified of the mounts as they always are more dangerous for what ever reason. This seems completely opposite of what the math typically says should happen. The dice gods do some strange things sometimes, like causing a unit to turn into the 'little unit that could' when probability states it shouldn't happen. Those are the moments in warhammer that I think we all live for!