I'm not yet committed on the higher points cost lists, but here's my start: I've already got two units of ten skink skirmishers with pipes, a unit of 15 Saurus with spears, a skink chief on foot (scavved from the EotG I'm building), four Kroxes, and five skinks with javelins plus a skink standard. I'm going to be buying a second box of skinks. My 500 point start is thusly: Skink Chief with light armor, shield, and VotFF 15 skinks with javelins + Standard + Krox Two units of ten skirmishers with pipes 10 Saurus Warriors with spears + Mus and Std. ------------- For 1000 points I plan to do this: First level Skink Priest on a Steg + Diadem and Dispel Scroll + 5 Saurus Warriors to warrior unit War Drums for the Skink Chief ---------- At 1500+ I'm a little vague on. Terradons and a third unit of skirmishers are the only things I'm certain of at this point. Comments?
First some questions. Must everything from one round be kept till the next? Can troops and, more importantly, heroes be upgraded in such a major way as adding a stegadon? I understand that you can only have a vague idea of what you want at the moment but it does make a fairly big difference, mostly for hero choices rather than troop. One thing you must decide is if you are aiming for a slann as your lord choice or an oldblood (or neither) as each option suits different army types. I would only take a skink chief if you intend on putting him on an ancient stegadon later. I also would only take him on an ancient stegadon if you intend to give him the stegadon warspear, which can only be taken if he is on a stegadon already lol So basically you must decide all the units you want for 2k, then cut it down to in grades to 500. That is the only way you'll get a coherent list at 2k, eg the skink chief. I really wouldn't use skink/krox units. By 2k I would aim for two units of 10 ranked skinks and two units of skirmishers. You should also get terradons, and they will be most effective introduced at 1k or 1.5k (maybe aim for two units of 3 by 2k). An engine would be fantastic at 1k, they will find it very hard to kill though you MUST make it lvl2 when introducing it, and I wouldn't take any items till later as he is an effective lvl3 at 1k! Only get diadem and a scroll on him if you are not getting a slann. If you get a slann you must decide if you want to get TG or not, as that will dictate the build he needs (survival or pure power). Kroxigor make great units in sets of 3-4 but again I will say that skink+krox are not worthwhile. A unit of 3 krox will hit very hard in 500 points, costing less than 200. Keep the saurus in there at 500 also, then buff them up to 15 or 18 by 2k.
I don't have to preserve things from one level to the next, but I'd like to get from 500 to 2250 with as few "spare" models as possible. The league is essentially a way for people to get gradually painted up to 2250 over the course of four or five months. I have a Slaan and 20 Temple Guard, so that's the route I'm going. I just can't bring myself to like the Oldblood on Carnodon model. I'm old school, so it's not a Lizardmen army without froggy. I love love love the EotG model, so it's good to know it kicks ten kinds of butt. I have one all ready to paint. I will not paint more than one EotG, though I may do a second for a chief or as a Special or Rare. Even if it's not all uber wonderful I'm going to use at least one unit of Skinks with Kroxes. Appearance counts as far as I'm concerned, and I had great luck with the little boogers back in the days of 4th/5th. I like to have a force that looks mixed, so instead of two or three units of saurus spears I'd rather have one each of Temple Guard + Slaan, Saurus Spears, and Skinks with Kroxes. It helps me stay interested in the painting if I'm not doing the same thing over and over and over... I'm willing to stray as far as having two units of ten skirmishers and a ranked unit of ten javs; plus the mixed skink/krox unit. Forty-eight plus or minus a few is all the skinks I'm willing to consider painting.
That's all you need for 2k, I myself am aiming for 20 skirmishers, 20 ranked, 6 terradons and 1 or possibly 2 salamanders as well as an engine, so 59 here. Only done 10 skinks and half done 3 terradons, with my engine nearly finished but 20 skirmishers sitting there on my desk staring at me. It's by far mostly about the painting for me too and deciding not to use skink+krox hurts as one of my best painted models is my kroxigor. My engine is looking sweeet though and in its first outing it hit hard, helping to obliterate a hydra and a unit of harpies as well as running down a DE chariot and having the priest zap most of a unit of dark riders. Three units of spears is a bad idea anyway, I think. Keep it mobile! I really would advise two small terradon units, they are fun to paint anyway. Oh and I'd only use 16 of the 20 TG.