Hey guys, another 40k player trying out fantasy. I plan on collecting a balanced amount of models for LM in time but I've built a stegadon already and had a ton of fun. I'm wondering about some lists or tactics that involve lots of stegs. I realize that starting off this way may be a bad idea but my army may not even be done by the time 8th comes out. Also, is putting out 7 stegs frowned upon?
Just wondering why? Keep in mind I've never played a game. I play 40k and theres lists that spam monstrous creatures. People play them all the time.
In 40k there are things like lascannons and tanks to take the big stuff down. In WHFB, not so. A steg is a scary sight. One is always balanced because if the opponent doesn't have at least a little bit of 'big thing' defence, it is their fault. Two is getting up there, and anything more is overpowered. In reality, more unbalanced. Some heavy artillery lists such as those that Empire and Dwarfs can field will eat you for breakfast, High Elves will have basically nothing that can scratch you, most armies will struggle to deal with more than a couple of large target terror causing monsters. It just unbalanaces the game, WHFB is more built for unit fighting not individual heroics.
Its just as Strewert says, unlike Tanks in 40k there are much fewer good counters to Stegs. The only army that would do okay against a 7 steg list are Shoot and avoidance lists, gun lines and some of the unbreakable lists. I guess cav heavy lists would do well, Bretts would have a high ward save against all the steg attacks and with Move 8" they'd get the charge everytime. As mentioned the Over The Top lists tend to be very unreliable and match up dependant. A 15+ PD magic dominance list would be great and cheesy in most cases, until they bump into Flesh hound heavy deamon army or a Ring of Hotek black dragon DE list and get completly smashed, a super shooty army will dominate some opponents but get wrecked by Stormbanner Skaven or Lore of Life users. If you are new to warhammer I strongly recommend taking a "balanced" list, some CC units, some shooting units, some monsters, some fast units and some casters. Not only is it much more fun to play such lists but you actually LEARN to play the game well, someone who takes a point and click list like a 15+ PD lists or a gun line might do well against novice players but will get easily beaten by players that know how to counter such lists.
@erians: "a point and click list like a 15+ PD lists or a gun line?" I'm sorry, but when I point my gun line and it goes "click" that usually means I'm out of bullets, and we all know how THAT goes silliness aside, I'd agree. the other aspect is movement and facing. Those aren't such an issue in 40k since everything that isn't a vehicle has 360 LOS anyway and vehicles have turrets. The biggest thing for steg's is that being the one to charge brings an infinitely greater advantage in fantasy than being the one to assault does in 40k.
ok , I'm gettin it. I wasn't planning on running 7, was just curious because I saw a list like that while I was looking around for stegadon info. I've already got one stegadon, and 10 TG. I think I'm going to get one more stegadon, 2 battalions, a Slann, Skink priest, Skink Chief, and some salamanders to start.
Sounds like a good start to an army to me. Thing is, those 7 stegs are roughly a 2250 list, so you could see them in a tourney. I'd say two would be all you'll ever need, especially if you magnetize them. When you get the chance, proxy a carnosaur. An old blood on carnosaur with skink priests for magic defense is pretty solid I think, and you may decide you like it. I'm partial to magic myself, so I tend to prefer a slann, I mean, who am I to say "no" to a magical space frog in a floating pimp chair.
...magic space frog in a floating pimp chair... Classic!! Be careful about 'balancing' your magic and shooting. What most people tend to try in this reguard is to take a couple of lvl 2 skink priests that whiff most of their spells and end up making you disenfranchised to magic. Balancing magic means either taking a lore which will support your army (such as Life, Light, Beast) or a streight damage army which you use in conjunction with your shooting. Another way to 'balance' magic is to take magic defense. Most people like taking a lvl 2 priest w/ diadem of power or perhaps a lvl 1 scroll caddy (two dispel scrolls, no other upgrades) or perhaps a lvl 2 with EotG w/ diadem and DS so you still have a little magic but still good defense. Balancing shooting...well that's pretty easy with Lizardmen. Skinks are awesome at it (poison) and having a hunting pack and/or a steg (either ancient w/ blow pipes of death or bolt thrower).