Has anyone tried using a Saurus Horde unit? I have a game coming up in a couple of weeks, and I could be up against HE or Empire. I normally take two units of Suarus because of the models I have available. I was thinking about combining the two units into a horde of 40 with HW/Shield. Would this be efficient because of the wider bases on the Saurus, or will I be wasting attacks on some units?
I tried it once, it is extremely hard to manoeuvre. They are extremely wide and very slow, so they are easily redirected. If you are going for it you might wanna run high magic, and use walk between worlds to get the unit into combat fast.
More WS3, S4 attacks probably aren't that useful. Better to have more ranks, or take scar-vets/oldbloods to boost the chopping power rather than more bodies.
Thanks for the replies. I had not even thought about the maneuverability of the unit. With a unit that wide it would be tough to get around some of the terrain that will be on the battlefield. And having my main combat block being redirected around the field would not be good. I usually have a Scar Vet in at least one Saurus block. I was not sure how many extra attacks the horde formation would really get me, but rethinking it, probably not a lot extra. Because of the low initiative, the extra ranks could help the Saurus stick in CC longer than the extra attacks. This battle will be 2500 Pts., so I will have enough points for a Scar Vet in each Saurus block, along with a Scar Vet or Oldblood Cowboy.
Why do you want more than one saurus block in a 2,5k game? Skinks are great One block for 30 or 36 does the job for me anyways.
If saurus warriors could've taken magic banner and get AP it might've been better. Or at least better to just take them to begin with lol. S4 hits won't do anything against AS1+ so a single unit of 5 reiksguards can hold up the horde forever.
Didn't the reduction in LD on skinks make this kinda scary, double flee could panic your core nearly 50% of the time?
Unfortunately, I have a limited number of Skinks, so to fill out my core I do need to use Saurus Blocks. I am saving up to get more Skinks for my army, and then I will try adding more Skinks to give that style of LM army a try.
I do still like a big saurus block, 5x6 with a scar vet bsb, it can really control an area of the board and will be guaranteed to attract attention from your opponents heavy hitters which means you can use them to bait a funnel trap allowing your skinks free reign to poison things to death whilst they are concentrating on lining up a multi charge on the big block of saurus.
The deal I have come across with big saurus blocks is that they domt perform better than the 6x4 people tend to run. 1: because of the extra points invested they become a viable target for ranged stuff. They get thinned out and when they finally reach combat, late due to redirection and hard movement, the extra bodies are gone. 2: they dont achieve much more in combat even when they are fully numbered. Whatever target they get to they are rarely able to maximize, as just because you are in horde it dosnt mean your opponent gets a bigger front. 3: Since you are 10wide it means you still only have 4 ranks, so that dosnt even get you a bonus. 4: even though they might have more attacks, they will probably still break against anything worth their points. Just the same, just a bigger loss for you. Things to consider is "go deep" or "go stubborn". Without spears, a 6+ ward from engine and a scarvet/oldblood to lash out extras I dont think they perform well. And thats very expensive for a unit that can easily be matched by other infantry :/ They are an anvil, not a hammer. Focus on grind rather than on offense ...else a TG unit will do you better. If you want an expensive horde ho skavenpelt banner on a WD slann, pop him into a big TG unit who carries The razor standard. That works!