Army 'Character'

[mrborges]

A question came up yesterday that I had a little trouble answering.  It was about how different the armies feel, and if they have a unique 'character' to them.  Aside from stats (Dwarves have a higher PR than Goblins, for instance) and unique choices (Gyrocopters, Mammoths, etc.), is there a way to give the armies a unique feel, different from each other?

I guess the easiest way is to go past the starter armies.  I'm not sure why they are exactly the same, unit wise, but very different points wise.  Makes playing them off each other a little difficult.

But I've bought extras, so I can add Giants and Ogres and Trolls to my Goblins, and Gyrocopters and Bouldermen to my Dwarves.

Hopefully that, and the difference in stats, will make the armies seem different from each other.

[Bodvoc]

I think you answered your own question in a way, get those 'unique' troops painted up to help give your armies more variety. I have played with (and against) Dragon Men, Orcs and Barbarians and all 3 armies played quite differently. Dragon men are a good solid army, especially when backed up by a Dragon! Barbarians can be hard hitting but can also suffer from their lack of armour. Orcs and Goblins have lots of varied troops with some really nasty spells to boost them in melee.

[Chieftain]

I'm not sure why they are exactly the same, unit wise, but very different points wise.  Makes playing them off each other a little difficult.

Interesting observation.  Which units are you referring to?   

[mrborges]

Interesting observation.  Which units are you referring to?   

I'm thinking: each starter has a commander, a wizard, three warriors, ranged, riders and artillery.  But the points cost for all the Dwarves is higher than the Goblins' cost.  It just requires some fiddling and dropping a Dwarf unit (or adding Goblins) to make it even.

Luckily I think I've got the extra models to bring them up to 500 already.  I'll do the math, because it not, I'll be ordering the new armies soon anyway

[AndyT]

You say "aside from the stats" but different stats are a key element. In most other fantasy games what else is there to differentiate between a goblin and a dwarf?

The second aspect of army character is in the flexibility of the army lists. I can have a goblin army with a core entirely made up of foot or just wolf mounted troops, or a mix of both.

Warband also allows unit options and these give more flavour to an army. Dwarf units have the option to have "resolute" and "shieldwall" for example. Goblin foot can be "fierce" and my wolf rider army can be made up of skirmishers or melee troops.

Perhaps with fewer choices in the army lists you may see more "traditional" armies but I like the flexibility.

Cheers, Andy

[Leon]

The packaged army packs are all a similar composition for a few things at this end, such as ease of casting, single price point, etc. plus they all give a solid core for people to get started with.  We did consider making up armies to the same point value, but it would mean differing prices, potentially different packaging sizes needed, and not as efficient a casting process.  It also meant that a lot of people would be paying for units that didn't fit into their personal 'style' of army and would never see use. 

With the current packs, you can add one or two units to suit your own tastes and head off into battle with the perfect army for your playing style.