Hi all,
OK, here's an army list using the Barbarian list from Warhammer Ancients Battle 2nd Ed Core Rulebook.
Why 1600 points? It just happens to be what size we play locally. No idea why, but there we go.
OK- using the method described here, let's begin!
Theme: well, this list is aiming at representing a mental image of Celts and Barbarians, instead of being a representative Celt, Dacian, Germanic etc list. There are other Sourcebooks which represent these far more accurately: notably Fall of the West and Shieldwall. So the theme is fairly loose- lots of Warriors of different Chieftains, with Cavalry, Chariot and Skirmishers. I do like the idea that each unit of Warriors is led by a Chieftain, so that's going in as well!
Favourites: OK, I'm a sucker for Chariots. This applies to all Games Systems- if there's a chance for a Chariot in the list, I'll do my damnedest to squeeze it in! So there's definitely going to be Chariots in this list:
3 Chariots with Thrusting Spear (+1S on the charge)
Chieftain with Thrusting Spear and Light Armour in Chariot.
That's 231 points. Plenty left :)
Compulsories: With Barbarians, there are definitely 2 Characters which are "Compulsory." Warlords and Battle Standard Bearers. You don't have to take them, but you are at a serious disadvantage if you don't- Ld:5 Troops need all the support they can get!
Quick note- for those that aren't aware, Barbarians get +1 Ld per rank bonus in the unit. This means that units in range of the Warlord are Ld 10. Those out of range will be Ld 8. Cavalry, Chariots etc CANNOT GET A RANK BONUS - it's only for infantry, and certain specialist units (Companion Cavalry, the Crusader lists etc.) So Warlords and Battle Standards are fairly crucial to keep your line together, or at least rallying when they run.
Warlord with Light Armour, Shield and Javelins
Battle Standard
Remaining Compulsories- well, the list forces us to take 1/3 of the army as Warriors. That's 534 points. Well the good news is that Barbarian Warriors are 5 points each and are Warband (so they can auto-break enemy.) they can also get the full +3 Rank Bonus. Units of these guys are going to be BIG:
30 Warriors with Standard, Musician and Champion.
30 Warriors with Standard, Musician and Champion.
30 Warriors with Standard, Musician and Champion.
30 Warriors with Standard, Musician and Champion.
As mentioned in theme, each of these units needs a Chief:
Chieftain with Light Armour and Shield
Chieftain with Light Armour and Shield
Chieftain with Light Armour and Shield
Chieftain with Light Armour and Shield
That's a total of 1386 points. Time for gap filling.
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| Sarah Palin with her closest Advisers |
Plan: OK, this army has a few things going for it. The units will probably outnumber most enemy, and Chieftains can pump out a hefty weight of damage in combat. These are important, because if a Warband outnumbers it's enemy and wins combat, then the enemy auto-breaks (Unless they are Stubborn, Drilled, Trained or otherwise share Roman traits!) Your units should get there thanks to decent Ld, and worst comes to worst they have Javelins, so can try a little desultory shooting at Skirmish Screens. Basic plan- pick an enemy unit, shout "Freedom," and get into combat with it!
There are certain things that every WAB army will have to consider- Cavalry and Skirmishers. if you can get an advantage in either of these areas, then you can really put your opponent under pressure. So let's see what can be done in these areas for Barbarians:
Skirmishers: Barbarian Skirmishers are not very good. Most things will hit them on 3's, and thanks to the lack of ranks they will almost certainly run (Skirmishers can never use the Generals Ld.) On the other hand, they are 4 point Slingers...
15 Skirmisher with Sling
15 Skirmisher with Sling
This should be enough to hold any rough terrain, where the enemies ranks won't count, and they can really hammer enemy up close with 30 shots per unit. Great against Roman Legionaries, with their 6" march :)
That just leaves us with Cavalry to consider. Chariots come out of this allowance, so we've already spent a fair whack of it. The only other things are Noble Cavalry and Light Cavalry. Now, neither of these units will get a Rank Bonus, so they aren't frontal chargers. Noble Cavalry can get a 4+ save, which is respectable, but they are 29 points a model, which isn't. In this list, I'm going to go Light Cavalry heavy- the biggest reason, really, is that so far it looks like a collection of villages coming together under the leadership of an inspiring leader, and having a huge block of village leaders without their Peons just doesn't feel right.
5 Light Cavalry
5 Light Cavalry
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| Famous Barbarian Victory |
Bringing us up to a total of 606 points on Characters, 660 points on Warriors, 240 points on Cavalry and 120 points on Skirmish- overall, 1626 points, and 72 points over on Characters. So a Chieftain has to go, bringing it down to 1551 points overall, and allowing an extra few Light Cavalry and Skirmishers to be squeezed in:
2 Light Cavalry (1 for each unit)
6 Skirmishers with Sling (break the Skirmishers into 3 units of 12)
And now the list is finished, let's take a look:
Warlord with Light Armour and Shield
Battle Standard
30 Warriors with Standard, Musician and Champion
Chieftain with Light Armour and Shield
30 Warriors with Standard, Musician and Champion
Chieftain with Light Armour and Shield
30 Warriors with Standard, Musician and Champion
Chieftain with Light Armour and Shield
30 Warriors with Standard, Musician and Champion
Chieftain with Light Armour and Shield, in Chariot
3 Chariot with Thrusting Spear
6 Light Cavalry
6 Light Cavalry
12 Skirmisher with Sling
12 Skirmisher with Sling
12 Skirmisher with Sling
Total : 1599 points.
As it's finished, the list will need to be careful about enemy Cavalry and Skirmishers, where it can be overwhelmed, but if those to battles are won then you can really harass the enemy lines while the real threat advances- 4 blocks of hard hitting Warband that can simply smash through the opponents lines. A quick mention of the Chariots- these are probably the best option for countering enemy heavy cavalry, since the unit pushes out 6 S:4 attacks and 3 S:5 attacks when it charges. However, if that attack doesn't work, you are in quite serious trouble, as Heavy Cavalry in the flank will give you a serious headache.
One final treat: how much would this list cost in models? Well, that's 120 Infantry, 36 Slingers, 12 Light Cavalry, 3 Chariot, 1 Character in Chariot and 3 Chieftains, General and Battle Standard on foot. Well, if you buy 1 Chariot-Queen, 3 Chariot, 3 Command Boxes, 1 box of Celtic Cavalry, and 4 boxes of Warriors you get everything you need. Tell you what, we'll throw in the cost of Superb Glue (better than Super!) and enough Bases for everything. Any guesses?
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| The best Barbarian ever? :) |
£62.72, plus postage. To look at the models, check out this site.
Comments, as always, are welcome.
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