Ok to stop any future posts about whats the best "thing" in the dwarven list this pinned thread is to help this. Please feel free to debate about what is better than the other, but in a civilaized manner.
All other threads about this will be deleted, unless I can see a good enough reason to leave it open and up. This is here to keep the forum tidy, and to try and reduce the clutter of posts etc.
KU
Right. No-1 has replied to this, so I guest I will be the first to write a list of all the 'vital' things a Dwarf army should have. Remember this only one person's opinion, and I'm sure you won't all agree with my choices, but feedback/comments are welcome.
Right on with the list:
1. The absolute most important element in a Dwarf army is the BSB. The Dwarf army is basically a defensive, infantry army and as a result tends to spend the battle sitting in its own deployment zone. Fail a break test and that unit is likely to either be off the board or run down by your opponent. The BSB is the best piece of equpment you can take to prevent this. Sure, a Ld10 general is good, but a BSB is statistically better, and let's face it most of us will combine the two anyway.
There are plenty of options for clever runic standards for these guys, although I think survivability is the most important thing. I therefore often go for runic armour instead, or deliberately put him in a unit with full command and another character so he can hide in the 2nd rank! Remember that a magical banner is only of use if in the front rank though (see Warhammer Q&A).
2. Slayers. I'm sure many of you will disagree with this choice, but I never go to battle without them. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, they are great for protecting your flanks. Deploy then in a shallow formation at a slight angle, and that unit of fast cavalry that would have been a nightmare if it was able to get into combat and eliminate the rank bonus of your main units may never get there without help. The only thing that comes close to Slayers in this role is a unit of Hammerers (accompanied by the general, of course) and a BSB nearby. These guys have a better than 97% chance of passing a break test, so are almost unbreakable. That unit will cost a bomb though, so just take the 100% unbreakable Slayers and save some points!! :P
Another reason why Slayers are great is that opponents know they are unbreakable and are scared of them as a result. This often leads to them avoiding them altogether, or the Slayer unit getting shot at every opportunity. The important thing to note here is that by avoiding them, your opponent is letting you dictate where the main battle is going to be fought. By directing all available missile fire at them, your opponent is leaving the rest of your army unscathed. Slayers are quite vulnerable to missile fire, but remember that T4 is not a bad defence despite the lack of armour and if you have deployed them correctly, they should be out of range of many archer-type units anyway. There are those generals who disregard Slayers because of their vulnerability to missiles. I say to these guys: don't disregard them altogether, just take a larger unit!!
I love Slayers so much that I was determined to switch to a Slayer army with the release of the SoC book. Then I saw the list and realised that I wouldn't be able to select options 3-8 below, and thought better of it...!!
3. Disruptive units. By this I am talking specifically about Rangers/Miners/Gyrocopters although small units of warriors or lone characters can fulfil the role to an extent. I would recommend always taking at least one of these units. It is true that they rarely make back their points value in terms of kills, but they are SO useful for performing the more mundane roles of blocking marches, drawing frenzied troops out of position, releasing fanatics etc. They are also just about your only chance of taking out enemy war machines.
4. Thunderers. Probably the best missile weapon in the game, the Dwarf handgun is awesome. That simple. So much so, that it makes the humble crossbow pretty much redundant. In my opinion the serious Dwarf general should only ever consider the crossbows if he really doesn't have enough points left over for thunderers: the advantages of the handgun are too great: in exchange for a 20% decrease in range and a 2-point increase in cost, you get increased armour penetration, the move-and-fire ability and +1 to hit at short range.
Since the enemy is likely to be advancing towards you, you are unlikely to need the extra range of the crossbow anyway. The ability to move-and-fire is too useful. Because crossbows are so static, it can be pretty easy for your opponent to keep the units he doesn't want shot at out of LoS. Thunderers don't have this problem. If you really don't want to take Slayers, you must take some of these guys to respond to flanking units and take them out. A Dwarf army with neither will be too easy to out-flank and thus break in combat, regardless of Ld values/BSB.
5. War Machines. Dwarfs have the widest selection of war machines in the game. On top of this, there is the added versatility available to you in the options for engineering runes. Here is my rundown of the different types/options available to you:
For beginners, I recommend the Stone Thrower/Bolt Thrower combination. The Bolt Throwers are two-per-special choice and are a roll-to-hit war machine, so you beardlings don't have to worry about range guessing. The Stone Thrower is the best war machine to learn the skill of range-guessing. With things like cannons, it becomes a little tricky because you first have to guess the range accurately, then correct (underguess) a little to account for the artillery dice roll. I say learn with a Stone Thrower first, then progress to cannons.
At tournaments it seems as though the Stone Thrower/Cannon combination is most popular. They do work well together. Cannons are slightly better than Bilt Throwers in my opinion because their strength is higher and does not decrease through ranks. They can also be used to pick out characters, ignoring the normal targeting rules (see WD259 and Annual 2002). Their increased points cost reflects this though, and they are less reliable than the misfire-free bolt throwers.
Flame Cannons are the hardest weapons to use, but can also be the most rewarding, in my opinion. This is basically because they have a very limited range, but any casualties and you instantly cause a panic test (you no longer have to worry about destroying 25% of the unit!). Again, you pay for this ability in terms of points, and they cannot be 'runed-up' to increase reliabiliy.
The Dwarfs have so many war machine options that you can pretty much tailor your selections depending upon your opponent. Playing Chaos? take Stone/Bolt Throwers and Cannons that ignore armour. Playing a horde army? Take Stone Throwers and Flame Cannons for maximum carnage! Playing skirmishers? Take Organ Guns for the auto-hits.
The options and versatility available to you are largely what makes Dwarf machines so f***ing great!
6. Dwarf Lords. Ld10, T5, W3. Probably the most resilient infantry characters in the game. You should always take one of these as your general (not possible in smaller games though, I'm afraid) as when combined with BSB, they can really hold your line together. That ability is worth the points cost alone. They also have a huge number of rune combos available to them: Dwarf magic items are SO much better than anyone else's! They also make a unit of Hammerers a viable choice...
Since the other Lord options in the Dwarf army are, let's face it, a bit pants I wouldn't imagine many generals going to battle without one.
7. Warriors. Ah, the humble warrior, one of the best core choices in the game. With Ld9, Ws4 and T4 they are SO much better than men or Orcs and still have a reasonable points cost. They also have the options for shields, heavy armour and great weapons, which is pretty unusual for a Core choice. Let's face it, what Dwarf general is going to go to battle without at least one of these units, and normally 2-3??
8. Runesmiths. The major Dwarf weakness is magic. Sure your army has a natural resistance to it (4 dispel dice), but in 2000+ games you will quickly find that it just isn't enough. This is where Runesmiths come in, not only do they add another dispel dice to the pool, but also have access to they oh-so-useful anti-magic runes.
OK, that's my list of what any Dwarf army (of mine, anyway!) should contain. I guess if you select everything from the list, that will be most of your army chosen anyway. For example, I have recommended 3 characters, which takes up a large proportion of your allowance in games up to 2000 points. But in my opinion, that's what a 2k Dwarf army should contain: 1 Lord, 1 BSB and 1 Runesmith, then maybe another Thane. Although I tend to stick to this list pretty rigidly (except when designing themed armies!), you should develop your own preferences. Remember, this is only my opinion and I would like some feedback/criticism if necessary, although I don't think I have really said anything particularly contraversial....
