CDO Forums

Something I'm curious about...

Hypothetically would it be possible to make a balanced, competitive (yet fun to use) CD list without these?

I think we should keep something in the armylist to reflect our low numbers, but what?

There are 2 options I can think of.

The first is to change the gameplay of the Chaos Dwarfs so that they have highly elite units that can survive a huge amount of punishment, then finish off their enemies.  You would have a split of 'ard elite, shock troops, 'big guys' (machines, slave ogres or bull centaurs  etc on 40mm), and what I would call 'disruption troops' (things like miners/ rangers).  This would allow the counter attacks to be quite powerfull if timed well.

This option would make them play much more like regular Dwarfs, but you could include really radical ideas to allow for aggressive armies (not just defensive).  It would rely on having quite small armies, but really tough ones.  You could even mess around with the army selection like they've done with the HE.  This would show that compared to other armies, the Chaos Dwarfs are much more 'specialised'.  Even more so than the regular Dwarfs, because there are so few of us.

If I had access to the book I would see what they've done with Eldar, as this might be similar..? (might be showing my ignorance of 40k here )

The second idea is to introduce *something* that's not hobgoblins/ goblins/ orcs etc, but can compensate for the lack of disposable core blocks.  

This again would change the syle of gameplay.  As a comparison, look at the impact Necromancers have in an undead army in creating skeletons (and their importance in the army as a whole).  I'm certainly not saying we should be raising skeletons!  But have any of us considered ideas loosely based on this for our list?  Looking at the strategic impact of having a character with this much importance in the army, there might be a way to keep disposable units without hobgoblins/ slaves??

In either of these options you could keep a slave themed choice as a special or very limited  core (just to keep to the theme of the Chaos Dwarfs), but basically what I'm asking is whether its possible to remove them as a major part of the army?  

So, can anyone come up with a radical list that does not have either slaves or hobgoblins as a major part of the list?

List the entries you would include, and a brief description of them if it helps.  We don't need a full breakdown of points and rules etc.

possibly a golem army?  requiring technomancers to keep our big stuff alive, and the big things starting to crumble if he dies, but more slowly than undead.  iron golems, kollossuses, etc.

Another idea I just thought was something that could potentially enslave enemy units...

For instance, some sort of daemonic/ magical war machine that could temporarily enslave the minds of our enemies (note that it doesn't involve any sorcerers).

This would be one way of compensating for a lack of disposable troops, as its now the enemy that's disposable!

It may be a stupidly radical idea, but I think if there are lots of ideas out there there might be some real gems to be found.

Mad idea how about a steam /deamon powered engine that produce grotbots mechanical staem/deamon powered and warbots  roll d6
1 bursts asunder doing 2d6 s5 hits escaping deamons attacking any within12'
2 breaks down roll again once engineer has tinkered (next rd)
3 produces 1d6  grotbots
4-5 produces 2d6 grotbots
6 produces 2d6 grotbots + 1 warbot
statsv for grotbots= hobbos warbot=ogre?
could have four crew deamonsmith/engineers feeding it sacrfices for souls and metal armour ewpns which become fused could probably start play with2d6 grotbotsformed up in front of machine

I would quite like it if our army had any greenskins. It would force GW to think up more units for the list. I like the idea of having units that can take a lot of punishemnt to compensate for our low numbers. I would guess that the list would be full of deamonic machines if they took out greenskins.

Id like a list like that! We are Chaos Dwarfs after all, not Chaos Dwarfs and slaves, maybe just putting a limit on slaves so that they don't outnumber the Chaos Dwarfs 3:1.

My 2 cents

you can't get rid of my hobgoblins what'll I model thunky hairsyles and other things on to

still, maybe a sort of half dwarf half machine unit, with like a realy high T and built in range weapons

Instead of having greenskins as a special opition, have a hero class that allows the player to take a certain amount of slaves.

Example:

Master Slaver: allows Two units of goblins/hobgoblins or one unit of orcs

What do you think?

@Theory Man
Most books are self contained now (excluding Hoc and BoC), so to have such an option would require them to be part of the list.

It might be possible to solve the lack of core disposable through lords/ heroes, but that would have to be quite an imaginative solution IMO.

I'd love to see some disposable units which still take advantage of the chaos dwarfs daemon-forging fluff.  Perhaps something along the lines of Snotling's evil dolls.

Highly specialised armies become very boring very quickly.

Keep the Hobgoblins whilst getting rid of all other slave units. Arming slaves to make warriors is an awful decision for the sole reason they have no incetitive not to turn towards their captors, or worse defect to the enemy (who's conveniently literally within an arms reach). Sure there's Skaven slaves but really who would they turn to? Besides moving the army in a distinct technopunk direction would serve to differentiate it from regular dwarfes and greenskins.

I would love an army like this!

I dont like the idea of painting loads and loads of models![/u]

Steampunk Hobgoblins could be interesting, but I feel at the moment they are not very interesting.  At least the options they have aren't.

So IF they were to come into the list I think they would need a serious overhaul.

@Wallacer
Have to say I disagree.

I would class the new HE list as 'elite heavy'. Its swung heavily towards very elite troops, but kept some of the fun parts as well.

HoC is perhaps something more relevant to look at, they have very elite troops, highly priced, but a 'weak' troop to make up the numbers (marauders or Beastmen).

Both of these armies are fun to play.  Sure people can choose to use same units/ lists all the time, but they can do that with any army.