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No wolf riders? I'd put some of the hobgoblins on them if I were you. Otherwise it's the epitome of a balanced list...since it contains everything from an army that has a little bit of everything...

Oh yeah, I never spotted that. You have one too many heroes, and one too few Chaos Dwarf Core units - you need at least three in a 2000 point army.

The problem with not giving the Hobbos armor is that then they lose the CR. They won't be getting kills, so they need to win through static CR- and, although a unit of 40 costs the same as a unit of 20 with armor, the unit of 40 will take twice as many kills (against S3) and will lose the combat from the massive casualties they will take. Since the objective is to maximize CR, I don't think that will work...

Basically, I'm treating the Hobgobs like Empire Infantry. They're big blocks that can do reasonably on their own but need a flanking unit to do damage.

But I'll remove the Champion and Musician from the Hobgobs and BCs. I also removed the Warrior Champion, since I'll have the BSB to fight challenges. Those command models I can do without. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get many BCs, so I think 5 is the limit. So, a bunch of points freed up, which will go to dispel scrolls and to fill the Blunderbuss unit.

Chaos Dwarf Lord - 404
Heavy Armor
Shield
Black Hammer of Hashut
Great Taurus

Chaos Dwarf Sorceror - 125
Level 2
Dispel Scroll
Fire Magic

Chaos Dwarf Sorceror - 125
Level 2
Dispel Scroll
Metal Magic

Chaos Dwarf Hero - 120
BSB
Armor of Gazrakh

19 Chaos Dwarf Warriors (BSB goes here) - 241
Standard
Musician
Banner of Slavery

18 Chaos Dwarf Warriors - 216
Blunderbusses

18 Chaos Dwarf Warriors - 216
Blunderbusses

20 Hobgoblins - 90
Light Armor
Shields
Standard

20 Hobgoblins - 90
Light Armor
Shields
Standard

Death Rocket - 80

2 Hobgoblin Bolt Throwers - 60

Earthshaker - 110

5 Bull Centaurs - 120
Heavy Armor
Standard

Total - 1998

A large unit of hobgobs is harder to maneuver. As I said, Hobgobs don't win combats on their own- they just die too easily for that. The idea is that they can benefit from the support of nearly anything. Bull Centaurs can charge in the enemy's flanks and deny rank bonus. CDWs can charge into combat to support them. An Earthshaker can put the hurt down while they're stuck in melee. Things like that.

A large unit is unwieldy and hard to get into position. And they'll still die in massive quantities.

I think losing the +1 for outnumbering is worth it to be able to get them into the fights I choose, rather than what my opponent chooses. Besides, if they both charge together, that's 40 models right there. Why can't I just use them together?

Leadership isn't an issue with Hobgobs. With the reroll from Banner of Slavery, they have a 2 in 3 chance of not breaking, at Ld6. If they stay near the general, they aren't going to flee.

The banner is there because it is very cheap and gives +1 CR. That's necessary if I want to win through static CR.

Also, to upgrade each unit to 25 apiece would cost me 80pts. For that cost I could have just about 7 Blunderbussiers. Which do I want? A slightly greater chance of outnumbering, or some heavy firepower?

Lastly, the CD army has heavy, powerful units. By using Blunderbussiers and Earthshakers for battlefield control, I can pick my fights to ensure that the Hobgobs never fight very powerful enemy units- or, if they do, they do so with the support of another unit.

They're also very good protection for Blunderbussiers. They can intercept a charge, to allow the Blunderbussiers to fire on another unit or to charge in and win the combat together.

There's no other unit that gives me a decently reliable melee unit for 80pts + command. If I use Chaos Dwarf Warriors, I'm not going to have many units and I'm going to get flanked. There's no other choice for a cheap melee block.

I just realized that I made a monumental cock-up. Since the BSB is joining the CDW unit, the Banner of Slavery is useless- the BSB provides the same effect. So, I can remove it, give the Standard Bearer a War Banner instead, and now I have 25pts more to spend. I'm not giving the BBs command because they aren't supposed to get in melee- they're not very good melee troops, with only S3, one attack, and although they have T4 their armor save is only 5+. So I'll keep them out of combat.

I have 25pts left. Any recommendations?

I think the Empire would disagree with the notion that WS3 S3 T3 troops aren't melee blocks. My troops are actually cheaper than Empire troops, as a result of not getting the detachment special rule or Ld7 or I3. None of which matter too much.

Orcs are a hell of a lot more expensive. Thus, I lose rank bonuses and outnumbering. They're also easier to kill (T3 4+ is equal to T4 5+). So, they die in greater quantities than Hobbos, yield more points on death, and despite their greater power with choppas they lose all their static CR. No thanks.

And you're right, the BoS is for psychology, whereas the BSB is for Break tests. However, after going back over my list I realized that since my Hobgoblins aren't screens against shooting, I don't need them to pass break tests- and in any case, by being near the General, the Ld bonus should let them pass any test they might take.

I should reread the BRB. See what happens when I don't touch it in months?

Besides, Metro, 10 Hobgobs with Shields + LA are just as hard to kill as 20 without those upgrades. However, the unarmored unit will take double CR damage by suffering twice as many wounds. That is a bad thing. So no, they're not 'toys'. Hobgoblins are useful as a melee unit when given the right equipment.

Orcs use up a Rare slot too, remember. Hobgoblins can be brought freely, without having to make tough choices about what to take.

I know you only have two Rare choices anyway, but it's still a good enough reason to take hobgoblins over orcs, I think.

Oh yeah, I meant Special, not Rare. Blah.

I'm just a little reluctant to take Orcs because they're more expensive but also easier to kill. I'll think about it. But really- how are they better at surviving enemy cavalry charges when they're easier to kill and cost more? Besides, they have only S3. Even with choppas, they won't do enough damage to make up for the loss of ranks, outnumbering, and more wounds suffered compared to Hobgobs. Not to mention since they're on larger bases, they take up more room and are thus harder to maneuver.

I'm hoping the Earthshaker can deal with cavalry. With an effective move of 3.5", they won't be getting to my troops before they get blunderbuss'd.

What about Blorcs? Any good? 'Armed to da teef' seems useful.

But whatever happened to the anvil army? As in, use incredibly tough defensive units to win through CR, while killing with ranged stuff? The BBs can do a load of damage, and the Earthshaker is very powerful for board control.

My general tactic isn't too complicated. Warriors up the middle, BBs to either side, Hobbos on the flanks. War machines in the rear targeting enemy artillery and ranged units (or denying enemies charges against my BBs). Bull Centaurs and Great Taurus Lord deploy where necessary, acting as the 'hammers' when needed.

Generally, the idea is to play defensively, win through CR, slaughter anyone coming close with BBs, and when possible use the BCs and Great Taurus as a QRF (Quick Reaction Force) to break and run down expensive enemies. The Taurus is especially useful because with its' speed, the Lord can get to wherever his leadership is needed quickly and efficiently.

Coupled with the War Banner in the middle unit and the BSB in the center of my army (so middle 24" of board covered) I have a very tough nut to crack.

I'm open for ideas- but I haven't seen any real reasoning for taking Orcs instead of armored Hobbos.

1. I have a standard. That means I'm only 4 down. A unit of 5 Bull Centaurs will almost always get at least four or five kills, depending on which weapon I use and what the enemy unit is composed of. However, since most infantry have no better than 3+, and very few have 2+, I should be fine.

2. Wrong, it's 2 to cause a panic test for a unit of 5, and 3 for a unit of ten. So no real advantage there.

3. And will cost upwards of 300pts.

The kicker: Not all ten are going to be able to attack because the frontage is so wide, and they'd be a bitch to maneuver.

And Orcs cost more- did you factor that into how much damage they receive? For shooting, they're equal- because although the Orcs take less wounds, each wound costs them more.

It's not just points lost. It's a total proportion of the models the unit started with. I could buy 25 Armored Hobbos for the price of 20 Orcs. If they each take 5 wounds, the Orcs have suffered 1/4 casualties, while the Hobbos only suffered 1/5.

Actually, I think a better deployment would have the Hobgobs on the sides of the Warriors, and the Blunderbussiers on the flanks- that would probably help a lot.