Plunge Taken: Starting WFB High Elves, looking for input

[Mr Mystery]

On the subject of S3, T3.....

It's not the downer in Warhammer that it is in 40k. It's the benchmark!

High Elves are noted for the overall effiency of their units. For instance, if I have 20 Empire Spearman, bog standard, I get three ranks of attacks. High Elves? All 20 get to attack thanks to Martial Prowess, and thanks to Speed of Asuryan, most of the time those attacks will be re-rolling to hit! At a mere 9 points a pop they can do serious damage.

[War Painter]

And if you need any advice or help feel free to ask. We are here to help.

[eldargal]

On the subject of S3, T3.....

It's not the downer in Warhammer that it is in 40k. It's the benchmark!

High Elves are noted for the overall effiency of their units. For instance, if I have 20 Empire Spearman, bog standard, I get three ranks of attacks. High Elves? All 20 get to attack thanks to Martial Prowess, and thanks to Speed of Asuryan, most of the time those attacks will be re-rolling to hit! At a mere 9 points a pop they can do serious damage.

One reason I love WFB so much and are playing it so much more than 40k lately, S4 T4 isn't the standard against which all other armies are measured. **** Marines, seriously.

[ACE01]

One reason I love WFB so much and are playing it so much more than 40k lately, S4 T4 isn't the standard against which all other armies are measured. **** Marines, seriously.

Here here!

Oh, and there's actually a really good variety in the armies you play against, speaking for my local area at least. Even against the same opponent, I've found games pan out very differently due to the mix in statlines for your units.

To the OP, I've played a couple of High elf armies and have real trouble with swordmasters with my TK army. The Lizards fare better, but still can't speak highly enough of these in either small-but dangerous, or avoid/kill at all costs sizes!

[Kevin48220]

That's good to know on the S3/T3 situation. Coming in from 40K, I'm absolutely used to looking at S4/T4 as the baseline/average for most units, so I'm glad for the perspective shift.

So, it sounds to me like with the special units for HE being more specialized, I'm likely to need have at least a small coterie of each of them, to cover different contingencies. The Swordmasters are covered in the Ebay lot that's coming in the mail, fortunately, but I'll need to figure out White Lions and Phoenix Guard.

Thanks again to all for the comments and advice. I'm looking forward to getting them ready for the tabletop.

Based on eldargal and ACE01's comments, I wonder about the general practice in making lists. In 40K, there's a 'more likely than not' chance I'll have my Necrons up against one form of Space Marines; that's not a bash on 40K, which I love, just saying that's the nature of the system. I tend to have that in mind when I'm making a list, how to cope with the S4/T4/3+ I'm likely to be looking at.

Should I look more at making 'all comers' type army lists for WFB? Those are generally what I prefer to make, so I can focus on the synergy and functioning of my own army, instead of thinking too much about what might be on the other side of the table.

[eldargal]

It's quite hard to say, it really depends on your meta. I mean there is certainly going to have much more variety than 40k but you could end up with a group with a lot of dwarf, orc and OK players with a higher Toughness ratio. Or an elf heavy group or a mix or... Generally an all-comers list would be a safe bet until you start to get a feel for the local playing conditions.

[Mr Mystery]

Yup.

Plus in Warhammer, any weakness can be offset with cunning manoeuvres, more so than 40k.

One of the reasons I love Warhammer!

[ACE01]

It's quite hard to say, it really depends on your meta. I mean there is certainly going to have much more variety than 40k but you could end up with a group with a lot of dwarf, orc and OK players with a higher Toughness ratio. Or an elf heavy group or a mix or... Generally an all-comers list would be a safe bet until you start to get a feel for the local playing conditions.

^^ This is good advice, take heed!

Most armies will have a wildcard, something that certain other's struggle to deal with, so despite your best planning when tailoring, in a Rock Paper Scissors game, there's always the chance you'll come up against your dynamite! Best to take a well rounded list that works to the style you like to play, and one your army can do relatively well. When choosing your special/rares, why not proxy your Swordmasters as PG or lions to have a try with them? Will help you decide what works best for you.

[Chronowraith]

As Eldargal says, look at what armies are common in your local area. If you travel a lot or are looking for more of the national meta.. the common armies are usually Warriors of Chaos, Daemons of Chaos, Skaven, Wood/Dark Elves, and Orcs and Goblins. You WILL see a decent smattering of pretty much every other army book out there including some of the perceived "weaker" books such as Beasts, Wood Elves, and Bretonnians.

I do have to disagree with the sentiment that Elves are hard to start with. They are far easier to start with then many armies and are pretty forgiving because, with few exceptions, they perform very well in combat against most opponents. Once you learn how to manage an army of smaller units versus opponents larger armies, they are pretty simple to run and it comes down to personal playstyle since they are pretty flexible.

Overall, welcome to WFB :-) Keep your hands in the cart, scream loudly at your opponent, giggle when people scoff at the "complex rules", and otherwise enjoy the ride. Its a great game and an even better community.

[War Painter]

I have some beastmen that are waiting for a new book myself. Maybe I'll try to grab some stuff I think won't get replaced.