New player, Dwarf Treasure Hunter Warband

Hi again guys.

Im tottaly new to Mordheim (I have some knowledge of Warhammer FB and Warhammer 40K)
But I've spent the last couple of days reading up on Mordheim rules, Warbands and other stuff. And I think i've decided to play a Dwarf Treasure Hunter warband.
I've made a starting warband army list and some feedback on that would be greatly appreciated

The List:
Noble - Great Weapon, Pistol x2
Engineer - Crossbow, Dagger
Slayer - Axe x2
Slayer - Axe x2
Thunderer - Crossbow, Dagger
Thunderer - Crossbow, Dagger
Clansman - Axe, Dagger

All in all thats 500 crowns.
As you may notice I'd like a warband focused on Ranged combat. But as I said, I have no experince with Mordheim so I do not know if this setup is viable or not.

I'm also wondering what kind of kits I should buy to create this warband, the standard Mordheim Dwaf kit? Some of the WHFB dwarf kits? Cost is not really an issue, but I'd like it to stay in the 150$ range, in case I find out that i don't really like the game.

Oh and any other tips for a newbie on what to buy, expect, etc is greatly appreciated guys.

It's viable as long as you can see your target.

When it comes to miniatures, I really like the looks of the classic ones, but I've had good results with the the Dwarf Warrior Box and some weapons from the Empire free company box: not too pricy and you can probably make a dwarf band AND a mercenary one.

Ranged is very viable to starting warbands, some even consider it cheese at times though you have 2 slayers to balance it you!
4 heros off the bat is a much for dwarfs so good to see that!
First thing ull be looking to improve in the warband is numbers as your warband grows 7 is small but common for dwarfs

In term of models any only troll slayers look good and if u can get your hands on an old dwarf regiment (One that had crossbows and hand weapons) you should be able to make up the rest of your men will a little conversions. The GW engineer range is also very nice if u wana make him look special do some tweaks to there model

I am thinking about buying 3 kits of Mordheim Dwarfs, but I'm wondering what conversion possibilities i would have with those bits, would it be possible to create the warband I want and still have the option to expand it?
What kind of weapons are included for the models? (the beardling on the pic has a spear that dwarfs cant even use)

EDIT:
I put together this kit to start my Mordheim career, any comments on it?



I allready have a Battle for skull pass, so i was thinking about stealing one Slayer from that kit


Fixed the img link.
-cianty

D1kk3N wrote:

Not sure that you'll really need the dwarf warriors box, unless you're planning to start an army. You can probably make all the models you want to have with the thunderers box and some bits from the free company. Otherwise looking good.

In terms of your warband, it is a viable build. I am always a little nervous about leaving guys to fight with only a dagger, though. You might want to give the thunderes an axe each and leave the slayers with axe-and-dagger for the first game - you are probably going to be in melee and you cut your attacks in half if you only have a dagger. Unless your opponent is foolish, you are not going to have a chance to break the enemy warband with just shooting.

I did a tactics write-up on dwarves for my brother's blog, if you are interested:

http://hobbyblog.wargameweaver.com/mordheim/playing-a-dwarf-treasure-hunters-mordheim-warband

For figures, the Treasure Hunter warband set is a good place to start. Nice figures and fairly easy to customize.

I love GW plastics, but consistently I have not liked their plastic dwarves. Ugly and static. Yech.

As an alternative suggestion, unless you don't like eBay go look at metal dwarves. The older OOP metal dwarves from the 80s and early 90s have tons of character, and most don't go for much.

Are you committed to GW figures exclusively? Red Box games has just released a bunch of new dwarves. I was looking at them the other day and thinking they would be great for Mordheim.

http://red-box-games.com/shop/

Look under "Dvergr" and "What's New" (there are several new dwarf/dvergr releases this month that are in the What's New section, but not yet in the Dvergr section).

Good hunting with your short, stout fellows!

You might want to consider using hammers rather than axes. I know the axe is traditional but the hammer, with its concussion special rule, is better and cheaper. The axe is useful for armour penetration but most starting warbands don't have any. If you replaced the axes with hammers, you'd be able to buy more hammers for those who only have a dagger.

The Mordheim dwarf treasure hunters are a pretty good set. That would give you your second slayer plus the thunderers, clansmen and leader. They come with weapon sprues which allow you to customise the models fairly well. If you already have Skull Pass then, with the Mordheim dwarf set, you should have everything you need. The dwarf warband is limited to twelve members and this set gives you eight of them.

Dave is right about the treasure hunters being an excellent set. In addition to the dwarves and weapons, the weapons sprues also have some nifty backpacks.

I believe if possible you want to start with 9 guys. You have to start making route checks once you have lost 25% of your warband, so with 8 you start route checks on 2 guys, but 9 you start route checks on 3.

Also pistols are ok. I don't know if they are worth price starting off.

Hammers are better then axes, because they are cheeper and early on most people don't have armor.

If you have Skull Pass you should have pretty much all the mini's you'll need to make a Warband.

I think Crossbows are the best ranged weapon you have access to.

mweaver wrote:

Red Box games has just released a bunch of new dwarves. I was looking at them the other day and thinking they would be great for Mordheim.

http://red-box-games.com/shop/

Look under "Dvergr" and "What's New" (there are several new dwarf/dvergr releases this month that are in the What's New section, but not yet in the Dvergr section).

While the Red Box stuff is indeed great (Tre Manor is a really talented sculptor) I feel that the dvergr are too small compared to the overall GW style. While it is fitting that the dwarves should be dwarfed by the other warbands it might be too much (too little?) in this case.

The Red Box dwarves are smaller - although his more recent sculpts have been larger, and least for the elves. He recently retired some of the earlier figures, and I suspect it was that size-wise they didn't fit with his newer sculpts. But the human and elven figures I have from him are a bit shorter and more slender than their GW cousins.

Rudeboy, I don't think I have ever created a dwarf warband with 9 guys! Feasible, but not a great build - you have to scrimp too much on kit. Fortunately, with the dwarf noble's leadership starting at 9 they are less prone to rout than most starting warbands.

By the way - don't forget they go out of action only on a 6, not a 5 or 6. In my experience, for new dwarf players (including me!) forgetting that rule is the most common mistake.

Yeah I was looking at the numbers and mweaver is right you can't start with 9 guys, and have enough weapons to make a good starting warband. I think you have to start at 7, and get the 8th and 9th as quickly as possible.

The 9 leadership would be enough to pass your route checks 5/6 of the time.

I would go:

Noble club, dagger, Crossbow Pistol
Engineer club, dagger, Crossbow
2 Troll slayers with 2 clubs each
3 Thunderers club, dagger, Crossbow
leaving 9 gold, to play with

then shoot out you first match and if anyone get close have the Troll Slayers keep them off of you

Then after the first match or so finish out my hand weapons and get more Thunderers to get to 5 then buy clansman to get to 15 12 models then look into hire swords.

edited for correctness

Rudeboy, I think your advice is right but aren't dwarves limited to 12 members in the warband?

Also a Noble is not allowed to use a Crossbow without weapon training but who cares

They are limited to twelve stunties, as Wyrdstone Dave says. And only the engineer and the thunderers can have crossbows at the start. But the noble can take shooting skills, so he can expand his missile weapon options with Weapons Expert, which I generally take early on both for the crossbow and dueling pistols. Finely-crafted dueling pistols just seem very dwarfey to me.

A good tactic when you finally have a henchman promoted: if it is a warrior, make sure Shooting skills are one of the two skill groups you give him, and if it is a thunderer give him combat skills as a skill group. They become extremely versatile in weapon options if you do that.

You guys are Right.... I was thinking of the Rieklander Warband I am making that is similar - Lots of Crossbows.