Throwing weapons effectiveness?

I'm trying to come up with enough interestingly different and thematically appropriate henchmen groups for multiple different Marauder warbands, and one of my first thoughts was a unit of hunters armed with spears & throwing axes(modelling both as one bundle of javelin-style short spears), but on reminding myself of the rules for throwing weapons...I remember why I don't remember them, they seem pretty awful.

15gc per-henchman for an extremely situational at-strength 6" ranged attack seems like a pretty terrible deal, especially when regular Norse Explorers from the same supplement get the 8" range at-strength Javelin for 5gc on their Hunters.

Am I missing something and these are actually great?

On a henchman they are kinda poopy. On a hero with knife-fighter, eagle eyes, gromril throwing knives*, and so forth they are actually pretty good.

Mercs get a henchman that starts with a skill (Swordsman), so perhaps you could do that here? trick shot or knife fighter or eagle eyes perhaps.

*Possibly a house-rule now that I think about it. At work, so I can't check.

Lord 0 wrote:

*Possibly a house-rule now that I think about it. At work, so I can't check.

Yeah, only close combat weapons can be made out of ithilmar and gromril.

Anyway, I agree with Lord 0. A hero with skills is required to really bring out the shine in throwing weapons. Don't forget dark venom!

Ah well that's no good then, since only Henchmen get throwing axes in the Marauder list and even if one gets Lads they can't pick Shooting skills. Back to the drawing board.

Of course modeling the henchmen group with javelins is still an option, since javelins are pretty good for S4 models.

Yodhrin wrote:

even if [a Marauder Henchman] gets Lads they can't pick Shooting skills.

A matter of opinion, I feel, but in the interests of not rehashing that* debate off again you could *house-rule* that TLGT heroes may pick any two of the basic skill tables i.e. Combat, Shooting, Strength, Speed, or Academic. My group and others have played this way for years and not found it any less fun. On the contrary, it has only increased variation and fun.

Another house rule I have heard of, but not tried myself, is allowing a henchman that rolls TLGT in a warband with max heroes to pick a skill. Future skill picks must be from the same skill list as the first one you chose.

Otherwise, +1 to the 'just use javelins' suggestion. If you like, you could give them Tomahawks: Special rule: Counts as Javelins if you really wanted to model them with axes.

*Just the last few posts - from when Von Kurst asks about it onwards.

Lord 0 wrote:

but in the interests of not rehashing that* debate off again you could *house-rule* that TLGT heroes may pick any two of the basic skill tables i.e. Combat, Shooting, Strength, Speed, or Academic. My group and others have played this way for years and not found it any less fun. On the contrary, it has only increased variation and fun..

Oh, c'mon! Let's go again!

I'm actually running a Chaos Campaign in the Mordheim setting, where we have a Marauder with Throwing Axes, *Axe* Fighter and Trick Shooter. With his BS3 he still hits like but it's all good and fun