Painted by yours truly, the Abyssal Dwarfs
You have your army, but what to do with it? What strategies will help give the goldclad, greedy Dwarfs claim victory? You’ve come to the right place, because we’ll be looking into units, size and techniques to make the Abyssal Dwarfs a killer force:
Black Souls– simple rank and file troops. I recommend using them one of two ways 1. as a full horde with banner and musician and a Mutilated Throwing Mastiff for 295 points and with a nerve (Ne) of 13 which all ensure this unit sticking around a while and holding your oppositions’ force for a while 2. run as a small troop (10 units) with a musician for 65 points, also drop the shields and grab two-handed weapons for armor piercing 1 (makes it easier to do damage to the opposition) use this troop for flanking doing as much damage as possible. If they start getting hit the troop will fold quickly, so be careful and put the troop in places where it won’t be shot or hit much.
Decimators– this is what makes the Abyssal Dwarfs special! Breath attack (20-40) for a unit is brutal. Once a “thunderpipe” unit gets into range they quickly destroy all in their path. These attacks hit on 4+, so 50% of the time no matter what and they hit through all terrain with no bonuses allowed. I recommend two hordes (40 with 40 breath attacks) for larger games. For any other game, run one horde with a flanking group with 10 (who get breath attack 20). I am always tempted to bring four or five 10 man Decimator troops, but you’d need to be careful with them. The catch with the breath attack is the rather short 12″ range. So, they need a decent bumper to hold off enemy units as you should keep them from getting charged.
Immortal Guard– cheap flankers who can hit on 3+ and have Crushing Strength (1) to make it easier to wound. Perfect in a small group of 5 for 35 points.
Abyssal Berzerkers– another flanker group with double the normal attacks for the unit size, but they are extremely easy to lose due to their extremely low defense and nerve.
Abyssal Halfbreeds– good for taking out warmachines and healers who hang around the back of the battlefield. Decent power, but not a frontline crew and too many points to take a regiment. They work well with the Halfbreed Champion who can inspire them and help create havoc in your opponent’s backfield.
Slave Orcs– due to the yellow-bellied rule and low nerve I wouldn’t bother adding the orcs. Rolling to charge and losing heastrong/inspiring makes them a waste of points.
War Engines– All of the engines are indirect fire. You get a lot of dice, but hit rolling 6. I recommend the Angkor Heavy Mortar because of the 15 attacks and piercing 2 which makes it really hurt to be hit by them. The Dragon Fireteam sounds cool, but since the Decimators exist there seems little reason to take them.
Heroes/Monsters– Abyssal Halfbreed Champion is the best choice all of the way. Great movement of 8, hits on 3+ with Crushing Strength 1 and 6 attacks. The Halfbreed is amazing. Overmaster for 10 less points is not worth taking and I’d just take another Abyssal Halfbreed Champion. The Iron-Caster actually won me a game against the Elves, but generally, he’s best in larger games with a number of warmachines. The problem with him is he only has two melee attacks, a decent defense, good melee attack, but it seems a waste of points, because normally you’d want to use his Zap! 3 to stand back and blast away. Warmachines generally don’t survive long after engaging in combat, so his weak healing of 1 and only for warmachines is not all that wonderful. Obsidian Golem is a sweet little beastie to add in larger games. He’s a one man wrecking ball is hard to hit and with nerve 8 can last a while. Both of the great abyssal choices for either an Overmaster or Iron-Caster are quite expensive. If you do decide to use either, the Overmaster seems the best choice since he gets breath attack 20. Army standard bearers are decent for most armies and 30 points I haven’t ever fit one in. This is because he offers little other than Inspiring.
**To those who have not played Kings of War from Mantic Games it is a great, fast paced game for large armies. Almost unheard of in the wargaming world. Fairly simple rules and not a huge commitment of time. NERVE is crucial, because it determines the fate of all. If any damage is done, Nerve is tested at the end of the round and if a Nerve test is higher than a character or troops’ Nerve then they are eliminated from play. If they are merely smarting from the damage, then they’re stunned for the next round (except all Dwarfs & Abyssal Dwarfs who have headstrong and ignore the stun). This can be game changing at the end of the game when damage piles up and Nerve tests can stun other races.
Click here to download Kings of War rules for free!
Regarding the Abyssal Dwarfs specifically, through much play testing against Undead and Elf factions, you should always take the following–Decimators, Halfbreed Champion and Angkor Heavy Mortar. The rest of the choices can be based on your personal play style and tastes. The reason for taking the Angkor Heavy Mortar (or two) is to balance out the Abyssal Dwarf’s main weakness, lack of range. Having the breath attack limits the range of the Decimators, so giving the army its best long range cannon is a good idea. Running the Halfbreed Champion with a troop of Abyssal Halfbreeds helps with this as well, because they move quickly across the field and focus the opponents energies and forces to deal with them while the Decimators get into range. Toasting an enemy army is what these evil Dwarfs do exceedingly well.
Looking forward to any thoughts or impressions of the army, so please leave your comments!
