Mordheim

This is my first post on my (Ashton’s) Skaven Tactics in Mordheim. I first chose Skaven for their numbers. They can have up to 20 warriors, and the giant rat swarm is very entertaining.

You can play Skaven many different ways. You could start the game with 4 decked-out heros with armor and a Rat Oger. Or you can pile up 20 rats with daggers and teeth. Most would argue to strike a balance between the two, and have 8-10 rats with swords or spears. This is a fine idea, but I wouldn’t do it.

First of all, light armor in Mordheim isn’t worth the 20 points/gold pieces. I would much rather have 3 sets of fighting claws than 5 sets of light armor. Heavy armor is a waste because of the minus 1 to movement. Skaven’s movement speed allows them to run circles around every other warband. If a human gets the ability “Sprint” (when you run you can x3 your movement instead of x2), he runs the same distance a normal Skaven runs (12 inches). If a Skaven gets the ability “Sprint,” he runs more than twice that of the normal human (18″ as opposed to a human’s 8″). That’s the full length of a red Games Workshop Ruler.

Second of all, giant rats are awesome. They are awesome cannon fodder. The most common argument against giant rats, is that they die so quickly, you start rolling to route very quickly, which may happen if you move like an Troll. Skaven are quick and stay in the shadows. If you use their speed correctly, you will always charge first, and if you charge a warband of 8 with 20 rats, that’s at least 20 attacks before they get to attack back. All you need is to kill 2 guys in 20 attacks, and they’re going to roll to route next turn.

My only reason to dislike giant rats is the fact that they don’t gain experience, and since they devour the enemy, that’s less experience for your heros. Because of this, I try to put at least 1 hero and 3 rats on each enemy. I attack with the three rats first, which about 50% of the time end up with a knocked-down/stunned enemy, and then the hero just kills him. This is also good because if the hero is knocked-down or stunned, the enemy must first kill all of the rats before taking a free shot at the vulnerable hero.

My favorite Mordheim abilities are Sprint, Art of the Silent Death, tail-fighting, and anything that will give you an extra attack. Skaven are an offensive warband. Buffing up on armor is pointless. They all have 3 toughness, and they will die, unless you kill them first.

If you would like me to post your Mordheim warband’s tactics, email them to: tactics {at} ashtonsanders {dot} com.

Happy Devouring,
-Ashton Sanders