Crazy Gamer goes to the Tournament- the list

A few days ago I told you how I go about getting ready for a Warhammer tournament. 

Today I will discuss two characters that I will be using and why I have decided to include them in my list (which still isn't finalized).

Here are two heroes that my list will include

Witch Hunter- 50pts

Brace of pistols +5pts
Great Sword +5pts

Why a Witch Hunter?  Easy... because they're cool! 

Kinda like a kick ass pilgrim!  If you don't think that's cool then you need to have your head examined!

In game terms a witch hunter has below average stats, but he has two things that make him great.  First he can accuse an enemy character of being a witch.  The witch hunter then gains the killing blow special rule against that character with both his shooting and close combat attacks.  He also can shoot at this character as if the witch hunter had the sniper rule.  Will he get lucky and knock off your 600pt chaos lord?  Probably not, but just the fact that he can will give some opponents pause and in my book that is worth 60pts.

His second rule is even more important.  The witch hunter comes with a handy magic resistance of two.  In the magic happy world of 8th edition this can really help a low toughness unit (which is all of the Empire units) survive and when combined with my next character can make a unit almost invincible. 


Battle Wizard- 2nd magic level- 100pts

Scroll of shielding 15pts

This little wizard will use the lore of life and can use the scroll of shielding to give the witch hunter's unit a 2+ ward save!  Hopefully I can use this when a high powered spell is coming my way to avoid most (if not all) of the damage the spell will cause. 

I really like to use the lore of life to increase the survivability of my units.  A unit of spearmen at toughness 3 and a 5+ armor save isn't going to scare anyone.  That same unit with a toughness of five (due to flesh to stone) and a 5+ regeneration save (due to earthblood) can hold up the scariest monster or fighting character for a long time.


The other characters...

Not decided yet.  Check back! 

Crazy Gamer Goes to the Tournament

Today I thought I would discuss how the Crazy Gamer goes about getting ready for a tournament.  Cool huh?  I thought that you would agree.

The tournament is a Warhammer Fantasy tournament, typical local fair at 2500pts.  In my dreams I would play High Elves, but seeing as I don't have a single model painted and the tournament is in less than 30 days my practical side must kick in.  As usual then, I will play my tried and true Empire army. 

About now you are probably assuming that I am lining up my hardest hitting list.  Wrong!  You silly people!  I'm the crazy gamer remember.  Here is how I will go about creating a tournament list.

1.  I don't use hordes.
2.  I won't use a large unit for the sole reason of having that unit be steadfast.
3.  I won't use any popular gimmick. 
4.  I will rely on unpopular units and characters.

So what does this mean for the Empire? 

I will not use any huge units of halberdiers.  In fact I won't use any unit with more than 30 models.
I will use one artillery piece max.
I won't use any special characters (not that the Empire's list has any great special characters).
I will rely on things like huntsmen, swordsmen, regular knights (not inner circle, Reiksguard, Demi- Gryph or other popular types).  I will also not use a 4th level battle wizard lord. 

Now, I will point out that I haven't yet decided on my final list but I will post it when it is decided.

Why do I go about designing lists this way?  Well the answer is simple.  I want to win because I played a better game than my opponent, not because I designed a better list or exploited a silly loophole.  I would rather lose than win using a gimmick.  Have I lost to gimmick lists?  You bet I have, but guess what?  Those gimmick lists have weaknesses and I will find them and use every single one against them. 

If you are reading this and think I'm crazy, try winning with good tactics, take your lumps and learn how to play a mistake free game and you will be surprised how successful you can be. 

On a side note, I've been playing Empire now for almost a decade and my army has never been made obsolete by changes in rules or changes in army books.  I don't fear the day that huge units of cheap infantry are no longer so good.