Tactics for using Confrontation Dwarves PART 1 – 2

This article was written by drimdalon the confrontation forum and he has given me permission to post it

I must state that this is purely my opinion based on my playing style and how I use the Dwarves of Tir-Na-Bor

I'll start by going over the general stats of Dwarfs

Movement: Dwarves are the slowest people around. Their short legs just can't carry them very fast.
Luckily they can compensate this by no less then three kinds of cavalry. They have cheap fast cavalry with the dwarf on razorback. they have heavy ass-kicking cavalry with Khor on razorback and they even have a steam-powered thermo-priest on razorback. To complement this they have 3 !! characters on razorback and a war-staff. (they even have a tank ! )

Just remember that no matter what you put on razorback it will just be more expensive then the same thing on foot and that you will be able to field less models. If the battle doesn't demand faster moving troops, don't use them.

Initiative: Another stat that dwarfs are really (really really) bad at, even your best characters will only be equal to whats average for other races regular troops. Just use this to your advantage. Always delay initiative for magic and missile fire to get a -1 diff. In close combat it can pay off to (try to) wound every model in base to base contact (instead of trying to kill one off) so they fumble they ini rolls more often.

attack: Dwarves are not to shabby in this department. your normal troops are just average but the elite troops and characters have more then decent stats.

strength: a strong point for the dwarves. Not only do you have nice khor warriors with a strength of 7 but you a lot of troops with steam weapons who can enhance their str with another d6 roll. Even without their steam roll a thermo-priest has a str 9.

defense: another strong point. Usually this is always 1 point higher then your attack value. Together with hard-boiled it means that even your low-point cost troops can hold off superior enemies for multiple turns.

resistance: what can I say. Except for a couple of light armored troops most dwarfs wear layer after layer of heavy metal on their body to protect them. Combined with the high defence rating and hard-boiled this makes them extremely tough.

Aim: another weak point. the steam cannons can shoot far and hard but don't hit much. Your normal crossbow men are not so good either. They have average range and damage and cant hit much. Its usually not a wise idea to enter in a long range duel with your opponent. You can however use your short size to your advantage. If your dwarf is attacked by either a large target or more then one normal sized its usually a good idea to shoot in close combat. The chance that you hit your own guy is minimal. The only dwarf that is worth mentioning is Nerak le Hardi. Who can shoot very well and handle his own in close combat.

Courage: A strong part for most Dwarfs. They have some excellent leaders and even without one, most troops can hold their own. You even have a couple of fear-causing troops when playing armies with a low courage

Discipline: last but not least. This is THE strongest point of the dwarfs. Forget about the rest, it is this ability that allows you to control battles and turn the tide in your favor. You will be able to hold more cards I reserve. Being able to react more precise of the movements of your opponent. thereby avoiding charges, getting shot at or getting bogged down needlessly. You will also be able to split up combats in your favor and pick which one is resolved first so you can make the most of a follow-up or avoid follow-ups from your opponent.

Here ends part one of the dwarven treatise. I hope you all enjoyed it. hen I have some more time Ill talk about the various troops and how you can combine them.

PART 2

ok now lets have a look at the different troops you have. Ill start by covering the basic troops an leave mages and priests together with their spells for another time

Dwarf with axe/hammer/pick-axe: Your basic troops. very cheap compared to a lot of armies. don't have anything going for them except that because of hard-boiled they can keep a beating. excellent for occupying your opponent. screening against missile fire, escorting others and protecting their flanks. For one extra point the pick-axe warriors are the better choice. This is unless the few extra points let you buy another warrior.

Pilgrim le Borge and the war-staff: Pilgrim is a decent low-cost character whose only shortcoming is his low resistance. Protect him against missile fire and magic and hell be fine. The war staff costs a bit more points then the normal warriors but the 2 extra points leadership alone are worth it. And if you play against a fear-causing army its almost a must.

Dwarf on razorback: Your basic troops on a boar. They have a very high movement and decent stats. Their problem is their really really low defence. they are vulnerable to distance weapons. Use them to flank your opponent. Use their high movement to go from cover to cover. Remember that unlike wolfen their low initiative wont allow you to break out of combat after a charge. so hit and run tactics are not an option.

Bhor-hok: haven't used him that much. think his overpriced for what he can do.

Khor warriors: We have two types. One with a high force and a more then decent resistance. and those with decent force and a high resistance.

Boost these guys with a spell and they can take on even the most dangerous of opponents. I almost always use a couple of them.

Khor on razorback: Very expensive models who perform very excellent. They have a good movement and a high att&def value. Their resistance is extremely high. They only have a decent force so combat with them can take a while. If you have the warriors of ragnarok pack you can use the assault khor on razorback. For only three points more he does more damage (but has a lower resistance) and he gains that extra die when charging.

Kaël the angry and war-staff: ok,  now we move up a whole step. For 124 points Kaël is going to be a central part of your force. His biggest advantage is his high resistance. keeping him around for a long time. But unless you want to go with a cavalry-heavy force I suggest using Pilzenbhir and leave Kaël at home. The same goes for his war-staff. They are pretty expensive and don't bring that much extra to the battlefield (unless as said you are running a cavalry-heavy force)

Pilzenbhir: THE main man of the dwarven army. He is the hero all others look up to. This goes for his normal version as well as for the second incarnation. The second incarnation is especially valuable when fighting Mid-Nor. He has a high ini for dwarves and a very high damage. His good att/def and ambidexterity make him a dangerous opponent to attack and although he wears almost no armour he still has a decent resistance.

Dwarves with crossbow: One of those troops I just don’t like playing with but for some reason I still field sometimes. Why because your (or in this case my) opponent doesn’t expect them. Dwarves aren’t that good in shooting. They have a low Aim, mediocre distance and average damage. These guys even have abominable stats in close combat. The only thing they have going for them is the fact that unless playing other small races you can usually shoot in combat without to much problem.
In the end however it’s about flavour. If you play only dwarves they have their uses but I usually suggest using those 30% of allies and take some griffon shooters who are only slightly more expensive and who are much better.

Dwarven canoneer: aah the big boom boom. Low movement, low aim, bad hand to hand stats (although they have that extra die) and still used so much. The range and damage of this thing means that your opponent will usually try to avoid it at all cost or uses a lot of energy in trying to kill them. Just to avoid a lucky hit. This means that for only 38 point they are almost always worth it. Just try not to take one every time to avoid predictability.
Oooh yeah aim for the big things, that extra +1 to hit makes all the difference.

Nerak le Hardi: One of those troops your opponent doesn’t expect in a typical dwarf army. His scout ability and high aim can be a great asset. His magic crossbow I a nice item but you are better of shooting twice instead of thrice with it.

Kahinir le sauvage: a hero with almost the same point cost as Pilgrim le Borgne. His stats however are so much better. The only thing he lacks is leadership and if you don’t need it you always chose for Kahinir. His hatred against goblins means that he is almost a must against goblins (again think about predictability)

Son of Uren: Da big boy. Fats moving. A High attack and defence and a super-crushing blow. Thanks to three things. High natural force, steam equipment and master strike. The only problem is high big size. He will stand out and have this big bullseye for all people with missile weapons.
I usually hold him back a bit and then use his higher movement to charge the opponent before he can charge my little fellows. Then my guys can charge in and help.

Dwarven Armourer: a recent model. Not yet really tried him but looks promising. He had decent stats. A high leadership for a non character. Can make counter-attacks and best of all he allows you to enhance some things in your army. Better attack, better aim, extra str while charging. All things you can use to surprise your opponent.

Forge guard: Your basic grunts with an extra. They hit harder and if you take a little chance they hit very had. And even if they blow up you can usually take down a bigger opponent with you. They are however as fragile as normal dwarves. So you have to keep them in the second line where they can charge your opponent.

Thermo-warriors and thermo-warriors of Uren: they are your elite warriors with some extras. Not only can they hit harder with their steam weapons but they also cause fear. If you have the points they are worth it but remember they are expensive and will eat your points away. They are also a bit too expensive to be blown up by an accident. So if you do use them (or use any number of steam-equipped figures) be sure you have a mage or priest nearby to help them avoid this.

Tan-Kaïr: the master, the legend, THE dwarf. This guy is almost unbeatable in close combat. His magic items are a most to take but of course there is a downside. Fully equipped this guy costs 364 points. If you do play a larger battle and field him, make use of his large command range. Field a musician and banner at 25-30 cm away from him. Take as many regular Dwarfs a possible, as they will all have reinforcements. He never blows up with a misfire, so use that steam weapon very time. However beware that he can still as easily be hit by an arrow, bullet or magic. Protect him against those things and make sure you have someone that can heal wounds. You can field him in a 500-600 point army but I suggest you don’t try him under 700 points and even there he is half your army. So be careful who you surround him with.

About the riding tank, the char Nain I can’t say much. Haven’t tried it in combat yet. Will keep you posted.

I also can’t say much about either Agher, lothan, lothar and the mechanical familiar. Just haven’t tried them enough. They seem to be okay when you field the entire clan. This however requires at least a 400 point battle.

Here stopts the treatise on dwarfs part II.

Part III will cover mages, priests and their spells.

And once I get through that the final part (yes that would be IV) covers general dwarven army tactics/combo’s and sample armies.