The Tactica – Skaven Part V – Ranked Infantry

Today I'll continue the Skaven article series with a look at the various ranked units.  Ranked units provide the backbone for most armies and this proves especially true for Skaven.  The cowardly ratmen use their ranked units to lock enemies in combat with an unending horde of expendable troops.  Given the Skaven army rules laid out in the second Skaven article here, the more Skaven, the better typically.  Now, on with the exposition of the infantry units!

Quick Strength:  Weapon Teams, Cheap, Flexible

Quick Weaknesses:  Mediocre Stats for primary regiment

Synopsis:  No Skaven army should leave home without clanrats.  They provide a solid and flexible backbone to any Skaven army that can be taken with shields or spears depending on whether a general desires a tarpit unit that will prove survivable or a defensive porcupine that has a little more of a punch.  Additionally clanrat units can take weapon teams which, while not supporting the unit directly, offer a great deal of support to the army as a whole.

Like most Skaven units the primary draw of clanrats as compared to other armies mainline battle units is their cost.  They are capable of being taken in extremely large numbers to swamp their enemies.  While they are the main battle line unit for Skaven, they fulfill mostly a support role by offering a hiding place for characters, weapon teams for the army, all while hanging back and letting the slaves take the charges while they try and maneuver for flank charges.

Take them in units of 30+ and add weapon teams as points allow.  Standard formations apply but they work best in either a bus or a combat formation.  Smaller units of 20 can be taken to hide characters in the backfield as necessary.  Castle units should always purchase shields for added survivability.

Quick Strengths:  Dirt Cheap, extra damage when unit wiped out, Other units can fire into close combats involving slaves.

Quick Weaknesses:  Terrible Stats, can damage friendly units, no characters in the unit

Synopsis:  Just like clanrats, no Skaven army should leave home without a large unit of slaves (or two).  They are the quintessential expendable troop whose primary purpose is to tie up enemy units until the Skaven army can deal with them.  They really should not be relied upon for much other than occupying an enemy unit for a few turns and dying.  Most importantly, they tie up enemy units and due to their expendable rule, other friendly units can fire into combat involving slaves with no fear of harming the slaves (except globadiers due to their own special rule).

Ideally they should be run in units of 40+ models and should always be run in the "bus" formation to maximize the number of ranks.  Retaining steadfast is the most important concern for slaves and they should target key enemy units to keep tied into combat.  Avoid too many options on the unit as that negates their primary purpose, i.e. being cheap and expendable.  Shields are the only options that may pay off.  As for upgrades, always take a musician.  

Take specific concern that when slaves start losing combat they will often fold relatively quickly due to their Cornered Rats rule.  When they explode they can cause damage to other Skaven units and also create clear lines forward for enemy units who will no longer have to worry about units reforming or otherwise blocking charge lanes.Also, due to the Cornered Rats rule, a Skaven general should never put a character in with slaves as that character will also be removed when the unit panics and runs.  These means the unit must rely on the general's Inspiring Presence and thus limiting their mobility for they must remain within 12-18".

Quick Strengths:  Fight in 3 ranks, good movement, okay combat stats (for Skaven)

Quick Weaknesses:  Do not count towards core points, no command, packmasters can be sniped by shooting.

Synopsis:  Giant rats can be run in two separate ways, as a ranked unit or as a redirect unit.  For this article I let's focus on the former.  Giant rats offer a few things that slaves and clanrats can't offer. First they can always attack in three ranks, meaning that they make ideal offensive tarpits.  While they cost more than slaves they have a higher WS and more attacks thanks to their Wave Attacks special rule.  Additionally they have an additional point of movement that will help them get into place and potentially get that critical charge off.

This unit should be run with maximum rnaks and maximum packmasters to avoid the possibility of them being sniped from shooting attacks.  Ideally units of 30+ models.  Master Moulders should be avoided as they are required to run in the front rank and Skweel is best used in Rat Ogre Packs.

Now one might ask, "why the hell should I take slaves?" given all the benefits of giant rats.  Giant rats have many unique problems.  They do not count towards the percentage of points spent on core units so the army will still need clanrats and/or slaves to bulk out their core points.  They also are not as cheap, when you toss in packmasters they really aren't much cheaper than clanrats overall.  Next, they do not have any command models so they lack a banner for static combat resolution and a musician for quick reform and combat resolution ties.  Lastly, the packmasters are more of a detriment than a boon.  Certainly they grant the Strength in Numbers rule to the pack but they can be sniped out of the unit and if that happens, you have a bunch of Ld3 rats that will scatter to the winds quickly and easily.

Quick Strengths:  Quick Movement, Slings, Warp-Grinder, Slinking Advance

Quick Weaknesses:  Expensive, No Armor, No Standard/Musician

Synopsis:  Nightrunners must really have an army built around them to work properly.  They suffer from being overpriced and with a lack of purpose.  Stormvermin and clanrats make better combat units since they are cheaper, have better stats, or are more survivable.  That leaves Nightrunners only the roles of ambushers and ranged support.  For ranged support they are overpriced given they only have slings available to them.  For ambushers they require a pretty tailored army list to function properly.

For all that is negative the Nightrunners do have something to offer.  They prove extremely mobile with their M6 and Slinking Advance rule.  This somewhat makes slings more viable given that they can close into 18" before the start of the 1st turn.  However with a BS of 3 they will struggle to hit their targets.  Their most intriguing use is with the Warp-Grinder and having the unit of ranked infantry pop up in the opponent's backfield.  They can cause significant damage but require a fast moving army to support this effort before the enemy is able to respond to the threat in full.

Quick Strength:  WS4, S4, Heavy Armor, Weapon Teams, Magic Banner

Quick Weaknesses:  Expensive, Lack of Options, Mediocre stats for "Elite" Infantry

Synopsis:  Stormvermin form the core of the "elite" infantry in the Skaven army.  They possess higher than average combat stats for a Skaven but generals shouldn't become overconfident as these stats, barring the initiative of 5, are still below the average for most elite units in the game.

The primary drawback with Stormvermin is their lack of options.  They are forced to retain halberds and the only real option they can take are shields.  While this protects them from ranged attacks, the shields do not help the unit in close combat thanks to the halberds and only end up burdening the unit with a higher cost.

Skaven generals are best served taking few options, a full command, and a large unit size of at least 25 models.  They are an ideal unit for pushing a Screaming Bell or to combat higher toughness units and/or monsters.  The Banner of Eternal Flame, Razor Standard, or the Banner of the Under Empire work great in this unit.

Quick Strength:  Frenzy, T4,  Many Attacks

Quick Weaknesses:  No Armor, Frenzy, Expensive, I3

Synopsis:  Plague Monks are one of the true hammer units in the Skaven army book.  They possess some survivability with their T4 and a host of attacks.  With Frenzy and two hand weapons they receive a whopping 3 attacks per model and make for one of the only ranked units that may actually benefit from using the horde formation.  Against low toughness and/or low armor units plague monks can reek a massive amount of damage.  Be wary of sending them against high toughness or high armor units though as they are still only S3.  

Plague Monks, like most Skaven units, are best run in large groups of 30+ models.  They should always have a full command group and should almost always be given the Plague Banner to bolster a critical round of combat.  Consider also using a Plague Priest in the unit to bolster their combat effectiveness.

Next Skaven article underway!  This one took longer than anticipated since I went through a number of drafts, expansions and contractions in scope for the article and I'm still trying to get some progress on my Skaven army so I can have new pictures posted.  Sadly, I haven't been concentrating on ranked infantry so still no pictures.  So, next time we'll talk about the redirectors, flanking units, and other sneaky bits.