As I have already lamented in another article, the Dogs of War are an army that is being left behind by Warhammer as the game develops. Since the introduction of 6^th Edition, all of the armies have now been properly released (some are now in their second incarnation) except for two – the Chaos Dwarfs and the Dogs of War. These armies are both still running on “temporary” lists, and seem likely to do so until they vanish entirely.

But I’m not going to talk about that now. This article is about using the Dogs of War in their current form, and maybe throwing around some ideas about their use that may not have occurred to everyone. The Dogs of War remain a legitimate army, and one of only two (the other being Ogre Kingdoms) that can be fielded alongside almost any other army. This should make them something that every player at least considers, no matter what army they are focused on. Henceforth I shall refer to them as DoW, for the sake of typing less (because I am lazy)¹.

Located in the green and verdant lands bordering The Moot is a small community of Dwarven brewers and craftsmen. At the centre of the settlement is Ironfoundersson's Brewery, home of Ironfoundersson's Unbeatable Ale. Founded by Brag Ironfoundersson in the imperial year 1227, the brewery has passed through successive generations of the Ironfoundersson family to it's current incumbent, Snorri Ironfoundersson.

THE SIGN OF THE GOLDEN ANVIL:

The Sign of The Golden Anvil (Bryn Grong) is a tavern much favoured by Dwarven warriors and beer convoy guards. In times of trouble, they march forth under their tavern sign, bearing their ancient family axes, and time honoured shields.

It is now a couple of years since the Warhammer Storm of Chaos campaign was launched by Games Workshop, along with its numerous army variations. While the army lists published in the book were intended as themed forces to be used as part of the campaign, many players embraced them in more general terms, and the lists were permitted to be used in tournaments. They were, in effect, entirely legitimate alternatives to the basic army books, although they were not stand-alone (in the sense that you needed the relevant army book in order to make use of the rules in the campaign book).

A Warhammer Fantasy battle report.

Nick (Tomb Kings) vs Pete (Vampire Counts), 2000pts

King Ka'atess ground his teeth together in rage. Though it had been aeons since blood had flowed through his veins, his less-than-vital condition hadn't reduced the depths of his hatred. Other emotions, yes - empathy, affection, humility - but when it came to hatred he was still more than capable. Especially easy to despise were the blood-drinking spawn of Nagash, and especially the Vampire that had just made off with a small but lethally dangerous collection of arcana from Ka'atess' domain. His duty to Khemri and the rest of the world was clear - all Vampires were obviously still minions of the Great Necromancer, and he could not permit any of them to grow more powerful in the arts of Undeath. More than that, though, he relished the thought of removing the arrogant smirk from the death-cheating leech's face, shortly before removing its arrogant head from its death-cheating shoulders and its arrogant heart from its death-cheating chest.

His bony jaw parted slightly in what would have been a grin had he still been alive. Anticipation was another emotion he still seemed to be able to feel fully.

Here then is the first part of the background of my new Dwarf Army! Background for the various units will appear shortly.

IRONFOUNDERSSON'S BREWERY:

Located in the green and verdant lands bordering The Moot is a small community of Dwarven brewers and craftsmen. At the centre of the settlement is Ironfoundersson's Brewery, home of Ironfoundersson's Unbeatable Ale. Founded by Brag Ironfoundersson in the imperial year 1227, the brewery has passed through successive generations of the Ironfoundersson family to it's current incumbent, Snorri Ironfoundersson.

(Or A Rant Against Steam Tanks)

 

I hate Steam Tanks. I hate those hulking, clanking, steaming, grinding, armour-clad monstrosities because they seem to be a regular fixture in many Empire players’ armies, and the only reason not everyone uses one seems to be that not everyone owns one. I hate the fact that every single Empire army I have ever fought in a tournament has had one. I hate them because they’re huge, practically indestructible, and cause Terror for my troops. I hate them because random silly people keep pointing out that any army can field one, because nowhere does it actually say that it must be used in the Empire army. Most of all, I hate them because they seem to break every rule in Warhammer. Nobody can deliberately move out of combat except a Steam Tank. Nobody can inflict up to 15 strength 6 impact hits on a unit except a Steam Tank. Nobody uses the same damage table as a castle except a Steam Tank. We hates it!

Tournaments have a big impact on the Warhammer hobby as a whole – possibly too big… 

In Days of Yore

For a long time after I started playing Warhammer, I didn’t know that tournaments even existed. I don’t think it ever occurred to me that someone would organise something like that. Even when I discovered that tournaments did exist, it was only through reading White Dwarf (then an exclusively UK publication, which was shipped across for our edification) – so I assumed that while they may have been happening on the other side of the world, there was nothing of the sort closer to home. 

Many experienced Warhammer players could tell you stories of how many rookies they have seen who turn up for a game armed to the teeth with archers, handgunners, mages, cannon and the like, hoping to obliterate their opponent before the game reaches Turn 3. A great many of those players were then sent running with their tail between their legs, having had their hides handed to them by a far more experienced player, using far less ranged firepower. To the untrained eye, the simple way to win a game of Warhammer would be to field as much shooting as you can, and then to simply pulp your opponent from afar. But does it really work that way?