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AoS Destruction Moonclan Grot Squigs, Mangler Squigs, and Squig Hoppers

Age of Sigma Night Goblin Squig Hoppers

‘Squigs’ or Squiggly Beasts are fungus based life forms that the Moonclan Grots use as beasts of Burden and some time food. Squids come in all sizes and a variety of shapes, however they all tend to be bipedal with a mean attitude.

In this article we will have a look at all the different Squids and how to use them in Age of Sigma games!

AoS Destruction Moonclan Grot Cave Squigs and Squig Hurders

AoS Desstruction Moonclan Grot Squig Hurders and Cave SquigsSquigs are cheap harassing units that can use to disrupted your opponents manoeuvres and ability to catch objects. They are not strong or tough so don’t expect them to delay the enemy long, but a well placed speed bump can make all the difference!

Oh for a Squig Hurder!

Squigs have quite a bite causing D3 wounds with -1 rend, however they only hit on a 5+ wounding on 3+. This means that you wound 22.22% of the time, or just over 1 in 5 times. The way to improve this is to have a Squig Hurder.

With a Squig Hurder within 5″ the chance of hitting comes down to 4+. This means that you will wound 33.33% of the time. That’s much better!

The other benefits of having a Squig Hurder near your Squigs is that they can push them into running and charging further by allowing you to re-roll run and charge rolls.

AoS Destruction Moonclan Grots Squig Hoppers

Age of Sigma Night Goblin Squig Hoppers

Age of Sigma. Every unit is a skirmishing unit!

Forget your Wolfs! Forget your Spiders! Squig Hopping is where the fun is! Oh yes and forget about using a weapon too. You may get the odd jab in with your slitta knife, but usually you will be hanging on to your Squig Hopper for grim life and letting it do all the damage!

Squig Hoppers are the cavalry of the Moonclan Grots.  They are fast, moving at an average of 7″ in the movement phase. But beware, the movement distance is random.

While most cavalry units rely on the rider to cause damage with the horse’s hoves just adding a bonus attack, but with the Squig Hoppers it’s Squig that causes most damage. However this does’nt effect in game tactics. So Squigs get 2 attacks normally with each with 33.33% chance of wounding, so 2 wounds for every 3 Squigs attacking before saves.

Squig Hoppers Ability – Boing! Boing! Boing!

More fun with Squig Hoppers come with the Boing Boing Boing Special Ability. This rule gives the Squig Hoppers 4 attacks in the first round of combat if you roll a double for the charge distance. So no bonus if you get assaulted, or if you stay it combat. Also remember that you can choose your target after you roll for charge distance. This means that you will know if you are about to get double attacks before you pick your target!

AoS Moonclan Grot Mangler Sqigs

AoS Destruction Moonclan Grots Mangeler SquigWhere riding Wolfs is fun, and riding hopping squigs is an extreme sport, then charging around on Mangler Squigs is just totally insane!

Mangler Squigs are enomouse cave squigs that take a number of the bravest or most stupid Night Goblins / Moonclan Grots prodding them in the right direction like a hurtelling commet.

General Moonclan Mangler Squigs Tactics

Mangler Squigs Are monsters, and as monsters thier abilities reduce as they take wounds. This means that you will want to get your Mangler Squigs in to combat as soon as possible. This should not be a problem as they start with a 3D6″ move. This works out at 3″ to 18″ move with an average of 10.5″.

All the Mangler Squigs weapons are melee weapons, so there are no reasons to hang back. If you don’t pile in then you won’t get value for points.

Another point is that in a Grot / Goblin only army you are a bit short on heavy hitting units. If you have a Mangler Squig it will stand out and be a target, but it also will be a bit hammer to crack some tough nuts. Just don’t get stuck fighting massed troop units that your other units could deal more efficiently.

Mangler squids have 10 wounds but only a 5+ save. This means that the Mangler Squids will loose wounds quickly, specially from shooting attacks. With this in mind aim for close combat troops. Fortunately your opponent will probably place these at the front of the army, maybe within first turn charge range!

Modelling Grot Mangler Squigs

Squigs are fairly easy to scratch build as they are balls with legs and teath!

If you don’t want to make your own Mangler Squigs, then Games Workshop do a very detailed dynamic model, however it is difficult to build. There’s one big mangler squig balanced precariously on top of another. If you are going to build the double-decker mangler then you will need to get busy with some quality pinning! Another popular option is to split the double-decker mangler in to two separate manglers. This is much easier, and you get two models for the price of one!

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AoS Order Free Peoples Freeguild General

The Freeguild General is a natural General to choose if you are fielding a Free Peoples army. He comes either on foot or on horse and can be armed in a number of ways.

In the Warhammer Fantasy Battles game the Freeguild models made up the Empire army. If you have, or can get hold of some Warhammer Empire models then you will have the core of a Freeguild army.

The first point at note is that the Freeguild General comes either on horse or on foot and the two play quite differently.

General Freeguild General on Foot Tactic

AoS Human Freepeoples General on foot woth 2 handed weaponThe Freeguild General on foot was the Battle Standard Bearer in the 8th edition Warhammer Fantasy Battles.

The Freeguild General on foot is a great general to have supporting your rank and file units. He can be armed with a great weapon that will aid the troops if you are faced with a monstrous creature. The Freeguild General’s Command ability will be useful keeping the rank and file troopers in order.

Another option is to arm the General on foot with a sword and war banner. This improves the battleshock rolls for all Free peoples units in 24″ range. 24″ is quite a reach, however this improves if you control the centre of the table, and the centre of your table.

General Freeguild General on Warhorse Tactic

On a horse the Freeguild General has the advantage of additional speed. The General on a Warhorse can move up to 12″ per movement phase, although his run and charge range are not affected. The addition of a horse also adds the horse’s attacks and the option to take a lance.

With the extra speed the Freeguild General is able to move up and down the battle line bolstering and supporting whichever area needs the most support. Other options though include moving away from the front lines to strike at the enemy flanks or small abandoned units. Be aware though that your general will not stand long if he is caught unsupported be a sizeable enemy unit. You will need to pick your targets carefully.

The Freeguild General with warhouse can take a lance instead of the sigmarite sword. The lance gives an advantage on the charge in to a new assault. This means that if you get stuck in a protracted combat you loose any benifit after the first round, and you don’t even get that benifit if the enemy charges you. This means that if you arm, or have a model with a lance, your best option is to pick out targets that you can wipeout in one round, and probably with a bodyguard of horseman to make up a fast response strike force.

 

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AoS Orruk Black Orc Big Boss Tactics

Age of Sigmar Orruk Black Orc Big Boss

In Age of Sigmar Black Orcs are called Ironjawz. so Really this model should be the Ironjawz Big Boss, but as hew was left out of the Ironjawz army book we will keep to how he is known in the Age of Sigmar App, the call him the Black Orc Big Boss.

Black Orcs and Ironjaws are bigger tougher cousins of the regular Orruks. Also they tend to have better weapons and armour. The Black Orc Big Boss is the biggest and badest of the mob that earned respect and following by beating up anyone that argued with him!

General Black Orc Big Boss Tactics

There is nothing subtle about the Black Orc Big Boss. He is designed to get stuck in to the close combat wielding his Deff Choppa and lobbing of heads left right and centre.

The Black Orc Big Boss can make a very acceptable general. If you do have him as your general then he works best in mob or two of Black Orcs and Ironjaws. However there are usually better options available as an Orruk General, so the main role for the Black Orc Boss is as a secondary Hero. He is great at adding extra mussel to the front line.

Black Orc Big Boss Weapons and Abilities

With 6 Wounds and a 4+ save, the Black Orc Big Boss can take some punishment. If you have him with a Tusker Shield we re-rolls failed Combat saves too ( not failed saves from shooting attacks though). This means that he is great at taking on units of regular foot troops. I would recommend that you give him some backup though so he does not get overwhelmed!

Most Black Ork Big Bosses are armed with Deff Choppas. These are 1″ range weapons that have 6 attacks, with each attack having 44.44% chance of wounding ( 2.66 wounds per combat phase before saves ) with -1 rend and 1 damage. The Slaughter-choppa is a two handed affair that has 3 attacks, each with the same chance of hitting, but you get -2 rend and D3 damage. Given the option you would use the Slaughter-choppa against more heavily armoured opposition.

I’m Da Best Special Rule

The Black Orc Big Boss is always out to prove that he is the best. Because of this he gets +1 to hit if he is within 10″ of another Orruk Hero when it comes to his turn to fight. This means that he makes a good body guard for another hero, and that you should choose to fight with him first if the other hero is likely to die this combat round!

If he does use this ability a 2+ will be good enough to hit, meaning that the Deff Choppers will cause 3.33 rounds per combat phase (before saves).

Black Orc Big Boss and the Generals Handbook

The Black Orc Big Boss comes in at 100 points. This makes him good value for the point. This is specially true if you can use him correctly in conjunction with another Orruk Hero. And remember that could be another Black Orc Big Boss that are egging each other on!

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AoS Order Aelf Shadowblades Assassin

A Games Workshop Mordheim model posing as a AoS Aelf Shadowblades Assassin

As the Daemon Prince swooped down on the Aelf Spearmen. Raising his mighty axe the Daemon Prince was surprised by a black cloaked Shadowblades Assassin leaping out and slashing him half a dozen times. “Oooh, they sting like paper cuts! “. But what the Daemon Prince really didn’t see coming was the black poison on the blade that would be his downfall.

Assassins are delicate tools that need careful use and handling. The Aelf Shadowblades assassin are an example of this.  Used correctly they can strike down your opponents warlord and win the game, used with a heavy hand and they will be swept aside without a second thought.

General Shadowblades Assassin Tactics

With your assassin you will need to pick your target before the game starts, as you set up your units. This is because you need to pick which unit you are going to add your assassin to. It also helps if you are setting up your units second. Once you have picked your target you can place your assassin in a unit that will get him there. Remember that you do not have to place the model on the table, just mark down which unit he is with so your opponent knows that you don’t change your mind half way through the game.

Notice that if you use the hidden set-up rule that the assassin moves at the rate of the unit he is hiding in, even if this is faster than the 6″ a turn that he usually moves at. So if you place him with a cavalry unit he could move across the table at 12″. When he is revealed he will return to moving at 6″ per turn.

 

 

 

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AoS Stormcast Eternal Lord-Celestant on Dragoth Tactics

Age of Sigmar Stormcast Eternal Lord-Celerant on Dragoth from http://taleofpainters.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/showcase-stormcast-eternals-lord_23.html

The Lord-Celestant is a  major character in the Storm cast Eternal army. The Lord-Celestant is strong, highly skilled and well armed. With this model he rides a Dragoth. This gives him extra speed and more attacks.

The Lord-Celestant on Dragoth is one of the models that are included in the Age of Sigma starter box so you can be sure that you will see a number of these models in Age of Sigma battles. This means that even if you do not play Stormcast Eternals you will need to know it’s strengths and weaknesses.

So with that let’s look at…

Lord-Celestant General Tactics

The Lord-Celestant does not have any shooting weapons so he is best getting stuck in the fight. However without support your Lord-Celestant will be easy pray for any sizeable mob of enemy. This means that you will need to use him in coordination with other units. This is specially true if your Lord-Celestant is your general. This is because your Generals Abilities have a range limit and if he is out on his own then he will be less effective.

Also be aware that the Lord-Celestant’s weapon has a big effect on the best way to use him.

Lord-Celestant on Dragoth Strength and Weapons

The Lord-Celestant has one of four weapon options; Tempestos Hammer, Thunderaxe, Lighting Hammer, and the Stormstrike Glaive. Each of these weapons have basic weapon stats and special rules.

Once a model has been built you will not be able to swap the weapon that you give your model. With this in mind you may want to read the rules for the different weapons and pick the one that most suits your playing style. If you have already built your Lord-Celestant, limited to the weapons available on the sprue, or ant to pick a weapon because it looks good ( and playing games is secondary ), then oto not fear! All the weapons are great. You will just need to adapt your playing style to match the weapon.

Tempestos Hammer

With 5 in  9 (55.55%) chance of wounding, -1 rend and D3 damage the tempest hammer is quite a weapon. You get 3 attacks with this weapon per combat round, so you can expect 1 to 2 wounds per turn (166.65% chance of wounding). However on the turn that you charge in you get and extra D3 attacks ( so you get the usual 3 attacks plus another 1 to 3) which brings the average number of wounds before any saves to 2.5 a round (249.97% chance).

Because the Lord-Celestant does so much additional damage on the charge with this weapon this is what him doing as often as possible. So it follows that you do not want him stuck in long multi-turn combats, but assaulting smaller groups, may be with support, that you can wipe out or chase off in a turn, and be available to assault another group the next turn.

Thunderaxe

The Thunder Axe has less chance of wounding than the ( 3 attacks with 44.44% chance of wounding  = 133.32%),causes less damage, and has the same number of attacks. So why choose the Thunder Axe? The answer is in the special rules. With the Thunderaxe the Lord-Celestant gets an extra attack for each of your Storm Cast units within 5″. A few things to note here. First they need to be your Storm Cast Units. If you have two player on one side, you can not count units from your allies. Second, it’s one hit per unit, not model, and there is not much space in a 5″ radius to fit many units, or even just one model from a number of units ( which is all you need ). This means that if you organize things well you may get 2 or 3 extra attacks. However you get these attacks every combat round, and not just the one that you charged in. This means that the Thunderaxe suits players that like to surround their Lord-Celestant with friendly units and mob up on targets.

Lightning Hammer

The Lightning Hammer has a very similar basic stats line to the Thunder Hammer, although it has a shorter range.So 3 attacks with 44.44% chance of wounding each making a 133.32% chance of wounding per turn ( 1 and 1/3rd wounds per combat phase). However the special rules say that you get 2 additional immortal wounds on a roll of 6+ to hit. The ‘plus’ bit is in-case there are any bonuses to hit in effect. And again these are in addition to the normal wounds making this a powerful weapon, specially if you can conjure up some to-hit bonuses! Also notice that this bonus applies to all combat rounds, both yours and theirs. In essence then, this is a great weapon to have if you like your Lord-Celerant to go it alone and face mighty Heroes and Monsters on his own ( not recommended but very heroic ).

Stormstrike Glaive

The Stormestrike Glaive is a spear with a nasty blade in the end. It has the least chance of hitting per attack (33.33%), but it does get 4 attacks instead of 3 (total chance of wounding is 133.33% or 1 and 1/3 wounds per combat phase before saves). So again why would you choose this weapon? Again the answers are in the special rules. If you  charge in with this weapon you cause 3 wounds with -2 rend. This means that this becomes a good monster killer weapon. Again this bonus is only on the charge so you want to avoid protracted combats and target smaller easier to kill, or easy to finish off.

.. And Don’t Forget about the Dragoth!

With all these weapon options available to your Lord-Celestant you may be tempted to over look the snarling beast with bad breath that he is sitting on! The Dragoth has two attacking methods, his claws and fangs, and that bad breath (Storm Breath).

The Claws and Fangs are formidable, with 3 attacks with 44.44% chance of wounding  (= 133.32% or 1 and 1/3rd wounds per combat phase), however he also gets an Intolerable Damage special rule that means that if you roll a wound roll of 6+ ( including any bonuses) then the Dragoth causes D6 wounds.

The second weapon does not appear on the weapons list but should be not over looked. The Storm Breath is a 4″ blast template weapon with 12″ range and does not scatter ( in WH40k terms). Remember that you can measure before you decide where to place this template and that both friends and foe are affected by it and you do not have to pick a unit as the target, you can choose open ground. Line of sight is not needed either. Once you have picked your target point all units in 2″ of that point have a 50/50 chance of getting D3 immortal wounds. A 12″ range is not great, but this could thin out the opposition before assaulting and during a protracted multi-round close combat.

Lord-Celestant on Dragoth Command Ability – Lord of Hosts

This ability is and upgrade of the basic Inspiring Presence ability. The difference is that it creates a 24″ ‘bubble’ at the start of the command phase and all the Stormcast Eternals in the bubble do not have to take battle shock tests until the next command phase. Note that this only affects Stormcast Eternal units, so if you have a mixed force it is less effective, also if those units move out of the 24″ bubble they are still covered by the ability. Also any units that move into the 24″ bubble later are not covered. This could cause confusion so you may want to mark affected units with a marker (dice or piece of paper).

 

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