-What are Skaven well Skaven are a race of mutant rats devoted to spreading corruption and chaos through out the old world. Skaven have a strong foothold in almost every part of the old world and they frequently terrorize the races that live above the ground. This page is for thouse who want to know how a skaven army works, how to start one, or how to play one. All the info here is my opinion so if it dosn't work for you I'm sorry and drop me a line at zogggs@yahoo.com comming soon will be some battle reports and senarios.
Skaven are part of the world of Warhammer which is a very fun but expensive tabletop minature game. If you wold like to know more about warhammer and its other races follow this link:
-The basic unit you'll find in just about every Skaven army are ClanRats. ClanRats are 6pts each which makes them very cheap. misrable leadership of 5 which plauges most all Skaven. The best way to counter act the low leader ship is to feild a unit of 40 warriors with the army standerd and general in the unit. This will form a core unit that provides a large mass for the skaven to surround and get leadership benifits. It is also to get a sacred standerd of the horned rat for your army banner. Clanrats are good for a core unit or a unit that pushes the Screeming Bell.
-StormVermin are big tough fighters that really add some power to the Skaven forces. With a weapon skill and strenghth of 4 this breed of rat can do some damage. You want to keep the Stormvermin back though don't make them part of your first assalt hold them back just a bit so most of the missle fire and war machine fire hits the ClanRats and Slaves. At 9.5 points each you usualy can't aford a 40 model unit.
-Slaves, most people dismiss slaves as useless and they are really the only thing they do really well is die. So what you do is field 2 nice size regimnets of slaves(they are 2 1/2 points so don't worry) and throw them in front of large powerful regiments, monsters, calvery, or anything else that can get in the way of your main block.
-Plauge Monks cost the same a clanrats but hold a distinct advantage in that they have frenzy and they are tougher. Because they have frenzy I would not advise giveing them a screeming bell to push because they could go rampageing of the map and that would put the bell in a sore position indeed, expecialy if the batttle is well under way and you need it to destroy thouse war matchines. The plauge monks are most effective attacker right after a devistating attack with plauge censers.
-Clan Pestilens is mostly located in the steamy jungles of Lustria where they dwell in the ancient temples and worship the Horned Rat. Clan pestilens belived that they are the horned one chosen ones and that they are to spread corrution and decay in his name. Clan Pestilens has brought many powerful magic items to the Scaven empire including the rod of corruption. Clan Pestilens was responciple for the black plauge which killed 9/10th of the empires population.
-One of clan pestilens greater weapons of war are the plauge censor beares. These powerful units have both frenzy and haterd for the enemy and will fight untill death. Also around them there is a one inch fog of death which if the a modle in the area losses the toughness cheak they suffer one wound. Of course you always have more than one censer bearer around... they are 15pts each I always field at least two.
-Clan Pestilens also has a mighty hero to lead its ranks Lord Skrolk Plaguelord of Clan Pestilens. This charecter is quite a formidable enemy even with out any magic items for he has frenzy and he causes terror. Also modles in base to base contact with him get a minus 1 penalty for weapon skill and initave. Also while in combat he weilds a plague censer makeing him an absolute monstor of course he's 225 pts with out magic items and 400 with them but he is well worth it. his stats are
-Clan Moulder is one of the most powerful clans as it has the mighty rat ogers and a large amount of monsters which they sell to the other clans. They also breed giant rats which can surround the enemy and pin them down while their chisel teath tear and rend at flesh and bone. Then the Rat Ogers are realised and they shread and maim in an orgy of violence.
-Packmasters are a nessecity when dealing with Clan Moulder's creations. They are relativly good fighters and the are relativly cheep so it shouldn't be to painful to included them. Packmasters prevent rat ogers from going stupid and they keep the giant rats to gether so they are important.
-Rat Ogers are the heavy hitters of the Skaven force. They have the same stats of other ogers and they are perfect in almost everyway exept one they are stupid but as long as there is a packmaster around there is no need to worry. If you manage to send a large unit of rat ogers into a frenzy they will demolish whatever you point them at. One way to frenzy some rat ogers is to include a champion and then arm him with a pot of skaven brew. Throt the Unclean fills this capacity rather well.
-Gutter Runners are nifty little guys that either run around and do an amazing amount of damage and cause a great deal of chaos or they are chased away in short order. Always arm your unit of gutter runners with everything possible for they will serve a variety of perposes. If points allow include assasins with this unit to add extra bite when attacking war machies. Lastly they can attack whatever they can from undergrowth. Only include Sknitch in this unit if your shure you won't be needing him to attack other heroes.
-Assasins are real cool little guys that can puyt a serious hurting on enemy charecters and their ability to hide in a unit until the time is right to spring into action and help sweep away the opposion. Unforchinatly they aren't very strong but still they are very useful expecialy against charecters with a lower toughness.
-Lastly there is Death Master Sknitch one of the most powerful and useful charecters in the Skaven army if there is one charecter to include in your army include this one. He is almost invisible with his cloak of shadows(costs extra but who cares) with it on he can only be attacked if the attacker roles a six on a 1d6 and spells can only be cast againt him on roles of a 5 or a 6 on a 1d6. Lastly his bands of power give him a strenght of 8 makeing him capable of seriosly wonding or killing most enemy charecters. To use him is to love him.
-Clan Scrye is very very important to any and every Skaven army they provide massivley powerful screeming bells to lightning shooting doom wheels to the infamous warpfire throwers. Clan Skrye gives the Skaven the streangth and fire power it needs to win. With out this vital clan's units it skaven are hard pressed to win any battle.
-Screeming bells can be a real pain if nothing else. They require a unit to push it a grey seer to ride it and when it rings it can have negative effects on you army. But if you can allocate the 540 points not including the unit pushing it go for it. The screening bell is good for big games or against dwarves the bell has the wonderful ablity to blow up enemy war matchines or send the surronding units into a frenzy ummm frenzy yummy. The problem is that it atrackts a hail of missle fire spells war matchine fire the magic arura around the bell helps with the spells and the seers spells help with archers and the bell helps with the war matchines of couse this dosn't usually work out as planned. But thats what the other units and war matchines are for.
-Warp fire throwers are a must for all units that can afford to have them. While they may exploded kill half your unit and even in extream cases kill you general(don't ask) thier advantages far out weight thier disadvantages. These war matchines can cause huge gaps in enemy formations cause barve knighs to run in terror and kill dwarves most of all the Treemen really go up when you hit um so use them but respect um and keep them 5' away from your units to minamize damage if the blow up. Remember they can't move and shoot so anticipateand be careful. Jezzail Teams are okay for shooting at dangerous large units. It's is generaly ill advised to take out individual charecters with the Jezzail teams. Usually they don't do to much damage so don't be to disapionted if they run off in short order as long as they did some damage they be good.
-Doom wheels... ahh the doomwheels they can be either so much fun and they'll rampage about and do collosial damage or they'll do nothing at all rampage out of controll and massacer your favorite unit(don't ask its a long story). But on the avarage a good warmatchine to have at your side best of all they are cheep. Only 150 points a real bargain for the damage it can do. So what dose it do well it shoots 3 bolts of warp lightning per turn of vairying strength (2-10) it can crush fighters when charging, and it can fight hand to hand with its rats and warlock. Now for the downside the ward lightning has a 3d6 for a range. So the bolts only strike the closest traget in range remember that its important because if your unit is the closest in range you bet you ass that your getting fried. Also the domwheel has a ramdom movement (3d6") which can provide plenty of problems for you. When the doomwheel charges a unit it inflicts 1d6+2 hits on the unit. So all in all a good warmatchine.
-The Screeming Bell, can be a real lifesaver and a realy destructive hunk of a war engine if you know what I mean. 3 of the results can send wall bridges buildings and war engines into a useless pile of rubble. Two of the results send the surrounding Skaven into a frenzy and one of the best is that it can let Skaven re-roll their leadership tests. It also gives the Skaven pushing the bell a hand to hand advantage as it crushes the enemy under its bulk. It also can dispell spells targeting the bell and its crew on a roll of 4,5,or 6 when combined with the sacred standerd of the horned rat you got it made! I usualy have the main block push the bell along or a unit of slaves depending on how I want it used in the battle.
-Warlocks don't get used very much by me I either go for a grey seer or something else. Of course the warlocks are useful for carrying dispell scrolls and adding magical fire power to your forces.
-Grey Seers are almost always found in a Skaven army list. These wizards are better fighters than your average Skaven genral and there nessisary to cast most of the more powerful Skaven spells I always try my best to include at least one in my army no matter the size.
-The vermin lord now more than ever this modle can send shivers down an enemys spine. Why well with the new chaos rules its the cheapest deamon out there. At 600 pts its a level 4 wizard that can cast dark or skaven spells. It also has a doom glaive which dose 1d3 wounds and high stats all around.
-Ikit Claw... Ikit Claw is probley one of the most useful special charcterthat the Skaven have. He can cast any spell exept for waaagh magic, has poison wind globes, a warpfire projector, and a nifty banner thingy on his back. All these things make him a monster in combat and on the field in general. Usually I'll have him use High Magic or Battle Magic and he's always with at least 1 spell storage device. Remember think about your opponent then think about the troops he will be useing befor selecting a spell deck to use. Remember all your options and try to pick the one that will give you the greatest advantage. Remember Skave have few missle troops so haveing lots of spells goes a long way.
-This is the army list that I use in most battles. My army only changes slightly depending on who I'm fighting. After the list I'll explain what I was thinking when I chose each of the regiments and charecters. 40 ClanRats in the regiment is the Warlord, Army Standerd, WarpFire Thrower, 2 Assasins, 2 Globe Baiders, 1 Musisians. The army standerd is armed with the Sacred Standerd of the Horned Rat. The warlord is armed with an oger blade, handgun, and light armor. TOTAL POINTS FOR THE WHOLE REGIMENT IS 709
-20 StormVermin with halberds in the regiment is a warp fire thrower, assasin, achieftain armed with a warpstone charm, hand gun, and light armor, and a command unit. TOTAL POINTS FOR THE WHOLE REGIMENT IS 407
-20 Plauge Monks in the regiment is 3 plauge censor bearers. TOTAL POINTS FOR THE WHOLE REGIMENT IS 165
-30 Slaves with spears in the regiment is a command unit and a champion. TOTAL POINTS FOR THE WHOLE REGIMENT IS 129
1 Doom Wheel 150 points
Grey Seer armed with Spell Familier and 2 Dispell Scrolls 440 points
Total-2000pts Instead of explaing why I choose each individual unit I'll just give the overall battle plan. The main block of clan rats will roughly be in the center of my battle line. I'll set up my unit of slaves so that they will will directly be in the way of any war matchines or missle troops looking to shoot at my main block. The Plauge monks will be position on the left or right side of my main block depending on were there will be forces around that they can beat up. The Stormvermin will be placed so that there will be at least on unit in the way of any missle troops(I need to keep this unit fresh). Warpfire Throwers will be in fron at least 4" ahead of the unit they belong to and aimed so that they can thit a unit charging if they have to. Remember warpfire throwers can't move and shoot in the same turn. Place the globebaiders on the oppisite side of the unit as the warpfire throwers so if the explode they won't get skraged as well. Place the Doomwheel in the way of any units which look scary so it can blast them into mushy chunks. Lastly put the grey seer where ever. Setting up is a very important part in winning remember that. If the Grey Seer can take out any missle troops with spells do so because they put your army at great risk also try to take out wizards.