Collecting a Chaos Dwarf Army
The Chaos Dwarfs were the crossover army for that player who wanted to play Dwarfs, yet felt he needed to have magic in his corner. This was never truer than in the 4th Edition when a level 4 sorcerer could fight in close combat and cast spells in both magic phases (thus, unleashing up to 8 magic spells in the amount of time it took an opponent to fire one arrow). This was also the last Edition in which the Chaos Dwarfs, as an army, were officially recognized. Today, we continue playing from the Ravening Hordes update, which came out with the 5th Edition launch.
It was a difficult decision to include the Chaos Dwarfs in this section, since they are no longer available or supported. But, since I have a complete army and it is possible to collect them, I decided that I would include them in this section.
My collection of Chaos Dwarfs is the 4th edition “big hats” that were so silly looking, yet at the same time, seem to have developed such a dedicated following. Anyone wishing to attempt a similar army would be stuck surfing Ebay on a regular basis to try and find models. Earlier editions of Chaos Dwarfs were similar to the crew for the Hell Cannon (released with 6th Edition). Anyone looking to build an army today would be best suited trying to emulate this style of Chaos Dwarf, which looks like an evil Dwarf with Chaos bits on them (no silly big hats necessary).
To figure out the “price” component of this army, I am basing it on the following premise: Chaos Dwarfs would be built buying regular Dwarf regiments and combining them with Chaos bits and possibly green stuff sculpting. As a “catch all” I am pricing them assuming you would need a box of Chaos Warriors (or Marauders) and a box of Dwarfs for each grouping. Bull Centaurs would take this combination and mount the torso on a Warhammer horse body (sold separately on the Games Workshop web site). The Death Rocket would be converted from the Empire Helblaster/Rocket kit.
The second aspect to deal with is the Hobgoblins. I think that the Orcs from the Lord of the Rings range would make decent Hobgoblins as they look more like Half-Orcs than regular Orcs and the old Half-Orcs had a profile close to that of the Hobgoblins anyway (for any of you interested in ancient 3rd Edition Warhammer trivia). Therefore, any of the Hobgoblin units (including the bolt throwers) could be bought straight from the Lord of the Rings range (mounted on square bases). Likewise, the Wolf Riders could simply be Warg Riders from the LOTR range.
Using this methodology, the estimated price for this army is $591. However, I am dropping $20 from it since no army book would be necessary (as the army list PDF is available for free on the Internet, including this page). This earns the army 6 points for cost in the Collector’s Tournament.
Here is the link to the 2,250-point army list for this army.
EDIT: After a few playtests with this army it was decided that the Hobgoblin Wolf Riders were too much of a liability in a 10-wolf unit. So, if your opponents are willing to allow you to play them as 2 units of 5 Wolf Riders, then this is still the list to go with. However, official tournaments and army lists will not allow you to do this. Therefore, for the sake of the Collector's Tournament we changed the army list up by removing the Wolf Riders and replacing them with another level 2 Sorcerer. Here is the revised army list that we are using.
Since Chaos Dwarfs are the only Core models that count, you start right off building out your Chaos Dwarf core units. I would build one unit with hand weapon & shield and the other with great weapons and shield. Although you cannot use the shield at the same time as the great weapon, it gives you the option to use the great weapon against tough or heavily armored opponents or use the shield and hand weapon if you wish to stay alive longer (hand weapon & shield bonus with heavy armor is a 3+ armor save). Besides, they come with the shields to start with, so you don’t have the option to discard them if you take the great weapon.
In my army, they’re all equipped with great weapons since all of the models are the same and it would be too confusing to state that one unit has only hand weapons while the other has great weapons. I am considering making a new unit exclusively armed with hand weapon and shield, but at this rate, they’ll come out with a new army altogether before I get to it! (In other words, it'll be years before I take on such a task).
For the blunderbuss, regular Dwarf Thunderers will do. It’s up to you if you want to figure out some funnel shape to put over the barrels. The key to the blunderbuss is to try and keep 2 ranks or more at all times (giving you a Strength 5 shot with them). As soon as you get knocked down to 1 rank, they are reduced to Strength 4, then strength 3. Against most enemies, the Strength 3 attack is hardly worth the effort. Although I will often field 2 units of 15 and only 1 unit with great weapons, this would be a lot more models committed to shooting than I am comfortable with (based on my criteria). Therefore, just one unit is sufficient. I like to field it in the middle of my battle line where it has a chance of splitting my opponent’s lines and is most likely to get a few shots off before getting engaged in combat.
Once you meet your minimum unit requirements, it's best to get toward satisfying the other key elements on your checklist. Because Chaos Dwarfs have a pretty good leadership on their own, I'd start by adding a Sorcerer and using him as your General (leadership 9). In smaller battles, magic will play a key role and his leadership will go a long way toward bolstering the courage of your hobgoblins when you start to add them to the list.
Next, I would add your Hobgoblin Wolf Riders. Since you are required to deploy 10 of them (twice the size of the fast cavalry units in other armies) do not consider these a "throw-away" unit. However, they suit the need for a Fast Cavalry unit and they will be your war machine hunters in the larger force. Give them bows since this is the safest way for them to engage units other than the war machine crews of opposing armies. (If you have a regular crew of players who want to be fair about your Chaos Dwarf army, convince them to allow you to deploy units of 5 since every other Fast Cavalry unit- including goblin wolf riders- has been downsized in this manner. This unit has not been downsized simply because Games Workshop has ignored updating the list since the 5th Edition Ravening Hordes fix).
EDIT: If you are opting not to include Wolf Riders, I would add the third Sorcerer near the end of collecting your models.
At this stage I would add your first unit of Bull Centaurs. Early on, they will be a flanking unit and assist the hobgoblins with War Machine hunting. When you get to your second unit, I prefer to deploy one to each side of the battlefield (to threaten the flanks) or one behind the other to rush a battery of war machines (if you are fighting a heavily defended war machine army, like the Dwarf gun line).
It comes down to the dynamic of who you are playing, the size of the armies and other factors to determine when you start bolstering your army with your units of "throw-away" hobgoblins. However, I want to point out how (by giving them shields) these units can also be difficult for your opponent to deal with if you deploy them in and around your main battle line. Units of 5 or more can threaten the flanks of opposing units, thus, 10 hobgoblins will have to be addressed before the enemy wishes to close ranks with your Chaos Dwarf units. Giving them shields confers a 5+ armor save bonus when they fight in close combat. Lastly, even though they have a measly Leadership of 6, if you keep them within 12" of your General you will be testing their leadership on scores of 9 or 10 instead. This will mean your opponent has to devote time and effort toward eliminating them (or, at least, reducing them below 5 models).
The Bolt Throwers are added relatively late in this process because most enemy armies aren't going to get big scary monsters until they reach 2,000 points. However, these models add to your fire power and can do a number on heavily armored opponents (like knights) before they get to your battle lines. So, purchasing these models is also a matter of preference, based on the size of the armies and who you regularly play against.
Because Chaos Dwarfs themselves are stalwart fighters in close combat, I'm adding the shock unit of Black Orcs late in the army building process. However, this unit is versatile (fighting with great weapons or additional hand weapons) and also very hard, so you could effectively deploy a half-sized unit (10 models) much earlier in the process before building it out to full strength.
Since many units are redundant, think of it as adding a unit, then doubling them when one of everything fills out. For example: Blunderbus, warriors, a sorcerer and wolf riders. Followed by a unit of Bull Centaurs, 2 hobgoblins, a bolt thrower and 10 Black Orcs. Then, go back and add the second unit of Chaos Dwarfs, Bull Centaurs (used as 1 large unit until you reach 2,000 points), 2 more hobgoblins, etc.
The Death Rocket's purpose is to deal with large, swarm armies or those that try to remain stationary for a large part of the battle. You want them to think twice about staying put and trying to avoid engaging your troops up close. Behind many of the other units, I don't consider it to be as much a priority in light of the shooting this army all ready brings to the table (and the magic that the Sorcerers wield tends to be offensive in nature as well). Thus, I am adding it late in the process.
Rounding out the army when you get to the 2,000-point level I added the Dwarf Lord with the Obsidian Blade (his purpose is to cut through heavily armored or ethereal opponents). Keeping him in your battle line and using his leadership to command the units around him (especially the hobgoblins) is preferrable to mounting him on a Great Taurus and sending him off to conquer the enemy single-handedly.
With this army list, Army Composition score comes in scoring 18 out of 20. This is because the core units are very solid and capable of winning games on their own. (Something that GW promoted through the 5th & 6th edition rule variations). EDIT: The revised list that removes the Wolf Riders and adds another Sorcerer maintains the same Army Comp score, but is about $50 cheaper. This adds 3 to the price score in the Collector's Tournament.