So I have based my list around the models I most like the look of, but of course nobody likes getting their ass kicked so if I can tweak it to be a little more competitive that would be awesome. I will be facing a High Elf army and a Skaven army. I know the Skaven army is going to have at least two big blocks of infantry and plague claw (I'm not sure why he hasn't opted for the Warp Lightning Cannon...) and going pretty magic light. I think the High Elves are going magic heavy and will have a whole bunch of spears and cav. I'm not sure what else. Heroes: Scar-Veteran Cold One, Great Weapon, Dragonhelm, Dawnstone, Light Armour, Shield Scar-Veteran BSB, Great Weapon, Armor of Destiny, Shield Skink Priest Level 2, Lore of Beasts, Dispell Scroll Core: 24x Saurus Warriors Full Command 10x Skink Skirmishers Javelin and Shields 10x Skink Skirmishers Javelin and Shields Special: Bastiladon Solar Engine 5x Chameleon Skinks 4x Ripperdactyl Riders Rare: Ancient Stegadon Giant Blowpipes, Sharpened Horns So my centre is going to consist of the Saurus and Scar Vet with BSB, the Bastiladon shooting off lasers and the Stegadon. The cowboy could be used to tarpit a big Skaven block or to punch a hole where needed. I have the skirmishers for redirecting and some shooting, with the priest in with one of the units. The chamo skinks can go war machine hunting and the rippers will target whatever is juicest. Does anybody have any suggestions for tweaks in the list or tactics? Please bear in mind that I know I should be taking salamanders but I'm not too keen on the models so would rather not field them if possible. Cheers for your time, guys!
It's a balanced list with no major flaws. You got three spells to cast, so no tweaks on magic necessary. If you REALLY need extra points elsewhere you can drop the dispel scroll. If you REALLY want more magic you can give the priest a Ruby Ring of Ruin. Normally I would say taking only one block of 24 basic infantry is a bit small for 2400 points but I think the rest of your list covers it nicely. You got a solid character to anchor the unit and I am assuming you plan to Wyssan's Wildform the Saurus block early and often (though the Rippers wouldn't mind said buff if they get out far ahead). Just use your Skinks and big dinos to keep the Saurus block getting flanked and you should do okay. I would suggest dropping the great weapon from your BSB. The BSB's priority is not to kill things. His priority is to not die. The shield will do next to nothing to help him with a great weapon since with a two-handed weapon, shields only apply against shooting and a BSB in a unit is literally impossible to target with conventional shooting till the unit gets knocked to five models or less. If you really need a few more points elsewhere, you can probably drop the Rippers down to three without impeding them much for a 1500 point game but they are fine as is.
Thanks very much for the quick reply, gives me a few things to think about too. I'll certainly drop that GW from the BSB for a start. Might see if I can bolster that Saurus unit too. Any more for any more? I believe we'll be having a fair few battles over the course of the weekend and I'll try my best to document them well in a battle report, potentially even a video.
So I have some more information on the opposition. The High Elf player is going with a list I was expecting and I'm confident I can get around that but I'm nervous about the Skaven force... He is going light on magic and artillery but will have at least 3x big blocks of Stormvermin/Clanrats with 30-40x models in each. I know this isn't particularly unusual with Skaven armies but I was wondering how to get around this with the above list? With no Slaan and no Salamander's I'm unsure how else I'm going to be able to take down such big numbers!
In case anyone was wondering, I had the battles this weekend and it went surprisingly well! In both cases they just didn't know how to respond to the steg and cowboy. The chamo skinks were hugely useful, taking out a boltthrower and plagueclaw respectively both by turn 2x, then taking pot shots. I felt pretty weak on magic (to be expected!) but still managed to avoid getting pumelled with it too bad and got Wildform off plenty of times. The ripperdactyls wiped out an entire unit of silverhelms (with toad) in one game and got beat in first round of combat in another. I'm excited to try them out some more.... the Saurus were great too. Managing to soak up plenty of shooting and magic before getting into combat and with wildform they are just beasts. All in all very happy and excited to go on to 2000 and 2500 points. I'm going to add more chamo skinks, ripperdactyls and a carnosaur amongst other things. List to follow shortly. Thanks for your help!