Sunday 3 February 2013

Castling

I've noticed for some time. Well, since I've started playing Dwarfs actually. That people just don't like the Dwarf castle, and consistently piss and moan about it. And what is a Dwarf castle you may I ask.

Well, I'm more then happy to expand on this.

The Castle, is, in simpler terms. A  branch of the refused flank deployment (Oblique Order) but used in a much more heavy defensive way. Commonly used by such generals as Alexander the Great, Dyius Scipio, Krischev of Russia, Bernard Montgomery and etc. What the castle is, is the concentration of troops into a small area with one flank covered my impassible terrian or some other form stopping the other side from getting around (or in wargaming terms, the edge of the damn broad!) and the other flank covered, typically, by a fast moving cavalry unit to broaden the angles of attack for your main force and offer suppression when, and if the rest of the army chooses to advance.

Now in relation to Dwarfs in Warhammer Fantasy. This is our fallback deployment, and most commonly used as well. Why you may ask. Well under the current edition of Warhammer and the current army book being used my Dwarfs. It is, logically, the best thing to do. Dwarfs aren't fast. lets face it, movement 3 with -1 when pursuing and fleeing.  So if a Dwarf army does go on the advance, we open are selves up to being flanked. And with such low movement, we have no room for error, so once flanked, its down hill from there. (This is why I keep whining (most of the wellington (and further) fantasy community can back that statement) about Dwarfs getting Bear riders or some form of cavalry so WE CAN MOVE and experience another level of the game!  And with the current edition of the Warhammer rules. there are so many things that point into the direction of castling for us Dawi. One of the major ones. Being Steadfast. Why move when we can sit there, take a beating and still be Leadership 9!

So instead, our army build tactics tend to revolve around stacking a bunch of warmachines behind 3-4 units of Warriors/Hammeres and shooting the balls off our opponent until they are at a size which is most comfortable to engage at. Yes this sounds boring to play against and even play with. And by all rights, it is, and I can see people's points about why they are boring and yes, whine about it... ALOT. However, there are some people who enjoy playing a defensive game and a shooty game (like me!) and apparently I'm sick in the head for enjoying it, aw well. I guess I'm just one F'ed son of gun then.

My Dwarfs need one of these!
What is also an bonus is I get to see the shree terror when someone gets told that they get to face and my Dwarfs. Not for the fact that I might beat them. But how they have to push their army along while getting shot at by seven different kinds of Dwarf shit and when finally making into combat, their units are either dead, or so low there was no point engaging after all! Which I find quite satisfying indeed.

...FACE!

2 comments:

  1. I'm taking a daemon list with no GD. I hope I get to play your army. I doubt it though. Would you get the dead rubber of selections?

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  2. That's what I'm assuming. If I was to face the Von Trapp Family, I guess I would be put against Pete's Ogres. Or if against the Crumpy Old Men, Tane's Dwarfs, which would be a whole heap of fun! Things of that nature.

    I would love to face multi wound armies if I have two cannons in my list, fantastic things to deal with armies like ogres. Well, really only Ogres lol.

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