Beastman Warbands

Beastman Warlords

The Warlords are very important to the Beastmen, possibly more so than any of the other types of Chaos Warbands, as their Ld is needed to overcome the Infighting rule.

Beastman Chieftans

There are two levels of Beastman Chieftan:
Beastman Chief
Beastlord
Chieftans are powerul and viscious leaders.

Beastman Shamans

Beastman Shamans are also Warlords. The Beastman Shaman can take spells from any of the three Chaos spell decks, and he may mix spells from all three. Alternatively, he may choose spells from the Dark Magic deck. I believe the Beastman Shamans make very good magic users, as they have a wide variety of Chaos spells.

Beastman Battle Standard Bearer

You can only ever include one Beastman Battle Standard Bearer, and you should include a Beastman Battle Standard Bearer. The rerolls of Ld tests that he allows are very important to a Beastmen Warband. If you have the points, and it is allowed in the game you are playing, the army standard should be a magic standard, and I would choose one of the Chaos Banners.

Beastman Retinues

Beastman Gors

These should be the backbone of your Beastman Warband, as they have good WS, T, and 2 Wounds. I would place a champion with as many units of Beastmen as possible, always include a standard bearer and musician, and I would give as many as possible magic standards.

Beastman Ungors

Ungors are very cheap troops, they are under 5 points each, which means that all equipment is at half price. They have decent stats, with average WS and S, good T, but low Ld. You should always lead these with a Champion. I would think about giving the Champion a magic item that aids Ld or gives rerolls of Ld tests. One unit of Ungors may skirmish, and they are good for this role. I would use these troops in large horde units to maximise their rank bonus and staying power, as they are cheap enough in points to be able to afford a lot of them.

Bestigors

You may have one unit of Bestigors. This is your shock unit. I would give them shields to protect them from shooting until they have a chance to close with and charge the enemy. The Banner of Rage would be a good standard for this unit. Another good banner would be the Battle Banner.

Beastman Chariots

You must have at least one unit of Gors, Ungors, or Bestigors to have any Beastman Chariots. Beastman Chariots are pulled by fierce Tuskgors and make good shock weapons, but remember, they fight as individual units, so use them to attack flanks and weak units that are susceptible to being broken. Do not charge strong enemy units with these frontally if at all possible. I would give the Chariots scythes to increase the damage they do and the crewmen halberds. I would also give the crewmen light armour and shields. The Chariot makes a good mount for a Beastman Warlord, as it gives him mobility and somewhat extra protection. One Chariot may be given a magic standard chosen from the magic item cards in Warhammer Magic.

Minotaurs

Minotaurs are expensive pointswise, but in my opinion, worth it. They have a M of 6, WS of 4, S and T of 4, 3 Wounds, and 2 Attacks, with a Ld 9. This is another very hard hitting unit, and Minotaurs have good mobility. Minotaurs may have a magic standard, they may have a standard specific to one of the Chaos Gods. This is another good flank unit. Minotaurs may have Leaders based upon the size of the unit. The larger the unit, the more powerful the leader can be.

Chaos Hounds

Chaos Hounds should always be led by a Beastman Champion. They have above average stats with 2 Attacks, but with low Ld. They can be led by a Beastman Champion, and they should be.

Tactics

This is one Chaos army where you can actually have numbers of troops.

To me, the basic units are the Ungor herds and Gor herds.

1. Ungor herds: Build these five ranks deep so that if they take casualties they will still have full rank bonuses. I would arm them with spears and shields, which only cost 1/2 point each, making for a very cheap priced basic troop. You should always give them a standard and musician. I like to give them the Banner of Defiance, as they are armed with spears. Give the Champion the Crown of Command, if you can get away with it. If not, choose a magic weapon that will increase the number of hits and/or wounds he will get.

2. Use Ungor Skirmishers to protect your other troops from enemy missile fire until they get close enough to fight.

3. Gor herds are tougher are tougher than Ungors due to their two wounds, and they have slightly better Ld and WS. They make good basic shock troops, and I would arm them with halberds, light armour, and shield. These are another troop type that is a real deal for the price! You have a troop that has WS 4, T4, 2 Wounds, halberd (+1S), shield and light armour (5+ save) for a total of 15 points each. I don't think you will find a more efficient use of points than these are, except maybe Chaos Marauders. These can stand against any other army's standard troop type, except possibly Chaos Warriors, and you can have two of these for every Chaos Warrior. You should always include a standard bearer and musician, and I would give these something on the line of the Battle Banner to aid their combat result. Also, with this unit, I would always include a Beastman Champion. Make sure you have at least four ranks.

4. Bestigors are excellent assault troops, with high WS, above average S and T, and 2 Wounds. At 18 points, this is also a good deal, as they are immune to infighting and panic caused by Ungors. I would give them a shield to aid their survivability against missile fire. If you have not given the Battle Banner to a Gor unit, give it to this unit. Or give this unit a Chaos Banner. These also should be led by a Champion. Make sure you have at least four ranks. Attack with these, do not allow them to be attacked.

5. Beastman Chariots are very hard hitting units, and at 88 points each I would include them in my army. I like to give the crewman halberds, and light armour and shields, and give the chariot scythed wheels. These make good mounts for your Beastlord, Chieftans, and Standard Bearer, and they are best used as shock troops.

6. Minotaurs are your cavalry. They move 6" normal move, and 12" charge move. A unit of three Minotaurs with a Minotaur Champion can truly do massive damage. I like to arm them with two hand weapons and light armour, a standard bearer, especially with the Banner of Rage makes this a very potent unit, and one your opponents will come to fear. Use them to take out your opponent's best unit. Make sure you are the one that gets to charge.

7. Chaos Hounds are useful for harassing your enemy and blocking and tying up enemy units until your more powerful units can deal with them. Chaos Hounds can also do quite a bit of damage in their own right.

With these troops, I would suggest your army contain mostly Ungor and Gor units, with Chariots and Minotaurs as shock units. With Ungor Skirmishers as screens, and Chaos Hounds for their harrassment value, I would always have at least a Beastman Master Shaman, and one lesser Shaman. I would lead the army with a Beastlord on a Chariot and I would mount the Battle Standard Bearer on a Chariot also. Chariots should be used either on the flanks or in a single combined unit to strike and destroy a chosen target in the enemy's line. Minotaurs should also be used to destroy a chosen target. Do not just randomly attack with these expensive units, conserve them until the time is right, and then attack relentlessly, where they will do the most good. I like to hold a Chariot/Chariots unit as a reserve that can be used to attack where I find an opportunity or to rescue any weak link in my own line. This army has the numbers to make the Horns Line Formation a very good choice against some of the more restricted armies such as Brettonians. Surround them and destroy them. Against armies that have a high concentration of missile troops, use terrain and Ungor Skirmishers to protect your troops until you can get into hand to hand. Against most missile troops, your units should be able to defeat them in hand to hand, so engage them as quickly as you can. Don't give your opponent the time to decimate your ranks with missile fire. Beastmen tactics have been brought to you thanks to the Old Sage