Goblins - general tactics and questions

Army lists and Tactics
#1

Hey all,

I’m starting a goblin army when the new mantic stuff comes out - they look fantastic, and the Mega Army is a really, really sweet deal. That being said, I’m having some trouble building lists, since it seems like I keep trying to pack in too much stuff in a 2k list, and not enough of it is what I want. (Yea, yea, this is the eternal problem, I know). For those experienced Goblin players out there, I had a few questions-

  1. Rabble: hordes or legions? I was originally thinking Legions, but 2 Legions is almost the price of 3 hordes.

  2. Trolls or Luggits: I’m aiming for an infantry heavy force, with plenty of support from stuff like Trolls, Luggits, and Fleabag Riders. Trolls have an odd nerve, though, and it seems like Luggits are generally more useful. What’s the deal there? Are Trolls still valid (casual and/or competitive)? Where do you even get Luggit units?

  3. Inspiring: the nigh-ubiquitous “ASB w/ Lute” seems to have a good home here, as well as the Bane Chant Wiz w/ Inspiring Talisman, but I’m a bit stuck on the 3rd source. Biggit on a Fleabag, King on Chariot, king with a freaking pendant, what’s a good third choice here?!?!

Anyway, just some random questions. Any help would be appreciated, the Dash28 review is a great place to get started but leaves something to be desired in terms of list building advice.

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#2

Third point - if you aren’t giving the boomstick to a wiz, giving it to a second bsb is a decent shout. The fast options work, but only really if you have lots of cavalry?

Any spare hero slits spend on biggits on wolves!

Trolls do have a nerve issue (across all armies) but have a fairly decent stat line if you can mitigate/put up with it. Luggits are in a slightly odd me4+ berserker type role, but as second line/flanking force can be fun.

Unless you are tooling up your legions for a specific role/artefacts (measured force, sharpness, pendant) I’d go with hordes as you get the better bang for the bucks re nerve, pts, attacks.

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#3

Only speaking from a relatively small number of fights, but trolls were very underwhelming, but a luggit regiment worked very well In every battle.
As for what to use for luggits, if you’ve got a time machine, go back to 1986 and get some of Nick Lund’s Chronicle miniatures Orcs! (Also available on eBay if you’ve won the lottery.) Seriously though, Remy’s mate has a website which if you haven’t seen before is well worth a read for finding green skin models. He’s bound to have found either some larger goblin models, or smaller Orcs that could be used.
https://collectinggreen.home.blog/

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#4

Personally, i like the added durability of legions over hordes, and they are not really any more unweildy on terrain, but worth investing in any boosters available, in artifsacts, wiz with magic spells BC/inspiring prescence, mawpups etc.
I like the Luggit regiments and Trolls can be weak, even at horde size and with good regenertion rolls.
I have a King on Chariot which is handy for Fleabag riders…(horde )

#5

Based on the points cost per unit/attacks here are the maths for the various Goblin infantry units: Sharpsticks and Rabble have the same Ne, Me De ,height, unit strength etc. but Sharpsticks get Phalanx, for which you pay a little extra:-
Unit : troop , regiment , horde, Legion
S/stick : - , 6.33 , 5.16 , 6.57,
Rabble : - , 6.25 5, 6,

Spitters : -, 9, 8 (get Ranged attacks option but poorer in De +Me in Combat)
Luggit : 7, 8, (better melee + CS and Wild Charge)

Conclusion: depending on whether Phalanx is useful to you against the opposition, but Rabble are the cheapest option and Horde is the best size for your points. Legion gives greater resilience, but comes at a price and doesn’t unlock any more than the Horde does.
Regiments means more Mawpups, and is the way to go if you are investing in a Mawpup launcher , but at 6 battle turns, how many mawpups can justify the cost of a launcher ?

#6

Cheers for the shoutout @HouseElf :smiley:

#7

No problem. I’ve used that site a fair bit. In fact I’ve just copied your wolf painting guide :+1:

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#8

Some really interesting insights here, thanks Nav.

I generally play with two Sharpstick hordes, purely because the Battle for Skulls Pass models are holding spears. More and more I find that Phalanx is either not relevant to my opponents list (either zero or CS heavy cav) or my opponent just ignores it and charges something else. Sometimes the latter gives me a 60 attack flank, so maybe it’s worth it? Who knows.

Anyway, interesting to see that when you compare attacks/pts the Rabble and Sharpsticks are pretty close. At horde level the 30 pts feels quite expensive, but actually it’s closer than I supposed.

I have some of the new hard plastic Mantic goblins on order which I intend to build as Rabble, so I’m hoping to get some more experience in with using those. I’ve never deployed a legion, so maybe I should give that a go. Having a unit with that high a nerve and US to soak damage seems incredibly useful, but as you say you do sacrifice unlocks-per-pts.

Regarding the Mawpup Launcher, to my surprise I’ve found I hardly ever use the ability to resupply a mawpup. That might be because I’m not putting it in the right position and I’m going to keep trying. It has however made an excellent anti-chaff flak cannon, as it’s extra attack makes it a very depdendable way to get at least some damage on a low defence/nerve unit.

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#9

Thanks @Daveyrand, glad it was useful, and i would have likewise started with Sharpsticks due to my Nightgoblin spearmen i have left over from Skull pass .
I feel, there are two main types of Goblin players, and i might be oversimplyfying it, but here goes. There are the ‘More is better’ (Even Goblins are dangerous when they get together in large numbers) goblin players that play large units of predominanly goblins and play some additional fun toys to add a bit of flavour and quirkyness,
Then there are the 'speedbump ’ goblin players, who use their goblins to cheaply unlock bigger beefier units to do the actual killing while the poor goblins are getting slaughtered wholesale. This play method tends towards regiments and a ‘the cheaper the better’ unit philosophy rather than investing in hordes/legions and artifacts to make the goblins more deadly.
Both philosophies are fine and both work. There is no right or wrong. It is just a matter of personal preference. Like in the old days of Warhammer Orcs and Goblins, some players, myself included, feilded only a few orcs, or played them as a seperate army list. Others used their Goblins only as cannon fodder, to shield the Orcs on the way to the front lines, and soak up artillery, missile, and magic attacks.

The Mawpup launcher works best in the second option, and is less cost effective in the first, i feel

#10

Next Question - for Luggits, what size does everyone use? Troops seem the best for their points, but that -/11 nerve is veeeeeery troubling. For only another 15pts, a Mawbeast Pack regiment is more appealing.

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#11

it is a question of choice really, as with all things goblin list. Generally, do you go for ‘Boys and Toys’ or ‘Bigger is better’? The Luggits are the goblin equivalant of the small but expensive hard hitting unit, and if you equate points based solely on attacks then a troop is your best option. Hide them out of harms way and let a big unit of Rabble take the brunt of the enemy’s hits, then hopefully, nip in at the flank and cause mayhem, before they are inevitably routed in their first charge.
Personally, i am in the Bigger is better philosophy, with my goblins doing the heavy lifting by weight of numbers rather than relying on Trolls ect. (and their goblin units being speed bumps to unlock their toys). i therefore go for regiment size, getting the better nerve and unit size, and the few extra attacks. i do add Mawpups for extra bang for my bucks, but don’t bother with other buffs on the Luggit unit, and generally, i try to buff them between hordes of sharpsticks or rabble to protect their flanks and slip them into the nearest aura of inspiring presence.
But that’s how i roll.
Others will opt for troop size and a ‘wham bam thank you mam’ approach, and discard them to the dead pile quickly enough. This is also a valid option depending on your style of play.
However, i’m not sure that the cost for such expensive chaff justifies this.
The other advantage of a regiment is that it then unlocks more toys for you, wereas the troop doesnt.

Mawbeast packs… and even better, Magw’ans regiments, are certainly worth inclusion, although not nesscerily instead of. i’d include both, but my own army is Goblin heavy, rather than toy heavy.

#12

Has anyone used the Mincer Mobs? Trying to figure out if they are better as Troops or Regiment

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#13

Troops have that lovely 100x100mm shape right? Makes it easier to move around and get sneaky charges, IMO.

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