Why thank you! Your axe looks... well I really can't comment much on your axe because it's all covered in
gore. But I guess that means it gets the job done, right?
OK, I have some dwarfy ideas I'd like to share. I don't consider myself to be the Runegard guru, but I do play Dwarves quite a bit and here's some of the things I've picked up for better or for worse.
1 - Axemen, Battle Axemen, or Hammermen on the line? All 3 of these guys are similar and are pretty close in
points cost. Of the 3, you can never really go wrong with Axemen. They represent a wonderful tanking unit
that can do some damage against many opponents when augmented with a rune. I almost always have at least 2
of these guys in any non-stand and shoot 2000 point build regardless of opponent. The Battle Axemen are
obviously good against opponents with lower defensive skill, so they are good to bring against Hawkshold,
Orcs, Undead, Lizard Men, Monsters & Mercs, and even Ravenwood at times. I very rarely field them against
High Elves, Dark Elves, or Historicals as their high offensive power is often times wasted. They also die
faster than Axemen, but the 13 courage means they may stick around to inflict some damage on their way out. If your core requirements have been met, Hammermen are a great unit to include against mid to lower level opponents. Don't expect them to stand up to the heavy hitter units. They have lots of dice, but most of
those dice will be missing. Put them up against the schmucks and they'll have a ball. Hammermen with a Rune
on them will plow their way through a bunch of Hawk Swordsmen pretty nicely.
2 - Balista use. The Balista is something I don't use often because 2 bowmen will almost always do the job better. Except against Large or Colossal units, where they shine. I believe the Balista was specifically created to shoot larger creatures. Especially with the advent of the 3.0 rules where they can continue firing at a large unit even if it's engaged! So as a rule of thumb I seriously consider bringing a Balista against factions that are likely to field large units. That would be The Undead, Lizard Men, and Monsters & Mercs. The Umenzi are a crap shoot because they may not always bring the War Elephant.
3 - Where the Rune goes. Dwarven Players are tempted to mark Rune of Uruz on as many of their units as possible. You should look at each of your units and consider what their job is before you apply a Rune. Let's take the trusty Axemen as an example. Say your Axemen are likely to engage something big and nasty like a Treant. They are not going to win that fight for sure, so their job is to hold up until they can get help. Don't waste the Rune on these guys. Now if an Axemen unit is facing off against something they have a good shot at killing like Ghouls or Goblins, go ahead and give them that extra attack die so they can cut through them even faster and give another one of your guys help. Make sure you will get value for your Rune. Don't put it on something that has lousy offensive stats because an extra attack die is not going to help. I almost never put a Rune on Militia, Miners, or Shortbeards unless they are sure to pinch something. On the other hand, guys like Battle Axemen and especially Longbeards should almost get a Rune by default. Marking off the Rune on Longbeards is one of the first things I'll do because an extra die on a 6/6 attack profile is never a bad thing.
4 - Terrain. Aside from hills and features that are impassable by both armies, terrain can be the Dwarven general's worst nightmare. Few things are more irritating in this game than having to burn command actions to sprint your guys just so you can move 1.75 through rough terrain. There are 2 things you can do to counter terrain. A) Stand and shoot. The Dwarves can do this reasonably well and frankly, nobody should blame you. B) Do your best to engage on an empty part of the map if there is one. And remember that Hills don't really give you much of an advantage, they just make the other guy as slow as you are. It is nice being able to beat your opponent to the top of a hill using sprint, though
5 - Crossbowmen. There's always lots of talk about Crossbowmen and how folks deploy them for the odd point of damage they will inflict on their way into an engagement. Personally, I think of Crossbowmen as a defensive unit. So I rarely employ them unless I'm doing a stand and shoot, where they are excellent to have on your front line. They will get a good 3 or so turns of firing and when they become engaged they turn into Axemen. The downside to this is that they are more vulnerable to ranged fire than Axemen and they WILL attract attention from enemy ranged units.
6 - Friends from Antonia. Antonian Horsemen are one of the most critical components of any Dwarven army that is not going to stand and shoot. They are the only speed unit you've got and they are almost essential for protecting your flanks. It's also nice that they are the best light cavalry unit in the game. Just remember that they are intended for flanking and pinching, not ramming themselves headlong into an enemy unit unless that unit is something that is likely to break on the charge turn like Goblins or speed bumps. Their near-immunity to ranged fire is a wonderful thing. They are extremely fragile, so be careful with them.
