Editing Warhammer Army Project/Skaven (section)

===Core Units===
* '''Clanrats:''' Your basic infantry with shields. Very cheap so you can put them in HUGE units, and you'll be needing them because you need a pack of these boys for a unit of any core units (Unless you have a general of a different clan). They will die by the truckload, but you should have so many that even if they get blasted by a cannon, there will still be a good number left. Have them in units of thirty, forty, or even fifty. They also have a host of neat special rules that your opponent won't be expecting. Highly recommended. Give them weapon teams for the added lulz. It's funny when a ratling gun shoots up the enemy, but funnier when it shoots your own guys and then explodes. You'll have so many clanrats it's not as though you're suffering a real loss here. 

* '''Skaven Slaves:''' See clanrats, but no weapons teams. Now a mixed unit with a mandatory slave driver holds the unit together. These fuckers are twice as cheap as clanrats, meaning you'll have a lot of them. They have leadership is equal to their average dinner (i.e., fucking nothing), so keep your general nearby to 'fix' that. Make sure they don't get flanked, and they're not going anywhere. Keep a warpfire thrower close and have it set the unit held by the slaves on fire since Skaven are bastards and are allowed to shoot at units tied down with Slaves. Watch as your opponent quits in a huff. Laugh. Take it like a scrawny bitch when he beats your ass in a neckbeard rage for trying to [[rules lawyer]] even more (obviously unintended) cheese. Also, never horde them up; make as many ranks as your wish so they can hold units in place for your ogres or plague monks to flank charge them. Slaves aren't meant to cause damage; they take it; cause they are whipped. Note that Slaves have the option to take slings. Generally won't do much, but it can be a nasty surprise for your opponent if he's not expecting it (though nightrunners/gutter runners with slings are a much more efficient investment). Don't bother with spears; Slaves are there to take damage, not dish it out. Shields allow them to last somewhat longer, with an effective 6+/6++ in melee.
** A thing to beware of is that they now have a new rule as of 1.5: Cornered Rats. This makes a breaking unit into a kamikaze, as they deal d6 S3 wounds per each rank of 5+ models to any units they flee through before vanishing. This can be useful to make a suicidal throw against a more threatening unit that's not quite within the range of a better unit, but it can just as easily be turned against you.

* '''Stormvermin:''' Slightly more elite infantry. Still nice and cheap, so huge units are not out of the question. Units of forty or fifty are not unreasonable. Shields are a preferred choice, depending on how much fire you expect them to absorb.  Stick a warlock with Skavenbrew in them for berserk armor-covered, halberd-swinging rats of doom. Or take Queek Headtaker and upgrade your Stormvermin to a REAL elite unit.

* '''Plague Monks: (Clan Pestilens)'''  Your actual elite infantry. 3 attacks (1 base, +1 for two hand weapons, +1 for frenzy). They have frenzy, which can work against them. Again, take in huge numbers. Make sure to deploy them in a way where they won't stray too far, so they get the flank charge. T4 but they have no armor and are only I3 which means they will attack at the same time as the more well-armored I3 cores out there.  Put them with a Plague Furnace, and shit will go down (in a positive way).

* '''Night Runners: (Clan Eshin)'''  Decent skirmishing infantry/harassers. Their vanguard move allows you to set them up as charge blockers but other than that; expect them to die rather quickly. As far choosing them above slave or clanrats is up to you. They can also choose a Warp-Grinder, so you could go to Warmachine hunting/ rear-charging with these guys. Shame their models look like deranged chimps. However, if you want a shooting unit, Gutter Runners are notably better.

* '''Giant Rats: (Clan Moulder)''' Make a very nice tarpit, but Slaves are cheaper and do it better. They are an inch faster with swiftstride and skaven Ld of 5 + Strength in Numbers. They are the faster Chaff that will tie down things on their terms and could overwhelm basic infantry, while Slaves are more bodies.

* '''Rat Swarms:''' It's a Swarm, usual rules apply. Don't discount the swarm; even groups of three or four are useful in tying down a unit long enough to get those valuable flank charges. Less experienced players are even likely to flee instead of allowing a rat swarm ties them down in combat! Str 1 is far from great, but they aren't there to kill stuff; they're there to distract and detract with its 8W. Skavenslaves are arguably more efficient, though.