Age of Fantasy/Tactics/Dwarves

Why play Dwarves?

The dwarves are slow as molasses, but they have two things to their favor: The first is their impressive array of artillery and their good defenses. More often than not, you'll have the enemy before you before you can hit back, but that's why you have your machines blast them to kingdom come before they reach charging range. <tabs> <tab name="Age of Fantasy">

Pros

• Lots of artillery
• Good defense stat

Cons

• All your footsloggers are Slow

Special Rules

• Slayer: The Berserker rule. This unit's attacks add +2 AP whenever they fight a model with Tough 3 or higher. Just in case you needed proof of who they're supposed to kill.

Wizard Spells

• Spite Rune (4+): Enemy unit within 12" takes -1 to hit when they next fight. This can be useful since most of your force is more melee-focused.
• Smiting Rune (4+): Enemy unit within 12" takes 4 hits.
• Battle Rune (5+): Friendly unit within 12" adds +6" to their next move. This is seriously important because of the aforementioned slowness of your army.
• Breaking Rune (5+): Enemy model within 12" takes 2 AP 2 hits.
• Drill Rune (6+): See that setpiece within 6"? Well, you can now shove it around 6" or blow it up, whatever satisfies you. This can be incredibly powerful since no other army has something like this.
• Cleaving Rune (6+): Two enemy units within 12" take 6 hits each, making this an ideal anti-mob power.

Unit Analysis

Heroes

• Dwarf Lord: A big bruiser of a hero. They're pretty much ideal for melee and can grab whatever they need to rip their opposition to shreds while Fearless gives him and his unit the chance to stand firm. Their special rule is Grudge, giving their unit a +1 to hit when fighting in melee.
  • Melee: Your basic hand weapon is pretty good, giving a full three attacks, and your melee upgrades are cheap as hell. You can go for dual wielding (6 attacks is not a joke), halberd (Rending), great weapon (AP 2 is great for heavy armor) and spear (Phalanx). Sadly, no spears for you.
  • Shooting: While more expensive than the melee, a gun is far more invaluable. The pistol gives you the cheapest source of AP 1, though at a fairly short range, and can be doubled. For the same price as two pistols, you could also get a rifle for better range. The crossbow gives the best range, but it's not only the most expensive, but it also sacrifices that guaranteed AP 1 for Rending.
  • Mounts: The cheapest mount of the lot is the Beast, nullifying Slow and giving both Impact and some extra attacks to help out. The Ancestral Stone is merely a tanky option, giving +3 to Tough, but for 10 points more, you could just grab shield carriers for that and four more attacks. The great war-bear is the best of all of these options, giving you speed on top of extra wounds and attacks that can rip open enemy forces with Fear as a bonus.

• Berserker Lord: While poorer defensively, this guy has two axes for six AP 1 attacks, all subject to Slayer and Furious. This guy is absolutely going to need some bodyguards in order to make it across the board and into the fray where he can make his worth.

• Engineer: Effectively the dwarf lord, but without Fearless. Though this guy lacks any mounts, they do get two new gun options (The flame rifle for rapid-fire and the organ rifle for the full dakka experience) on top of Ballistic Master. This rule allows an engineer to pick an Artillery unit within 3" to add +1 to their shooting roll, which is most certainly welcome.

• Rune Master: As befitting the dwarves, even your wizard isn't some robe-wearing pansy. They're wearing real armor and can grab real weapons so they can actually go to town on the enemy while also casting their spells.

Infantry

• Warriors: Your workaday frontliners are all quite good at their jobs. Each has 4+ to quality and defense and they have the option of whatever weapon is necessary, including a harpoon for nailing bigger nasties.

• Berserkers: These guys are a bit squishier, but they make up for it with Fearless, Furious, Slayer and AP 1 on their weapons. You will absolutely need a way to protect them (and their boss) if you plan on taking them into a fight.

• Miners: Ambush goes a long way towards making the dwarves more mobile while their great weapons are just what you need to pop open most heavy infantry. You can grab shrapnel bombs for any miners you want, providing a short-ranged means of managing crowds. You can also grab a mining drill for a weapon, giving both AP 3 and the advantage of deep-striking within 3" of an enemy unit - perfect distraction.

• Veterans: Essentially Warriors with a 3+ on quality and defense. Seeing that their cost is over twice that of a pack of warriors, you should be only picking these if you need someone to tie the enemy down.

• Elites: Veterans with special Great Weapons that give A2 AP 2 - all for slightly cheaper than what it would take to give a squad of veterans great weapons and even then they would lack an attack.

• Iron Warriors: Veterans with a very beefy 2+ defense, making them the most powerful walls. Alongside the basic weapons, they also have access to the miners' shrapnel bombs and dual dragon pistols in order to melt armor at range.

• Golems: Some big bruisers, all with Tough 3 and claws capable of ripping light infantry. In exchange however, they aren't nearly as strong as the veterans.

• Steam-Powered Suits: Going full steampunk over here. If you see the elites and give them one more attack and Tough 3, then you'd have something close. If you're looking for some manner of shooting, you can buy them steam rifles for the equivalent of a rifle.

• Marksmen: If berserkers sacrificed their defense for choppy power, the marksmen sacrifice the defense of a warrior for rifles, much more palatable since these guys cost less than an equivalent quantity of berserkers. If you're looking for more range, get crossbows but beware the cost to your AP. Also worth considering is getting a pair of pistols for some extra bang.

• Rangers: Marksmen with crossbows and gain Scout, so you can shoot at a better position. While they're stuck with crossbows as a primary weapon, you can buy them throwing axes so they have a guaranteed means of popping armor.

• Drake Marksmen: The Iron Warriors to the marksmen's warriors. It's not such a big deal to protect the heavy shooters, you do get flame rifles so you can cover the area in fire. On top of shrapnel bombs, you can also grab a model a pair of fire pistols. A second model can also buy pistols, but they can also buy a torpedo rifle, giving them a means to nail a monster or elite model.

• Beast Riders: Your light infantry, though they don't offer much. For a 4+ to quality and defense, you get an attack each from mount and rider and a normal move speed.

• War-Bear Riders: Heavy cavalry riding with Tough 3 and some dangerous claw attacks thanks to the mounts. If you want the riders to actually break armor, you can buy axe halberds for AP 1 Rending. These will likely be the ones meant to handle the brunt of the attacks.

Vehicles

• Attack Helicopter: A flying flamethrower (or flame machinegun if you want more punch) is a terrifying prospect for your foes, especially with a 2+ defense and Fast. Buying scout is a major plus, since it gets you into range for your gun and (if you buy it) Attack Bomb so you can make a strafing run for a practically guaranteed 3 AP 2 hits on one unit this thing flies over.

• Bomber Helicopter: This helicopter comes with a machinegun, giving a much better range than the other helicopter's weapons. It also comes with a bombing run, a much more potent version of the Attack Bombs since this can proc three times on a unit.

• Giant Construct: You've got a giant robot. NICE. So, this giant has two fists that can already smash infantry and most monsters pretty quickly, but you could instead replace either fist with a great weapon for an insane AP 4. You can also buy heavy steam guns so it can handle small crowds.

• Flame Cannon: Your first piece of artillery is the rather short-ranged flame cannon. However, this gives you a good number of shots at AP 2, so you can screen blocks of infantry quickly.

• Bolt Thrower: A big crossbow that has the best range of the artillery pieces here and AP 2 Deadly 3 so it can kill elite units without much hassle.

• Organ Gun: Gives you an absolute storm of dakka, but at a shorter range than you'd expect.

• Cannon: Excellent range, AP 4 Blast 3. It's all you can ask for in an artillery piece, though it's a good bit costly for its job.

• Stone Thrower: Also has great range. The stone thrower is the only weapon in your entire army with Blast 6, so expect to bring one when dealing with big blocks. However, it price means that you might not be able to bring other artillery pieces as well.

Army Building

Tactics

</tab>

<tab name="Skirmish">

Pros

• Lots of artillery
• Good defense stat

Cons

• All your footsloggers are Slow

Special Rules

• Slayer: The Berserker rule. This unit's attacks add +2 AP whenever they fight a model with Tough 3 or higher. Just in case you needed proof of who they're supposed to kill.

Wizard Spells

• Spite Rune (4+): Enemy unit within 12" takes -1 to hit when they next fight. This can be useful since most of your force is more melee-focused.
• Smiting Rune (4+): Enemy unit within 12" takes 4 hits.
• Battle Rune (5+): Friendly unit within 12" adds +6" to their next move. This is seriously important because of the aforementioned slowness of your army.
• Breaking Rune (5+): Enemy model within 12" takes 2 AP 2 hits.
• Drill Rune (6+): See that setpiece within 6"? Well, you can now shove it around 6" or blow it up, whatever satisfies you. This can be incredibly powerful since no other army has something like this.
• Cleaving Rune (6+): Two enemy units within 12" take 6 hits each, making this an ideal anti-mob power.

Unit Analysis

Heroes

• Dwarf Lord: A big bruiser of a hero. They're pretty much ideal for melee and can grab whatever they need to rip their opposition to shreds while Fearless gives him and his unit the chance to stand firm. Their special rule is Grudge, giving their unit a +1 to hit when fighting in melee. As with the other HQs in the game, your mount options are reduced to the beast - still incredibly helpful since you're not Slow and you gain an extra attack.
  • Melee: Your basic hand weapon is pretty good, giving a full three attacks, and your melee upgrades are cheap as hell. You can go for dual wielding (6 attacks is not a joke), halberd (Rending), great weapon (AP 2 is great for heavy armor) and spear (Phalanx). Sadly, no spears for you.
  • Shooting: While more expensive than the melee, a gun is far more invaluable. The pistol gives you the cheapest source of AP 1, though at a fairly short range, and can be doubled. For the same price as two pistols, you could also get a rifle for better range. The crossbow gives the best range, but it's not only the most expensive, but it also sacrifices that guaranteed AP 1 for Rending.

• Berserker Lord: While poorer defensively, this guy has two axes for six AP 1 attacks, all subject to Slayer and Furious. This guy is absolutely going to need some bodyguards in order to make it across the board and into the fray where he can make his worth.

• Engineer: Effectively the dwarf lord, but without Fearless. Though this guy lacks any mounts, they do get two new gun options (The flame rifle for rapid-fire and the organ rifle for the full dakka experience). Taking one is best suited for a gunline army, as you'll be able to pump out a lot of shots with these new guns included.

• Rune Master: As befitting the dwarves, even your wizard isn't some robe-wearing pansy. They're wearing real armor and can grab real weapons so they can actually go to town on the enemy while also casting their spells.

Infantry

• Warriors: Your workaday frontliners are all quite good at their jobs and you fortunately get three of them. Each has 4+ to quality and defense and they have the option of whatever weapon is necessary, including a harpoon for nailing bigger nasties.

• Berserker: A bit squishier, but they make up for it with Fearless, Furious, Slayer and AP 1 on their weapons. You will absolutely need a way to protect them (and their boss) if you plan on taking them into a fight.

• Mines: Ambush goes a long way towards making the dwarves more mobile while their great weapons are just what you need to pop open most heavy infantry. You can grab shrapnel bombs for any miners you want, providing a short-ranged means of managing crowds. You can also grab a mining drill for a weapon, giving both AP 3 and the advantage of deep-striking within 3" of an enemy unit. It cannot be said how much more useful this rule is since you can now take up to half your army can go in, meaning you can also throw in marksmen and iron warriors as well as the miner.

• Veteran: Essentially a warrior with a 3+ on quality and defense. Seeing that their cost is almost twice that of a warrior, you should be only picking these if you need someone to tie the enemy down.

• Elite: Veteran with a special Great Weapon that gives A2 AP 2 - all for the same price as giving a veteran a great weapon and even then they would lack an attack.

• Iron Warrior: Veteran with a very beefy 2+ defense, making them the most powerful wall. Alongside the basic weapons, they also have access to the miner's shrapnel bombs and dual dragon pistols in order to melt armor at range.

• Golem: The big beefcake, all with Tough 3 and claws capable of ripping light infantry. In exchange however, they aren't nearly as strong as the veterans.

• Steam-Powered Suit: Going full steampunk over here. If you see the elite and give them one more attack and Tough 3, then you'd have something close. If you're looking for some manner of shooting, you can buy them steam rifles for the equivalent of a rifle.

• Marksmen: If berserkers sacrificed their defense for choppy power, the marksmen sacrifice the defense of a warrior for rifles, much more palatable since these guys cost only five points more than warriors for a pack of three. If you're looking for more range, get crossbows but beware the cost to your AP. Also worth considering is getting a pair of pistols for some extra bang.

• Ranger: Marksman with a crossbow and gains Scout, so you can shoot at a better position. While they're stuck with crossbows as a primary weapon, you can buy them throwing axes so they have a guaranteed means of popping armor.

• Drake Marksman: The Iron Warriors to the marksmen's warriors. It's not such a big deal to protect the heavy shooters, you do get flame rifles so you can cover the area in fire. On top of shrapnel bombs, you can also grab a model a pair of fire pistols or a torpedo rifle, giving them a means to nail a monster or elite model.

• Beast Rider: Your light infantry, though they don't offer much. For a 4+ to quality and defense, you get an attack each from mount and rider and a normal move speed.

• War-Bear Rider: Heavy cavalry riding with Tough 3 and some dangerous claw attacks thanks to the mounts. If you want the riders to actually break armor, you can buy axe halberds for AP 1 Rending. These will likely be the ones meant to handle the brunt of the attacks.

Army Building

Tactics

</tab> </tabs>

Age of Fantasy Tactics Articles
General:	General Tactics
Dwarves:	Dwarves - Sky-City Dwarves - Volcanic Dwarves
Elves:	Dark Elves - Deep Sea Elves - High Elves - Wood Elves
Greenskins:	Goblins - Orcs
Havoc:	Beastmen - Clans of the War Cry - Havoc Dwarves - Havoc Warriors - Rift Daemons
Humans:	Chivalrous Kingdoms - Duchies of Vinci - Eternal Wardens - Humans - Kingdom of Angels
Undead:	Ghostly Undead - Mummified Undead - Ossified Undead - Vampiric Undead
Other:	Giant Tribes - Halflings - Ogres - Ratmen - Saurians - Shadow Stalkers