Warhammer Fantasy Battle Reporter Forum

Way back in the last Millenium I was playing the Brets but wanted to play the Wood Elf army, and the entire reason I wanted to play them rested on one unit: Wardancers.

I actually bought a couple Wardancers even without having the codex or means at my disposal to build that army at the time. I really, really wanted to play them. I never got to, we drifted on to other games.

Recently we returned to Warhammer and this time I started a Wood Elf army. And at long last, after 14 years of waiting, I got to use the Wardancers. It was a perfect set-up: shooting had reduced the Night Goblin ranks to where they had no rank bonus. I got the charge. Here is the thrilling report:

<i> And then it happened



Ah, joy of joy...I FINALLY, after over a decade of wanting to, I finally, finally, FINALLY got to send in the Wardancers. WS 6, 2 attacks apiece, +1 thanks to the Shadow dance, S4 for charging...I was going to open a can of whoop-tushy on their candy smurfs.


So yeah, 19 attacks unleashed. No wounds. Zip. Zero. Nada. Nothing. I did, however, manage to lose a couple and the break test, fleeing. </i>


Yes, after 14 years, their epic charge against a horribly bad unit with none of its usual advantages, and my elite close combat troops flee without doing so much as a single wound.

The pattern has continued. They have entered combat 4 times including times when they held the height advantage, including attacking on the flank while other units had the front...

and every time they have broken and fled, taking more casualties than they have dealt. Every. Stinking. Time.

So I am about ready to give up on them. Before I do, however, I am curious how people who have had success with them have utilized the theoretically awesomely fun unit.

Are they just good for wizard and war machine hunting? Surely it seems Glade Riders are better for that...or even the Eagles, Dryads are cheaper and core. And stronger.

I dislike fighting against Wardancers, my friends do way better than yours seem to do. What you can do is what you have tried and using them as a combined arms, remember that they are skirmishers to have no LOS issue and can just run around being a nuisance and their MR1 actually means most people are going to have to see them off with combat because shooting and magic is unreliable with the modifiers you're getting. Wardancers are good for flanking, dancing through your free wood if needed and pouncing into the side or rear while the rest of your army does nasty things from the front. However, like all Elves they are super fragile, the last time I faced them my Plaguebearers tore them a new one.

lol darthweasel, I think both yours and my wardancers come from the same inept troupe

I never had very much luck with them at all. I haven't played with them for ages (a few years, even though I still have a WE army). I did play against 2 or 3 times last year. I cannot recall the wardancer stats right now but I do recall that mine usually lost to ranked up troops and cavalry.

I think they're probably best left in the woods or tucked behind another until the last moment and should only be used as support troops.

I recall polishing off the Wardancers with ease in my last game against them, I was playing High Elves.

Maybe you should melt them down as punishment

i think its bad die rolling i had 5 murder half a 2300 point lizard army its all about the dances

How did he use them? I almost think it would be worth taking 20 or 25 Glade Guard and using them as block infantry to hold up an enemy while the Wardancers hit them in the side...though of course if I have that many Glade Guard, i will probably just take Aenach and shoot anything that moves anyway so I am back where I started . But hearing someone did indeed do large amounts of damage, I am curious what they did.

I field 1 unit of either 7 or 13 WDs. I have found smaller units to be more effective then bigger ones. I also use mine as defensive counter units. If the enemy get too close to my archer line, I will send in the ol' slice and dicers. I find they are as predictable as the entire Wood Elf army, you will either savage your opponent or you will fall flat on your face and die horribly. I would keep them away from anything with a 4+ save or better and only charge into a fight you know you can win. R/F units at full strength or near full strength will usually come out on top. Another fun use is with VCs as a kamikazee suicide unit. I can't count the number of times where VCs are almost guaranteed victory only to have it snapped away by a killing blow on a certain "important" vampire.

Occasionaly I put a hero in a WD (13-15 strong) unit with the moonstone and have them teleport behind the opponets main line and use them to march block and force you opponent to break up his/her front line to turn and face. They key to that strategy is "sabre rattleing", don't charge just run behind them. Make them real nervous.

My 2 cents.

i once got 1 hit on an important model and rolled the killing blow lol