Blackblood Goblin starter force

[Manic _Miner]

 Just wanted to know what you all think of this starter force:-

 Goblin Swordmasters x 4 + Leader =97

 Goblin Crimson Blades x 4 + Leader =132

 Goblin Archers x 4 + Leader =56

 Goblin Spearmen x 6 + Leader =114

 Goblin Chariot =87

 Gives a total of 486 points.the only model that I could include to make it closer to 500 is another Archer but I dont have one.
 I have not played a game yet but would like to make up a few small warbands to start with.
 Any and all suggestions would be welcome.

[Iron Panda]

Nice to see a fellow Blackblood player on the boards!

As a fan of the Blackbloods, I'm more inclined to use orcs and ogres as my mainline troops rather than goblins. 
The goblins I use primarily as counter attackers to an already engagaged enemy unit  who are in hth with my hard hitting units.

Goblin Chariot's cool as they can provide mobile fire support for your troops.  Keep him out of reach as he peppers enemy units from a distance.  Can't really go wrong with the spearmen as they provide the numbers and their awesome group attack.  Archers are also a must, the more in the unit, the more they can shoot stuff with.

Swordsmasters and Crimson Blades are so-so. The former works better in large units but I'd rather have spearmen anyday.  The Crimson Blades, however, are too expensive and not worth their points.


If possible, replace the Crimson Blades with a Myrmidon.  Can't go wrong with them.  They are tanks on the field and with their trample attack, they can lay waste to an enemy unit.  Have the myrmidon charge headlong into the enemy while the supporting chariot provides cover fire.  Make sure it doesn't go so far as it becomes isolated and can be easily singled out, have the spearmen and Swordsmasters follow him closely for a counter attack. The Archers, meanwhile just hangs back and keeps on shooting any immediate threats.

Good luck!

[Manic _Miner]

 Thanks for the input.I do have a Myrmidon I could use and more troops to take the force to 1000 pionts and maybe over.I was thinking of the Goblins of Terakahn (not sure of the spelling).
 I do have alot of Orcs too so I can take the force in different directions if needed.I would add more Archers but that is all I have and I would need another Spearman Leader to add a second unit.
 Also have Ripper beasts  .
 The force is just to give a chance to see what works well and maybe finally get a game in.
 I have miniatures for all factions and I am working on a Swampfiend at the moment and trying to get pieces together for a Funneral Barge  .

[Iron Panda]

Also have Ripper beasts

That's awesome!  Goblin Ripperbeasts are like that rare vintage Caddillac of the Blackblood  Empire!

I am working on a Swampfiend at the moment and trying to get pieces together for a Funneral Barge 

About the Swampfiend,  what kind of proxy is it?

[Manic _Miner]

 Olaf from ARO Consulting has the Ripper Beast Archers for 1.99 Euro,s each.He has ran out of the Lancers though.
 Tha Swampfiend is being converted and I will post pictures when I have it completed.It should workout pretty well I think.

[Iron Panda]

Olaf from ARO Consulting has the Ripper Beast Archers for 1.99 Euro,s each.He has ran out of the Lancers though.

Darn it!  I knew I should'nt procrastinated!  Oh,well I can get proxies for them.  I got some GW Wolfriders lying about but it's not the same.

Tha Swampfiend is being converted and I will post pictures when I have it completed.It should workout pretty well I think.

Looking forward for the pics!

[Manic _Miner]

 I looked at the pionts cost for the Crimson Blade unit and I could swap them with 3 Ripperbeast Archers.That would bring the total to 498.Which would give a little bit of speed to the force.

[PhillySniper]

I have been playing the blackblood alot recently and totally agree about the Crimson Blades. Too expensive, too easily killed and " hide" doent help when they cant run so they lag so far behind they are almost useless.

[Iron Panda]

I have been playing the blackblood alot recently and totally agree about the Crimson Blades. Too expensive, too easily killed and " hide" doent help when they cant run so they lag so far behind they are almost useless.

I pictured the Crimson Blades as an advance infiltrating force in which they hide in the sands and ambush incoming enemy units.   That would be more appropriate for their fluff.  Add the outmanuever skill and they would be perfect for their points.

[PhillySniper]

I pictured the Crimson Blades as an advance infiltrating force in which they hide in the sands and ambush incoming enemy units.   That would be more appropriate for their fluff.  Add the outmanuever skill and they would be perfect for their points.

But they dont currently have the out maneuver skill and for  132pt for 5 guys I can thing of better uses for the pts. When they arent hidden they MV4 but they are also  a +1 to hit with only 16 AR. Id rather spend the points on 4 Orc swordsman with Ldr and Standard bearer for 133. Better AR a minus to hit MV3 but do better damage in CC.

[DogOWar]

I pictured the Crimson Blades as an advance infiltrating force in which they hide in the sands and ambush incoming enemy units.   That would be more appropriate for their fluff.  Add the outmanuever skill and they would be perfect for their points.

But they dont currently have the out maneuver skill and for 132pt for 5 guys I can thing of better uses for the pts. When they arent hidden they MV4 but they are also a +1 to hit with only 16 AR. Id rather spend the points on 4 Orc swordsman with Ldr and Standard bearer for 133. Better AR a minus to hit MV3 but do better damage in CC.

     I agree.  I like the "idea" of the Crimson Blades alot.  But with low CC, low AR,  a +1 to Def, and small unit size, they just don't justify spending the points, IMHO.  They can be useful in a defensive situation with hide, but that don't happen very often.  I like the idea of giving them Outmanuever, it would make them more playable.

     The Goblin Swordmasters, another unit that I love the "idea" of, but don't work to well on the board.  Yeah, they are pretty cheap, but have lousy damage.  They really need alittle something added to them, like ferocity of maybe up their CC a little.  The Goblin Spearmen are a much better deal, or for a few more points you get Orc Swordsman with good dam and they don't panic!

     Now, I'm not saying I won't play them every once in a while, because I do dig the models and they are just fun to play at times, I just don't have any faith that they will help me win a game.   I started a thread on this topic back when I first came to the forum, and it pretty much worked out the same way as this one.
     

[joshuaslater]

I've played against Blackbloods in prolly a hundred games.  The Crimson Blades and the Goblin Swordmasters both have their place in the Empire's army. 

For the Crimsom Blades, Hide is not very practical, if you're force is attacking, but it does allow you to have hidden dummy cards on the board; useful indeed.  They are the hardest hitting Goblins (foot soldiers) on the list, with the fastest movement.  Simply don't allow them to be charged.  Use that 10" charge to bring them to bear after another unit hits the enemy first.  A squad of them with a succesful fear save can bring down a Totem.

The Swordmasters are perfectly fine troops, and still a good value.  Yes they do less damage, but 1's are 1's, and you're throwing two dice each action.  I've seen them bring down high point, heavily armored Dwarves in too many games to write them off.  USE A PROXIED GOBLIN CHAMPION WITH EITHER UNIT TO RALLY THEM AND YOU'RE FINE.

The Spearmen with that Group Attack are just nasty, and combine any Goblin unit with one of your heavy hitting individuals, and you're good to go. 

I love when Blackblood players invest all their points in Ogres and Ogre Elite.  It's that much easier to bring them down with Wolf Clan Axemen and Desert Wolf Warriors.  If I'm tied up fighting hordes of Goblins, then it's a rough day at the office. 

The best feature of the Blackbloods is their versatility; every troop/model has its place in the army.  It's all about how you combine the parts for the Emperor's warmachine.

[Manic _Miner]

 Some very good info and food for thought.I was just testing the water with this force and I could add Orc's to the mix.I just thought it would be cool to try out.
 I could also do Masherking's Death Ripper force list of Four Archer DR's,Four Lancer DR's and Chariot.
 The thread that got me started was the one Gub's started and as Josh said you would not get many Dwarves for 500 point's.
 How does everyone else start thier forces and to what point cost?

[PhillySniper]

 

I love when Blackblood players invest all their points in Ogres and Ogre Elite.  It's that much easier to bring them down with Wolf Clan Axemen and Desert Wolf Warriors.  If I'm tied up fighting hordes of Goblins, then it's a rough day at the office. 

Ogre and orge elite are nice units. They more than hold their own in CC. If your opponent doesnt bring a bannerman, having to fear save multiple times can wreck any battle plan. Back them up with some orc archers and you have a nasty starting point that you can flesh out according to your style.

[joshuaslater]

Chronopia tournaments are almost always 1000 point armies.  I typically play in the 1200--1500 point range at my place, but lately even larger.

Your 500 point list sounds fine.  In a game of that size, it's usually a nail biter.  You'll have to be very careful to use terrain to get your archers close enough to shoot at anyone, and your chariot could find itself isolated very quickly.  On the other hand, you could manoever it all the way around to support your units and trample your opponents.

I bet all the people on this forum who've played Blackbloods can give you recommendations for force composition and above all, TACTICS.  The tactics are what make this game so good.  You'll only need to run a game with this force and enjoy it, win or lose, and you'll be cooking up new force rosters and larger army lists immediately thereafter.