Of all the Warhammer Armies, the Dogs of War belong certainly to the most universal Armies. They have a well balanced combination of Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery units which makes them, if commanded by an experienced general, a dangerous enemy. In this article, we will take a closer at the various units, their advantages and disadvantages and give some hints how to field and command a Dogs of War Army.

Basics

Unlike other Armies, the Dogs of War actually consist of two Army lists: the ordinary troops and the Regiments of Renown. While the former are typical Warhammer-units the Regiments of Renown are specialist units with their own names, history and rules. Each Regiment of Renown corresponds to an ordinary unit, but usually they have better stats, special rules or special items. Also, each Regiment of Renown has a hero, which leads it. This is an advantage, because these heroes are often by far better than the ordinary Champions which normally lead units into battle. And the best of all: these heroes don't count against your allowed maximum of heroes in the army. On the other hand the Regiments of Renown are very, very expensive compared with normal units.

Another special rule when fielding a Dogs of War Army is the fact that you always have to take the Paymaster (see the Paymaster description below).

One of the major drawbacks of the Dogs of War army is the fact that they haven't their own magic item list. So they are limited to the common magic items listed in the Warhammer Rulebook. This is normally compensated if you use units from the Regiments of Renown list, which often have their own special magical items.

Lords

Mercenary General

These grizzled old Veterans are tough warriors. For 90 points you get 4 Attacks and 3 Wounds. Compared to the Imperial Elector Count, he has better stats for only 10 points more. Equip him with heavy armour, a warhorse with barding to get a good armour save (3+). Then give him a Sword of Battle which raises his Attacks to 5 and an Enchanted Shield, which lowers his armour save to 1+. Alternatively you could mount him on a Pegasus for 50 additional points.

Hireling Wizard Lord

The hireling Wizard Lord is similar to the Imperial Wizard Lord. If you can afford him, buy him. If you upgrade him to Lvl 4 depends on your personal taste (or the points you are able to spend). You can choose one list from all eight colleges of Magic. I normally prefer the Lore of Fire, which is really devastating. Also I equip my Wizard always with at least one Dispel Magic Scroll. A Staff of Sorcery or a Talisman of Protection are optional, but not essential.

Heroes

Paymaster

Each Dogs of War Army must take a Paymaster. This character model has the keys for the chest in which the pay for the troops is stored. As long as the troops see that the Paymaster is around, the Paymasters key counts as a Battle Standard. As it counts as a Standard, it can be captured as described in the Rulebook. If the Paymaster dies, all troops in the Dogs of War Army have to make a panic test at the end of the turn. Please note that the Paymaster is not allowed to act as the armies general. Equip him with heavy armour, a shield instead and give him a crossbow.

Captain

For 50 points you get a good expert warrior. First decide if he should join an Infantry or a Cavalry unit. Dependant on that, mount him on a horse (with barding) or not. Anyway, always give him heavy armour and shield. Sometimes a crossbow isn't a bad decision (he has BS 5, why not use it). If you have some points left, equip him with a magical weapon (the best choice is the Sword of Battle (+1 A).

Hireling Wizard

Your army should always include at least one 1st level Wizard, equipped with 2 Dispel Scrolls. Which Lore you actually choose for him is unimportant, as his main task is to dispel enemy spells.

Core Units

Pikemen

Of all the Infantry units in Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Pikemen are one of the most potent. The pike is a special polearm, which allows them to 1. attack always first, 2. get a +1 Strength if they were charged by cavalry and 3. (and most important) they attack with four ranks. This means a pikemen unit with 20 pikemen attacked by Cavalry (eg. Bretonnian knights) gets 20 Strength 4 Attacks (!) and strikes first. They are real cavalry killers. Always take at least one unit of 20. Needless to say that they should have a Champion, a Standard bearer and a Musician. If you have enough points left, equip them with heavy armour to get a better armour save.

Crossbowmen

With Strength 4, Crossbows are deadly missile Weapons. Use one or two units of 10 Crossbowmen to "prepare" enemy units before the Infantry deals with them.

Duellists

Although they are skirmishers, these troops are considerably cheap. They are excellent troops to guard the flanks of your main infantry force. Always equip them with pistols, which gives them an additional S4 Attack.

Heavy Cavalry

Each Army should have at least one Cavalry unit of 8+ knights. Equip their horses with a barding. They have adequate fighting skills, a good armour save (2+) and are relatively fast. Especially when you fight against enemies with strong cavalry units (ie. Bretonnia, Empire, High Elves) these troops can be very useful.

Light Cavalry

Light Cavalry units can be very useful in attacking vulnerable war machines or engaging your enemy's flanks. For 11 points they are considerably cheap. Always use the option to equip them with spears and shields. Equipping them with bows can make them very useful if you bring them into a good shooting position during the first turns.

Special Units

Ogres

Ogres are ferocious warriors and should be part of every Army. Although they are expensive, you get Models with a high M, 3 attacks, and that cause fear.

Dwarfs

Good troops with high WS and T stats at a fair price. Their drawback is their lack of speed. If it fits into the fluff of your army, you can include them, but they are not really necessary.

Norse Marauders

The wild men from the north are all subject to frenzy. Equip them at least with a shield or a two handed Weapon (either a great weapon or a flail). Optionally you could give them a second hand-weapon instead of the shield, which gives them and additional attack.

Paymasters Bodyguard

You should always guard your Paymaster with some of these guys. They are good fighters and are stubborn as long as the Paymaster is alive. So if you have some points left to spend, this unit is a good choice.

Halflings

Extraordinary Archers for very low cost. For only 6 points you get a BS 4 archer equipped with a bow. Please note that they suffer no movement penalties when moving through wooded terrain. So a unit with about 10-20 halflings is a MUST in your army.

Rare Units

Cannons

The Dogs of War-version of the Cannon is not so powerful like the Imperial cannon, but 1d3 S10 hits can also be very devastating. At least one cannon should always accompany your army for heavy fire support.

Halfling Hot Pot

This halfling version of the Catapult can be very useful and, hey, 50 points are not expensive, even if you only throw hot soup at your enemies...

Regiments of Renown

In this section we will take a closer look at the Regiments of renown. The major difference between the RoR and ordinary units is the fact that they all have a Hero instead of a Champion. Some of them even have magical items or special rules. On the first view most of the Regiments of Renown may seem a little bit overpriced, but you shouldn't forget that they are very specialized units.

Vesperos Vendetta

These deadly skirmishers from Luccini are really tough. Especially the special Cloak and Dagger rule makes them an intriguing choice.

Giants of Albion

These Giants are really fearsome opponents. If you have a huge Army and can afford 450 points for two Giants and a Druid, hey, why not impress you opponents?

Pirazzos Lost Legion

Basically, they are an ordinary unit of Pikemen. The special thing with these Estalian hired-swords is the fact that their first rank consists entirely of Crossbowmen. This gives you the opportunity to choose stand & shoot as reaction.

Ricco's Republican Guard

They are a typical unit of Pikemen, but they have a better WS.

Beorg Bearstruck and the Bearmen of Urslo

A group of norse Marauders with a Werbear as leader. They have a magical banner which gives them an additional +1 to hit in the initial round of close combat.

Voland's Venators

This is one of the few RoR-units which are really worth their price. Heavily armed and with Strength 4 they are a match for every heavy cavalry unit.

The Alcatani Fellowship

If you want a cheap Pikemen unit, try the Alcatani Fellowship. Okay, WS 2 might be a little bit low, but what do you want for 9 points per pikeman?

The Marksmen of Miragliano

The Marksmen of Miragliano are one of my favourite units. With BS 4 and Crossbows they fire a deadly rain of bolts at their enemies.

Al Muktar's Desert Dogs

This arabian unit is a cool horseman unit with a nice magical banner which gives them a +d3 bonus when calculating which side wins.

Asarnil the Dragonlord

Ever wanted a renegade Elven Prince with his War dragon in your army? If you have 450 points left you can include this fierce unit into your army.

Oglah Khan's Wolfboyz

This fast cavalry unit is an intriguing choice. These hobgoblin wolfriders are well equipped with a spear, bow, light armour and shield. With M 9, if you have no problems with greenskins in your army, give them a chance.

Lumpin Croops Fighting Cocks

To be honest, I see no reason why you should buy this halfling unit. Okay, they are skirmishers, but compared to the standard halfling unit they are too expensive.

Tichi Huichi's Raiders

An exotic unit of Lizardmen with fear-causing mounts.

Long Drongs Slayer Priates

A very cool unit of unbreakable Dwarven Slayers. They are armed with hundreds of pistols, which allows them two S 4 attacks per model. Even the price seems to be okay.

Leopolds Leopard Company

Another pikemen unit. This one is immune to psychology...

Golgfags Ogres

Another overpriced unit. Take the ordinary Ogres instead. Heavy armour doesn't legitimate a price of 45 points per model!

Birdmen of Catrazza

This is one of the strangest units in Warhammer: Flying skirmishers! Okay, they are expensive, but they can cause a lot of confusion on the battlefield

Bronzios Galloper Guns

A very light cannon harnessed to a warhorse. If used strategically correct, you can use this mobile unit very effective. But with only S 7 the gun has a lack of firepower...

Bragazas Besiegers

These guys are a special marksmen unit with heavy armour and special shields which give them a very good armour save. If you normally use your crossbowmen directly at the front line you should use Bragazas Besiegers.

The Cursed Company

A cool unit of undead mercenaries. The greatest thing with them is the fact that killed enemies rise to join their ranks.