Warhammer Ancient Battles (WAB for short) gives you the opportunity to recreate the battles of antiquity. It uses as its base the rules from Warhammer Fantasy Battle 5th Edition. Unsurprisingly there is no magic system, and the characters are very limited. If playing with big blocks of toy soldiers and using manoeuvres and low cunning to win battles is of interest, then this is the game for you!
THE BEST ARMIES
WPS members often ask me which is the best army to use in Warhammer Ancient Battles. It is hard to pick any particular one, so I have put down some comments on some of the most interesting and well known armies, plus some of the more obscure ones. Each section consists of a few hints and tips when using the army and facing them, as well as figure manufacturers and any other useful information. Each section is reasonably short but can easily be expanded upon if there is a lot of interest from you, the readers. I have assumed that most people reading this article will have a basic understanding of the game mechanics and rules.
IMPERIAL ROMANS
Imperial Romans are the classic ancients army and with the list included in the rulebook is easily accessible. The army is very forgiving for beginners - stubborn and drilled rules can really help win battles if you remember them! However, the army can be outnumbered easily and a few poor rolls for stubborn tests if charged by warbands can make or break your day! Legionnaires are your core troops, but ensure you have enough light infantry and skirmishers to protect the flanks and contest important terrain features. Models are easily available in all scales by most companies.
BARBARIANS
A great army with plenty of possible variation, covering huge periods of history. Warband rules mean you can auto break even your enemy’s best troops, but you need to take care of Leadership issues and the loss of the general can be terminal. The fanatics can win games for you, but try a smaller unit and use them as bait for something else. This leaves you with more points for use elsewhere. Use the throwing spear rule from the
Fall of the West supplement and the Barbarians can take on most armies. You can also have a lot of fun with this army! Again, this list is in the rulebook. The drawback with Barbarians is that you need lots of models - the good news is that lots of companies produce miniatures for them in all scales, at a variety of prices.
HITTITES
This army hails from the
Chariot Wars supplement and is possibly the best list available anywhere, but you must play them in the same way as they fought historically - the infantry sit back and watch the elite chariots do the work! S5 on the charge with 3 Attacks at 52 points, the chariots of the Hittites are way better value than a mounted knight. Only a couple of firms produce good figures, however.
TROJANS
The heroic poems of Homer, The Iliad , Greek myth and the wooden horse of Troy, where history meets the realm of myth and fantasy. Stories that we learn as children! Again, this list is from Chariot Wars. The infantry move 5”, which is useful for closing with the enemy, delivering a surprise charge or providing a mobile screen for the chariots. Combined with the heroes, this army can really hurt you if it charges. You need a number of chariot units to make it work well and a nice big block of infantry. Heroes tend to work best if you combine at least two of them with one unit of chariots. Away from the general, the army suffers from low leadership and the loss of a flank can be significant. Only a couple of firms produce good figures, unfortunately.
SUMERIANS
Yes, really! From 2000 BC, the more I look at this list, the more I like it. The onager (wild asses) chariots add a bit of entertainment but the strength of the army is in the infantry and particularly the light troops (some of whom have doublehanded weapons options). I have not actually used it in anger yet, but it is only a matter of time once it gets painted! Again, only a couple of firms produce good figures, which is a shame.
MACEDONIANS
The Macedonians are synonymous with one man:
Alexander the Great, who carved out an empire with his army! His successors and imitators still manage it in WAB today. The Macedonians are a very tough army to play against, especially if you are cavalry or light chariot based. The pikes are very powerful, as you would expect! Outflank this army and you will beat it, however - especially if the army contains a lot of levy troops (poor weapon skill and low leadership). That’s a lot easier said than done against seasoned veteran players, however! Going toe to toe in the centre with the pike blocks is not a good idea unless your troops have a higher weapon skill, are heavily armoured or armed with pikes (or a phalanx) as well. Delivering a warband charge will auto break the pike blocks, however, and you have a good chance of achieving this against the levy troops if you take the throwing spear option for your warband. A good selection of figures are available.
SAMURAI
Say these words and people go glassy eyed and start drooling just like Homer Simpson when he sees a doughnut and a beer! If you are good at working out the minimums and maximums of designing armies, then this list is the one for you. The list in
Armies of Antiquity covers a huge period of Japanese history and clouds the real style of the army and the real selections available. Don’t be fooled by the expensive and unrepresentative warrior monks and ninjas - although, until the full army book comes out, use the monks and win! Samurai troops are high in cost, which means they will usually be outnumbered. When playing against Samurai try to exploit this weakness, making good use of your missile troops to reduce their numbers. Players who select slightly more representative Samurai lists can put quite an array of troops on the table and generate a high volume of missile fire too, which if the dice roll fair, can really hurt. Definitely a very powerful army, which can be very mobile and there are several very good players who use them extremely well. Dixons do a good range of figures, which has recently been added to. Most other ranges are a bit too character orientated, and miss out on the basic troop types. The pastel colours of the Earlier Samurai can make for a very attractive army on the table.
