Vanguard Dwarfs: Tips & Tactics
15th Jan 2019
Rob Burman
Short in stature but as unyielding as the mountains themselves, the Dwarfs are a proud and noble people who attach a great deal of importance to heritage and custom. It is a naïve opponent indeed who does not acknowledge the Dwarf talents for war...
The time has come for the Dwarfs to enter the fray in Vanguard. These stout warriors may not be the fastest fighters on the block. However, what they lack in stature, they more than make up for in fire power and resilience. In today's blog we're going to give all you budding Dwarf players out there some tips and tricks for getting the most out of your new faction.
TACTICAL REDEPLOYMENT
The majority of the Dwarf Warband is pretty slow, with a typical speed value of 4. However, this lack of speed is made up for (in part) by their Warband Ability: Tactical Redeployment. This allows you to spend 2 Power and move all Dwarfs within 9" of a Command model an extra 3".
Not only is this great for giving your Dwarfs a movement boost ahead of their activation, it's also good for re-positioning and controlling the board. You can use those extra 3" to block off charge lanes, move out of range from foes, etc. You could also save the ability until the end of a Round and then move onto objectives when your opponent thinks you've got no movement left.
Another handy tactic for giving your Dwarfs a little extra movement boost is to use the Steel Juggernaut's Tremor Stomp. This acts like the Shockwave spell to move models 3" away from the user. However, don't forget, it also works on friendly models, so if the Steel Juggernaut is sitting behind your troops, he can push them forward. Every inch counts when it comes to Dwarfs.
DWARF LEVY
With the likes of the Ranger, Shieldbreaker and Ironwatch, it's easy to overlook the humble Dwarf Levy. However, at only 8pts, the Levy is a great way to unlock the likes of the Steel Juggernaut or different Command Options, like the Ranger Captain and Sergeant.
What's more, it's a great support unit when armed with the Spear. Team a Levy up with some of your heavy hitters (like the Shieldbreaker or Ironguard) and it grants a bonus die even when not engaged. This keeps the Levy out of trouble but helps to take out those pesky enemies.
COMBINED FIRE
We've already talked about the fact the Dwarfs are quite slow. Another great solution for this is to take advantage of their superior shooting, thanks to the Combined Fire ability. With the Rangers and Ironwatch, you get extra dice when targeting the same target during a Group Shoot action. This is an ideal way to pepper targets with attacks. What's more, if they're out in the open, you'll be rolling four dice per model... not too shabby.
AREA CONTROL
We've already mentioned area control for the Dwarfs and units like the Flame Priest really help with that. The Breath ability on the Flame Thrower mean the Flame Priest can potentially clear out multiple enemies at once. If your opponent is lining up for a charge, has models blocking charge lanes or keeps units gathered around objectives - the Flame Priest can give them a quick blast of his Flame Thrower.
HEADSTRONG
Make sure you take advantage of the Headstrong ability. If a model with this ability is Fatigued, you roll a die when it's activated. If you roll a 6+ then the Fatigue counter is removed and the model can act as normal.
This really gives you an opportunity to push your models beyond their normal limits, without necessarily having to rely on left over Power at the end of a round to clear any Fatigue. This means you can spend your Power on more useful things, like special abilities or Group actions.