Spawning of Bob, Casket of the Cold Ones: Army Lists and Troop Types

There are a bewildering array of options to understand when selecting troops for your army of Lizardmen. Funny things happen when you just throw your troops onto the battle field without considering the need for specialized equipment, specific training and the best uses for each troop type.  Don't become the comic relief at your next Warhammer battle.

This is the third of Spawning of Bob's helpful guides to becoming a better Warhammer General.

Perhaps the most basic decision to be made is whether to take command groups with your units.

For some, the choice to field a champion happens almost by default.

A standard bearer is nice, but to maximise value for their points cost they should carry a magic standard which can confer special abilities for the whole unit.

A musician provides advantages for units wishing to swiftly reform, or to rally from flight.  A word of caution, however:  If the enemy unit also has a musician in close combat, you must consider your own performer's ability to neutralize or overpower his (or her - with Lizardmen who knows?) counterpart.

A single unit may be presented with options to upgrade weapons, abilities or equipment.  Consider your unit's (and your opponent's) strengths and weaknesses before choosing from these.  They are often very situational, and you may find your units in deep water if they are used outside their usual scope or environment.

Of course, many units bring special rules or abilities to the table.  A good general will prudently use troops suited to laying siege, or to the defense of an obstacle, to turn the tide of battle.

A single flying unit can give the crucial element of surprise.

Some units (indeed some whole armies) can reduce the howling winds of magic to a whisper.

A Lizardmen general should not need reminding that small expendable units of skinks (sometimes referred to as "chaff") can have an invaluable role in redirecting the enemy's more threatening or higher value units.

The last element to good army selection is a detailed knowledge of your enemy.  Direct purchase of your opponent's army book from GW is, lets face it, prohibitively expensive, but there are equally satisfactory and less costly ways to get the tactical information you need online.

Using a single example from the Orcs and Goblins (O&G) army book, you can see how particular units combined with a simple warmachine, have been used effectively the world over to root out enemies from behind obstacles.

The same basic unit of cave squigs, with an upgrade to give the "Ambushers" deployment special rule suddenly becomes a sinister threat to your army, and indeed the whole of Lizardmen society.

I hope that this advice will make you a superior general, and that your certain victories will gloriously pave the way to the fulfillment of the Old Ones' inscrutable purposes.

In case they don't, check this site soon for the next of Spawning of Bob's tutorials, "Increasing the Impact of your Razordon and Salamander Hunting Packs"  and its companion guide "First Aid for Skinks - Seconds Count"