Against the Dwarfs: Anti-Dwarf Tactica for Empire 7th Edition
By Randy Atchley

“Dwarfs don’t have tactics, they have tricks”-Atchman in “Dumping the Dwarfs”

Dwarfs are a hard matchup for an Empire player. Their toughness, high leadership, and special abilities combine to make them a problem. In this tactica we are going to look at the Dwarf army, its strengths and weaknesses and try and figure out a way to defeat them.

Army List Overview:
There are only a few choices for core troops in a Dwarf army. In fact there are only three, the rest are upgrades. For the Dwarf players, even though their core is limited, they are all good choices, and with the upgrades they extend these core choices to near the quality of special choices,

The Core:
Clansmen-The basic Clansmen form the backbone of a Dwarf army. Their combinations of high toughness, armor save, and high weapon skills make them a tough foe. Even Empire Knights will bounce off of Clansmen unless augmented by a character or magic item.

Clansmen normally have heavy armor and shields for a 3+ armor save. Optionally they can be upgraded with Greatweapons to give them a heavy punch in combat.

Thunderers-Thunderers are Dwarfs with guns. A Dwarven handgun gives the Dwarfs +1 to hit at all times. This means the Empire Knights are vulnerable to their firepower. Optionally they can be upgraded with shields. Since they have light armor standard, they can shoot , or perhaps stand and shoot then receive the charge with a 4+ armor save; not too bad.

Quarrelers-Sometimes Dwarf Generals want the extra range of the crossbow. While it lacks the punch of the Thunderer, it is nonetheless an effective weapon to threaten enemy light units. Like the Thunderers, they can also be upgraded with shields to form a potent fighting unit.

Upgrades to Core:

Longbeards-You can upgrade a unit of Warriors to Longbeards, this not only makes them immune to panic, but helps the other units nearby as well. Their stats also increase as their WS goes to 5 and their Strength goes to 4. I suppose the downside is that the unit cost goes up by about a third but truly it creates an elite core unit.

Rangers-The Ranger upgrade gives a unit of Quarrelers the ability to scout. To be honest it is pretty expensive to upgrade a unit in this fashion. However, even when I play my Dwarfs it is nice sometimes to be able to deploy a unit after all the other units are placed. It can help to fill a hole or gap in terrain.

Summary of Core Dwarf troops:

Though the core selections are rather limited, they are all good. In fact you can make an excellent army of just Dwarf Core troops with a couple of war machines and a couple of good supporting characters. Too often Dwarf players focus on the elite troops and the shooting aspect of the game when in fact they have a great value in their Core Dwarf warriors. Four blocks of Dwarf Warriors with a Lord and a BSB is a tough nut to crack for any army. Even the Dwarf shooting units can be outfitted for combat. Dwarf Quarrellers, and Thunderers may be given shields, standards, champions, and musicians. They can reform into melee combat formations and can serve the role of line combat troops.

Special Troops:

Like the Empire Dwarfs have a good number of special troops and like the Empire you’d like to have them all in your army but you must chose. The special choices can be divided into troops and artillery. First we’ll look at the troops.

Elite Dwarf Infantry: an Overview

Never engage the elite infantry unless you have a plan or truly overwhelming force. Their weapon skill is so high even Empire heroes will struggle to hit them. On top of that they are tough Dwarfs with heavy armor (in most cases). This is also true of the Core Longbeards, which are basically specials that fall into the Core category. The addition of Runic Standards makes them almost impossible to beat in melee.

Ironbreakers- Ironbreakers were in higher favor in the last edition than they are in this edition. They are still an excellent troop with their high armor saves, excellent weapon skill and strength. Lacking Greatweapons though, they probably aren’t seen as much as the other choices. The thing to remember with Ironbreakers is that they are all but invulnerable from the front. Normally they will have at least a Rune of Battle (plus one CR), and perhaps other runes as well. Perhaps a Grandmaster with the Sword of Power and the Laurels could break them, but that is still pretty dicey. Their armor save isn’t as high from the flank and that is the best way to engage them.

Hammerers- Hammerers are stubborn, that is the first thing to remember. With the King in their unit they are also immune to fear and terror! The only way to beat them is to totally destroy them-not an easy thing to do. Hammerers are even more dangerous against your knights as they can either use their Greatweapons or their hand weapons and shields. Using their hand weapons and Shields the Hammerers have a three plus armor save. While you might kill a couple on the charge with your knights, it is doubtful you’ll even scratch them on turn two of the melee.

The normal solution to Hammerers is to simply try and reduce them to half points by shooting and magic. They are so costly per model even reduced to half they cost as much as most Empire units. Beware though that it is a normal Dwarven trick to give a hero that is accompanying the Hammerers the Rune of Challenge to force your unit to charge or flee. Just remember there is no real reason to engage them in combat unless it is to simply pin them in place.

Hammerers are so versatile they can fill many roles within the Dwarf army. Firstly, with a Dwarf King and a BSB nearby they are probably the hardest to break unit in all of Warhammer. Secondly, they are a valuable flank protector without having to go to the expense of a character with an Oathstone, even without a standard they are still almost perfect flank protection. Thirdly, they are often a trap unit as mentioned above. The Rune of Challenge is a trick used by a lot of successful Dwarf players.

Slayers- Slayers are much like the Empire’s Flagellants. They are a “tarpit” unit with a punch. Most of the time you’ll find them in small units as flank defenders. Though they are hard to kill they are often one of the “softies” in a Dwarf list meaning that you can beat them up with pretty much anything in an Empire army-you just have to figure that you are going to be stuck for awhile.

Artillery Special Choices:

Dwarfs have three special choices for artillery, the Cannon, the Bolt Thrower, and the Stone Thrower. Each has a different role to play. It really depends on what the Dwarf player wants to do with his army and what they consider their main threat.

Cannons-Empire players don’t need cannons explained to them. Dwarf cannons, for the most part, are identical save for only causing a D3 wounds on their standard model. Normally you’ll see the Rune of Forging on the cannon to protect it from misfires. That brings the cost of the cannon up higher than an Empire Great Cannon. Dwarf players have almost the same motivations as the Empire for taking cannons:

1. Chariots-one shot one kill.
2. Attacking multi-wound models such as Ogres or Giants. A combination of cannon shots and quarrelers or Thunderers can really send these guys hiding.
3. Sniping lone characters-Without skirmishers or fast characters, lone characters such as the Nike Lizard can dance around a Dwarf army. The Cannon keeps them hiding.
4. Bouncing shots through the ranks-Using the character as an aiming point it is often possible to kill five to six models with a good cannon bounce. Just remember the worst place for placing your characters in your infantry units is in a line where the cannon can hit the character and get a maximum bounce to kill your troops.

Bolt Throwers- These come and go in favorability with Dwarf players. There was a phase awhile back where every Dwarf army seemed to have a S7 Bolt Thrower and another with a Rune of Burning to get Flaming attacks. There are pro and cons for Bolt Throwers. What is important for the Empire player to remember when facing Bolt Throwers?

1. Hide you Steamtank! Nothing messes up your day worse than getting nailed on turn one by a couple of Bolt Throwers. While they aren’t the almost instant wounds of a cannon, a D3 wounds will still nerf a Steamtank. Armies with Steamtanks in them MUST have Great Cannons to counter the Dwarf artillery threat. I would rather hold my Steamtank back and do nothing with it than get it destroyed early in the game. If you have to expose it, make sure you flood the target zone with stuff to make the Dwarf player have to choose. I’ve even had to do the unthinkable-fire the cannon at a Bolt Thrower. The nice thing about normal bolt throwers is that they only wound 50% of the time.
2. Use archers as a screen for your main blocks-For a mere 40 points five archers will mess up a bolt thrower. I’ve even moved them right in front of the Bolt Throwers to force the Dwarfs to have to deal with them.
3. If you use knights (who doesn’t) try and keep your troops angled so as not to present a flank. It is sometimes easy to forget, but remember that a Bolt Thrower can shoot 48”.

Grudge Throwers- Grudge Throwers are mostly used for anti-personnel. Their template can devastate a unit of Knights or Infantry. A high strength and a D6 wounds can end a Steamtank’s day rather quickly. They aren’t as good at killing shallow targets such as knights.
Some Runes you may see on a Grudge Thrower:

1. Rune of Accuracy-This allows a re-roll of the scatter dice. The real effect is an increase in accuracy.
2. Rune of Penetration-By having a higher Strength it insures that most targets are wounded on a 2+.
3. Rune of Burning-While not really having an effect on the Empire, it is used as a cheap rune to allow duplication of runes.
Because of the minimum range, the Grudge Thrower is often protected by other missile units. Once you run under its minimum range you are safe so closing rapidly is the best way to kill it. The damage of a direct hit can be quite severe so move your infantry forward at least a few inches to keep from panicking off the table.

Summary of Dwarf Special Artillery:

There are few builds of Dwarfs that don’t have any artillery. Shooting is one of the strengths of the Dwarf army list. It is one of the few ways that Dwarfs can project power on the battlefield. The Empire has knights, flying characters, cannons, and other artillery. Dwarfs don’t have as many choices when it comes to handling troops that are at a distance.

The nice thing for the Empire is that their artillery is usually expensive. A Cannon or Grudge Thrower, or even Bolt Throwers with Engineer upgrades and runes can add up to a lot of points. It isn’t uncommon for a Dwarf list to spend 20% of their total points on artillery. Taking them out does two things for you. First, it keeps them from taking out your expensive models, and second it nets you victory points in a compact package. While not easy to attack by any means, they are easier to destroy than trying to deal with ranked units.

Rare Choices:

Dwarfs have three rare choices; the Flame Cannon, the Organ Gun, and the Gyrocopter. The last two are the most common and one or both are seen in most successful Dwarf armies.

The Organ Gun- While the other artillery is to be feared and respected, nothing says respect like an Organ gun. A good roll can devastate most Empire troops with a single volley leaving it ready to kill another one next turn. Here are some hints about dealing with an Organ Gun:

1. Swamp it with numbers. It can’t kill everything and even one Empire Knight can keep it occupied for the next turn.
2. Shoot it with a Great Cannon. Seems simple enough, but if you are following sound Empire doctrine a Cannon should shoot at things that threaten your rank and file troops first so an Organ Gun would be one of the first targets of priority.
3. Avoid it all together. If it is deployed poorly just avoid it. You may in fact want to hang back until it is destroyed by your own shooting or magic. It isn’t like the Dwarf player is going to force you to move.
4. Use detachments for screens. Sure it can take out one detachment per turn but better it is firing at them rather than something else.
5. Make it shoot at stuff and hope for a misfire. In other words threaten it as soon as possible and hope that it destroys itself. You really want it to shoot at stuff that costs less than it does.
6. Just remember it is 140 points! That is more than the unit of 5 Knights that can take it out and a high priority bundle of points to kill.

The Flame Cannon- Unless the other player is trying to tailor and anti-Empire list to defeat you, you will rarely see the Flame Cannon. To be honest Empire armies are using less and less infantry troops making it not as valuable as the Organ Gun. Most of the hints about the Organ Gun apply. However it is a little more erratic when it comes to range than most folks think. Understand that the flame template is 8” long. With a guess and a long roll of the artillery dice you could be making a panic test a lot sooner than you would expect in a battle. Since its range isn’t certain, it is more easily avoided than the Organ Gun or other artillery choices. Still it can be devastating against Empire infantry-based armies.

The Gyrocopter- The Gyrocopter are one of the most used items in the Dwarf list. They provide a nice set of skills and abilities that Dwarfs as a race lack. In my personal experience most Dwarf players don’t use them all that well. They get wrapped up with trying to use them as a mobile shooting unit instead of the real threat that they can become. Here are a couple of points for Empire players:

1. A Gyrocopter is a fairly expensive model. It is well worth trying to take out at 140 points and it can cost you many times that much in trouble. Try and plug it with a Great Cannon before it can move during the game. If you can’t hit it early, try and use your cavalry to interdict any hiding places so that you can draw LoS to it. A Helblaster makes an excellent Anti-Gyrocopter device.
2. Really “good” Dwarf players (yes there are a few I’m surprised to say) use it in a different fashion. They will hold it back and use it to escort fleeing units off the table, much like we use our Pegasus Captain. It can also charge into a melee and then use its 3D6” pursuit to run down your units.
3. When used as a mobile shooter, it does make a good marchblocking unit. Pistoliers and Outriders are a good choice to shoot it down due to their S4 attacks and 360 degree arc of fire.
4. You can almost always spot the folks that don’t know how to use it. They will zoom it off towards your lines and use it without any real thought. When you move 6” a turn it is REALLY tempting to zoom off away from your lines. The good players tend to hold it back and use it as part of their battle plan instead of moving just because they can.
5. Beware of Gyrocopter Assassins! Your mages are vulnerable to being picked off by the Gyrocopter. It will hit him on a three and wound him on a three so there is an excellent chance of losing your mage. Sure he will break and run, but his 3D6” flee move will normally let him get away.

Summary of Rare Choices:

Most Dwarf armies will have at least one rare choice. Normally if there is only one it is the Organ Gun. Rarely will a Dwarf General take duplicate rare choices in their army list, but it can be a powerful combination for them and a powerful threat to the Empire. Dual Organ guns will have to be avoided. You simply cannot move forward until at least one of them is put out of action. Dual Gyros can cause a lot of problems as well. They compound all of the problems mentioned above. Dual Gyros charging a mage, dual flame templates on your infantry, one gyro charging and the other one hosing down troops, it would be a nightmare for the Empire to handle.

All of the Dwarf rare choices must be respected. While not the widest selection of rare choices, never the less they are all useful.

On to Dwarf Characters