WHFB - Total Realism High Elf 1000 points

[Gardelin]

Hello everyone. Just like my fellow sister I too have returned for a while to WHFB with my old High Elves, and I have assissted in some writing of the WHFB remake.

Anyway, here is my quite generic High elf army list which shows that you can easily play the remake without extensive converting of your models.


Elven Noble 65
Sword 0
Great weapon 2
Shield 1
Fullplate 12
80

(I use the 6th edition High elf metal hero with the axe, no converts except for a beard)

Elven Mage 80
Lv. 2 35
Medium armour 2
Handweapon 0
Sword 1
118

(Model converted from plastic archers, but any mage model would have done)

19 High Elf Soldiers 114
Spears 0
Shields 19
Heavy armour 76
Standard bearer 10
Hornblower 5
Veteran 10
234

20 High Elf Soldiers 120
Spears 0
Shields 20
Heavy armour 80
Standard bearer 10
Hornblower 5
Veteran 10
245

(Just standard spearmen models, with a few added bitz)


10 High Elf Militia 40
Swords 0
Longbows 20
Light armour 10
70

(Archer models with added spearmen swords for a bit extra close combat punch)

5 Elven Knights 65
Swords 0
Lances 10
Shields 5
Heavy armour 0+10 (upgraded to half-plate)
Elven horses 30
Heavy barding 20
Standard bearer 10
Hornblower 5
Veteran 10
165

(The common Silver helms models are used in this unit. Again, no major converts, just a few bitz)


Ballista 25
Arrow basket ammo 5
2 Elven soldiers 12 (Crew)
Swords 0
Medium armour 4
46

Ballista 25
Arrow basket ammo 5
2 Elven soldiers 12 (Crew)
Swords 0
Medium armour 4
46

(Two common Eagle's Claw models with no converts what so ever. The arrow basket upgrade represents how you can fire several small bolts instead of one large)



The list comes up to a total of 1004 points and has a fairly good balance of infantry, archery and magic. And it also shows how easily it is to try the WHFB remake without converting your models if you decide that you want to go Vanilla again.

Please do comment on the list. If someone gives me a nudge I could even post a few pictures of it too.

[cheminhaler]

So the shield for the Hero Elven Knight kind of clashes with the great weapon, but are you taking both just so you get the better save from missile fire, then use the great weapon in cc?

[Rolling Thunder]

Pretty much. This was common enough in a number of medieval units, including the Varangian Guard.

[Gardelin]

Actually, the shield on the hero is purley for the model's sake.

By the way, sorry for the slow reply. Our internet is gone.

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

Yay, lists! This is a little outdated though as we've changed the HE book (well, he has). Will get around to posting that soon.

Also Silver Helms have full plate.

[cheminhaler]

May 25, 2010 14:17:29 GMT -5 Rolling Thunder said:

Pretty much. This was common enough in a number of medieval units, including the Varangian Guard.

I thought Varangians had single-hander battleaxes. Where did you read this? Byzantine military equipment is hard to find information on.

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

They were mercenaries, mostly Germanic and Nordic I think. They most likely would've had one-handed axes, longaxes, swords, spears, round shields and throwing spears. They're mainly famous for their longaxes though.

[cheminhaler]

Silver Helms are totally the best cav in warhammer, I just wish I never traded my 3rd edition silver helms when I was a kid. Please design a time machine and send be back to the late '80s.

Varangians were mercenary bodyguards to the Byzantine Emperors, so I'm not sure they would have used standard viking equipment. The emperors gave them heavy armour and battleaxes as far as I know. They were mostly Viking or Rus.
Harald Hardraada was the most famous Varangian and in the years before 1066 he fled Constantinople to avoid a certain Byzantine princess who fancied the steel pants off of him.

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

Well, "Varangian" refers to any viking traveller, pirate or mercenary (including the Rus as they were a viking tribe) and literally means... What was it again... Something with "from the north" or similar, in Latin or Greek. No, I won't check Wiki just to seem clever. So there's a difference between Varangians and the Varangian Guard, who were like we all know bodyguards for the Byzantine (or as the vikings said, Greek) Emperor due to the normal Praetorian Syndrome.

[Gardelin]

Fun side note: The first grafitti ever to be found was carved in a cathedral floor in Byzantine by a Varangian and said in Nordic "Harald was here".

Sad face. Full plates might be good, but they are expensive. That makes it... 34 points a knight or something.

Also, I plan to convert one of the spearmen units to have pole axes instead, to get some extra punch against heavy armour. As soon as I get my hands on some lovley plastic glue...

[Rolling Thunder]

I'll bring you guys some. How much do you want?


1000 Points of Scaly death.


Scar-Veteran
Polearm, Medium Armour, Spawning of Quetzl. (87)

20 Saurus Warriors with spears, shields and medium armour. (250)

20 Saurus Warriors with spears, shields and medium armour (250)

10 Saurus Elites with polearms, medium armour and the sacred spawning of Quetzl (160)

4 Ogre Mercenaries with greatswords and heavy armour: (188)

12 Skinks with shields, Javelins and Scout (72)



History: The Varangian Guard were originally formed of a levy from the 'Rus' - Vikings of what would become Kiev. They later expanded to become a general, catch-all mercenary bodyguard unit. Being part of the Emperor's personal Guard (along with the Spathari Tou Vasilious, the Equites Scholarii and the Athanoai), they would have been stupidly well-equipped and armoured (probably better-armoured than most Knights of the period).

There most famous military weapon was the longaxe, so it is reasonable to assume that it was this weapon they used in their battlefield role as shock troops. Doubtless they would have brought backup weapons.

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

Fame doesn't guarantee anything really, history books and tapestries are written by the victor who wants to make his troops look scary, or the defeated who is scared nutsless. But it's reasonable to assume that they did use them, it's just hard to say to what extent.

[Gardelin]

I remember a painting from 1500-ish of the Battle of Thermopylae (I think) where the men wore fullplate armour and rode barbed warhorses.

One thing; wouldnt the Saurus Elites be better of being called Saurus Veterans?

Oh, and bring a lot of glue.