Warhammer Dark Omen Forum

Greetings gentlemen,
Since the tournament rules say you have to use the 3 races, you all play the Empires sometimes.
When you're looking for some canon fodders, you find two units with a cost of 1 point :
- The Greatswords
- The Countess's Guards (Hallebarders, minus the typos :P )

They are the same :
- 16 dudes in the regiment
- 1 point of armor
- same price
- same stats

But I took a look to my Horned Rat book. It says that there is a difference from their weapons :
- Greatsword : +2 in strength, only for the charge
- Hallebard : +1 in strength

I dunno if these rules are the same for Dark-Omen, but it can help you to choose.
If you're agressive -> greatswords, if you like to sit with your canon and bowmen -> hallebarders.

 ;)

Not exactly the Greatswords (http://en.dark-omen.org/troops/empire/imperial-greatswords.html) have more Weaponskills than the Hellebadiers (http://en.dark-omen.org/troops/empire/countess-guard.html)

I'm looking into HU_ALLMP.AUD, they both have a weapon skill of 3 !

But I also see that there is really a "polearm/two handed weapon", so I think what I said earlier is true.

yes same weapon skill and all other skills only difference is weapon "Two-handed" or "Polearm"

I would reckon that two-handed is better vs infantry and polearm better vs cavalry

Ideally the "PoleArm" would cause more damage against Cavalry

but I don't think the Rome Total War Style (Paper, Sticks, Stones) applies to Dark Omen.


Although, of course I hope further tests could prove that it does.


:)

That is true Super Olly hehe

but as for medieval games traditionally Spears/halbardiers are better vs stronger better armored units because of their piercing damage and slashing damage is better vs weaker armored units.

Personally i feel better having halbardiers than i do greatswords

Historically, greatswords were very good for a very specific situations. If you charge an enemy relying on shields for protection, especially if you have the advantage of height, then greatswords (read Claymores, the clansmen were basically the only troops using this tactics) were great for disabling said shields. Also, they have a great fear factor against undisciplined units.

Halberds, glaives, beqs, spetums, all those things excel against cavalry in mixed melee because of their affordance to tear the riders to the ground, in tight ranks they were of less use because they require space to be used. True polearms (long spears, pikes), though, are of excellent use in formations against cavalry, and actually is a rock-against-scissors IF the unit can face the horses front-on (and is disciplined enough to stand firm against a charge).

Ive always been surprised that the Empire never had swordsmen/short-swordsmen such as used by the Romans and by later used as regulars through medieval Europe.

I remember a Roman-Germanic battle where the legions slaughtered the Germanic tribes because they used large weapons against the tightly packed legionaries.

*Fixed, Thank you

You forgot the leader, he's exactly the same as his soldiers ;)

Aye, short swords are seriously underestimated. Then again, medieval battles were between a few extremely well-trained and individualistic warriors and hordes of conscripted rabble, so the contingencies were a bit different.

With the Roman-Germanic battle, are you referring to the loss at Teutoburg Forest 9 AD? The barbarians ambushed the Romans, AND were led by a commander trained in Roman tactics. Rome never lost a battle against barbarians unless taken by surprise.

No its not that battle its much earlier in roman history, possible. It prolly was against the celts or etrustcans.

Any way, the romans were able to fight the barbarians in close-combat, so close that the large weapons used by the enemy could not be yielded and the romans slaughtered the barbarians.

Theutoburg battle is an examble of how to defeat a tightly packed enemy

This is an old post I know, sorry about that, but I want to add this:

Not sure if the rules of Warhammer are incorporated fully in Dark Omen, but if they are then the difference between
the Countess Guard and the Greatswords is this:
The polearm (halberd) that the Guard uses gives them +1 ST in combat.
The Two handed weapon gives the Greatswords +2 ST always, but lowers IN to 0, exept when they charge.

They both have their uses, but I like the Greatswords better :)

/Mr Shadow