disclaimer: this article was written 2 years ago, so I had in mind the 6th ed. rules. keep in mind some things might have changed, in the mean time.

Bretonia vs Skaven

Contents: prelude; 1.the skaven army in general; - 2.the army types; - 3.skaven Magic; - 4.bretonian tactica vs skaven.

Prelude: The skaven army is the most versatile army, in the WarHammer world, on my opinion.

A standard Skaven army con be made of units, belonging to various clans:  Eshin, Skryre, Moulder or Pestinlens. In this article, I will fist talk about the army in general, the clans and their units, and, at the end, how to beat the crap out of them with your Bretonian army.

1.The skaven army in general.

1.1.weaknesess: skaven tend to flee very easily, if not supported by Heroes (General and/or BSB); skaven weapons are, most of the time, not reliable, and tend to damage the skaven army itself, more than hitting the enemy; skaven, taken singularly, do not have high stats, so, when in small numbers, they are quite weak; no cavalry, so the maximum speed is 6” (12” for skirmishers).

            Of course, a good skaven general, will try to outcome these weaknesses, putting on the battle field a BSB, big rank and file units, and not more than necessary weapons, to take the least risks, as possible.

            The Skavens are nothing but small rats, that flee at the first sign of danger, no doubt about that. Keep in mind that if one unit flees, most of the time, the others will follow as a chain reaction, leaving nothing but a desert battlefield.

            For a Bret army, it is easy to use the “speed” against skaven: charging the rank and file units is quite easy.

            Use these weaknesses against the skaven: hit the general (so the rats won’t use its Ld value), kill the BSB (no re-rolls), flank attack (to take out the rank bonus, so kind to skaven generals), and bring the victory home.

1.2.strengths: skaven are many, lots and lots of rats from everywhere, so you’ll have to face big units (25-35 minis), most of the time, supported by skirmishers that flank attack (just think that with a rank bonus of +3, unit strength +1, a standard +1, war banner +1, without calculating casualties, the skaven have a +6 bonus in the combat resolution); the skaven armory, even though lacking in liability, is lethal (jezzails shoot at 36”, strength 6 shots, armor piercing, magical bullets).

            As told before, in a skaven army there are no elite troops, being singularly weak, but to overcome this inferiority, skaven are many.

            Use big units (15 knights/25-30 footmen should do it); take out the rank bonus (use banners, flank attacks); always use standards; lower the number with shots (archers and trebuchet should do the job).

            A skaven army might be frightening, at first sight, but be confident, skaven are not as dangerous as they seem.