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For dwarfs, deployment can mean victory or defeat much more so than for any
other army. That is due to the slow movement stat and the defensive nature
of the army. Based on that I generally take a defensive list and make a
defensive stand. There are several types of deployment that lend themselves
to the defensive Dwarven nature.
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Pic A.
Here we have the ideal deployment scenario. This is an example of the classic Castle
style Dwarven defense. This is the epitome of a defensive deployment formation, a very stand
and wait while shooting way to play. If you can
lay terrain to acheive this, do so! It plays entirely to the strength of the
Dwarves while removing one of their key weaknesses (being easily outflanked).
The key thing to remember when setting up is to cover your flanks. Do this by
using other regiments, the board edge, hills, rocks, other terrain, Slayers, anything
else you can image that will protect you from being flanked.
The warmachine on the field is a bolt thrower, while those on the hill are a cannon and a
grudge thrower. The Thunderers set up in a single line nearest the center of the table.
I have done this formation with two regiments of great weapons armed Warriors, one regiment
of hand weapon/shield armed Warriors and Iron Breakers as well as two regiments of hand
weapon/shield Warriors, one regiment of great weapon Warriors, and a regiment of Hammerers.
Both of those regiment combinations has worked very well. I always set up the hard, elite
unit behind the Thunderers at the center of the table. The basic plan is wait till the
enemy comes to you. When the enemy gets close to the Quarrellers or Thunderers you can either
reform and prepare to do battle or prepare to flee to expose the tougher regiments behind
them. This is a very difficult strategy for most enemies to contend with as it removes
their ability to outflank you.
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Pic B.
This is a bowl deployment formation. This is one of two examples I'll give for deploying when
you have no terrain to help out. The war machines are intersperced with the regiments,
the Thunderers are in the center of the line, and the Quarrellers are on the left side.
With a deployment scenario like this: moving breaks up your battle line, and therefore breaks
your battle plan. It is imperative to stay put!
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Pic C.
In this deployment scenario, the warmachines on the hill are a cannon and a
grudge thrower. The bolt thrower is placed on the level ground amongst the troops.
The Thunderers and Quarrellers should start a bit back from the edge of the deployment zone. If you get first
turn, you'll have to wait till turn 2 to shoot the Thunderers, but no big deal.
The Quarrellers are on the right using the board edge to cover their flank, and the rest of the units
are arrayed around the hill in a defensive manner with the Thunderers in the center. If the enemy sets up
a large fast unit lined up with Thunderers, it is often wise to march a regiment behind them and turn to face the
enemy, so that when the Thunderers flee, they can take the charge and keep the warmachines on the hill from
being hit. Sometimes this plan pays off huge, but it has some key flaws. It basically splits your force into
3 sections. The warmachines on the hill, and the 2 fighting sections on the ground. As a general rule it isn't
wise to split your forces thus, but against the right opponent/enemy deployment it works wonders. Use your
judgement!
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Pic D.
Here's the second no-terrain option for defensive Dwarven deployment. You can see that despite there being no
terrain
to anchor the flanks to, the board edges have been successfully used. This is the most frequent deployment that I
use these days, and it has proven to be very effective. The wide regiment on the left is Slayers, and against the
other board edge is the Iron Breakers.
In between are 2 units of Warriors, 1 with HW/Sh, and one with GW. I put the GW toting Warriors next to the Breakers,
that way the amount of armor per regiment is staggered across the battle line. The warmachine off on the right
flank is a Bolt Thrower, it's job is to shoot and lure enemy warmachine killers off to the far flank. This is
another formation where moving out and breaking up the line could potentially wreck your day. That doesn't mean that
there is never a time to march out, it just means that you should bear that in mind before doing so! You can mix
up the list with whatever warmachines you prefer. My current list has a BT, a Cannon, and a Gyrocoptor.
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