New player's list attempt

I have been disappointed with the Fennblades unit every time I have put the them on the table. That is certainly partially because of user error, but I feel like at best they will trade even at their point cost. I never feel like I can get more than point for point value from them.

So with that filter in mind... I would drop the 14pts for the Fennblades unit, and drop 11 for the Impaler. With that 25 I would add a Bomber for 19 and switch the Chronicler for a unit of whelps. That would leave you with 6pts left, so I would drop the stone to a min unit and grab another bouncer (or pyre if you preferred to make it different).

So my list would be:
Ragnor
Bomber
Mauler
Axer
Bouncer
Bouncer
Min Stone & UA
Fell Caller
Whelps

Also... you could run this unit in the Power of Dhunia theme without the Fell Caller and pickup a few free points.

Thanks for the advice! I've already got some fennblades with the UA so I'll play with them a little and practice my painting with them and the starter set as I go about acquiring more warbeasts. I hadn't really heard of theme forces but that sounds interesting and I'm going to research it all more. Also after checking out the cards for Madrak2 and Grissel1 I may pick up Grissel1 as well just to have some more variability.

You have a great list for starting out there. It has a little bit of everything and it will serve you well against similar lists. Now you just have to decide what you (and the guys you play the game against) want out of the game.

Some ppl want to play what ever models look cool and have cool rules on them. As long as you do not fuss to much over who wins, this is fine. When i started out with mercs a long time ago, this is what i did. I played the same list (Magnus 1 with jacks and stealheads) for 6 months straight in to every type of list. Some of my opponents were hyper competitive (though we all were new) and some were more like me. After 6 months i tried other casters and discovered that Magnus 1 was probably the worst caster in the game, and suddenly i started winning a lot. I had learned the basics of the game very well though and once i started building my list more competitively i wanted to keep being competitive.

Some ppl want to play the models they have for financial or time related issues. You have a functional list, and you do not "need" another one. Again though, do not expect to win more than half your game, and especially not against competitively minded ppl.

Some ppl want to be competitive right off the bat, and they are not attached too much to their models. If you are not sentimental and have the cash, you can build a competitive list that doesnt use those models very much. They may appear in other lists, but probably not with Ragnor.


So, what do YOU want out of the game?

I adore the Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew and use them constantly. Almost any time I'm not playing a theme force, they make the cut to get into my lists. That would also leave you two more points for a Feralgeist (annoying, hard to kill, squats on objectives for you) or a Swamp Gobber Chef (who can feed Fennblades to your warbeasts to help manage fury).

Whelps are also never a bad idea, and cost four points. A second shaman is good, too, although as the Chronicler is probably already giving the Fennblades concealment, I'd use the clouds to cover your warbeasts, warlock, or other support pieces (lookin' at you, Fell Caller).

All told, I think you have a solid list here! The Fennblades aren't going to kill a whole lot unless your opponent brings a bunch of infantry, but people are light on anti-infantry tech these days because they're uncommon on the scene, and so they may last longer than you think. Plus, that is 12(!) medium-based models to flood a zone; your opponent almost HAS to commit heavily to getting rid of them. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by them. I usually am- but the trick is to have low expectations and be happy when they overperform, rather than the other way around. =)

Good luck and welcome to the Kriels!