By Bart Egnal
Recently I have become interested in Daemons, and have begun a Slaneesh/Tzeentch Daemon army. I chose those two gods because I enjoy using Magic and I consider Khorne too cheap. No one uses Nurgle! In any case, I thought I'd share with you a tactical analysis of the Daemonic hordes. I'm going to avoid writing the Longsword-style article which looks at each troop type; instead I'll look at overall tactics and strategies for each Daemonic power. Enjoy!
Daemon Strengths
The Daemon army is blessed with some of the most lethal hand to hand troops in the Warhammer game. The Bloodthirster is commonly acknowledged as THE most powerful model, and Daemons like the Lord of Change and Great Unclean One are generally heads above other races generals. All Daemons hit very hard, and some (such as the Daemonettes on steeds) can have as many attacks as a standard general!
Many Daemons are gifted with high mobility (Steeds of Slaneesh, Discs of Tzeentch, Flamers...). Daemon Princes can fly, and a Daemon army may recruit harpies. All this means that a Daemon warlord should usually be able to dictate where, when and what they fight. High mobility also makes it easy to put pressure on flanks and prevent march moves. Like an elf player the Daemon warlord must be careful when selecting his targets, applying local superiority to win combats.
Daemons have incredibly good leadership. Almost all Daemons have Ld 10, which means they are tough to crack in hand to hand fighting. Daemons also cause fear which is problematic for races like Goblins and Skaven. All this means that a Daemon force can be counted upon to do what you ask of it when you ask.
Daemons can have standard bearers from the rank and file section. This may not seem too special, but believe me it is. This vulnerable character does not become nearly the liability when you don't have to surrender victory points for his death.
Daemonic magic is quite good. The Tzeentch and Slaneesh spell decks are
multi-faceted and in my opinion better than battle magic. The Daemon army can combine
their wizard and general, allowing you to save him with the escape card. The Tzeentch and
Nurgle decks allow you to raise new Daemons. Also, individual Daemon units are treated as
spellcasters--while I'd always prefer a Greater Daemon spell caster this is a useful
bonus.
Daemon Weaknesses
GAG! Daemons cost sooooo many points. A single pink horror or Daemonette of Slaneesh costs almost as much as a fully armoured Empire knight! Your general, without rewards, costs more than an Undead Necromancer Lord! Champions are equally expensive. This means you won't have too many Daemons to work with...
HISS!! Daemons die sooooo easily! Sorry, but a 4+ save just doesn't cut it--you must do better than T3 if you want to protect your investment. Pink Horrors are a joke--even Goblins are easier to kill! All this means that you'd better attack on your terms and fight battles only you can win. Only Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes have any durability whatsoever, and they will be a HUGE target for all enemy attention. To this end you must protect your fragile Daemons before they get into battle. More on this later.
HACK! Daemons (with the exception of Flamers) have no missile fire. This
means that you don't have the option of hanging back--you must join battle quickly.
Overall strategic concepts
Protect your investment!Most daemons are incredibly expensive and not well protected at all. Rather, their strength lies in their high leadership and attacking prowess. Consider that a 35 point pink horror dies just as easily as an armoured goblin (4 pts) when faced with missile fire. To this end you must use screening units to protect them. Some of the best screening units are Chaos Spawn. The Spawn can be moved forward (average move 7) just slightly slower than the Daemon unit, absorbing all the fire. When you reach the enemy these tough-to-kill creatures peel off and attack, allowing your daemons to charge the next turn. Chaos trolls, by virtue of their regeneration and high movement, make excellent screens as well.
Deal with those War Machines!War engines must be dealt with quickly. The optimal way to do so is with units of 6-10 harpies which fly high on the first turn, then swoop down to destroy or occupy the crew. Their high T and 2 wounds makes them hard to crack. A daemon prince is also an extremely effective hunter-killer, but it takes three turns to kill a machine--one to fly high, two to attack and three to finish your buisiness and turn around. That doesn't leave much time for dealing death, which is the main responsability of these beasts. Harpies are your cheapest and most effective option.
Focal points Unlike Orcs, Skaven or even humans, the Daemon army just doesn't have the volume of troops to wage a multi-front war. As a result, a daemon army must at all cost avoid getting stuck into a protracted combat where the enemy's superior weight of numbers can be brought to bear. Once you're in combat a 7 point Orc is tougher to kill than a 35 point Daemonette. As a result you must isolate the enemy and win your battles using local superiority. For example--Daemonette cavalry is incredible hard hitting, but nearly defenseless when charged. The best use for it is to race up a flank and hit the side of a unit while you hit in the front with your daemon block (4 ranks). Keeping them on the flank protects the daemonettes from your opponents huge blocks of infantry (assuming he has them). Use chaos spawn (unbreakable) to tie up the entire other flank while your daemons win a localized victory. Then roll down the flank and catch the still-fighting enemy between a hammer and anvil...
OK---I'm going pretty fast but you get the point: the daemon army must pick it's spots to win. Don't charge unless you can win in just one or two turns. Kill leaders with the crown of command and such quickly....Keep mobile!
CoMiNg SoOn....StRaTeGiEs FoR DiFeReNt DaEmOnIc PoWeRs....