By Dario "The Scaly Dux" Genova.
FOREWORD
I'd like to thank the following Direwolf list member for their help with this work: Lord Tuman Elnikov aka Tony Scott, Graf Deimos, Eric Fries, WEBSTERR, Geoffrey Gribling, Ken Hargreaves, Beau Ivan Gaerlan, Peter Bowman, Shadow, Vincent Coffey and Max Bloom.
This Tactica is still bound to improvement from time to time: your comments and ideas are always welcome. I feel my work will do some good to newbie players and may give some good ideas also to more experienced generals.For your suggestions, corrections, ideas, mail to genova@keplero.mynet.it
LIZARDMEN IN GENERAL
I consider Lizardmen to be the opposite of elven armies in many respects, borrowing elements of both dwarven and undead armies. Lizardmen have low WS, BS and initiative, extremely powerful characters and cheap troops, much like undead. They also have warriors with high strength and toughness, as such, they are resistant, disciplined and as strong as dwarves. Although not unbreakable, they will almost always stand their ground. Troop variety, however, is one of their weak spots. They tend to be very predictable, as in a 3000 point army I usually include almost all of the regiment types. Lizardmen characters are especially nasty because magic users will be able to carry more magic items than their counterparts.
UNITS
Saurus and Temple Guards
Saurus usually make up my central unit (12 - 16 models) and are always armed with spears (Saurus phalanx). Since they are likely to strike last in h2h I want to fight back with as many models that I can. WS of 3 is not excellent but gives them a 50% chance to score one hit against opponents of WS up to 6. Add to this to the fact that, unlike many of the basic troops, they have 2 attacks, and you will learn that every first line Saurus has 75% probability of scoring at least one S 4 hit even against elite troops such as HE Sword Masters. Leadership of 8 makes them above average troops at standing ground, and their "cold blood" is a long step towards being unbreakable. Their skin gives them a 5+ armor save that can be increased even further with a shield and even light armor for temple guards. But that's not all; your armor save can't become worse than 6+, so Saurus will always enjoy a chance to escape death from wounds that won't negate armor save. I think this is particularly nasty. Temple guards are boosted Saurus but I usually spare them for bigger games. They will usually substitute my central Saurus unit. The biggest difference is that they can carry magic standards, which is a rare sight for Lizardmen. I recommend giving them one if you field them.
Skinks
Skinks should be swarming everywhere! Skinks are especially good at tying up characters and make excellent skirmishing screens, enjoying better movement and benefits against enemy fire. WS and BS are low, but numbers will make up for that. Moreover you can't expect more than this for just 4.5 points, think of all the special rules. Despite their leadership of 6, their cold blood will help a lot. They enjoy an unmodifiable 6+ armor save too. They carry poisoned shooting weapons which increases their S to 4; even with their mediocre BS they have a good chance of getting rid of some of your opponents when you defend your positions. Needless to say, not many troops carry this kind of firepower at such low cost. Moreover, Skinks suffer no penalty for moving inside water. They can even cross impassable terrain such as lakes. Even though I never tried this myself, you may have a unit of shooters well defended inside a lake (nuclear submarines come to mind!). Field SEVERAL SMALL (5 models, minimum size) skirmishing screens equipped with poisoned weapons to absorb charges (especially from chariots and heavy cavalry) and cause some wounds. I found that having two or three such low cost screens greatly helps.
Kroxigors
But best of all, Skinks can be used together with Kroxigors. Kroxigors deliver needed punch (oh, what a punch! I consider them to be even better than Minotaurs) and increase leadership. Skinks will grant you rank bonus and standard. Many argue that killing Skinks is an easy task and thus you will lose your rank bonus soon. I would remind you that Skinks, although fragile, always enjoy 6+ unmodifiable armor save, and that kroxigor are an inviting target, so your opponents may waste part of his precious attacks. One unit of 2 kroxigors and 16 Skinks including standards grants full +3 rank bonus, standard bonus, 6 S 7 attacks and 6 S 3, movement of 6 means that they will get to charge most foot troops and go first. And best of all, they cause FEAR! Fear causing units sometimes earn you points without even suffering a wound. One such unit costs less than 200 points and won't therefore earn your opponent more than 1 victory point. I would always field 2 such units and a Skink screen. Cold blood and unmodifiable 6+ armor save apply to kroxigors too. Lizardmen will surely fight to the death! On the other hand, 3 or more kroxigors alone will have too large a front and some may not fight, a real waste. Having mixed units allows you to field just less then 6 six kroxigors in different units.
Salamanders
Salamanders are too often underrated. Although I only bring them in 3000+ points battles, they can be effective. Conventionally, I take their spit template covers 4 footmen or 2 knights. Taking 2 Salamanders on the battlefield means you will have a 55% chance to score at least one hit every turn at long distance and 75% at normal distance. Remember their spit allows no save. They are well worth their points especially against chaos because of their ability to take out several of their costly models from a distance. Of course a RBT will do a better job, but this is all lizards can get. Remember that Salamanders CAN fight h2h, and won't stop shooting if the Skinks are killed (I dare say VP should be given only if the Salamander itself is killed; on the other hand, if the Salamanders is killed but Skinks are still there VP should be assigned. Anyway straighten this out with your friends, it does not really matter). Salamanders will become affected by stupidity but they still benefit from cold blood. They are not normal war machines, remember, and therefore be ready to make some adjustment to their special status. They won't suffer from Tempest. They can move (M6) and fight. You may even consider charging with them. Remember they do not suffer from penalties from moving inside water and that they will be considered hiding behind light protection.
Stegadons
Stegadons are living chariots. Apart from Temple Guards they are the only other unit that can carry magic standards; therefore I encourage using them. Excellent choices are banner of might, which will make up for the poor WS of Skinks and Stegadon. It is a pity to waste 5 S 7 attacks. The war banner will boost combat resolution. Banner of courage will counteract the Leadership of 6. Jaguar standard will allow them to charge from a long distance. After taking one of the above banners, you should add Skink crew. This is very important because if you lose all skinks the stegadon is virtually useless. I never used giant bows although they may have some use within a defensive strategy, while your Stegadon waits for charging the enemy on the flank. If you are playing offensively, forget it. Your Stegadon must rush the enemy. Stegadons are fear causing. Use them to charge low leadership units or units that are close to the table's edge. I always put them on the sides of my army for flanking purposes. Be aware that template attacks such has dragon breath will be detrimental to stegadons as they have an excellent chance to eliminate the whole skink crew.
Cold Ones
A high leadership character for obvious reasons should always lead cold ones, namely champion with the Crown of Command. Of course they are a very cheap knights unit, but I would not risk taking too large a unit of them. I'd go for the minimum (5 models) unit and use it for flanking purposes. Since they are not really heavy cavalry (3+ armor save) and can't take lances, I would not think of them as shock troops. Again, since they are fear causing they may be OK against low leadership units or weak h2h units. I never used them even because right now models haven't been released yet. I doubt I would bring them in the small games I usually play. I hate to say this, but probably this is the unit I will be least likely to field.
Terradons
Terradons are good flying units that can serve several purposes. Each model grants 3 S 4 attacks (always take spears and possibly shields) and the stone attack. Obvious employment for Terradons is taking out war machines (but remember that as a high magic user you can use Tempest for that). I also use them to route small units. Bringing 4 Terradon models allows you to cause 4 automatic S 6 hit for just one victory point. 4 automatic hits and 12 attacks give you a fairly good chance of breaking small units because of losses. Don't forget there are 2 Skinks on each Terradons, making them harder to kill. It is usually not advisable to use Terradons for attacking flying monsters, but occasionally a large enough pack of Terradons may take out a small one.
One last word on units
Lizardmen give you the chance to field reasonably large units that won't gain your opponent more than 1 VP each. A battery of Salamanders costs 180 points. 4 Terradons with spears, shields and poisoned arrows cost 184 points. 2 Kroxigors and 16 Skinks cost 166.5 points. Only notable exceptions to this are Stegadons and large Saurus units. I believe Lizardmen are extremely cost effective as many of their most flexible troops don't give up more than one victory point.
RACE SPECIFIC MAGIC ITEMS
Before going on to the characters' section I believe we should take a closer look at Lizardmen magic equipment and its possible effects.
Blade of Cocacila
The best anti-magic item one could buy, I prefer to give it to my general. Slann Mages have impressive stat lines: this means that they can kill almost every other character in the game in a bare hand fight. The only notable exceptions to this are greater daemons. The blade won't help against chaos rewards and greater daemons have vastly superior stat lines. Monsters won't be affected. Beware! Combine it with Talisman of Ravensdark for extreme protection.
Rating: 8/10
Dagger of Sotek
Well, this item is very specific and it will be worth its points only against Skaven. If you are facing Skaven, you may want to give it to a Skink champion. Your Skinks will enjoy a good chance of routing a pack of Skaven if they are in skirmishing formation.
Rating: 2/10
Bird of Chotec
I never used this one nor I have ever heard of someone using it. It has a chance of killing characters outright, which could be good, but I'd rather not rely on it. You could use it to get rid of that pack of harpies or great eagles or warhawk riders. May come handy in truly big games.
Rating: 5/10
Cloak of Feathers
Excellent against frenzied units! Imagine a bunch of witches elves wasted in the vain attempt of chasing a single Skink hero, possibly armed with Blade of Ensorcelled Iron so that he enjoys an excellent chance of killing some of them!
Saurus heroes will be even more effective but much more costly. Saurus heroes with Blade of Darting Steel or Hydra Sword and this cloak enjoy a very good chance of taking out even army generals. The points cost will be high, but the result may be worth it!
Rating: 6/10
Bane Head
Hmmm useful against an army that has several characters. Remember that a Slann mage priest can only carry it. Don't give it to your general!
Rating: 5/10
Plaque of Dominion
This is easily the most dreaded Lizardmen item. What can I say? You can win without it. I took it in my initial battles (and sometimes forgot to use it), but it absolutely isn't a "must take" item. It is a bound spell, therefore smart opponents will remember it can be dispelled and will try to do so before they charge, when it really makes the difference. It can be useful but it is not the key to victory.
Rating: 6/10
Amulet of Xapati
This item is a real bargain! Give it to your general, which will be one of the most obvious targets for spells, but don't risk using it against curse of the years or other spells that may kill him outright. I prefer to use dispel magic scrolls against such spells. Else, take the risk! It will also end magic phase.
Rating: 8/10
Jaguar Standard
Jaguar Standard can help you in several ways: rush towards the enemy when playing offensively, or having your Stegadon suddenly charge your enemy that is about to engage. Some say it can be a good battle standard. Have your general to join any unit (Such as Temple Guards? Especially if they carry banner of might or banner of defiance) and then charge unexpectedly your opponent's core unit.
Rating: 6/10
CHARACTERS
Slann Mage Priests. 1st Level
1st level Slann Mages should be used in 2000-point game and above to back up your general. His stat line isn't good enough in my opinion to justify his use as your army general. He should be equipped with book of Ashur to increase his magic skills by 1 level, so that he gains one more spell. This is particularly important because of slann telepathy: you will have the chance to cast your most useful spells with your highest level mage (i.e. your general) which will be equipped with several items to boost his casting. So, I usually give most useful/costly spells to the general, while his slann attendant takes the most economic ones. Those spells will be used to make your opponent waste his dispels, clearing the way for the really powerful ones. Moreover the back up slann is useful as he could cast Apotheosis on your general if something goes wrong! Fielding two Slanns has always a good psychological impact on your opponent; Slanns are usually fearsome characters. They may confuse your opponent, as he would probably have 2 primary targets on the battlefield to attack. Equip a 1st level Slann with Blade of Ensorcelled Iron or with a Dispel Magic Scroll to fill your 2nd magic slot. Scrolls always help dominating the magic phase as your opponent wastes his WOM while you can save them for the next turn.
2nd Level
These should be your generals for games below 2000 points. Their stat lines become acceptable and he will be able to carry 3 magic items just as all normal generals do. Always make your general your standard bearer. Give him Banner of Sorcery to improve his casting. I have heard people say that you should make your slann either fighters or mages. In my opinion it does not take much to make a slann a real fighter therefore concentrate on magic. Since slann already enjoy a 4+ special save, you have no need for wards in my opinion. Mages aren't allowed armor, lest they loose their casting abilities, so you don't take it. You wouldn't waste some of the best wizards around that way, would you? The only thing you need to make your slann a good fighter is a good magic weapon. My favorites are Blade of Darting Steel and Hydra or Dragon sword. Slann Mages have a decent number of attacks and Strength 6. What you really want to do is to hit with them! With such swords and their natural 4+ save, lots of wounds and decent T they already make good fighters.
What you really need now is to have his high magic spells hit their targets. The Book of Ashur is the way to go to increase his magic level to 3rd. The Potion of Knowledge is also a must in my opinion. With high discipline and cold blood rule, stupidity isn't really a problem for Slann Mages. The above mentioned Banner of Sorcery is another step towards successful casting. No matter the level, my general will ALWAYS take Banner of Sorcery. With the additional magic items slots Lizardmen are born to dominate the magic phase. Don't waste this chance.
3rd and 4th Level
Ok, these are adept h2h fighters and should really take a magic weapon: they must see h2h to be exploited to the fullest. Having 6 and 8 attacks each, Blade of Darting Steel, Hydra or Dragon swords are a must. Blade of Cocacila is an interesting alternative because it will force enemy characters to rely only on their stats, which have to be really impressive to stand a chance against a slann. You should always field an additional slann to back these characters up with a more varied spell choice. Remember that apart from the magic weapon all the remaining equipment should be aimed at granting you magical superiority: Skull Staff, Potion of Knowledge, Chalice of Sorcery leading the way. Don't take Book of Secrets as you really don't want to see your wonderful stats line depleted. I usually don't use the Rod of Power: my armies normally include enough wizards so that I don't need it. Indeed you should remember that Slann Mages aren't your only magic users: you also have Skink shamans.
Skink Shamans
I love Ôem. Skink shamans are the cheapest magic slots around. I usually use them as interdiction characters. There are several interesting set-ups for them. One is Black Gem of Gnar and Cloak of Mists and Shadows. Here you have an extremely mobile, low cost character to lock opponent's strongest characters.
Since Lizardmen can't access Pegasus and other such monster this is a good way to deliver your black gem. Being the Cloak of Mists and Shadows wizard's arcana the Skink shaman is your only choice. Otherwise you could use a Skink champion on Terradon since a single model may form a Terradon unit. If you are going to bring lots of Skink shamans (as I do) consider giving each a Dispel Magic Scroll and objects such has Black Gem of Gnar, Heart of Woe or Van Horstmann's Speculum (this is probably the best character you can give the Speculum to: unlike heroes he has a S of 3, which means that if you challenge a Bloodthirster he won't be able to wound you!). This means my Skinks are disposable. After using their dispel scrolls they will be sent against enemy characters to either block or wound them. Those Skinks are especially useful to achieve magical superiority: they increase the number of Winds of Magic cards you can keep after the magic phase has ended and will offer you the opportunity of hampering your opponent's casting ability. Their battle magic spells will have to be played carefully: there is a precise strategy in spell casting. You will try to cast less useful spells first with both your Slann and Skinks to have your opponent's use up his dispels. Then you will cast what you really need. If you need to cast a Skink's spell you should cast it last; because, being only level 1 your opponents will always have an advantage at dispelling them. Some say that putting a Skink shaman in a Stegadon's howdah is an excellent way to protect him and increase the unit's Leadership. I consider it a bit risky because your opponent may issue a challenge, kill your shaman and force your low leadership Stegadon to a possibly disastrous break test. One of my favorite characters' lists for an army is 2 Slann Mages and 2 Skinks. Magical supremacy is almost assured and Slann Mages will do the fighting.
Champions and Heroes
Well, what can I say? I'm a magic lover and I usually spend all my points in magic users. Saurus Heroes have excellent stat lines and make truly lethal fighters with armor of protection and a decent magic sword, really hard to kill.
They may make an excellent choice to guide your core unit of Saurus warriors/temple guards. Skink champions may come in handy to guide a unit of cold one riders that have to test for stupidity, but he may nonetheless need Crown of Command costing you nearly 100 points (champion + equipment + Cold One + Crown of Command) boosting greatly the cost of the unit. Other widely used setup is champion + Terradons + Black Gem. You may want to have a Skink champion armed with Dagger of Sotek when facing Skaven. If I were to field any hero anyway, I'd take Cloak of Feathers: this is probably the best item an hero could hope for. The cloak makes your hero the best harasser unit in the game probably. I may soon try to give up one of my beloved Skink shamans for a Skink hero with the Cloak and Blade of Ensorcelled Iron. This setup would cost a little less than my usual shaman setup and may prove equally effective.
SPECIAL CHARACTERS
I have always thought that custom characters are usually superior to special characters because they are less predictable and will fit better within your strategy. But if you like to play with special characters here is my opinion about each of them.
Lord Kroak
This is an excellent h2h fighter, truly fearsome. Since he can't cast his spells (but remember you can access them through telepathy), he has been equipped with excellent h2h items. Magic weapons can't be used against him, and opponents will hit him on 6 only. Add to this that his stat line is that of a level 4 SMP and you have a real killer. Use him against greater daemons and fear not. He even enjoys a 3+ save instead of the usual 4+ and costs less than a real level 4 slann. Subtracting from lord kroak's cost his magic items his cost will be 100 points cheaper than an usual level 4 slann and still enjoy a better special save. Couple him with another level 4 slann in bigger battles for spell casting and there you go. One last thing: even if one of his magic items is a standard, he is NOT your BSB. Remember!
Rating: 8/10
Lotl-Botl
This guy would be an excellent choice for boosting your core Saurus unit at a low cost. Even if he does not carry any magic objects he grants you 2 notable effects: causes fear and grants +1 bonus to combat resolution. This is a real bargain: normally a Saurus hero will cost 82 points and adding shield and light armor that becomes 85. For additional 15 points you will get the benefits of War Banner (25 points) and Shrieking Blade (35 points). A real bargain if you are into heroes. And an excellent boost for your unit too. And making your Saurus unit fear causing is another step towards a whole fear causing army. Fear sometimes wins battles.
Rating: 7/10
Kroq
Kroq makes a good choice for fighting challenges as he is a real die-hard guy and delivers quite a punch. You have a good chance of winning and inflicting several wounds to your opponent. He will likely bite the head off of an incautious elven general!
Rating: 7/10
Oxayotl
Oxayotl may be a good choice for taking out enemy war machines or at least for distracting their crews from firing, because of his infiltration abilities. I'd prefer not to have him engaged in h2h though. You may try to use him to prevent units from marching, but you can't deploy him closer than 8' from the enemy therefore this can be done only if you are to go first. Well, chameleon Skinks would have made a really interesting addition to lizard armies as ordinary rank and file troops. Oxayotl looks more like a nuisance than a real threat.
Rating: 5/10
Inxi-Huinzi
If you want to field cold ones, field Inxi-Huinzi too! Having a Skink champ with Crown of Command to get rid of stupidity tests would cost about the same (and you would still be running some risks). Inxi-Huinzi's mount is a little better than an ordinary cold one. Consider also that Inxi-Huinzi's stat line is obviously better than that of a champion, being a hero. His darts are good, remember to use them when charging! I believe they are best used against rank and file to soften their lines. Even when guided by Inxi-Huinzi Cold Ones should remain a flanking unit, not first line.
Rating: 7/10
Itzi-Bitzi
Itzi-Bitzi is just too good against low leadership units! You may have several enemy units panic at once! Rolling 3d6 gives you a good chance of routing troops, but I would not hope to win against a daemon army because of it. Worth a try against die-hard but undisciplined beastmen, orcs and goblins, humans, skaven.
Rating: 6/10
Tinihuini
Hmmm even though the 4+ save comes almost for free I don't like Tinihuini. He may become worth fielding against Skaven, but only if you field serpent swarms.
Generally I prefer all-around characters that can come in handy at all times. Dagger of Sotek is wasted in the hands of a shaman because of his low WS, 1 W and 1 A.
Rating: 2/10
Lord Mazdamundi
Mazdamundi is a widely debated character because of his spell choice. His stat line is even better than that of an ordinary slann and has an increased chance of avoiding wounds thanks to the Stegadon, making him a brutal h2h fighter. His choice of items is nothing special: his magic weapon has little chance of breaking anything and Mazdamundi will have to rely only on his fighting abilities. Fortunately, riding a Stegadon he has a fairly decent chance of charging the opponent, gaining impact hits too. He also causes fear, again a good choice for breaking a low leadership army. Imagine having 2 Stegadons, Mazdamundi, Itzi-bitzi, Lotl Botl and 2 Kroxigor-Skink units. Add a couple of units at your discretion. This is a possible 2500-point army that can break several units without even actually entering h2h. Speaking about magic, the only truly deadly spell Mazdamundi has is Earth's Power Lines, excellent for taking out Rank and File. Remember his spells have no range limit, so he can target anything on the table. Mazdamundi definitely has to rely on telepathy to gain some truly useful spells. When he gets new spells his casting possibilities are rather good, being level 4 and having some passable cast-aiding items. Anyway, I suggest you always bring a back up Slann when fielding Mazdamundi. He is not a favorite choice for magic lovers like me, but he truly is a powerful fighter.
Rating: 5/10
MONSTERS
Hmmm, other than lizards and serpent swarms there is little worth taking. If only Slann Mages could be mounted on fliers! Well, swarms come for half the price and are fairly resistant but have low movement and they won't cause much damage. They won't break and will be good for slowing down your opponent.
THE BATTLEFIELD
Building your army
I usually start by creating my general and characters. I have discussed how to equip them in the character sections; I will now give you an overview of some of my favorite set-ups for different games.
1000 points: Level 2 Slann, BSB, Standard of Sorcery, book of Ashur, Plaque of Dominion, Hydra sword. Be very careful choosing you h2h opponent as the stat line is less than impressive. You should fare decently during magic phase since you are level 3, which is good for a 1000-point game, and the extra WOM will help.
2000 points: you may try fielding level 4 Slann equipped with a magic weapon that will benefit from his many attacks such as Hydra Sword or Blade of Darting Steel. Usual items for magic phase are Skull staff, Potion of Knowledge and Plaque of Dominion. Potion of Strength increases your chances to take out your opponents general in one turn. As usual make him your BSB with the Banner of Sorcery. Add one Skink shaman equipped with Cloak of Mists and Shadows and Black Gem of Gnar and use it to take out annoying models such has your opponent's highest level wizard. You may also try to field a level 3 general together with a 1st level back up Slann equipped with Book of Ashur to enjoy wider spell choice and to avoid putting too many points in one character. Skull of Flaming death and the likes are good items for back up Slanns You will likely face generals and heroes mounted on flying monsters, not to mention greater daemons in such games: Talisman of Ravensdark is an excellent choice to defend your general from that damn Bloodthirster.
3000 points: my favorite setup is level 4 general plus level 2 Slann with Book of Ashur accompanied by two Skink shamans. Overall Slann setup won't be that different from a 2000 points game: try to take some equipment for self defense as your Slann Mages are worth just too many points: they must survive at all costs. Skink shamans will carry Dispel Magic Scrolls and cheap, economic anti-character magic items (even if Slanns can face almost everything, why risk?).
Troop choice for Lizardmen is sort of limited therefore my armies tend to include almost all of the different regiment types. My armies are built in a modular way. Usually I take a big block of Saurus (12-16) armed with spears, 2 units of 2 kroxigors and 16 Skinks each, and small screens of skirmishing Skinks as the core of all my armies, from 1000-point games to at least 3500-point games.
According to the size of the game I subsequently add Terradons (4 usually), Stegadons (no more than 2 because of their high cost and low leadership). Having one Stegadon to fail a leadership test is nasty, having two is detrimental, having three will lose the game! I also might add Salamanders (two is more than enough given their cost), temple guards and cold ones to my core army. Equip your Skink screens with shortbows or javelins (be sure to take poisoned weapons because, they are really worth it). I prefer taking bows because of their longer range.
Terrain
If you are going to play defensively, place hills between you and your opponent close to the middle of the table, so that you have a chance to cast assault of stone while he approaches. If you are going to play offensively place hills to your sides so that your opponent will think twice before flanking your troops with cavalry units just as if he was closing a vise on you. There is one notable exception. When playing against high elves be very careful placing your hills as your opponent has a chance to pick assault of stone instead of you. When playing against high elves, you are likely to be playing an offense game: your opponent will wait for you while he shoots. I suggest you place woods or buildings instead of hills, to protect your troops from enemy fire and to stay away from the risk of having your troops crushed by rocks (as if RBT weren't good enough at that). When playing a defense game, rivers will help a lot: they will slow down your opponent and most of your troops take no penalty in case you need to cross them.
Fielding your units
Lizardmen have the opportunity to field a rather large number of regiments. In my gaming group the player with the most regiments will be the first to deploy. I usually put my core Saurus unit first and then place my 2 usual kroxigor/Skink units to its sides. Those 3 units will be my primary strike force. Then place your skirmishing screens. Skirmishing screens are good because they are harder to hit with ranged weapons and have high mobility. Place your screen between your army core and the closest enemy shooting unit or place it in front of the unit that is more likely to charge you (especially chariots! I have lost a level 4 Slann once because I was not ready to face a charge from a chariot on first turnÉ damn slaaneshi steeds, you are going to see an increasing amount of those): this way you stand a chance of countercharging it when the screen dies off. The screen can be good to absorb elven arrows or to prevent chaos knights from charging your main block. Loosing some Skinks is well worth the chance of charging chaos knights. One last use for the screen is to tie up enemy characters for a couple of turns. Then place your Terradons as close to enemy war machines or low leadership units as possible. Stegadons should be placed near to large infantry units which will be easier to charge and won't enjoy particularly good armor saves, giving you a good chance of breaking them. Both Stegadons and Terradons are usually put to the sides of my core units. Salamanders should be put on the top of a hill, as close to the enemy lines as possible, to begin firing from the first turn. Use them to attack enemy troops that enjoy the best armor saves. Alternatively hide them in woods for protection from enemy fire. I often hide my weaker characters there too. Slann Mages will be placed to the sides of the Saurus unit, between Saurus and Kroxigor/Skink units. From your left to right you would see 1st Kroxigor/Skink unit, 1st SMP, Saurus, 2nd SMP, 2nd Kroxigor/Skink unit. Skink shamans will be positioned differently depending on how you have equipped them. When equipped with Heart of Woe or Black Gem they should be protected from enemy fire since they have just 1 wound, hiding inside forests or behind hills or screens until they can reach their target. If you equipped your shaman with Black Gem and Cloak of Mists and Shadows (one of my favorite combos) don't worry and gem your target as soon as possible.
Engaging the enemy
You should have noticed by now that my troops usually have specific tasks/targets and secondary targets in case their primary mission can't be accomplished. You must always be ready to improvise because more often than not, your opponent will do something you did not expect (it may be an obvious error or a clever intuition) but don't let it confuse you. Remember your priorities: silencing war machines or enemy shooters, tying up nasty characters or powerful units. Use Saurus warriors to engage your enemy and have one or both kroxigor/Skink units to flank him with their high movement rate. Or else use one of them to support your Stegadons in case they don't break your opponent with their initial charge. Lizardmen don't have any obviously weak unit but they don't have any over the top one either, therefore regiments should back each other up whenever it's possible. Chaos (except for beastmen, which can be fought well with fear causing units though) or Bretonnian armies don't enjoy such flexibility because of the high cost of their troops, exploit it to your advantage! Even when playing a defensive game keep adjusting your troop's positions on the battlefield according to your opponent's approach, don't just stand still and watch while half of his army is being held by spells or screens, waiting for him to gain the initiative once again! Try to move out of his line of sight or to gain a good flanking position with your faster units! Keep marching because your M is generally low and lizards are better h2h fighters than archers, so don't bother moving and shooting. You can't afford to lose time, never.
3 golden rules
Many times I have seen people building their armies bearing in mind that "my opponent will probably field that so I shall counter it with this": this means you are bound for a surprise if your opponent is good. You are more likely to overrate some of his units and underrate others. Many times I have seen people fielding their troops according to plans they had in their minds instead of placing them close to their obvious targets, with their fastest troops too far away from my Salamanders to prevent them from spitting at chaos knights. Many times I have seen people being defeated because their harpies could not reach war machines in time or their troops were taken out one by one by units that knew where to engage the enemy.
ONE LAST WORD ABOUT MAGIC
Remember you can save your general's life with evasion (pretty cool IMHO). If you are forced to use the Drain Magic Winds of Magic card make sure it is a Skink shaman to risk loosing the level. Always take High Magic unless you are playing against high elves, in which case wait and see how many wizards he has and what level are they. Make one of your Slann Mages take high magic and let the other take battle magic. Preferably make your general a high magic wizard. You may be forced to draw banishment which is no good against high elves therefore you better be sure you can discard one spell and not just take what's left. Although at first I thought high magic sucked because it had few attack spells, I learned to respect it. You already know its excellent deck abilities. Here are my thoughts about each spell.
Assault of Stone
AOS is best used against costly units, as it ignores armor saves and causes wounds, not hits, therefore thoughness is not a problem. Don't use it against characters unless their initiative is very poor, and even so, think twice.
Tempest
A real game winner, this spells is good against all armies but chaos warriors and daemons which have almost no ranged attacks or war machines and high leadership. You must cast this as soon as possible, have your opponent use up all his dispels and then go for it. Starting from 1st turn.
Glamour of Teclis
Use this spell to make your opponent waste his dispels. Target a low leadership unit and move it to the far edge of the table or right in the path of other enemy regiments.
Fiery Convocation
The best target for fiery convocation is infantry blocks because of their poor armor saves compared to those of knights. Else try it on characters. If you successfully cast it remember it will deal 2d6 S4 hits and 2d6 S 5 hits before your opponents has the chance to dispel it. Remember this is fire damage.
Banishment
What can I say? This is where the "discard one spell" rule comes in handy: if you are not playing against undead or daemons it is useless. But if you are cast it every turn. 4+ and you deal 1d6 WOUNDS to EACH model, a real mass killer, has even the potential to take out multiple characters at a time.
Apotheosis
Give it to your back up Slann. Can you imagine your opponent's frustration when
your 8 wounds general will be back rock again? Use telepathy and exchange it immediately!
Hand of Glory
One of my favorite spells. Lizardmen are hard to break. Now they become unbreakable. This will totally exasperate your opponent. Consider both casting it with your general or back upÉ Since you already enjoy a L of 10 (your general's) you may want to detach your back up with some troops to engage other targets and still be able to stand the ground.
Coruscation of Finreir
This item is good for defending your General from war machines and such, to move him into a better position for spell casting and so on. BUT it is also good for tying up your enemy! How? I charged a unit of 5 chaos knights and mage preventing them from moving further. Since we had both +1 combat resolution (he had regimental standard, I had battle standard) and no wounds could be dealt the combat went on till the end of the game.
Drain Magic
Other than dispelling nasty spells in play, this one is useful to weaken enemy sorcerers. Cast it if all your Slann Mages are high magic sorcerers (and you have no excuse for them not to be high mages unless you are playing against high elves!) as it will more likely damage that nasty lord necromancer than yourself! This spell may help you achieving complete magic superiority if you are eager to risk a little.
Deadlock
Forgot to bring Blade of Cocacila? Have your opponent's magic items revealed by Skull Staff and deadlock his Frost Blade or Black Gem before it's too late. The truth is that this spell is good to have your opponent spend his dispels on as this is hardly a game winner.
BUYING GUIDE
Since I often receive e-mails from people that ask for advice on how to start their armies, I thought I would add this small section for newborn Slann Mage priests. First of all, you should put your hands on plastic Saurus and Skinks from a couple of Warhammer boxed sets, as they are very cheap and will be more than enough for your first battles; you may trade your Bret knights for them or pay them about 15 / 20 u.s. $ which is a fair price imho. You need a Slann too to command your army so start saving money. For a good 1000 points army you need some plastics, your SMP, and personally I would add a couple of Skink command groups, one Saurus command group and some Kroxigors (4 is perfect). Since Skink Shamans are not available to date, you can use the champions included in command group blisters, that's what I usually do. If you plan to play 1500 points battles think about buying some Terradons which will probably more points effective in such small battles than Stegadons. In 2000 points battles it is advisable to have one though. Consider buying a second Slann for such battles. Lizardmen models are NOT cheap, but since the troop is limited, fortunately you don't have to buy too many (and a good part of them will be plastics). For larger games buy a couple of Salamanders or another Stegadon.
Temple Guards are expensive and I don't field them very often therefore they should be bought by last. A 16 models regiment will cost you more than a Stegadon or Slann Mage Priest, remember. Go either for your second Slann or Stegadon or for your Salamander battery instead.