Armies
Building an Army
Pick a faction, agree on a size, and spend your points. Every army list is below, and you can build yours right now in the browser.
Army size
Before a battle, both players agree on an army size. It sets your points limit and the most units you can bring.
A Warband is a quick skirmish, and a Battalion is a full battle. Unit sizes and section limits grow with the army size, so the same faction can feel quite different at each size.
Sections
Every faction's list is split into sections. All factions have Commanders and Battle Line. The rest are the faction's own: Ranged Support, Fast Attack, Machines of War, Jungle Beasts and so on.
- Each section has a minimum and maximum number of units for each army size. Most armies must take at least one commander and some Battle Line.
- A few units count as half a unit, or as two, against their section's limits. Their cards say so.
- Some units can only be taken a limited number of times per army. Their cards show Max per army.
- A few commanders raise a section's maximum by one.
Commanders and retinues
Every army needs at least one commander. Larger armies can have more. A commander joins a unit, its retinue, chosen from the units listed on its card. Some retinues aren't available in a Warband.
- A commander and its retinue are one unit on the battlefield and in your unit count. You pay for both.
- The retinue counts towards its own section's minimum, but not its maximum.
- Some commanders ride a mount instead: a monster, chariot or war beast from the faction's Mounts section. A few are monsters themselves and fight alone.
Options and magic
- Equipment choices: many units choose between weapon sets, or buy upgrades. An upgrade's cost is per model unless it says per unit.
- Spellcasters choose one cantrip and one major spell from their list.
- Magic items: most commanders can carry a magic weapon or item, and some units can carry a magic banner. See the magic items.
- Unit size and width: regiments choose how many models to field, within the limits for the army size, and how wide their front rank is.
The factions
Abyssal Demons Daemons of plague, war and trickery, spilling out of the Abyss. Fearless, strange and relentless. 
Abyssal Legions Armoured champions of the Abyss and their northern thralls, backed by monsters and daemons. 
Darkborn Elves Cruel, quick and lethal. Darkborn raiders strike with crossbows, witches, assassins and monstrous beasts. 
Dead Nations Endless ranks of the risen dead. They never flee, but crumble as the necromancer’s grip slips. 
Deepwood Guardians Elven rangers and ancient forest spirits who fight from the trees and vanish into them. 
Dwarf Holds Slow, stubborn and hard as the mountains. Dwarfs hold the line and grind enemies down with war machines. 
Elven Conclaves Swift, skilled and few. Elven armies strike precisely and punish every mistake. 
Empires of Men Disciplined state regiments, gunpowder and steel, held together by knights and battle wizards. 
Goatmen Raiders Feral warbands of the deep woods, led by minotaurs and shamans. Fast, savage and hungry. 
Greenskin Tribes A howling tide of orcs and goblins. Brutal in melee, unreliable in everything else. 
Knights of Avalon Peasant levies and pious knights of a chivalrous kingdom. When the lances land, nothing stands. 
Ratkin Clans Teeming ratkin hordes armed with flamers, long rifles and the dreaded Doom Bell. Quantity has a quality all its own. 
Reptilian Kingdoms Saurian warriors and the great beasts of the jungle. Tough skin, hard hits, and dinosaurs.