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When my units charged

Complete fights won out of 10, with a successful frontal charge and the +3 Initiative charge bonus. n = 10 fights per cell

* I ran the Marauder fights against Jade Warriors with an earlier build, before the Razing of Westerland Chaotic Cult correction. Treat them as directional only.

When the enemy charged my units

Complete fights won when the enemy charged. Knights of the Realm charged in two batches of 10 (Clanrats joined for the second batch only); Gors charged once per unit. n = 10–20 fights per cell

Lessons that kept repeating

• Getting the charge matters enormously. Several units went from excellent to poor when I simply reversed who charged whom.
• Static Combat Result can beat better fighters. Ranks, standards, Close Order and Massed Infantry swung fight after fight.
• Pursuit speed matters. A unit that wins but cannot catch the loser does a different job from one that wins and destroys it.
• High Strength and AP can be overkill. Against cheap bodies, more attacks at better Initiative can be worth more than S6 and AP−2.
• Charge-only weapon bonuses create strong first-round spikes but can fall away in a grind.
• Small elite units hate losing models before they swing. Seven great-weapon Warriors are fearsome until two or three die before Initiative 1.
• Toughness and wounds are not Combat Result. Rat Ogres can kill expensive models and still lose the combat because they lack ranks and banner bonuses.
• A “bad” combat unit can be an excellent utility unit. Giant Rats and Jade Lancers only looked poor when I asked them to do a frontal hammer’s job.

Combinations and tricks I would use

Marauder anvil + Huscarl hammer

I let a ranked Marauder block absorb or pin a target, then send Huscarls in where their charge damage and Swiftstride can finish the fight.

Clanrat screen + Rat Ogre countercharge

Clanrats bring the ranks, bodies and Warband. Rat Ogres bring the killing power the rats lack.

Great weapons vs additional hand weapons

Neither Warrior build is better everywhere. I take great weapons for armour, Toughness and multi-wound targets, and additional hand weapons for lighter medium infantry.

Chaos Knights as closers

They are most valuable once another unit has damaged or shaken the target, because Swiftstride pursuit turns a combat win into an actual kill.

Giant Rats as Frenzy bait

I place them so a Frenzied enemy has to take an awkward charge or angle. It works best when the rats are the only legal charge, or every alternative is also bad.

Jade Lancers on flanks, not fronts

I use a solid infantry block to hold the target, then add Lancers for flank pressure, extra Unit Strength, pursuit and repeated Cataphract momentum.

Berserkers in the uncertain centre

Their broad competence makes them my choice when I do not yet know what I will face.

The Gors themselves

My final benchmark taught me the most. Seventeen Gors with additional hand weapons and full command (136 points) won 101 of 120 fights when I gave them a successful charge of 3 inches or more every time. That is not an 84% real-game win rate. It shows how strongly my test rewarded their package of bodies, T4, Bestial Charge, Primal Fury, ranks and attack volume.

I think you should treat Gors as a real offensive unit, not filler. An equal-points ranked block can overwhelm small elite units even when the elites have better individual models.

Every Battle March unit I tested

• Khorne Chaos Warriors with great weapons137 pts · Armour and monster breaker
• Khorne Chaos Warriors with additional hand weapons130 pts · Attack-volume infantry
• Khorne Chaos Knights with lances142 pts · Elite shock cavalry
• Huscarls with flails120 pts · Cheap shock hammer
• Berserkers with flails137 pts · All-round melee infantry
• Bloodied Hound Marauders with great weapons143 pts · Ranked block with sustained S5
• Bloodied Hound Marauders with flails137 pts · Charge-dependent ranked infantry
• Rat Ogres with a Master Moulder150 pts · Monstrous hammer
• Plague Monks153 pts · Attritional attack-volume block
• Jade Lancers138 pts · Support, flank and pursuit cavalry
• Giant Rats and handlers115 pts · Screen, bait and redirector
• Clanrats with spears and shields137 pts · Tarpit and ranked anvil

For the Chaos units, my Warriors of Chaos builds lab ran 500 combats per matchup to find the best Mark, Cult and weapon for each.

My benchmark opponents

• 15 Jade Warriors, halberds, full command (138 pts). My solid heavy-infantry benchmark: bodies, armour, command and Press of Battle.
• 8 Ironbreakers, full command (141 pts). An elite defensive brick: high WS and T, strong armour, a ward, Stubborn and Shieldwall.
• 20 Clanrats, spears, shields, full command (137 pts). A deep, cheap ranked block with Horde, Warband and static Combat Result.
• 3 Rat Ogres + Master Moulder (150 pts). T4, three-wound monstrous infantry: high damage but little static Combat Result.
• 5 Knights of the Realm, full command, charging (141 pts). My heavy-cavalry pressure test: First Charge and Lance formation.
• 17 Gors, additional hand weapons, full command, charging (136 pts). Aggressive medium infantry: T4, Bestial Charge, Primal Fury and ranks.