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Dwarfen Mountain Holds · 140 points
Are Dwarf Thunderers good?
Dwarf Thunderers are good at short range and against armour. They were the sixth-best unit against heavy armour in my tests and eighth of 29 overall at short range.
Quick answer: it depends what you point Dwarf Thunderers at
- Role
- Close-range anti-armour
- Good against
- Knights of the Realm (2.2, 5th), Empire State Troops (4.4, 4th)
- Struggles against
- Skirmishing Empire Archers (2.8, 16th)
- Range
- Needs to get close (59% kept)
Close-range anti-armour is the job Dwarf Thunderers did best in my testing, and it is the yardstick I would judge them by, rather than their 8th-of-29 overall average.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 120 volleys with Dwarf Thunderers: ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at both long and short range. I then fired 1,800 more Dwarf Thunderers volleys at fixed distances, after moving and into cover. Those main volleys were part of the 4,080 I ran across 29 shooting units, and these were the Dwarf Thunderers results.
I stripped the Dwarf Thunderers tests back on purpose, with no terrain, no magic, no characters and nobody deciding anything for the other side, which isolates the unit but is not a real game. With ten volleys per result, Dwarf Thunderers (3.2) and Sisters of Avelorn (3.2) finished level at short range, so I would not read anything into their order. Read the Dwarf Thunderers results as a guide to roles and matchups rather than a forecast.
My verdict
In my opinion Thunderers want to be close: they kept only 59% of their damage at long range. At short range they did 4.4 wounds to State Troops and 5.2 to Dregs.
Best and worst targets for Dwarf Thunderers
Dwarf Thunderers by target. Ranks out of 29. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Long | Rank | Short | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 1.8 | 5th | 2.2 | 5th |
| Ironbreakers | 1.0 | 8th | 1.3 | 6th |
| Empire State Troops | 2.3 | 13th | 4.4 | 4th |
| Skaven Dregs | 3.0 | 14th | 5.2 | 7th |
| Rat Ogres | 1.4 | 20th | 3.0 | 8th |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 1.6 | 16th | 2.8 | 16th |
Range and armour
At long range Dwarf Thunderers kept 59% of their short-range damage, so they need to get close to do the job. Their best long-range target was Skaven Dregs (3.0).
Against my two heavily armoured targets, Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Dwarf Thunderers averaged 1.8 wounds at short range. That puts them 6th of 29 for cracking armour.
Dwarf Thunderers after moving and in cover
My main table is a clean volley in the open, so I also fired Dwarf Thunderers at fixed distances, after moving and at targets in partial cover. At 22 inches after moving into partial cover, Dwarf Thunderers averaged 0.27 wounds across the six targets, 9th of the 18 units I tested this way. Standing still in the open at 10 inches, Dwarf Thunderers averaged 2.88 (8th of 18).
Dwarf Thunderers: mean wounds across all six targets. Still or moved, open ground or partial cover. n = 60 volleys per cell
| Distance | Still, open | Moved, open | Still, cover | Moved, cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 inches | 2.88 (8th) | 0.92 (12th) | 1.98 (8th) | 0.47 (12th) |
| 22 inches | 2.05 (6th) | 0.58 (7th) | 0.92 (10th) | 0.27 (9th) |
Ranks in brackets compare Dwarf Thunderers with the other 17 units in the fixed-distance test.
Dwarf Thunderers after moving into partial cover, by distance. n = 60 volleys per cell
| 6in | 10in | 16in | 22in | 28in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.55 | 0.47 | 0.25 | 0.27 | 0.00 |
How I set up the test
14 models could shoot in every matchup. My method page has the full setup.
How do they compare?
Other Dwarfen Mountain Holds shooters
- Dwarf Rangers143 pts · 3.5 avg short, 2.7 avg long
- Dwarf Irondrakes147 pts · 3.7 avg short, 2.3 avg long
Similar overall damage
- Sisters of AvelornHigh Elf Realms · 3.2 avg short
- Empire handgunnersEmpire of Man · 3.2 avg short
- Ungor archersBeastmen Brayherds · 3.3 avg short
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Dwarf Thunderers for close-range fire into armour and medium infantry, and not for long-range support, to get the most out of them on the battlefield.
FAQs
What are Dwarf Thunderers best at shooting?
Skaven Dregs: Dwarf Thunderers did 5.2 wounds per short-range volley against them in my tests. Their lowest number was against Ironbreakers, at 1.3.
Are Dwarf Thunderers better at long or short range?
Short range. Dwarf Thunderers kept 59% of their short-range damage at long range, 26th of 29 for holding up at range. Dwarf Thunderers averaged 1.9 wounds at long range against 3.2 at short range.
Are Dwarf Thunderers good against armour?
Against Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Dwarf Thunderers averaged 1.8 wounds per short-range volley, 6th of the 29 units I tested.