I put this little guide together mostly for the new crowd of players who wish to learn a little about playing the game without having to embarrass themselves like I used to. This guide groups the major army themes and gives a little background information on what types of units are generally included in them.
First, however, this guide gives a little background information on the basic unit types. In other words, you won't be able to understand the army themes unless you have a little knowledge about the types of units that comprise an army. Of course, you hardened battle nuggets out there probably won't need to read the intro, so just skip to the Themes.
Here we go:
The way to use them correctly is to run them ahead of your ranged/melee/unique units. This keeps your good units from taking fire because they are...well..blocked. Most players will use their blockers to engage enemy figures. If the enemy decides to attack and destroy your blocker, then you will have a clear line of sight to attack him. Also, this will leave your opponent pushed, which is a bad position especially if they just took damage.
Other armies, however, are built purely for the purpose of capturing the other players pieces. Deep Spawn for example are very good at capturing enemy pieces and then moving into deep water territory which drowns and destroys the enemy piece. Capturing units, whether they are the central element of your army or not, can turn the tide of a battle vastly. Especially if they manage to get a lucky roll and walk off of the battlefield with a very expensive piece.
One fun use for them is to rush ranged units without using blockers. Who cares if they take damage, just so long as they get better, right? One important thing to watch out for is capture attempts. Most push spawn are incredibly vulnerable to capture attempts in their first couple of clicks.
The one mistake that I see many people making when adding healers into their army, is not considering what that healer has to offer. For instance, why use a Leech Medic unless you a) Don't have enough points for a better healer or b) Have lots of Magical Immunity figures in your army. Always consider the other Special Abilities when trying to decide which healer to add to your army.
One popular approach is to use a powerful unique, such as a Troll Chieftan, Order of Vladd or Magna Draconum, that does not have a ranged attack. Use the blockers to tie up the enemies units and then pick them off one at a time at your liesure. Just make sure that you have a way to heal your unique in case he takes too much damage.
The best way to implement this army is to use a Magus and a non unique with a very high attack and damage value. Most of the non-unique golems are perfect for this, however, the Blade Golem is the most used choice because it can move in formation with the Magus. The objective of the army is simple. Use blockers and harrassers to tie up the enemy units then move in close with the Magus and attack figures. Levitate your figure into base to base contact and attack in the same turn. Most of the time, the first piece to score a hit will be the winner of a skirmis.
Many people contend, as even I used to, that armies like this are not generally good because they run into action shortages. I have to disagree with this though on one basis. A Storm Golem, for instance, has three ranged attacks per turn at a 12 inch range. This means that, every other turn, he can make three attacks and still have an action left over. This, in my humble opinion, is NOT an action shortage. In fact, you basically are getting a free action every other turn.
I hold the same idea for the Heirophant also. He can make two ranged attacks per turn and he has the flame lightning ability. This means that if he attacks two formations in one turn he can damage at least 6 units. This is NOT an action shortage. The real problem with these armies is getting swarmed by weenies that tie them up. This can easily be solved in both instances by using good ranged units that can destroy the weenies before they become a threat.
This means that they can move into base to base contact, hopefully survive the first attack and then capture. Because they have Quickness, you don't have to use actions to move them back to your starting area. The best units for capturing, in my experience, are Push Spawn and Demi Magus units. This is because they have low defense values and are worth quite a few points when returned to your starting area.
From here, there is a division in ideas on which units to use. Some people contend that a necromancy army is better off if you use a Necromancer as your central source of raising figures from the dead and then filling your army with either Zombies/Skeletons/Push Spawn. The Necromancer, however, is considered by nearly every player in the game to be the worst unique ever molded. This is because his attack and defense values are both very low. His only good side is that he has Magic Immunity and several clicks of necromancy.
Another school of thought, which I prescribe to, says that using two or three Grave Robber units is much more efficient. They all have the Stealth ability and the cost of using three Tough Grave Robbers is the same as using one Necromancer. This means that you could possibly raise a figure back from the dead every turn in order to keep your army at full strength. This can be very important if someone manages to wipe out two or three figures in one turn. Also, you can keep your Grave Robbers in seperate parts of the playing area and decide where to raise your undead to for maximum efficiency.
The point of this army, aside from having fun, is grouping up on your opponents pieces with numerous figures and making good use of the Close Combat Formation which allows you to add a +1 to a figures attack for each other figure that is in base to base contact with the enemy figure (up to a maximum +2).
This army theme is also predominantly a casual and fun theme to use. Some good examples of faction based armies are all Orcs, all Dwarves, all Undead and so on. While most armies can benefit greatly from using pieces from other factions, it is still fun to play a purist army every once in a while.