New player getting into Fantasy - High Elves

[Vesten]

i just got a couple of high elves models and i'm planning to start warhammer fantasy. any tips? which models should i use? any tips for playing fantasy?

Thanks

[Vaul]

Yikes, it's like the forums are on fire at the moment with people starting new projects.  The most important factor in your decisions should be; which models do you think are the coolest and will inspire you to paint them the best, and enjoy collecting & playing the most.

I don't know if you have much of the IOB gear, but none of the units in that box are considered to be cost-effective (points wise) at higher level competitive play, and yet they are all still useful in an army.  Don't put too much stock into what the best players use, just go with your intuition for a while.

Despite that advice i'm sure you want to know what the 'premium' selections are anyway;

* Spearmen
* Phoenix Guard & White Lions
* An Archmage
* A Noble on foot with a battle standard
* Chariots
* Eagles

Most people fill the rest in with personal preference.

Best tips for playing fantasy; paint your army, introduce yourself (in person) to people that play regularly, play your games with enthusiasm, a competitive spirit, and learn what you can from those experiences.

[wouster7]

Hey Steven,

Good to see that you were serious about collecting high elves and will be competing against you brother

The IOB set is perfect way for you to start High Elves so I'll give you a break down with what you should do with them.

10 Seaguard- Ideally you should have 20+ of these fellas so what I did initially was to have them in the front ranks and add the old Spearmen  in the back ranks to get you up to the 20+(the ones you picked up last week). this will give you a flexible force that shoots and does fairly well in combat against standard troops.

10 Sword Masters- High strength and lots of attacks, elite infantry. Vulnerable to shooting but everyone is scared of these guys. You should run them in a smallish unit 12-14 in two ranks or add another rank so they can absorb some shooting. People hide them behind cavalry as they move up to screen them from damage.

5 Ellyrion reavers - perfect number and designed to hunt warmachines, protect your flanks and to divert away enemies. These guys are very soft to shooting but they are good if you hide them and use them right.

ArchMage - Suits the play style that the High elves are designed for in 8th Edition. Magic combines very well with the rest of the army.

Prince on griffon- This guy is not very playable but he looks good painted up. The great use for him is to substitute him in as a Noble on Eagle just make sure you use a 40x40 base. The eagle hero is very good as he's manoeuvrable and can make up combat res points in any combat he is in range of so give him a lance or great weapon and charge him in at the right time.

Things to think about getting to make it a competitive force.

Archers, Spearmen, cavalry, Eagle or 2 and Repeater bolt throwers. Elites like Phoenix guard and whitelions you can purchase later to bolster your force once you have a few games under your belt.

I have many High elf armies that you are welcome to borrow to test out the army.

[Jkeg]

Was typing this at the same time as the others so going to post anyway

Hey there I have been playing High Elves for over 3 years now and have really enjoyed the army.
I feel the best way to get into an army is pick the models you like best or base it around aspects of the game that you enjoy. No point buying a heap of mages and you really dont like to use magic.
I dont know how much you already know so I am just going to start with the basics.
Your best bet is to pick a points value you are happy to start with. I would suggest at 1000pts as this will allow you to get to grips with the game and not over welm yourself then you can build from there. 500pts is played but not that often. Game sizes tend to be played are 1600pts, 2000pts and 2400pts.

Which models should I use?
This is going to depend on what type of army you are going to run and who you asked that question to.
These are my suggestions that I feel are auto includeds.

Mage- You need atleast 1 you are going to have a real tough time otherwise.
Battle Standard Bearer-  Never leave home without one.
Eagle - One of the best 50pts in the game.
Swordmasters, Whitelions or Phoenix guard -  Take your pick, the elite infantry are all great choices.

The game these days tends to be about not giving away easy points. Big units, well protected Heroes, and hard to kill units are the way to go. ( There are exceptions ).

Post up a list on the forums. There are alot of guys here that play who I am sure will give you tips and tricks then try to get a game sorted.
 

[Vesten]

thanks guys.  i'll remember these information when i buy more models. it would be great if i could use your high elves to test them out, Phil.  so sea guards can just have spearmen at the back to make a 20+ group? neat.  do you need to have those bases that hold the bases together? thanks for all the posts! when i go there, could anyone teach me the basics sometime?