Warmaster Revolution Chaos Dwarfs Revisited

The Chaos Dwarfs are a vile black-hearted race, forever waging war in their relentless search for victims to enslave. Shrouded by the smoke of a thousand forces, the foul empire of the Chaos Dwarfs lies deep inside the Dark Lands. Far Below the bitter earth, the tortured slaves labour in chains, endlessly seeking out precious metals and minerals for their evil masters' plans. --Chaos Dwarfs, 3rd Ed Warhammer.

The Chaos Dwarfs never received a standard, mainline army book in the later editions of Warhammer Fantasy. Their primary official rules appeared in the 1994 White Dwarf Presents: Chaos Dwarfs supplement for 4th/5th Edition, the 6th Edition Ravening Hordes update, and Forge World’s 8th Edition campaign book, Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos. They were also absent from the original edition of Warmaster, although they eventually received an official army list in Warmaster Revolution.

I originally created my Chaos Dwarf paper counter set in 2021. That version was put together rather quickly and posted to the blog with only a minimal write-up. This new set replaces that older version, which I have now removed. I’ve reworked a number of the counters, particularly the heroes, and updated some of the unit names. Most noticeably, the basic infantry formerly labeled “Warriors” are now simply called “Chaos Dwarfs,” matching the current army list.

For this updated set, I used Warmaster Revolution Armies version 2.26, the most recent version available at the time of this post.

Printing the Counters
I hope you find these paper army sets useful. You can print them at places like Staples or Office Depot, using 110lb card stock paper printed at actual size. You can also print on regular paper and then glue the counters to wooden bases. (Check the older posts on how I did this with my Empire army.) Do not print the pdf to "fit margins." Always print at 100%.  I like printing the counter sets on good copy paper, spray gluing the dull side of a 'Silver Age' comic backing board with Super77, attaching a sheet to the board, and then cutting out the counters using a sharp Xacto knife with a steel ruler. Using the backing boards makes for cheap, sturdy counters. I like keeping the shiny side down to make moving them easier on a table. Note: This version is designed to fit Silver Age and larger comic backing boards.

Click on the counter set image above to download the complete army counter set in PDF format. The set has enough counters to create many armies of 2,000 points or less. Of course, if you need more counters simply print more copies!

 

[Let me know if the link above does not work, and use this alternate link to download the Chaos Dwarfs Counters on Google Drive.]

Chaos Dwarfs Sample Armies
Chaos Dwarfs are a very different army from their more respectable Dwarf relatives. They still have extremely tough infantry, but they also bring slaves, cavalry, monstrous troops, magic, and some wonderfully unpleasant artillery to the battlefield. That gives the army a much broader tactical toolbox than simply forming a solid line and waiting for somebody to attack it. Chaos Dwarfs can hold ground very well, but they can also disrupt enemy formations, threaten the flanks, sacrifice cheap troops, and launch some very dangerous counterattacks. If you have any comments or suggestions on these lists or counters, please leave some comments below.

Chaos Dwarf Units at a Glance

Chaos Dwarfs Tough 4+ armour infantry and the backbone of the army.

Orc Slaves Cheap, aggressive infantry that work best when kept under the watchful eye of their masters.

Blunderbusses Short-ranged infantry firepower with an armour-save modifier.

Wolf Riders Fast, inexpensive troops with useful 360-degree shooting and evasion.

Bull Centaurs The army's mobile combat hammer.

Artillery & Magic Disrupt enemy formations first, then exploit the resulting weakness.

1,000 Point Armies

List 1: Balanced Chaos Dwarfs

10 units   |   Break Point 5

Qty	Unit	Points
2	Chaos Dwarfs	220
1	Hobgoblins	45
2	Orc Slaves	80
2	Hobgoblin Wolf Riders	150
1	Bull Centaurs	140
1	Death Rocket	60
1	Bolt Thrower	65
1	General	125
1	Sorcerer	90
1	Sorcerer Lord Upgrade	25
TOTAL		1,000

This is a good introduction to Chaos Dwarfs because it includes tough infantry, cheap slaves, fast cavalry, Bull Centaurs, artillery, and two spellcasters. This army list gives a good taste of nearly everything the army can do. The Wolf Riders provide speed, the Bull Centaurs provide serious combat power, and the Death Rocket and Bolt Thrower make it difficult for the enemy to ignore your deployment. Once you're familiar with this army, The Forge Line below is probably the more interesting tactical puzzle. It's a little less forgiving, but it begins to show what makes Chaos Dwarfs tactically different from ordinary Dwarfs.

Suggested Starting Brigade
2 Chaos Dwarfs + 2 Orc Slaves
Keeping the Orc Slaves with Chaos Dwarfs removes the extra command penalty theynormally suffer. This is one of the most useful habits to develop when playing the army.

List 2: The Forge Line

10 units   |   Break Point 5

Qty	Unit	Points
2	Chaos Dwarfs	220
1	Blunderbusses	90
2	Orc Slaves	80
2	Hobgoblins	90
1	Hobgoblin Wolf Riders	75
1	Bull Centaurs	140
1	Earthshaker Cannon	90
1	General	125
1	Sorcerer	90
TOTAL		1,000

The Earthshaker's Real Role
I don't think of the Earthshaker primarily as a weapon for causing casualties. Its real value is disrupting enemy formations. A successful drive-back has a much better chance than normal of causing confusion, and nearby units can be affected, too. That makes it a particularly useful weapon to fire at an enemy formation you intend to attack shortly afterward.

2,000 Point Armies

List 1: Mobile Assault

20 units   |   Break Point 10

Qty	Unit	Points
4	Chaos Dwarfs	440
1	Blunderbusses	90
4	Orc Slaves	160
2	Hobgoblins	90
4	Hobgoblin Wolf Riders	300
2	Bull Centaurs	280
1	Black Orcs	110
1	Earthshaker Cannon	90
1	Bolt Thrower	65
1	General	125
1	Hero	80
1	Great Taurus	80
1	Sorcerer	90
TOTAL		2,000

List 2: Combined-Arms Chaos Dwarfs

20 units   |   Break Point 10

Qty	Unit	Points
4	Chaos Dwarfs	440
2	Blunderbusses	180
2	Hobgoblins	90
4	Orc Slaves	160
2	Hobgoblin Wolf Riders	150
2	Bull Centaurs	280
1	Earthshaker Cannon	90
1	Death Rocket	60
2	Bolt Throwers	130
1	General	125
1	Hero	80
2	Sorcerers	180
1	Lammasu	35
TOTAL		2,000

Tough infantry holds the center. Artillery disrupts. Wolf Riders interfere. Bull Centaurs hit whatever the other parts of the army have made vulnerable. This probably is the 2,000 point army to use first. It has enough artillery to influence the battle without turning the army into a static gun line, and a Break Point of 10 gives it plenty of staying power.

Starting Brigade Structure

I would begin by thinking of the force in several independent formations rather than one giant battle line.

Iron Brigade #1
2 Chaos Dwarfs + 2 Orc Slaves
The Chaos Dwarfs provide durability while the Orcs provide cheap attacks and additional bodies. Keeping the slaves with their masters also eliminates their special command penalty.

Iron Brigade #2
2 Chaos Dwarfs + 2 Orc Slaves
A second independent block gives the army two strong points rather than one enormous formation that can be disrupted all at once.

Fire Brigade
2 Blunderbusses + 2 Hobgoblins
Keep this formation behind or beside the main infantry. The Blunderbusses are useful close-range support troops, but they are not as durable as ordinary Chaos Dwarfs.

The Hammer
2 Bull Centaurs
These are the army's main mobile combat reserve. Keep them somewhere they can exploit an opening rather than throwing them at the first enemy unit they can reach.

The Nuisance Department
2 Hobgoblin Wolf Riders
Protect flanks, shoot at vulnerable troops, threaten artillery, evade bad fights, and generally encourage the opponent to waste attention on 75-point units.

The Artillery Park

The Combined-Arms army includes an Earthshaker, a Death Rocket, and two Bolt Throwers. They do not all have the same job.

Earthshaker
As mentioned in the notes to The Forge Line 1,000-point army, the Earthshaker primarily is a disruption weapon. Fire it at formations you may want to attack soon. Confusion and drive-backs can turn an orderly enemy brigade into a collection of individual problems.

Death Rocket
The Death Rocket is much less dependable, but considerably more entertaining. Aim it at something worthwhile and accept that Hashut may occasionally have his own ideas.

Bolt Throwers
Less spectacular, but dependable. Sometimes boring competence is extremely welcome when the artillery piece next door has a misfire table.

Character Commands

Character	Primary Command
Hero	Iron Brigade #1
Sorcerer #1	Iron Brigade #2 + spell support
Sorcerer #2	The Hammer or The Nuisance Department
General	Critical movement or anything that still needs fixing

Chaos Dwarf Magic

The Chaos Dwarf spell list is unusually useful because each spell does something quite different.

Word of Fear
Causes a friendly unit to count as causing Terror for the Combat phase. Bull Centaurs are an especially attractive target when they are about to enter an important fight.

Flaming Hand
Gives a Sorcerer who has joined a fighting unit three additional combat attacks. Situational, but useful when the Sorcerer is already involved in an important combat.

Meteor Storm
Draws a line through the battlefield and attacks every unit crossed by it. Look for diagonal or oblique shots that can catch several enemy units at once.

Volcanic Eruption
Attacks every enemy unit within 30cm of the Sorcerer. It is difficult to cast, but potentially spectacular when several enemy formations have become crowded together.

Why Take the Lammasu?
In this list, one Sorcerer will ride a Lammasu. Its main advantage isn't combat. It flies, making the Sorcerer much easier to reposition, and it can attempt to dispel hostile magic affecting nearby friendly units. Think of the Lammasu Sorcerer as a mobile support piece rather than an expensive combat character.

A Simple Battle Plan

1 Turns 1-2: Disrupt

Don't race the infantry forward. Establish useful firing lanes, move the cavalry toward the flanks, and let the artillery begin breaking up enemy formations. Early casualties are nice. Confusion, drive-backs, awkward facing, and broken brigades may be even more useful.

2 Turns 2-3: Pressure

Bring the Blunderbusses into useful range. Let the Wolf Riders begin causing trouble on the flanks, while the Bull Centaurs remain positioned to counterattack.

3 Turns 3-4: Hammer

Once the enemy is confused, separated, damaged, or facing the wrong direction, send in the good troops. Bull Centaurs are much more valuable finishing a compromised enemy formation than charging something simply because they happen to be able to reach it.

4 Turn 4 and Later: Break the Army

Stop thinking primarily about destroying the enemy's most impressive units. Look for the quickest route to its Break Point.

A Basic Deployment

The exact formation will depend on terrain and opponent, but the basic idea is to create layers. The infantry holds the center, the cavalry protects or threatens the flanks, and the artillery sits far enough behind the fighting troops that the enemy cannot reach it without first solving several other problems. Honestly, this is the basic deployment for nearly any combined-arms army, from those in Warmaster all the way through Napoleonic warfare.

WOLF RIDERS

ORCS | CHAOS DWARFS     CHAOS DWARFS | ORCS
ORCS | CHAOS DWARFS     CHAOS DWARFS | ORCS

BLUNDERBUSSES | HOBGOBLINS

BULL CENTAURS              WOLF RIDERS

EARTHSHAKER    ROCKET    BOLT    BOLT

Don't Play Chaos Dwarfs Like Ordinary Dwarfs

Remember, the Artillery shapes the battle; it shouldn't be the battle. With that being said, it's tempting to form a defensive line and simply shoot, but that wastes too many of the army's advantages. Chaos Dwarfs have Bull Centaurs, Wolf Riders, slaves, Blunderbusses, magic, and disruptive artillery. As mentioned earlier, the artillery should make the enemy uncomfortable enough to move or reorganize. The rest of the army then exploits what happens.

Chaos Dwarf Rules Worth Remembering

Orc Slaves Suffer an additional -1 Command penalty unless brigaded with Chaos Dwarfs, Blunderbusses, or Black Orcs.

Hobgoblins & Wolf Riders Have 15cm shooting and 360-degree vision for shooting and evading.

Orcs & Hobgoblins Normally cannot brigade together unless Chaos Dwarfs or Blunderbusses are also present in the brigade.

Earthshaker Has an increased chance of causing confusion after drive-back and can disrupt nearby troops as well.

Earthshaker + Death Rocket The army may take only one of these artillery units in total per full 1,000 points.

Great Taurus A flying character mount that causes Terror.

Lammasu A flying Sorcerer mount that can also attempt to dispel hostile magic affecting nearby friendly troops.

Final Thoughts

Since my teenage years in the 1970s, I’ve had a slightly unnatural fascination with dwarfs. Maybe it’s their stubborn, defensive nature that appeals to me. When I started playing Warmaster roughly 25 years ago, dwarfs were naturally my first army. (And, of course, my second army had to be High Elves!)

But there’s something especially intriguing about Chaos Dwarfs. They’re dwarfs, but they’re also much more than that. That variety is what makes the 2,000-point Combined-Arms army my favorite of all the armies on this list. The infantry, artillery, cavalry, and magic each have clearly defined roles, which creates many interesting tactical decisions during a game.

The key to playing Chaos Dwarfs, especially with the Combined-Arms army, seems to be resisting the temptation to make one part of the army do everything. The Earthshaker doesn’t have to destroy a unit if it can leave that unit confused. The Wolf Riders don’t need to win a major combat if they can force the enemy to turn an entire brigade around. The Orc Slaves don’t need to survive if their sacrifice leaves the enemy exposed to a charge from the Bull Centaurs. Meanwhile, the Chaos Dwarfs themselves can keep doing what Chaos Dwarfs do best: standing their ground, grinding forward, and making the enemy regret coming too close.

That interplay between all the different parts of the army is what I find so fascinating about them.

And with that, another lengthy post comes to an end! I hope you enjoy the counters, try out some of the armies, and have as much fun playing Chaos Dwarfs as I’ve had putting this set together.