From 1k Practice Games to a 2k Dream: Our Kharadron and Battle Plans
We had one of those very relatable hobby chats recently: the kind where a league sounds exciting, a full 2k army sounds possible, and then reality gently reminds us that maybe it would be smart to play a few more games first.
First: get some reps in
For end3r, the current thinking is still split between a few options. The immediate focus seems to be the SH league, plus keeping an eye on what new Kharadron Overlords releases might still show up this year. But if we get enough chances to play Battle, then even building a 2k list with some proxies starts sounding realistic.
That said, the sensible plan came up quickly: before jumping into bigger commitments, it would be good to play at least one or two Battle games at 1000 points. After the first game, some of the rules and flow started to click a bit — although, in true honest hobby fashion, the feeling was still very much “I think I got something from it… but probably not that much yet” ;)
And honestly, that is probably the healthiest part of the whole conversation. Sometimes the urge is to go straight from one game played to league ambitions and tournament-style list research. But getting a few smaller games in first is often exactly what helps confidence grow naturally.
The goal: enough 2k games by autumn to feel ready
The bigger idea is actually pretty cool: by autumn, it would be great to play as many 2k Battle games as there are pairings in the league, ideally against a variety of armies. Not because anyone is trying to become perfectly prepared for every matchup, but simply to get enough table time to feel comfortable.
That distinction matters.
As michalbe put it, the league is supposed to be fun — and that is worth repeating. There is always a temptation in army-building and pre-league prep to overdo it, to feel like we need to know every opposing army inside out before signing up. But really, a few varied games and a bit more confidence can be more important than trying to solve the whole meta in advance.
Looking at winning lists… and counting what is missing
Of course, because we are hobbyists, the conversation also immediately went into list-building mode.
Michalbe was checking Woehammer to see which lists had been winning or placing highly this year, and the encouraging part was that end3r might actually not be that far away from one of those stronger Kharadron-style builds.
Well — not that far, with the usual Warhammer caveat that “not much missing” can still mean “several key unit boxes short”. In this case, the specific gap was pretty clear:
- Endrinriggers x2
- Skywardens x2
So yes, on paper it may be close. In practice, it is still one of those classic army-building moments where you look at a successful list and think: right, I basically have it, except for the important parts.
The good news is that this is exactly where proxies can help. If the goal is learning the army, testing 2k, and seeing whether the league feels right, then proxying those missing pieces for practice games makes a lot of sense.
The sad little story of the Aether-Khemist
No army discussion is complete without at least one model getting emotionally reassigned from “auto-include” to “shelf decoration”. This time, it was the Aether-Khemist.
There was a moment of frustration there: apparently the Khemist used to be everywhere, everyone was taking one, and now after a nerf he has fallen out of favor completely. A very familiar Warhammer story.
So now the poor guy may end up gathering dust — or being repurposed as a proxy for something else.
Honestly, that might be one of the most universal hobby experiences of all:
- build or buy the hot unit,
- watch the meta shift,
- pretend you always liked a different option more.
Where we are now
So at the moment, this feels like the shape of the plan:
- keep the SH league in mind,
- watch for new Kharadron Overlords releases this year,
- play a couple more Battle games at 1000 points,
- then start pushing toward 2000-point games,
- use proxies where needed,
- and aim to get enough games by autumn to decide whether joining the league feels right.
That sounds like a very solid hobby path to us: not overcommitting too early, but also not waiting forever for the “perfect” moment.
And if along the way we get to test some lists, shuffle some proxies around, and give a few underused models a second life, even better.
Final thought
We really liked the energy in this exchange, because it sits in that sweet spot between ambition and realism. There is excitement about bigger games and league play, but also the very sensible instinct to first get a few more reps in and build confidence.
That is probably the best kind of army-building there is: not just buying toward a list, but growing toward actually wanting to put it on the table.