Fanatics, Terrain, and Why Every O&G List Seems to Start with Night Goblins
We had one of those very classic army-building conversations recently: it started with a rules question, immediately drifted into balance talk, and ended exactly where these things usually end — with us disagreeing about whether a unit is fun, oppressive, or both.
The question: do Fanatics die on dangerous terrain?
The spark for the whole discussion was simple: do O&G Fanatics die when they hit dangerous terrain?
From memory, the answer in our chat was basically: yes, once they touch terrain, they’re gone. That led us straight into the more interesting part of the conversation — not just how they work, but what they do to list building in Warhammer: The Old World.
The bigger issue: are Fanatics too central?
Stas pointed out something we’ve all noticed when looking at Orcs & Goblins lists lately: almost every O&G army seems to include Night Goblins. And the reason is not exactly mysterious.
Fanatics bring so much threat, area denial, and general chaos potential that they shape the table before the rest of the army even gets properly involved. Even if they never roll perfectly, they force decisions. Opponents have to respect them, plan around them, and sometimes completely change how they approach the midfield.
That naturally raises the question: if the upcoming January rebalancing FAQ does touch Orcs & Goblins, will Fanatics get toned down?
We don’t know, obviously, but it’s hard not to wonder. When one option becomes such an automatic inclusion, it’s usually a sign that it’s doing a bit too much heavy lifting for the faction.
A more interesting fix than a straight nerf?
Michał threw out an idea we found genuinely interesting: instead of just making Fanatics worse, maybe they could get some kind of shooting option with a penalty, like -2 to hit.
That kind of change would be more about adding decision-making than simply removing power. We always like that sort of design direction more. A flat nerf can solve a problem, sure, but it can also make a unit less exciting. Giving a unit more modes of play — especially if they come with trade-offs — tends to create more interesting lists and better table decisions.
Of course, that was just a quick thought from chat, not a full rules proposal. But it does point at something important: when a unit is everywhere, the best answer is not always “make it bad.” Sometimes the better answer is “make it more nuanced.”
And then the truly important part: do we even like Fanatics?
This is where the group split in the most predictable way possible.
Michał’s position was clear: he likes Fanatics as they are now.
Ender’s position was equally clear: he does not.
Honestly, that probably says a lot about why this unit is such a talking point. Fanatics are extremely Warhammer. They’re swingy, disruptive, dangerous, memorable, and occasionally ridiculous. That’s exactly why some of us love them — and exactly why some of us would be very happy to see them dialed back.
What this means for army-building
From an army-building perspective, this is the real takeaway for us:
- Night Goblins feel very hard to ignore in O&G lists
- Fanatics add pressure far beyond their raw points cost
- Any FAQ change to them could have a major impact on how Orcs & Goblins armies are built
If Fanatics stay untouched, we expect Night Goblins to remain a near-default building block in many lists. If they get adjusted, that could open space for more variety in O&G army construction — which would probably be healthy overall, even if it hurts a few beloved tricks.
For now, we’re left with the usual state of things: checking rules, speculating about FAQs, and arguing about whether one of the most iconic goblin mechanics in the game is brilliant or unbearable.
Which, to be fair, is exactly where an Orcs & Goblins discussion should end.