500 Points of Speed and Sneaking: Two Very Different Old World List Ideas
500 Points of Speed and Sneaking: Two Very Different Old World List Ideas
Sometimes the best part of army-building is not finding the perfect list, but throwing a couple of very different ideas onto the table and seeing which one feels more fun. That was exactly the mood in our chat recently, when we started sketching out a few 500-point Warhammer: The Old World lists.
This time, we ended up with two completely different directions:
- Stas went for a Nomadic Waaagh! Orc & Goblin list that is basically pure movement, pressure, and chaos.
- Michał started brewing Chaos Dwarfs with Hobgoblin support, including one very compact mixed list and one gloriously silly wall of Cutthroats.
And honestly? We love both approaches for completely different reasons.
Stas builds a very mobile Nomadic Waaagh!
Stas put together this 500-point list for Orc & Goblin Tribes using the Nomadic Waaagh! rules:
===
Szaserzy [500 pts]
Warhammer: The Old World, Orc & Goblin Tribes, Nomadic Waaagh!, Battle March
===
++ Characters [105 pts] ++
Kiknik Toofsnatcha [105 pts]
- Da Boss's Trophy Rack
- Da Skull Smasha
- Cavalry spear
- Shield
- Light armour
- General
- Chompa
++ Core Units [206 pts] ++
9 Goblin Wolf Rider Mob [116 pts]
- Hand weapons
- Shields
- Cavalry spears
- Light armour
- Boss (champion)
- Standard bearer
- Musician
9 Goblin Wolf Rider Mob [90 pts]
- Hand weapons
- Shortbows
- Ambushers
++ Special Units [189 pts] ++
4 Orc Boar Boy Mob [94 pts]
- Hand weapons
- Cavalry spears
- Heavy armour
- Shields
- Big 'Uns
- Boss (champion)
- Standard bearer
Orc Boar Chariot [95 pts]
- Hand weapons
- Cavalry spears
- 4+
- Third Orc crew member
When Stas posted it, the immediate reaction was basically: “wow, that is some mobile nonsense.” And yes, that feels like the right technical term here.
This list is all about speed:
- Wolf Riders give it reach, board control, and the ability to threaten weird angles.
- The Ambusher unit adds that extra bit of annoyance that can force awkward positioning.
- Boar Boyz bring a harder-hitting element.
- The Boar Chariot gives the list another fast threat that can punish mistakes.
At 500 points, that kind of mobility can feel oppressive if used well. It also means the list probably rewards confidence and good positioning more than raw durability. Stas summed it up perfectly: we will see if he can actually play it well.
That is honestly one of the most relatable parts of list-building in small games. Sometimes we build a list, look at it, and think: this seems hilarious, but will we have any idea what we’re doing once dice hit the table?
Still, we really like the idea here. It feels thematic, fast, and very different from the more block-based lists people often default to at low points.
Michał goes in a very different direction with Chaos Dwarfs
Later on, Michał shared a Chaos Dwarf list idea that mixes a compact elite core with plenty of Hobgoblin utility:
++ Characters [154 pts] ++
Hobgoblin Khan [82 pts]
(Hand weapon, Ranged weapon [Shortbow], On foot, Ruby Ring of Ruin)
Infernal Seneschal [72 pts]
(Darkforged weapon, Heavy armour, Shield, General, On foot)
++ Core Units [215 pts] ++
11 Infernal Guard [143 pts]
(Great weapons, Heavy armour, Drilled)
24 Hobgoblin Cutthroats [72 pts]
(Hand weapons, Shortbows)
++ Special Units [60 pts] ++
10 Sneaky Gits [60 pts]
(Two hand weapons, Throwing weapons)
++ Rare Units [70 pts] ++
5 Hobgoblin Wolf Riders [70 pts]
(Hand weapons, Light armour, Shields, Shortbow, Reserve Move)
Compared to Stas’s list, this feels much more like a toolbox:
- Infernal Guard provide a tough, reliable center.
- Hobgoblin Cutthroats add bodies and shooting.
- Sneaky Gits bring some trickiness.
- Wolf Riders keep at least a bit of mobility in the list.
- And of course, a Ruby Ring of Ruin on the Khan adds a little magical harassment.
We really like this kind of small-point mixed list because it feels like a proper miniature army. It has a bit of everything, and that usually makes for interesting games.
And then there was the double-Khan Cutthroat dream
Not long after that, Michał posted another version — one he is not ready to field yet, because he still needs to paint more units before it can actually hit the table.
But as a concept? It is fantastic.
++ Characters [164 pts] ++
Hobgoblin Khan [82 pts]
(Hand weapon, Ranged weapon [Shortbow], General, On foot, Ruby Ring of Ruin)
Hobgoblin Khan [82 pts]
(Hand weapon, Ranged weapon [Shortbow], On foot, Ruby Ring of Ruin)
++ Core Units [336 pts] ++
43 Hobgoblin Cutthroats [172 pts]
(Hand weapons, Shortbows, Light armour)
41 Hobgoblin Cutthroats [164 pts]
(Hand weapons, Shortbows, Light armour)
Two Khans. Two Ruby Rings of Ruin. Eighty-four Hobgoblins.
At 500 points.
This is exactly the kind of list idea that makes us smile immediately. Is it elegant? Maybe not. Is it subtle? Absolutely not. Is it memorable? Definitely.
There is something deeply satisfying about taking a tiny game size and still trying to flood the table with bodies. It is a very different kind of pressure than the Nomadic Waaagh! list. Instead of speed and flanking, this one threatens to win by simply existing in huge numbers and throwing out a lot of arrows along the way.
Also, the fact that Michał’s current obstacle is simply “I still need to paint enough stuff to actually run this” is one of the most honest hobby moments imaginable.
What we like about these lists
What makes this little exchange fun is that none of these lists are trying to solve the game in some final, optimized way. They are experiments.
One is:
- fast,
- aggressive,
- awkward to pin down,
- and probably hard to pilot well.
The others are either:
- balanced and mixed,
- or completely committed to a ridiculous Hobgoblin plan.
That is exactly the sort of army-building energy we enjoy most. Small games are perfect for this. You can test a weird idea, laugh at what happens, learn something, and then tweak the list without needing to rebuild an entire collection.
The real hobby truth: lists are easy, painting is harder
If there is one universal lesson here, it is this: coming up with dumb and exciting list ideas is much easier than actually having all the models painted.
We have all been there.
A list looks great in the builder. The plan sounds brilliant in chat. Then reality arrives and reminds us that, unfortunately, the unpainted Hobgoblin mountain is still sitting on the desk.
Still, that is part of the fun too. A good list idea often becomes the motivation to finish the next batch of models.
Where this might go next
We are really curious which of these ideas makes it onto the table first:
- Stas’s ultra-mobile Nomadic Waaagh! raiding force,
- Michał’s mixed Chaos Dwarf + Hobgoblin force,
- or the full double-Khan Hobgoblin nonsense.
All three feel like they would create very different games, and that is exactly why we want to see them in action.
If nothing else, this chat was a great reminder that at 500 points, army-building can get wonderfully weird.
What kind of small-point lists are you enjoying in The Old World right now: fast cavalry nonsense, compact elite blocks, or absolute goblin/hobgoblin spam?