Dwarf list tinkering: digging into the Expeditionary Force
We had one of those very classic army-building mornings: one link opens, then another, then suddenly we are deep in special rules, list builder quirks, and discussing whether a flying machine is still worth it if it does not come with the exact gun we wanted.
This time the rabbit hole was Dwarfs in Warhammer: The Old World, and more specifically the Expeditionary Force army composition.
At first glance, the big takeaway was simple: this is really about army composition and the extra rules that come with it. Once we started reading more closely, a few interesting options immediately jumped out.
One of the first things that caught our eye was the Scout Gyrocopter. On paper it looked really tempting: extra movement, plus Hatred against Orcs. That is the kind of small flavorful rule that makes us instantly start imagining matchups. But then came the disappointing follow-up: no steam gun. And that definitely changed the mood a bit.
Then we noticed something even more annoying in practice: the rules seemed to show that the regular Gyrocopter also has Hatred, but that was apparently not being displayed correctly in Old World Builder. So, naturally, this turned into one of those hobby moments where list building becomes half strategy, half cross-checking apps against the actual rules.
Another rule we had to remind ourselves about was Drilled — because of course the thing we vaguely remembered from earlier turned out to matter again.
That led us further down into the bottom section of the rules, where there were still a few more interesting bits to unpack. Michał pointed out that this was also where the extra Army of Infamy rules were hiding — including the one we had talked about the day before, where you can get a model that ignores some of the usual shooting penalties to hit.
From there the discussion moved to Expeditionary Marksman. Our reading was that it helps with moving and shooting, which overlaps a bit with what a rune can already do via Quick Shot. On top of that, another rune could also help remove the penalty for long range. So suddenly it was not just “is this good?” but more “where do we want this effect to live, and what is the cheapest or cleanest way to get it?”
And then the conversation took a very Dwarfen turn, because we got distracted by the miners.
Honestly, the miners’ drill looked great. Sometimes a unit option does not need a long tactical essay — sometimes the correct response is just: that drill rules.
A moment later the practical side kicked back in. Instead of spending points on a rune, we realized that giving Marksman to an Engineer for just 10 points might actually be a very solid option. That kind of small upgrade is exactly the sort of thing we love in list building: cheap enough to feel efficient, but meaningful enough that it changes how the character supports the army.
So where did we land after all this?
- Expeditionary Force looks like a fun alternative framework for building Dwarfs.
- Gyrocopters raised as many questions as they answered, especially once builder discrepancies entered the chat.
- Drilled was one of those rules worth re-reading because it changes how we think about maneuvering.
- Expeditionary Marksman seems genuinely useful, especially when compared against rune investment.
- Miners with a giant drill remain extremely important for scientific reasons.
And yes, the final note in the chat was basically just: mielonka! Which feels like the right energy for a morning spent enthusiastically overanalyzing Dwarf options.
We are definitely not done with this list yet, but it was a fun reminder that some of the best army-building sessions are just us bouncing half-serious, half-hyped observations off each other until a more interesting list starts to emerge.