Before I bring out the list I'll explain the points value chosen. Our league has picked 2250 to be the target point value for larger game and tournaments. So 1125 give us a solid halfway point for smaller/shorter games, and also let's us combine multiple lists to make a solid 2250 game. Which we actually did in a combined 2v2 where I paired up with the only other Dwarf player against a combine force of Bretonians.

This list is also based off an old Tourney list I ran based off Bugman's Rangers, that let me field 2 units of Longbeard Rangers and a pair of Gyrocopters, but that was in the era of Runes of Brotherhood. It was designed to ignore setup/placement rules and placed very well in the tournament I brought it to.

Now, I've used this list 4 times on it's own and once as part of the combined armies game with the other Dwarf player in my league. So far this has been used against Bretonians, and only Bretonians, as our current league is 5:1 Bretonians to Dwarves and nothing else. I mean, more than half of them could bring other forces, they just don't. So this naturally colours my choices and experiences thus far.

As for results this list has tabled 2 different Bretonian forces by the end of Turn 1. Once In my Shooting Phase, once after the Bretonian Combat Phase. The other 2 fights resulted in turn 2-3 wins and the combined game was over by turn 4 with another win.

Before we go too far, I have 5 wins and 2 draws with other, more 'conventional' Dwarf armies. The other Dwarf player in my league is roughly the same, though they usually run Gun and Hammer builds. So it's not just this list.

Anyways here's the list:

Characters [58 pts]

Engineer - Handgun, General [58 pts]

Core Units [312 pts]

20 Rangers - Crossbows, Throwing axes, Great weapons, Shields, Standard bearer, Musician [312 pts]

Special Units [515 pts]

5 Gyrocopters - Clatterguns [350 pts]

Bolt Thrower [55 pts]

Rare Units [240 pts]

10 Rangers - Shields [120 pts]

The only changes I've done is combine the smaller units of Rangers into a single unit of 20 and how I group the Gyrocopters.

I can already hear the horrified gasps from some of you, but let me explain both my choices and how this has tabled folks.

This list isn't Character friendly, either for us, or our foess. We don't have a Rune of Brotherhood to let our Characters use Scouts to setup with our Rangers, and they make up the bulk of our fighting force. So we need a character that can contribute without having to march 2-3 turns, so an Engineer with Handgun fits that bill better than the other two.

Bolt Throwers let the Engineer use Artillery Master to help get hits, and they make a mockery of the Knights armour save, plus they are cheap.

Gyrocopters with Clatterguns let us vanguard+march them into position and still do something before the Bretonians turn off Flight and strand them.

For the Rangers, a Bretonian can and will use Challenges to shield thier Characters from combat, so dropping a Champion means we can headhunt Generals and BSB's with pur line troops. Dwarves will strike last in a charge, as I can't fit a banner that'd let me change that, and on a charge a unit of Rangers won't get a save anyway, so Greatweapons will let the survivors make the enemy pay in blood. To balance that we'll more than likely have a solid SnS reaction to even the odds, I take Throwning Axes as a 'just in case', to let me SnS if they somehow get inside thier movement range before they charge.

The other Rangers will be setup in such a way that they can't be charged Turn 1, but they'll still face shooting, so Shields will let them weather that.

The lack of Runes is mostly a lack of good choices to add them to, the Engineer and Bolt Throwers wouldn't get enough of a benefit from them, and a single banner Rune isn't worth it if the Bretonians can't field Fear or Terror causing units.

Setup & Tactics

Setup is easy, as how we setup the Engineer, Gyrocopter and Bolt Throwers is mostly inconsequential to their part to play in the fight. Usually I try to be as close to the center/front as I can be with them, unless I have to put the Bolt Throwers and Engineer on a Hill off to one side. Rangers get setup 12" away from the enemy forces, Core front and center to bait a turn 1 charge, the other two on the flanks to let us bring more supporting fire and prevent any flanking of our Core Rangers.

Bolt Throwers being set up on a hill, are there to soften up blocks of Knights, and by soften up, I mean kill enough rank and file to help drop an opponent to 4 or less rank and file models in each unit with a character. This stops 'look our sir' and forces them to allocate hits from massed Crossbows and Clatterguns onto Enemy characters and hopefully let us wound/kill them even if the Unit survives.

The Engineer will pick out a target of opportunity if they can, while still remaining in command range of the Bolt Throwers

Gyrocopters are rushed forwards via Vanguard and Marching. Clatter guns still let us shoot targets of opportunity, and it's actually worthwhile grouping them into 1-2 units so that they can combine the number of shots fired against 'softened' units of Knights.

The 3 units of Rangers are deployed as close as possible to the enemy forces, so we have short range on Crossbows. I usually deploy them in a single rank to increase the number of shots fired, and in the case of my Core unit, the number of attacks they return with their great weapons in combat should the opponent charge, and it's Bretonians, they will charge. Being setup as close as possible still puts us outside their Movement speed, thus we get a Stand and Shoot reaction, unless a unit/BSB takes the Banner of Châlons, in which case I'll see if I can focus them into uselessness before they get a turn.

While my choices of Targets changes depending on what my opponents take, if they slap a character in a unit, I soften said unit up with Bolthrowers, as it pretty much smashes their armour save. I'll focus on Generals and Handmaidens first, unless a BSB is carrying the Banner of Châlons.

Magic is useless if the wizard is dead, and I've managed to pick off the Handmaidens in my round one shooting in my 3 of my 4 solo games. Now, they could try and setup a Handmaiden 3" outside a unit of Knights, but that just requires us to maneuver a unit of Gyrocopters over to make her the closest model and Clattergun her to death.

Bretonian turn 1 usually has some crying and agony to clear out first, but there's inevitably a charge on the Core Rangers with atleast 1 or two units of Knights. The Banner of Châllons will protect one unit but not 2 from a withering 20 Stand and Shoot Crossbows usually hitting and wounding on a 3+. Then the Rangers take thier licks, no champion prevents challenges protecting characters and so they strike back with the surviving Greatweapons. I've yet to see the Knights come out ahead in this clash, infact the SnS reaction has wiped out units before they close.

The only fight that has lasted 3 turns was against a massive 1075 pt Lance of Knights and characters, this was also the fight that I couldn't kill the Handmaidens turn 1, she died turn 2 when they forgot to turn of Flight and the Gyrocopters slammed in on the flank

I wish I could test this against other armies, but the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet.