Topic: What are you guys having problems with? lets address them.

[PeytonS]

If your going to use dwellers, i suggest running a level 1 with miasma. Drop the strength, THEN throw the dwellers.

I'm using a level 4 life, level 2 shadow, so this is a solid combo for me, and i'd suggest it to you all. Life gives you plenty of support for your DGKs and Stank, and Shadow gives you a good combat buffs to support your CC blocks

Miasma doesn't drop strength...you mean Enfeebling Foe right?  You only have a 1/6 chance of rolling that with a lv.1.

[rothgar13]

And a L4 Shadow is just as good as a L4 Life, IMO. To be honest with you, Lore choice is something I struggle with a bit when I look at Empire.

[Lord Solar Plexus]

There's no reason to struggle. There simply is no bad lore. Of course some are better suited to certain opponents (Ini tests vs Elves are often laughable) but that's besides the point. Fire, Heavens, Beasts, Death are all extremely cool, and I'm just tired of using Light all the time (which is pretty good as well).

[Fandir Nightshade]

Life ist the best choice. It is so good it is seen by many as the broken lore of 8th edition.

You have the most devastating offensive spell there is: Dwellers
you have the option to make your caster immune to miscasts (well I manage to roll the 1 on the 2+ often enough but still)
you have one of the best buffs there is +2 /+4 toughness is insane Orc Bigguns wounding on a 6+.

And the signature helps to heal warmachines and the steam tank. If I want to play as competetive as possible I go Lore of Life.

[Lord Solar Plexus]

Life is not the best lore. It's drawbacks are that it is predictable, that it depends on a series of spells, and a not so great basic spell. Dwellers is not better than other big spells - a Comet, a Mindrazor or a Pit can be unit deleters just the same.

[strassa]

i would agree with solar i actually think life is one of the most overrated lows out there! I think shadow is the best its enfeebling foe and witherin are great because not only can you cut the threat of a big bad unit in half but you can use the RIP spells as defense against your oppents clutch magic phase.

[Folken]

Plus with life, my opponents spend dice on a spell that in of itself doesn't do anything in of itself leaving me free to dispel the remaining spells. 

[rothgar13]

I agree with the above comments in that I consider Shadows to be more powerful a Lore than Life. Throne of Vines does nothing on its own, everyone and their dog knows that a 6-diced Dwellers is coming, and Earth Blood's range does it a major disservice. Compare that to Shadows, where the 2 (The Enfeebling Foe), 3 (The Withering), 5 (Pit of Shades), 6 (Mindrazor), and signature spells are all nasty.

[Fandir Nightshade]

Shadows is good but there are more high I armies out there than high S and even the high S armies come with S4 in the profile usually. Purple sun and pit of shades allow look out sir rolls dwellers doesn´t it is perfect for wiping out enemy mages. Final transformation can do it but it only works on a 6.

+2 toughness is fantastic as long the other guy doesn´t have mindrazor up, all the lore of live spells have very low casting value and the boon is too good to pass up even if you only eathblood the unit of crossbows he is sitting in. The lore attribute of shadows is pretty much useless most of the times. Shadow is good but you guys should try life more often.

Best combinations of spells I like to have

regrowth
stone skin
dwellers
throne of vines


start of the game dwellers and maybe stone skin if there are enough dice together with the throne of vines. and later reviving and stone skin. Workd got me good enough. Shadow won´t do much against Elves and little to skaven. He has just to dispel Miasma and he is pretty safe from the I tests.

[PeytonS]

Damn I'm glad I play under comp, Not getting a LOS from Dwellers would be terrible!  Regarding Life magic, the main problem I remember having was that you had to roll exactly the right spells in order for it to really kick off , which isn't easy with a lv.4.  Flesh to stone is great, so is regrowth, but not so much if you don't roll throne of vines.  Dwellers is awesome, but if you don't have the 2+ ignore miscasts it's really risky.  Or sometimes you roll something like Throne, shield of thorns, awakening of the woods, and regrowth.

Shadow has a majority of excellent spells, which aren't interdependant, but also have great synergy.

I don't think you can simply say that x lore is best for empire because y, it depends on your army build and playstyle.  I'm personally digging Light magic for my mostly mounted empire army, the buffs are really good and make sure my units can reliably hit and kill things (WS I 10, ASF +1 A), as well as survive (-1 to hit, Net).   

Just my 2 cents,

Cheers

Peyton

[Fandir Nightshade]

I switch between Shadow and Life but feel more comfortable with life....healing the stank is incredible. T6 with a 1+ save makes it one of the toughest monsters out there 10 wounds make it the king. Being able to heal it just introduced the Emperor to the game.

Two stanks with life and regrowth even without the throne is nice enough as you heal between 3 and 5 wounds.

[Ratarsed]

Alright, I have a situation that I have had to deal with for about a year now. I have come up with a few solutions but I am curious to see what ya'll think.

How do you deal with 130 night goblins run 13 by 10, all with shortbows and with a bsb with the poison banner. The unit has a level 4 night gobbo shaman and a goblin general with the crown of command. The unit also has nets and 3 fanatics. How do you deal with it?

That is a lot of points. How about 2 steam tanks and then deal with it at your leasure. the 1+ save does wonders against poison. Wouldn't waste my time shooting at it.

[Lord Solar Plexus]

I actually like to switch between all 8 lores, so yes, Life is excellent.

A STank does sound like the best solution to the Gobbo problem. Can you direct impact or breath hits/attacks on characters?

[Fandir Nightshade]

No they are randomized like shooting.

I tried to make fire work but am dissapointed.

[pippin_nl]

Flame cage and in the next movement phase drawing out his fanatics seems like a really nasty idea and since every model suffers a hit the fanatics could die as well (not sure but I thought they only had a single wound).

[Noght]

Alright, I have a situation that I have had to deal with for about a year now. I have come up with a few solutions but I am curious to see what ya'll think.

How do you deal with 130 night goblins run 13 by 10, all with shortbows and with a bsb with the poison banner. The unit has a level 4 night gobbo shaman and a goblin general with the crown of command. The unit also has nets and 3 fanatics. How do you deal with it?

My first thought is to just ignore it (by redirecting, blocking, etc), kill the rest and collect your win.
Unit killers (Dwellers, Final Transmute, PSoX) work great (actually Lore of Death may solve alot of your problems with Gobbos).
If you have to fight it, combo charge it and put something on the BSB to direct kill it cuz there ain't no defensive Gear.
Stanks, Knights into the Flank and GS in the front so he can't turn.

Are you guys playing rules that prevent the "unit killer" spells?  Because if you are then you get Deathstars like this (and then you kind of brought it on yourself).

Noght

[Fandir Nightshade]

But then you could consider a unit of 80 halberdiers that are stubborn too.

[Clymer]

There's no solution against Skaven apart from a new AB for them I'm afraid. I have another loss planned for today. 

Anyways, Skinks? Do not shoot Helblasters or Outriders at them, they're too difficult to hit. Use magic missiles - magic missiles are THE skirmisher killer. I guess a Steam Gun could work as well. Come to think of it, a charging STank would take them out in short order, and they don't get any charge reaction.

Huh... I find the formula of applying cannons to the bell and WLCs, followed up by an otherwise conventional game plan to be pretty effective. Oh, I guess the other big one is to throw small detachments of archers at the weapon teams. Shooting them works out well, but it's even better still if you can charge them in a way that they don't get a stand and shoot. I can't beat them all the time, but then again I don't expect to.

[Fandir Nightshade]

I always have a good fight against Aldaris Skaven ...with the old list have to try the new one too but I guess the new Steam tank and the Witchhunter will help with the overall battle plan.

[Swan-of-War]

There's no solution against Skaven apart from a new AB for them I'm afraid. I have another loss planned for today. 

Anyways, Skinks? Do not shoot Helblasters or Outriders at them, they're too difficult to hit. Use magic missiles - magic missiles are THE skirmisher killer. I guess a Steam Gun could work as well. Come to think of it, a charging STank would take them out in short order, and they don't get any charge reaction.

Lord Solar Plexus is dead on about Skinks - Magic Missiles are your best friend against skirmishers.  Pop in the Ruby Ring of Ruin on a hero if need be and let 'er loose.  You might also field a chaff unit of Free Company or something and deploy them somewhere near the artillery so that they force Scouts even farther back.  Buys you a little breathing room.

[Lord Solar Plexus]

game plan

Darn, I knew I forgot something! 

[Fidelis von Sigmaringen]

I usually manage to kill the Skaven weapon teams by magic (Heavens or Fire) and shooting (X-bows), before they ever come into play.