Are the High elves worth it in the long run?

[Paradus]

Greetings fellow asur. I have been wondering over which army I should start and finish with fully painted. I have been looking into the Asur for they have some great colour variations and nice models. The thing that I'am not sure about though are they worth it game wise in the long run? Are they a good tactical and flexible army. Do they have lots of army variations that work and can they be kept fresh and not get boring and dull after a while playing and painting them?

cheers.

[Tirrith]

Hi Paradus,

Well this is not an easy question to answer. There are many views from this forum, ranging from:

1) Our army is one of the weakest and getting weaker with every new book.

to

2) Our army is OTT because of ASF.

I am in between and think our army can compete against any opponent and army.

We can have many different builds:

Magic heavy
Infantry
Shooting/Gunline
Cavalry
Dragons
Or the more balanced list (difficult to master but well worth the challenge IMO).

I think, with Warhammer, you must go with your original gut feeling.

But in short, my answer to your question is Yes, they are well worth it.

Cheers.

[Marinero]

I would fully back what Tirrith said.

In Warhammer, the most important thing IMHO, is that you like the story and background of an army, and most importantly, its models. Also, it is important that the specifics of the army match your playstyle

[Musashi]

To be an O&G player you need to have a sense of humour.

High Elven players need to have a sense of destiny.

[Lord Anathir]

the army list may be flawed and it may be not, but one thing is for sure, if you are a high elf player you can feel it inside yourself, and I myself after 8 years still enjoy every game with them (regardless of how frustrated I get with the list), more then I do when I try out other armies. If you don't get a little thrill when you use them, maybe the army is not for you. It is okay to lose sometimes.

When wood elves were the best list (when they were released) I switched to woodies from my high elves. The general concensus is that they have some of the best models and at that time they had the best list. But in about a month and after 7 or so games I stopped painted them, sold the models and went back to high elves. The game had lost its thrill when I wasn't comanding my beautifully painted elves of ulthuan.

[Ruerl Khan]

Go with what you feel for, don't buy all those arguments about feeling the "destiny" or any such "greatness", you won't be a greater person with a shining destiny to play high elves, just like you won't be a frothing maniac for playing dark elves -though we all know that Khorne players are tattooed big biker types who listens to death metal.

Where there is a point to it is simply this:
When you sit down with the high elf book, look at the models, read the stories, do they then inspire you and do you want to play them then? As Lord Anathir said, itsa ll about feeling for the list.

If you choose high elves I wish you luck, and give you this word of advice along the road: You don't need to be a whiner or a bragger when playing high elves, take your own path instead of following the roads of "common consensus" (wich raredly are either anyway).

If they remain a love to play, well, that depends on you really, no one can answer that question for you.

Regards

Ruerl Khan

p.s.
@Musashi: Gross oversimplification and not really a positive contribution to the thread or answering the OP's query. Please bother to actually post sometime.
Your a player on this board and a poster, not some guru who can't speak or write decent english or form reason behind his posts.

[Prince_Asuryan]

I agree with what Ruerl says;

I play HE not for the army list or the models, but rather for the background and the image that they conjure for me. If you're looking to win all the time, then no, HE are not the army for you. Play an army that inspires you to play for the the reason you picked up the hobby. Models, background or to game. Not for us to comment on really.

[SpellArcher]

Paradus you've got an army which can use every phase of the game. It's got varied infantry and cavalry, war machines, monsters, the works.

A lot of people stick with white and maybe blue for painting but there's lots of scope for variety, Arcarai's (and others') moody deep red colour scheme for one.

Ruerl I fear you may have over-moderated 'cryptic is my middle name' Musashi!

[Wildling04]

I am a fan of small elite armies. HE stories and background drew me to them, and even though I played chaos for a bit, they are not as tactical, nor do they have the variety of builds that HE have.

HE are probably the most tactical and least forgiving army in the game, and it is one of the reasons I like them. I also appreciate the variety in their list. They are rewarding and frustrating at the same time. (My dragon princes have failed 4 of 5 psychology checks in the last 5 games and my white lions have missed 2 of three stubborn checks in their last 3 games, just as a couple of examples). However, I always have a lot of fun playing them. Other armies I have tried I just don't feel fit my style of play as well.

[grantmepower]

HE are probably the most tactical and least forgiving army in the game, and it is one of the reasons I like them.

I agree with what he said otherwise, but no, High Elves are not the most tactical and leas forgiving. Sure you can be tactical with them, as with most armies, but the title of most tactical and least forgiving probably goes to somebody else (I think Tomb Kings, but people will disagree with me on that). The "Always Strikes First" rule actually makes HE more forgiving than many armies because it allows you to receive a charge with little ill effect.

High Elves have some great models and a good background, plus their book is competitive.
~Grant

[Wildling04]

HE are probably the most tactical and least forgiving army in the game, and it is one of the reasons I like them.

I agree with what he said otherwise, but no, High Elves are not the most tactical and leas forgiving. Sure you can be tactical with them, as with most armies, but the title of most tactical and least forgiving probably goes to somebody else (I think Tomb Kings, but people will disagree with me on that). The "Always Strikes First" rule actually makes HE more forgiving than many armies because it allows you to receive a charge with little ill effect.
~Grant

I do think TK are pretty tactical. I guess I was going for the combo of tactical and unforgiving, not necessarily the top of either, but when combined, they're darn close. No other army has our small numbers, low toughness, lightly armored troops, and such minimal defense against psychology. ASF helps in this regard, for certain, but the wrong moves are still very painful in this army. I don't see it as making the army forgiving by any means, I see it more as a partial defense against the low T and light armor.

[Beregond]

It sounds to me like you are mostly interested in a recreational army, with a variety of playstyles that can be fun and interesting. Asur can definitely give you that. Even in a highly-competitive environment, there are multiple playstyles and army builds that you can use. They are very fragile, though, and tend to make you pay for your mistakes. This can be both very good and bad, depending on your temperment and what you find rewarding.

[langbaobao]

Here's the thing. As Ruerl Khan said, look at the models, read the stories and if you like it, get them.
That being said, the High Elves are not an easy army to muster and are not very forgiving. However once you mister them you'll have an understanding of tactics few other armies can give you. Do not be fooled by the shiney ASF mechanic. As many can testify here, those who rely on it usually go down in flames. The army can bring to the table a lot of different builds, from magic to fighting ones. The only exception are tournaments where the only really competitive list is the stardragon list. However, many other armies are in the same situation, so that shouldn't bias you too much in your decision.

[Lord Anathir]

HE are probably the most tactical and least forgiving army in the game, and it is one of the reasons I like them.

I agree with what he said otherwise, but no, High Elves are not the most tactical and leas forgiving. Sure you can be tactical with them, as with most armies, but the title of most tactical and least forgiving probably goes to somebody else (I think Tomb Kings, but people will disagree with me on that). The "Always Strikes First" rule actually makes HE more forgiving than many armies because it allows you to receive a charge with little ill effect.
~Grant

April fools?

[Ramesesis]

Having a sense of humours helps in all Warhammer armies.

Being uptight and overserious is what causes elitism, whine and bragging. Neither is good between mates and will cause conflict. After all, HE are pretty comical, just like the goth pixies.

I have no problem talking about "Aggressive treehugger" nor about my "Manly men in baggy pants or tighty tights". They got their glory and their charm.

Now I am more or less determined to do my O&G army, finally.

[garythewargamer]

I love the HE. I believe you have to be a good general to do really well with them. I am not a good general yet. When I lose I can generally pick out the spot, movement or deployment where I messed up with. Each unit has its purpose and when used for that it is generally a win unless bad rolls. Yes there are times that they are frustrating but then again there are times when they are a pure delight. I have played a Teclis magic heavy army, a star dragon and presently I am playing a white lion themed army. Three chariots one with Korhil and white lions with the captain of the PG as their noble. Small detachments of swordmasters which either do a lot of damage or catch a lot of arrows.

They can be played nearly any style but I have yet to come up with a all cavalary list like my Bretonnias. Yes they have some problems with close combat but with ASF against normal units they will hold their on.