My favourite Fantasy Armies

Like everyone, I enjoy a good list and as such, here is a list of my favourite fantasy armies.

1. Dwarfs

Dwarfs are small, stout people with prominent features and long beards. I like miniatures because they are small (among other reasons) and Dwarfs are some of the smallest. Angry, grumpy and often drunk, Dwarfs are possibly the complete opposite of myself, but for some reason they have always appealed to me. Every chance I get, I choose to play as the Dwarf - in D&D, board games and of course, wargames.

I currently own a rather large Kings of War Dwarf army that I am in the process of re-basing onto multi-bases (the best reason to play KoW). I will no doubt post some nice pictures once everything is re-based. They are painted red, because Dwarfs should always be red.

2. Beastmen (The Herd)

A Warhammer specific faction, but one that can be adapted to any fantasy setting. The classic Beastmen were people who had been infected by Chaos and as such were quite often half human - half beast. There were birdmen, cowmen and even fishmen (?), but all were considered to be completely evil.

However, over time Games Workshop refined Beastmen into more of a tribal human/cattle race, with shamans, minotaurs and wild boars. They were still evil, but some people were obviously disappointed with the change of aesthetic.

I first got into Beastmen during 8th Edition and although the fluff described them as evil, I much preferred to consider them as a neutral race, like a fantasy equivalent of North American Indians (no offense intended). A nomadic race of people with traditional values and rituals and a close bond with nature.

When I started playing Kings of War I was delighted to see that the Beastmen equivalent were called The Herd and had a neutral alignment as this equated 100% with my vision for the Beastmen.

3. Elves (High Elves)

Elves are one of the classic fantasy races and I like to think that there's a little bit of Elf in all of us. More so than any other race, elves are often broken down into sub-factions representing specific types of Elves. In Warhammer Elves came in three varieties, High Elves, Wood Elves and Dark Elves.

High Elves are proud, few in number and love nothing more than to sport fancy, shiny armor covered in precious gems and jewelry. They are an organized, civilized race with a strong command of Magic.

Wood Elves are basically tree-huggers. They live in the forest, wear green and concentrate on maintaining a good natural balance.

Lastly, Dark Elves are much like Drow from the Dungeons and Dragons universe. Evil black and purple wearing Elves with scantily clad witches and large monsters like hydras.

Most Elf players tend to favour one brand of Elf over the others, even when they are mixed together (like in KoW). I prefer the High Elves, mainly for nostalgic reasons, but I also quite like the Wood Elves.

4. Skaven (Rats)

Another race that stems from the Warhammer universe, but one that can be easily adapted to other settings. Quite simply, cunning evil rat creatures who live under the cities of the world and want nothing more than to wreck havoc on all of civilization.

Skaven tend to favour mechanical means of battle, creating large war machines and spreading disease by means of catapults filled with ooze. In the Warhammer world they desire and hunt for Warpstone, a magically charged bright green substance that can be used to infuse their inventions with magical power.

Skaven are the only evil race that I like (Beastmen are not evil, just misunderstood), but I love the look of them and was inspired to create an army after reading the novel Skavenslayer.


I'm also a fan of Ogres, but have never created an Ogre army, as well as human races such as Bretonnia. I really don't like Warriors of Chaos, Orcs or Undead.

Ghorros.