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Unit Fillers; How do you feel about them?
Topic Started: 16th September 2011 - 11:21 AM (982 Views)
Metacarpi
Clanrat
Hello all!

I was having an interesting discussion with a guy down at my LHS the other day regarding unit fillers.

I like to field a Rat Ogre or two as a unit fillers in my blocks of 40 or so Clan Rats, just to break them up a bit a provide a bit of dynamism to the look of my army.

The guy I was talking with said he'd refuse to play someone doing that, because they aren't playing the models "as seen".

What do you guys think? Unit Fillers - Yay or Nay?
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Ratty Gnawtail
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Totally not a magpie

While I can see the point raised of it looking like a mixed unit (much alike to Skinks and Kroxigors) I disagree. As long as your opponent understands that the models are unit fillers then it should be more than fine. If they refuse to play you they are just being pig-headed about it. Indeed they have been many armies i've seen that use Unit fillers not necessarily from the same unit type. i.e Night Goblins with rogue Squig unit fillers, some Beastmen with Minotaur fillers, and indeed the Empire's dancing bear mascot is sort of one since you don't use any rules for the bear itself. So it's a Yay from me. :)
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Skavendrool
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As long as it is clear what the unit actually is, I don't have a problem with unit fillers (although I don't use them myself).

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WillQueek
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Got Nerfed
I do not leave without them.

Even in a tourney they do not care. I shall tel ya a tale.

1st tourney: Dwarves. Ogre unit filler, heavily converted to look like a dwarf. Judge said:
'that's not wysiwyc, no points for you. i was so pissed. Lost best painted army cuz of that.... :(

2nd tourney: (same location & judges) Skaven rogre unit filler. Judge said:
'that's not wysiwyc, no points for you' then i said: 'Oh that's no problem look. I grabbed 4 shields and 4 handweapons out of my bag (painted of course) and layed them down on the unit filler.' Got the points and became 2nd in best army.

3th tourney, dwarves again. Judge said nothing. (still same judge)

If you're boddy refuses to play. Just ignore, bet there are enough to play against.

I vote for YAY!
FOR THE GLORY OF THE HORNED RAT OF COURSE!

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scratchydoom
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perosonally:

as long as you explain it to your opponents it should be fine, but at the same time i would not use a rat ogre in a clanrat unit as a unit filler.
Instead maybe a wrecked chariot or something with a couple clanrats scampering over it...

if your opponent doesnt want to play you then just play someone else (they wouldnt be any fun to play against anyway...imagine what they would do with the rules of the game)
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Metacarpi
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scratchydoom
16th September 2011 - 01:36 PM
perosonally:

as long as you explain it to your opponents it should be fine, but at the same time i would not use a rat ogre in a clanrat unit as a unit filler.
Instead maybe a wrecked chariot or something with a couple clanrats scampering over it...

if your opponent doesnt want to play you then just play someone else (they wouldnt be any fun to play against anyway...imagine what they would do with the rules of the game)
My thinking exactly, I was up for organising a game with him sometime (you know, social hobby and all that!) but his attitude turned me off the idea massively!
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mrtn
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Unit fillers range from acceptable to great, I'm all for them.

You don't want to play with me? Well, then I don't want to play with you either. :P
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ratboy1018
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I think unit fillers are great as long as it is a decent model. It makes the game more affordable and can break up the look of single pose clan rats. I have seen columns as unit fillers in a DoC army. They looked great. At no time was I confused that unit actually contained columns. :P

As a side note. The stickler, is his army painted? If not, don't allow him to field any unpainted minis.
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DNA Maniac
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rogres wouldnt be my first choice, i prefer special made fillers and trying to keep the height of the unit same but unit fillers are great. We are using them in tournaments but still dont play with the dick head even if you are not going to field any unit fillers.
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Silas
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I agree with the others. If your opponent is going to be picky about you using unit fillers than they are unlikely to be much fun to play against anyway.

Unit fillers are fine as long as they are obviously a unit filler. So don’t use a character as a unit filler but otherwise almost anything goes.
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scratchydoom
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ratboy1018
16th September 2011 - 04:21 PM
As a side note. The stickler, is his army painted? If not, don't allow him to field any unpainted minis.
Ha! your starting to sound like one of my mates when we were younger. He said we weren't allowed to use unpainted models meanwhile all his painted models where missing limbs/heads/weapons :D

I do like playing against fully painted opponents though because it looks great :D
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Flem
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Pro unit fillers, a rat ogre between clanrats or slaves shouldn't cause any confusion since you can't to that with th army book.
Even GW used a ratogre as a unit filler in one of their articles, the one grabbing a gyrocopter . There isn't a single tournament out there that wouldn't allow you to field unit fillers, so that huy is being a *Bleep* . My advise don't play him if he acts like that.

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Metacarpi
16th September 2011 - 11:21 AM

The guy I was talking with said he'd refuse to play someone doing that, because they aren't playing the models "as seen".

What do you guys think? Unit Fillers - Yay or Nay?
It surprising to hear that anyone would have an issue with something like unit fillers.


I just wish I had figured it out when I started playing a million years ago. They help keep cost down and they can improve the look of unit a great deal. Anything that brings more creativity into a hobby is a good thing.
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Vulcan
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There are a few people out there who believe that, since they have the money to field full armies with no unit fillers, anyone using unit fillers are being cheap wusses or are just too poor to be allowed to participate in their holy sacrement to blowing time and money. Most of the rest of us live in the real world, and don't have any trouble with a well-executed unit filler.

Having said that, there are some basic rules to follow with unit fillers - informal rules, granted, there is no real way to enforce them, but it will save you some hassle with the people in the middle ground between 'whatever you like' and 'WYSIWYG ONLY!'

1) The Rule of Cool. If it looks cool, it works.

2) The Rule of Numbers. You can't go wrong with a ten-rat unit filler taking the place of ten rat models. You can go VERY wrong with a one-rat unti filler taking the place of ten rat models. At least come respectably close to using the number of models in the unit filler as you would in the same number of models it will replace.

3) The Rule of Effort: Don't just slap a rock on a base and call it a unit filler. Put a rat or three on top of the rock as a lookout. Don't just use a tree, chain a captive to the tree and have some rats tormenting it. Take some time and effort to make it look good and it will go a long way to making your unit filler more acceptable.
Edited by Vulcan, 19th September 2011 - 06:38 PM.
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Rakchew
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Hack 'n Slash!
I use the Goblins from Skull Pass as slaves and the Troll from Skull Pass (with chains around his neck being dragged by the gobbos) as a unit filler and no one said anything at the tournament I went to. I even still had the shields and spears on the gobbos (just in case I want to make a O&G army sometime) and no one at the tournie gave me any flak that I used them as bare/ hw only slaves.
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