The trouble I'm having is which special units to select. You would think that because I'm facing Wood Elves the natural choice would be White Lions. Afterall, I know there will be wooded terrain (we tend to use quite a lot of scenery) and White Lions can traverse through woods without penalty. The white lion's pelt also offers good protection against longbow fire with a 3+ save (or 4+ against short range glade guard bows). Also, they have a strength 6 attack - very handy against the tough and high armour saves of Treemen and Treekin.
The problem I have is two fold-
1) I love swordmasters and have a good track record using them (once I've got them into combat)
2) I admire the staying power of large units of Phoenix Guard. I expect them to be one of the last units standing at the end of the battle. Also, because they are so hardy they are excellent at 'mopping up' small units at the end of the game because of their fear inducing qualities.
Now, having read that I realise I am suffering a high degree of fluffy romanticism.
I have already devised plans to deal with the inevitable treeman and treekin so I can discount the need for white lions to tackle those.
So, I guess the question is...
How much longevity do my units need and can I get units into combat without suffering too much missile fire casualties ?
If I expect this to be a long battle* then I really should consider Phoenix Guard more.
If I think I can avoid or shield my Swordmasters from missile fire then, it my eyes, they are a must inclusion. To do this I either need to engage the enemy missile troops with cavalry or a flyer (dragon or eagle) or I need to shield the unit into combat (maybe with cheaper troops, which means Lothern Guard or protected troops, ie. White Lions or Phoenix Guard). These options both present a considerable points cost. I can't just take other units to solely get my swordmasters into combat safely. So, if I do take units as a swordmaster 'support group' they will need to be meaty enough and effective enough to take on other battlefield duties. Furthermore the Swordmasters themselves will need to be dominant enough to justify such a high investment in getting them to the fight safely.
Hmmm... this is turning into quite a tough decision. I know I should take at least 1 strong White Lions unit but despite having written all of the above I'm still undecided about the remainder of my rank and file units :(
I'll let you know what decision I made after the battle and will post army lists of both the forces involved and let you guess who won before I tell you :)
notes :
* we do not agree the number of turns, we just play until it looks like there is a sure victor or we run out of time or if it looks as though the battle will end in a certain draw.
