Tactica: How Many Wizards???

One of the most challenging decisions to make in the new Warhammer rules is how many wizards to take and what magic levels should they be.

In the old rules, extra wizards meant extra power dice – it was a case of the more the merrier and I personally loved to rack up the magic in some armies to really overwhelm my opponent.

This has all changed in the new rules. Now, with only 2d6 power dice (and a very small chance per wizard of generating more), having too many magic users means you run out of dice fast!

But there are other factors:

• Failing to cast a spell means that the wizard in question can cast no more spells that turn. This could lead to wasted power dice and wasted opportunities.
• Losing a wizard as a casualty can mean that the same problem occurs.
• Miscasts can cause similar problems.

Some redundancy seems to be in order – having more than one wizard to cast spells if the first suddenly can’t do it.

But consider that a wizard adds his power level to his casting roll. A 4^th level wizard does seem to kick ass in the game and also has a wider range of spells to choose from.

In the last game I played I had a 4^th level and two 2^nd level wizards. This was too many. There weren’t enough power dice to go around at all!

Meanwhile I’ve played many a game where with a 4^th level and a 2^nd level wizard. In these the 4^th level wizard tends to do it all while the 2^nd level doesn’t do much… unless the 4^th level wizard messes up and can’t cast anymore.

Having said that, until I do some more playtesting, that is what I’m going to recommend: One high level wizard to do most of the work and a back up low level one to pick up the slack where needed.

The exact level of these wizards would depend on available points, either 4^th and 2^nd level or 3^rd and 1^st.

Let me know what you think!