Lists for a newbie to learn basic Troll concepts

[OkieMurse]

So I'm pretty new at this game (and lose 90% of the time) and I like to hang around on Vassal during the week when I don't have time to get down to the LGS. A thought came to mind: Do you suppose that there are any types of training lists that could be recommended to a newbie to learn basic Troll concepts with?

I would guess 35-50 points since that's what the standard size on Vassal seems to be. My LGS plays at 20-25 points usually since that's all my friends own at the moment, but that's less of a focus to me since that's only 1 game a week on average.

This isn't the usual type of post asking "What list will win me the tourney?" but rather, "Are there any lists that might help me learn to play?". They should probably be basic and focus on core units rather than funny little tricks.

Ideas might include: Some sort of Brick, a Cav army (I haven't used any yet, intimidated by the rules), a beast heavy army, a shooty army, a mobility/objective army, a Jam army, etc...

I realize I should eventually learn to make my own lists, but for now I figured I could break the problem up into pieces and play a premade list or two until I figure out what models I like and don't like.

Again, this isn't asking what the "best" or most powerful/competitive lists look like. Just looking for some help with my training.

[Ganoes Stabro Paran]

20-25 pt games are harsh on trolls. I have found the best solution was to take a focused list that doesn't try to do everything, instead it does one thing well.

At 35 pts thing get better for trolls, I still don't play 50 pt games after a year of playing this game. Most people on vassal are ok with playing a 35 pt game.

I think learning trolls starts by becoming comfortable with one warlock. Your comfortable with a warlock when you know their full capabilities. For instance when I am playing with pMadrak I know exactly what he can do for me each turn, I don't ask him to do anything more or anything less. However when I play grim I want him to do 10 different things then realize he has one shot and 6 fury, so he cant possibly do all those things. Other times when i use grim I cant think of what he can do for me so I under utilize him and throw out a pointless buff or shoot a random target.

I can help with lists for Borka, pMadrak, and eDoomy the most. But I like to play a certain way with each lock so it may not work for you.

Borka 25 pts

Borka
Keggy

Mauler
Axer

Fennblades w/ UA
Fell Caller
SSC

I am really comfortable with this list. I almost always alpha strike with my fennblades and jam my opponent with iron fleshed, reach, medium base models. This allows me to position Borka and friends for some serious fun. I would call this an alpha strike / jam list.

I think it would be best if you get comfortable with the 25 pt list then ask yourself what you feel would help the list better achieve its main purpose. Once you can answer that you have an easy 10 pt progression to 35 pts.

I am preparing for a league and have been playtesting my theories on pMadrak, I have played him as a beast brick and an infantry brick in the past and had ok success. However I believe Madrak can do more and based on the results of my play testing I have found my new favorite load out.

pMadrak
Mauler
Axer

Fennblades w/UA
Fell Caller Hero
Min Ksb

The 35 pt version is much more complete, but even at 25 pts it performs. This list allows me to alpha strike or spread out and mitigate the initial charge and return a hard counter charge. What I like about Madrak is I can take on infantry swarms and heavy lists. What I really like is the mat buff stacking I can do and with the mauler around any one model can be a threat on the field. I'm partial to the ksb because it combined with surefoot allows me to have a nice bubble that I can place valued models in and make them much harder to kill. Like a mauler is usually a glass cannon, but with these two defensive buffs he is pretty hardy.

[OkieMurse]

Thanks! Both of those look fairly similar to what I've been running lately, and I have found them fairly straightforward to play. I've been playing almost all Borka so far, I should go back and give pMad a chance again.

The only problem I've run into so far is high armor - one of my good friends runs Butcher with a Juggernaut and a Destroyer so I have to deliver the Mauler just right or I pay for it. I think rather than change my list to be specifically anti-Khador (which I think is a bit too cheesy for casual games, especially when he only owns 20pts of models so he only has 1 list), I should keep playing one of the above lists and learn to win with it on a regular basis. Probably a lot to learn about jamming, positioning, and threat ranges there.

[Ganoes Stabro Paran]

Here is one thing that helped me concerning hard to kill targets.

You don't need your one heavy to kill the opponents heavies, and one model doesn't have to kill another model directly. At least not when the mauler is around.

Here is my point in a recent game I had an enemy heavy in range of my mauler. My fennblades had just made some great vengeance rolls and cleared out a nice path. The heavy in the mailers range was bait, he had another heavy and a light waiting for my mauler to come forward.

I opted to go for a grab and smash, my mauler did some decent damage on his two initial swings and the throw. It was an ARM 20 Target and I layed down around 20 damage spending four fury. I was able to hit the light with the throw target, then my fennblades charged forward, I put 5 blades on the thrown heavy killing him with average dice, one blade plinked a few damage on the light. Now my opponent's enemy heavy had to wade through 5 tough bodies to get to my mauler. To top it off I moved the Axer into a blocking position and my Kriel stone popped their aura making my fenns a little harder to remove and the Axer a whole lot harder to easily kill.

Terrain really helps the game. I always try to find ways to use terrain to my advantage. Blocking off the number of approaches your enemy has to you is a win in itself.

So my point with multiple heavies is, don't feel the need to trade heavy for heavy. Jacks are especially easy to deal with because you can castrate their weapons systems. Try to buy your time with good positioning and slowing them down with tough infantry. If you have Borka around knockdown enemy jacks and beasts if your not hurting for fury. Forcing to stand means one less fury or focus they have to use against you.

Finally loom for chances to get charge of the trolls off, fennblades do an average of 4 damage each to an ARM 20 target with +2 to damage rolls. It's pretty simple to do with the Axer around. The Axer has great range between reach and his animus. I have killed the squishier heavies with an Axer and 4 blades under charge of the trolls, but its really great for mopping up a heavy your mauler just chucked.

[nosrek]

Use a bandwagon list and build on it from there, eMadrak is a great place to start. He is very powerful at lower point games and his power just gets better as you move up. One great thing is his feat overcomes one main Trollblood infantry issue, one attack. Also his go to spell makes you feel like your playing cryx infantry.

eMadrak
Impaler
Pyre
Runebearer

Fennblades w/UA
Fell caller
Scouts

This is a personal favorite of mine at 25 pts. Just drop scouts to do 20 pt games.

[Urathave]

A fun list at 35 is:
eMadrak
Mauler
Bouncer (or axer if you take gobbers instead)
Runebearer

Fellcaller
max burrowers
SSC
Champ hero
max fenns + UA

It is a fun list and if you take it to 50 points add in horthol and max longriders and drop the SSC and bump the bouncer up to an axer.

[tallted]

I dont like to tailor lists to my opponents either, however for a friend i regularly play i do this often. It helps them learn how to deal with bad matchups. I have one friend who plays cryx, and he will create a list, and then play it until i can defeat him. Then i will continue playing my list till he can beat it, and we keep this cycle going. It has really improved both of our games a lot.

[OkieMurse]

I look forward to the point where my friends get enough versatility in their toolboxes to spar like that, it seems to be one of the best ways to learn.