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The most important point that I can emphasize in the design phase is that you need to have a clear strategy in mind before you begin. There are two maxims that characterize the chaos army. The first is that Chaos is spoiled for choice. What this means to you as an army designer is that you can make the chaos army be almost anything you want. You want a horde army? You can flood your opponent with Marauders. You want rock hard units? Chaos Warriors are your ticket. Want to dominate magically? Go Tzeentch. Want speed? You have Chaos Hounds, Marauder Horsemen, Flesh Hounds and much more. Want a shooty army? Well, you had better find another army to play.
The important thing to remember is the other maxim. Chaos units are expensive. This is your limiting factor. Chaos can be anything you want it to be, but if you invest heavily in one area you are forced to neglect the others. Additionally, if you try to do too many things at once you will not be very good at any of them. The third cost factor is that since they are so expensive, your troops will be in short supply. This makes every warrior count. There is no such thing as a 'throw away' unit in a Chaos army.
Designing an army is a balancing act. You must determine how you will win the game. The most basic way is to decide which of the phases of the game you wish to dominate. In order to examine design concepts more closely, we will break the design phase into the game's basic elements. These will be:
Dominating the movement phase is an art form. The basic principle behind this strategy is to use mobility to gain tactical advantage. It doesn't matter how many units your opponent has, or how hard they are. If you can isolate one of them and concentrate your forces on it, you will be victorious. A unit of Marauders is not a formidable unit, and it could not statistically defeat a unit of Savage Orcs. Similarly, Chaos Hounds could not statistically defeat a unit of Savage Orcs. However, if you hit the Orc unit in the front with the Marauders, and on the flank (or better the rear) with the Hounds, you should win the combat with resolution alone (i.e. ranks, standard, flanking, outnumbering).
The advantages of focusing on the movement phase are that the game lends itself to this type of advantage, and the Chaos Army has more than enough fast units at your disposal.
The disadvantages of focusing on the movement phase are that, by nature, fast units are very delicate. They are particularly vulnerable to shooting (the bane of any Chaos army). They are also vulnerable when they are not moving. In many cases if they do not break their opponent in the first round, they are doomed. There are lots of 'bog down' units (i.e. flagellants, swarms, large ranked units) that will effectively negate any advantage you have.
SHOOTING:
Historically, this has been the Achilles' heel of the Chaos Army. In the 4th edition of the Chaos army book there was only one unit that could shoot. It was the underused (but ultimately cool) Centaurs. In 5th edition there was no shooting whatsoever. Now in 6th edition we again have a unit that can shoot.
The bad news is we are still probably the weakest shooting army offensively. The good news is we are still one of the strongest armies against shooting. Our high toughness and great armor saves shield us from all but the worst of it. Bowfire is nearly eliminated. Crossbows and handguns are slightly more effective, but still not that great. War machines, however, are deadly. How many times have you seen a Chaos general reduced to tears because a bolt thrower just skewered his Knights, or a hellblaster just made hamburger of his unit of Warriors. In general, any unit your opponent possesses that has a ranged attack that can ignore armor saves needs special attention.
The Chaos army will never dominate the shooting phase, but we do at least have the option now. Marauder Horsemen can be equipped with either javelins or throwing axes. Although expensive, this actually makes a formidable combination. Consider this: A unit of Marauder Horsemen armed with throwing axes benefits from the rules for fast cavalry and from the rules for thrown weapons. This means that the unit can march and fire. When it does fire it has no penalties for moving or for long range. And because of the characteristics of throwing axes, they have strength of 4 if they hit. The only drawback is that you have a mere 6" range, which the mobility of the unit should compensate for. I cannot see a valid reason for ever taking javelins. You only gain 2" of range, and you lose a point of strength. Let me be clear, this unit is not a game winner. It will, however, allow you to eliminate some nuisance units.
EXAMPLE: In the Ravening Hordes era I faced an all Night Goblin army that had twelve fanatics. Normally the idea of a Goblin army even taking the field against Chaos would be laughable, but considering I couldn't charge the fanatics (and thus couldn't attack them) and I couldn't shoot them, I was forced to try to maneuver around them. With twelve of them on the battlefield, I don't have to tell you that this was a formidable task. Since they ignore armor saves, they tore through my army with ease, and what was left got mopped up by the gobbos. A few of them tore back through his own units, but who cares? They are goblins! I had no remedy for that problem. If I faced that army again today, I would make sure I had at least 3 units of 5 Marauder Horsemen armed with throwing axes. The nuisance would be effectively dealt with, and I could then play my game.
There are many kinds of nuisance units. Single characters, small scout units, and single flyers are commonly used for march interdiction. Marauder Horsemen with throwing axes is a possible solution to these nuisances.
MAGIC:
Ahh the magic phase. Many Chaos generals eschew the idea of winning the game through domination of the magic phase. They call it cheesy or beardy or even cheating. The idea of Chaos dominating magically is quite justifiable. Magic is, by definition, the essence of Chaos. Besides, a good general never ignores any weapon in his arsenal. It provides a much-needed ranged attack (in many cases). A word of caution: Just because you have twelve casting dice per magic phase does not guarantee that you will be effective. This method relies heavily on good dice rolling. The more dice you throw the greater your chance of rolling a miscast.
The most obvious way to dominate the magic phase offensively is to follow the Way of Change. Tzeentch is the master of magic, and with his Mark all of his followers will be magically adept as well. A Chaos Lord with the mark of Tzeentch and the Staff of Change which allows him to re-roll miscasts is an arcane force to be reckoned with.
Chaos has a varied and effective array of spells to choose from. The lore of Tzeentch is very effective, as are all of the Chaos Lores, as well as the more common lores of fire, shadow and death for the forces of Chaos Undivided.
Defensively you have two options. If you merely want to defend yourself against hostile magic you can either go with the mark of Khorne, or you can get yourself a 'scroll caddy". A 'scroll caddy' is a first level wizard with two dispel scrolls. This provides moderate spell protection at a reasonable cost. I, personally, do not like the idea of a scroll caddy, but it is so effective that I include one in every army I make.
COMBAT:
The combat phase is where the Chaos army truly shines. Point for point and pound for pound no other army can match up to the sheer ass-kicking power that Chaos commands. This was much more true in the 4th and 5th editions than it is now. Chaos still has the edge, but the gap has closed considerably.
The meat and potatoes of the Chaos army has always been Warriors and Knights. They are stand-alone units, meaning that they don't need any other unit in order to have tactical advantage. Be advised, the game designers have made these units, as we know them, very elite (even if they call them core). Chaos armor that once was freely distributed amongst all followers of the dark gods is now, justifiably, reserved for the cream of the crop.
Chaos Warriors and Knights come in two flavors, regular and Chosen. The Chosen Chaos Warriors are cut from the 5th edition cloth. They have two attacks and chaos armor. The drawback is that they are very costly, and you are only allowed one unit. Regular Chaos Warriors and Knights have only one attack and wear heavy armor. They are still better than most similar units out there, are definitely worth the price, and you can have as many of them as you want.
One must be cautious about the inevitable yearning for the 5th edition glory days of Chaos. There is a great temptation to make big Chosen units. What you need to consider, when designing your army, is that the rules themselves have changed. Mass infantry is king these days, and flank charges are that much more of a danger. The more points you invest in elite units, the less units you will have, and the more you increase your chances of being outmaneuvered, outflanked, and overwhelmed. Could a unit of Chosen Chaos Warriors fight its way out of a situation like that? Probably. But that would take some serious dice rolling, and remember, we are trying to gain a tactical advantage to minimize the effects of the dice.
The key to winning the combat phase is making sure your units are well supported while cutting off your enemy's support. To do this you must have support units. The foundation from which you build your army is Warriors and Knights, but in order to gain tactical advantage you need others. Marauders, Marauder Horsemen, Chaos Hounds, Chariots, Daemon units, and Spawn are the support units at your disposal. Each has its uses and drawbacks, and each is a means for accomplishing different ends.
The individual characteristics and value of these units will be discussed in great detail in the Mustering the Troops section.
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