In the earlier section we discussed the need to have an overall strategy in mind when designing an army. This section focuses on the specific purpose and objectives for each individual unit. When selecting a unit it is important to have a clear idea why we are selecting it, and what it is supposed to do for us. We will refer to these concepts as the unit's purpose (the why) and its mission (the what). It is perfectly valid and understandable to take a unit because you like its background, or just because you think the models are cool. However, in order to gain tactical advantage, one should have a strategic purpose and mission in mind for each unit on the board. There are far too many missions that a unit can fulfill to list them all, but here are some of the most common for the Chaos army.

• Shock Melee: This is the classic Chaos mission. Hit enemy units hard and break them with sheer number of wounds caused. Chaos Knights and Chariots are examples of shock melee units.
• Attrition Melee: The mission of most ranked infantry units. Charge (or get charged), then defeat the enemy through combat resolution, or simply hold the enemy in place until a flanker can be brought to bear. Chaos Warriors, Marauders, and even Chaos Spawn are good attrition melee units.
• Flanker: The title says it all. The mission of these units is to maneuver around to the flank or rear of an engaged unit and strike, taking rank bonus away and possibly causing a panic check. Chaos Hounds and Marauder Horsemen are good examples of flankers.
• Sweeper: Similar to a flanker, a sweeper's mission is to move quickly into the enemy's backfield and eliminate potential threats that may be found there. Classic targets for sweeper units are war machines, ranged units, and single characters. Chaos is lucky to have the ultimate sweeper unit (and we need it), the Chaos Furies.
• Missile: The mission of these units is primarily to whittle down units (or possibly destroy them) through missile fire. Chaos currently has one unit that fits this category, the marauder horsemen.

When designing your army it is helpful to group your units into teams. A team is simply two or more units that work in cohesion to fulfill a strategic purpose. The most common team would be an attrition melee unit and a flanker. There are two ways to use this team. You could make a combined charge with both units in the team (make sure you have the flank with the flanker), thereby taking away any rank bonus your enemy might have, and win the combat through resolution factors. The other way is to accept a charge with the attrition melee unit and if you hold, charge the flank with the flanker on your turn. This will cause a panic check, and if they don't flee from the panic you still have taken away their ranks and should win the combat through resolution factors.

The combinations of units that can be assembled into teams are numerous, depending on your strategic purpose. The attrition melee/flanker is the most common and not surprisingly the most effective. You may also combine an attrition melee unit with a shock melee unit, counting on the shock melee to get wounds, and the attrition melee to contribute ranks and unit strength. A combined charge from a unit of chaos warriors and a chariot will break most any unit. Two shock melee units could combine on a charge, but considering the cost of most shock melee units it is a waste of points to do so. As a Chaos general you must be miserly with your units, and not waste forces. Your units are expensive and few, so use them wisely.

It is important that you deploy and maneuver your teams with their strategic purpose in mind. Your team must always be in position to make the appropriate charges or reactions. If you have a unit of marauders (attrition melee) and marauder horsemen (flanker) in a team, be careful not to let the cavalry outrun the foot troops, otherwise you will be out of position and the team will be ineffective.

Not all units should be assigned to teams. Chosen Chaos Knights with a Chaos Lord leading them needs no help in most situations to win a combat in the first turn even against a fully ranked unit with heroes. Sweeper units should be detailed to work alone as well. They should be behind the enemy lines and away from all help anyway.

A Special Note on Characters: Characters play an important part in any army. They can lend significant support to units or act on their own. When assembling your units, and joining them into teams, be aware of your characters' roles. If you make a combat character, he should go into an offensive unit. If a character is detailed into an attrition unit, equip him accordingly. He should have mainly defensive items that allow him to endure (and deal out some damage) and use his leadership when it counts.

Chaos Sorcerers are an interesting puzzle for the chaos general. In order to be effective (i.e. be able to cast their spells) they must have a clear view of the field. With the new rules, it is much easier to target and eliminate single model units, so you should put him in a unit. This will hinder his spell-casting abilities somewhat, but if he is dead then he can't cast anyway. The other problem is that Chaos Sorcerers are not very good in combat any more. Placing him in the combat rank of almost any unit will limit your combat effectiveness. There are always trade-offs, and this is one of them.

The single most important character in your army is, of course, your general. The greatest advantage that the general confers is that all units in a twelve-inch radius can use his leadership. Leadership is not what it used to be for the Hordes of Chaos. Most of your units will have a leadership of eight, marauders have a seven, some others have less. This means that if they get in trouble, they might need some assistance. One solution is to put a character in every unit, but that is cost-prohibitive, and most characters have a leadership of eight anyway. Another solution is to make sure that your general is in a position that his leadership will have the greatest effect. That most likely means putting him in an infantry unit. If you have spent the points for a chaos lord, you probably want him in a cavalry unit where he can do the most damage, and as soon as possible. The third solution is to let the general lead the way and to hope for the best. This is another one of those trade-offs.

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