i have purchased a atlantean ram chariot and was wondering how i would use it. i mainly like to play 200 or 300 point games. is it the absolute best thing to put a passanger in it? or is it fine with out one? any advise on it would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

-kyle

Always use any chariot with a passenger. The passenger get so many benefits from riding, it isnt even funny. And he can make up for the relatively low attack values of your chariot.

General Stormfox

Dwarven Hammerskald does extremely good in the chariot. Jarl Frostriven or even a Dwarven Axe-Knight will do, but the Hammerskald is definitly a great choice for a passenger.

A lot of people are talking about chariots now.

In a chariot, the normal front arc of the figure is replaced. Using a figure with an arc bigger than 90 degrees is kind of wasted.

Since ranged attacks are limited to 8", using a figure with a range bigger than 8" is kind of wasted.

Since any movement SA's of the passenger are ignored as long as he is in the chariot, you want to stay away from figures with expensive movement SAs.

I think everyone agrees that the ideal chariot passenger would have Sweep, Toughness and a ranged attack of 8." Possibly on purpose, this figure does not seem to exist.

well hey, you could pop in a mino warrior or mage. two out of three ain't too bad. i've never had a chance to face a chariot in battle. i was wondering if anyone's seen someone stuff a tormented soul in one...is it even practical?

I agree with the above with people saying Dwarven Hammerskald, Jarl Frostriven, Mino's. I usually in a 200pt. game use either Jarl Frostriven(lvl3) or a standard Minotaur Warrior. The chariot I like to use is the KI Charger. Jarl is probably the best to use in my opinion due to the multiple ways you can use him. The good to ol' Jarl Frostriven is he is relatively cheap(54pts.) for what you get. The package includes an 11 attack with sweep, 16 defense with Magic Immunity (I don't think that it plays a big part when he is in the Chariot though), and 4 damage with Command.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Minotaur as well, for 42pts. you get a toughness character with an 11 attack with sweep and does 3 damage. The toughness helps with splash thru damage pretty nice, especially since the KI chariot has toughness.

In higher scale games, Gatelord is IMO the best passenger for a chariot though!

Just to toss out another good figure as a passenger:

The Screeching Terror ***

He has a shockwave that covers everything next to or near the chariot, which is about as good as a weak sweep, an 8" ranged attack, 10 attack, 3 damage, costs only 36 points, and his vampirism helsp him to selectively suck himself back up on those that survived his inital shockwave if he gets hurt.

General Stormfox

Good strategy StormFox. One question though, doesn't the shockwave effect all the sections of the Chariot?

When looking for a Chariot passenger, I look for figures that have their weaknesses offset by the Chariot.

1. Defense does not really count, except for toughness and invulnerability. This is why Trolls work well back there.

2. Speed is irrelevant, so a very slow figure is great back there. (again, trolls work pretty well, as do dwarves)

3. The range in the Chariot is only 8", no matter what the figures range is.

I also look for figures that exploit the Chariot rules. Any figure with Sweep works great. The Dungeons figures in general work well, because their defense is typically lower than other uniques. I like Lord Oren in the KI Charger at 3rd level because he has Command, Sweep and 4 damage. I pay for the Battle Armor, though, which he cannot use, and he has no ranged attack. I love Jarl Frostriven at 3rd level in the War Wagon, but I am paying for Magic Immunity as well, but pick up the 6" ranged attack.

Now...what we have all been waiting for. In the Atlantean Ram, I like.....the tough Amotep Incinerator. He is not a fancy figure, but check out the stats. Except for the 8 attack, he is really solid back there. He or she has an 8" range, low speed and defense, but picks up 4 damage and Flame Lightning. All of this for 27 points or something like that means that you will have plenty of backup even in a 200 point army. The Incinerators 8 attack is somewhat offset by the cheap "double ram" trick of the Chariot.

I love the Chariots, as you can tell, sorry for being verbose.

Robert

Good strategy StormFox. One question though, doesn't the shockwave effect all the sections of the Chariot?

No. According to the Chariot Rules, the passenger's attacks may never affect the chariot.

alright, thanks all. i dont have a Screeching Terror *** but i do have a Ki Devel**. dont have a jarl :( shock wave sounds like a good idea though.

yes.. i myself uses Lord Oren at level 3 on the KI Charger and he simply kicks butt! :D

the incinerator is kinda has a low attack for me... but ill try it soon.

I would say, a passenger is a MUST, but not necessilary.. I have played Rock Minion on the chariot in 200 points game, NICE.. but if any larger.. I still uses Rock Minion but sometimes put in Gatelord because any damage done to chariot is reduceded by its INV or Toughness then plus roll a dice to see if you get 5 or 6 then carry over then passeneger usually does not take damage since reduceded damage so.. heh heh... try this one!

Like everything else, just the passenger does not make a complete chariot army, what are your backups? In a 200 point game, you may be tempted to put a huge figure back there, and be done with it. I like to save a few points for backup. My Lord Oren army was:

KI Charger w/ Lord Oren at 3rd level
Tough Squire
Tough Light Lancer (or, if factions do not bother you, use the weak Unicorn Bladesman)

Really nice looking, fun to play army.

Give your opponent something else to worry about, and you wil see more victories. Since you have the Atlantean Ram, you can even use

Atlantean Ram w/ Weak Magestone Lord (127 points total)
Tough Amotep Gunner (24 points)
Weak Elite Surock Apprentice (18 points)
Weak Elite Surock Apprentice (18 points)
Weak Shade

Yep, Atlantean cheese rules!! Chariot double rams, next turn the Magestone Lord uses Magic Blast, the Chariot can then be broken away, and the Amotep can hose whoever is left standing!

Whooo!!

Robert