Old World Frenzy
How does it work and how to control it
If you like dominating close combat in Warhammer: The Old World, today I bring you a rule combo that takes charges to the next level. Not only will it let you reach further, but it will also make your charge practically unavoidable. And the best part: it works across several factions.
It’s all about the synergy between Frenzy, Warband, Swiftstride, and Skirmishers. These might seem like strong standalone rules, but here I’ll show you how they interact to truly unlock their full potential.
The Problem with Frenzy and How to Fix It
There’s always been a major downside to Frenzy: the obligation to DECLARE a charge if there’s an enemy within reach (declare a charge, since in The Old World charging depends on a dice roll and might not actually happen). This allows your opponent to manipulate distance, forcing you into risky long charges and leaving you stranded in the middle of the battlefield—waiting at best for a frontal countercharge, though it usually comes from the flank. Furthermore, Frenzy makes you immune to psychology and prevents you from fleeing… you can guess how that usually ends.
Let’s take an example:
If you’re fielding Chosen Chaos Warriors of Khorne (Movement 4), their maximum charge range is 10″ (M4 + 2D6). A smart opponent will stand exactly that distance away, forcing you to attempt a charge on a 6+ on 2D6, which is not easy to pull off (30.556% success rate, to be exact).
Warband in The Old World: The Key is the Reroll
With the arrival of Warhammer: The Old World, the Warband rule was introduced, which among other perks allows you to reroll charge rolls. This completely changes the game.
If you combine Frenzy + Warband, instead of needing a 6 on two dice, you now have two chances. You need to roll a 6 on four dice. That’s a lot easier (the success rate jumps to 51.775%).
But we’re not done yet…
Swiftstride and the Extra Die: The Cherry on Top
If your unit also has Swiftstride, the charge becomes even more reliable. This rule lets you roll three dice and pick the two highest to get your charge distance—up to 9″.
Let’s put it in perspective:
You roll 2D6, keep the higher,
Then roll a third, which adds to that die.
You need a total of 9 on those two dice.
If you fail, you reroll (thanks to Warband).
The difference is massive. Give it a try—roll three dice and observe how frequently you can reach 9. And if you don’t, reroll thanks to Warband. With this combo, long-distance charges become routine rather than lucky shots.
I don’t know how to calculate the exact probability in this case. If there’s a mathematician in the room and you want to figure it out, I’ll gladly edit the post and thank you big time.
While we wait for a math wizard, grab 3 dice and give it a shot 🙂
Skirmishing Units
Now we’re looking at a 4-rule combo, which is not common in a single unit.
But it’s a really strong combo.
Keep in mind that as a Skirmisher, you have 360º line of sight, so you can charge in any direction. That makes it really hard for the enemy to set up traps for your Frenzied units, since they no longer have to control just the 90º arc in front of your unit—they now have to consider every unit around you because you could charge any of them (even two, if one flees when you declare the first charge).
And that’s a huge advantage for you.
Update for version 1.5 of the game: now, in order to declare a charge, more than half of your unit needs to have line of sight to the enemy. This usually works against us, since it often prevents charges—especially with large units where models block each other’s vision.
But it can also be used to your advantage to control the direction of charges for units with Frenzy or Impetuous.
Say you’ve got a unit of 5 Khorne skirmish riders, and you don’t want them to charge forward—you want to protect your flanks instead. If you line up 2 of the riders horizontally next to each other as a sort of barrier, and position the other 3 behind them, you can control their Frenzy.
Here’s a lovely diagram I made in Paint to show what I mean:
- In this setup, only 2 models can see forward—that’s less than half, so you can’t charge that way.
- To the flanks, 4 models have line of sight, so you can charge in that direction.
- To the rear (bottom of the image), 3 models can see—but you could even tweak the positioning a bit to make sure all of them do, meaning a rear charge is also possible.
Remember that when you take shooting casualties, you choose where to remove models from—so taking losses in that unit shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, if your opponent positions poorly in front of you thinking they’re safe from a charge, and then makes the mistake of causing casualties, you could just remove one of the barrier models and suddenly open up line of sight for a charge.
Units that Benefit from this Combo
The unit that benefits 100% from this combo is the Chaos Marauder Horsemen of Khorne. They have all four rules. I don’t think any other unit in the game has all four, but here are some that take great advantage of it in part:
3 out of 4 rules:
- Huscarls of the Chaos Sea Wolves of Khorne (can’t be Skirmishers)
- Savage Orc Boar Boyz (also can’t be Skirmishers)
- Goblin Wolf Riders (they’re Impetuous, not Frenzied)
2 out of 4 rules:
- Kurnous Riders: Remember they can’t be Skirmishers and don’t get Warband even if they act like edgy hunters.
- Orc Chariots: Many chariots in ToW don’t have Swiftstride, so don’t assume they do. I’ve got a killer post where I compare all the chariots in the game—check it out below if you’re interested.
Overrunning in The Old World: The Final Problem with Frenzy
Watch out: Frenzy forces you to pursue and also to overrun without any chance to restrain yourself. AND IN THIS EDITION, overruns happen whenever you wipe out the enemy in combat before calculating resolution.
What does that mean? What’s the difference from earlier editions?
Simple:
You can chain them together—overrun-crash-kill-overrun-crash-kill—on and on, with no limit to one overrun per charge.
If you get charged or have already been locked in combat for several turns, the overrun still happens.
Keep a close eye on this, especially if you play Savage Orcs, because you need to coordinate your other units to brace for the enemy’s counterattack on the unit that’s left overextended (or to counter their counterattack LOL). Another trick is to place one of your own units right in front of the one you know will kill and overrun, so it bumps into your own troops and can’t continue charging forward.
Anyway, I hope this post was useful. Frenzy is one of the most iconic rules in Warhammer, and it’s seen some key changes in TOW that, if you don’t know them, could ruin a game—or make you miss a golden opportunity.
Here’s the post I promised earlier:
Core Cavalry in TOW 1.5. Is it worth?
Old World 1.5 Breakdown FAQs and Errata
New Missions | Matched Play Guide
If you think there’s an error in the post, feel free to reach out at theoldwarrior@theoldwarrior.com, and I’ll review it. Hope you enjoy ToW!