Do dwarven Ballista's have any place in SBG any more and are there any key rules to follow when using them like aim at huge clumps of infantry or to have specific upgrades?

I just got two of these myself and was wondering people's opinion.

They're not accurate so no good for sniping, but they do a fair bit of damage if they do hit!

I think the downside is models can move faster with heroic marches, and the random deployment of warbands can hurt them.

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The only time i picked a dwarf balista was VS isengard, my opponent had a big tight formation of uruks with 2 lines of pikes. On the first round my balista killed 7 uruks and on the second 4 uruks ruining his formation big time and on the third round the balista bombed his troll killing it outright. ( so the balista earned double its points cost to kills )
To conclude i think it is worth VS armies like isengard, fiefdoms, easterlings and other armies that use tight phalanxes.

(but my example was with the old deployment rules)

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Armies:Fiefdoms, Eastern Kingdoms

Okay so if it will have chance for several turns of shooting they're good for crushing armoured armies. Any insight on gondor bolt throwers too?

Bolt throwers are quite different, they only deal a point of damage to the target (if you manage to wound, but you usually do on a 3+/4+) but don't go through targets in a straight line like the dwarven ballista does. Though they can strike multiple targets with projectiles because it can shoot more than once per turn.

Thus, it is more effective against armies that do not rely on tight phanalxes but more along the lines of ones that can scatter a little more. Both are still quite effective if you can get them set up properly though.
That's all the information I can give, hopefully that helps a bit.

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Yeah that's a big help cheers

They're good for "fun" games. With the BS skill to hit at 4+ you're more than likely not going to hit to often.
I've taken them a lot, but more often than not, they sit useless fairly quickly.
I have a few heroic moments with them, but the points can be used better elsewhere.
If you do decide on taking one:
1) buy an extra crewdwarf. -the ability to reposition at 5" instead of 2 1/2" is a boon.
2) remember you still fire with line of sight. -setup on an elevated area.
-Scar

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Okay cheers, I'd love to try and slip one into a small points game but I think you're probably right with "fun" games like sieges and stuff.

When I took them they were small point games; from 500-600pts and they were all scenerio-based games. No forts. They're fun to pop off now and then and when the DiceGods are with you they really shine.

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