So what is so cool/awesome/badass about the Skaven?

[Argronok0]

Personally I am not that much of a fan of anthropomorphized animal people in the Fantasy Genre. I just like more "Humanoid sub speiecies" like Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, Trolls, Giants, etc.

But I will try to have an Open Mind since I understand the appeal of certain factions like the Beastmen.

So define what is so popular about the Skaven, these Half-men, Half-Rat creatures.

Like what units they have that makes them increadible and how facsinating is their lore?

[Harukage]

They have ninjas.
And cannons that fire super destructive lightnings and also irradiate their crew and can explode.
And giant meat grin... i mean drills.
And giant hamster... doomwheels.
They have rat ogres - ogres that are rat, or rats that are ogres. Regardless - they are stupid as rocks.
And rats in gas masks that throw glass globes full of poisoned gass. They also often sniff that gas willingly inside their masks...
They blend technology and magic in the most bizzare ways possible.
Also Verminlords. Daemons that are both badass and fun.
And skaven never end. Ever. You kill 10000 - there are 9999999999999 more to come. Only Skaven can ( and often do ) defeat themselves.

[Aluminate]

I'm a rat owner personally and I love rats. Intelligent little buggers if there ever were any.

To play an army of ratties? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHQ6ba-n12E

[Zoie Shales]

Also Ikit Claw once made the atomic bomb under Middenheim out of Wyrdstone.

[Ysthrall]

Skaven do well as a mirror of the setting. They're there in the shadows and the deep places, gnawing away at the foundations of society and breeding in the hidden corners, just waitng for their chance to swarm out across the world like a tide (and they even got their own game in which they do so: Vermintide).

They have their own interesting and creepy tech, bizarre and funky troops types (and rats. Lots of rats. Regular, giant, humanoid, and ogre sizes). An interesting back story that reads like a horror story (unsurprisingly). They're also very widely spread (rats get everywhere) and thus they come in a variety of crazy flavours, to suit player preferences (Chaos mutants, ninjas, lightning techs, dark magicians, and biological weaponry enthusiasts, to pick a few).

They can also therefore pop up just about anywhere on the map. I think Skaven are as widely distributed in the setting as Greenskins and Beastmen, concentrating more on the "civilised areas" and less on the wild deserts and forests.

And finally, they fight each other as much as Greenskins do, for prestige, percieved insults, power, warpstone (congealed chaos magic, yum yum), and for clan politics. So there's a certain element of black comedy to them as well:

"We will unite and wipe out the dwarflings and the manlings and the dead things and the greenies and everyone will die beneath our chittering hordes... just as soon as we organise ourselves so that my clan is in charge..."

(And they're fairly original too. You can play the orcs, or the humans, or the elves or the undead in several strategy and/or RPGs.... Nasty infighting ratmen? A rarity)

[Jack Deth]

Skaven are the darkest mirrior image of humanity.

Their science is dangerous, unsafe, unreliable yet advanced. They genetic engineer through the use of mutations via warpstone treatment, science and magic. They also deal with biological weapons via the plague monks which are a frenzied cult.

They use warpstone, the stuff of chaos, for a variety of things. From weaponization, construction, science experiments, mutations, even digesting it/snorting it for a power bump...of in case of one infamous Grey Seer, just for the high.

They are cowardly on their own but a boiling pot of courage when in large numbers. They are paranoid, cruel, power hungry and they shot first (Star Wars reference)!

They have their version of Master Splinter. Ninja who throw who throw throwing stars with their tails. They speak using "thing" at the end of most...thing-thing. i.e. quick-quick fools! When they do speak english that is.

They are horror. With the mutations they display body horror, think something like the movie The Thing, Alien, Body Damage. They play on the fears of people who hate rats. They pay homage to the mad scientist of horror films of long ago.

They also pay hommage to Wile E. Coyote as their schemes, devices and packmates tend to blow up in their face some of the time (literally and figuratively). They also come off like the rats from the Secret of NIMH.

They really aren't anything oiginal in such they take from many sources and make something unique. Like stained glass. Though not to everyone's taste. I myself don't care for anthromorphic creatures for the most part...WtA and werewolves in general being the exception.

Still Skaven are hilarious and terrifying at the same time.

[HobbyCathartic]

They're my favorite Blood Bowl team to play.

[Zoie Shales]

Originally posted by Wu Ziheng:

They're my favorite Blood Bowl team to play.

Ikr, they are squishy but lighting fast and can easily touchdown. "Like a brown Blurr".

[HobbyCathartic]

Originally posted by Zoie Shales:

Originally posted by Wu Ziheng:

They're my favorite Blood Bowl team to play.

Ikr, they are squishy but lighting fast and can easily touchdown. "Like a brown Blurr".

Next time I need to replace one of my Gutterrunners, usually every few games, he's going to be named "Brown Blur".

[Zoie Shales]

Originally posted by Wu Ziheng:

Next time I need to replace one of my Gutterrunners, usually every few games, he's going to be named "Brown Blur".

hahah, awesome.

[EnStorEn]

Nothing really. Edgy faction for people who still think try-hard stuff is "cool".

[Voxrox]

They squeal so funnily when shred apart by rockets, mauled by cannonballs, cut to pieces by Greatswords, and oh how lovely they ran squirting the musk of fear when the Reiksguard charges them, and superior human magic tears apart their second-hand trashy warmachines ^^

[Zoie Shales]

Originally posted by Voxrox:

They squeal so funnily when shred apart by rockets, mauled by cannonballs, cut to pieces by Greatswords, and oh how lovely they ran squirting the musk of fear when the Reiksguard charges them, and superior human magic tears apart their second-hand trashy warmachines ^^

I want to see a video of that set to the tune of "Orphee aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld), Act II: Can-Can"

[Voxrox]

Originally posted by Zoie Shales:

Originally posted by Voxrox:

They squeal so funnily when shred apart by rockets, mauled by cannonballs, cut to pieces by Greatswords, and oh how lovely they ran squirting the musk of fear when the Reiksguard charges them, and superior human magic tears apart their second-hand trashy warmachines ^^

I want to see a video of that set to the tune of "Orphee aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld), Act II: Can-Can"

Personally I prefer my favorite imperial battle-track for such occasions ... nothing beats beating creatures of darkness while this plays ^^ Especially if you have LOADS of cannons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKmw9oS__MM

[Zoie Shales]

That is a pretty aweome peice to maul your enemies by.

[Darkaiser]

Skaven are very flavorful and can be played a number of ways. You like cheap horde units? They have that. Elite, expensive units? That too. Monsters? Yep...covered.

On the tabletop you could play them as silly or serious. Their funky blending of science and magic could make the deadliest war machines ever...or they could blow up and destroy half your army. Flip a coin and plug your ears...