So I've played roughly a year and my army lists changes constantly. I remember how I started out with a lone scar vet. Got sniped by my friends empire cannon so I quickly learned not to do that. But now I've gotten better. I know what my options are, what items to choose and can generally make most of an army on the head because I know the individual prices for the items I use. Point being that I've gotten much better in the following year. So here's the thing. A lot of times on warseer I hear about how the single most powerful unit in our book is considered to be scar vets. I agree. But they also talk about them as lone models. At 154pts we can get a scar vet that'll chew up most stuff so he isn't even expensive and csn take a proper beating before dying. So what us your experience with a lone scar vet or even oldblood? Is it worth to have a single model of these running around, holding up nasties and avoiding cannon balls as a champ?
I like to think of a Single Cowboy as a tactical option rather than as a list choice. There are situations where splitting a cowboy off from a unit is advantageous: To fight a unit of White Lions (flank or front, preferably flank) - The WL's will be Stubborn regardless, and the increased WS, T and armor will improve your chance to win a combat vs a medium sized unit (say 18 or less). If you send him in with a CO unit or a Saurus unit - you likely increase your damage (though if your unit is small enough, you may not) - but at the same time the amount of damage the WL's cause goes up considerably. Obviously, this example changes depending on what characters (if any) exist in the unit). Engaging/tying up a unit via a long charge - This especially comes into play if he's sitting in a unit of Saurus or Temple Guard. His increased range and Swiftstride can let you tie up a potentially slippery unit (say, Fast cav like Warlock Riders, or mounted/flying characters). In this case your more expecting the hero to survive rather than win, so that you can bring additional support to bare. If the original question is related more to army list choice of only 1 Cowboy (Scar Vet or OB), I'd have to say that I haven't tried it at games greater than 1k. I would argue that he likely needs to be part of a larger target saturation plan (Stegs/Carno's/Krox) or to have the ability to join a unit of Cold Ones. To be fair - he is pretty cheap for what he does - and in a tournament setting, you won't play against Cannons in every game (closer to half in my experience in the meta where I play). Also, the likelihood that you have a place to hide 1 Cowboy is pretty decent on most tournament tables. Overall, I'd recommend against it - and describe it as a sub-optimal strategy. My personal belief right now stems around a target saturation or target removal approach for items such as this. What I mean by that in this case is - either have lots of cannon/lore of metal viable targets for your opponent - or none. Taking 1 Cowboy goes against that approach for me.
Yeah cannons make short work, as can a lucky HE or DE bolt thrower. I'm keeping with two from now on so one tends to make it. I tend to try and run them up the sides to win the chaff and get ready to come in from the side after. Or going toe to toe with a hydra etc
I have actually never used them solo, but I guess scar vets are cheap enough not to be heartbroken if they get killed. An oldblood is a bit too expensive to send out with a cannon taget painted squarely on his chest. One option might be a semi-solo scar vet who starts in a unit, flank charges out of his unit while the CoR unit squares up for a flank charge fnext round (for when the unit reforms to face the cowboy).. Just a thought
I like running two an setting them in a cohort unit, to protect Them from shooting. I can't imagine bringing less than two, as they are so multi putpose. /jacob
To expand on my post (not sure why I kept it so short): I usually run 1k-1.5k lists. Squeezing two in means I have a hard time getting magic support or more stegadons. I run one for around 140, fully expect him to die (whether that be cannon or doing something I don't want an entire unit engaged in doing) and he is always helpful. Two would be nice, but I prefer lots of different units
Never underestimate a lone cowboy. I remember a local dwarf player... He send his sacrificial unit (slayers!) against the lone cowboy, engaged on his turn 1... and at my turn 3, I broke through, having killed every single one of them, without suffering a single wound (despite deathblows), before he smashed into a unit of Thunderers. He won combat, broke them, overran them, hit a warmachine, destroyed it, rallied back towards him, smashed into his ironbreaker block with his general (who was already engaged), and helped take him down. Lone Cowboys are almost always my unit of the match. they seem to get some sort of "plot armour" when they are deployed alone.
I am a proponent of solo cowboys they are small enough that they got ignored but they usually take down high value targets. 1 of mine has killed a deamon prince and chimera in the same game.
Oh yeah I've had the same happen. Scar vet rolled 2 x 5 and 2 x 6. He then gained another 2 attacks that hit. Suddenly the prince faced 6 S7 attacks that would hit on 2+. He died. Anyway according to the new ETC lists a lot of players have single cowboys so it's on uncommon.
I actually like to run two. One is usually a 1++ or 1+/4+ and the other will essentially be barebones with a dragon helm to keep him cheap. Still a 1+ and a 2+ flaming ward makes him awesome to jump out at flaming units. I keep them in foot units to protect them from shooting and negate stomps/thunderstomps in combat and if necessary they can charge out to clear chaff and tie stuff up for my blocks since our movement sucks. Occasionally I'll give the cheap cowboy a 5pt magic weapon if I'm worried about ethereals maybe a relic sword if he's lucky and I know there will be steam tanks. I'd like to even run 4 if I could, but I need the points for the scroll caddy to keep the PF in line. If we could use lord points for heroes... I would make an all cowboy list; that would be awesome... I might have to talk a friend into a BS game I think that'd rival even the High Elf Cav list. Oh well a guy can dream. Hope my insights helps; they are well under 300pts for the pair so it's hard not to take them. Best of luck.
But.. You can make a single oldblood that can hold up the HE cavalry unit even if it's full of characters