Gloomspite Gitz Warcry Warband – Guide, Tactics, Overview

The Gloomspite Gitz are an army in Age of Sigmar available with many models in Warcry through the book Harbingers of Destruction.

The Gitz are cunning and unpredictable, with many tricks up their sleeve to generate wholescale destruction.

If your strategy involves trusting the randomness of dice in search of awesomeness, this is the warband for you.

What changed in the new edition for the Gloomspite Gitz Warband?

Gloomspite Gitz saw some point adjustments, mostly going down to justify the overall decrease in Wounds and Strength, bringing the basic Grot to a mere Strength 2. Biggest loser is the Cave Squig that got quite nerfed, but it also costs half now. Biggest winner the Scuttleboss that saw Strength and Damage going up but also his points by 35!

Two new fighters were added to the roster, both from the same kit: Sporesplatta Fanatic and Loonsmasha Fanatic.

Their abilities had some small changes, in particular the Squig riders Boing Boing Boing is now much more thematic and fun and is called Madcap Destruction. Note that the reaction Spore Cloud has been correctly assigned to the Sporesplatta Fanatic in the FAQ.

Briar and Bone added an optional battle trait.

Background and Lore of the Gloomspite Gitz Warband

The Gloomspite Gitz infest the dark and dank places of the Mortal Realms.

They are a collection of vile creatures, each recognizing in the Bad Moon a different aspect of their god. But they all follow the Bad Moon and the destruction and madness it unfolds on mortals when it crosses their path.

The most numerous of the Gloomspite Gitz are the Moonclan Grots. They wear dark robes and inhabit the darkest caves breeding squiggly creatures, invertebrates and fungi.

Fungi in particular are used for many purposes: from food to brew magic potions and hallucinogens.

Squigs can come in multiple forms, but the spherical ones called cave squigs are particularly suited as mounts and as pack animals to send towards the enemy thanks to their voracious appetite.

Another breed is the snufflesquig, nothing more than a big nose with tiny legs but extremely useful in finding the best quality of mushrooms and therefore trained for this particular hunt.

A Sneaky Skrap or warband can be formed also by a particular sub-specie of grot that dwells in the deepest forests and learned to tame or appease gigantic spiders for protection or even to be used as mounts.

Grots are omnipresent so it’s no surprise they can be found in large numbers even in the Eightpoints, either by searching some glass for their potions or other sneaky and nefarious tasks. There’s even who says that some shamans madder than others are trying to call the Bad Moon over the Varanspire…

But how do they play on the tabletop? Let’s take a look at their fighters and abilities.

Overview and Points for the Fighters in the Gloomspite Gitz Warband

Note: if you haven’t read the basic rules for Warcry before reading this article, it might be helpful to know that the game’s abilities are activated by using 6 dice that you roll at the start of your turn.

If two of the dice show the same value, they can be used to activate a Double ability. If three show the same value, they can be used for a Triple ability, and so on.

So, when this article refers to an ability being a Double, a Triple or a Quad, it refers to this system. It might sound a bit confusing, but takes no time to get used to when you start playing

Loonboss: 135 points

The Loonboss is the military commander of the Moonclan Grots and as such he is an essential leader even of a Sneaky Skrap.

Decent Toughness, low Wounds as all Grots (16) and ok melee attacks (4 attacks at Strength 3 for 2/4 damage at 2″ range) make him a just average leader. But considering his cost and the warband average cost, his main strength is in the price.

His Quad ability, apart the good-sounding name “I’m Da Boss, Now Stab ‘Em Good!“, allows to increase up to 6 the Attack characteristic of all melee fighters around him. This is essential with hordes of Stabbas or other high critical damage fighters to increase the chances to roll a 6.

This ability is basically the upgraded version of Stab ‘Em Good, the Triple available to all leaders. Interesting enough, the 2 abilities are stackable if you have 2 different leaders (the second has to be a Hero, or you need to take a Wait action).

But be careful, because if you lose the Loonboss, the bonus disappears as well.

Fungoid Cave-Shaman: 125 points

The spiritual leaders of the Grots are the Shamans and the Fungoid Cave-Shaman is the most representative.

With Toughness 3 you may want to keep him well protected, his greatest strength would be the ranged attack for 3/6 damage up to 7″ away.

However his Triple ability, Magic Spore Maws, allows to damage any enemy within a 3″ range. It can do some damage (if you have a Quad 6, 6 damage on a 5+) but at a minimum guarantees 1 damage (on a 3+) to everyone suffocating your Shaman.

It is probably better suited as a support fighter than as a Leader, so could be your first option as a Hero.

Rabble-Rowza: 130 points

The Rabble-Rowza is a peculiar character with the cost similar to a Loonboss, same Toughness, 1 more attack but 1 less damage on critical hit, but the particularity is his Double ability, Over Here, Ya Lug!, which forces an enemy Monster targeted to not move further than the Rabble-Rowza.

Since you need Monsters, you can only use this ability in Narrative play, so maybe it could be useful if you are trying to recruit one yourself, more than fighting an enemy warband which recruited one.

Moonclan Grots

• Moonclan Boss: 110 points
• Stabba with Stabba and Moon Shield: 55 points
• Stabba with Pokin’ Spear and Moon Shield: 55 points
• Stabba with Barbed Net: 55 points
• Shoota: 75 points

The Moonclan Grot box can provide us lots of options.

Let’s start with the Moonclan Boss, the only Leader from this set. He is similar to a Loonboss with 1″ weapon, less wounds and no special ability.

He is much cheaper, he can still tell his fighters Stab ‘Em Good but he is not Da Boss!

The Stabba is the regular melee grot armed with three different weapon loadouts.

The sword or Stabba provides 3 attacks at strength 2 for 3 damage on a critical hit that are ok for the fighter cost.

But if within 6” of a leader that used Stab ‘Em Good (or even a Loonboss) and with a spare extra Double to use Backstabbing Mob, then this little Grot becomes 5 (or more) attacks at strength 3 per action!!

Toughness 4 should help to shield off some attacks, but 6 wounds 1 or 2 critical hits may remove the Grot from existence.

The Pokin’ Spear sacrifices 1 attack for more critical damage, particular useful when you use a leader ability to increase the number of attacks and to attack from the safety of the 2″ range.

The dreaded Barbed Net in Age of Sigmar, makes his appearance also in Warcry, this time preventing the movement of an enemy when using the Barbed Net ability. For the rest, he costs the same as the other grots but has a weaker weapon profile and is even more fragile with Toughness 3.

The Shoota is the ranged version of the basic grot and one of the two ranged options in this warband barring a couple of leaders.

His missile attacks cannot be used in combination with most sneaky abilities as they require a weapon with range 3″ or less (melee) and you definitely don’t want to have them in melee.

This means that the 2 attacks at strength 3 and range 12” cannot be improved in any way.

Despite so, 3 damage on a critical hit still represents a good threat and most units will struggle to reach them if they keep distance.

When discussing grots in general, remember their strength is in numbers: one single grot can’t last forever.

Sneaky Snuffler: 65 points

The Sneaky Snuffler is an upgrade on the basic grot. While his attacks have the damage of a Spear and the number of a Stabba, his number of wounds double even if with Toughness 3, making him a valid fighter for his point cost.

Fanatics

• Loonsmasha Fanatic: 115 points
• Sporesplatta Fanatic: 100 points

The Fanatics are the latest addition to the warband. They represent the elite of the grot force with much higher Strength and 3″ range attacks.

The Loonsmasha has 3 attacks at Strength 4 for 2/5 damage basically the same profile of a Boingrot Bounder but at a fraction of the cost because 6 wounds, despite Toughness 5, means they are going down really fast.

The Sporesplatta increases Strength to 5 but reduces the damage to 1/4 and Toughness to 4. They are still a valid fighter and, because of an almost certain typo, they are denied of the perfect anti-missile reaction. Spore Cloud allows him to create a 3″ cover bubble from missile attacks as soon as an enemy performs a ranged attack anywhere within 3″ of him. That is perfect to improve Toughness in Grots with really low amount of wounds to reduce the impact from shooting warbands.

Loonboss on Giant Cave Squig: 285 points

If you think Grots are not crazy enough, then here we start the Squig-riding Grots. And the Loonboss on Squig is the best leader your Squig army can have.

He is the most expensive fighters of the Sneaky Skraps with a profile and cost similar to the Bounder Boss (Flying Movement of 8″ and Toughness 5) but more wounds and greater Strength (5).

His high damage (2/5) and 2″ range guarantees he will be a scary opponent to many warbands.

Squig riders trademark ability, Madcap Destruction for a Triple provides a free move (roll a die and move double the results in inches) and if you engage an enemy you can also do as much as 6 damage (same value as the previous roll). This is the type of unpredictable abilities that make the Gloomspite extremely entertaining to play. In reality you can predict it a bit, as you can still move at the very minimum 2″ and do 1 damage on impact, but you could also move 12″ and do 6 damage, all with a simple Triple 1!

Squigboss with Gnasha-squig: 135 points

The Squigboss with Gnasha-squig is a recent addition to the warband and works pretty well in combination with the other Squig based fighters (Squig Hoppers, Boingrot Bounderz, Cave Squigs, etc.). His ability, at the mere cost of a Double, adds 1 to the melee attack characteristic of all those fighters within 6″ of the Squigboss. This can make Squig based warbands even more unpredictable.

Fight-wise the Squigboss is a good one, with 2″ range which compensate the low Toughness (3), Strength 4 and 2/5 damage.

Squig Hoppers

• Squig Hopper Boss: 255 points
• Squig Hopper: 200 points

The Squig Hoppers represent the light cavalry of the Squig Riders, with a flying movement of 10″ and Toughness 4.

As all squig riders, they have access to the Madcap Destruction ability for a bonus move with potential damage on impact.

Flying allows them to get where they need to be faster, especially if the Boss wants to maximise the efficiency of the Stab ‘Em Good ability but also to keep pesky enemies at distance or grab a further objective.

The Squig Hopper has a similar profile to the Boss with less Attacks (4 instead of 5 but still Strength 4 and damage 2/4) and Wounds for a steep price.

Considering the low wounds, they are a bit fragile but the best damage output this warband can offer.

Boingrot Bounderz

• Bounder Boss: 245 points
• Boingrot Bounder: 190 points

The Boingrot Bounderz represent instead the heavy cavalry of the Squig Riders, with the Boss having an identical profile and abilities of the Loonboss on Giant Cave Squig with less wounds and 1 Strength less at a much cheaper cost (almost a Stabba difference).

Compared to the Squig Hopper, the Bounder is more resilient (Toughness 5), has less movement (8” but can still fly) but his spear increases the range to 2” and the damage on a critical to a 5, at the cost of one attack (3 total).

The Bounder Boss adds to this profile 1 more attack and more wounds and comparing him to the Squig Hopper Boss, his 2″ range and Toughness 5 makes him more durable but less offensive.

Squig Herd

• Cave Squig: 80 points
• Squig Herder: 55 points

The Cave Squig is not any more what used to be. Its biggest advantage is Strength 4, putting it in a much better position to score at least a minimum hit, for the rest he has the same profile of a Sneaky Snuffler with Toughness 4 and a bit less wounds.

However, when we look at the abilities that can buff them, Backstabbing Mob brings the attacks to 4 and Stab ‘Em Good to 5, meaning for a Double and a Triple you can greatly increase the chances to do those 4 damages on a critical hit.

These adorable pets are not any more a must-have in the warband, but who can resist at their charm? They are also pretty cheap.

The Squig Herder has the same profile as a Stabba with Stabba except lower Toughness (3) and the ability to provide a free move to any beast within 4” for a Triple.

As of now, this means only the Cave Squig, but if your leader is still alive and engaged, for a Triple you can give +1 Attack and Strength to all models within 6” of him… For a Quad you can give the squig already a bonus move AND a bonus attack.

Main advantage is that the bonus move would work in the Herder activation thus allowing the use of any other ability in the squig activation but apart from this the herder does not add much more and it costs a Triple…

But for his cost he is still a good sacrificial pawn and he comes in the same box.

Scuttleboss: 245 points

The Spiderfang clan is a tribe of Grots venerating the Spider God and taking advantage to the exposure to spider’s toxins to attack their preys with their fast movements.

The Scuttleboss is their leader, with a 10″ Movement and a decent survivability (Toughness 4 and 26 Wounds) as all Spider Riders he has access to Spider Bite that for a Triple can really randomly do from 0 up to 18 damage to a nearby enemy. As all grots this randomness is really thematic and some extra damage is always welcome.

But don’t forget for a Triple you can still use Stab ‘Em Good to increase attacks of your friendly fighters.

His attacks are melee only, with 2″ range that allows to keep the distance while dishing out 4 attacks at Strength 4 for 2/5 damage that is the same as a Bounder Boss.

Webspinner Shaman: 125 points

The Webspinner Shaman is the religious leader of the Spiderfang. The problem with this little fella is that he is the only one not riding a spider and as such limited with 4″ Movement.

He does have a 7″ ranged attack for decent damage (3/6 at Strength 3) but is still less than the 12″ of a Spider Rider.

Even more interesting, for a Double he can add +1 to the Move characteristic of all spider riders making them fly across the table up 22″. The bonus is activated when the friendly fighters are around the Shaman so it’s still useful to give extra sprint in the first round.

But after that, the Shaman will struggle to cope with his companions, so he is a better support hero than the leader of a spider warband.

Spider Riders

• Spider Rider Boss: 185 points
• Spider Rider: 145 points

Spider Riders are an interesting cavalry as they have 12″ ranged attack for a bit of damage (1/3 at Strength 3) and decent melee attacks for 1/4 damage at range 2″.

They cost like an elite unit because of the 10″ Movement, plus they don’t have the Mounted trait allowing them to climb and all other shenanigans.

Toughness 4 and 15 Wounds (20 for the Boss) gives them also a decent survivability. They all have access to the random damaging ability Spider Bite for a Triple if you feel lucky.

The Boss has the same cost as the Scuttleboss, adding ranged damage to its quiver, but losing in attack, Strength, damage and Wounds. He is also much cheaper.

Overall this allows them to be a self-contained sub-warband within the Gitz or to add some fast movement options to a more generic Skrap.

Gobbapalooza

• Boggleye: 70 points
• Scaremonger: 90 points
• Shroomancer: 85 points
• Brewgit: 90 points
• Spiker: 75 points

The Gobbapalooza are a particular set of miniatures that can be used individually as a fighter within a Gloomspite Skrap, or as an Ally in any Destruction warband.

Each has its own special ability too.

They all have a similar profile, with Movement 4″, Toughness 3 and 12 Wounds (16 for the Scaremonger) plus access to the reaction Spiteful Demise. This allows any one of them to spend their last action, just before being killed by a melee action, to do 3 damage back to the attacker (on a 4+).

The attacks are also similar with Strength 2 and 1/4 damage. Scaremonger and Brewgit have 1 extra Attack (4) and Brewgit less damage (1/3).

So what differentiates them?

• Boggleye for a Double can use Mesmerise, preventing an enemy to move or disengage (on a 3+).
• Brewgit for a Double can use Loonshine Potion, increasing by 3 the attacks of a nearby friendly fighter. This is stackable with other abilities.
• Spiker for a Double can use Poison Brew, adding up to 6 to the Strength of a friendly fighter.
• Scaremonger for a Triple can use Bogeyman Dance, adding 3″ of Movement to a nearby friendly fighter.
• Shroomancer for a Triple can use Fungoid Cloud, subtracting up to 3 (to a minimum of 1) from the Attack characteristic of an enemy fighter. He also has 2″ range weapon.

In general these fighters are buffers (or debuffers) that can still benefit from the other abilities and with 3-4 attacks each they can do their own in melee. However there’s so many abilities you can use each round, so bringing one is probably enough.

Snarlfang Riders

• Snarlfang Rider Gitboss: 215 points
• Snarlfang Rider: 175 points

The Snarlfang Riders are the first Gitmob to join the Gloomspite Gitz, with the hope to see the others join Warcry not long after. They characterise with 10″ movement, average Toughness (4) and Wounds but most importantly no Mounted runemark which would restrict their movements.

They have a ranged profile with 3″-12″ range 2 attacks at Strength 3 for 2/3 damage that is not spectacular, but is better than a Spider Rider or a Shoota. Then they have a melee profile with same damage, but 2″ range and 3 attacks at Strength 5. To give perspective, it’s a bit less statistically than a Squig Hoper against average Toughness.

The Snarlfang Rider Gitboss is the Leader option and adds 1 more Strength in ranged attacks and 1 more damage in critical hits from melee, aside the usual Wounds increase (to 20).

Both profiles have access to the new Double Can’t Cath Us! which allows them to perform a bonus move up to the ability’s value after a ranged attack, which can really make them annoying to chase while they keep harassing with their arrows.

For some reason they have access also to the Spore Cloud reaction, but this should be a mistake to be corrected in future updates.

Zarbag’s Gitz (945 points)

• Zarbag: 125 points
• Drizgit Da Squig Herder: 90 points
• Prog Da Netter: 65 points
• Snirk Sourtongue: 130 points
• Zarbag’s Gitz Squig: 140 points
• Zarbag’s Gitz Shoota: 85 points

Zarbag’s Gitz are a Gloomspite Gitz Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 2.

• Face of Da Bad Moon (Double, Zarbag): an enemy within range needs to perform a bonus disengage action or take damage if they cannot.
• Whirling Death (Quad, Snirk): damage all enemies in range.

Zarbag’s Gitz represent a perfect Warcry warband with decent hitters (Snirk and the Squigs), ranged attacks (Zarbag and Shootas), area damage (Snirk’s Quad ability) and numbers (9 fighters).

Zarbag himself has a profile of a Fungoid Cave-shaman without his magic abilities and lower Strength in melee (3). As a Leader, he can increase the melee attacks of all friendly fighters within 6″ by 1 (Stab ‘Em Good) and as the leader of these Bladeborn fighters he can force an enemy within 9″ to disengage or take D6 damage if they cannot. Use his ranged attacks to keep him away from the melee however, that with 16 wounds and Toughness 3 will not last long.

Drizgit is a much improved Squig Herder with the same ability to prod Squigs to make a bonus move, 2″ range melee weapon, higher damage (2/4) and higher Toughness (4) and wounds (12).

Prog is a Stabba with Barbed Net, with same weapon profile and ability to prevent move and disengage options from an enemy within 3″.

Snirk is a Loonmasha Fanatic, a profile so far missing from the Gloomspite. Apart being a Grot that hits more than a Squig (4 attacks at Strength 4 for 3/6 damage at 3″ range!!), he is also able to damage everyone within 3″ depending on the Quad ability’s value (up to 6).

You can enlist up to two Zarbag’s Gitz Squigs (and why shouldn’t you?) that are exactly like a Cave Squig with 2 wounds more and slightly more expensive. But they are decent hitters with Strength 5 and 4 attacks so you will want them both.

You can enlist up to three Zarbag’s Gitz Shoota. They are your ranged option and outside of leaders, one of the few available to the Gloomspite Gitz. They have the same profile as a normal Shoota with 2 more wounds and an increased cost.

Mollog’s Mob (460 points)

• Mollog the Mighty: 290 points
• Bat Squig: 170 points

Mollog’s Mob is a Gloomspite Gitz Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 2.

• Hurl Jabbertoad (Double, Mollog): a chance to perform some ranged damage.
• Summon Stalagsquig (Double, Mollog): set up Stalagsquig (once per battle) nearby but not engaged to any enemy. The first opponent to pass near Stalagsquig gets damaged.
• Summon Spiteshroom (Triple, Mollog): set up Spiteshroom (once per battle) nearby and reduce by 1 the enemy attacks within range of the Spiteshroom.

This warband is an unusual one since half of the components can only be summoned once per battle and can’t move. Mollog is a veritable beast, with a profile worth of the toughest Skaven Stormfiends: 2 attacks at 2″ range, Strength 6 and 5/10 damage.

35 wounds and Toughness 5 will ensure he will last for a long time, but if you want to be sure, you can park Mollog next to an objective and summon Spiteshroom that will lower all attacks within 6″ radius, meaning the toughest opponents will be most likely reduced to 1 attack per action and the others will need to rely on critical hits to damage Mollog.

The Stalagsquig is basically a one-off trap that can block a chokepoint, otherwise not very useful most of the time, but it costs a Double, so if you don’t have anything else…

Finally, if an enemy pesters you from afar, you have a chance to damage him throwing a Jabbertoad for a Double (up to 6 damage on a 5+ depending on the ability’s value) or to send your loyal Bat Squig that with 6″ flying movement should be able to go anywhere it wants. The rest of the profile is that of a Cave Squig, bit overpriced although.

Rippa’s Snarlfangs (425 points)

• Rippa Narkbad: 180 points
• Mean-Eye: 130 points
• Stabbit: 115 points

Rippa’s Snarlfangs are Gloomspite Gitz third Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 3.

• Snarlfang’s Jaws (Double, all Snarlfangs): a chance to damage an engaged enemy.
• Ferocious Pounce (Quad, all Snarlfangs): damage an enemy after a move action.

Rippa and his boys are an unusual warband with 8″ movement and all mounted, meaning they can’t pass through archways and doors, or climb.

They have access to two new abilities (on top of the traditional Gloomspite ones): Snarlfang’s Jaws gives them a chance to do up to 6 damage to an enemy engaged (on a 6 depending on the ability’s value), while Ferocious Ponce guarantees that damage at the end of a move phase, but also depends on the ability’s value meaning it seems a bit overpriced as a Quad.

Rippa is the Leader with Toughness 4, 22 wounds and a decent melee profile: 4 attacks at Strength 3 for 2/4 damage. As a Leader he can use Stab ‘Em Good to increase the attacks of all friendly fighters nearby, although the smaller Grots may struggle to follow his higher movement.

Mean-Eye is the archer of the group with up to 15″ range for 2 attacks and 1/4 damage that is better than a Shoota. Stabbit instead has a 2″ weapon that compensates his Toughness 3 (same as Mean-Eye). 3 attacks at Strength 3 for 1/4 damage completes his profile that is not as good as a Squig, but he is cheaper and can move faster.

Grinkrak’s Looncourt (740 points)

• Grinkrak the Great: 140 points
• Grib, da Wonky Lance: 195 points
• Skolko and Pronk: 115 points
• Pokin Snark: 100 points
• Snorbo da Spore: 70 points
• Moonface Nagz: 60 points
• Pointy Burk: 60 points

Grinkrak’s Looncourt is a Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 7, whose rules are available in White Dwarf 485.

• Enthusiastic Dubbin’ (Double, all Looncourt): pick another Looncourt close-by to activate immediately after while suffering impact damage.
• Questin’ Knight (Double, Grinkrak): perform a bonus attack or move after taking down an enemy.
• Sound da Charge (Triple, Pokin Snark): increase up to 3″ the Move of friendly fighters starting nearby this fighter.

• Tuff Nut (Reaction, all Looncourt)
  • When: During an enemy melee attack action but before hit rolls.
  • What: Count up to 2 critical hits from that attacks as hits instead.

Grinkrak is the leader of this court of mad goblin believing to be on some sort of noble quest. His profile is identical to a Loonboss with same abilities plus the warband reaction, Tuff Nut, that can force up to 2 critical hits in a single melee attack to be considered as normal hits. Considering the low amount of wounds grotz have can make the difference, but it is not reliable. In addition he can chain-activate with the generic Double available to all Looncourt (at the risk of impact damage, that is 3 damage on a 1 and 1 damage on a 2 or 3) and his unique abilities gives him a bonus move or attack after taking down an enemy for a Double.

Where the chain-activation can be useful is on Grib, that is a Boingrot Bounderz with same stats and abilities. Grib not only is more survivable with Toughness 5 and more wounds, but can throw a punch with his 2/5 damage.

Skonko and Pronk manage a Squigapult, and just for this they deserve to be in any Gloomspite warband. Apart from that, they build from the Shoota profile greatly boosting it: 20″ maximum range for 2 attacks at Strength 4 and 1/4 damage. Even in melee they have a better critical hit damage, while Toughness 4 and 12 wounds improve their survivability.

Snorbo da Spore has a much lower missile range than the Shoota (5″) but a much higher damage potential both in melee (3 attacks for 1/3 damage) and shooting (4 attacks for 1/2 damage). In addition, they have an extremely useful ability that for a Triple adds up to 3″ movement (based on half the ability’s value) to all friendly fighters starting a move within 6″. Note that this means also allied units as it’s not linked to the Looncourt runemark. And he costs less than a Shoota…

Pokin Snark is a Stabba with Spear that learnt that a squig at the end of his stick hurts more than the stick itself. This means greatly improved attacks (3 at Strength 4 for 2/4 damage) and 2 more wounds. Moonface Nagzz and Pointy Burk have the same profile of the Stabba armed with Stabba or Pokin’ Spear respectively.

One further trait that greatly characterises this warband is the fact that all except one have at least 2″ range weapons, meaning they can hit from a safe distance and force the opponent to get closer, that is great for a warband with a low average of wounds.

Abilities for the Gloomspite Gitz Warband

• Backstabbing Mob (Double, Everyone): Add +1 Attack and Strength in melee when next to a friendly fighter.
• Barbed Net (Double, Stabba with Barbed Net): A good chance to prevent an enemy from moving or disengaging this round.
• Speed of the Spider God (Double, Webspinner Shaman): +1 Move for Spider Riders and Scuttleboss within range.
• Over Here, Ya Lug! (Double, Rabble-Rowza): An enemy Monster within 6″ cannot end move actions further from the Rabble-Rowza.
• Can’t Cath Us! (Double, all Snarlfang Riders): After performing a ranged attack, can perform a bonus move up to 6″.
• Mycophile’s Pouch (Double, Squigboss with Gnasha-Squig): Add +1 to the melee attack of all Squig and Squig riders until they are within 6″ of the Squigboss.
• Madcap Destruction (Triple, Loonboss on Giant Cave Squig, all Squig Hoppers and Boingrots): A bonus move up to 12″ and if it ends next to an enemy, inflict up to 6 damage.
• Spider Bite (Triple, all Spider Riders and Scuttleboss): A chance to damage an engaged enemy up to 18 damage.
• Stab ‘Em Good (Triple, all Leaders): Add +1 attack to all friendly fighters within 6″.
• Go Dat Way! (Triple, Squig Herder): Pick a friendly Beast model (Cave Squig) for a bonus move.
• Magic Spore Maws (Triple, Fungoid Cave-Shaman): Up to 6 area damage to every close-by enemy.
• Sneaky Stab (Quad, Everyone): Perform a bonus move and a bonus attack with up to 6 more damage on critical hits.
• I’m Da Boss, Now Stab ‘Em Good! (Quad, Loonboss): Up to 6 to the Attack characteristic of all melee fighters in range.
• Gobbapalooza specific abilities are described in their own section.

Reaction for the Gloomspite Gitz Warband

Introduced in the new season of Warcry, Reactions are things that can be done in certain circumstances, but always during the enemy turn. They cost one action, so they can be used only by fighters that have not activated yet or are waiting. There are 3 universal reactions and one specific to each warband:

Pile On (Everyone)

• When: After an enemy finishes a move within 3″.
• What: A bonus move for another friendly fighter within 3″ that needs to end within 1″ of the enemy fighter.

Spore Cloud (Sporesplatta Fanatic)

• When: During an enemy missile attack action on a close-by fighter but before hit rolls.
• What: All friendly fighters within 3″ from the reacting one are considered in cover for the rest of the round.

Battle Trait for the Gloomspite Gitz Warband

Da Bad Moon Rises: After the initiative phase roll a dice, on a 2+ replace that value for a Double, Triple or Quad yours, or of your opponent.

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Strategy and Tactics for the Gloomspite Gitz

This warband has many tricks up their sleeves.

You get a Quad? Find the furthest of your units you want to get in melee and try to do some extra damage in the bonus attack.

They surrounded your boss? Let them pay by ordering everyone to stab them (especially if he is a Loonboss).

You only have doubles but plenty of units engaged against the same enemies? Backstab them!

Now the problem comes if you have isolated fighters as it will be much easier for your enemy to pick and slaughter them individually taking advantage of the overall low wounds.

Your strategy will then often be to pick strategic points and overrun them with models. In scenarios where you have to defend some units, take advantage of the mobility of certain units to keep the distance and screen the slowest ones with your other units.

Shootas are good options that provide a decent threat at distance in particular for warbands with low count of models that would need to pursue your units hiding over a roof on a corner of the battlefield.

Spider Riders increase the threat damage with 10″ movement and more survivability, but they also cost more than 2 Shootas.

The basic grots are good only when in good numbers, Sneaky Snufflers are slightly better, then you have the Cave Squigs with higher Strength and finally the Fanatics that have extremely low wounds, but high damage and Strength.

Alternatively, Boingrot Bounderz are also really good hitters and more survivable although they cost around a fifth of your warband. It is possible to have a viable elite-only warband with Squig Riders, but that is not really the point of a Gitz Skrap… or is it?

A cheaper option would be the new Snarlfang Riders, which have also ranged capabilities.

A Netter or a Herder are cheap options to fill your roster, both have really situational abilities, but they will not survive a prolonged melee so be careful, especially if they are selected as the prey in certain scenarios.

The Gobbapalooza introduce situational buffs but there is a limit on how many abilities you can use per turn. If you are really like an ability, then you can use one of them for support.

Finally, the Squigboss really introduces a strategic play in the warband thanks to his Double which buffs the Squig attacks around him. This way it is possible now to give even more value to these expensive fighters with a leader who is half fighter and half support.

In general you will have more options available that you can think of, but you need to be strategic as a wrong move and their low Wounds count will see your warband evaporate quickly.

Another instrument you can use is the generic warband reaction Pile On, that allows a fighter close-by to join the fray when an enemy gets nearby. You spend the reaction on the closest fighter, you can use either a simple grot or someone whose attacks would not make a dent, to block an enemy fighter with a more elite unit, sparing one of his actions. The idea is that you use actions of weaker units to perform bonus moves with stronger fighters. The bonus move has to finish engaged to the enemy fighter, so you can’t use it to move around objectives, but is still a powerful one if you have the right pair of weak/stronger fighter.

Pros and cons of the Gloomspite Gitz Warband

Pros:

+ Decent toughness on basic infantry
+ Really cheap and really elite options
+ Strength in numbers by surrounding enemies

Cons:

– Average stats
– Reliant on special abilities
– Need to attack in group to be efficient

Some thematic warbands for Gloomspite Gitz

Just for fun here we present few thematic warbands, meant more for fun or narrative context than for competitive play. Note that in narrative play you need to complete a quest that allows you to recruit a Hero before being able to add him to your roster.

Grot Skrap: Loonboss, Fungoid Cave-Shaman, 2 Sneaky Snufflers, 3 Stabbas with Spear, 3 Shootas and 1 Loonsmasha Fanatic, 1 Sporesplatta Fanatic. A horde of grot, good damage on critical hits, protect your Loonboss and let him explode all attacks of your horde. The Sporesplatta is there to add protection against shooting warbands.

Squig Skrap: Loonboss on Giant Cave Squig, 1 Squig Hopper, 1 Boingrot Bounder, 1 Squig Herder and 3 Squigs. The Herder is here to give some free movement to your Squigs that will then take advantage of Stab ‘Em Good or Backstabbing Mob.

Spider Skrap: 1 Scuttleboss, 1 Webspinner Shaman and 4 Spider Riders. Ranged attacks will allow you to damage before closing in for the killing blow. The Shaman is there to allow your spiders to run as fast as they can towards their target, be an enemy or an objective.

Zarbag’s Gitz: good as it is, just buy the Warhammer Underworlds warband and enjoy!

How to buy a Gloomspite Gitz Warband

Since the Gloomspite Gitz Warcry warband was a limited edition box, and the Start Collecting has been replaced, now the best option is the Spearhead box which contains 20 grots which can be assembled in a combination of Shoota and Stabbas (but 20 is the legal minimum size in Age of Sigmar), a Loonboss and 10 Squig riders which can be assembles as Boingrot Bounderz or Squig Hoppers (although the latter minimum unit size in AoS is 10).

If you prefer individual boxes, the Squig Riders box contains 2 identical sprues, so you can get 5 Squig Hoppers with their boss and 5 Boingrot Bounders with their boss for £37.

The Squig Herd box alone would contain 2 Herders and 10 Cave Squigs for £34.

The Loonboss is available for £20, the Fungoid Cave-Shaman and the Loonboss on Giant Cave Squig for £26 and the entire block of Gobbapalooza for £37. The newest models are also individual blisters: the Sguigboss (£20.5) and the Rabble-Rowza (£21.5).

The Moonclan Grots box for £28 contains 20 more models. Inside you’ll have one option for the Boss, 2 netters and the remaining 17 you can assemble them in any variety of swords, spears or bows as you prefer.

If instead you are tempted by the Spider Riders, then the options are a bit old with the Scuttleboss now retired (but should come back in Old World), the Spider Riders available in a box of 10 with option for a Boss for £26 and the Webspinner Shaman available only as one of the options from assembling an Arachnarok.

For the Fanatics instead you just need one box for £28 that would allow to assemble either profile (5 models).

All in all, there are many ways to start your warband. Not the cheapest options (since models are from multiple different boxes) but certainly one of the coolest warbands out there.

After having bought all of these sweet gitz, you might feel tempted to start an army for Age of Sigmar.

We have a guide on the Gloomspite Gitz in AoS if you want to look into that.

Tips on painting the Gloomspite Gitz

Show me your Gitz!

I would very much like to display them right here on this page.

All you have to do is send my some files. You can read more about how to make that happen here.

If you have a Gloomspite warband chances are you already have an Age of Sigmar army and there are few suggestions in the battletome on how to paint the miniatures.

Today with the contrast paints you have few really good options to speed paint your models, the video below shows how to paint a Boingrot Bounderz and the same techniques can be used across the entire model range.

For more classic moonclan grots or squig painting you can never go wrong with the videos from Warhammer Community.