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Army List Writing

On this thread we'll post guidlines and advice for writing lists. This is not to say these are the only correct ways of constructing a new army list - just the ways we believe work well, from experience.

Below I present my own approach and some of my own general rules. It isn't really a "step by step", but I place it roughly in chronological order.

-Decide who you're writing a list for......this sounds obvious but.........people can lose track of this. Ask yourself - is this list necessary?
-Get a very clear idea of the character of the army backgound. Also, be clear on the style in which you want the army to fight.
-Sit down with a bit of paper and scribble down all your ideas. I always get loads, at speed. Sketch on the page too. You should have way to many units for one list.
-Start by including the handful of units, probably all core, that make the army unique. For Nippon, first down would be Samurai, Ashigaru, and Monks (who are special).
-Making sure you include those units, work out which types of unit should be in the army to make it play with the desired character. Add them!
-On the units a few points........be wary of too many special rules, avoid more than one similair unit in the same list, try to compare to equivalents in other lists.
-The army should gain most of its special rules at a very early stage.
-Make sure the army has clearly defined strengths and weaknesses - for Nippon, their tenacity was a major bonus for them, a vulnerability to shooting one major drawback.
-Make sure they can fight fairly well against all armies. For Nippon, at time of writing we're just sorting out a mistake whereby the army was fine versus all bar Undead armies - which it basicaly couldn't beat. Answer - immunise them to the auto break from fear...simple.
-Make sure the special rules you add, even balancing ones, fit the fluff.
-If in doubt, keep stats low. Elites are not necessary.
-Kerb your enthusiasm hard as it may be
-Avoid over complicated rules, or procedures that involve rolling too many dice.
-Come to magic items after writing the list. See what the list is lacking, magic items may well be the solution. Make your items characterful - put good thought into the fluff. Test for combos. I think it's best to work out effects before fluff; some lists rquire lots of complex items supplemented by those enhancing I and A, some lists should be all about killing big monsters, some should emphasise rules like killing blow, some lists are subtle, some brutal.
-Be prepared to be bold. Sometimes you may need to hack off a unit you really love, and it hurts Enjoy the release, the no fear attitude. For me it's like suddenly deciding a painting I'm doing would work better if I paint a tear in it right across that head a spent an hour drawing......or like throwing away old stuff I've accumulated in my room, that seems important but I'm not sure why........
-Special weaponry - keep it to a handful of essential items. If you want to rename items, like no-dachai as the Nipponese name for a great weapon, keep it in the fluff. Remember the vast majority of items can be covered by the present magic items, like hand weapon for katana, bills are halberds, etc.
-Formatting - copy the GW mould where possible. Indeed, if in doubt, try to copy GW in every way.
-Pricing of stuff - look for equivalents first, the DoW list is often the best starting point. Be prepared to tinker though. And it is definitely acceptable to make a unit over cheap or over priced for reasons of fluff or balance. A lot of it is down to testing.
-Don't expect to start with a 50-50 win rate! If you start better than 40-60 against you, the list is probably too good (or your opponents aren't good enough!) As you get practiced with the list, particularly the harder lists to use (the Nippon list would be included here), the win rate should rise, to a peak, around 60-40, before opponents learn to fight you, and a roughly 50-50 ratio should set in.
-Don't rush.....this Nippon list has been heavily in development for months, and its origins are well over a year ago. And we're certainly not there yet. But it'll be better for it at the end.

Well I think that's enough for now. We'll change/add stuff as we go. Add your own views/methods below if you wish.