To have 8 or not to have 8 (=9 Trappers)

How many Gnoblar Trappers should one take?

If you want to have them in your team the reasonable choices would be either 8 or 9, where the 9th member makes the unit more resistant to missile caused panic tests. But, is he really worth it?

To have 8 or to have 9! That is the question!

Indeed it is a close one. If I did the maths correctly then, when struck by a generic D6S4 missile, you will loose on average 17 points (9 Trappers) versus 23 points (8 Trappers). If take a Terror or a generic panic test you will loose roughly 39 points (9 Trappers) versus 35 points (8 Trappers). That indicates a slight edge for the 9 Trapper version. However, if you use terrain wisely and avoid being hit by missiles, then obviously 8 Trappers have an advantage. Bickering obviously also leads one to an 8 Trapper unit.

How many Trappers do you use and, very important, how do you use them to minimize casualties due to bickering, missiles, other panic test and terror tests.

ou are talking about a unit that's in points worth the same is one irongut.
I think you should use  and if you have the points left, take 9.

If somebody really thnks that his S4 magic missile is better spent on trappers then on bulls/ ironguts, good for you.
You've already proven, that the + / - of 8 is the same as for 9, so that doesn't really matter.

There is an extra + for 8 trappers: they need less terrain to hide in/ behind for deployment.

this is very simple for me to answer.

I used to take 8 trappers - and that's the size I took to heat 1 of the GT last year.

If I had taken 9, I would have qualified - as it was, I didn't.

having the 9th trapper makes them able to still hold table quarters or crossfire when they've taken 4 casualties and it means that your opponent has to kill 5 to score points from them.

In game 6 of my heat last year I was up, at the end, by 296 points - so it was a draw.  Having that last trappers would have meant a win and qualification as the highest ranking ogre player.

From then on, I've always fielded 9 and never looked back.  The extra 2 shots of sharp stuff aren't such a bad thing either, as it the slightly longer (approx 2 inch) of skirmish screen).

I don't try and minimize casualties at all, trappers are totally expendable (as it the rest of my ogre force really) - playing them any other way means you won't get the best from them.

THX Lexy & Wildcard. On Sunday against VC I try to fit in the 9th Trapper.

If somebody really thnks that his S4 magic missile is better spent on trappers then on bulls/ ironguts, good for you.
You've already proven, that the + / - of 8 is the same as for 9, so that doesn't really matter.

If I had a unit of skirmishers march blocking a third of my army with no shooting or skirmisher of my own to fight them with (oh say like an Ogre army, or Daemons, or Mortals, etc...) I'd much rather sink a magic missile at them then a unit of Bulls/IG.

-Rick