daemon swarm placement and number

[Apocolocyntosis]

Hi all

Looking to make a nurgle deamon army and for reasons of economy am planning to model some large unit fillers, which means it will be best if bases are ranked up in the same way most of the time.

Any advice on how many swarms to bring in ratio to hordes? should they be in mixed brigades, or do swarms belong in a brigade of their own?

If mixed together, should the swarms but up front to absorb hits and prevent push back (but no armour, so might die into break point), or at the back as cheap support?

For example (plague bearers = hordes, nurglings = swarm, as i am doing nurgle)

[Apocolocyntosis]

or this?

[Dave]

I've seen the second post's pic the most. The only time I'd avoid it would be against artillery eith bounce. Absorb the hits, ignore the driveback,  lose a stand to allow you to charge with the plaguebearers next turn.

[industrialtrousers]

As Dave has said, swarms don't get driven back by shooting, so I'd stick them in front and use them to absorb missile attacks on the way in. They're A2, H4 for this reason I assume.

[Apocolocyntosis]

Cheers both, makes sense, and better to have em at the front from a modelling perspective too.

[empireaddict]

Have played with and against Daemons a fair amount recently because one of my regular opponents has just painted an army of them.

No disagreement with regard to the placing comments above.  However, there is the old adage that you can have too much of a good thing.

Like chaos hounds, the swarms are cheap and very attractive. But if you buy too many, you create a very easy (no armour) way for your opponent to accelerate you towards you break.  Especially if you're putting them out front.

What I have seen done, fairly effectively, is two units in line side-by-side acting as a screen for the army.

[Apocolocyntosis]

Like chaos hounds, the swarms are cheap and very attractive. But if you buy too many, you create a very easy (no armour) way for your opponent to accelerate you towards you break.  Especially if you're putting them out front.

That was a concern, easy unit kill, which is why I had been thinking about having them behind as cheap support. A 3:1 horde:swarm ratio seems sensible to work around.
I don't have many swarms anyway and need to try to get double units out of each blister's worth of daemons.