Fog of War, Part 11: The Shire

FOG OF WAR

Part 11: The Shire

We're back! It's been just over a week since The Scouring of Stirlingshire in Scotland and we now venture to the place where it all begun - The Shire. This time I am joined by the 2018 ETC Team Wales player, winner of 2 GBHL 100pt Tournaments and a hobbit extraordinaire, David Farmer.

David: The Shire as an army has certainly felt the changes of the new edition as much as any other. Every army has felt the changes to the rules for constructing a force but almost none as much as The Shire: a previously highly competitive force that relied on shooting dominance, alliances, and abusing piercing strike arguably more than any other army (4pts for a potentially strength 6 hobbit? Yikes). It is not just army construction changes that have hurt the hobbits however, there have been several nerfs across the board to many aspects of their play. All 3 Hobbit troop choices have increased by a point, the Hobbit Archers have had their range reduced, the previously ubiquitous Battlin' Brandybuck upgrade is now limited to only Merry's warband, and the fact that ponies no longer confer cavalry charge bonuses (a fact that I think is a bigger nerf than many realised to the shire specifically). 

Having said that I don't think these changes are unjustifiable or particularly unfair - a certain amount of power has been trimmed from some of the most egregious examples from the previous edition of the rules.

Steering away from negatives now we can ask: what got better? Well for a start the army bonus is nice - Woodland Creature doesn't seem like much but for an army with a base movement of 4" an area of woodland can be a complete roadblock that takes many turns to effectively navigate: this change allows the hobbits to potentially gain a movement advantage in a certain situation, which was entirely unheard of in the previous edition! 

Merry and Pippin are both now Heroes of Valour with a second point of Might apiece, allowing them to lead 15 hobbits each which is very nice in a horde - it allows you to get more models into your army and therefore more bows (crucial for hobbits). Several independent heroes from the previous edition have been upgraded to Minor Heroes, so expect to see ever present Fatty and Lobelia leading small warbands - not to mention Farmer Maggot who has not only had a stat improvement, he's jumped right up to a Hero of Fortitude (although 3 warband slots need to be taken up by his dogs). In my opinion the most interesting change is to Frodo who simply had his banner effect increased to 6", but this combined with his 40mm pony base allows him to cover large areas of the battlefield with rerolls - a very important effect given that the hobbit army comes with almost no spears available. In terms of troops, yes they have all increased by a point but in the case of Hobbit Sheriffs it is justified: they now come equipped with hand-and-a-half weapons which can add a small amount of much-needed killing power. 

The final big change to the base Shire list (and probably the one I change my mind on the most) is the addition of Gandalf the Grey and Dunedain as a Hero of Valour and Minor Heroes respectively. While this might seem like a straight buff the caveat for taking Gandalf is you become unable to field Merry, Pippin, Frodo or Sam in the army - a fact that denies you access to 3 of the army's most important utilities: Merry, Pippin and Frodo. While there are definitely situations where I would want to take Gandalf, I think the whole paradigm of the list shifts when fielding him and that will definitely take some getting used to.

Mik: The Shire. The doom and gloom. The army that has caused me more pain than any other and one that has given me my greatest defeat, which I remember to this day. Back in 2007, at my first UKGT I was playing on Table 1 in Round 7, facing a then-3-time-GT-Champion, the legendary Vesa Nenye. The tournament structure was 700 points Good vs Evil. Number of players was over 120. It was the largest SBG tournament held to date. With 2 rounds to go I was 2nd and with a chance of moving into 1st if I win this game. The scenario was “Pitched Battle” – 12” setup from the board edge with a single objective: Reduce your opponent to 25% of starting numbers before he/she does that to you. No other objectives (there were no VPs, no Oaths, nothing else, just a win or a loss, on a scale of Major/Minor in the event of the winner getting broken during the game). My Good Force was a pure Minas Tirith army led by Boromir and Faramir, with enough bows to wreck any Evil force at the time. I was confident in beating Vesa’s Moria led by 3 Spider Queens in this scenario. My Evil Force was an Easterling & Harad alliance led by Suladan and Khamul on Fell Beast – to this moment undefeated in the tournament. His Good Force… The Shire led by Gandalf. Not just any Shire… Gandalf, 12 Dunedain and as many Hobbits as points would allow – ie. About 60 of them. The only limitations on army building at the time was a maximum of 75 models, up to 33% of Warriors with bows and 700 points. There was also an alliance chart not dissimilar to the one in the newest edition. 

The dice gods pitched my mid-30 model Easterling/Haradrim Force to play against a Hobbit Horde with some 30 bow shots per turn. I was thrashed so badly, I considered quitting and never playing again (I was 17 years old, so it was quite a dramatic loss for me back then...)! I remember that a young teenager I would later meet named Tom Moore was sitting next to Vesa on table 2 and his face expression really made it clear that even he felt my pain. 3 years later he won the GT, a year after that, I did. The Shire taught me for the first time what it meant to hit the rock bottom (they quite literally threw rocks at me!) and I don’t remember EVER being defeated to such extent. I believe I killed approximately 3 hobbits and lost my entire army. I wish I could say I made a mistake by not taking The Shadow Lord… but The Shadow Lord didn’t get released for another year, and even with SL on every table, The Shire proceeded to win the next year's GT anyway! :D 

Anyway, it’s now been nearly 12 years since that happened and here, I am considering playing The Shire as one of my next armies – possibly even at the 1000 points Throne of Skulls in December if I manage to paint it on time. The army has experienced some drastic changes from the last edition. Dunedain are back as Heroes of the Shire, albeit Minor ones - they were an essential part of the Shire army between 2007 and 2011, up until The Hobbit edition of the rules removed them from that list. They’re something that I felt the army really needed to regain its former glory, as Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin never really felt like much of an elite fighting force - although they have been boosted in this edition. Gandalf being able to lead 15 Hobbits is also a welcome addition. Those changes have come at a cost however, as the Hobbits have risen in points by 33% for Militia and 25% for Archers and Sheriffs. This sounds fair to me. 

It's quite clear that there are two ways to build Hobbit armies now – the Frodo force and the Gandalf force. Sadly the new rules do not allow the Hobbit Boys to be present in an army with Gandalf, so by default we have to pick who we like more and what we want to achieve out of the Hobbit list. As you'll see, David and I have differing opinions on this, so I think it's worth considering both options before dismissing either - perhaps the larger numbers of the Frodo list are your preferred style, or perhaps you like a Wizard to lead your force instead. Both types naturally become better or worse in certain scenarios, but the main idea behind the army is the same - outnumber, outshoot and hopefully outfight. 

The Army Bonus is cool for small points, but as you'll see for anything larger than 500 I'd be keen to look for allies, and so I think it's not the sort of bonus we should really be bothered about losing. 

David’s Lists:

LIST 1: 500 Points of The Shire

Warband 1:
Merry on a Pony, with a Shield - LEADER
15 Battlin Brandybucks

Warband 2:
Pippin on a Pony, with a Shield
9 Hobbit Militia
6 Hobbit Shirriffs

Warband 3:
Frodo on a Pony
5 Hobbit Militia
7 Hobbit Archers

Warband 4:
Paladin
7 Hobbit Archers
5 Hobbit Shirriffs

Warband 5:
Fatty Bolger
6 Hobbit Archers

Total: 500 points, 6 might, 65 models, 20 bows

When using a pure Shire army in smaller points it's important to make sure you outnumber your opponent by a large margin. 65 models and 20 short bow shots is nothing to sniff at in any case, let alone at 500 points when most armies are fielding close to half that number. Using Frodo's pony to increase the size of his Banner bubble is crucial here to give the army its best chance in combat, ideally after a few rounds of bow shots and thrown stones to thin out the enemy ranks a little.

Against blinding light armies or superior shooting forces you have to play the objectives with your numbers as many armies will outrange your short bows! Essentially you want to force your opponent to come to you rather than be able to sit back and shoot at you comfortably. This army is very weak in certain scenarios (think contest of champions) but that's a trade-off that will come to any pure Shire army - strong advantages in some scenarios and crippling disadvantages in others.

LIST 2:

Warband 1: 750 Points of The Shire
Gandalf on Gandalf's Cart - LEADER
15 Hobbit Shirriffs

Warband 2:
Bandobras Took
15 Hobbit Shirriffs

Warband 3:
Dunedain with a Spear
3 Hobbit Archers
1 Hobbit Archer/War horn
2 Hobbit Shirriffs

Warband 4:
Dunedain with a Spear
6 Hobbit Archers

Warband 5:
Dunedain with a Spear
6 Hobbit Archers

Warband 6:
Dunedain with a Spear
6 Hobbit Archers

Warband 7:
Dunedain with a Spear
6 Hobbit Shirriffs

Warband 8:
Dunedain
6 Hobbit Shirriffs

Total: 750 points, 11 might, 74 models, 28 bows

This second, larger list makes use of the 'other side' of Shire armies: No Merry, Pippin or Frodo. Instead using Bandobras (since he makes your army lose its army bonus, but only if used with named Hobbit heroes), Gandalf the Grey, and the Dunedain that are given minor hero status in the army list. 

This army packs a large amount of Might due to the 6 Dunedain and has the Heroic Accuracies to back up its impressive 22 short bow and 6 bow shots - as well as Blinding Light in the form of Gandalf. I would expect this army to win almost any shooting war because of this, and I would prioritise ridding yourself of any pesky horses any scary opposing Heroes might be packing as accomplishing this will greatly reduce the number of hobbits per turn the Glorfindels and Boromirs of this world can kill. 

Taking Gandalf on cart increases the number of models he can guard with his Blinding Light, while still providing the mobility he needs to flexibly perform his duties as a caster. Either Gandalf or Bandobras can be the leader is this army, but I thought that since the requirement of keeping your general safe is a feature in many scenarios, Gandalf made the most sense as he will typically be surrounded by dozens of angry hobbits! 

Realistically I don't recommend taking pure shire at the larger point levels as pure numbers advantage begins to wane in power when you really push the points up and lacking any real punch in their Heroes holds the Shire back significantly - It certainly is an interesting concept, however.

Mik’s Lists:

LIST 3: 500 Points of The Shire

Warband 1:

Gandalf the Gray on a Horse

5 Hobbit Sheriffs

5 Hobbit Archers

5 Hobbit Militia

Warband 2:

1 Dunedain with a Spear

2 Hobbit Sheriffs

2 Hobbit Archers

2 Hobbit Militia

Warband 3:

1 Dunedain with a Spear

2 Hobbit Sheriffs

2 Hobbit Archers

2 Hobbit Militia

Warband 4:

1 Dunedain with a Spear

2 Hobbit Sheriffs

2 Hobbit Archers

2 Hobbit Militia

Warband 5:

1 Dunedain with a Spear

3 Hobbit Militia

1 Hobbit Sheriff

2 Hobbit Archers

Warband 6:

1 Dunedain with a Spear

1 Hobbit Militia

1 Hobbit Archer

Or in other words…

Gandalf on Horse 

5 Dunedain with Spears 

15 Militia

12 Sheriffs

14 Archers

All split into whatever warbands you like to split them into!

Total: 47 models, 8 Might, 19 Bows, 1 Wizard

The strengths of this army are obvious – shoot-em/surround-em/smash-em. 8 Might is a lot and although the army is very slow and quite weak in combat, the numbers and the One-and-a-half-handed weapons of the Sheriffs can be put into very good use. 19 Bows and Blinding Light ensure that we'll be winning every shooting war and we should be outnumbering most of our opponents (with the exception of Moria and the likes) by about 15-20 models - or 20-30 by the time the combat starts in scenarios that allow us to spend a lot of time shooting. Any scenarios that do not start the game within charging range on turn 1 will be difficult for opponents to win. Any scenarios that do, will require a good idea of how to bring together all the numbers into combat, as skilled opponents can exploit the low defence of this army with ease if our combat movement is messed up. 

A correctly played Wizard can go a long way, especially at low points, where it is difficult to shut the Wizard down. With Sorcerous Blast being nerfed in this edition however, Gandalf's role has diminished, but he is still capable of easily stopping enemy heroes from shredding our lines and can take out banners and other valuable targets with ease (especially when backed by all the Heroic Accuracies of the 19 bows). 

List 4 – 800 Points

Well… there’s no list here...

I haven’t figured it out yet and I don’t think I’m even close to it, so I won’t post a list, instead I’ll share my thinking and let you figure it out. The 500 points list above had 47 models, which is more than most 800 points lists have, so the question really is how many more do we want, or if we want any more at all and if we go with some funky allies instead. The options are many and the Army Bonus is not brilliant, so here’s some food for thought:

Option 1: Immovable Object

You could add 300 points worth of Dunedain (with Bandobras) and Hobbits. Counting at as 26 for a Dunedain and 24 for a mix of Militia/Sheriff/Archers, you’re looking at about 80 models in 800 points and around 35 bow shots with insane Might store. The only problem is that you’ll never be able to move all those models in a timely manner and will end up losing games due to running out of time or failing to get to the objective on time – sad! :D You might crush your friend at home in a 5h battle, but you'll struggle to do much at a tournament with 2h per game. 

Option 2: Big Heroes

You could bring Aragorn and Boromir, or perhaps Twins and Glorfindel. If you were to add these to the force, you’d end up with about 50 models, 15+ Might, 2 or 3 very strong killers, a very good hero-stopper and a large number of bows. Another option here could be playing with Eagles, though whether they are better than the above is questionable due to lack of Might. Either way you are creating a force that is a sort of a merger between an all-hero army and a horde. A hybrid that in theory can be extremely effective if played correctly. 

Option 3: Cavalry, Spears & Elites

You could also ally in the likes of Rohan, Elven or Gondorian cavalry, or perhaps bring a contingent of 20 Guards of the Fountain Court, making your army not only huge, but also quite durable. You still have Gandalf and a lot of Might. You could also go with something like Ghan-Buri-Ghan and 15 Woses (total 200 points for an extra amount of range weapons, some wounding bonuses and a lot of Spears).

I think there’s a lot to think about in a Hobbit force at larger points. 

David’s Thoughts on Allies:

(Mik's are above)

David: As I mentioned earlier the Shire used to be an army that relied almost entirely on allies to be competitive, and while that may still be true they did get access to one historic alliance: The Rangers. Depending on the points level I would consider adding some men to my army to add killing power in combat. In a 500-600 point list for example I think taking Halbarad with the Banner of Arwen evenstar to give your hobbit horde a 6" bubble of Fearless and Banner rerolls would be a smart choice, and I think once you get to 700+ points adding in Strider on a horse would be a great choice - not only do you get a big combat Hero in there, but you also get access to great utility from Mighty Hero Special Rule. Whether marching every turn to get your slow hobbits to where they need to be, or by calling free Heroic Combats to thin out enemy numbers, or by charging scary monster and calling Heroic Strike - the possibilities are endless when you have access to every Heroic Action! 

Of course, the hobbit army bonus isn't so fantastic that taking a convenient alliance would break the army, hobbits have been allying successfully with elves for a long time and there's no reason to think that choice is somehow less viable now. Allying with Lothlorien or Rivendell is potentially very powerful: giving your shooting a strength 3 edge from Elf bows and your combat a big edge with Fight 5 spear supports - it is an alliance that makes sense no matter which way you look at it and losing out on woodland creature on your hobbits would be worth the price for that flexibility in my opinion.

Summary

Although the generic Hobbits have gone up in points, the army has now returned to its original form where it no longer has a limit of models it can take based on the number of heroes that can lead Warbands. To my big surprise, the Scouring of Stirlingshire tournament at 800 points featured 0 Shire armies, but the upcoming WAR tournament in Reading at 500 points is set to feature 5 forces of The Shire. I’d be keen to see how they perform and whether the once-mighty-horde is able to take on the new metagame and be crowned kings, as they were a decade ago. 

Good Luck!
BlackMist & David

Fog of War, Part 10: Kingdom of Khazad-Dum / Moria

FOG OF WAR

Part 10: Kingdom of Khazad-Dum / Moria

Welcome back to Fog of War! This time I am joined by ETC Team England & 2017 Team World Champion (The Wanderers in the Wild), as well as the winner of a recent London Dark Sphere tournament, Callum Edens. Together we take a look at the finest sprinters in the land – The Dwarves!

Callum: When I was asked to do a faction review I expressed my intentions to do a write up for Durin’s Folk. I have easily found them the most challenging and tactical faction to play within SBG. You may understand their basics but to master their underlying potential can take years of practice. When I first started playing Dwarves they were always considered an underdog faction which would never be seen on top tables. I set out to dispel this myth and give the Sons of Durin the justice and respect they deserved. There is much to say about the stubbornness of the Dwarves…..

"Since they were to come in the days of the power of Melkor, Aulë made the dwarves strong to endure. Therefore they are stone-hard, stubborn, fast in friendship and in enmity, and they suffer toil and hunger and hurt of body more hardily than all other speaking peoples; and they live long, far beyond the span of Men, yet not forever." (Tolkien.,Silmarillion)

The Kingdom of Khazad-Dum as they are now called encompasses both the forces of Khazud-Dum and Moria. With the new edition, the list has been split and there are even more challenges to make a Dwarven list now than ever before. However, it is much more themed and in my opinion both much more enjoyable to play and more rewarding to win with! The strength of the Dwarves comes mainly from their high Defence, usually as high as 7. The jewel in the crown for any dwarven forces however is having some of the best elite troops in the game - Khazad Guard and Iron Guard! Having Strength 4 in any troop choice in the Forces of Good is rare and incredibly powerful. Bodyguard makes your Khazads auto-pass Courage Tests, which is invaluable when fighting Terror causing foes or standing by your Lord to the last man to try and swing a game in the dying turns. The Dwarf Heroes also give you a great combination of high Defense, Courage and Fight Value. Some of the weaknesses however include lack of cavalry, bow superiority and their universal 5-inch movement. Don’t let this fool you however, as the “Dwarves are very dangerous over short distance”.

Mik: In my 14-year playing career, Dwarves are the only army I never used at a major tournament, and thus never achieved any tournament success with. They are also the army that my old friend Louis would use all the time against me in the first 3 or 4 years of my SBG adventure and consistently destroy me every time we played. I used to loathe playing against the Dwarves because of their high Defence, as I could never find a way to kill them. I have often fielded a contingent of Khazad Guard led by Floi and back in the days of Legions of Middle-earth (2007-2011) I always feared Khazad Guards supported by Wood Elf Spearmen. Through writing this series I’ve had to ponder about armies I might not always be familiar with and it’s been a fun and rewarding experience :)

My favourite Dwarf units are Vault Wardens and King’s Champion. The latter is a very interesting character in that the 2 Heralds effectively cost around 45 points each (25 for banner and 20 for their hero-with-2-Fate profile), making the Champion himself *only* 50 points – a total bargain for Fight 5, Strength 5, Defence 7, 3 Attacks, with Heroic Strike and a Defence bonus when in contact with the Heralds. Naturally you won’t ever need more than 2 banners in a game, so getting a 2nd Champion will never provide as good a return on your investment as the first one.

Vault Warden Teams are peculiar in that a line of them is almost unbreakable, but if flanked or surrounded, they fall apart as if they were badly overpriced Orcs, so it’s worth having 1 or 2 in the middle of a line and protect flanks with other units. 

Between 2001 and 2011, Khazad Guard was the most powerful infantry unit in the game, especially in the era when all Grand Tournaments were played in Good vs Evil, making their Fight 4 / Strength 4 / Defence 7 absolutely unstoppable for the forces of Evil. Although they haven’t changed at all, everything else has changed, so they lost a lot of their strength in the recent 2 rule sets. I’m still keen to see if they can be feared the way they once were, especially now with their ability to be upgraded to have the Burly special rule. 

The biggest downside of pure Dwarf armies is the cost of individual units. They may be incredibly durable, but paying 11, 13 or 15 points per model is a lot when their Heroes are also on the expensive side and the army is unable to provide anything that moves more than 5” without adding allies.

Callum's Lists:

List 1: 600 Points of Khazad-Dum

Warband 1

Durin, King of Khazad-Dum

15 Khazad Guards with Hearthguard Upgrade. 

3 Iron Guards

Warband 2

Mardin

10 Dwarf Warriors with Shields

1 Dwarf Warrior with a Banner. 

Total: 31 Models. 6 might 

This list represents the might of a Dwarven Vanguard. You can now utilize the new Heroic Tier before taking too many costly Heroes to maximise your numbers and increase Break Point. Within the list you have mostly Defence 7, meaning that most of the enemy Heroes and Warriors will require 6s to wound you. Your Khazad Guards all now have Burly for an addition 2 points, which I feel is well worth it. Strength 4 and always going two handed with no penalty will now chew through most armour with ease. Not forgetting you will re-roll 1s to wound with your new Army Bonus!

The tricks of playing this list is to get stuck in as quick as possible, but always remember your objectives and plan 2 moves ahead. Utilize the 2-Attack troops, Throwing weapons and Might points to kill and call Heroic Combats to give you extra movement and take out strategic pieces in your opponent’s battle line or storm objectives. 

List 2  - 750 Points of Moria

Warband 1

Balin  King of Moria 

16 Khazad Guard 

1 Iron guard 

Warband 2 

Gimli 

8 Dwarf Warriors with Shields

4 Dwarf Warriors with Bows 

Warband 3 

Floi 

4 Dwarf Warriors with Bows

4 Dwarf Warriors with Shields

1 Dwarf Warrior with a Shield and a Banner

Warband 4 

Dwarf Ballista 

Total: 750 Points 43 models, 8 Bows & a Ballista

This list at a higher points level can give you a little more of everything. You have a reasonable amount of Strength 3 bows and a Ballista to try and force your opponent to engage you. Your vanguard remains strong with lots of Defense 7 and Strength 4 troops. You also have 3 very different types of Heroes. Balin and Gimli have always been my favourite Heroes for the Dwarves and although Balin has taken a bit of a pounding in the new rules, he is still one of the cheapest Heroes of Legend in the game. He also lets you play a tactical game with his special rule of re-rolling Priority which can easily win you a game in certain situations. Gimli remains a wrecking machine as he used to be before and a good all-round combat Hero. Floi is a dark horse and can shut down any nasty Hero with his Special Rule (My favorite is turning off the Undying and then inflicting a single wound to see him flee back into the darkness). The common trait with me is to try and take a Banner in any list with the Dwarves. Having a high Defense Banner is great. Additionally, it counts for VPs in many scenarios and can maximize the potential of you battle line winning combats and doing what they do best.

Mik's Lists:

List 3: 600 Points of Khazad-Dum

Warband 1:

King’s Champion with 2 Heralds

5 Iron Guard

5 Dwarf Warriors with Shields

Warband 2:

Dwarf Captain with a Shield 

5 Iron Guard

5 Dwarf Warriors with Shields

Warband 3:

Dwarf Captain with a Shield

10 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarven Longbows

Total: 35 Models, 6 Might, 10 Bows, 2 Banners

This list capitalises on the 2 Heralds with Banners, a very powerful Leader and 10 Banner-backed Iron Guards. The guards themselves are capable of cutting through pretty much every enemy in the game, but as there’s only 10 of them, the job of the Dwarves with Shields will be even more important. Shielding is the best ‘Special Strike’ in the game, in a sense that it allows us to tie up 2 or more enemies, beat them in combat, preventing them from killing our models, whilst allowing our more powerful units to cause damage unopposed. A common strategy with a Dwarf army such as this would be to charge the Iron Guards into 1v1 combats (or 1v2 due to Spear Support), back them up with a Banner, so that they roll 3 dice to win combat and ensure they kill their enemies. At the same time, the Shield wielding Dwarves will charge into 1v1s or 1v2s and use Shielding (hopefully still within Banner range to also roll 3 dice) to either win combats and survive or lose combats and still very likely survive due to their high Defence.

Dwarf Rangers have been chosen above Dwarf Warriors with Bows. It’s a borderline decision, as against some armies you will prefer 24” Strength 2 bows and against others you will prefer 18” Strength 3 bows. It’s a debate that’s existed since the dawn of time. I'm on the Rangers side also because of the Mountain Dweller Special Rule, but I wouldn't blame you for taking Warriors with Bows as Defence 6 is quite valuable.

List 4: 800

Warband 1:

Durin, King of Khazad-Dum

4 Vault Warden Teams

5 Iron Guard

2 Dwarf with a Shield

Warband 2:

King’s Champion with 2 Heralds

4 Vault Warden Teams

1 Iron Guard

1 Dwarf with a Shield

Warband 3:

Mardin

12 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarven Longbows

Total: 800 Points, 8 Might, 41 Models, 12 Bows, 2 Banners

If you’re not playing Durin at a high points level, then you’re probably not playing Dwarves of Khazad-Dum. 4 dice to win combat (5 with a Banner nearby), Fight 6 with Heroic Strike, wounding everything at ease thanks to his Axe and one of the highest Defence levels in the game (only Sauron and fortifications are harder to damage!) mean that even if everything goes against you, the chances of your Army Leader actually dying are very slim. He’s Fearless too, so he’s not running away.

King’s Champion joins Durin in high killing potential, Mardin is excellent against Monsters (He Wounds a Cave Troll on 3+!) and 8 Vault Warden teams ensure that the front line is very difficult to break. The key to winning with this army will be in ensuring that the Vault Wardens are not surrounded. As long as you can maintain a frontal fighting line and not get surrounded, you should be beating most enemies. The Iron Guards and Rangers must protect the flanks at all cost. 

Allies

Callum: With the Dwarves you are not spoilt for choice as by nature they are loners who endure winter and wars by themselves. With this in mind you have to make some difficult decisions. Personally the best allies for Dwarves would be a higher Fighting troop with spears to back up your vangaurd and make them unstoppable. The logical choice for me would mean allying Rivendell or Lothlorien. You would however lose Army Bonuses in both lists, but in all fairness this can be ok if you know your list can perform without these as Dwarves have no Historical Allies. Moria are impossible allies with everyone, so an even harder choice would have to be made. As is always the case go out and practice a few lists and forge your own decision on game winning combinations but always keep the theme and enjoyment at the heart of your force!  

Mik: Khazad-Dum’s Army Bonus is something worth keeping in my opinion. Most of the Dwarf armies will be full of Strength 4 troops, wounding majority of enemies on 5+, so re-rolling 1s to wound is going to be very powerful. Sadly there are 0 Historical Allies, so if we go into alliance, I think it doesn’t really matter if we pick Impossible or Convenient ones, as the allies will be there only to patch up some of the weaknesses of a Khazad-Dum army, rather than actually properly fight side-by-side with the Dwarves. The big weaknesses in my mind are:

- Movement – We should try to look into ways of getting cavalry – Rivendell, Minas Tirith, Rohan, Lothlorien?

-  Numbers & Spears – Arnor helps with this by providing numbers and extra bows with Hobbits, whilst also bringing Spear Support with the Warriors of Arnor.

Summary

In all, I think Khazad-Dum and Moria have potential in the new edition, but their success will depend largely on the correct configuration of elites and basic troops, as well as the right number of allies we look for – but that’s generally what the success of every army depends on. In the case of the Dwarves I would favour them in higher points games, as their individual troops and heroes are a large investment points-wise and their lack of spears requires the players to adapt some more unusual strategies – perhaps their biggest strength is the fact that your opponents won't be used to fighting such a durable force.

Good Luck!

BlackMist & Callum

Fog of War, Part 9: The Rangers

FOG OF WAR

Part 9: The Rangers

Few armies have changed between the Hobbit and the Middle-earth editions of the rules as much as The Rangers (or formerly The Grey Company). For this reason, I think it’s a good idea to look at them from scratch as an army sort-of-new and sort-of-old. This time I am joined by my first guest from over The Pond – the Captain of Team USA, winner of 2 Adepticon tournaments, this year’s Ardacon 5th place finisher and the TO behind the NOVA Open in DC, Devin Moreno. 

Devin: Having been rightfully separated from Arnor and turned into their own faction, the Rangers of the North have received a major boost in power in this new era of Middle-earth SBG. From a first glance, a player might actually feel they got worse: The Rangers of the North cost 5 points more, lost a point of courage, lost access to Heroic Strike, and their mounts are now 10 points instead of 6.  It’s not like anyone thought they were under-costed before; so why do I think they got better? It’s because the Army Bonus turns this army into the elite rangers they were always supposed to be! 

Two attacks, the option to deploy together, being able to Stand Fast! through major characters, and gaining Woodland Creature have turned this faction into an absolute powerhouse. Add in the Banner of Arwen Evenstar and spears, and now you get four dice to win the fight and three dice at strength 4 to kill the enemy. Combine this with proper use of Heroic Combats to chain-link fights (remember that models can’t move again after the second Heroic Combat they participate in but they can still help their friends move), and you can destroy a large portion of an opposing army in a single round of Combat. Use Aragorn to manage all your other necessary Heroics and now you can keep the Might on your Rangers for exactly what you need it for. And don’t forget that the new game of SBG is heavily focused around iconic characters to boost their armies, so take advantage of all the Might you have to assassinate them at a distance, ensuring you never need more than a 5 to wound. Easy way to remove a bonus from the enemy army. 

Mik: Rangers or Grey Company has always been a funny force for me. What first started with 40+ bowmen at 700 points some 10 years ago during the Legions of Middle-earth era, then turned into 25-35 bows in the Hobbit era and now drops to under 20 bows and far better fighting skills in the Middle-earth edition. I think it’s a change for good and just like Devin, I think there is a lot the new force has going for it, but it requires a distinctly different playstyle than the forces a lot of players may be used to. 

I have to admit, when I first looked at The Rangers, I thought the GW team have made a big mistake and made it unplayable, but the more I think about this army, the more I think that it isn't necessarily either better or worse than the old one, it's simply different and this is a good change. As mentioned above, the 2 Attacks in combination with spears and the Banner of Arwen Evenstar make them incredibly powerful as a fighting force. 2 Attacks + Spear + Banner at Fight Value 4 and Strength 4 is effectively stronger than an Uruk-Hai Phalanx, especially with all the Might and Woodland Creature. The numbers are the weak side of the army, but with a lot of shooting and a single correctly executed chain of Heroic Combats, they can be very deadly.

Devin’s Lists

List 1: 600 Points

Warband 1:

Arathorn

5 Dunedain with Spears

1 Ranger of the North with spear: 31pts

Warband 2:

Halbarad on horse with Banner of Arwen Evenstar: 120pts

5 Dunedain with spears: 130pts

1 Ranger of the North with spear: 31pts

Warband 3:

1 Ranger of the North on Horse with spear: 41pts

Warband 4:

1 Ranger of the North on Horse: 41pts

Total: 599 Points, 20 Might, 16 Models, 16 Bows

Due to the cost of the Rangers, I decided to drop Aragorn to ensure that I have the numbers I need to play the scenarios. Though I must admit that this can be also fixed by allying, but I’ll get into that in a bit. Having only 16 models at 600 points may seem daunting but remember that this army can dismantle a flank of an opponent very quickly. I kept Halbarad in because I feel the Banner is essential. Not only is losing fights potentially disastrous for you (which his Banner helps prevent), but being Fearless is critical to making the army work against all opponents. Arathorn was added for more access to Heroic Strike. I used Dunedain instead of the armoured Rangers to save the 50pts combined that the armour would cost. This makes them weak to strength 2 bows, but I felt the numbers were necessary.  I selected two mounted Rangers by themselves which allows me to out-deploy my opponent in most missions. Also despite losing the bonus Attacks while mounted, I still feel that having a few mounted Rangers is essential for missions like Reconnoitre, Capture and Control, Storm the Camp, etc. 

List 2: 800 Points

Warband 1:

Aragorn on Horse with Armour and Bow: 180pts

8 Rangers of the North with spear: 248pts

Warband 2:

Halbarad with Banner of Arwen Evenstar: 110pts

5 Rangers of the North with Spear: 155pts

1 Dunedain with spear: 26pts

Warband 3:

1 Ranger of the North on Horse with spear: 41pts

Warband 4:

1 Ranger of the North on Horse: 40pts

Total: 800 Points, 18 Models, 18 Bows, 22* Might.

This is another pure Rangers of the North list without using allies to boost some key weaknesses. I chose not to mount Halbarad and not to take Anduril in favour of adding more rangers. I also upgraded to Rangers of the North from Dunedain since Strength 2 bows and Strength 4 Warriors will be in abundance at this point level. This list relies heavily on Aragorn to shift the army and make sure that they hit the enemy only where I choose. With all the Heroic Actions in the game at your disposal, you can assassinate leaders at a distance, move faster in missions that require speed, constantly challenge Cavalry armies for the charge, and regularly re-position your small force to attack only portions of the enemy. This part about re-positioning is key because you will certainly be one of the smaller armies out there at 800 points. Attacking only portions of the opponent’s army with your entire army is going to be the best way to take down a large army with minimal losses. 

Mik’s Lists

List 3: 500 Points

Warband 1

Halbarad with Banner of Arwen Evenstar

12 Dunedain with Spears

Warband 2:

1 Dunedain with Spear

Warband 3:

1 Dunedain with Spear

Warband 4:

1 Dunedain with Spear

Total: 498 Points, 18 Might, 16 Models, 16 Bows

At 500 Points I am expecting to face armies between 2 and 3 warbands in size, so between 25 and 35 models on average. In fact, looking back at the previous 8 articles, that’s been roughly what the 500 points lists have had. Given that we have 16 bows and a very strong fighting line, I wouldn’t be too worried using this in competitive matches. By the time combat starts we will hopefully have shot down several enemies and we are very strong in combat against everything except Elves, as their high Fight Value causes a problem. Having 4 Warbands means we can drop 3 of them by the time our opponent deploys their entire army, so we’re always in a good position at the start of the game. 

List 4: 800 Points

Warband 1:

Aragorn with Armour, Anduril and a Bow

10 Dunedain with Spears

Warband 2:

King of the Dead

13 Warriors of the Dead

2 Riders of the Dead

Total: 800 Points, 27 Models, 14* Might, 11 Bows. 

I’m not convinced Anduril is necessary, but thematically it makes sense to have it. It’s not an army I would traditionally consider to be very competitive, but 27 models are not terrible at 800 points, especially when all of them either cause Terror or have Might and 2 or more Attacks. King of the Dead is a decent fighter in the Middle-earth edition of the rules and is now capable of posing serious threat to a lot of enemy heroes. Dunedain can either support the Dead, or fight by themselves in a formation 5x2 formation that has 3 Attacks at the front and 2 Might each to support it, in addition to Aragorn. A lot of the game will depend on how well you’re able to execute your Heroics and how you’re able to position yourself into most advantageous situations. Naturally, the weaknesses are obvious – you’ll always be outnumbered and hopefully you won’t have to face Blinding Light or Pall of Night, as they will really make your Archers unable to do the necessary damage at long range. It’s definitely a challenging list to play, but I think if played well, it could be strong. 

Allies

Devin: The Ranger of the North army bonus is way too crucial to ever risk giving it up. Without it, the Rangers are overpriced and only the Dunedain would be useful for a few casual one-drops for deployment. Therefore in my mind, only the Shire and the Dead of Dunharrow would be viable allies for this list as they are Historical Allies. 

The Shire is a great ally since they can easily boost the numbers of your army with minimal cost. Only 34pts gets you Fatty Bolger and 6 Hobbits which brings your break limit up by 3.5. Adding in larger groups of hobbits allows you to get more bow shots and gives the rangers some flank support so that they can deal with sections of an army for longer periods of time. The only problem here is that the Hobbits will anchor you with a 4” speed; so Aragorn will be essential to help speed them up. Alternatively you can have them do what hobbits do best and hide them the entire game if you only have a handful to raise your break limit. A final thought on the Shire is that it also gives access to Gandalf the Grey, whom might be an interesting replacement for one of your larger heroes. Blinding Light and other magical spells can prove quite useful; and if you drop Halbarad you can always just take a Hobbit Horn to boost the courage of your Rangers. 

The Dead of Dunharrow are a tricky ally since they will compete with your army for the precious points you need for the Rangers. Allying will require The King of the Dead to be chosen, whom is already expensive as is. Not to mention the Men of the Dead aren’t cheap either. Adding too many would almost feel like a Dunharrow list with Rangers allied in. However if you do have the points for larger games, then a small Warband of the King of the Dead and 7 Men of the Dead with shields will replace 7 Rangers of the North quite nicely, which will provide a protective wall for your rangers with Defense 8 and Terror with Harbinger of Evil. You can even replace the Mounted Rangers with some Riders of the Dead in that warband to keep the mobility you need. And with Aragorn in the list, you may hardly notice the drop in Might. 

Mik: I posted an 800 points list with allied Army of the Dead, but I’m not convinced whether this is an entirely feasible alliance even at that points level. Perhaps 1000 would be more appropriate, as we’d be able to get another 14 or 15 extra models to really make it look like an army. 

The Shire is definitely something worth looking into as well, but as The Shire already has access to Dunedain, I feel like we’d only be adding some Rangers of the North on horses or Halbarad for his banner. I think The Shire alliance would make the list into something entirely different than The Rangers set out to be in the first place, as we’d probably want to make it into a horde sort of army. In conclusion I think The Rangers are best left to wander on their own, like the dangerous folk they are. 

Summary

The new Rangers/Grey Company list leaves me with one thought on my mind: This is definitely not a ‘no-brainer, stand back and roll dice’ sort of army that some of the Grey Company lists have been in the past. The force has definitive strengths in the increased number of attacks, all the Might and all the bows, but at the same time it has very obvious weaknesses in the low numbers, Blinding Light/Pall of Night and certain scenarios where it will struggle against certain armies. It will require unconventional tactics, which once learned, will give you as a player even greater advantage in the game than if you were to be using a conventional force, because most of your opponents will not be used to playing against The Rangers. It's kind of like playing against All-Hero or The Flying Circus - the person using them is used to playing against all-comers, but most players don't spend their practice time playing against All-Hero and Flying Circus, so you have a natural advantage through their lack of practice. 

I would define The Rangers as a ‘high variance’ army – you will either do very well under the right circumstances, or you will do very very badly under wrong circumstances. Either way, the games will be very interesting and challenging for both sides, and I think that’s ultimately what all of us want!

Good Luck!

BlackMist & Devin

Fog of War, Part 8: Angmar

FOG OF WAR

Part 8: Angmar

Having visited some of the game’s most popular armies, it is time now for something more unusual. Angmar is a faction that has not seen major tournament play in the past, but one that with the new rules may just become a mainstay on the top tables. This time I am joined by the winner of the 2017 UK Grand Tournament and the mastermind behind the organisation of the European Team Championships (ETC), Dave Nolan.

Dave: Angmar has always fascinated me because historically, gaming wise, it has struggled to achieve top table placement. It embodies the core of all spirit evil of Middle-earth in my mind and coming from a Warhammer fantasy background my favourite Army was The Undead. The large amount of heroes backed by hordes or orcs always seemed slightly unbalanced as I struggled to find a competitive list. The core piece of most Angmar armies, the Shade, seemed to me to be the major weakness in its composition as it “bubbled” the army too much.

Under the new rules set and awesome 3”radius Terror army bonus, new exciting and tactical lists crept from dark places and enveloped my mind.

Witch king.

His hidden powers are slowly coming to the fore in this army. As magic is changing between the last and the new edition, he is becoming more powerful in my estimation. The Crown of Morgul and a Fell beast along with his wealth of Heroic Actions makes him a combat fiend. Moving from a Hero of Valour to a hero of Legend allows that inclusion of horde which is a key strength of Angmar and one that should not readily be dismissed.

The Tainted.

A very rare inclusion in any lists of the last rules set, the Tainted now gets great attention in larger point armies. I include him here as he is pivotable in my army composition over the last remaining wraith the Dwimmerlaik due to his might allowance. His Seeping Decay is like a cheeky arrow shot finding its mark on a 6 but in combat. Pray to the dice gods because when it happens it can be an annoyance to any opponent. His Miasmatic Presence is potentially a late game finisher or has potential at key moments if predicted at the right time.

Barrow Wight.

The captains of my army lists. A combination of Special Rules and Magic. These are not the usual Might pools of a normal Captain but their symbiotic relationship to their troops and Wraith leaders generate the most important component of the army - Covering a 3" radius Terror bubble per Wight, a number of Wights can potentially affect a vast area on the table. 

Other Heroes

Many great and powerful heroes are available but potentially change the dynamic and strength of my lists. You may be keen to see the exclusion of the Shade and as some tournaments encourage playing more Good vs Evil, the ability of the humble Spectre is retreating.

====

Mik: Angmar is something that I've been interested in for years, but never got round to using. Gulavhar is one of my favourite Monsters in the game, not just because of how cool he is, but his Special Rules of life regeneration are very unique and pose a challenge to the opposition. Sadly Gulavhar was quite underpowered in the previous edition of the rules, but having gained the Monstrous Charge rule, we should be able to see him played more often. That and the decrease in the number of Heroes with Heroic Strike should allow him to quickly and easily pick off valuable targets in enemy armies. Hero of Valour status also means we can now afford to spend the points and still have access to 15 Warriors.

The other addition in the new rules is the update to The Tainted's profile. In my humble opinion, he may just be the single most powerful model in the game right now and only time will tell whether he will dominate top tables or not, as regardless of how good any model is, they require the right army to support them. His Miasmatic Presence rule is powerful beyond anything I've ever seen in this game. For 1 point of Will you can virtually cancel Heroic Moves and Stand Fast! of your opponent if and when you need to, so keeping The Tainted in the right position will often be backbreaking for whoever you are facing. 

The Shade is always worth giving a special mention to, as his ability effectively turns your lowly Orcs into Fight 11 Warriors (whereas we would normally lose on a Duel draw against higher Fight enemies, our opponent receives -1 to their roll, letting us win, effectively turning our Fight Value to infinite or their to 0. In the rare circumstances when our Fight is higher, like when facing Hobbits or Goblins, the Shade's forces should rarely ever lose combats). In the past his rule would work forever, whereas now there is a limited store of Will for his ability, making him more balanced in my opinion, but also potentially allowing him to stay around longer after the army breaks. Sap Will poses a potential problem, but that's a Spell generally cast on 5+ and only drains an average of 2 points of Will per successful casting, so it's not a major deal. Naturally Banishment is an issue however, but unless Channelled, it will take at least 3 turns to remove the Shade and it can already pay itself off by that time.

Dave's Lists

List 1: 600 Points:

Warband 1
Witch King on Fell Beast with 3 Might, 18 Will, 3 fate
7 Orcs with Shields
1 Orc with Spear

Warband 2
Barrow Wight
1 Orc with Shield and a Banner
7 Orcs with Shields
3 Orcs with Spears
1 Orc with Shield and Spear

Warband 3
Barrow Wight
7 Orcs with Shields
3 Orcs with Spears

Warband 4
Barrow Wight
6 Orcs with Shields
3 Orcs with Spears

Total: 599 Points, 43 Models, 3 Might. 

I understand and play low Might armies so 3 Might is fine, especially when used efficiently. The line of Orcs, all causing Terror and supported with Harbinger of Evil from the Withc King are a difficult large force to charge, allowing me to hopefully counter charge and surround those fool hardy enough to  pass their courage. 3 Barrow wights hold back those powerful enemy heroes least they succumb to Paralysing effects. Finally the greatest power of the Witch King comes to the forefront as he drains the courage of those who cause his army most problems.

List 2: 800 Points

Warband 1
Witch King on Fell beast, with Crown of Morgul and 3 Might, 20 Will, 3 Fate
7 Orcs with Shields
3 Orcs with Spears

Warband 2
The Tainted (Horse)
5 Orcs with Shields
2 Orcs with Spears

Warband 3
Barrow Wight
1 Orc with a Banner
6 Orcs with Shields
2 Orcs with Spears

Warband 4
Barrow Wight
6 Orcs with Shields
4 Orcs with Spears

Warband 5
Barrow Wight
6 Orcs with Shields
2 Orcs with Spears

Total: 799 Points, 49 Models, 5 Might

The spear supported front line of Terror with 3 Paralysing Barrow Wights, Harbinger of Evil potentially covering over 50+ inches and 2 Courage drainers helps this list to select its fights. With some scenarios containing multiple objectives the model count of 49 makes it difficult to contain in one place.

The move away from Shade inclusion allows this army to separate into multiple Terror bubbles with show stopping Magic. Orcs at Strength 3 and potential Defence 5 are a match for any army especially when the number of models they can bring against heroic individuals can dice for dice win the day.

The lack of Might at (Total 5) is countered by tapping into your enemy's Heroes Might reserves forcing them to potentially use Heroic Resolve to protect key models along with the Tainted special rule which can take away Heroic Move benefits from the rank and file.

All in all the move away from the Shade bubble by creating smaller individual ones allows Angmar to have a greater board coverage and any isolated loses on one flank can be easily absorbed by the sheer number of models on the table.

Mik's Lists

List 3: 500 Points

Warband 1
Buhrdur, Troll Chieftain
7 Orcs with Shields
7 Orcs with Spears
1 Orc with a Spear and a Banner

Warband 2
Wild Warg Chieftain
2 Wild Wargs
3 Orcs with Shields
3 Orcs with Spears

Warband 3
Wild Warg Chieftain
2 Wild Wargs
4 Orcs with Shields
4 Orcs with Spears

Total: 497 Points, 36 Models, 3 (+4 Special) Might. 

Wild Warg Chieftains have been given quite a decent profile in the new edition. 2 Might and 3 Attacks alongside Strength 6 and Movement 10 are something that surprised me when I first read their rules, but it's a positive surprise. Fortitude Heroic Tier allows them to still bring quite a few models and I think a combination of Buhrdur and 2 Chieftains is something that should worry a lot of opponents, especially in conjunction with so many Warriors. I would be tempted to go with Cave Trolls, but that would require us to bring other Heroes and they would in turn drastically diminish our numbers.

36 Models are also quite a horde at 500 points, although the biggest weakness of this army is that if it breaks, it will very quickly collapse, as Buhrdur is the only model that grants Stand Fast to everybody, whilst also being the Army Leader and the strongest piece. The key to success of this army is going to be in good use of Buhrdur and the Chieftains, whilst overwhelming your opponents with numbers and hopefully securing a victory before you break! I admit it may not be too competitive though, but other than swapping 1 WWC for a Witch King for 80 or so points, there aren't many options with reliable Courage that will keep the army together after it breaks.

List 4: 800 Points

Warband 1
Witch King on an Armoured Horse with 3 Might, 12 Will, 2 Fate
9 Orcs with Shields
9 Orcs with Spears

Warband 2
The Tainted on an Armoured Horse
8 Orcs with Shields
7 Orcs with Spears

Warband 3
The Shade
6 Orcs with Shields
5 Orcs with Spears
1 Orc with a Spear and a Banner

Warband 4
Wild Warg Chieftain
10 Wild Wargs
Total: 799 Points, 59 models, 3 Terror Bubbles

This is the non-Monster, Shade alternative list. The Shade’s Special Rule works best when you can bring as many models into combat as possible, hence this force focuses on dropping the Fell Beast/Gulavhars and instead pushes the model limit to the maximum (59!). You have 2 Wizards to prevent major Heroes from causing major damage. You have The Tainted to stop Heroic Moves and turn off Stand Fasts!, whilst providing the -1 Harbinger of Evil modifier. Finally, you have the Wild Warg Chieftain with some Wargs to quickly grab objectives, threaten running off the table in Reconnoitre, surround isolated enemies and use Strength 6 when needed to kill off important targets. 

Although the Witch King is the Leader, I haven’t given him the Crown of Morgul or a Fell Beasts in order to really be able to pack as many Warriors as I can. A Crown or a Fell Beast would not only cost extra points, but also require more Will points investment as he’d be expected to fight. In Contest of Champions hopefully his and the Tainted’s Magic combined with the Shade will prevent the enemy Leader from beating us. Same thing goes for The Tainted, as a Fell Beast over an Armoured Horse is 6 extra Orcs and the more models we have, the more effective the Shade becomes. In addition we can freely spend more Will on stopping enemy Heroes from causing damage and using The Tainted's Special Rule and not have to worry that he will die because of being charged by a random Fool That Can Kill Him. 

I wouldn't mind finding space for a couple of Spectres in this list, as they always come in handy.

An even extreme version of this list could include something like:

The Tainted, Shade, 3 Barrow Wights, Banner and over 60 Orcs and Wargs! Heroes would struggle and we'd be outnumbering pretty much everybody.

Bonus List 5: 800 Points

Warband 1:
Gulavhar
7 Orcs with Shields
7 Orcs with Spears
1 Spectre

Warband 2:
Wild Warg Chieftain
5 Orcs with Shields
4 Orcs with Spears
2 Wild Wargs
1 Spectre

Warband 3:
Wild Warg Chieftain
5 Orcs with Shields
4 Orcs with Spears
1 Orc with Spear & Banner
2 Wild Warg

Warband 4:
Wild Warg Chieftain
5 Orcs with Shields
5 Orcs with Spears
2 Wild Warg

Total 795 Points, 55 Models

This list is basically the 800 points upgrade on my 500 points list. At this points level this seems like more of a fun idea rather than something competitive, as again the lack of models who can provide Stand Fast! means that you’ll be dead when you break and with all the big Heroes running around, chances are you'll break pretty fast. However, Gulavhar and 3 Wild Warg Chieftains can provide enough killing power to win the game before that happens. From a competitive standpoint, I would go with something resembling list 4 or Dave's List 2. From a non-competitive one, I’d play this all day. I'm a dog person...

Allies

Dave: Want none, have none, take none.

The loss of the army bonus would change the dynamics of the Angmar list completely. The availability of the Desolator of the North would soak up too many points. The inclusion of Moria is potentially good for Moria only as their access to Shade, Wraiths and Barrow Wights along with other Heroes could strengthen their forces but the reverse would harm Angmar in the long game.

Mik: The major weakness of Angmar is its Defence 5 of Orcs. An army causing Terror may be strong, but with multiple Army Bonuses providing Courage boosts, Fury, Aura of Command and Bodyguards, I'm not entirely sure whether the bonus will always be worth having and if it wouldn't be a good idea to find some allies. Sadly Angmar has no access to Historic Allies and only 2 Convenient allies in Smaug and Moria. However, I think it may be worth looking for individual models that don't harm our army through allying, or whose benefit is greater than the loss of the Army Bonus - Shadow Lord may be the obvious choice for that to eliminate the long range weakness. Then again, we generally have such large numbers, that losing a few models to bows shouldn't be a major issue.

Summary

Thanks to the number of Monsters and cheap Warriors available to Angmar, I think the army now has the potential to claim its spot on the top tables, as long as players are able to figure out the best build and the best combination of Ringwraiths / Spirits / Monsters / Warriors. Despite causing Terror all around, the army also lacks a way to overcome opponent’s Terror causing enemies, as the Angmar Shaman does not have Fury. Although Angmar only has 2 Convenient and 0 Historical Allies, it can very likely stand on its own with the array of Magic, beasts and Spirits. The likes of Gandalf the White and Galadriel may be cause for concern with their Banishment Spell, but hopefully they can be dealt with by the Ringwraiths, especially with the thematic Your Staff Is Broken! spell of the Witch King. 

Good Luck!
BlackMist & Dave

Fog of War, Part 7: Gondor

FOG OF WAR

Part 7: Gondor

Few factions in the game are so vast as the Kingdom of Gondor. Between Warriors of Minas Tirith, Osgiliath Veterans, Rangers, Citadel Guards, Fountain Guards, War Machines, a host of Heroes, and a selection of strong allies from the Fiefdoms, it is the second most diverse army in the game with a great number of possible army lists to choose from. For this part of the series, I am joined by a player who won the Kingdoms of Men Faction category at Ardacon in 2017 and ended up in 3rd place, undefeated, at the 2018 World Championships. A gentleman and a Captain of Gondor like none other, David Clubley. 

David: The Kingdom of Gondor and its iconic city, Minas Tirith, has long been a favourite army of mine and many others. However, with the previous ruleset meta they were long considered underwhelming and so often overlooked. But now as our game enters a new era, with new rules and new profiles Minas Tirith is ready to regain its former glory! And here is how you do it. 

- The “Big” Three

In this new edition of the game big heroes have been given the time to shine and Gondor has 3 to pick from. Of course, ideally you would want all of them but that will cost you a lot of points.

1. Aragorn, King Elessar is the only Hero of Legend in the list and has everything you could want in a profile including 1 free might per turn and a sword that allows him to wound on 3s! Make sure you give him an armoured horse for extra effect.

2. Gandalf the White is arguably the best magic caster in the game and has a great arsenal of Spells to choose from as well as being a decent and tough fighter. Make sure to mount him on his trusty steed Shadowfax for maximum impact.

3. Boromir, Captain of the White Tower is definitely my favourite and the one I will be trying out the most. Why I hear you ask? The Banner of Minas Tirith! Boromir with this banner is going to make your Minas Tirith Warriors some of the best troops in the game (more on that below). The other Wargear item I would give Boromir is a shield, as YES he can carry it and the banner for no effect and be defence 7 😉 

I would avoid the temptation to mount Boromir on the horse because he is there to buff your troops primarily and if he has a horse that horse will be the public enemy number one to your opponent (and be very unlikely to survive before combat).

Mik: Having played Gondor as my primary faction for more than a decade I always felt like they were one of the best armies in the game – or at least if not, they had the tools to be if the correct meta existed on the tournament they would be attending. To me their strength always came in their numbers of high Defence (7) troops that Heroes such as Beregond and Damrod allowed you to bring. This changed in the new rules, as the two little stars became Minor Heroes, but I still feel that Gondor has the options to be built in a very elite or a very horde-style and both ways of playing the game work. 

I’ve always used the Guards of the Fountain Court as the primary Warrior choice, supported by Saruman, the White, as the combination of the high Defence of the Guards and the high utility of Saruman (especially his Sorcerous Blast) allowed us to be a very safe and controlling faction. With Magic being generally nerfed, I am actually looking forward to again playing a Gondor force that I used at the start of my competitive career – a horde led by Faramir. 

David’s Lists:

So what has Minas Tirith gained that has made me so excited to play them? Well for starters their army bonus of +1 Courage is pretty nifty and gives your Warriors about an 18% increase in the likelihood of passing their courage checks. Then the average Warrior of Minas Tirith themselves, long considered a bit naff, has gained the Shieldwall special rule making them Defence 7 (making them one of only two non-dwarven warrior profiles to get defence 7, the other being Guard of the Fountain Court).

As you can see if you combine this army bonus, Shieldwall and the Banner of Minas Tirith you can make a 12 inch area of Fight 4, Defence 7, Courage 4 with banner re-rolls to boot. Try bringing that down you filthy orcs!

So let’s look at some sample lists for some standard points match sizes…

List 1: 500 Points

Warband 1:

Faramir, Captain of Gondor (Heavy Armour, Shield, Lance, Horse)

6 Osgiliath Veterans (Shields)

5 Knights of Minas Tirith (Shields)

Warband 2:

Madril

12 Warriors of Minas Tirith (12 Shields, 6 Spears, 1 Banner)

Warband 3:

Damrod

6 Rangers of Gondor (Spears)

Total: 32 Models, 7 Might, Cavalry and 8 Bows. 

This army has the tactical flexibility to take on all comers and if they have a big hero running around then firstly use your bows to take them off their horse. Then use Faramir to hold them up with his Heroic Defence stalling them in their tracks or if you can out Heroic Strike them and use Faramir with a lance to kill them.

List 2: 750 Points

Warband 1:

Boromir, Captain of the White Tower (Banner of Minas Tirith, Shield)

15 Warriors of Minas Tirith (15 Shields, 8 Spears)

Warband 2:

Faramir, Captain of Gondor (Heavy Armour, Shield, Lance, Horse)

15 Warriors of Minas Tirith (15 Shields, 8 Spears)

Warband 3:

Madril

7 Rangers of Gondor (Spears)

5 Knights of Minas Tirith

Total: 45 Models, 12 Might, Cavalry and 8 Bows. 

This army again has great tactical flexibility and a huge pool of Might to use. Both Boromir and Faramir are capable of taking on big threats whilst your super buffed warriors grind the enemy down.

Mik’s Lists:

List 3: 600 Points of Minas Tirith

Warband 1:

Denethor, Steward of Gondor

14 Guards of the Fountain Court with Shields

Warband 2:

Faramir, Captain of Gondor with a Bow 

11 Rangers of Gondor with Spears

3 Rangers of Gondor

Warband 3:

Beregond, Guard of the Citadel on a Horse

3 Knights of Minas Tirith with Shields

2 Warrior of Minas Tirith with Shield

1 Warrior of Minas Tirith with Shield and Spear

Warband 4:

Damrod, Ranger of Ithilien

2 Warriors of Minas Tirith with Shields and Spears

3 Warriors of Minas Tirith with Shields

1 Warrior of Minas Tirith with a Shield, Spear and a Banner

Total: 600 Points, 44 models, 17 Bows

For this army I opted for a horde with a lot of shooting (up to 5 Heroic Accuracies!), a lot of Defence 7, some level of cavalry support and a very bad General. Sadly in Contest of Champions the force will probably not do very well, as Denethor's Special Rule forces him to be our Army Leader, but in all other scenarios the numbers, bows and 5 Might spread across the army’s 4 Warbands should put fear into a lot of our opponents. Whilst lacking the killing power of Boromir, the force is better suited to scenarios requiring a spread of models across the entire battlefield.

This list is inspired by the 2017 Grand Tournament winning list by Dave Nolan, which can be found here:
https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/03/23/armies-of-the-hobbit-grand-tournament-winner/

Dave at the time used staggering 46 models in 600 points at that tournament to overwhelm his opponents, whose armies would have most often only had 30-35 models in total. Although it looks weak with just Faramir to do the heroic fighting, its sheer numbers case trouble for a lot of enemies. 

List 4: 800 Points of the Fiefdoms

Warband 1:

Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth on an Armoured Horse with Lance

9 Knights of Dol Amroth

9 Men-at-Arms of Dol Amroth

Warband 2:

Duinhir

15 Blackroot Vale Archers with Spears

Warband 3:

Forlong, the Fat on a Horse

7 Knights of Dol Amroth

7 Men-At-Arms of Dol Amroth 

1 Man-at-Arms of Dol Amroth with a Banner

TOTAL: 798 Points, 51 Models, 16 Bows, 8 Might

This points level seems perfect for a Fiefdoms list to reach its full potential. Whereas 500 or 600 will be missing Imrahil or the numbers, at 800 points this list is something I would worry about facing. Imrahil provides a very large Banner effect, essentially allowing the Knights in his Warband to roll 3 dice to win combat when supported by 1 pike, or 4 dice to win combat when supported by 2 pikes. Same happens to Forlong’s Warband and the Banner in it will more often than not be there as a Victory Points attribute rather than a useful re-roll. 

Blackroot Vale Archers really caught my eye. In the previous edition of the rules, they were quite underwhelming, but in this edition, their re-roll to wound when under Heroic Shoot is interesting. Imagine that Duinhir stands in the middle of 15 Blackroot Vale Archers and none of them have moved. He calls a Heroic Shoot. You have 15 shots that hit on 3+ and thanks to their Special Rule they re-roll 1s to hit, leading to an average of 11.66 hits (10 hits normally plus re-rolling the 1s). If your targets are all Defence 4 or lower, that leads to 6.5 kills (3.9 normally plus all the re-rolls, plus Duinhir on top of that. Forces of Harad or Wood Elves will tremble. 

In fact, if there’s a 2nd rank hero with D6 and you're willing to use both Accuracy with Duinhir and Heroic Shoot with another hero, you are going to be causing about 2-3 wounds on them on average. I think a version of this may just become my next army project!

ALLIES

David: The White City does not stand alone in its hour of need, many valorous allies rallied to their defence and you should definitely take advantage of them! The best options to take, Rohan and The Fiefdoms, are also Historical Allies with each other too so you can keep all 3 army bonuses. Let me give you a great example of how to benefit from this…

List 5: 750 Points

Warband 1:

Boromir, Captain of the White Tower (Banner of Minas Tirith, Shield)

15 Warriors of Minas Tirith (15 Shields)

Warband 2:

Forlong the Fat (Horse)

15 Axemen of Lossanarch

Warband 3:

Theoden (Heavy Armour, Shield, Armoured Horse)

10 Rohan Royal Guard (5 Throwing Spears)

Total: 43 Models, 12 Might, 12 Cavalry

So why does this army work so well? The answer is SYNERGY! 

Firstly lets look at the battle line of Minas Tirith Warriors backed by Axemen of Lossanarch you will be forming. With Shieldwall every front ranker apart from the end two will be Defence 7, a solid start. Then with Boromir in the centre of this line your Warriors of Minas Tirith will be F4 BUT the Axemen will be Fight FIVE!!! As the Banner of Minas Tirith affects these guys too. But wait, it gets better, as Forlong carries a War Horn, your Warriors of Minas Tirith will be at an insane Courage 5 (because they still get the +1 for their army bonus). A nice little cherry on the cake is that those Axemen will be re-rolling 1’s to wound within 6 inches of Forlong, nothing to shout about but still helpful.

Now lets look at Forlong himself, with a beastly Fight 5, Strength 5 and a horse & Warspear use Forlong and his 3 Might points to tear the enemy to shreds.

And lastly (but by no means least) the Courage 6 Theoden will be causing devastation on the charge with his Body Guard Royal Guard as they will ALL be Fight 5 and Theoden will be Strength 5 and his Royal Guard will be Strength 4. Woe betide any enemy who is on the receiving end of that cavalry charge.

Well that is all the advice I have for you at the moment, as always though the best way to learn and get better is to get out there and play games. Have fun defending the White City 🙂

Mik: The great thing about Minas Tirith to me is that they don’t need allies. They have all the tools. They can get Dol Amroth into the mix and Rohan, as stated above by David, but they can also go it all by themselves. If I were to ally, I would look into something that the army itself is not very good at. Minas Tirith’s Army Bonus of +1 Courage is in my opinion mediocre, so I’m not bothered about losing it. Instead, I wonder about such things as the Eagles of the Misty Mountains. 

List 6: 800 Points:

Warband 1:

Gwaihir

2 Great Eagle

Warband 2:

Madril, Captain of Ithilien

5 Warriors of MT with Shields

5 Warriors of MT with Shields and Spears

1 Warrior of MT with Shield, Spear and Banner

Warband 3:

Cirion, Lieutenant of Amon Barad

6 Warriors of MT with Shields

5 Warriors of MT with Shields and Spears

Warband 4:

Beregond

2 Warriors of MT with Shields

2 Warriors of MT with Shields and Spears

Warband 5:

Damrod

2 Warriors of MT with Shields

2 Warriors of MT with Shields and Spears

Total: 795 Points, 37 models, 4 Monsters, 30+ model Shield Wall.

Perhaps Gwaihir and 2 Eagles are too many. But with Defence 7 across the board, perhaps Gwaihir and 2 Eagles are exactly what the army needs to cut through everything it comes up against. 

Summary

As you can see from the above, we've created 6 lists, all of which are quite significantly different to each other. Whereas David's forces focused on the killing power of the likes of Boromir, Faramir, Theoden and others, my armies win by swarming and rely less on single characters. It’s hard to say right now which is better, or if perhaps something in the middle is the best – only time will tell how the metagame shapes. I hope however that this article has given you some ideas for fighting with Gondorians and inspired you to perhaps start a new army. 

Good Luck!

BlackMist & David