Fog of War, Part 5: Rohan

FOG OF WAR

Part 5: Rohan

After reviewing Moria with Jasmine, time comes for another Champion of GBHL to share their knowledge of their favourite army. In today’s army review we venture to the plains of the Kingdom of Rohan, with none other than the Warhammer Hero (of Legend(TM)), James Clark of the Riddermark. In the nearly 20 year history of the game, Rohan has had its ups and downs, although mostly downs throughout the last several years, and with the new edition of the rules, that now changes. Their Army Bonus is outstanding and amount of possibilities within Rohan forces is staggering.

James: With the launch of Middle-earth SBG, it really is time to mount up and ride for ruin and the world’s ending! Us Horse Lords have received an awful lot of love and attention in the latest edition of the game, with new rules and profile tweaks that allow the wannabe Marshalls of the Mark to play out the charges of the Rohirrim how they see them in both the books and the films.

Previously, recklessly charging the lines of your foes screaming “Deeeeeaaaath” usually led to exactly that and mastering the horse masters required further guile, patience and skill. It was a strategy of probing and picking, skirting and circling rather than anything we witnessed of them at Helms Deep or the Pelennor. Iconic Heroes we know and loved were often sidelined in the pursuit of optimising your muster, which was rarely without the mighty (cheap) Erkenbrand with all he brought to your Eored. Sweeping renovations have seen Theoden regain the lead as perhaps he well should, with a Heroic stat line to match his fabled heroics and a swath of Special Rules and buffs which make him indispensable for any commander bringing Riders of Rohan or Royal Guard. The latter of which seem to have ridden to the front of our force, with fight 5 and strength 4 on the charge making them a most formidable foe. 

Whilst killing was never really the issue for the charging Eored, +1 strength across the board whilst charging on horseback truly enables players to feel like they can play the Rohirrim how they’ve always wanted, all but guaranteeing those casualties and in particularly buffing the chances of their Heroes to succeed in those all-important initial Heroic Combats. Combine all of the above with the pegging down of two of Rohan’s greatest hinderances, Magic and Monsters (Hurl) it may just be time for those fluttering Banners of white horses against green to reign supreme on the battlefields of Middle-earth going into the next age.

Mik: The new edition brings a major overhaul of the rules, now enabling once-forgotten models to be brought back to the table. As mentioned by James, Theoden poses a real threat now, but he is not the only one. Combination of cheap heroes, the Army Bonus and the overall 10” move of all of its primary Warriors mean that Rohan will have a clear advantage in the scenarios that require speed such as Reconnoitre, Fog of War or Hold Ground. Gamling in particular has caught my eye, as now the Royal Standard of Rohan renews not only the Might points of other Rohan Heroes around him, but also himself, meaning that once he burns the 3 Might points, he regains one at the start of every turn, turning into a Mini-Aragorn of sorts (without the Fight, Sword, Attacks, Wounds, Courage, Will, Fate, the million Heroic Actions and a claim to the throne of a kingdom… but you know what I mean…). The ‘Free’ Might point is going to not only allow Gamling to call unlimited number of Heroic Moves and Marches, but also let him survive for extended amount of time with his Heroic Defense. Being a veteran with nearly 15 years of experience, I can remember very well the days when Rohan Outriders counted as Heroes and benefitted from Gamling’s Banner. Not counting towards the Bow Limit due to the Hero status and every turn gaining either +1 to hit or +1 to wound… some of us can still feel the pain their arrows caused!

The big downside of Rohan has always been the vulnerability of its horses to bowfire. Although it is still the case, the Horse Lord Special Rule somewhat solves that issue by allowing Fate points to be used to protect the horses, so we are just slightly more likely to get the Heroes into combats with their horses unharmed and gain the Extra Attack and Knock To The Ground bonuses. But even then, with just 1 point of Fate on most of their Heroes, chances are the same problems will persist, but in smaller measure. The other problem has always been in their numbers, but that is something that can be often taken care of by good tactics.

James’s Army lists:

List 1: 600 Points

Warband 1:

Theoden, King of Rohan with Armour, Shield and on an Armoured Horse

7 Rohan Royal Guard on Horses

Warband 2:

Gamling, Captain of Rohan with the Royal Standard and on a Horse

7 Rohan Royal Guard on Horses

Warband 3:

Hama, Captain of Rohan with shield on a Horse

7 Rohan Royal Guard on Horses

Total: 600 Points, 9 Might

The age of men is over, the age of the Royal Guard has begun! The above list is a solid choice for a variety of reasons. Everything synergises with your mighty King, from 'Sworn Protector' on Gamling and Hama to the 'Arise Riders of Theoden'n Special Rules on our Royal Guard. High defence across the board and Terror knows not the heart of these riders! Both Gamling and Hama have moved up the hero hierarchy, the key area being that in spite of a rather lacklustre Fight Value of 4, they now both bring 3 might each to the table, key for pulling off those much-needed Heroic Moves and Combats.

The Royal Standard of Rohan adds significantly to this too, not only giving Theoden and Hama a Might top up when they reach zero, but also working for Gamling himself now, who effectively gains Mighty Hero once his might is depleted. 9 Might Point base with top ups available will be key for this army. Add to that the fact that the Standard itself will be giving re-rolls across the board, which increase in value as the Royal Guard benefit from +1 Fight Value and become Fight 5 on the charge. Plus being key in a number of Scenarios now. Leaving a couple of Guard to support Gamling and Hama should shield them from their own Fight Value inadequacies! 

Since this force wants to be in the face of your opponents, Gamling’s ability to Heroic March should help with this, especially as you can afford to be liberal with your Might. But if you don’t feel comfortable being without the range threat Riders of Rohan give you with their ability to break the Bow Limit, you could always drop all the Royal Guard with Gamling and Hama for Riders of Rohan and gain yourself an extra Rider, increasing your troops to 22. But I think I’d prefer to replace just the 7 with Rohan Outriders on Horses instead, which then also allow you to bring an extra Rider of Rohan OR kit out 7 Royal Guard with Throwing Spears.

List 2: 800 Points

Now I would love to reveal the 800 point all mounted Rohan army I’m planning to take to Stirling BUT I think I’ll share something more rounded instead. It builds on the 600 point list above.

Warband 1:

Theoden, King of Rohan with Armour, Shield and on an Armoured Horse

10 Rohan Royal Guard on Horses

Warband 2:

Gamling, Captain of Rohan with the Royal Standard of Rohan and on a Horse

10 Rohan Royal Guard on Horses

Warband 3:

Eomer, Marshall of the Mark with Shield and on an Armoured Horse

11 Rohan Royal Guard on Horses

Total: 800 Points, 34 Models

The list takes the opportunity to upgrade Hama into Rohan’s mightiest single piece Hero, Eomer. A beast in combat and a huge threat, a hero like this will be a must at bigger points levels. The great thing is that Theodred can also fill this role incredibly well now too. The army works on the same principle as the one above, but do note that at higher points levels, the number of bows you may face may be an amount that can cause problems. So you may wish to build on the advice given for the 600 point list if you wish to be able to counter that threat beyond using your manoeuvrability and Heroic March capability!

Mik’s Lists:

List 3: 500 Points

Warband 1

Theoden, King of Rohan with Heavy Armour, Shield and Armoured Horse

10 Riders of Rohan

Warband 2

Eomer, Marshal of the Riddermark with Shield and Armoured Horse

10 Riders of Rohan

Total: 500 Points, 6 Might, 22 Models, 20 Bows

500 is a points level where effects such as Blinding Light and Pall of Night are hardly ever present. That means that we can take a full advantage of the Bow fire capabilities of the Riders of Rohan. It is unlikely that any other army at this level will be able to get up to 20 shots per turn. Combining this with 10” movement means that we can not only set ourselves up in the best positions and force our opponents out into open spaces, where they will lose the defensive terrain bonuses, but it also means that our Army can move and shoot at almost the same speed as most opponents will just be moving. Although you could call it a coward’s tactic, it is viable for you to spend most of the game running around your opponent and shooting, reducing their numbers, whilst trying to set yourself up for some devastating charges. 

At the European Team Championships, one member of the Polish team members used an army of 20-something Riders of Rohan, Saruman and Gandalf, and did not lose a game, nearly beating me in the final round of the tournament (I salvaged a draw from the jaws of defeat after salvaging a defeat from the jaws of victory ;)). Although the rules have changed, the strategy in my opinion remains viable.

The choice of Eomer over Gamling comes down to the fact that I like heroes with 3 Attacks at a points level where it is difficult to stop them! Gamling appeals to me more in forces that can really take advantage of the constantly replenishing Might. 

One consideration for you however may be that if you play Gamling in an all-bow force, you could potentially call Heroic March every single turn, letting you to move 7.5" and still shooting. Your enemies would find it difficult to ever catch you, as long as you planned and executed your moves well.

List 4: 800 Points

Warband 1

Theoden, King of Rohan with Heavy Armour, Shield and Armoured Horse

10 Riders of Rohan

Warband 2

Eomer, Marshal of the Riddermark with Shield and Armoured Horse

10 Riders of Rohan

Warband 3:

Ghan-Buri-Ghan

9 Woses Warriors

Warband 4:

9 Woses Warriors

Warband 5:

9 Woses Warriors

Total: 799 Points, 9 Might, 50 Models, 48 of which have ranged attacks.

Not only does Rohan have some amazing Heroes and Cavalry choices. They are also Historic Allies with my all-time favourite army – Wildmen of Druadan. The Woses Warriors have had some significant changes made to them in the new edition of the rules. First of all, they no longer require Warband Leaders other than Ghan to lead them. They went up by 2 points and Stalk Unseen is not quite the Elven Cloak of the olden days, allowing you to hide 50 models behind a single tree… However, they have also gained 1” of movement and the Blowpipe no longer restricts movement like a Crossbow, but is now treated as a Bow with shorter range.

At 800 points, due to the number of models, many armies suffer disadvantages from the terrain present on the battlefield. This is especially true with Cavalry forces such as Rohan, since their opponents can simply hide inside forests, stay safe, shoot out of the forests or just stall the game, forcing a draw. With 28 Woses, forests now become open ground to a large portion of our army. Not only that, forests can now be used by our army to shoot from, whilst being chased – we can move 3” and shoot, whilst our opponents can move 3” at full speed and still not catch us!

Total of 48 shots across the entire battle-line is also something rather scary. Even at Strength 2, with 28 of them re-rolling 1s to wound, our opponents will generally be forced to play on our terms and come where we want them to come. When that happens, we can combine the deadly Rohirrim charge with the abundance of Warriors who Hate Orcs, Goblins and Uruk-Hai.

Another consideration could be an army full of Warriors of Rohan on foot upgraded to have Strength 4 with Grimbold. It's definitely an option worth exploring, although I don't think it offers as much as the Woses. 

ALLIES:

James: Gondor calls for aid… and Rohan shall answer! Minas Tirith are a natural ally for Rohan, not just thematically but in SBG too. Whether you’re deciding to ally in Gandalf the White for some Wizard support at higher points levels, or truly want an anvil for your hammer, provided nicely by the newly Shield-Walling Warriors of Minas Tirith, look no further than the Gondorians to buff up your numbers. There is no obvious alliance worth sacrificing your army bonuses for, so if you are inclined to stand side by side with others, stand by those given the green light by the Alliance Matrix. You might feel combining Galadriel’s Protection of the Valar spell with the Horse Lord special rule is a nice synergy in what is another green alliance, but honestly, if I was taking this route, it’s Gondor that comes to the fore.

Mik: As I’ve already discussed above, Woses seem like a go-to Infantry force in my opinion. Although I’ve been a lifelong fan of Gondor, I think that the combination of their Shieldwalls and big Heroes may not necessarily allow us to play the synergistic game that Rohan wants to play, whilst Woses provide what the Horse Lords are missing – more open ground where there would normally be forests, and more models. All-mounted Rohan forces will suffer from always being outnumbered, but Woses go a long way in fixing that issue.

And so here you have it. Both James and I have looked at Rohan from different perspectives and created 4 vastly different lists. Who is right? Probably the one who is successful with Rohan in 12 months time, as how the best armies are built will depend on what other players do with their armies and what shape the meta takes.

If you’re interested in a more in-depth analysis of Rohan, you can check out James’s video on the GBHL Podcast right here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkrMZXYYP0g

I would also highly recommend recently published content by Damian O’Byrne about Theoden on the ForgeWorld Blog:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/09/10/10th-sept-riding-to-glory-with-king-theodengw-homepage-post-2gw-homepage-post-4/

Ride now... Ride for Ruin...

Good luck!

BlackMist James