Fog of War, Part 17: Forces of Azog, Mirkwood and Dol Guldur

FOG OF WAR

Part 17: Forces of Azog, Mirkwood and Dol Guldur

Welcome back to part 17 of Fog of War, a series of articles with contributions from some of the to players in the game. This time we venture into the dark side of the Hobbit trilogy and will be exploring the forces of Azog’s Legions, Azog’s Hunters, Denizens of Mirkwood and the Dark Powers of Dol Guldur. Joining me will be the 2017 NOVA Open Champion and the co-host of An Unexpected Podcast, Matt Iverson. 

Although it seems like a lot to cover, Dol Guldur is mostly a stand-alone elite force and Denizens of Mirkwood primarily act as allies within other forces, so I thought it would be best to combine them into one article outlining all 4 factions.

Azog’s Legion

Matt: Azog’s Legion is an army equipped with a number of wonderful toys. You can build lists that go in several different directions, hitting-hero heavy (with Azog and Bolg), monster heavy (spamming trolls, or even better, the cheap but effective ogres), or a horde of tough but effective Gundabad Berserkers and Orcs. What the list does not have, however, is any cavalry or any real shooting. Although you can mount Azog and Bolg on wargs – nothing in this army shoots except the Catapult Troll, and that model, even if you build one (which I have) is far too large a point sink except in the largest of armies. Azog’s Legion does have one of the best faction bonuses in the game, allowing Azog or Bolg to gain the Master of Battle Special Rule if either is your leader. Having a F7 hero of Azog or Bolg’s caliber that can freely counter the Heroic Strikes other heroes will need to match them is a massive advantage. As a note, this special rule attaches even if your leader is not from Azog’s Legion. This means, for example, that if you ally a warband of goblin mercenaries from the Azog’s Legion list into an Azog’s Hunter list led by Bolg, Bolg still gets the bonus.

Mik: Azog's Legion has the option of deploying a swarm of tiny goblins at the same time as some elite and extremely powerful characters. This faction's basic troops are a weird combination of pseudo-Uruk Hai Berserkers, pseudo-Morannon Orcs and pseudo-Goblin Town Goblins, making it a breed of potentially multiple playstyles thrown into one army. One of my favourite units in the game are Goblin Mercenaries. Their Special Rules regarding deployment create a very interesting game dynamic where in certain scenarios the opponents have to hold troops back (like in their camp in Storm the Camp, or in the normally less guarded places like the home objective in Domination and Capture & Control), thus minimising their own forces' effectiveness in the field by having to account for potentially disastrous 'drop' of the Mercs. If the Mercenaries get lucky, pass multiple Courage Tests and choose not to deploy for a long time, they can create a strain on the enemy forces that may result in really tough game for the opponent.

Azog’s Hunters

Matt: The Azog’s Hunters list allows you to bring hunter orcs, with their cheap access to two-attack models, as well as increased mobility from fell wargs and warg riders. In addition, if you take a pure Azog’s Hunters list (or limit yourself to green allies, like Azog’s Legion), you can equip up to half of your hunter orc models with bows and increase their shoot value to 4+. The Azog’s Hunters list also gives you access to several reasonably-priced three might heroes with some interesting special rules, such as Fimbul with F5 and an ability to ignore terrain, Narzug with his free might to spend on shooting, and Yazneg with his lance.

Dark Denizens of Mirkwood

Mik: The almighty Spider Queen has been a staple of many armies and a winner of many big tournaments since her release in 2006. Back in the day, around 2007/2008, the UKGTs were won by armies containing between 3 and 5 Spider Queens and some players famously even fielded 8 of them at 700 points (she used to cost only 75!). A lot has changed since in the army-building rules and Spider Queen is now a lot more expensive points-wise than she used to be and counts as a named hero, so can only be taken once per army. Regardless of that, the potential 6 Strength 6 re-rollable strikes on charge, combined with Brutal Power Attacks, Heroic Strike, Might, ignoring difficult terrain and deploying fast, easy to hide and at times incredibly annoying Broodlings still makes her incredibly dangerous, especially against unsuspecting Heroes. Her low Defence and lack of Fate points are her only downside, but when played well, these downsides become largely irrelevant (until a disastrous roll of the dice...). 

The Queen can bring other Spiders, Bat Swarms and Fell Wargs along to the party. All of these provide an interesting bonus when allied with both Azog's Legions and Azog's Hunters, as well as with armies such as Mordor, Moria and many others. 

Naturally, Dark Denizens can play as a very cool army on their own, but lack of other Heroes makes them difficult to scale up to anything over 400 or 500 points without adding allies in the shape of Fell Beasts or other big toys. 

ARMY LISTS 

Matt: When building either an Azog’s Hunters or Azog’s Legion list, your first choice is a hero to lead it. While you can take workable lists at lower points levels with just Captains, in most cases you want to center your list on either Azog (if you are above 700 points) or Bolg (if you are at lower points levels). And make sure to include at least one warband from the Azog’s Legion list to give your leader that all-important Master of Battle. 

Your next decision is what should form the core of you army – orcs (of either the Gundabad or Hunter variety), monsters (perhaps a troll or a trio of ogres), or something with mobile hitting power (some berserkers, war bats, or Hunter Orcs on Wargs). 

Finally, you can decide what odds and ends you want to include to give your army some clever tricks. One option is a small warband of Goblin Mercenaries that seize key terrain, the other side’s camp, or just appear exactly where you need them to seize an objective. Another option is a War Bat or two to fly over the lines to pluck at dismounted heroes. You can also opt for a few Fell Wargs or Hunter Orcs on Wargs, whose Fell Sight special rule allows them to lurk out of sight and then dart from cover to entrap unwary opponents. 

List 1.1: Mik’s 500 Points of Azog’s Legion

Warband 1:

Bolg on a Warg 

5 Gundabad Orcs with Shields 

7 Gundabad Orcs with Shields & Spears 

Warband 2:

Goblin Mercenary Captain 

12 Goblin Mercenaries 

Warband 3:

Goblin Mercenary Captain 

12 Goblin Mercenaries 

Total: 39 Models, 7 Might (Plus Master of Battle) 

Mik: At the 2018 ETC, I was very fond of a warband of Goblin Mercenaries, especially since at that time I was able to assign the captain to be my Army Leader, despite having 2 Ringwraiths on Fell Beasts leading a force of Corsair Reavers and Orcs (my leader had the ultimate protection - he didn't even start the game on the table most of the time!)… now that such crazy times have passed, I still feel that the Mercenaries are incredibly valuable and useful models. Not only do they make this 500 points list huge in numbers, they give it pseudo-mobility, which standard Azog’s Legion would lack at this points limit - at times, they’ll deploy in hugely advantageous positions and provide a swarm of cheap attacks that your opponent will struggle to deal with en-masse. At other times, they can be deployed just like any other troops and form a wide line that will likely outnumber most enemy forces. At 500 points Bolg is a powerhouse that in this case gains the Master of Battle Special Rule and acts as a killing machine that only the likes of Boromir, Elendil or Elven Lords can reliably fight against, meaning you can rely on him for most things, except Courage. So make sure not to break.

Another way of playing Azog's Legion would be to include one of the Trolls or a couple of Ogres. That would however force a vastly different list to the one above, one like for example this:

List 2: Mik's 600 Points of Azog's Legion

Warband 1:

1 Gundabad Orc Captain with Shield

5 Gundabad Orcs with Shields

4 Gundabad Orcs with Shields & Spears

1 Gundabad Orc with Shield, Spear and a Banner

1 Gundabad Berserker

1 War Bat

Warband 2:

1 Gundabad Orc Captain with Shield

4 Gundabad Orcs with Shields & Spears

3 Gundabad Orcs with Shields & Spears

1 Gundabad Troll with a Crushing Club

2 Gundabad Berserker

Warband 3:

1 Goblin Mercenary Captain

12 Goblin Mercenaries

Total: 37 Models, 6 Might

Although low on Might and lacking Master of Battle, this force packs a solid S4/D6 front line with the support of 3 fast-moving  and hard-hitting Gundabad Berserkers, 1 objective-grabbing and annoying War Bat and a warband of Mercenaries. The Troll with the Crushing Club poses a major threat to heroes, as winning combat against them will often result in causing too many wounds even for the likes of Aragorn to to withstand. Their only hope against the Troll is its massive base, preventing it from getting into advantageous positions. 6 Might for Heroic Marches is also worth keeping in mind for the times when moving fast is vital. 

List 3: Matt’s 600 Points of Azog’s Hunters & Azog's Legion

Warband 1:

Bolg on Fell Warg 

12 Hunter Orcs 

1 Hunter Orc with a bow 

Warband 2:

Fimbul on Fell Warg 

2 Hunter Orcs on Fell Warg 

Warband 3:

Narzug 

12 Hunter Orcs w/ bow 

Warband 4 (Azog’s Legion Ally):

Goblin Mercenary Captain 

4 Goblin Mercenaries 

Total: 35 models, 11 might (plus Master of Battle), 14 bows (including Narzug). 

Matt: This list puts out a surprising amount of shooting and packs quite a punch when the lines meet. Each warband has a different role in the mix: Bolg’s warband is the army’s main punch, and Bolg’s presence will make most armies hesitant to close in. Narzug and his archers, on the other hand, create a solid base of fire that the enemy will have to either run from or engage. Fimbul and his Warg riding buddies can either grab objectives or use their Fell Sight to lurk in ambush behind terrain pieces. Finally, the Goblin Mercenary warband can appear in the enemy’s rear, on an objective, or in an enemy’s camp. Should they choose to join the army as normal, the Captain can call a Heroic March or two if the army needs to close quickly against superior shooting. 

List 4: Mik’s 800 Points of Azog’s Hunters & Dark Denizens of Mirkwood

Warband 1:

Bolg on a Fell Warg 

14 Hunter Orcs 

Warband 2:

Yazneg on a Fell Warg with Lance 

12 Hunter Orcs 

Warband 3:

Finbul on a Fell Warg 

12 Hunter Orcs 

Warband 4:

Spider Queen 

2 Bat Swarms 

Total: 40 Models, 11 Might 

Mik: Here we have a list with a solid combination of fast moving heroes and a horde of 2-attack warriors. Having 4 mounted heroes (SQ counts as one too) with Heroic Strike can cause a major issue to a lot of infantry lines. Minor Heroes will often struggle to beat the F7/6/5 of Bolg, SQ and Fimbul, whilst even the likes of Aragorn and Boromir can suffer major damage, should they lose a Strike-off to any of the 4 characters, especially when combined with another Hunter or valar-forbid a Bat Swarm. The obvious weakness of this army is the general low defence and numbers which aren't hugely impressive at this points level for a Defence 4 army, but once the combat begins, this force has the capability to hit fast and hard. 

The lack of models from Azog's Legion takes away the Master of Battle Rule, but the addition of Spider Queen naturally makes the alliance a Covenient (yellow) one, thus not eligible for the Army Bonusess anyway. Whether it's a correct trade-off is arguable both ways. 

List 5: Matt’s 800 Points of Azog’s Signal Tower Legion

Warband 1 (and only):

Azog on White Warg, heavy armor, stone flail. 

The Signal Tower w/ 7 Lieutenants. 

22 Berserkers 

1 War bat 

Total: 31 models, 13 might (plus Master of Battle on Azog). 

Matt: The core of this list is, obviously, Azog and his Signal Tower, and the list capitalizes on the benefits the Tower conveys. All of the models can move at least 8” a turn, or 11” thanks to the Tower. Each model, regardless of where it is, gains a banner reroll. The +1 courage bonus is sufficient to make the army essentially fearless, and the -1 courage penalty to the opponent makes it very hard to charge Azog while he remains on his mount. Finally, not only do Azog and his mount get a 6+ fury save, but the Tower improves the berserkers’ survivalability even further, discounting 1/3 of the wounds they suffer. 

The most important benefit of the Tower, however, is its mere existence. The Tower allows you to place a terrain piece and seven Lieutenants ANYWHERE ON THE BOARD. Playing Hold Ground? Place the Tower and the Lieutenants in the middle of the board. Playing Seize the Prize? Put the tower between your opponent and the prize. Playing Contest of Champions? Place the Tower in your opponent’s deployment area and use the Lieutenants to box the opponent’s leader into a cage match with Azog. Need cover against a shooting army? Place the Tower in the middle of the board and hide behind it. The possibilities are endless. Have fun! 

Dark Powers of Dol Guldur

Mik: This unique all-hero force appears as more of a relaxed, cool, thematic, not-exactly-competitive force. But appearances can be and are very deceiving in this case. The Necromancer and his Ringwraiths are an incredibly difficult and annoying faction to beat in certain scenarios when the army you are playing lacks the tools for it - these being abundance of F5+ models and Elven Blades. The key model in the army is The Necromancer himself, as he makes the rest of the list virtually invulnerable in combat through the 2+ Mightable resurrection roll. If the Necromancer dies, the army will die soon after, unless it has already caused enough damage to the opponent that a bunch of F5 2-Attack Terror-causing heroes can pick off the remaining scattered troops. 

The uniqueness of each Wraith also adds another advantage that isn't obvious from the start - confusion. The player who learns to use the Wraiths will know exactly what each one of them is capable of and where to put them to the maximum effect. But the opposing player may have to revert to constantly checking each one's rules to remember who does what in order to figure out how to best combat them. As a result, your opponent is far more likely to be making mistakes than you are and more often than not, the player who makes more mistakes is the player who ends up losing the game. 

Although the Wraiths can be allied into other forces as interesting captains bringing (newly added in the February FAQ) Heroic Strikes, they are most effective on their own, supported by their boss, meaning that at points of 500 and less, they are hardly viable, but points limits such as 800 or 1000 is where they really shine. 

The Castellans are also units that often get overlooked. They provide very good fighters at a relatively cheap price, making them good at low points levels, especially when your opponents lack the means of causing multiple wounds on them or lack the resources to drain down their Will over many turns of combat. 

List 6: 1000 Points of Dark Powers of Dol Guldur

The Necromancer 

9 Ringwraiths 

Keeper of the Dungeons

Summary

Matt: Azog’s Legion, together or in conjunction with Azog’s Hunters, gives you a host of options that allow you to play the army in very different ways. This is a great army to begin as a starter set (maybe with Bolg and some orcs) and then expand into a monster army (adding some ogres or trolls), an elite army (with berserkers) or just about anything else you like.

Mik: Depending how you build your army, forces of Azog have a lot of variety to pick from and utilise throughout the game. Their strong heroes are some of the game's most fearsome and their warriors allow you to build lists that will have very solid, heavy-infantry feel, or look like scattered-skirmish-scouting forces capable of spreading and dealing damage in non-standard-shieldwall ways.  If you like your beasts, add some spiders and a Queen. If you like a challenge and an army unlike any other, just take the Nazgul of Dol Guldur. Whatever you choose, you're sure going to have a good game to play. 

Good Luck!

BlackMist & Matt

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Pictures kindly provided by Matt.