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.

Fog of War, Part 16: The Serpent Horde & Far Harad

FOG OF WAR

Part 16: The Serpent Horde & Far Harad. 

Welcome back to Fog of War. This time joining me is the co-host of An Unexpected Podcast, 2018 NOVA Champion and 2019 NOVA runner-up Rainier Lee. Together we will be looking at the factions of The Serpent Horde and Far Harad, and as always showcase example lists for you to see, in case you’re interested in joining the ranks of men fighting for the Dark Lord. 

The Serpent Horde is a unique Evil army, as unlike most Evil armies, it shines in the shoot phase, contains a variety of troops almost as large as that of Mordor and counts Mordor as its Historical Ally, gaining cheap access to some of the Dark Land’s versatile toys. Far Harad has some of the game’s most powerful unnamed heroes and a set of fearless mini-chariots paired up with mini-trolls, providing a unique playing experience for everyone involved. 

HEROES:

Rainier: The rebellious men of the south offer a long range of heroes from troop killing assassins (Hasharin), taskmasters, death dealing Mahud Kings, and Ringwraiths to the Serpent Lord himself (Suladan).

First, I would like to focus on Suladan, who is arguably a must take for most Harad lists. Suladan gives players a 3/3/1 Hero of Legend with Heroic Strike and March, and he is a 6-inch banner. Yes, you read that correctly, “is a 6-inch banner”. Meaning, Suladan gives players 1-2 free Victory Points at the end of some scenarios if he is alive. Couple that with him usually being your general (Hero of Legend), most players are sure to keep him alive for the end game victory pts grab! Whilst mounted on an armored horse, he is also very cheap for everything he can offer!

Second, the Mahud King. The Mahud King is a 2-Might Hero of Valour with Heroic Strike, and Strength. What makes this unnamed hero so deadly is his ability to KILL. At less than 100 points, a King gives you a three-attack strength 5 model with a warspear, shield and camel (I will address camels in more detail later). The King’s stats give him a diverse range of options from going toe to toe with mega heroes to cutting through heavy armored dwarves like butter. At a cost lower than most Heroes of his fighting ability, the Mahud King is a smart choice for your list. 

Mik: Although Suladan is arguably the best and most cost-efficient Hero in the game, allowing you to take 18 warriors alongside him with a banner that covers an area almost 4 times* the size of a standard banner, he isn’t the only choice you have. The Golden King, once an absolute powerhouse on top tables of major tournaments, is still a force to be reckoned with despite losing the ability to Heroic Strike in the current edition. Sitting quietly on top of his banner-throne with more attacks than any other non-monster Hero in the game at Strength 4 and Burly, he provides a solid meat cleaver against Fight 3 and lower basic troops and also is capable of slicing down big heroes when combined with a Transfix or a Heroic Striking friend. His ‘Riches Beyond Renown’ is still one of the best abilities in the game, able to automatically remove any enemy hero from the battlefield. 

Special mention naturally goes to The Betrayer, whose ‘Master of Poisons’ Special Rule technically almost doubles the number of bows the army contains and making the cheap Warriors much more powerful in combat against all opponents. 

PLAYSTYLE:

The Serpent Horde:

Rainier: The Serpent Horde is arguably one of the best shooting factions in the game. Their Army Bonus allows you to equip 50% of your army with bows, instead of the usual 33%. Moreover, Haradrim bows are always poisoned. Combine a horde of poisoned bows with The Betrayer and you will rarely find yourself losing the shoot phase. Bows are a staple for any Harad army and can be complimented with fast moving and cheap Fight 4 lanced cavalry (Serpent Riders). Abrakhan Guards also give a punch in the combat phase, for 9pts you can sprinkle in these strength-4 burly-body-builders. [More like powerlifters – Mik 😉]

Mik: Players can opt to go in multiple directions with The Serpent Horde, both by spamming high numbers of relatively cheap troops and as a hard hitting elite force. Abrakhan Guards can indeed punch holes in most battle lines and Watchers of Karna provide good flanking troops with extra attacks, but one of the more overlooked units in Harad are Serpent Guards – with their poisoned spears they are able to provide cheap F4 spear support not only to standard Haradrim Warriors, but also to Morannon Orcs or Mahud Warriors, both of whom are Historical Allies and hence easy to drop into the list if required.

Far Harad: 

Rainier: Far Harad is unique to most factions in that it allows players to deal damage not only in the fight and shoot phase, but also in the move phase. Camels, for example, provide hits when charging in the move phase. If the camel mounted model kills their opponent, they may then continue or finish their 10inch movement inflicting as many of those impact hits as their savage heart’s desire. I once played Far Harad against a Rangers of Ithilien list at a tournament and would wipe out whole Defence 4 warbands in the move phase. What a scary notion for any low defence army! Moreover, a Mahud King or Chieftain can Heroic Combat, offering double the carnage. Mahud Raiders give Far Harad lists a scary ability to ruin formations and cause havoc out of nowhere. Far Harad also gives players some of the best infantry in the game. Half-Trolls provide immense hitting power with their high Strength, Fight and Attacks, allowing you to form battle lines with better stats than many heroes! Let me also not forget Far Harad’s army bonus, which allows its warriors to automatically pass Courage Tests in certain circumstances, so models like Gulavhar can easily become an afterthought before they have the ability to participate in the fight phase. 

Mik: Mumaks… What can I say… they’re awesome! Sadly, the size of their bases and their rules are not really designed for competitive play, despite the really cool upgrade of the Mumak War Leader leading a really powerful looking Grand Army of the South Legendary Legion – Mahud Warriors with blowpipes backed by Haradrim Spearmen with Bows? Sign me up! Nevertheless, Mumaks are an awesome part of the game and definitely worth trying to use, whether for competitive or not reasons. Whether you use Mumaks or fight against them, they usually provide a laugh and a series of unexpected events ensues. 

WEAKNESSES:

Rainier: For an enthusiast of the desert tribes of Southern Middle-Earth I must admit that these factions can easily be exploited. Though they can deal a lot of damage in the move, shoot, and fight phase, due to their low defense, The Serpent Horde and Far Harad lack the ability to grind in a long battle. For example, Haradrim archers can many times be outshot by elves with blinding light, or factions with a heavy emphasis on Strength 4 Crossbows. Furthermore, the low Fight Value of Mahud Raiders means that failing to charge may end up costing you large sways of very expensive camels. If you are playing Harad make sure to weaken your opponent before the battle lines hit. If you are playing Far Harad make sure to optimize your killing in the move phase and set yourself up for the counter charge.

Mik: Suladan, despite being a good offensive and supporting character, and a centerpiece of many Harad Armies, is a particularly fragile Hero. At a lowly Defence for a hero that will usually be your leader, and just one Fate point, a single bad roll against some basic strength 3 troops can easily poke away a Victory Point for your opponent. As a rule, whilst trapped against enemy heroes, losing a Heroic Strike-off usually results with the death of your Leader. It’s imperative that Suladan is kept safe due to his regular status as the Leader and his immense Banner range, but as the best combat hero of The Serpent Horde, players will be regularly throwing him in danger. Elven Bows are also a problem and appearance of Legolas on the other side of the board is something every Suladan player despises, as regardless of how safe we play, it becomes inevitable that at Suladan will drop at least 1 wound, if not more. I've been on the receiving end of Legolas at a GBHL Masters Tournament in 2019 and after spending just 1 Might point earlier in the game, I rolled a 1 on my Fate and lost a game of Reconnoitre by 1-0 simply by not passing the Fate roll. It may be a good idea to look to ally in other Heroes of Legend, so as not to put all your eggs (Leader and Banner) into one basket. It could be Witch King, Dalamyr, or even Saruman.

ARMY LISTS:

List 1: Rainier’s 800 Points of The Serpent Horde & Far Harad Alliance:

Warband 1:

Sulladan (Armoured Horse)

2 Abrakhan Guard

2 Watchers of Karna (Twin Blades)

6 Harad Warriors with Bows

3 Harad Warriors with Bows & Spears

5 Serpent Guards

Warband 2:

Mahud King (Camel, War Spear, Shield)

3 Half Trolls

4 Mahud Warriors with Blowpipes

7 Mahud Warriows with Blowpipes & Spears

Warband 3:

Mahud King (Camel, War Spear, Shield)

3 Mahud Raiders with Blowpipes & War Spears

Warband 4:

Mahud King (Camel, War Spear, Shield)

2 Mahud Raiders with Blowpipes & War Spears

Total: 797 Points, 41 Models, 9 Might, 9 Bows, 14 Blowpipes, 8 Camels

This 800pt list balances shooting, killing, and movement compacted in a themed army that would have fought at the Pellenor Fields.  Like a kid at a candy shop my list echoes “a little of this and a little of that.” My 9 poisoned bows alongside 14 blowpipes that hit on 3s offers enough to harass my opponent with shooting. Ideally, I want to be around 12” away from my opponent to maximize my blowpipes and choose which fights my camels want to engage in. I brought 4 warbands, two of which only have 2-3 models. This allows me to have options on where my camels/Might will be both in the deployment phase and throughout the match depending on what scenario is played. The two main warbands contribute a lot of punch to my force. When combined, they can form a battle line with F5 Half Trolls, Abrakhan Guard and S4 Mahud Warriors with F4 Serpent Guards sprinkled in. Don’t forget Suladan’s 6-inch banner! My 9 Might does not seem like a lot. However, 9 Might distributed amongst four mounted 3-attack models, three of which are baby Dains, can be a problem to most armies. Overall, this force offers a balanced look to what Harad and Far Harad have, as it includes shooting, killing power, and the ability to move around the board.

Mik: You’ll be glad to know that we featured an almost identical list to this one in the first episode of An Unexpected Podcast, where Tim, Devin, Matt and I had a chance to discuss the pros and cons of it with Rainier going into an 800 point tournament. Check it out on the DC Hobbit League Youtube page, starting at 45:30 below: 

https://youtu.be/uC-GTrDVUIk?t=2732

List 2: Rainier’s 500 points of The Serpent Horde

Warband 1:

Suladan (Armoured Horse) 

2 Serpent Riders 

4 Abrakhan Guards

5 Harad Warriors with Bows

5 Harad Warriors with Spears

2 Serpent Guards

Warband 2:

The Betrayer on Horse

8 Harad Warriors with Bows

3 Harad Warriors with Bows & Spears

3 Harad Warriors with Spears

1 Harad Warrior with a Sword 

Total: 500 Points, 35 Models, 5 Might, 16 Bows, 4 Cav

This 500pt list build is traditional in that it leans on its strengths, which are bows and poison. The Betrayer gives 16 bows the ability to re-roll all failed to wound rolls, which is a terrifying notion at 500pts. Moreover, The Betrayer also buffs this army in the combat phase. Withholding the few Abrakhan Guard, this army with its F4 sprinkled around can also re-roll failed to wound rolls in the combat phase. At 500 points Suladan is likely going to be facing less threats, whilst still providing his awesome banner effect. Overall, this army offers a HUGE punch in the shoot phase and coupled with its cavalry, Burly, and more poison re-rolls can be deadly at 500pts. 

List 3: Mik’s 600 Points of Serpent Horde & Far Harad:

Warband 1: The Serpent Horde

Suladan, Mounted with a Bow

9 Haradrim with Bows & Spears

9 Abrakhan Guard

Warband 2: The Serpent Horde

Haradrim Chieftain with a Bow

6 Haradrim with Bows & Spears

6 Abrakhan Guard

Warband 3: Far Harad

1 Mahud King with full kit

3 Mahud Camel Riders with Warspears and Blowpipes

1 Mahud Camel Rider with a Warspear

Total: 600 Points, 37 Models, 7 Might

This is a solid and simple 600 points list that provides decent numbers with a 15-wide front line of Abrakhan Guard backed by Spears, 17 bows, Suladan’s banner and a contingent of Mahud King with 4 Camels, for a total of 6 cavalry models. The Chieftain gives the army an extra Heroic March, ensuring the force can move quickly when it needs to without having to spend Suladan's Might points. The force sacrifices The Betrayer in order to bring some Camels and a better 2nd fighter. There isn’t much to say other than the fact that it’s likely not going to win a straight up shooting war with Rangers of Ithilien, but if it starts the game up close to them, it should annihilate them. 

List 4: Mik’s 700 Points of Golden King & Catapult Combo

Warband 1: The Serpent Horde

Golden King

8 Haradrim Warriors with Spears & Bows

6 Abrakhan Guard

1 Serpent Rider

Warband 2: Mordor

The Dwimmerlaik on a Horse

7 Black Numenoreans

7 Morannon Orcs with Shields & Spears

1 Warg Rider with Shield

Warband 3: Mordor

1 Mordor War Catapult with:

- 1 extra crew member

- Severed Heads upgrade

Total: 700 Points, 37 Models, 3 Might (2 really), 8 bows and something special…

Whether you take Shadow Lord over Dwimmerlaik for better bowfire protection or Betrayer over Dwimmerlaik for those bonuses to re-rolls is up to you. Perhaps taking Dwimmerlaik here is going too far, but hear me out, because this is one of the most fun lists I’ve ever made. 

Golden King’s Special Rule allows you to force your opponent’s heroes to fail Courage Tests. Severed Heads upgrade of the Catapult outright kills models that fail Courage Tests. Together what that means is that if you drop a head on your opponent’s leader and Golden King is nearby, it’s possible that leader will flee regardless of who they are. A Ringwraith’s Harbinger of Evil modifier is a great tool here in improving the odds of the failed test, hence regardless whether you take Shadow Lord, Betrayer or Dwimmerlaik, you’ll get the added bonus. However, this is where the extra hit comes in: Dwimmerlaik’s ‘Sap Fortitude’ Special Rule forces Heroes to spend EXTRA points of Might and Will, meaning that you can either save up on GK’s Will points, or you can force someone who you wouldn’t think would fail into failing. 

That, plus Dwimmerlaik is virtually never used, so wouldn’t it be fun to see him played a bit more often? Start the game with a couple of normal shots, then cast a cheeky Drain Courage or two on your opponent’s leader, then bring both Dwim and GK nearby and aim Severed Heads at him. You could just out of nowhere win a game you never thought you had a chance in. 

And if all that fails? You still have a Catapult, Black Numenoreans, Morannon Orcs and Abrakhan Guard supported by a Banner and a Wraith to keep you going! Lack of Might could be a problem, but hey, such is life for the brave who choose the road less travelled by.

ALLIES & CONCLUSION:

Rainier: Allying can stop your opponent from using your army’s weaknesses against you. Harad has the ability to green ally with factions such as Mordor, or the Corsairs of Umbar. Mordor can give Harad Defence 6 / Strength 4 Morranon Orcs, or the Shadow Lord who can make Haradrim battle lines more sustainable to combat the opposing bow fire. If you ally with Umbar, cheap backstabbing F4 Corsairs and crossbows can make your shooting even deadlier than it already is! 

Far Harad only has one historical ally in The Serpent Horde, but it’s a strong one. It allows your army to not only be an elite small hitting force, but also provides backup in numbers and bows. To conclude, The Serpent Horde and Far Harad offer unique playstyles that when used correctly can cause mayhem on the battlefield. 

Mik: The Serpent Horde and Far Harad offer a ton of strengths and versatility in a force that in itself is full of weaknesses, making every game a challenge and forcing every player to think how to minimise their inevitably high casualty counts and maximise what their army can do. From my personal experience, Harad, in its many iterations is one of the most fun and interesting armies to play and serves as a good learning tool for players of all skill levels. 

Good luck!

BlackMist & Rainier

==================================

* Suladan’s banner range compared to a standard banner:

A standard banner covers an area of 3” in every direction from the base of the model and the base has a diameter of 1”. 

Therefore the radius from the centre of the base is π*3.52 = 38.45 inches

Suladan on foot has a radius of 6.5” from the centre of the base, which means the area of the banner effect is: 132.7 inches. 

Considering that you’ll virtually always take Suladan on horse and rarely take a mounted banner, because you’re more likely to give the banner bearer a spear to support friends, the true area of Suladan’s banner is going to be:

π*6.82 = 145.2 inches

Note: 6.8 is the 6” banner plus a 40mm of the base is 1.6 inches, hence 6 + ½ *1.6 = 6.8

An Unexpected Podcast - Episodes 1 & 2.

An Unexpected Podcast - Episodes 1 & 2.

After months of lockdown, 5 players decided to counter the lack-of-tournament-blues and create a competitive Middle-earth SBG podcast. Following weeks of discussions and recordings, the first two episodes were released this week. 

Initially released on DC Hobbit League's Youtube Channel, the podcast will be moving to an audio-only version for those of you who prefer to listen to the podcasts on the go, or simply don't have access to video at the time of listening. Unfortunately, some of the content requires a visual aid - for example we will be discussing deployment and game play strategy in reference to a given board that players may encounter at tournaments. As such, on this blog I will be posting useful, easily accessible companion information for those of you unable to watch the videos. These will include army lists from each episode, pictures of boards being analysed by the hosts and guests and anything else that we feel may be useful to you. Naturally, you'll still need to listen to the podcast to find out what's going on. 

So without further ado, let's introduce the 5 hosts:

Tim Hynes - New York SBG Player and moderator of the podcast.

Devin Moreno - Warhammer Hero, captain of Ardacon's Team America and the TO behind NOVA Open. 

Rainier Lee - NOVA Open Champion 2018 and NOVA Open Runner-up in 2019.

Matt Iverson - NOVA Open Champion 2017. 

Mik Bakalarz - The writer of this blog. 

============================

EPISODE 1: 

Our 800 Point Lists for Competitive Tournaments

Army lists discussed in Episode 1:

Matt's List:

Warband 1:

Saruman, the White on Horse

Galadriel, Lady of Light

Warband 2: 

Boromir, Captain of the White Tower on Horse

1 Guard of the Fountain Court with Shield

8 Warriors of Minas Tirith with Shield

4 Rangers of Gondor with Spear

2 Citadel Guard with Spear

Warband 3:

Madril, Captain of Ithilien

5 Rangers of Gondor with Spear

7 Warriors of Minas Tirith with Shield

31 Warriors, 15 Might, 10 Bows

=================

Mik's List:

Warband 1:

Master of Lake-town

5 Laketown Guard with Spears

5 Laketown Guard with Bows

5 Laketown Guard

Warband 2:

Alfrid

4 Laketown Guard with Spears

4 Laketown Guard with Bows & Spears

2 Laketown Guard

Warband 3:

Aragorn, Strider, on Horse with Armour

Boromir of Gondor, on Horse with Shield

Warband 4:

Glorfindel, Lord of the West on Asfaloth with Armour of Gondolin

Galadriel, Lady of Light

31 Models, 17 Might + Alfrid, 9 Bows

===================

Rainier's List:

Warband 1:

Suladan on Armoured Horse

1 Serpent Rider

4 Abrakhan Guard

6 Warriors with Bow

3 Warriors with Bow & Spear

4 Serpent Guard

Warband 2:

Mahud King on a Camel with a War Spear

2 Camels with Warspear, Blowpipe & Shield

4 Half Trolls

5 Mahud Warriors with Blowpipe & Shield

4 Mahud Warriors with Blowpipe, Spear and Shield

Warband 3:

Mahud King on a Camel with a War Spear

4 Camels with Blowpipe, Shield & Warspear

4 Camels with Shield & Warspear

44 Models, 7 Might, 9 Bows, 15 blowpipes. 

============================

EPISODE 2: Terrain Strategy (deployment and positioning)

(With guest Evan Iverson stepping in for Rainier)

Army lists used for discussion:

Devin's Mordor & Moria Convenient Alliance:

Warband 1:

The Undying on Fell Beast
8 Orcs with Shield
7 Orcs with Spear

Warband 2:
Guritz
4 Orcs with Shield
4 Orcs with Spear
4 Warg Riders

Warband 3:
Durburz
8 Goblins with Shield
7 Goblins with Spear

Warband 4:
Gundabad Shaman
3 Goblins with Shield
3 Goblins with Spear

Warband 5:
Gundabad Shaman
3 Goblins with Shield
3 Goblins with Spear

Warband 6:
Goblin Captain
6 Goblins with Shield
6 Goblins with Spear

Total 72 Models, 12 Might

Mik's Rivendell Knights:

Warband 1:

Elrond in full gear

17 Rivendell Knights with Shields

1 Rivendell Knight with Shield & Banner

Warband 2:

Aragorn, Strider, Mounted with Elven Cloak, Armour & Bow (in the podcast I didn't list Armour, but it's there!)

Total: 20 Models, 6 Might (Plus Mighty Hero), 19 Bows.

Evan's Lake-town & Thranduil's Halls Historical Alliance:

Warband 1:
Bard, the Bowman on Horse with Armour
Alfrid
Sigrid and Tilda
7 Lake-town Militia with Shields
7 Lake-town Militia with Spears
1 Lake-town Militia

Warband 2:

Lake-town Militia Captain
6 Militia with Shield
6 Militia with Spear

Warband 3:
Gandalf on Horse
14 Militia with Bows

Warband 4:
Legolas on Horse
1 Wood Elf Sentinel

Total: 49 Models, 15 bows (+ Legolas), 11 Might

Matt's Paths of the Druadan Legendary Legion:

Warband 1:
Ghan-Buri-Ghan
15 Woses Warriors

Warband 2:

Theoden (full kit)
2 Riders of Rohan
1 Rohan Royal Guard on Horse with Throwing Spear

Warband 3:

Gamling on Horse with Banner
2 Riders of Rohan
1 Rohan Royal Guard on Horse with Throwing Spear

Warband 4:

Dernhelm with a Throwing Spear
2 Riders of Rohan
1 Rohan Royal Guard on Horse with Throwing Spear

Warband 5:
Eomer (full kit)
2 Riders of Rohan
1 Rohan Royal Guard on Horse with Throwing Spear

Total: 32 models, 15+ Might.

Boards used for the Matchups:

Devin vs Matt in Lords of Battle:

Mik vs Evan in Contest of Champions:

Evan vs Devin in TBC:

Matt vs Mik in Heirlooms of Ages Past:

In the future, tune in on Wednesday Tea-o'clock time (5pm GMT / 12pm EST) for new episodes every week!

Fog of War, Part 15: Iron Hills & Erebor Reclaimed

FOG OF WAR

Part 15: Iron Hills & Erebor Reclaimed

Welcome to the last chapter covering Dwarves in this series. Today I am joined by the 2018 GBHL Best Newcomer and the 2019 ETC Team England 2 player Kalman Steels-Wright to talk about the mighty Iron Hills Dwarves and the army of Erebor after the death of Smaug.

Kalman: Ever since I started playing SBG and after seeing Fellowship of the Ring in the cinema when I was 8, I have always been drawn to the Dwarves of Middle-earth. After reading the book, one dwarf stood out, Dain Ironfoot II, he is unparalleled in combat, a fierce leader and that stubborn, he makes normal dwarves look like pushovers. He took the head off Azog in revenge for his father and showed a messenger of Sauron where the door was when questioned about Bilbo. I instantly started my first Dwarven army, which would nowadays be known as Durin’s Folk, and never looked back. Then came the Battle of the Five Armies movie and with it, the Iron Hills and a revamp of Dain himself, there was no possible way I wasn’t collecting them!

Now Dwarves had always lacked in a few areas of the game, they lacked spear support and getting outmanoeuvred. That was until the Iron Hill Dwarves joined the fray. With their shield wall backed up by a line of spears, a single warband of them can hold off the majority of an army and their new little toy, the mighty ballista, means they can’t just be shot before lines even meet. Finally there is the Lord of the Iron Hills. Mounted on his War Boar he becomes terrifying, he can mow down any troops and most heroes that fall in front of him. Not only is he unstoppable, he has the Lord of the Iron Hills Special Rule, one of, if not the most important rule of the army. This makes all Iron Hill Dwarves, Goat Riders and Captains within 12” pass all courage tests and means your opponent will have to think where they place their terror causing units. 

Mik: I’ve decided to put together Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed into one article, since the two are very similar, with the only differences being their Army Bonuses, Hero options and the Ballista (only accessible to Iron Hills). As you’ll see below, Kalman has done an amazing job at describing every single detail of Iron Hills by himself, and seeing that he’s an expert with the army I think there is very little I could add from my side, so my part of this article focuses on Erebor, thus I believe completing all Dwarves in the series (Part 10 was Khazad-Dum, Part 14 Army of Thror and Part 15 Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed). 

I’ve said before Dwarves have never been my favourite faction, but I do appreciate a tough opponent and Iron Hills Dwarves, with their high survivability and high strength have proven time and time again to be one of those armies that players will struggle to defeat if their general plays well, due to their incredible resistance to blows. As the troops choices in Erebor Reclaimed are similar, the same principles apply to a lot of the game play with the two and as you’ll be able to see, the two can ally and work together quite well. 

ARMY LISTS:

List 1: Kalman’s 500 points of Iron Hills

Warband 1: 

Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills on War boar

17 Iron Hill Dwarves, all with spear and shield. 

1 Banner

1 Iron Hills Goat rider

Warband 2:

Iron Hills Ballista

Total: 23 Models, 4 Might

List 2: Kalman’s 600 points of Iron Hills

Warband 1:

Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills on War Boar

18 Iron Hill Dwarves, all but one with spear and shield. 

1 Banner

Warband 2:

Iron Hills Captain on Goat

1 Iron Hills Goat rider

Warband 3:

Iron Hills Ballista

Total: 25 Models, 6 Might

First things first, these lists at low points are hard to play. They are relatively low numbers, low Might and if it’s a mission that requires manoeuvrability then they’re at a large disadvantage. With that being said, the little troops they do have are defence 7, going up to 8 in the shield wall and the ballista can massively help against shooting and thinning out the enemy. Even games that require manoeuvrability can be won, I managed to come third at the GBHL masters with that 500 point list and out of the 3 games I won, 2 of them were Recon and Seize the Prize, so it can be done.

Let’s start with the heroes. The first thing to remember is there is no such thing as 140 point Dain, he does not walk. On a boar his damage output is amplified, his reach is further and he is just simply more terrifying for your opponent. At 500 points there are few heroes you will come across that can take him on, and if your opponent does have one of the rare few that can, they likely have a tiny force. His Master of Battle (4+) rule makes up for the low Might in the army and he has Heroic March, which is crucial for those missions that require movement. As mentioned earlier, his Lord of the Iron Hills rule is, in Tina Turner’s words, simply the best! It combines nicely with his Fearless rule so you only ever have to worry about Courage if your troops are over 12” away, which is rare for Iron Hills as normally you are castling. Finally it goes without saying about his combat prowess, strength 5, Burly, two handed hammer, Fight value 6, 3 attacks and mounted, and just for fun, if a hero Heroic Strikes against him there is a 50/50 chance of him doing it for free due to Master of Battle. If your opponent puts models in his way, wish them luck. 

At 600 points you have two choices, your first warband with Dain is capped out so can’t add more troops. Do you take Thorin and have two big heroes with small warbands or throw in a Captain? Personally I think 600 is just a little too low to take Thorin (though I have taken him at 650) and prefer to have an Iron Hills captain on a goat. He will have his own little Master of Battle (5+) rule, add 2 more Might to the army and while on a goat be quite the damage giver with his war spear. If his goat is killed he can join the shield wall to become Defence 9. 

Now the troops of your army are truly your backbone and can be amazing if positioned right. With their Shield Wall special rule, Fight value of 4 and all with spears they can sit where they want and your opponent will struggle to move them. They also have the added bonus of being Strength 4, so when those Defence 6 enemies come running, your dwarves won’t flinch at all and God help any model that is Defence 4 in front of that shield wall. Trying not to sound like a broken record but I’m going to have to, Dain’s Lord of the Iron Hills rule just adds even more stubbornness to them. Terror causing models? Nope! Spectres, Sentinels? Nope! Courage for being broken? Nope! Nope! Nope! Once your shield wall sets up camp, your opponent will have to physically move them off.  

Goat riders are a brilliant little tool. I’ve had a few people ask me how many I’d take and granted, a charging battle line of many goats is truly beautiful but far from practical. They will demolish a battle line on the charge but as soon as they lose the move off, they are only 1 Attack and Defence 6. They will not last long like your shield wall and at 20 points a model, it’s a large chunk of your army. I tend to only ever take 1 or 2, only once have I ever taken 3+ and that was for Throne of Skulls at 1000 points. They are there to solely react to what your opponent does or play the mission. If it’s Recon or another mission that requires manoeuvrability then they are very important. I mainly keep them behind my shield wall for when my opponent will try to flank it, which as I’m usually outnumbered, will happen often. I’ll charge into vulnerable areas, do damage, run away and repeat. One last thing is the Devastating Charge rule, mainly used for a bit of fluffy fun but can be overlooked and quite game changing. As said earlier there are not many heroes that can stand against Dain but there are some that can, Aragorn, Azog etc. In a normal scenario, I would be leaving these alone and deal with the army, as one on one, Dain could die. But sometimes an opportunity will show itself where if you charge in a goat, knock the enemy hero down, you can then think of putting a few resources and Dain into them as even if you lose the fight, you won’t lose any models and if you don’t knock them down, then at most you lose a Goat rider. Can even be used if their hero charges you first and you need to slow them down. 

Finally is the mighty, the one, the only, Iron Hills Ballista! If you have played with or against it, it needs no introduction. Its 90 points, can negate enemy shooting, only scatters 3”, has a 2” area effect and comes with 4, yes 4 crew members, which are still Iron Hill Dwarves at the end of the day. The chances of your opponent wanting to thin your ranks with shooting before lines reach is highly likely and most of the time, as dwarves, you have to fight on your opponent’s terms and where they want. The Ballista stops all that and makes your opponent come to you because if they sit back, you will out shoot them to oblivion. Most of the time, your opponent will spread his troops out to avoid the area effect but that’s fine, as they will hit your shield wall in drips and drabs and bounce straight off. Cavalry will lose their mount, I’m sure I don’t need to say how good that can be (sorry Rohan players) and finally it will auto kill any model that gets hit dead on, no matter the amount of wounds. A trick I found out early on and to be honest, a ridiculously important trick, is shooting into combat. Should the battle go ill and your shield wall be swamped, fire that bad boy into the heart of that combat. With the new rules, it now means you can fire at models near yours even though you risk hitting your own guys. The area effect is a Strength 4 hit and if you’re getting swamped, chances are your enemy is a lot lower defence and will get blasted away and even if you do hit your own guys. You’re dwarves, you can take the hit, your opponent can’t. 

List 3: Kalman's 700 points of Iron Hills & Erebor Reclaimed 

Warband 1: 

Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills on War boar

12 Iron Hill Dwarves, all with spear and shield. 

1 Banner

Warband 2: 

Thorin, King under the Mountain with Orcrist and Goat

12 Iron Hill Dwarves, all with spear and shield. 

Warband 3:

Iron Hills Ballista

Total: 30 Models, 7 Might

List 4: Kalman's 800 points of Iron Hills & Erebor Reclaimed

Warband 1:

Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills on War boar

8 Iron Hill Dwarves, all with spear and shield. 

1 Banner

Warband 2:

Thorin, King under the Mountain with Orcrist and Goat

7 Iron Hill Dwarves, all with spear and shield. 

Warband 3: 

Dwalin, Champion of Erebor on Goat

7 Iron Hill Dwarves, all with spear and shield. 

Warband 4:

Iron Hills Ballista

Total: 29 Models, 10 Might

As you can see at larger points there is quite a difference in structure and naturally a difference in play style. Away goes the defensive play and out comes the aggressive, in your face, scary, hairy. Wave goodbye to that army bonus and say hello to the big heroes. Why drop an amazing bonus? Quadruple threat! Who will your opponent go for? If they put too much effort into one of them, the other three will tear a hole in their army. Dain, Thorin and Dwalin all charging in makes it very hard for your opponent to choose because very few army lists can deal with two big heroes, let alone three and then the ballista is just doing what it does best. 

Thorin Oakenshield. We all know who he is, what he can do. He needs no introduction. Mounted with Orcrist glowing in his hands, very few evil armies can stop him. Out of the three heroes he is the only one that doesn’t get +1 to Wound and Strength 5 but makes up in other areas. The main one being that free Heroic Combat. He can comfortably kill 4 models a turn and not break a sweat and if an Orc, Goblin or Uruk hero get in his way, he can turn them inside out with Orcrist. Combine that free Heroic with Dain or Dwalin and suddenly they have 16” movement, a movement that will leave your opponent in need of counselling. Even after all that, Orcrist is an Elven Blade, which is something that can be crucial against the higher Fight value heroes out there. A dwarf with an Elven Blade? No wonder the Goblin King was scared! 

Dwalin. Oh Dwalin. He’s a power house. A nice and cheap power house. 3 Might, strength 5, burly, two handed hammer, fight value 6, 3 attacks and mounted all for 125 points. Bargain! Going to be honest, not many hard tactics with Dwalin, just smash. Oh and he can lead Iron Hills Dwarves (as an ally in Erebor Reclaimed), because Du Bekar! 

As I’ve said these two extra heroes added with Dain makes the armies damage output tremendous. I’ve played a game where early on, I’ve lost my ballista and almost all my warriors to an Uruk horde, only for those three to go on and table my opponent (sorry Mr Clubley!).

In short, it’s the multitude of threats that make these lists. Most armies can deal with one big hero, some can deal with two but it’s very hard to deal with three. Even if your opponent has a spell caster, they still can only target one a turn and sometimes even fail at that.

One last thing. You may have noticed not once have I mentioned Mattocks or Crossbows. Mattocks, albeit they are cool, I don’t believe work in the army lists above. I said before the back bone is the shield wall and they simply don’t contribute to that. Defence 6 makes them too squishy for dwarves and now that piercing strike is just +1 strength, I’d personally prefer more shields and more spears. Crossbows are good but very situational. If you’re not taking a ballista then sure thing but if you are, you’re going to be wanting that to hit and if it does, then your crossbows can’t shoot either. Granted they could shoot at different directions or angles but as I said, very situational. 

List 5: Mik’s 500 Points of Erebor Reclaimed

Warband 1:

1 Thorin with Orcrist on a War Goat

4 Iron Hills Dwarves with Spears

3 Iron Hills Dwarves

3 Iron Hills Dwarves with Crossbows & Spears

Warband 2:

1 Dwalin, Champion of Erebor on a War Goat

4 Iron Hills Dwarves with Spears

3 Iron Hills Dwarves

3 Iron Hills Dwarves with Crossbows & Spears

Total: 22 Models, 6 Might, 6 (x)bows

This list is somewhat similar to lists I posted in my Numenor article, featuring Elendil and Isildur mounted, leading a bunch of Warriors. The idea behind an army such as this is simple. The 14 Dwarves with Defence 8 act as an unbreakable anvil with the mission of surviving for as long as is possible, whilst dashing out some amount of damage. The 6 Crossbows, whilst not many, will sometimes cause some long-range damage and against some opponents they can ensure the battle is fought in our terms in the position which we like the most. 14 of the 22 models being armed with Spears adds to the versatility and allows us to spread our line, use Shielding in the parts of the line where we need to survive and add attacks in the parts where we must kill. Then, the most important thing, the duet of Thorin and Dwalin mounted on War Goats is one of those things which at 500 points is almost unstoppable. Dwalin’s special rule allows him either 5 Strength 5 Attacks on charge, or 4 Strength 5 Burly attacks. Not only that, if he’s near Throrin, he re-rolls one dice, so in effect has 6xS5 or 5xS5 Burly Attacks! Ouch! Add that to Thorin’s free Heroic Combats (and his own re-rolls for being within 6” of himself) every turn and you could be killing 8 models per turn with just these two models, while your opponents struggle to kill any of your high defence infantry troops. Both Thorin and Dwalin having Heroic Strike and Fight 6 ensures that very few enemies will stand in their way at this points level.

List 6: Mik’s 800 Points of Erebor Reclaimed & Rivendell

Warband 1:

1 Thorin with Orcrist on a War Goat

4 Iron Hills Dwarves with Spears

3 Iron Hills Dwarves

3 Iron Hills Dwarves with Crossbows & Spears

Warband 2:

1 Dwalin, Champion of Erebor on a War Goat

4 Iron Hills Dwarves with Spears

3 Iron Hills Dwarves

3 Iron Hills Dwarves with Crossbows & Spears

Warband 3:

2 Elladan & Elrohir on Horses in H. Armours with Bows

6 High Elf Warriors with Shields & Spears

4 High Elf Warriors with Spears & Bows

Total: 34 Models, 13 Might, 12 Bows.

I first wanted to make an 800-points pure Erebor list, but quickly realised that without another 3-Attack Goat-mounted hero available, the list simply won’t be strong enough, so decided to look into alliances. The major downside hero comes up from the other side, Elladan or Elrohir will fall easily. 

Just like in the 500 points list, the idea here is simple: make sure your troops hold and make sure your heroes wreck havoc. As a long time all-hero player, I’ve always tried making lists that can bring the qualities of all-hero lists to a more versatile, all-round setup. The obvious disadvantage of this vs all-hero lists such as Aragorn / Thranduil / Glorfindel / Elrond and the like is that Thorin, Dwalin and the Twins are obviously nowhere near as strong as the models you’d use in those all-hero lists. In a way these guys are 2nd-tier Heroes whose primary goal is in thinning out your opponent’s troops, whilst avoiding their biggest threats. 32 models is an ok number, albeit on the lower side at 800 points. The loss of the Erebor Reclaimed Army Bonus is a slight hindrance, as both Thorin and Dwalin lose 1 attack, but the gain of 2 extra heroes of similar statute means you’re gaining more than you’re losing.  

The theory behind all-hero lists has always been to kill 4 models per hero in the first turn of combat, this usually being 16 at 800 points. If you can pull of 16 casualties here with this list, your opponent not only has 4 mounted heroes now to deal with, but also ends up fighting a large wall of F5/D8 infantry. 

List 7: Mik’s 800 Points of Erebor Reclaimed & Survivors of Lake Town

Warband 1:

1 Thorin with Orcrist on a War Goat

4 Iron Hills Dwarves with Spears

3 Iron Hills Dwarves

3 Iron Hills Dwarves with Crossbows & Spears

Warband 2:

1 Dwalin, Champion of Erebor on a War Goat

4 Iron Hills Dwarves with Spears

3 Iron Hills Dwarves

3 Iron Hills Dwarves with Crossbows & Spears

Warband 3:

1 Bard the Bowman on a Horse with Armour

2 Sigrid & Tilda 

1 Alfrid the Councillor

5 Lake-Town Militia with Shields

5 Lake-Town Militia with Spears

5 Lake-Town Militia with Bows & Spears

Total: 41 Models, 9 Might (plus Alfrid), 12 bows

List similar to the one above, but with higher model count and with a second Hero that constantly benefits from free Heroic Combats. Just like the 500 points version of Erebor Reclaimed, the idea here is to hold on for as long as possible whilst the big three do their thing. 

800 Points is a level where you will see a large portion of models that can deal with Thorin and Dwalin, whilst also having a large model count and their own threats. This list sacrifices having 4 heroes and Fight Value 5 for your Dwarves in order to gain several models extra and a hero with up to 6 Might and free Heroic Combats.  

ALLIES

Kalman: As you can see from my list choices, the main ally for me Erebor Reclaimed but only at appropriate point levels. They are unfortunately convenient allies but I believe what Thorin and Dwalin add the army outweighs any army bonus. Thorin’s free heroic combat and Orcrist make him a must and Dwalin’s shear killing power is something to behold. Granted you lose the reinforcement rule and master of battle but gain two incredible heroes. Heroes, that without, I would not have won Best Newcomer. I have to admit I’ve never used other allies with my Iron Hills, not competitively anyway. If I had to choose an ally other than Erebor Reclaimed, I would choose Thranduil’s Halls. Thranduil himself is a nice little death star but more importantly you can get Elven Glaives. These supporting models can help with the higher fight values you may face but are also Elven made, meaning you get the nifty bonus on those combat roll offs and now benefit from +1 to wound if near Thranduil. 

Mik: Having gone primarily into Erebor Reclaimed in this article I think that the list is strong by itself, but ultimately requires allies at higher points levels in order to stay valid competitively. There are only two heroes in it with access to cavalry charge who have 3 Attacks, so in situations like this I tend to try to see if other factions can add something more - like another hero or two, more bows, more numbers, generally more tools that we'll need to win games against the more numerous opponents, often sporting a wizard or heroes even bigger than ours. 

Allying in a Ballista is a useful thing. Allying in Fight Value 5 is a useful thing. Allying in more models is a useful thing. All of these have very distinct uses however and which is the best will often depend on the meta that we are expecting to likely be facing. Regardless of meta though, Defence 8 is always good. 

SUMMARY

The fact that Iron Hills Dwarves are very expensive points-wise means that we'll always be the army that's outnumbered and we will always be striving to get into spots where we can use the quality of our troops and heroes without having the problems of getting surrounded. Our strategy should always be in prioritising the killing potential of our force and using the terrain, as well as shielding and generally playing on a 'survival-mode'. Long term Defence 8 beats most things in the game, so our goal is to get to that long term and get there in good shape. 

Good Luck!

BlackMist & Kalman