Full on Fluff: Legendary Legions - Part Three

Good morning, my fellow denizens of Themetown. Today we're back to our more lighthearted look the Legendary Legions available and just how much they stick to the flavour of the army/scene they are drawn from. Funnily enough we'll be finishing up not one, but two supplements today as we delve into all two of the Legions from The Scouring of the Shire and the final two from Gondor at War - one which holds a particularly special place in this game for me.

The Riders of Théoden

Basis: Tears in your eyes as you re-enact the best scene in the whole trilogy and yell 'Death!' at the top of your lungs.

The last ride of the Rohirrim, undoubtedly my favourite moment from the films and the first full army that I ran for quite a while. I will honestly do my best here to not be biased - but damn, if it doesn't make me choke up a little. Rules wise, this legion is actually pretty threadbare: Théoden has to be your leader (this can be a detriment in some scenarios), you list options are limited to just Riders of Rohan and Royal Guard but a large amount of reasonably costed heroes are available. You keep the Rohan army bonus so they're great on the charge, but where is the new stuff to set it apart?

Death! Death! is perhaps my favourite rule in the whole game (and out comes my bias). This list can easily be a hero might factory with Gamling and his banner, but what if you wanted heroic actions on top of your heroic actions? For free? Calling Death! gives every hero near Théoden a free Heroic Combat or Strike for one turn - great at turning the tide against more powerful heroes (or forcing them to spend their own might to contend) or even carving through the weaker models on the charge.

Fluff Verdict: 8/10
In the past I've penalised other legions for lack of new specials or specific rules, and unfortunately The Riders of Théoden is lacking in that department. It does have one (amazingly glorious) rule, but in that regards it's quite literally a one trick pony. It doesn't particularly alter the play style of a Rohan army, other than you want to smash your heroes into the enemy line more recklessly than you normally would. In fact scratch that, it's fluffy as all heck.

The Return of the King

Basis: I'm back baby! And I brought some friends...

Oh boy where do we begin...that was a silly question. Andúril is free. That's crazy. If you were already doing a spooky boi list then shifting it up a gear into this legion is almost a given considering how cheap of a powerhouse this makes Aragorn. Not only that, he's also now a banner to all your nearby ghosts. Other than that, your King of the Dead is now even spookier than before gaining Harbinger of Evil and making it even tougher for enemies to charge your army. This is great for allowing you to set-up the engagements you want.

Fluff Verdict: 8/10
Whilst the rules aren't particularly in-depth, they fit the army really well in giving it some buffs for having a limited roster. Given how expensive the Dead are, the free Andúril is a nice touch. I think the only thng which really could have boosted this Legion more is inclusion of some of the Grey Company to tie it more in line with the books.

The Chief's Ruffians

Basis: Ruffians still aren't that good.

So the main buff to this Legendary Legion is generally just Courage whether it be in the form of standard Courage buff or benefits of Stand Fast! Honestly, aside from that there isn't a whole lot extra this legion brings to the army. Scouring did a great job at adding some new and fun heroes to the list, but the Legion itself doesn't really add that much more. Other than Saruman really hating Hobbits now - that's kind of fun.

Fluff Verdict: 5/10
There's just not much extra to this list other than the aforementioned Courage extras, and aside from being better at using whips and Sharkey now having an axe to grind there just really isn't anything in here which leaps out at me as thematic.

Defenders of the Shire 

Basis: They're in the trees! They're in the god-damn trees!

Not being a Hobbit player myself I find this legion quite interesting as it plays to quite a few of the components listed in the Scouring of the Shire supplement, namely traps. They're not the strongest of things in the game but they can mess with your opponent, which given the guerilla tactics of the Hobbits during the Scouring plays very well into this list. More than anything they're an annoyance, blocking up good movement routes, inconveniencing formations and making the enemy spread out.

Aside from that, the tactics come through again with the special rules for Ambush! Allowing the army to arrive on whatever board edge they please later into the game. May not be the best for some objective grabbing or scenarios where you need a bit more of a cohesive force, but some may well play well into this special rule if used correctly. On top of this, most of your force can be filled with very cheap heroes - not the greatest stats-wise mind you, but some great individual special rules to help bolster the force.

Fluff Verdict: 9/10
Hobbits are certainly one of the toughest armies to use in the game, they don't have the greatest units, stats or movement. I feel this legion however breathes a bit of fun gimmicky light into a Hobbit force though. Even though the traps aren't great, I love their inclusion and potential for a laugh over the table (you're not often taking Hobbits to win, but to have some fun games) and Ambush! gives that extra bit of maneuverability they desperately need - all whilst in-keeping with the climatic chapters fo the trilogy.

Having ticked off two supplements in one article we'll be moving onto the third next time - War in Rohan. Stay tuned for more!

Pro's Perspective: Rivendell

Dan Slob: In this new series we will be inviting a number of seasoned players to talk about a faction close to their hearts. To start us off we have Rebel Base Gaming's very own Jonny Wright! Take it away Jonny!

Jonny: I’ve played The Lord of the Rings since 2001 with the release of the Fellowship of the Ring boxed game and in the years since, have participated in countless tournaments, (even winning a few!) the majority of which I have used a pure Rivendell army. Here I talk about the heroes and warriors of this noble force, their role on the battlefield, and how to get the best out of the various options in unison. I’m not going to be completely unbiased as my opinion has been formed over many hours of gaming, but I will try to look at each unit for its personal strength, and highlight any inherent weaknesses.

Gil Galad, High King of the Elves

There’s no more obvious place to start than the High King’s insane Fight Value of 9; making fluffing your Heroic Strike rolls a thing of the past with an auto 10 (!). Combine this with his Lord of the West reroll and his +1 to wound with Aiglos he is a beast! Mounted he will mince through heroes and warriors alike and remember, when besting the former in combat, he will regain a point of Might due to his Blood and Glory special rule! That’s assuming his foe have mustered the courage to charge this Terror causing King. As is often the way with expensive Good heroes, his greatest weakness is how many points he sinks should your opponent be able to Transfix or Immobilise him. Shatter will also cause a headache, particularly in combination with the aforementioned spells as, without Aiglos, he loses a large part of his punch. A measly 1 Fate could potentially put you off fielding this legendary High King, but when coupled with a Defence of 8 and the unlikely chance of him actually losing a combat, even a single Fate should be enough, particularly as he has 3 Wounds.

Despite all the above, the main reason I field Gil-Galad so frequently is his unlocking of F6 King’s Guard. The ability to take 18 models with F6 should not be overlooked. Enemy heroes will cower at the sight of the King’s protectors, particularly those committed to The Dark Lord.

Rounding out my assessment of Gil-Galad’s plethora of strengths is his 12” Stand Fast, though not easily do the elves turn to run so this is a minor benefit in a pure Rivendell force.

Elrond, Master of Rivendell

The Lord of Rivendell is one of the most versatile Good heroes in the game. With a superbly rounded stat-line, he has become an auto-include in any of my Rivendell tournament armies since the release of the new edition. Foresight is oft and equally ill forgotten. The late game ability to dictate the battlefield by impacting upon who has priority should not be overlooked. Having Elrond safely tucked away and forcing your opponent into taking priority and charging leaves them wide open to Nature’s Wrath, allowing you to further control the battle lines and potentially inflict mortal wounds to those now prone models. A bearer of one of the three elven rings, allowing him to re-roll failed Fate tests, Elrond’s survivability makes him an exceptional general- starving your opponent of those all important wound/kill the general Victory Points.

Elrond also unlocks the ability to field an army of Rivendell Knights. Truly a sight to behold on the battlefield and terrifying in the Shooting Phase when remaining still to take advantage of the Army special rule to re-roll failed To Hit rolls when within 6” of the army General if the knight has not moved during the Movement Phase.

In the current tournament meta, where Angmar and Ringwraiths are a mainstay; Hadhafang’s +1 to wound becomes an added bonus.

Glorfindel, Lord of the West

Often overlooked in favour of the previous two Legendary Tier heroes; Glorfindel is another well rounded Terror causing hero. Being a Horse Lord all but ensures he will remain mounted by the time he hits the enemy line, allowing for maximum damage output due to knockdowns. The Armour of Gondolin bestows him with the equivalent increase in Defence to Heavy Armour, with the added bonus of making him immune to Brutal Power Attacks. His Fortify Spirit special rule ensures he stands a better chance of not being Transfixed/Immobilised, and Lord of the West makes him a great combat piece. Glorfindel fills a utility spot in a Rivendell list but I’m not sure I’d ever find myself taking him over Elrond or Gil-Galad, certainly not below 1000 points.

Erestor

Unless wanting a mounted hero, or requiring Heroic March, there is little reason not to take Erestor over a High Elf Captain. His Defence of 7 crucially puts S4 models on 6s to wound instead of 5s, but for 5 points more (assuming the Captain takes a shield) he causes Terror and his Noldorin daggers provide him with a throwing weapon AND re-rolls to failed wounds in both combat and when throwing his daggers. Erestor is particularly useful in lower point games where taking one of the “big three” is out of the question, and with 2 Fate, he has a decent amount of survivability.

Arwen Undomiel

Recently nerfed to be a lowly Minor Hero; Arwen has lost an element of her standing in my opinion. Taking heroes without the ability to take a warband of at least 12 warriors is a real issue when considering armies around 700 points (the standard tournament points limit). At 700 points one of the “big three” would normally feature, but you end up with 20/30 points spare and lacking in bodies. This is the issue which an Elven commander was often faced with in the previous edition of the rules when warband sizes were capped at 12 models. This has been assuaged with the introduction of different Tiers of heroes, but unfortunately, Arwen, and to a greater extent; Cirdan fall foul of the Errata.

Low defence, and only two “real” (no one throws 1 dice at a 4+ to cast spell do they?!) opportunities to cast Nature’s Wrath leaves Arwen bottom of the pile when selected heroes for my armies these days. Shame really as I always quite liked Liv Tyler!

Cirdan

The anguish I felt when learning of Arwen’s demotion was nothing in comparison to that felt when hearing the Shipwright suffered the same Fate!

The ultimate in buff characters (in abilities rather than physical prowess at least), Cirdan had been an auto-include in almost every army regardless of Allies Matrix colour prior to the Errata. Personally, I feel his becoming a Minor Hero in a pure green army was an oversight (damn you, Jay!). As discussed with Arwen above, at 700 points a Minor Hero causes selection headaches akin to any England manager trying to fit both Lampard and Gerrard in the same team.

In any case, being Resistant to Magic, Terror causing, and being able to cast Blinding Light, Aura of Courage, Aura of Dismay, AND Enchanted Blades (as if Gil-Galad and co needed any more help…) all with a free casting dice per turn, makes this feeble looking old elf a veritable force of nature on the battlefield. If you can fit him into your list, do so. He has won me countless games by buffing those around me- in particular his Blinding Light means your few elves are more survivable in a shooting match, and coupled with the army bonus – forces the enemy to come to your Terror causing bubble with haste. “Tangado haid, leithio I philinn” indeed!

Elladan & Elrohir

In the words of Super Hans “The twins. I bloody love the twins!”. The sons of Elrond have one glaring weakness, but it is by far made up for by how utterly dirt cheap they are to field as a pair. A mere 200 points for 6 Might and two bow wielding, mounted elven heroes is an absolute bargain! The pitfall? Well; when one dies, the other is filled with a hatred so great that he must spend every point of Might, every inch of movement, and shows the chinks in his armour in the pursuit of his brother’s slayer. That said, he does increase his strength…

When fighting on foot with their twin elven blades, the brothers can choose to fight with an additional attack, to parry, or with a single two-handed sword. This enables them to tailor their fighting style to the level and volume of foe they encounter.

Lindir

Although, I’m yet to use Elrond’s right-hand man, I certainly think he has a place alongside his Lord. Elrond’s only real downside as a caster is that he doesn’t have a staff which generates one free Will per turn. Lindir offers that perk as well as providing Resistance to Magic to all friendly Rivendell elves within 6” of him, which is certainly welcome and weakens the use of magic against you in tried and testing tricks such as drawing one lonely elf out to be charged then Heroic Combating into the elven line off it when you thought they were out of range. It also offers your big hitters some protection from Transfix/Immobilise, allowing them to do what they do best. Lindir’s only real weakness is his solitary attack; meaning you really have to get the most out of him to warrant his inclusion over a regular Captain. Arguably Lindir would struggle to be included outside of a list containing Elrond as much of his strength lies in his Wise Council.

High Elf Captain

No special rules to speak of other than those expected of elven heroes (Woodland Creature and Expert Rider), but High Elf Captains, like Captains in many armies, offer access to Heroic March. Perhaps their only call for inclusion above the named heroes. Perhaps the exception to that statement is a Rivendell Knight Captain but I would still question the inclusion over heroes with more clearly defined roles.

Gildor Inglorion

Ahh, the lesser spotted Gildor! Partly due to the scarcity of the miniature himself, but mostly because other than the super speedy Movement of 8”, Heroic March, and his Immobilise (which is quite handy to be fair as he has 4 Will), Gildor is a bit of a misfit inclusion in the list…quite fitting I guess! Gildor does also provide access to Noldorin Exiles – Wood Elves with Movement 8”. I suppose his warband could be used for objective grabbing, but I’m still unsure about his role in the army.

Stormcaller

Another rare, if ever seen, sight. For a designated caster, their spells are weak other than buffing another hero's Will (and regaining their own Will with a natural cast roll of a 6), which is done better by someone like Lindir; Stormcallers don’t offer much to the army. Defence 4 is particularly weak too in an army where numbers are already scarce. 

High Elf Warrior

The backbone of the army. With a shield/bow and spear the warrior comes in at 11 or 12 points respectively. NOT. CHEAP. And that’s before upgrading to King’s Guard (F6) for an extra point. However, F5 D6 is pretty good going. What elves generally lack is multiple dice in a combat. Even in ranks, 2 dice feels low… and that’s on the assumption that you’re going toe to toe and not being outnumbered. A banner is a must to add that pseudo 3^rd dice when rolling low. This is why your choice of elven heroes are so important, and why Cirdan in particular is invaluable. Reducing the number of models with the courage to charge evens the fight and keeps your noble warriors alive for long enough to tip the balance and win the day.

Rivendell Knight

For 22 points with a shield, Rivendell knights are great. They have a lance; causing a deadly charge, and a bow; allowing you to sit back and whittle the opposing force down and even the scales of battle. Movement 10” means its always worth dropping at least a couple in for counter charging when the enemy line meets your ranks, or for grabbing objectives late on. As previously mentioned, with Elrond leading the force, and the inclusion of one or more of the Istarii, it’s possible to legitimately field an entire army of Rivendell Knights. Again, numbers will be low; but you’re elves so this is to be expected.

Noldorin Exile

Very situational given they can only be unlocked via Gildor and only Defence 3 which is sickeningly low in an already streamlined force. With a bow and spear they are the same points as the equivalent High Elf Warrior and I can’t see a valid reason to include an Exile over the Warrior.

Some example lists:

500 points army list (498 points)

Elladan & Elrohir w/ heavy armour, horse, bow

4 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

6 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

1 High Elf Warrior w/ banner, spear, and shield

Cirdan

2 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

4 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

20 models, 7 Might, 6 bows.

Being able to cast Blinding Light and use your 6 bows with rerolls to hit (when standing still) will cause your enemy issues at this points level. That’s before the twins engage in combat! Getting both in on an unsuspecting warriors and then catapulting them both into more models with a Heroic Combat will hurt. Cirdan gives your core the necessary buffs and makes them harder to charge with Aura of Dismay and the banner gives the additional dice in combat to help your ranks. Quite the formidable force.

700 points army list (697points)

Elrond w/ horse and heavy armour

4 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

5 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

1 High Elf Warrior w/ banner, spear, and shield

2 Rivendell Knights w/ shield

Cirdan

2 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

4 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

Erestor

3 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

5 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

29 models, 6 Might (plus Elrond’s Foresight points), 11 bows.

And here in lies the issue with elves at 700 (well, now that Cirdan has been nerfed at least). It’s rather difficult to find a sweet spot when including Cirdan due to needing the third hero slot for the extra warriors. Elrond’s warband is not full, but the other two heroes require protection for Maelstrom deployment scenarios. Not taking Erestor and maxing on Knights/Warriors means you’re light on Might and Elrond risks being overrun by multiple lower tier heroes/shamans.

A possible inclusion instead of Erestor is Galadriel Lady of Light for 130 points, meaning a few more warriors in Elrond’s warband. This would be the way I would go with this particular list.

800 points army list (800 points)

Elrond w/ horse and heavy armour

6 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

8 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

1 High Elf Warrior w/ banner, spear, and shield

Cirdan

2 High Elf Warriors w/ bow and spear

4 High Elf Warriors w/ spear and shield

Elladan & Elrohir w/ heavy armour, horse, bow

3 Rivendell Knights w/ shield

28 models, 10 Might (plus Elrond’s Foresight points), 13 bows.

I’ve incorporated the best elements of the first two lists into this 800 point list. This list has answers to a lot of questions. The twins can run riot in the knowledge that they are not the General and do not risk giving away Victory Points for the majority of scenarios. Although slightly low on numbers (the knights could be swapped for almost double the number of warriors), the list will pack a punch and can counter charge with aplomb due to Elrond and Cirdan’s combined battlefield control. It also has the ability to grab and sit on a number of objectives if needed.

Dan Slob: Thanks Jonny! Hopefully that has provided some expert insight into Rivendell! We'll have more of these in the future, so if you think you can provide a Pro's Perspective then please get in touch at DrawnCombat@gmail.com! 

A Noob's Perspective - The Kingdom of Khazad-Dûm

Steve: Ah Khazad-Dûm, the OG dwarves of MESBG. So OG in fact that the first model released for them was already dead in a tomb and his buddy Ori alongside him. I'm actually starting work on a Khazad army myself so now felt the right time to delve into one of our Noob's Perspectives on one of the greatest dwarven kingoms in Middle-Earth...and one not so great. So immediately off the bat youre limited in what you can take in a Khazad-dum force purely based on who is leading you're army - an historic army led by Durin himself or the more recent reclamation force led by Balin before he decided to retire to a small stone box. With that in mind, let's have a look at a list made for each shall we?

The Kingdom of Khazad-Dûm

Durin, King of Khazad-Dûm
12 Khazâd Guard with Hearthguard upgrade
1 Dwarf Warrior with Shield
2 Vault Warden Teams

Mardin
12 Dwarf Warriors with Shield
1 Khazâd Guard

King's Champion
2 Heralds

700pts, 29 Warriors and 8 Might.

Going into this list was the very one-dimensional thought of 'we will outlast them'. Going off the great standard Defende of the Dwarves and making sure that everything survives long enough to get up close and personal. It severely lacks in ranged power, but makes up for it in Strength. Particularly from the Hearthguard protecting Durin - Strength 4 and Burly with two-handed means that most standard enemies will be dropping on a 4+. Even if they roll badly, the army bonus of re-rolling 1's to wound means they get another shot. A little bit more defense and tricksiness is provided by the two Vault Warden teams to help against anything big and scary.

Durin himself is a mean customer with plenty of tricks including terror, a Warhorn, a soft fate roll, a crazy powerful axe and a single priority re-roll. He does suffer from a shortage of Fate however, but is stocky with Defence 9. Being surrounded by Hearthguard will make him tough to kill, but shame about a lack of Heroic Strength. Durin is being backed up by other warbands, the first being led by Mardin who I took over a Dwarf Captain firstly for that extra point of Might, although this is at the cost of Heroic March which Dwarves could do with.

To fill out the roster, he has a bunch of Dwarf Warriors to provide some extra bulk to the force and general boots on the ground. Finally we have the King's Champion. A set of three models so cool to look at that I couldn't really resist putting them in the list. There's not a huge amount of complexity to it other than that this is a guy who likes to fight, and he brought his mates along to back him up with defense and re-rolls.

The Kingdom of Moria

Balin the Dwarf, King of Moria
1 Dwarf Warrior with Banner
6 Khazâd Guard
5 Dwarf Warriors with Shield
2 Vault Warden Teams

Dwarf Captain with Shield
9 Dwarf Warrior with Shield
3 Khazâd Guard

Flói Stonehand
5 Dwarf Rangers with Dwarf Longbow

697pts, 35 Warriors and 6 Might.

So we start off with a soft version of Durin - Balin, with slightly worse stats and missing a lot of the wargear aside from the axe. He does have a better version of the priority re-roll however which goes off his Will, so if the opponent has no magic you've got three chances to get priority back which isn't too shabby. Filling out the rest of the force, I wanted to be a little thematic of Balin's expedition. So we've dropped a few of the Khazad guard in favour of more Warriors and a few Rangers to round it out. Also a Ballista. Because Trolls and Balrogs. The crowning part of the list, personally for me, has to be Flói Stonehand.

Flói who has probably one of my favourite rules (and got me very excited about starting Dwarves myself) - negating enemy passives. This is a crazy rule, letting you turn off Aragorn's free Might, Imrahil and Boromir's banner effects and The Crown of Morgul for a turn, potentially swinging engagements your way (providing you have line of sight). It's gimmicky stuff like this that I love.

Filling out the list we have a Captain with the handy access to Heroic March to make up for that dwindling Dwarven speed and a little boost of Might where we need it.

Overall, both lists are quite heavy on the defensive, which is certainly a way the Dwarves like to play - they're stubborn and they'll take hits like nothing else. Personally I like the appeal of a strong central character of Durin over Balin, but Balin does have access to Flói and good ol' Gimmers if I were so inclined. The interesting thing is each list does feel different - the first working around a solid core whilst the second has a few more toys at it's disposal to work around brute force.

Have any of you played using Khazad-Dûm? Let us know in the comments and any thoughts you may have on their roster!

Follow on 50: Lothlorien

In this new series we are going to take our introductory lists from our 500 Under 50 Series and expand them to 700 points for another £50.

So from our original article we had the following:

Celeborn with Heavy armour, Shield and Elven Made Hand-and-a-Half Sword.
6 Galadhrim Warriors with Swords.
6 Galadhirm Warriors with Spears and Shields.

Haldir with Heavy Armour, Elven Bow and Elven Cloak.
8 Galadhrim Warriors with Elven Bows.
2 Galadhrim Warriors with Swords.
2 Galadhrim Warriors with Spears and Shields.

480 points, 26 Models

To this we are going to add the following:

Galadriel and Celeborn: £12.30

Guards of the Galadhrim Court: £16

Galadhrim Knights: £20

Total from GW: £48.30

This brings your grand total spend up to £89.30! What a bargain! It is even more of a bargain if you buy the bundle from our friends at Rebel Base Gaming who are doing it for £80 with free shipping!

For this bargain price you can field the following 700 point army:

Galadriel

8 Galadhrim Warriors, Elf Bows

Celeborn, Heavy Armour, Elven Made Hand and a half Sword, Shield

4 Guards of the Galadhrim Court

8 Galadhrim Warriors, Spears and Shields

1 Galadhrim Knight, Banner, Shield

Haldir, Elf Bow

3 Galadhrim Warriors, Shields

1 Galadhrim Warrior

2 Galadhrim Knights, Shields

700 Points, 30 Models, 9 Might

(You will need to add the 3 spare shields from the Knights to 3 Warriors with Swords for this, but that is about the smallest conversion possible!)

This list feels pretty good overall. It has a decent model count, a more than decent Might count and has plenty of accurate shooting, high F value troops and some cavalry for objectives. Character-wise, you have an excellent caster in the form of Galadriel, a good combat threat in Celeborn, and a decent sniper in Haldir.

Tactics wise you want Galadriel to cast a Channeled Blinding Light straight away so that you 8 Elves with Bow (and Haldir) can win the shooting war. She can then throw out plenty of Immobilise or Command spells to neuter heroes. Meanwhile, Celeborn is going to be leading your combat troops into battle. It is such a shame that he can't be mounted but with so much F5/6 in your list you should be winning plenty of fights. Maybe combine Celeborn with a Knight charge to get the most out of the Knockdown bonus. Don't forget that Celeborn can also cast some useful spells when he needs to as well! You will want to keep your banner near to Celeborn and as many troops as possible to maximise your high F with rerolls.

It is also worth noting that we haven't fielded all of the models we have here. You have another 4 Warriors, 3 Knights and Galadriel's Mirror, meaning you could easily get up to 800 points if you wanted to!

I honestly can't believe how cheap this army is, and it also seems decent too! Don't tempt me Frodo!

The Conversion Corner: Black Númenóreans

One the most interesting troop types available to Mordor is Black Númenóreans. Terror causing, F4, D6 troops? Yes please! Unfortunately the models produced by Games Workshop are showing their age and are quite expensive so I had a look at making some conversions from easily available bits to cut costs and make something a little different.

The main components for the conversion are Army of the Dead troops (usually cheap as chips on eBay or trade pages due to their presence in the starter set) and Morgul Knights. The Morgul Knights contain two key bits to give the AotD models some Mordor flavour; the shields, and more importantly, the crowns.

You could go the whole hog and take the head off the knight, attach the face, and then chop it off and attach to the undead. I'd quite like to keep the Morgul Knights as intact as possible for using them later and to keep the conversion simple so I'll just stick the face directly onto the warriors. This way also looks pretty good! First step is to clip the mask from the sprue and trim the nub on the inside so it doesn't get in the way.

 Next take the warrior and use a knife to trim back its head so the mask fits nicely. Then bung the shield on the arm and you have one Black Númenórean!

To keep costs down there are a few extra steps to take to maximise the efficiency of your kits. The Knights kit has six masks and 5 shields, which doesn't go very far! This is where I'd recommend any hobbyist picks up some blue stuff so that they can make casts of key bits they need. See the shield below for an example. It's very simple to use, but small and fiddly bits like the masks take some patience and a very sharp knife to trim the flash from. There are also not enough sword wielding warriors on the sprue for all you might want, but taking the swords from Morannon Orcs or the single sword from the Knight kit helps to get around this with some simple hand exchange. The picture below shows the swords that work best in my experience.

Here are the 6 I prepared for this article to complement the half dozen I already have. I got all twelve of these guys from a set of AoTD and one box of Morgul Knights (and one or two spare swords) and I'm very happy with how they turned out..

I still have the Morgul Knights completely on sprue apart from their masks so a little bit of creativity will let me get all five knights out of this kit as well as the bits for the Black Númenórean. I also made myself a Witch King on armoured horse by sticking the Witch King from the Felbeast kit on one of the Morgul Knight horses. They're a really great kit for bits and kitbashing stuff together.

500 under 50: Minas Tirith

Will: In this edition of 500 under 50 we are going to look at Minas Tirith. Shiny shiny armour and helmets which remind me of the 1993 Coneheads film!

For this list I am going to look at Boromir as a leader. He is pretty high in points value but he adds some punching power to the army, especially if you arm him with a Banner. His pack from GW comes with 3 models and a huge amount of options for conversion (if you don't mid chopping up some bits). With his 6 Might and armed with the Horn of Gondor he is a scary prospect to go into combat against.

The buy in for this list is pretty simple:

Boromir, Captain of the White Tower: £20

1 box of Minas Tirith Warriors: £26

1 box of Knights of Minis Tirith: 20

Total: £66

You can get all of this in a bundle from our friends at Rebel Base Gaming for just £55 with free postage!

So with this purchase you have multiple options.

List 1:

Boromir with Banner of Minas Tirith on Horse

8 Warriors with Shield

8 Warriors with Spear and Shield

Captain of Minas Tirith on Horse with Lance (Use one of the spare Knights, be creative but it can be a simple as putting the horse on a rock or a simple head swap)

4 Knights of Minas Tirith with Lance and Shield

4 Warriors with Bows

499 points, 26 Models, 4 Bows

So Boromir armed with the Banner can advance up the field with the bulk of warriors in order to increase the much needed low fight and providing the Warriors with rerolls. With D6 and F4 they will be able to stick around for a fair while in order for the Knights to jockey position on the battlefield.  When possible Boromir on horseback can charge multiple models as he has 4 attacks at F7 meaning he will win most fights. If things are looking dicey then engage the horn of Gondor or break off in order to help the Knights if need be.

The plan with the Knights would be to flank or objective grab using their speed to your advantage. Whilst in combat I realise F3 is not ideal but if you can get the charge and win the fight a lance should be able to take out a lot of warriors. Alternatively, if Boromir and his Banner are around then they become some of the more deadly Cavalry in the game.

The Archers are there just for some ranged attacks or can sit on objectives and attempt to defend them. You have a 50% chance of hitting a target if you haven't moved, with only 4 Archers they aren't going to decide the game but they still help with your break point.

List 2: Conversion Time(Nothing too taxing)

Boromir on Horse with Lance and Shield

5 Knights of Minas Tirith

6 Warriors with Bows

Captain of Minas Tirith (either use a spare MT warrior or convert the spare body of Boromir)

1 Warrior with Banner shield(Spare banner used from Boromir on Horse)

7 Warriors with Shield

7 Warriors with Spear and Shield

500 points, 26 Models, 6 Bows

This is clearly similar to the first list, but it doesn't sink as many points into Boromir. Now with this they lose the +1 fight and range from Boromir's banner but he gains a lance and can still charge in on his horse. By using the spare arm from Boromir's mounted model you have a banner for the future.  The general idea is the same but i think using the cavalry more offensively from the beginning. The bowmen, as well as adding to break point, give more of a presence and can cut off some of the board to would be flankers or objective protection. Losing the higher fight could be kind of a big deal

here but Defensively you are pretty sound at D6 mostly across the board.

All in all this is a good starting base for a MT Army. From here you can add a whole host of things. Rangers, Faramir and his captains or Gandalf? You can go in so many ways either make your Minas Tirith a huge force or ally to others.