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!