A Noob's Perspective: War in Rohan

We've had a few articles out from Warhammer Community recently showing us the delicious contents of the new Rohan at War supplement, and we have to say, it looks great! As with the Gondor at War and Scouring of the Shire books, the thing that interests us the most is the new Legendary Legions! I mean, you only have to read either of our other series (A Noob's Perspective or 500 under 50) to see that we are big fans!

Assault on Helm's Deep

Dan Slb: Of all the Legendary Legions, this one spoke to me the most. The battle of Helm's Deep is my favourite part of the movie trilogy so I was very keen to have a look at both of the LLs from this siege. Sadly, I just couldn't make a list I was happy with for the Good guys, it feels like it wants to be hero heavy but doesn't get the bonuses that other hero lists get, and if you go troop heavy then you are just making a worse version of other shield-wall lists. It is very fluffy but I always have an eye to being a bit competitive so I sadly had to turn away. The Isengard side looks a bit better though! I don't think it is going to be super competitive but it looks like it could do OK whilst giving me opportunity to bring a few of the toys that I would usually leave behind.

Uruk-Hai Captain with Shield
Demolition team
6 Uruk Hai Warriors with Shield
4 Uruk Hai Warriors with Pike
4 Uruk Hai Warriors with Crossbow
1 Uruk Hai Warriors with Banner

Uruk-Hai Captain with Shield
Demolition team
6 Uruk Hai Warriors with Shield
4 Uruk Hai Warriors with Pike
3 Uruk Hai Warriors with Crossbow
1 Uruk Hai Warriors with Banner

Isengard Siege Ballista

700 points, 40 Models, 5 Might, 7 Crossbows, 2 Banners

So without access to any named heroes you have to make do with Captains. Their warband size has thankfully increased to 18 and your leader gets 3 attacks and 3 wounds. He still isn't going to be a beatstick like Aragorn or Boromir but he will definitely give the mid-tier heroes a run for their money. So if we don't have big heroes to deal with things then we need another way. Enter the Demolition Teams and the Ballista. Both of these receive a boost to their odds of actually doing what they are supposed to do in the form of a reroll for the Ballista and a second dice on the Detonation Chart for the Demo Teams. I envision trying to snipe heroes with the Ballista in the early turn and if that doesn't work then I will blow them up with a bomb! Obviously these are not super reliable but they will be hilarious!

The reliability in this list comes from the 29 F4 S4 D6 Uruks backed up by 2 Banners. These guys are just fantastic rank and file troops who should be winning or at least tying Fight Values with everyone except Elves. With 2 Banners and the Pikes to support we should have 3/4 dice in most fights which gives excellent odds of winning. I have also included 7 Crossbows to help thin the enemy ranks before the lines meet. I will also be shooting into combat with heroes at every opportunity as this is a good way to whittle them down.

There are a lot of weaknesses to this list: lack of Might, Magic and Cavalry are just a few. Ironically for an army that is supposed to be assaulting a fortress I think your best bet with this list is castling up, let your crossbows inflict some pain and then blow up whoever gets too close! However I do think that it will be a lot of fun, the grindy-ness of the troops being offset by the swingy siege elements! I can't wait to blow up my first Azog, I really hate that guy!

Oh Lawd he comin’

The Wolves of Isengard 

Dave: The Wolves of Isengard is the legion that catches my eye the most, I'm a fan of Wargs and Warg Riders, but I just can never find myself willing to dedicate a whole list to them. UNTIL NOW!

You know that scene in the Two Towers? The one where Theoden and a bunch of other Rohirim are on their way to Helms Deep when they get attacked by Sharku and his gang of Warg riding Orcs? That's what the Legion represents. So enough with the rambling, what do you actually get?

You have to take Sharku, but he's upgraded to a Hero of Valour, increasing his warband size by 3. He must be taken on a Warg (a theme you'll probably already have guessed). All of the models in your list gain the Isengard keyword, and your Shamans will be able to use fury on Isengard Orcs, rather than Mordor.

The icing on the cake though, is the free Heroic Combat you'll get each turn with Sharku. If you can get multiple models in the fight, you'll have plenty of coverage for your charge should you win the Heroic Combat.

If you're playing a Maelstrom of Battle style mission you get to pick who gets Priority on turn one, letting you get the jump on your opponent, especially so since you'll be able to charge in the turn you come onto the board! You'll really be able to pick off some warriors, or even heroes that ended up too far away from the rest of the army, should you get lucky enough to deploy near them. In the event that you're not playing a Maelstrom mission, D6 of your warriors will be able to Move and Shoot! This happens after forces are deployed, but before priority is rolled. And even if you are doing a Maelstrom, the d6 Warriors can come on the board before anyone else so you can lay some bait for unsuspecting opponents.

Here's a list a I came up with, and I won't lie, I'm pretty excited about it, although it'll probably never see the table.

Sharku on Warg with Shield.
8 Warg Riders with Throwing Spears and Shields.
2 Warg Riders with Bows.
1 Warg Rider with Banner and Shield.

Orc Captain on Warg with Shield.
7 Warg Riders with Throwing Spears and Shields.
2 Warg Riders with Bows.

Orc Captain on Warg with Shield.
7 Warg Riders with Throwing Spears and Shields.
2 Warg Riders with Bows.

Orc Shaman on Warg.
5 Warg Riders with Throwing Spears and Shields.
1 Wild Warg

700 Points, 41 Models, 8 Might

You've got 6 bows on the table, but 27 of your models have Throwing Spears, granted, they're 8” range, but but your movement being 10”, you should get some mileage! The bows are mostly there to maximise if D6 warriors come in early and get a chance to get some early game shots! Your biggest weakness will be the fact your bulk is just Orcs, although mounted on Wargs, they're still F3, I've tried to mitigate this by putting a banner in, and partly with the throwing spears as well, just to try and make things swing in your favour with the odd cheeky spear kill. Don't forget, all the Wargs might stick around when the rider dies, making them great for trapping or playing objectives, and just generally being a nuisance, it's pretty annoying to essentially have to kill a model twice, especially when the riders should be backed up by the Shaman's Fury! There are also 2 generic Captains in there to help you with Might as Heroic Moves will decide games with this list.

I can't wait to see what people come up with from this expansion! It's looking to be a good one!

Riders of Eomer

Steve: Before the reveal of the Legendary Legions of War in Rohan, I was hoping for a force to resemble the charge led by Gandalf and Éomer at Helm’s Deep - thankfully we got it! The list allowances themselves are quite thin, with a smattering of heroes and Riders of Rohan being your only options, also losing the usual army wide +1 strength bonus on a cavalry charge. The losses I believe are made up for by the gains however, which I’ll go into with the following list:

Eomer, Marshal of the Riddermark w/Horse, Shield

5 Riders of Rohan with Throwing Spears

4 Riders of Rohan

Gandalf the White with Shadowfax

Erkenbrand with Horse

2 Riders of Rohan withThrowing Spears, Westfold Redshield

6 Riders of Rohan with Westfold Redshield

700pts, 20 Models, 8 Might

This list (and the general design of the legion) revolves around one thing - hit them so hard on the first charge that they turn tail and run. Whilst not much of a ‘gain’ per se, Éomer does still grant a +1 Strength on cavalry charge to those in his bubble, which is great providing you can win on the initial duel. Erkenbrand boosts this via his Westfold Redshields turning him into a banner for those following him - chuck these guys in first alongside Éomer to try and punch through the enemy lines. 

If you’re a Rohan player like me, you’ve no doubt been scared of spear and pike blocks blocking your objectives and generally bogging you down and depriving you of one of the armies greatest strengths. The good news is that the White Wizard has heard your calls and asks you to ‘Look to the Sun’. This rule is incredibly thematic and I love it purely on that merit and a once per battle use which reduces the enemy forces duel roll by one for the whole round. On the first large charge you get, you trigger Gandalf and hope the dice go your way as you smash into the enemy lines. 

Whilst this list is limited to only cavalry, it’s got great maneuverability and the inclusion of Gandalf gives you some great support in the way of spells such as Blinding Light and Immobilise to make sure you get the charge you want. Eomer can be a beast in Combat, and Erkenbrand is no slouch either (with the added boost of +2 courage to the army to help charge those pesky terror models). It still suffers the same Rohan weaknesses though - lack of high power heroes, limited unit choices and mount vulnerability. The main strategy I intend to apply is casting Blinding Light with Gandalf to protect from bowfire whilst the opportune charge is sought, meanwhile peppering the enemy force with arrow fire from the riders. The key is finding the right moment to commit to the charge.

So what do you think about our lists? We are excited to get our hands on the book and try them out! What are you most excited about? Let us know! And if you want to get hold of the book yourself you can preorder it here with 20% off from Rebel Base Gaming!

A Noob's Perspective: Survivors of Lake-Town (and Friends!)

Dan Slb: Survivors of Lake Town is a small, flavourful army with just 10 profiles in its roster. Sounds like an ok amount until you learn that 9 of those are heroes! Not only that but 2 of those 9 are independent heroes! Surely then an army with so little choice would be easily boiled down to its best elements and quickly optimised? Well, honestly, that’s probably true. I found this out the hard way when I wrote myself what I thought to be a pretty good pure SoLT list and then it turned out to be pretty much exactly this list that came second at the Scouring of Stirlingshire a few weeks ago. (I am by no means saying that they are an easy army to use by the way, just that they don’t have much in the way of choice). However, one thing that they do have to offset this is the option of 3 green alliances that can bring some much needed variety to your lists. With that in mind, let’s look at the first allied list we have considered in our Noob’s Perspective series. 

Bard the Bowman with Horse and Armour

Sigrid and Tilda

Alfrid

6 Lake Town Militia with Shield

4 Lake Town Militia with Spear

2 Lake Town Militia with Bow

Bilbo Baggins, Master Burglar

10 Lake Town Militia with Bow

Hilda-Bianca

6 Lake Town Militia with Shield

5 Lake Town Militia with Spear

Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain with Orcrist and War Goat

2 Iron Hills Goat Riders 

700 points, 42 Models, 10 (up to 13) Might, 13 Bows, 4 Cavalry

If you are playing SoLT then you take Bard. There is literally no point not doing so except for if you are building some sort of theme list. Bard is a great Hero in combat (F6 S4 4A on the charge), shooting (can shoot up to 3 times a turn at S4) and he buffs the Militia. They are basically Orcs when within 12" of Bard (or Goblins when they aren't) but with better courage.

Alfrid, Sigrid and Tilda are essentially 50 points worth of upgrades for Bard, getting him to F6, giving him a free Heroic Combat every turn, and possibly giving him 3 more Might should he need it. 

Bilbo is a great Ringbearer as he never suffers the possible downsides of having the Ring on but he gets all the benefits (halving Fight value etc). The combo of him and Bard together will win on Fight value against anything in the game (max they can be is F5 while Bard is F6). 

I also put in Hilda-Bianca over a Militia Captain for two reasons. The first is that she is cheaper so I can squeeze in a few more troops. The second is that she gives Militia within 3” +1 to wound if she charges. This is big as the entire army (except Bard) is capped at S3 so we really need the help chopping through high defence stuff. You can really double down on this as the Militia have either a sword or an axe as standard, so if you take a bunch of axes and then Piercing Strike you are functionally S6 when comboed with Hilda’s buff. Man I love me some synergy!

The troops themselves are basically just a big old tarpit. I did include a fair amount of bow fire to take advantage of the surprisingly good shoot value but mostly I’ll use them to pin things in place until Bard can get to them, or if he’s not around....

Thorin! So I’ve chosen to ally in some Erebor Reclaimed in the form of Thorin and 2 Goats. The reason for this is that the list really lacks killing power which Thorin has in droves! With him included we have 2 free Heroic Combats per turn!! That is a crazy amount of killing power considering both heroes are throwing 4 attacks on the charge at F6 S4. Realistically they should be killing around 3-4 infantry per turn EACH! I know it’s not as simple as that and dice are fickle but that is still too much killing power to turn down. The Goats are also pretty amazing, with the opportunity to knock down infantry right when they charge into combat. They can also double as objective grabbers should they need to. 

Overall I think this army is pretty good. It lacks a few things such as Magic, Heroic March and cavalry in numbers, but I think it makes up for it in hordability and the killing power of the heroes. I’d be keen to try it out but with the Militia being £40 a box I don’t think I’ll be getting around to it any time soon...

What do you think of our first allied list? Have we missed anything obvious? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading!

500 Under 50: Lothlorien

Dave: I've always seen Elves as an expensive army, mostly because of the Rivendell High Elf Warriors that'll set you back just short of £20 for a mere 4 models. I'm not big on Elves myself, so I never had the need to look into them further, I just saw 1 pack of costly models, and I let that form my whole opinion of the price of all Elves. 

Well, someone suggested to me on Reddit I should have a look into Lothlorien, and boy, this is going to be my first list that actually gets to under £50, even if you buy it all direct from Games Workshop!

The list is built around Haldir and his company of Elves who come to the aid of Rohan during the Battle of the Helms Deep... With Celeborn thrown in, just because he comes in the same pack as Haldir!

For this list you will need:

Haldir and Celeborn - £15

1 box of Galadhrim Warriors - £26 for 24 models.

Total cost: £41

The list is as follows;

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

This list clocks in at 480 points, leaving you with 20 points in change, so to speak. This could be spent by dropping the Cloak on Haldir in favour of giving one of your Spear-Elves a banner if you fancy doing some converting, or just adding a couple more Elves if you can source them from somewhere. Of course, there's still £9 of the £50 budget left, so you could check out eBay or your local Buy/Trade group on Facebook. I won't go into the extra £9 here, since there are few things Games Workshop sell for that price, though you can get a pack of 3 Wood Elf Sentinels for £8.20! However adding something like a Wood Elf Sentinel would spoil the theme of the list somewhat (Celeborn not withstanding!). 

The list should be fairly self explanatory in terms of using the Galadhrim Warriors effectively. The Swords and Spears want to get to combat and let their solid Fight Value put in as much work as possible, meanwhile, the 8 Archers can help soften up targets from a distance.

Haldir is armed with a bow too, the choice is yours whether you keep him back or send him into the fray, he's certainly no slouch in combat with a healthy F6!

Celeborn however, is the real combat piece in the list, he has some strong rules helping him be a reliable fighter, even on his own. To top it off, he has access to some powerful spells, really letting him get the edge over an opponent who may normally be harder for Celeborn to deal with. Whilst not as thematic a pick as Haldir in the list, he certainly adds a level of potency that you wouldn't want to go without.

Why not add in some heroic allies to make the list up to 700 or even 800 points!

Dan Slb: Thanks Dave! With the promise of a Helm’s Deep Legendary Legion just round the corner I may well invest in this myself! Not that I need any more models to add to my painting queue! What do you think of Dave’s list? Let us know! Also let us know if you have any requests for future factions!

A Noob’s Perspective: Easterlings

Dan Slb: Today we have fellow noob Dan Stu (yes we have two Dan S's here at Drawn Combat!) talking us through his thoughts on Easterlings. Be sure to look out for the pictures of his beautifully painted models too!

Hello! Dan Stu here, first time blogger and almost first time SBGer, sharing my thoughts on my gateway faction in to this great little game.

Before we get into the list discussion, I think I should mention a little bit about where I’m  approaching the game from. I’ve collected a couple of games in the past – 40k, X-wing – but almost entirely for their hobby aspects. I’ve always gravitated towards armies that look good above all else, so the actual competitive list building side of wargaming is something I have almost no experience of. I’ve always been content to just get some nicely painted boots on the ground and start rolling some dice. After a long break from hobbying, earlier this year I signed up for a battle companies campaign - a bit of casual fun, they said - and my hobby inspiration came back with a vengeance! Before I knew it, I had around 900pts of Easterlings to paint, a ton of conversions done, an entire RoTK legion on the workbench, and a bank account that was feeling decidedly sorry for itself. There’s even rumours of a Fiefdoms project for next year… This is easily the most ‘seriously’ I’ve ever taken a wargame. Truth be told, it’s the only wargame where I’ve enjoyed playing the game as much as painting the models. So with all those hours spent hunched over a workbench, it was time to make a few lists that would do my shiny boys justice. Here are my attempts so far. 

List Attempt #1 – the Purist

This was my first serious stab at creating a semi-decent Easterlings list using the models that I had purchased at the time. Easterlings are a funny beast. There are no quirky heroes, clever synergies or control elements (outside of Khamul, who I have decided not to use until I have mastered the basics). But there are solid heavy infantry options, Amdur as a noob-friendly beatstick to anchor your list on, and lots and lots of pikes.

Amdur, Lord of Blades with Armoured Horse

4 Warriors with Shield

4 Warriors with Shield, Pike

4 Warriors with Shield, Pike and Black Dragon upgrade

Easterling Captain

2 Warriors with Shield

3 Warriors with Shield, Pike

3 Warriors with Shield, Pikes and Black Dragon upgrade

Easterling War Priest

3 Warriors with Shield

2 Warriors with Shield, Pike

2 Warriors with Shield, Pike and Black Dragon upgrade

1 Warrior with Banner

Easterling Dragon Knight with Armoured Horse

5 Easterling Kataphrakts with Black Dragon upgrade

700pts, 37 models, 8 might

This is your basic pure Easterling force. It uses most of the models I had purchased for Battle Companies, plus all the pikes I could scrape up from the trade groups. (4 pikes in a box of 20 warriors? For a faction known mostly for its pikes? Really, GW?) If you sit down to make a pure Easterling army without using archers or Khamul, you’ll probably come up with the same list.

It’s solid – the warriors are arranged in 3 rows of 9, with all the buffing models spread out so that every model in the pike block feels the benefit of a banner reroll and channelled Fury - assuming you can roll a 3+ on 2 dice to cast it. The back rank is all black dragons, so if you get your engagement right, most fights should have fight 4, 2 pike supports, a banner reroll, and a penalty-free feinting swordsman, with no danger of being trapped due to the phalanx special rule. Not bad at all - in your perfect infantry-on-infantry engagement you should have the upper hand in the duel roll most of the time.

Feint in the front, fight value in the back. The workhorse of any Easterling pike block.

Amdur sits in the middle as the F6, 3-attack hammerhead, providing his free banner bonus too.

And you have a few heavy cav sprinkled in for objectives/flanking/ protecting flanks, who should be relatively immune to bow fire due to the gleaming horde giving them D7 riders / D6 horses.

But if you think the list looks a little one-dimensional, you’d be absolutely correct! If you get your engagement spot on, protect your flanks with scenery, and your opponent politely engages your pike block head on, you’ll do very well at grinding them down with your pure efficiency.

However, there are no tools to deal with monsters or magic, and thanks to S3 almost across the board, you’ll have a hard time killing… well, anything. For everything that the pike block brings in terms of duelling finesse, it lacks in killing power. You’ll be fishing for that big 6 to kill a lot more often than you’d like! Amdur and the Dragon Knight are your only real killy pieces, and while they are great, they can only do so much (and the DK will die when sneezed at thanks to his 2 wounds and ZERO fate). The objective and mobility game is weak, too – your strength relies in you deploying in one unbroken block, and turning / moving is cumbersome, leaving your opponent free to literally run rings around you.

Oh, and elephant in the room - not a fan of Easterling archers. The only thing Easterlings do better than anybody else is pikes, and adding bows just means less room for pikes as far as I'm concerned.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a very fun list, and it showcases all of the Easterlings’ strengths and weaknesses perfectly. But after a few games with this list and its variations, it was time to inject a little flair (and maybe a little competitiveness…?)

List Attempt #2 – Men of the East

You know what’s a really good answer to the following issues?

-          Poor mobility

-          Poor killing power

-          Lack of list diversity

-          Lack of chariots

That’s right, it’s chariots.

Amdur, Lord of Blades with Armoured Horse

5 Warriors with Shield

5 Warriors with Shield, Pike

5 Warriors with Shield, Pike and Black Dragon upgrade

Easterling Captain

3 Warriors with Shield

2 Warriors with Shield, Pike

3 Warriors with Shield, Pikes and Black Dragon upgrade

1 Warrior with Banner

1 Kataphrakt

1 Kataphrakt with War Drum

Khandish King with Chariot

3 Charioteers

700pts, 32 models, 7 might

Allying in Khand makes this list instantly look much healthier. The pricey chariots have inevitably taken a toll on the body count, but the pike block is still 8 columns wide - albeit minus the fury buff from the War Priest. The low killing power cavalry wing has gone, replaced by a couple of katas who are purely there for last-minute objective grabbing. There is a drum to help you line up that all-important first engagement correctly (9” move on infantry, 15” on cav), so that the pike block’s squishy sides can hopefully find some scenery to anchor themselves on - crucial to avoid being outflanked, or engulfed by your opponent’s wider infantry line.

And then there are the chariots, who are equal parts effective, terrifying, and ridiculous fun. Nobody is sad to see a chariot set up opposite them - well, apart from maybe D4 goblins! After a few games, despite their steep learning curve, the chariots seem to add a real second dimension to the Easterlings. They bring damage in spades - 2 free S4 hits per model they run over, and then effective S4 attacks on their monstrous charge boosted by the King’s 6” banner (they will almost always be using piercing strike - if any attacks get past the chariot’s 5+ In The Way roll they’re dead anyway). 3-4 chariots seems to be the sweet spot too - it allows for one or two chariots to inevitably fluff the rolls for their impact hits without ruining your entire flanking move. Plus, they’re a magnet for bow fire.

Obligatory juicy chariot closeup photo

A third point of might on the King for one extra heroic move would be amazing, and this list does find itself thirsty for might - you want as many heroic moves as you can get. But when your chariots are steamrolling their way through the enemy back line, you’ll be having too much fun to think about resource management. The dream scenario – digging in with your pike block, flanking with the chariots and pinning your opponent in a vice – has only happened a couple of times, and required some tricky timing to pull off. But the results were devastating! Just keep this list far away from any Laketown board.

Of course, the list still suffers from the Easterlings’ main weaknesses, and is hampered by their critical lack of hero options and gimmicky tricks. After a few more games I’ll start experimenting with Khamul instead of Amdur, who trades a bit of hero-killing muscle for the much-needed magical toolbox. Plus, it gives me a good excuse to convert up a fell beast.

The other logical ally is, of course, Mordor, who can offer the Easterlings a number of good things - a front rank with punching power (S4 Morannons or S5 black guard), a cavalry wing that can actually kill things  (the Mouth of Sauron and his Morgul Knights with their lances and magic). But this is all yet to come, as the chariots need to run around the block - and over some more goblins - a few more times first.

Bonus List – Black Dragon Beatstick

Amdur, Lord of Blades with Armoured Horse

4 Warriors with Shield

4 Warriors with Shield, Pike

4 Warriors with Shield, Pike and Black Dragon upgrade

Dragon Knight with Armoured Horse

2 Kataphrakts with Black Dragon upgrade

Dragon Knight with  Armoured Horse

1 Kataphrakt with Black Dragon upgrade

1 Kataphrakt with Black Dragon upgrade and War Drum

500pts, 19 Models, 7 Might

It doesn’t have many models. It has very limited access to heroic actions. It only has 1 fate point across the list. It has no magic.

But what it does have is 3 separate 3-attack models at 500pts, and something to prove.

Realistically, as I start getting more in to list building in general, Easterlings seem more and more to be something you’d want to ally in as a heavy defensive infantry contingent. But there’s just something so likeable about the gleaming horde in all their heavily eyelinered, one-dimensional glory. When the stars align and you get that perfect engagement, they work fantastically. So for the time being, the shinier my lists, the better!

The Gleaming not-quite-a-Horde-yet

Dan Slb: Thanks Dan! What do you guys think about the gleaming horde? Are they best as allies or can they cut it on their own? Let us know in the comments!

500 Under 50: Army of Gothmog/Mordor

Dave: When I started this small series, my aim was to try and keep as close to £50 for a 500 point list as possible, whilst I think I'm still close enough to that restriction, I'm starting to see that £60 is much more a reasonable price goal. There may have been a price increase from Games Workshop that I didn't notice, but I swear some stuff seems more expensive than usual... Either way, the following list should set you back no more that £60, and the Hero models are all from Games Workshop, whereas the Orcs themselves come from eBay, so some searching may yield better prices. You could also save £24 if you are handy with conversions/Green Stuff and make the Commanders yourself!

For this list you will need to purchase:
Gothmog (Foot and Mounted) - £22 (Games Workshop)
Morannon Orc Commanders - £24 (Games Workshop)
Morannon Orcs - £7 for 12 on eBay. You will need 2 sets, so £14 for 24 Orcs
Total Costs: £60

This list is as follows:

Gothmog on Warg with Shield.
1 Morannon Orc with Banner.
9 Morannon Orcs with Shields.
5 Morannon Orcs with Spears.

Morannon Orc Captain with Two-Handed Axe.
5 Morannon Orcs with Shields.
4 Morannon Orcs with Spears.

Orc Shaman

Orc Drummer

500 Points, 28 Models, 6 Might

If you don't own the Gondor at War Supplement, you can run this list as a Mordor army list instead of an “Army of Gothmog” Legendary Legion, even if you own the book, the choice is yours. The list also clocks in just shy of 500, at 496, as I've left shields off of the Orcs with Spears. Some of them are moulded onto them, 2 on each of the sprues, 4 total amongst the Orcs you'll have. If you want to include those Orcs with shields, that takes you up to a neat 500, but will require you to remember that only the ones with shields actually have them, not too hard, but if you're completely new to the game, its another small piece of information on top of all of the rules. Anyway...

Where the last list I wrote for this series (“The Rangers of Ithilien”) was all about shooting, you may notice a complete lack of it in this list! This list wants to get in your opponents face as quickly as it can. Having an Orc drummer in there can help, as sounding the drum during your movement phase will grant valuable extra inches to your whole army's movement and let them all keep up with  Gothmog on his Warg.

Speaking of Gothmog, he's an absolute monster. Boasting the “Master of Battle” rule, he can keep up with any hero in combat if they try to get their leg over him with a Heroic Action. On top of that, he's bringing 3 Might to the table, as well as 3 attacks, with a 4th when he charges due to his mount. He's really not a fan of Men at all either, so you'll find a very flavourful pair of rules to deal with them, and set in stone that “the age of men is over, the time of the Orc has come”. These grant Hatred (Men) permanently and rerolls to wound for one turn. If you are using this as the Legendary Legion then the ranges of these buffs are greatly increased! His warband also features a banner, giving you the edge in a duel for all your Orcs within it's range.

There's not much to say about the generic Captain, he's a cheap way for you to be able to field more Orcs, as well as granting more Might and Heroic March to the army, ensuring that you won't just spend the whole game chasing after cavalry models to no avail.

The Shaman is great addition in this list, being able to grant Fury, which is even better if you spend his Might for Heroic Channelling. It grants a very generous buff of Fearless, and, if Channelled, a 1/6 chance to ignore a wound, just as if a fate had been spent for all Orcs within 6". From my experience (and much to the frustration of my opponent) I've had Orcs stick around for far longer than they should do thanks to this guy!

Dan: Thanks Dave! I have personally witnessed Dave's Fury saves and they are a sight to behold! If you have saved a load of money thanks to these articles, consider buying Dave's Rohan dice off him, those Horsies show up a lot! 😉 Let us know what you think of this list or if you have any experience with Army of Gothmog/Mordor and would make any changes! Thanks for reading!

500 Under 50: Rangers of Ithilien

Dave: Recently I've seen a few posts pop up on Reddit (r/MiddleEarthMiniatures), Facebook or a few comments from some of my friends who aren't (yet) playing SBG about how they can affordably get into the game. Now, most of the time, people are more than happy to lend advice, and it's often very good. But often, you see people recommending out of production (oop) models that are going to bring costs up, or complex lists that new players might not understand.. Or another common one is just suggesting Rohan or Mordor, since that's what you get in the starter set. I'm not saying any of those are bad, and it's great to see people happy to dispense advice to new players!

What I want to achieve in this short series, is a way to get 500 points on the table, for about £50 and for the force, for the most part, be all directly available from Games Workshop or commonly appearing on eBay/Facebook Marketplace for a reasonable price, I will however endeavour to make sure the bulk of the list comes from GW. I won't be including Rule Books in the price, as they will always be an investment, and a cost you will eventually have to make one way or another.

The first list I want to look at is the Legendary Legion “Rangers of Ithilien. If you're new to the game, you might be wondering what on earth a “Legendary Legion” is. In a nutshell, it's a restricted army list where you are only allowed certain models (and sometimes only certain equipment on those models), but in return you are given some extra rules to let you theme your army better.

The Rangers of Ithilien are really cool, because where normally no more than 33% of your army may have bows, any models lead by Faramir, Madril or Damrod are exempt from that limit! You'll also gain the ability to move through woods and forests unhindered, so a really great way to have a nice ranged army that can still have some combat potential. A downside to the Legendary Legion, is that this is no longer considered a “Minas Tirith” army list, so the Army Bonus of +1C is lost.

So, lets get down to business, for this list you will need;
Ranger Captains: Faramir, Madril and Damrod - £20 for the pack of 3
1 box of Rangers of Gondor - £26 for a box of 24 models, of which you will need 23.
Frodo, Sam and Gollum – Roughly £10 from eBay, but depends when you search etc.
Total cost: £56, if you get your 2 GW items sent to your local store and collect yourself.

And here's the list I've thrown together;
Faramir with Bow
8 Rangers of Gondor
4 Rangers of Gondor with Spears

Madril
3 Rangers of Gondor
2 Rangers of Gondor with Spears

Damrod
3 Rangers of Gondor
1 Rangers of Gondor with Spears

Frodo Baggins with Mithril Vest, Sting and Elven Cloak
Sam Gamgee with Elven Cloak
Smeagol

This list's main focus, if it wasn't already obvious, is fighting at range. Every one of your models, aside from Frodo, Sam and Gollum has a bow, and will hit on a roll of a 3+ if they stay still. You're going to want to get into a good position and defend it, as a downside of this list is its low-ish defence value. I'm actually working on this very list for a cheap and fun Good army to get on the table myself, so if anyone has any questions regarding painting or playing the army, feel free to comment and I'll get back to you!

Thanks Dave! We look forward to more articles in this series, especially in the run up to Christmas! It is worth noting that a Rangers of Ithilien LL won a 500 point Good v Evil tournament last weekend but that list would require mounting Faramir, an extra box of Rangers and a mounted Captain! Maybe that would be a nice next step if you decide to collect Dave's list.