So It Begins, Part 1: Raise the Ladders

Good morning gamers,

Today is not only a kick-off to a new series, but we also just passed the 5-million-page-views mark! From all of us here at TMAT, we're grateful that you want to read our stuff. :-)

Every year, Centaur and I try to do some kind of scenario thing - in recent years, we've played through Fantasy Fellowships, the Scouring of the Shire, and a custom campaign through all the Osgiliath missions. Today, we're starting this year's campaign, which will be playing through the scenarios related to Helm's Deep from the War in Rohan supplement. We'll be using the new profiles, but we won't be altering the scenario participants to make legal Matched Play lists (it just doesn't work for Good this time around). We'll also be showing off the amazing terrain from Conquest Creations' Kingdom of Saxonia, Volume II - Jacob has really outdone himself and boy was making the terrain a ton easier than before!

The Walls of Helm's Deep (War in Rohan, p. 26)

We're using the actual scenario participants in this scenario:

• Forces of Good: Mostly The Defenders of Helm's Deep
• Aragorn - Strider with armor
• Legolas Greenleaf with armor
• Gimli, Son of Gloin
• Haldir with Elf bow and heavy armor
• Aldor
• Haleth, Son of Hama
• 8 Warriors of Rohan with shields
• 8 Warriors of Rohan with shields and throwing spears
• 8 Warriors of Rohan with bows
• 4 Galadhrim Warriors
• 4 Galadhrim Warriors with shields and spears
• 4 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows
• Forces of Evil: The Assault Upon Helm's Deep 
• 4 Uruk-Hai Captains
• 10 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shields
• 10 Uruk-Hai Warriors with pikes
• 12 Uruk-Hai Berserkers
• 5 Siege Ladders

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The New Age Is Begun: the Moria Army List

Good morning gamers,

We got a request a few weeks ago (at the time that I'm writing this) to review the Moria army list - and despite how crazy this world is, we listen here at TMAT and I found a slot for the article to fit in. So . . . tell us what you want us to review and we'll see what we can do. :) The Moria army list differs quite a lot from the Depths of Moria list, despite the fact that the core units of both armies are the same. Between rules that are present in each list and each having a different "big monster" (or monsters) in it, you can get a very different experience playing Moria than a "Depths" list. Let's see what causes these differences, shall we?

Moria: Changes for 2025

Profile Selection

This list has all of the GW-named Goblins in it (both Durburz and Druzhag from the Armies of Middle-Earth and Ashrak and Groblog from the Legacies document), all of the generic Goblin heroes (both Moria Goblin Captains/Shamans and Blackshield Captains/Shamans), and all of the big monster heroes from the last edition EXCEPT the Balrog (Dragons, Cave Drakes, and the Watcher in the Water). 

You also have access to most of the old Moria warrior profiles - Moria Goblin Warriors/Prowlers/Drum, Blackshield Warriors/Drum, Warg Marauders, Dwellers in the Dark, and Cave Trolls. These profiles are available to any hero in the list. Druzhag opens up a few other profiles: the big profile that was missing from the list above - Bat Swarms - as well as Fell Wargs and Mirkwood Hunting Spiders (who might actually be useful in this list - more on that below). All in all, unless you really liked Wild Wargs last edition, you have everything you had before - hooray!

The New Age Is Begun: the Army of Dunland Army List

Good morning gamers,

Editor's Note: this article does reflect the new gear options for Wild Men of Dunland, but the army lists do not - feel free to retool the lists if you want to.

We're back in the Legacy documents today with a review of the Army of Dunland (which is the last "wild man" list we need to cover this month - next week's article is a by-request article). This list features the way Dunland lists looked in the last edition, with heroes who were released in the War in Rohan supplement joining the ranks of the OG Dunland creations by GW a long, long time ago. This army list features a lot of profiles that are only available in the Legacy document, but there are a few familiar faces. Let's see how this list has changed from its Legendary Legion version last edition . . .

The Army of Dunland: Changes for 2025

Profile Selection

This list has ALMOST all of the Dunland profiles in the game - it has the named heroes from the last edition (Thrydan, Gorulf, Frida, and the Oathmaker), Dunlending Chieftains as your generic hero option, and Wild Men, Dunlending Warriors, Dunlending Cavalry, and Crebain for your warriors.

The profile it's missing, however, is the generic Wild Man Chieftain - a profile that you'll find in the Army of the White Hand (and a mirror profile for Hill Tribesman Chieftains is available in the War of the Rohirrim lists that we viewed earlier this month) but that is absent here. In a way, it's weird that this option isn't available here . . . and in another way, it's good that it doesn't appear in this list, as it would probably ace the Dunlending Chieftain out of a job (more on that in the profile discussion below).

FAQ Time: Unpacking the July 2026 FAQ

Good morning gamers,

We usually have to wait until August for a balance update, but we got the update a month early (maybe because the new Dunland banner/war horn models wouldn't be legal without it?) - and I for one am not complaining. :-) There's a lot that saw change and I think most of them are pretty positive.

Photo Credit: Reddit

What Worked Like We Thought It Did

Due to the wide nature of players who play the game (from brand new to grizzled veterans), there's always going to be a few questions that you read in an FAQ and say, "yeah, that makes sense" or "yeah, that's how we've always played it." As is usually the case, there were a few of these for us here at TMAT - most of these are extensions of existing rules or previous FAQs, catching some minor nuances that may have been left as open doors:

Q: Can Beast models try to uncover Artefacts? A: No.

Q: If a Cavalry model had charged, fought and became Unengaged, and is subsequently Charged, does it maintain the Cavalry Charge Bonuses? A: Yes, so long as they still meet all of the conditions listed under Cavalry Charge on page 72. 

Q: If a model forgoes its Activation as part of a Heroic Move, does it skip taking a Courage Test for being part of a Broken Army? A: No.

Q: If a Hero is involved in a Heroic Challenge against a Hero with the Survival Instinct special rule and causes a Wound that results in the Hero being removed as a casualty due to a failed Courage test as per the Survival Instinct special rule, does the Hero gain 1 Might Point for slaying their target? A: Yes, as the other Hero involved in the Heroic Challenge caused the Wound that forced the Hero with Survival Instincts to flee – a sure sign of victory!

Q: Can a Monster choose to make a Brutal Power Attack if there is no possibility of making Strikes? For example: if a Monster was prone and wins a Combat, normally they would not be allowed to make Strikes as they have stood up, but could they make a Brutal Power Attack? Or, if the Monster is Transfixed and wins a Combat? A: No. A Monster may only perform a Brutal Power Attack if they would be able to make Strikes.

Q: How many Heavy Objects can a Monster model or a model with the Burly special rule carry at one time? A: Only one at a time.

Q: If a single model is within range of multiple Objective Markers, can it control more than one at once? A: Yes.

Q: In Scenarios where Objective Markers can be carried, how do you measure from the Objective Marker for any special rules that come into play for being within X" of an Objective Marker, such as the Besiegers of the Hornburg Army’s The Promise of Wealth special rule? A: Measure from the base of the model carrying the Objective Marker instead of the Objective Marker.

Q: If Beorn the Bear uses the Barge Brutal Power Attack, does he have to charge if able to because of the Berserk special rule? A: Yes 

Q: Can Boromir use the Protect the Little Ones! special rule if Frodo is wearing the One Ring and is the only friendly Hobbit model within 3"? A: Yes.

Q: Can a Spectre’s “A fell light is in them”, or the King of the Dead’s Visions of Terror, or a similar special rule be used to Move a model that is already engaged in combat? A: No.

Q: Does Brôrgir regain Will from his Sorcerous Adept special rule when using Heroic Channeling? A: No, a Hero that declares a Heroic Channeling will count the result of their next Casting Test that turn as a 6, not a Natural 6.

These are good clarifications and they follow the direct reading of the rules or formalize the way things have worked in past editions, so that's good. Now on to the new things . . .

The New Age Is Begun: The Besiegers of the Hornburg Army List

Good morning gamers,

In last week's article, we looked at the Usurpers of Edoras. Today, we're continuing "Dunland" month and looking at the Besiegers of the Hornburg. This list has a lot of familiar faces from the last list, but it's missing a lot of its previous identity. In trade . . . it gets one of the most interesting and fun profiles in the game! Let's see what this list has to offer (and whether it's any good).

The Besiegers of the Hornburg: Changes for 2025

Profile Selection

We have fewer options, but surprisingly the same number of profiles in this list as we had in the Usurpers of Edoras last week. We still have Wulf, Target, Hill Tribes Chieftains, Hill Tribesmen, and Crebain, but we've lost Freca, Lord Thorne, and Rohirrim Traitors. In trade, we gain, Shank, Wrot, and their Snow Troll "pet". The list feels like it has a lot less going for it - the Rohirrim Traitors were the only means of getting a banner and war horn (also throwing weapons) into an Usurpers of Edoras list, so our Hill Tribesmen are going to be patently worse than before (oh, and there's no Freca to make them F4). Yep, our bench is thin, but hopefully we have some slick special rules to equal things out?