Armies of Middle Earth: Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game

In the lore of Middle Earth, there are dwarves, and then there are the dwarves of the Iron Hills. Founded by Gror, the brother of Thror, the arrival of the Iron Hills have tipped the balance of many fateful battles: at Azanulbizar, routing the orcs when a young Dain Ironfoot slew Azog before the gates of Moria; at Erebor, when they stood against the forces of Bolg in the Battle of the Five Armies; and in the North, when they resisted Sauron in the War of the Ring.

In the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, the Iron Hills dwarves represent the pinnacle of dwarven military power and ingenuity. The warriors themselves are both resilient and deadly fighters in close-combat. Their cavalry and war machines pose a threat to enemies who doubt the reach of their “stubby little legs.” And their rank-and-file warriors, who can be fielded in two separate army lists, are led by some of the fiercest combat heroes in all Middle Earth. In stubbornness and staying power, they are second to none.

Below the jump, you'll find some quick-hits on the strengths and weaknesses of both armies, their heroes and warriors, and some recommended resources for further reading (or listening, or watching). And if you're an Iron Hills/Erebor Reclaimed player, or are interested in trying them out, let us know what you think in the comments!

Army Quick(ish) Hits: Strengths and Weaknesses

The Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed army lists share many profiles, which gives them many of the same strengths and weaknesses. Each faction is discussed separately below, but here are some of their combined highlights:

• Top-Tier Profiles: Both lists have access to (arguably) the best combat-heroes in the game at bargain points costs, backed up by (arguably) the best offense-defense close-combat infantry, ranged infantry, and heavy cavalry in the game. And in the case of the Iron Hills, those heroes, infantry, and cavalry can be backed up further by (arguably) the best siege weapon in the game, and the Iron Hills Chariot (which can become the most devastating combat model in the game if you take a certain upgrade for it...).
• Durable heroes: Every hero in both lists (with the exception of Drar, Ori, Bombur, and potentially an Iron Hills Captain with mattock) are Defense 8 with at least two wounds and one Fate. Dwalin and Balin have multiple Fate (2 each), and Dain Ironfoot has the much-coveted 3 Wounds/3 Fate. More than half the heroes also have the option to Heroic Strike, and most of those who don’t can call Heroic Defense instead (or can get to Defense 9 and shield).
• Heroic Resources (specifically Might): Some lists struggle to get Might on the board, but not these two. Both lists include plenty of inexpensive hero options with 2-3 points of Might, to have either a standard-sized Might pool if you max warbands, or a huge Might pool if you bulk out the heroes. They also have some sneaky options to conserve (and regain) heroic stats (Might, Will, and Fate). In a pure Iron Hills list, Dain gains Master of Battle (4+), allowing him to copy heroic actions within 6" of him without spending his own Might--perfect for contesting a Heroic Move or Strike. Not to be outdone, his Iron Hills Captains have Master of Battle (5+) to go with their patented Heroic March, making them some of the best captains in the game. Erebor Reclaimed has some nice tools, as well: Thorin can call a Heroic Combat every turn without spending Might; Bifur can call Heroic Moves without spending Might if he can dislodged the axe-blade embedded in his skull; Bombur can replenish the Will points of friendly models on a 4+; Oin can restore wounds lost earlier in the battle; and Champions who slay heroes or monsters within 3" of Ori can restore a Might, Will, or Fate point of their choice.
• Superb close-combat fighters: Basic warriors with Fight 4, Strength 4, and Defense 7/8 with the option to take spears, two-handed weapons, and banners means more often than not, you’ll be wounding the enemy on 5s (or better) while they’re wounding you on 6s (or worse), with extra re-rolls to win the fight and lots of spears to get extra-attacks into critical combats. When your basic foot troops are reliably winning fights, dealing wounds, and shrugging off damage, your heroes have that much more room to do what they do best (which happens to also be reliably winning fights, dealing wounds, and shrugging off damage, but on a grander scale). In a pure Iron Hills list, a Ballista gives your enemy a strong incentive to spread out, as its Strength 4 impact hits will also knock man-sized models prone within 2" of the primary target. As a result, the enemy is forced to break up vital spear and pike formations, and charge your Iron Hills force piecemeal (which is exactly what you want).
• Fearless Army core (warriors and heroes): The entire army can be Fearless if you include Dain Ironfoot (Iron Hills Warriors, Captains, and warriors) and/or Thorin (Sworn Protector (Thorin), which is essentially Bodyguard tied to a named model, for the Champions). Auto-passing break tests, Terror tests, Spectre tests, Instill Fear tests, and the like, anytime and every time, is incredibly powerful.
• Superb Anti-Archery Protection: Both armies are largely immune to bow fire thanks to Shieldwall, and can ignore it entirely if the Ballista is fielded (either in an Iron Hills list or as a convenient ally to Erebor Reclaimed). Stacking a token-to-maxed-out crossbow contingent makes this an incredibly difficult force to deal with at range and to approach for close-combat. And if you’re still feeling vulnerable (and a little dirty), you could always ally-in Gandalf from the Survivors of Lake-Town, cast Blinding Light, and watch all the elvish princesses dissolve into tears.
• Anti-kiting Tools: While the standard dwarves (and their heroes) are still only Move 5”, the Shieldwall/crossbow synergy, or the Ballista, or the two in combination, means most armies will struggle to kite you without sustaining serious losses. Cavalry in particular don’t like crossbows or the ballista, as a successful hit from either (on the mount for crossbows, on the model for the Ballista) could dismount them (and potentially others as well, as nearby cavalry models within 2” of a target hit by the Ballista are also knocked prone). This strongly encourages the opponent to come at you (rather than kiting you), or risk death by a thousand papercuts (while your Iron Hills army remains largely invulnerable to ranged attacks behind their Shieldwall). There are also plenty of options for more mobility if you want to tackle the problem that way. This ranges from heroes on war goats and boars (or chariots) to Defense 6, Fight 4, Strength 4 warriors with war spears (+1 to wound) mounted on Defense 5 war goats who can knock man-sized models down on a 5+ (and chariots doing trample-damage on horses and riders, of course). If you only want a couple of mounted objective-runners, you can do that. If you want a fully-mounted force with a healthy contingent of 3 Might mounted heroes, you can do that, too.
• Anti-cavalry defense: In an age where Rohan is getting new heroes and Legendary Legions (and still has the Banner of Infinite Might), the ability to cop a charge (and survive it) is critical. Goat Riders are excellent at counter-charging enemy cavalry models (thereby negating their charge bonuses): their Fight 4 gives them the edge against most enemy riders (Riders of Rohan without Theoden, Knights of Minas Tirith without Boromir, Haradrim Raiders, Mahud Raiders, Warg Riders), and draws them even with most elite cavalry (Dol Amroth Knights without Imrahil or Boromir, Serpent Riders, Khand Chariots, Morgul Knights). Their Strength 4 War Spear will slay most enemy mounts on a 3+ or 4+ (and riders usually on a 4+, too), and their above-average defense on both the mount and rider helps them stay alive. Even without cavalry support, most enemy cavalry will have to work hard to break a line of Iron Hills infantry in Shieldwall formation, as most cavalry forces struggle to get to Fight 4 (Wargs, Minas Tirith, Far Harad), don’t have lances (Rohan), or have little staying power if they lose the duel roll (Serpent Horde). If they succeed in their first assault, they may then have to sustain a counter-charge by angry Fight 4, Strength 4, Fearless dwarves with spears (or who can bash them from their mounts with a mattock)--and risk you copying their Heroic Moves for free with one or more Master of Battle rolls. Not exactly a party.
• Fantastic ally choices: Both Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed are historical allies with the Survivors of Lake-Town and Thranduil's Halls, which gives them access to other heroes of legend (Thranduil and Bard, in case you don't want Thorin or Dain to be your leader), Might/Will regeneration (Gandalf/Alfrid), 6" movement infantry of the cheap (Lake-Town militia) or expensive (Mirkwood Warriors and Palace Guard) variety, 10" move cavalry, elf-bows, and an impressive hero suite--again of the cheap (Hilda-Bianca, Bain, Lake-Town Militia Captains, Percy) to expensive-but-not-really-expensive variety (Legolas, Tauriel, Palace Guard/Mirkwood/Mirkwood Ranger Captains). Plus glaives... you know, in case you wanted Fight 5 elven-made weapons spear-supporting your Strength 4, Defense 8 dwarves.
• Tons of Creative List-Building Space: These ally choices, combined with the wealth of hero and warrior choices in the two lists themselves, opens up a ton of list archetypes, including 2-3 full warbands centered around combat heroes, competitive, themey alliances built around the Battle of the Five Armies, hero-heavy lists with some warrior support, all-mounted Dwarf lists, all-mounted Dwarf Hero lists, and even your best chance at a strength 4 shieldwall spam.

As far as weaknesses go, unfortunately Iron Hills still have the traditional stat-weaknesses of dwarves. More fortunately, most of these stock weaknesses are or can be mitigated by war gear options, siege engines, or one of their many historical allies:

• Mobility: Move 8” on war goats and chariots helps, as does the extended range from crossbows. But in missions where you have to get to a particular spot quickly (like Seize the Prize), you’ll still be at a disadvantage against 6” move infantry (and even the war goats can be outpaced by horses with 10” move). Heroic March is also relatively scarce: Dain and the Iron Hills Captains have it (though you're probably unlikely to successfully Master of Battle a Heroic March, except in Maelstrom deployment scenarios), but none of the Champions of Erebor have it. Even if you have Iron Hills Captains and Dain, you may still want to ally in some cheap heroes with Might and March so you don’t have to burn theirs (Lake-Town Militia Captains are a bargain for this). If you want faster infantry on the cheap, you can also get them from the Survivors of Lake-Town. Or, if you want more durable infantry, Thranduil's Halls has 6" move Fight 5/Fight 6 infantry with spears (or glaives), as well as reasonably-priced Fight 5, 10" move cavalry, all of which you can take without sacrificing either force's army bonus.
• Magic Resistance: Bombur’s Raising Spirits can help recoup Will if you’re losing it slowly to just a couple of spells, but against multiple casters you’ll need to ally in a wizard (as most factions must). The good news is that Gandalf the Grey is a historical ally (in Survivors of Lake-Town), so you can bring him—and fifteen Lake-Town militia spears to bolster your front-line of dwarves—without giving up your precious 6” banner with Thorin or Dain’s Master of Battle (4+), which are both amazing. Strengthen Will, Protection of the Valar, and your own Immobilize/Command spells should give enough cover so your heroes can do what they do. Just don’t cast Blinding Light if you also brought a Ballista and Crossbows—it’s really not good form.
• Low Model Count: This is a very elite army, especially if you go the Iron Hills heavy-siege route with chariots and ballistae. You should expect to be outnumbered most of the time, which isn’t a problem as long as you can find ways to prevent your dwarves from being surrounded and trapped (defensive terrain features help immensely). If you are surrounded, don’t be afraid to sacrifice Shieldwall in order to prevent traps or to get two-on-one combats against lower Fight Value models, especially if you have a banner nearby for those critical rerolls. If you can't avoid traps by Strength 3 models, try to bunch up in clusters of 3, back-to-back-to-back, so your Shieldwall stays up as long as possible: even with double-strikes, there’s a big difference between rolling a “6” to wound and rolling a “6/4+” to wound. And if you prefer to bulk out your numbers, you could consider allying dwarf warriors with shields and spears from the Army of Thror (if you're playing Iron Hills) or Lake-Town militia (for Iron Hills or Erebor Reclaimed) to get some extra attacks into key fights and/or some extra models plugging up space.
• Grindy play-style: Chariots, goat riders, and hero spam lists can play differently, but most of the time you’re going to be playing a long game with Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed. The troops move slower than most, and they’re rewarded for getting into good defensive positions and then holding those positions in good order. Even with Strength 4, you’re wounding most enemies on a 5+, and failing two out of every three wound rolls makes combat a bit of a slog (especially against other dwarves, where everyone's wounding on 6s). This isn't necessarily a weakness--I enjoy these sorts of combat slogs, myself--but it's not everyone's cup of tea. The good news is that you’re probably the best armies in the game at slogging, and with Dain’s Master of Battle (4+) and Lord of the Iron Hills in tow, are well-equipped to keep chugging away into the late-game well after most opponents are spent.
• Expense: This has less to do with the profiles and more the models themselves, which are gorgeous but expensive. While the Champions of Erebor can be purchased from Games Workshop, the warriors and siege engines are only available through Forge World which, depending on where you live, may cost you an arm and a leg. The good news is that with so many heroes to choose from, and with warriors who are elite to begin with, you can create armies at almost any points limit with as many or as few models as you have--just throw more heroes in there! (Although doing those sweet mounted-hero conversions is going to be pricy...)

The Iron Hills

In many ways, the Iron Hills Army List (Armies of the Hobbit, pp. 26-35) incorporates or improves upon the things that made dwarves great in the Lord of the Rings SBG, while also mitigating (if not eliminating) most of their weaknesses. The list doesn’t have that many unit choices (there are four warrior options: Iron Hills dwarves, Goat Riders, the Chariot, and the Ballista), but within those choices is a lot of room for customization. And their hero range, while not quite that of Erebor Reclaimed, is still very good.

·     Iron Hills Warriors still have the dwarf-standard combination of a Shield and Defense 7, but can get to Defense 8 with their standard troops (and Defense 9 with their standard captains) thanks to Shieldwall, which is tough to pull off in combat but can be devastating when you do. They also have the dwarves’ above-average Fight 4 on all their warriors (and Fight 5 on all their Captains), but pair it with Strength 4 on their standard troops. This, combined with Defense 7/8, means that they will usually be wounding most opponents on a 5+ (Defense 5 or 6), while most opponents (even at Strength 4) will usually be wounding them only on 6s.

·     Iron Hills warriors also have a plethora of very good war gear choices. Unlike Khazad-Dum, standard Iron Hills warriors can take spears, allowing them to support fellow warriors (or heroes) without incurring the point costs (or potential combat penalties) of Vault Wardens. The Iron Hills can also take banners, who can use their spears to strike opponents from the safety of a back rank. You could also opt for a mattock: Iron Hills dwarves with mattock are one of just a handful of Strength 4 warriors with two-handed weapons, with the option to Piercing Strike or Bash, at a pretty competitive points cost. Finally, Dain’s Lord of the Iron Hills special rule makes Iron Hills Dwarves (and Goat Riders, and Iron Hills Captains) Fearless within 12” of Dain, just in case you confront terror checks, spectres, or break faster than you anticipated. All of that adds up to major advantages in close combat.

·     Iron Hills dwarves can also be equipped with Strength 4 crossbows, which can cut through most opposing ranks at a massive 24” threat range. This, combined with the Defense 8 buff from Shieldwall, is invaluable for dealing with armies (particularly cavalry armies who can take mass-bow fire) that would prefer to kite you from a distance with shooting attacks. Doing so against an Iron Hills force is not without risk. And when the enemy does charge you, your crossbowmen are still Fight 4, Strength 4, Defense 6 dwarves who can fight in the front rank or support with spears.

·     The Iron Hills dwarves can also take disruptive and dangerous siege equipment. The Iron Hills Chariot discourages advancing enemies from grouping too tightly, as it deals three Strength 6 hits to any model it comes into contact with, and will knock down most non-monster infantry and cavalry units if it wins the duel, thanks to Monstrous Charge. Depending on how the wind is blowing, the Iron Hills Ballista can be even more disruptive, with its nearly 50% chance of negating most enemy missile attacks—even enemy siege weapon shots or dragon fire can be cancelled on the roll of a 5+. The Ballista also wreaks havoc on advancing battle lines with its 2” knock-down and Strength 4 splash-damage hits, and gets a free Heroic Shoot each turn (because why wouldn’t it get that?). Fair warning: it has received two minor nerfs since the Armies of the Hobbit book was released (it has a minimum range of 12" now, and also got a points hike in the August 2019 errata), but even so, it's still a devastating machine of war.

·     The option to take War Goats or the Iron Hills Chariot also mitigate a traditional disadvantage for dwarves: mobility. While an 8” move is still short by cavalry standards, it’s enough to counter-attack even the fastest infantry units (unless they’re marching, in which case they’re not charging you). Both can be catastrophically disruptive in the move phase if you get priority: the Chariots because they deal three Strength 6 hits to enemy models, and the War Goats because they can immediately knock-down any man-sized model they charge—including heroes—in the Move Phase (on a 5+, with no resist checks), rendering them incapable of making strikes in the ensuing fight phase. The War Goats are also one of only two Strength 4 cavalry who can take war spears (+1 to wound on the charge, even against cavalry), which makes them devastating when they fight infantry lines. With better defense on both the mount and the rider than their Mahud Raider comrades, they have a better chance of surviving the fray once their charge is complete. And with Master of Battle on almost all your core heroes, you have a pretty good chance of calling Heroic Moves and forcing Heroic Move-offs without depleting your own Might stores.

·     The Iron Hills also have a very good selection of mid-to-top-tier heroes. Dain Ironfoot is the clear top-choice for a pure Iron Hills force, and not just because he’s Fight 6, Strength 5, Burly with a 2-handed hammer, mounted on a two-wound D6 mount with three’s in all the right places and the option to Strike, March, or call Heroic Resolve (though all of that is fantastic). His Lord of the Iron Hills special rule makes all Iron Hills warriors and Goat Riders within 12” of him Fearless, and in a pure list or historic alliance he also gains Master of Battle (4+), which gives him a chance to copy and contest critical Heroic Moves, Strikes, or other heroic actions called by opponents—even after his own Might store has been spent. Paired with the Iron Hills Captains (who can also be mounted, with War Spears, Defense 8 or 9 when dismounted thanks to Shieldwall, and Master of Battle (5+)), calling heroic actions against an Iron Hills force—even if it has run out of Might—is always a risky proposition. And if you’re still concerned you don’t have enough Might, Murin and Drar offer six points between them (and two more resilient heroes to fill your ranks) at a bargain points cost. Or you could opt for the Champions of Erebor upgrade on the chariot, and add a whopping 10 Might to your force on an 8” wrecking ball that will almost never lose combat.

·     Finally, Iron Hills has a good army bonus (+1/-1 to deployment / reinforcement rolls in certain scenarios, plus Dain’s Master of Battle (4+) ability) that helps keep the army together (which the army loves) and can keep the army moving even after Dain runs out of Might (which the army also loves). It also has some excellent historical allies. If you’re looking to supplement your dwarves with faster-moving infantry and bow support, you can ally-in the Survivors of Lake-Town (for cheap militia spears to back-up your high-defense dwarves, a top-tier wizard, and even a ring-bearer who’s immune to the Will of Sauron!), Thranduil’s Halls (for lethal elf bows, 10” move cavalry, and Fight 5 or even Fight 6), or both together to recreate the Battle of the Five Armies. And if fragile men or haughty elves aren’t your playstyle, you can call upon the Army of Thror to recreate the battle of Azanulbizar, with your F4/S4/D7 Iron Hills spearmen backing up F4/S4/D7 Guardians of the King with their throwing weapons and pick-hammers, who benefit from Thror’s 6” banner effect or Young Thorin Oakenshield’s To Arms! special rule (Strength 4 spears, backing up Strength 5 or Strength 6 Grim Hammers, is nothing to sneeze at). The only catch is that you can't ally Iron Heroes and Erebor Reclaimed to each other, because technically they're the same army at two points in time... if that doesn't make sense to you, don't take it out on me--I don't make the rules. ;-)

Erebor Reclaimed

Erebor Reclaimed (Armies of the Hobbit pp. 36-43) represents the Iron Hills forces as led by Thorin Oakenshield after he and his company emerge from Erebor during the Battle of the Five Armies. The basic troop options in Erebor Reclaimed are identical to those in the Iron Hills, with the exception that we can’t take Murin and Drar, the Iron Hills Ballista, or the Iron Hills Chariot (unless it is crewed by the Champions of Erebor). In exchange, we get to keep Dain Ironfoot, Iron Hills Captains, and the Iron Hills dwarves and Goat Riders, plus add Thorin and his twelve dwarf kin, many of whom are a bargain points-wise for what they do.

·     Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain, is the lynchpin of this army. As the only Hero of Legend in this list (Dain becomes a Hero of Valor in Erebor Reclaimed), he is likely to be your army leader unless you ally in another force with another Hero of Legend (the Survivors of Lake-Town and Thranduil’s Halls are historic allies with Erebor Reclaimed, and include heroes of legend in Bard and Thranduil, respectively). Thorin’s basic statline of Fight 6, Strength 4, Defense 8, and 3 attacks is good in combat, although somewhat underwhelming when compared with some of his kin. He becomes far more dangerous against evil armies if he takes Orcrist (which causes Terror and does D3 wounds against orcs, goblins, and uruks) and if he’s mounted on a War Goat. He can also call a free Heroic Combat each turn without expending Might, which lets him cut through basic troops with ease—just make sure you don’t call that free Heroic Combat until after you’re sure you don’t need a Heroic Strike (as once a hero declares a heroic action, he can’t “cancel” it and change to another—see Rules p. 68). In a pure or historical alliance list, friendly Erebor Dwarves (which includes the Champions themselves, but not Dain, Iron Hills Captains, or Iron Hills warriors) get to treat Thorin as a 6” banner, which is fantastic for heroes who almost all have above-average-to-very-good attacks and defense.

·     Balin, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili are unique heroes in this list, who can be taken on foot or mounted on an Iron Hills Chariot. Of the four, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili are primarily combat models, who can also be mounted on individual war goats for more maneuverability and punch. Each comes with 3 Might that can be spent on Heroic Strikes, and the twins can take Strength 3 dwarf bows (18” range) if you want to take advantage of their 3+ shoot value. Dwalin may not be the best overall combat dwarf in the game (Dain—and to a lesser extent Durin, Thror, Thrain, and the King’s Champion—probably has something to say about that), but he’s clearly on whatever short-list there is. At Fight 6 and Strength 5 (with plenty of axes to get to Strength 6), Burly, and the option to go two-handed on a mount (or wield two single-handed axes for 4 Attacks on foot), there’s not much he can’t wound if he sets his mind to it (especially if he calls Heroic Strength), and his Defense 8 is usually good enough to protect him if he does lose the fight. But the biggest factor is that war goat: a successful charge against infantry will give Dwalin four dice to win the duel (plus a reroll if Thorin is within 6”), and a whopping eight dice to wound, all hitting at Strength 5 (or more) with +1 to-wound. Speaking of successful charges, while Balin is not a combat hero (though with two attacks and Defense 8, he can hold his own), his Longbeard ability is a nice utility skill that allows us to re-roll a priority roll on a turn we need to win (or lose) priority. Balin is also a very inexpensive Hero of Valor, who has just enough attacks, defense, wounds, and fate to serve as your army leader in a pinch, if you really want to “spam” Iron Hills troops.

·     Thorin can also call upon Gloin, Dori, and Nori, three sneaky-good combat heroes at bargain points costs. Gloin and Dori each have three attacks and wield two-handed weapons paired with Weapon Master, which means they don’t suffer the -1 duel roll penalty when they use them. Gloin can Heroic Strike (from Fight 6 base, with 3 Might) with his two-handed axe, and can get to Strength 5 if he needs to thanks to Piercing Strike—enough to wound D9 Vault Wardens (or Smaug) on a 5+ (and reroll 1s to-wound, to boot). At Strength 4, Dori’s two-handed mace makes him a very dangerous threat to Bash heroes off their mounts (as he gets +1 to his Bash roll for using a two-handed weapon), and is even an outside threat to a Nazgul on Fell Beast if it gets too close. Dori also has some nice synergies with Bilbo Baggins in the Survivors of Lake-Town list, and can make Bilbo even more of a power-house than he already is. And while Dori can’t Heroic Strike, he has other tricks to keep himself alive should he charge—or be charged by—something well beyond his points-cost (Fight 5, Defense 8, and Heroic Defense). His brother Nori is also not to be underestimated. While Nori doesn’t have a two-handed weapon, he does have three attacks with a special rule (Weapon Synergy) that allows him to re-roll a die to win a duel and to-wound. He also has a shield with the option to Strike (from Fight 5, 2 Might), which means he has the means to tie up a hero that costs two-to-three times as much as he does, shield, and roll 6 dice to win the fight (with at least one, and possibly two or even three rerolls if Thorin, a banner, and/or Oin are around). All three are also Heroes of Fortitude, and their costs are such that you can back them with three full warbands of dwarves and a banner at 700 points. [Edit: And, as Tiberius points out in the comments, if you're strapped for cash, you can get all three of these models in a single hero pack!]

·     Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur are primarily cheap Heroes of Fortitude who can lead Iron Hills Dwarves and Goat Riders, at a very low points cost. At two Might apiece, they don’t have the raw combat stats of their more powerful kin, but they’re still decent fighters. Bifur and Bofur are only Fight 4, but with two attacks, two wounds, Defense 8, and the option to Strike with two Might points, they’re capable of holding off bigger opponents for a short time. Bifur’s Embedded Axe-Blade is best used against troops (not heroes), but if you can pull it off, a free Heroic Move each turn is always great (especially with Iron Hills dwarves, who can get defensive benefits out of certain formations). Bofur’s signature special rule, Steadfast, allows him to ignore a targeted Magical Power or Special Rule on the roll of a 2+ (which can be modified by Might). This makes him very good at getting to and holding up enemy spell-casters, and potentially bigger things as well (Monstrous Charge, the Mumakil’s Trample, the King of the Dead’s Drain Soul, and Azog’s I am the Master, to name just a few, are all special rules). Unfortunately, doing this doesn’t resist spells, so he can’t shut off a Nature’s Wrath on a 2+ (although he could withstand the shock of Nature’s Wrath himself on a 2+, as his comrades go down). [Edit: Per the August 2019 Designer's Commentary, Steadfast does fully negate Nature's Wrath or Wrath of Bruinen, so if you're trying to get that spell off, be sure to steer well clear of Bofur!] Bombur is also a cheap Hero of Fortitude with good-not-great combat stats (Fight 4, Strength 4, 2 Attacks). While he only has Defense 7, he does have three wounds as well as the option for Heroic Defense which makes him more survivable than you’d think. He is prevented from calling Heroic Moves (too tiring, I guess) and has to reroll 6s on the jump/leap test (same deal), but his best attribute (apart from being a cheap, relatively resilient warband leader) is his Raising Spirits special rule: while in base-contact with any friendly model at any point in his move, Bombur can restore a point of Will to that model on a 4+. This has some obvious synergies with both Balin and Oin (who can use their Will points to reroll priority and give bonus duel rerolls to friendly models, respectively), and is always handy for refreshing the Will of bigger heroes (like Thorin, Dwalin, or Gloin) who are fending off transfixes from an enemy wizard. And because the rule isn’t limited to friendly Erebor dwarves, it can potentially replenish Dain, Iron Hills Captains (including captains on Chariots, if you sacrifice the Erebor Reclaimed army bonus, who are prime transfix targets), and even non-dwarf allied models (like Alfrid in the Survivors of Lake-Town list, who can then convert that free Will to extra Might points).

·     Ori and Oin are specialty dwarves, although both are still very cheap Heroes of Fortitude (in Ori’s case, exceptionally cheap for the leader of an Iron Hills warband). Like Bombur, Ori can also refresh the heroic stats of Thorin and his Champions (whenever they slay a hero or monster), only they get to choose a point of Might, Will, or Fate (spoiler alert: it’s going to be Might most of the time). He’s also a decent Fighter (Fight 4, Strength 3, Defense 7, but critically has two attacks and two wounds with the option for Heroic Defense), and with 3 Will is actually a nice model to have near your front line to resist nasty things like Nature’s Wrath (which Iron Hills dwarves and Goat Riders really don’t like). Oin is the only champion with just one attack, but is still Fight 4 and Defense 8 with a Shield, meaning he can get to two attacks in a pinch. His key rule is Healing Herbs, which lets him heal a wound on any friendly model on the roll of a 4 or 5, and all wounds on a 6. Like Bombur’s Raising Spirits, Oin doesn’t have to spend any Will to trigger this ability: it’s always free, as long as you get the required roll. It’s not as flexible as Raising Spirits (Oin’s only works on a model he’s in base-contact with at the start of Oin’s move phase, and Oin is prevented from moving if he uses it), but any time you get a chance to heal wounds on multi-wound models without spending any resources, that’s a good thing. His Prognostication (spend a Will to let a friendly model within 3” reroll a single duel die) is also very great, and can be used in combination with a Banner to potentially get two rerolls in a single fight (or three if you use it on Nori, after his Du Bekar! and Weapon Synergy re-rolls fail to win).

·       The best part is that Erebor Reclaimed lets us add these heroes to Iron Hills Dwarves and Iron Hills Goat Riders (and Dain Ironfoot, and Iron Hills Captains), which are powerful in their own right and have a host of war gear customization options for taste and theme. And while Erebor Reclaimed loses the Army of Thror as a historical ally (no dueling Kings under the Mountain in the same force!), it can still ally with the Survivors of Lake-Town or Thranduil's Halls for cheap spears, a wizard, a ring-bearer, Fight 5 (or Fight 6), 10" move cavalry, elf bows, a greater-than-50% bow limit, beatstick Thranduil, mega-Might Bard... whatever suits your fancy.

For Further Reading

Thanks for checking out our summary of the Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed army lists in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game. If you’d like to find out more about these army lists, here are some resources we’d recommend from the TMAT team and other members of the Middle Earth SBG Community. And if you're playing Iron Hills (or are curious about them) and want to talk about them (or have a resource we should know about), please let us know in the comments!

 

More from the TMAT Team:

• The Bare Necessities, Part XXIX: Erebor Reclaimed (July 2020)
• Heroes of Middle Earth SBG: Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills (Profile and Basic Tactics) (July 2019)
• Appendix A: Alternate Shieldwall Formations (July 2019)
• Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Shieldwall Tactics (Making it Work) (July 2019) 
• Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Iron Hills Goat Riders (Profile and Basic Tactics) (June 2019)
• Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Iron Hills Dwarves (Profile, Wargear, and Basic Tactics) (June 2019)
• Middle Earth SBG: Standard Infantry Formations (June 2019)
• The Armies of the Hobbit, Part V: The “Other” Armies of Good (March 2019)
• The Armies of the Hobbit, Part III: Dwarves (March 2019)

Support your hobby!

• Iron Hills Heroes and Warriors (Forgeworld)
• The Champions of Erebor (Games Workshop)

Community Resources:

• PODCAST: Episode 78: Iron Hills (The Green Dragon Podcast)
• IN PRINT: Fog of War, Part 15: Iron Hills & Erebor Reclaimed (Veni, Vidi, Double)
• VIDEOS: Iron Hills Faction Review and Erebor Reclaimed Faction Review (STF Wargaming)
• VIDEOS: Army Guide: Iron Hills and Army Guide: Erebor Reclaimed (King Bonezai)
• IN PRINT: Shieldwall Tactics for Iron Hills Dwarves (Warhammer Community) 
• VIDEOS: How to Play and Buy Iron Hills and There and Back Again Review: Dwarves (DC Hobbit League, *Pre-MESBG)
• PODCAST: The Green Dragon Ep. 30: There and Back Again Part 5, Know Thine Enemy Ep. 24: Iron Hills Chariot, and Ep. 46: Silmarilli Talk (The Green Dragon Podcast, *Pre-MESBG)
• VIDEOS: Middle Earth SBG Unboxing: Iron Hills Warriors, Middle Earth SBG Unboxing: Iron Hills Ballista, and There and Back Again SBG Review: Good Heroes Part One (GBHL Podcast, *Pre-MESBG)
• VIDEO: Hobbit SBG Army Showcase: Champions of Erebor (GBHL Podcast)
• VIDEO: Champions of Erebor Showcase (Top Table Gaming)
• VIDEO: Iron Hills Dwarves, Mattocks, Crossbows, and Command Painting Guide (Paintbrush Pirate)
• VIDEO: Goat Rider Conversions into Heroes (Top Table Wargaming)
• BAT-REP: Iron Hills vs. Return of the King (Blackfyre Productions)
• BAT-REP: Erebor Reclaimed vs. Moria (The D6 Fix)
• BAT-REP: Iron Hills vs. Azog’s Legion (Top Table Gaming)
• BAT-REP: Iron Hills vs. Isengard (Guerilla Miniature Games)
• BAT-REP: Iron Hills vs. Smaug (Blackfyre Productions, *Pre-MESBG... but it's Smaug, y'all!)