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Saturday, September 21, 2019

Armies of Middle-Earth SBG: The Variags of Khand in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Image result for khandish chariots

Our Pelennor Fields army write-ups are really starting to take shape now, after Centaur's review of the Dead of Dunharrow. Today, we resume our look at the evil armies of Pelennor with an army that got an even shorter-shrift in the films than the Easterlings (who at least got a cameo, albeit in the dark): the mysterious Variags of Khand.

Almost nothing is known of this mysterious troop in the lore (apart from the fact that they were, in fact, there at Pelennor), but in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game, Khand has taken the form of axe-wielding horse archers and charioteers, which gives them a unique place in the Middle Earth we inhabit. Khand received a number of buffs in the new edition (most notably to their chariots, which are surprisingly-inexpensive death carts if they get moving). They also seem tailor-made to take out enemy cavalry models, between their chariots (which do two Strength 4 impact hits to both horse and rider, plus have Monstrous Charge) and their generic horsemen (which are Fight 4 with bows and hand-and-a-half axes, for a laughably cheap points cost).

Full disclosure: this is not an army I've tried (though MinutemanKirk has run them with Easterlings, so I'll defer to him where he disagrees ;-) ), although I have watched them run down Uruk-Hai. It was rather brutal to watch. Given that Uruk-Hai always mess up my armies, I had mixed-feelings about that...

Photo Credit: LOTR Fandom



Army Quick(ish) Hits
  • Strength: CHAAAAAARIOOOOOOTSSSSSSSSS! There are three things that make Khand, Khand: chariots, chariots, and chariots (okay, okay; huge axes and horse archers probably make the list, too). There are four key advantages from a chariot. First, it makes Khand one of the few factions that can inflict damage in the Move Phase, and while two Strength 4 hits isn't huge, there's also nothing your opponent can do to stop it (besides moving first). Second, if you swap your charioteers' axes for bows, you suddenly have up to 34" range on your bows (since a charioteer can move a full 10" and still shoot thanks to Stable Platform). Third, you get Monstrous Charge in combat (in addition to dealing two Strength 4 hits on the way in) at Fight 4, which makes you devastatingly effective against lightly-armored infantry and cavalry (cav models take two Strength 4 hits on both the rider and the mount, then can be knocked prone if you win the Fight with Monstrous Charge). Fourth, even though the charioteers themselves are relatively fragile (Defense 4), they have a 5+ in-the-way test for their chariot against both ranged and melee damage, and the chariot itself is Defense 7 with 3 wounds. That's a 67% chance that your opponent will have to chew through a Mordor Troll's defensive stats before they can strike your juicy charioteer. Talk about frustrating...
  • Strength: Mobility... lots of it. Chariots are fast but not particularly mobile (once you factor in their weird movement mechanics), although if you take enough of them and form a steamroller they don't have to be particularly mobile to mess with your opponent's battle line. If you prefer conventional movement, however, Khand has access to traditional horsemen, too. Neither the horse nor the rider has much in the way of armor (Defense 4 all around), but considering you get a Fight 4 rider with a hand-and-a-half axe and a 24" bow, they're extremely economical (and, in a pure/historic alliance, they don't count towards your force's bow limit).
  • Strength: High-Damage. Strength 3 and no lances isn't usually a recipe for high damage output, but Khand's horsemen (plus infantry and charioteers, unless you take them with bows) come with hand-and-a-half axes, which means you can get to Strength 4 if you Piercing Strike, effective Strength 5 if you two-hand with normal strikes, and effective Strength 6 if you two-handed Piercing Strike, which gives you a lot of options for taking out a lot of troop types with varying defense values. Plus, if you're ganging up on infantry with your horsemen or chariots, you're rolling up to 4 dice to-wound at up to Strength 6 (again, for dirt, dirt cheap).
  • Strength/Weakness: Prolonged shooting wars. Some of this depends on how you take your archers. On foot, they'll do quite well if the enemy has little-to-no shooting, but if they're up against, say, a large contingent of elves with Strength 3 bows (or Uruks with crossbows), they'll be in a tight spot. At Defense 4, they'll wither quickly under sustained archery fire (even conventional Strength 2 bows will wound them on 5s), and their own Strength 2 bows will have trouble if the enemy's front rank has any sort of armor (6+ to wound against Defense 5 or above, and 6/4 to wound against Defense 7).
  • Weakness: Grinding infantry combat. Khand is a damage-dealing force (Fight 4, Defense 4, hand-and-a-half-handed axes at Strength 3), but lacks the major tools for "grinding" out infantry combat: shields and spears. They'll have higher Fight than most non-elite armies (goblins, orcs, non-elite men, hobbits), but will have trouble in a straight-up brawl with anything Fight4 / Strength 4 / Defense 6 (Uruk-Hai, dwarves), and Fight 5 / Defense 6 elves pose a problem, too (especially if the elves decide to match your two-handed weapon use with their own). Most factions can get along fine with a solo-infantry force (or a mostly-infantry force with a handful of cav thrown in), but this one probably wants a sizeable cavalry contingent all the time. 
  • Weakness: Limited Hero Selection. You have two generic hero options: the Khandish King and the Khandish Chieftain. If you have the points to spend, get the King for an extra Attack (that's 4 attacks on the charge), access to Heroic Strike and Resolve (in addition to Heroic March), and a 6" banner effect for Khandish models (the only banner Khand has access to). If all you need is Might, you can go with the Chieftains. They're a surprisingly good Fight 5 (but no Heroic Strike), so they'll hold their own against mid-tier heroes, and can do some damage in a chariot (two Strength 4 hits, followed by 3 attacks on the charge with Monstrous Charge). Unfortunately, all the hero options cap out at 2 Might each (no 3 Might heroes here), and they lack heroes with the special-rule utility that you find in Mordor, Isengard, or the Serpent Horde.
  • Strength: Allies. Khand has just one historic ally (the Easterlings), notwithstanding the fact they were at Pelennor (as was Far Harad, obviously… we'll let that go for now, though). Easterlings cover a lot of weaknesses that you find in Khand: they have heavy infantry with shields, pikes, and banners, so you can get your conventional "anvil" of Easterling pikemen to compliment your "hammer" of Khandish cav/chariots. If you're going all-cav, Easterlings also have access to very heavy cavalry (D7/6 riders/mounts when The Gleaming Horde is up) that don't have particularly high Fight, damage output, or kiting ability (the three things Khandish horsemen bring in spades). Throw a couple Khandish Kings on Chariots in with Amdur on horse, a couple of dragon knights on horse, and an Easterling War Priest, and suddenly you have a lot of dangerous targets (any of whom can get Bladewrath from the War Priest) roaming around the battlefield. If you're willing to give up the army bonus (chariots and horsemen don't count toward your bow limit), you can work in a number of convenient allies, too. If you're running primarily chariots, that a less painful choice to make, since a charioteer has to swap his hand-and-a-half axe to take a bow (and hand-and-a-half axes on Fight 4 charioteers is pretty good). It's harder if you have a lot of horsemen, since they come with bows and axes standard (though they have to choose only one to keep if they get dismounted), so a convenient force will need additional chariots or infantry with axes to balance out those bows. If you do go the convenient route, all of the War of the Ring evil forces are available, with any of the Pelennor armies (Mordor, Serpent Horde, Far Harad) making for good thematic choices. The Mordor and Serpent Horde factions in particular are deep lists, with lots of intriguing combos for Khand (and both could benefit from Khand's standard Fight 4). 
  • Weakness: Cost (in dollars). Khand is available through GW, but it's one of the more expensive armies to collect. A box of 10 foot warriors (in metal) runs for about the same cost as 20-24 of the plastic warriors from other factions, the horsemen are available in single blisters at the same price range as Rohan Royal Guards or Mahud Raiders, and the chariots (both regular and the Khandish King variant) are the costs of most hero packs. If you run a solo Khand force, you'll have to invest quite a bit in it. If you run them as an ally (with, say, Easterlings), it's quite a bit more affordable.



Image result for variags of khand
Photo Credit: Elias Luukkanen
(PS: The song is pretty ominous, too)

Hero Profiles
  • Khandish King. A Hero of Valor, and the only source of Heroic Strike in a pure Khand force, to go along with Fight 5, Strength 4, Defense 6, 3 Attacks, 2 Wounds, and Courage 5 (with 2 / 2 / 1 heroic stats). The 3 Attacks is where the ball-game is, as he has the option for both a horse or Chariot (either of which will boost him to 4 attacks on the charge). Along with Heroic Strike, he also has Heroic March and Heroic Resolve, giving him a very nice toolbox of abilities to assist your army. He comes with a hand-and-a-half axe and a bow as well (bows with Might are always nice), although he doesn't have a dagger (so if his axe is shattered, he'll be unarmed). He's significantly more expensive than a Khandish Chieftain, but you're getting several stat boosts for the cost (+1 Attack, Defense, and Will), plus Heroic Strike and Resolve (in addition to March), plus a 6" banner effect for all Khandish models, so you get the points back (and more) with his upgrades. You probably want at least one in every force, as Khand has no other option for banners (and, with Fight 4, cav/chariots, and hand-and-a-half axes, you probably want as many rerolls as you can get).
  • Khandish Chieftain. A generic captain with a fairly standard captain profile, apart from his above-average Fight 5 (to go with Strength 4, Defense 5, 2 Attacks, 2 Wounds, Courage 4, 2 Might, and Heroic March). He comes with a hand-and-a-half axe, dagger, and bow (and doesn't have to choose between his axe and bow, which is great), with an option for a horse or a chariot. The horse is by far the cheaper option, while the Chariot boosts his damage output (two Strength 4 impact hits, plus 3 attacks on the charge with Monstrous Charge) and his survivability (he gains a 67% chance of melee/ranged hits striking his Defense 7, 3 Wound chariot instead of himself). Once you've taken a Khandish King or two (for the Heroic Strike, Resolve, and banner effect), they're a solid choice for getting some more warrior slots.


Warrior Profiles
  • Khandish Warrior. They're decent shooters (4+ shoot, 24" Strength 2 bows), although unfortunately the infantry versions count towards your bow limit. They're susceptible to enemy archer fire, too (Defense 4, 6" move), so you may want to consider screening them with Defense 7 chariots while they March into position. Once they're in combat, they're squishy if they can be beaten in duels, but with Fight 4 (and ideally a Khandish King nearby for rerolls) they can win a lot of fights against non-elite troops. Once they win duels, their axes pack a whallop. As mentioned above, they don't have options for spears or shields, so they're best used as shock troops supporting heavily-armored allies (Easterlings) or 
  • Khandish Horseman. They didn't make my off-the-cuff list of the top-tier horsemen in the comments section on the Fiefdoms, but they should probably be in there if for no other reason than that they're one of only a few Fight 4+ cavalry models available for under 14 points. Add to that their axes and 24" bows, and they're essentially Riders of Rohan with lower defense and higher Fight + damage potential (in melee, of course; a Rider with a throwing spear has more overall combat potential, but for quite a bit more points).
  • Khandish Charioteer. A surprisingly resilient battle wagon, with its 5+ in-the-way against shooting and melee attacks, and Defense 7/3 wounds. The impact hits (two Strength 4 hits) are where the magic happens. They do have clunky movement mechanics (they can pivot 45 degrees for every full 3" they move, or forego all their movement to pivot in any direction), and of course they're susceptible to magic (a compel into your own horsemen, for example), so be sure to bring a Khandish King along for a timely Heroic Resolve. With Monstrous Charge, they're especially dangerous to enemy cavalry units, and even a big-time enemy hero may find themselves unhorsed if a chariot bangs into them first (with a 5-of-6 chance of being unable to make strikes, if they roll a 1-5 on their thrown rider test--particularly nasty!).


Concluding Thoughts

Thanks for checking out our thoughts on the Variags of Khand. As you'll see below, this faction hasn't gotten much attention on the interwebs, though we did manage to cobble together some recommended resources for you. So if you play Khand, and want to share what you've learned, please do: your knowledge is in short supply!

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5 comments:

  1. [Insert obligatory disagreement statement here] ;)

    Haha, actually I generally agree with everything here! In my opinion, you ONLY take Khand for the chariots though. If you are doing a "Fallen Realms" theme, practically everything (except fight value) can be done better by Serpent Horde *and* Serpent Horde are extremely cheap to purchase as an army. With cav for instance, you can have a Serpent Raider with a Bow AND a War Spear for the same cost and stats except fight (plus with the army bonus ALL the weapons are poisoned!). Horde armies, in my opinion, are better run having access to wargear like spears, horns, banners, and poison than with the off chance to win with a higher fight (more dice > fight in horde armies).

    I love the synergy of chariots and Easterlings! The biggest issue you have with Easterlings (killing power due to lack of strength 4 and limited hero options) is greatly reduced by having a bunch of chariots on the board. They make the enemy not only worry about flanks and low-defense troops of their own, but chariots can easily disrupt an enemy formation trying to arrange itself to take on a pike block. Successful use requires two things however: arriving at the same time and getting priority. Chariots are horribly squishy if they don’t charge, and even with the mandatory in the way of the chariots, a single chariot dying not only opens up a chunk of board space but is a huge point loss (1 charioteer = 3.5 Easterling infantry). Thus, they become arrow and siege engine magnets, and needing to arrive at the same time as the pike block can be challenging. They also run into issues on terrain-heavy boards, so it’s something to keep in mind depending on the group you run with. I rarely have a game where regular charioteers survive past turn two of engagement.

    Khand Kings are absolute boss infantry killers though. With the “counts as a banner” meaning you don’t suffer -1, along with a respectable stat line a King can absolutely stay in close combat for extended periods of time. For my part, I think having at least two warbands of chariots with a minimum of three chariots (King/Chief + two charioteers) has the most success potential in tandem with [insert army choice of your choosing]. Of course, that also means it will take a larger point limit to reach full chariot potential (said chariot force requiring 300ish points). One thing you only briefly touched on: Kings and Chieftains have heroic march and, since you don’t count as charging (this was also addressed in the FAQ), you can begin grinding down troops with 15” of movement! Gives them VERY effective zones of control for that first thundering charge.

    As far as magic goes, to my knowledge chariots must abide be the same rules with Compel as regular movement. So, unless a compel takes place when the chariots are still moving into position, it is unlikely to be effective once engaged as you can only turn them so far (or spend all their move to pivot). More effective would be to use a damaging spell on the charioteer, low defense and low courage mean probably success.

    Frankly, I think GW did a fantastic job of making chariots like their historical counterparts, particularly the scythe chariots of Seleucid designs: disrupt an enemy formation enough for the infantry to overwhelm them. In my (albeit limited) experience, Khand chariots do just that. Pair them with a good named hero, some kind of infantry formation, along with a little tactical skill and you’ll have yourself a hilariously enjoyable (although I doubt tournament-competitive) force. :)

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    Replies
    1. Glad you chimed in! (And that we weren’t totally off!)

      That was sort of my thought as well, re the cavalry. A war spear and poisoned bow on Haradrim Raiders is hard to get past, and you can get F4 and a poisoned war spear (but not the bow) on Serpent Riders, too. The chariots are by far the most distinctive feature of the army, and given how much damage they do on the charge now, they’re very inexpensive points wise.

      I had forgotten about that March-trample FAQ, but you’re right. Makes them very dangerous in those random deployment scenarios like Hold Ground, where they can start doing trample damage from the very beginning.

      With Heroic Moves being such a big deal, it got me thinking about a convenient alliance with Far Harad, between the cancel Heroic Moves from the Mumak War Leader and even more impact hits from Mahud Raiders. That’s a ton of points invested, of course, but a ton of pressure on your opponent to burn Might on those Heroic Moves. Throw in a couple 6” banners from the Khandish Kings and the Banner effect from the Mumak, and you’ll have a ton of rerolls available, too.

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    2. On magic: Command/Compel would best be employed while the armies are maneuvering (ideally aiming Chariots at each other or as close to directly away as possible (forcing turns of of maneuvering). Generally speaking, I think a simple transfix would be better than a Damage spell, as it roots the chariot in place and keeps the rider from killing anything.

      That said,if you've got spells like Chill Soul, plucking the only Wound off a Charioteer would be nasty...

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  2. One note on the lore of Khand. There is, as you mention, very little Tolkien wrote about the Variags of Khand. The most extensive portion, and where I think GW took their chariot queues from, comes from one one of the appendixes. Quoted in full below. It is also worth mentioning that the Wainriders are immediately referred to as Easterlings in the following paragraph, so it makes sense that historically Easterlings and Khandish warrior fought together.

    "The Wainriders were a people, or a confederacy of many peoples, that came from the East; but they were stronger and better armed than any that had appeared before. They journeyed in great wains, and their chieftains fought in chariots. Stirred up, as was afterwards seen, by the emissaries of Sauron, they made a sudden assault upon Gondor, and King Narmacil II was slain in battle with them beyond Anduin in 1856. The people of eastern and southern Rhovanion were enslaved; and the frontiers of Gondor were for that time withdrawn to the Anduin and the Emyn Muil. [At this time it is thought that the Ringwraiths re-entered Mordor.]
    Calimehtar, son of Narmacil II, helped by a revolt in Rhovanion, avenged his father with a great victory over the Easterlings upon Dagorlad in 1899, and for a while the peril was averted."

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  3. Did you in the meantime got around to play with the faction?
    I am about to start it (King, Chariot and two Riders ordered). i was thinking about having mostly cavalry for troops and field Chariots only in Heroes. So when its Not a King, it is a chieftain. Also looking to maybe See Khand in the New Expansion

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