Throwing Weapon Theory: How to Make Them Work, Revisited

Good morning gamers!

In our last post, we looked at how shooting has changed in the new rules of the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game and what kinds of considerations you should think about when it comes to including archery in your army. In general, I think all armies benefit from having some kind of archery presence, but some definitely benefit more than others. While most armies have a limit of 33% of their models being able to carry bows, you can allow more of your army to contribute to shooting damage by including throwing weapons in your army (especially on your non-bow-armed models). That’s what we’ll be looking at today. This post revisits a topic we covered back in July 2015, for those who want to see what was written there . . .

How have throwing weapons changed?

There are three big changes that have come to throwing weapons since I got started playing the game back in September 2010. The first and foremost change is that the number of “throwing weapon types” has grown. While whips existed as a special rule and not a fully-fledged piece of gear, all other kinds of thrown weapons (be they daggers, axes, or spears) were the same – 6” range, Strength 3 hit. With the Hobbit Strategy Battle Game, a distinction between throwing spears (8” range) and all other kinds of throwing weapons (6” range) was added. This has been retained in the new rules, with some other throwing weapons (like whips) being canonized as gear items as well.

The second change is that unless you’re shooting your throwing weapon on the charge, you suffer the “scoot-and-shoot” penalty (see our last post for what this is). While only a small change to your To Hit roll, it makes running away from an assaulting force a bit less effective (which, in a game where 1 pip of difference a die can have huge consequences, is no small thing). Still, throwing weapons are still quite valuable despite this reduction – and the fact that you don’t suffer it when you charge means you should be charging into combat with these guys (because you might just get a lucky wound in!).

The third change (and perhaps the most nuanced of them) is the addition of Heroic March. When I did my last post, the Hobbit rules were introduced and Heroic March became a thing (but we didn’t adopt it in our gaming group until the new release). Heroic March allows infantry models to overcome the greatest problem with throwing weapons: getting extra movement to start the next round as close as possible to the enemy throwing weapon models. While Heroic March doesn’t allow you to charge anyone, the extra 3-5” of movement (which stacks with movement gained from a Drum, if your team can get one) is invaluable. Where Dwarf and Goblin teams were at a distinct disadvantage with 5” move against 6” throwing weapons, now they can clear 8” of ground in a single turn (which should be enough to stand just outside someone’s control zone OR make up ground if your opponent ran like mad away from you to buy himself more space). While this doesn’t make your soldiers more resilient against throwing weapons, it might take a turn or two less to close with them (which can be huge).

With these changes in mind, we’ll dive into what makes throwing weapons so great (and probably my favorite aspect of the MESBG game).

Why use throwing weapons?

The biggest reason to include throwing weapons in your team is that you can have 100% of your army able to participate in shooting and get past the 33% bow limit that is enforced against most armies in the game. The armies that have access to throwing weapons (which we’ll look at later in the Taxonomy section) are all capped at 33% bows, so taking throwing weapons allows more models to add to the archery damage of the team (not to mention deal some damage as they charge).

The second benefit to taking throwing weapons is that they can weaken an enemy line before battle is joined. Some of the teams that have throwing weapons don’t have access to spears (Rohan, Kingdom of Khazad-Dum/Moria, and Sharkey’s Rogues) and so throwing weapons gives you the opportunity to clear out the front-line of warriors in a battle line and either shrink the enemy battle line (which helps you double-up on models on the flanks/trap models better) OR give you a one-to-one fight when battle is joined (which is way better than running into a hedge of spears).

The third reason (and perhaps the least appreciated reason) is that throwing weapons – even if they don’t wound anyone – changes the tempo of the game. All warfare is psychological, and while I don’t go out of my way to mess with the heads of my opponents, having throwing weapon troops on the board means that some models “have to be charged” or they could REALLY mess with your plans. When charging, throwing weapon models are even more disruptive, since a model that otherwise would be alive might be taken down BEFORE all of the units have been positioned. The sudden change in plans that can be caused when several (or many) throwing weapons find their marks in a battle line can be demoralizing and force an enemy general to sacrifice some of his fights in order to save others – and this can work to your advantage.

How many throwing weapons should I take?

Perhaps the greatest question that can be asked is that, if I have throwing weapons as an available gear option, how many should I take? In my Kingdoms of Moria army, Dwarf Rangers with throwing axes cost just as much as Dwarf Warriors with shields – which is better to take (and when do I have enough Rangers)?

My thought on the matter is this: for most armies, throwing weapons is part of your toolkit – figure out the point cost you expect to face (8-10 points/model is generally about right, cheaper models tend to be easier to wound anyway), and pay for throwing weapons that will be paid for with the death of 1-2 models (so a max of 16-20 points). Once you rely on throwing weapons to kill more than a few models, you run the risk of disappointment – and generally speaking, throwing weapons come at the cost of Defense (not always true, as we’ll see later).

On some days, your throwing weapons will kill more than 1-2 models – and that’s a good thing. What we’re using as our baseline, however, is some kind of limit for “and now you’ve gone too far.” If you’re paying 1 point/model to give Throwing Axes to Dwarf Rangers, you could bring 6-8 Rangers with throwing axes and probably be okay (you only need to kill 1 guy in order to pay for all of them). If you’re paying 2 points/model to give Throwing Spears to Riders of Rohan (or Rohan Royal Guards), then bringing 6-8 of them means you’re looking for 2+ kills with the throwing spears (which is still quite doable if you play carefully – more on that later).

The best teacher is experience: try out different builds and see what you like. To help you in that endeavor, we’ll be looking at four different cases that you’ll face when using throwing weapons in your MESBG games.

Using throwing weapons effectively: four use cases

Back in my 2015 post, I laid out four use cases that your throwing weapon models will face – these haven’t changed:

• One-Round Safety: Your throwing weapon models are outside of an opponent’s charge range AND your throwing weapon has greater range than the enemy models’ movement;
• Quick Get-Away: Your throwing weapon models are within an opponent’s charge range AND your throwing weapon has greater range than the enemy models’ movement;
• The Dance: Your throwing weapon models are outside of an opponent’s charge range AND your throwing weapon has less range than the enemy models’ movement; and
• Possible Get-Away: Your throwing weapon models are within an opponent’s charge range AND your throwing weapon has less range than the enemy models’ movement.

These four use cases go from best-case to worst-case and we’ll be looking at each one in turn. In the One-Round Safety case, you have all the power: your units can use their throwing weapons from a safe distance – a distance that your opponent can’t close in one turn. Even if a Heroic March is called (or a Drum is used), you can’t be charged, though you can be surrounded. Avoid that. The distance you want to have between yourself and your opponent should be at least 0.5” more than the target model’s movement allows.

Classic One-Round Safety maneuver - the Dwarves cannot be charged regardless of who gets priority next turn.

In the picture above, the Dwarf Rangers have 6” range on their throwing axes and are shooting at Moria Goblins who have 5” Movement. When moving second, the Dwarf Rangers can move to be 5.5” away from the Goblins (0.5” more than their Move value) and they’ll be within range of their targets AND not be able to be charged. Note also that in this picture, the Dwarves haven't formed up into a line - if they had, they'd be more constricted in responding to the Goblin advance (a shift heavily to the left or right could lead to the Dwarf line being out-paced. As it is now, at least three Dwarves should be able to shoot no matter where the Goblins go (and the other two will be hot behind them).

While models with throwing spears could choose to be 7.5” away from their targets if they wanted to (I do 0.5” less than the necessary range just so there’s no measuring disputes), moving to be 5.5” away from the Moria Goblins has an additional benefit: if the Moria Goblins get priority next round, they’ll only be able to move 4.5” (since they can’t enter a control zone without charging), which is a cheeky way of making sure that models that are already slow move just a wee bit slower.

While the One-Round Safety move is best employed when you move second (since you know where your opponent’s models will be), there is an alternate variation you’ll want to use if you have to move first. When moving first, the Dwarves in the example above would want to move to be 10.5” away from the Moria Goblin starting position. This is because a) the farthest forward the Moria Goblins could get would be 5.5” away from the Dwarves (which is what we were aiming for in the moving-second scenario), and b) if the Moria Goblins choose to move less than their full move in order to stay outside of throwing axe range, you’ve slowed your opponent’s models and STILL stayed out of charge range. Next round, no matter who has priority, your models will be safe.

In the Quick Get-Away case, we begin our movement able to be charged by the opponent’s models, but have more throwing weapon range than the enemy models have movement. In this case, we want to move back so that we are (once again) 0.5” beyond the Movement value of the enemy models. The only difference between the Quick Get-Away case and the One-Round Safety case is that if you don’t get Priority, you will need to call a Heroic Move in order to keep your models safe.

Classic Quick Get-Away situation - the Dwarves need to move just far enough to not be chargeable (this may require a hero hanging around to call a Heroic Move - like Gimli or a Dwarf King, since they can get throwing axes too).

Continuing our previous example, the Dwarf Rangers are being closed upon by a Moria Goblin spear block – this is not likely to end well. With only 3” of gap space between them and the Moria Goblins, the Rangers and the Dwarf King choose to back up. With a 3” gap to start with, they move 2.5” away from the Goblins, putting their distance back to 5.5”. Since their opponents haven’t moved yet, they could have run a full 5” away, but moving the bare minimum of 2.5” guarantees that they’ll have throwing axe shots this turn (unless the Moria Goblins retreat a bit).

The Quick Get-Away case and the One-Round Safety case are common scenarios when fighting models with low movement values. You will probably find yourself bouncing between the two cases regularly as the tempo of the game changes (and as priority passes between players). Our final two cases, however, are more likely scenarios with throwing weapons – situations where you’re facing models that can charge you if they’re in range of your throwing weapons.

In The Dance case, you don’t have more range than your target’s movement, but you begin outside of charge range. As in the One-Round Safety case, you’re safe for this round, but not guaranteed a shot. When moving first, you want make sure that the gap between you and your opponent is equal to the models’ movement + 0.5” less than your throwing weapon range.

Classic Dance case - the Elves want to stay just out of charge range of both the Wargs and the Orcs, which can only be done with Heroic Moves or good priority rolling.

In this scenario, the Wood Elf Warrior throwing dagger range is equal to the movement of the Angmar Orc Warriors and less than the movement of the Wild Wargs. If the Elves move first, they run the risk of being charged if they don’t stay outside of the movement range of the Wild Wargs. If they move second, they’re probably going to be charged before they can use their throwing daggers unless the Galadhrim Captain calls a Heroic Move).

In this very awkward situation, your best bet MIGHT be just charging. If you don’t like those odds, the best trick you can do is to get outside of the charge range of our opponents (like we laid out in the Quick Get-Away case). When moving second, you’re going to want to call a Heroic Move in order to slingshot outside of charge range (or slam into the enemy with a charge).

Our last case is the worst situation you can have: the Possible Get-Away case. In this one, not only do we begin in charge range (so, we’re only looking at whether we move first or not), but we also don’t have more range on our throwing weapons than the target models have movement.

Classic Possible Get-Away - the Goblins can't charge, can't shoot from where they are, and will be charged unless the get priority. Note that 6" throwing weapon range means that unless you're facing 12" movement models, no model can stand outside of your 6" shooting range AND be able to charge you if you move first.

The Moria Goblin Prowlers in this scenario are in a bit of a fix: the Knights have 10” movement and the Prowlers only have 6” range on their throwing daggers. No matter what they do, they’ll only be able to get one round of shooting in (and even that isn’t guaranteed).

When faced with the situation where you’ll probably be charged, my recommendation is to just charge first (if it’s an option). If the situation allows you to get just outside of charge range so you can fire one more time before trying to charge, you can do it – but the scoot-and-shoot penalty will make the first shooting round less effective and you may not get a second chance (unless you can move before your opponent, which might require burning Might). Personally, I’d rather just charge one turn sooner and hopefully take down an extra model with the unmodified Shoot value than trying to get away and getting one more turn of reduced Shooting in.

The other complicating factor is that in this scenario, your opponent doesn’t have to move within range of your throwing weapons – he has more movement than you have throwing distance! The advantage of moving out of charge range (and letting him creep up a little more while staying out of charge range) is that you have denied him some of his movement potential (like we did in the One-Round Safety and Quick Get-Away cases). This is something that non-throwing-weapon models can’t do (unless being counter-charged is the fear) and while you won’t kill anyone this way, you can at least make a strategic difference on the board.

Ultimately it’s a toss-up and probably influenced by other factors (like whether you’re near an objective that needs to be held, whether you have Might nearby to call Heroic Moves, or what exactly you’re charging into).

These four use cases cover everything you’ll face with throwing weapons – experiment with them (and leave your thoughts below in comments if you found this useful)! We turn our attention now (to make an already-long-post-longer) to an in-depth look at all the models in the game that have throwing weapons, since not all throwing weapon models are equal.

Throwing weapon Taxonomy

While throwing weapons are great, not all throwing weapon users are created equal (this is largely due to the Shoot value on said models, the type of throwing weapon they have, and the cost of the model when equipped with them). What is provided here should be a comprehensive look at throwing weapon users across all the factions as of the writing of this post. So here we go!

• Rohan – Throwing Spears: Lots of Rohan models have access to throwing spears (Warriors of Rohan, Riders of Rohan, Rohan Royal Guards, Eomer, Theodred, Eowyn/Dernhelm, Elfhelm, Captains of Rohan). At 2 points/model for warriors (5 points/model for heroes other than Elfhelm who gets them rolled up into his base profile), these are on the more expensive side for throwing weapons, but having an 8” range is great when targeting infantry models (since you can stand outside of most of their charge ranges). The trade-off is that all of the Rohan models that have throwing spears have a 4+ Shoot value (except Elfhelm, who has a 3+ shoot value), making them decent at casting on the charge (half will hit their marks), but not great when trying to scoot-and-shoot at models that are pursuing them (this was noted in a comment on our last post - shout out to Captain Fantastic). While not great shooters, the fact that Rohan lacks traditional spears to help them grind against enemy models means that their infantry can all be able to harass their opponents with throwing spears before they engage (hopefully making the numbers more even). The cavalry who can take it (Riders of Rohan and Rohan Royal Guards) are incredibly good at whittling down infantry ranks, since their throwing spears allow them to stay out of most infantry's charge range AND the riders can move up to their full movement (10") and still shoot. Given enough room on the board (and time to play the game), a pack of Riders of Rohan/Rohan Royal Guards can avoid being caught by any infantry that try to pursue them (or force their commanders to spend precious Might calling Heroic March to put them in a better position to catch them). Of course, at twice the cost of a Warrior of Rohan, the more Riders/Guards you equip with throwing spears, the fewer throwing spears you have in your army, so there's a trade for this tactical advantage.
• Lothlorien – Throwing Daggers: Wood Elf Warriors can take throwing daggers for 2 points/model (Wood Elf Captains can take them for 5 points/model), which I think is a bit over-costed (see our discussion on Dwarf Rangers below for why that is). Without any additional gear choices (like Wood Elf Spears), this makes them cost 10 points/model, which is more expensive than the Warriors of Rohan we covered above. In my opinion, the throwing daggers here are overcosted, since they don’t get the +2” of range that throwing spears have, but I have found Wood Elf Warriors with throwing daggers to be particularly devastating (and my gaming group knows it too). Archery fickleness aside, there’s nothing like hitting on 3s when you charge (4s now when you kite) and wounding your opponent at the same Strength as your melee weapon is about to! While Galadhrim Warriors are often the favored unit of choice for Lothlorien, Wood Elf Warriors have their place on the flanks and chasing down objectives (since they can skirmish with whatever models your opponent is sending to take the objective).
• Rivendell – Throwing Daggers: Throwing weapons in Rivendell are predominantly limited to Erestor, who is AMAZING with his throwing daggers. While he’s incredible in melee, his throwing daggers reroll failed rolls to Wound (and since he hits on a 3+, he doesn’t miss very often, so rerolling To Wound makes him WAY more reliable). I will note that you can also get Wood Elf Warriors in a Rivendell list if you include Gildor Inglorion (at the cost of +1 point/model to give them 8” move) – they do a better job of skirmishing with models because of their increased movement (at half the cost of running Rivendell Knights) and make a nice escort to Erestor (with Gildor behind to Immobilize people you don’t want to deal with, sail in to help Erestor, or March the group really, REALLY far).
• Kingdom of Khazad-Dum/Moria – Throwing Axes: Dwarves from the Armies of the Lord of the Rings get access to throwing axes on two warrior profiles: Iron Guard (included in their base cost) and Dwarf Rangers (1 point/model). Since Rangers have a 3+ Shoot value, it’s a bargain to get these ranged weapons on them (brings them to 9 points/model with no additional gear, 10 points/model if you also give them two-handed axes). Iron Guard are slightly more resilient (D6 instead of D5), have a better offensive profile (2 Attacks at Strength 4 vs. 1 Attack at Strength 3), though they begin with swords . . . so pay an extra point/model to give them axes, why don’t ya? Iron Guard have throwing axes built into their profile as a nice benefit, but it isn’t what they do best (it does help them kill more when they charge though). Several Dwarf heroes have access to throwing axes (Gimli auto-includes it and can bring it into a Fellowship list, Dwarf Kings/Captains get them for 5 points/model on a 4+ Shoot model, technically Dwarf Engineering Captains can get them too?), but none of these heroes are going to be as effective as Dwarf Rangers. As with Iron Guard, it often adds a little to their kill count, but doesn’t greatly affect the game (though you only need to kill one person in order for it to be worth it).
• Thorin’s Company – Throwing Axes: You get access to throwing axes on Fili, who not only has a 3+ Shoot value, but has access to a Pony (and March if you keep your army bonus), giving him incredible potency (8" move on the pony + 3" bonus move from March + 6" range on the axes = 17" threat). You also get access to throwing axes on Gloin in the Thorin’s Company list (who can also take a pony and benefit from Heroic March), but like his son, this augments his melee damage output, but isn’t an integral part of his profile (4+ shoot value). Still, having a few throwing weapon guys in an all-hero list gives you yet-another-way of catching up from being down-handed in the model count (and allows your heroes to do something before they get into combat). I'd recommend ponies for both of these characters anyway (Gloin more than Fili if you need to make a choice) JUST so they can get into the action faster (they've both got great Courage for those courage tests they'll have to take to charge models).
• Army of Thror – Throwing Axes: The Army of Thror has basically no ranged weapons at all, but their Grim hammer warriors (and Grim hammer captains) have throwing axes built into their profile (which is why they cost more than Khazad Guards, despite having a worse profile). With a 4+ Shoot value, the damage that comes from them is nice to have, but it isn't a reliable source of damage. Still, when you can't shoot anything else (and when your battle line is a solid D7 across all of its warriors), every little bit helps. In some ways, the throwing axes in this list are more valuable than in other lists because you have absolutely no other shooting available to you, so . . . there's that.
• Barad-Dur/Angmar/Mordor/Isengard – Throwing Spears: These armies have access to throwing spears on Warg Riders only. While the Forces of Good we’ve looked at hit on 3s or 4s, Warg Riders hit on 5s, which means you will only hit on 6s when you kite and will only hit on 5s when you charge/stand and fire. This isn’t very reliable. The trade-off is that the 8” range S3 weapon that costs Rohan models 2 points/model only costs you 1 point/model, so if you equip 5-10 of them across your army, you may only need to get 1-2 wounds off of them to make them worth it. Unlike most of the Forces of Good lists, Orc Captains don’t have access to throwing spears, so you’re only looking at warrior choices for them (maybe that’s alright).
• Moria – Throwing Daggers (and a Fiery Lash/Tentacles): While most of Moria’s shooting is pretty terrible (even on models that are beloved, like Warg Marauders), Moria Goblin Prowlers are good at shooting for being an evil army (hitting on 4s on the charge, 5s when kiting) and they come with throwing daggers equipped from the start. At 7 points/model, these are quite cheap skirmish troops that pack a punch if they are supported by spearmen (and preferably some kind of Drum) and trap their opponents. I will note that Moria has access to the best two throwing weapons in the game via the Watcher in the Water (which isn't technically labeled as a throwing weapon, but is D6 6" range shooting attacks at Strength 3 and can be made even if the Watcher has moved - and even if he's in combat!) and the Balrog (his Fiery Lash not only has 8” range and a Strength 7 hit with a  3+ Shoot value, but also can be used to bring multi-wound models into base contact with the Balrog for him to Heroic Combat off of . . . so nasty if you’re fighting him, so AWESOME if you’re using him!). If either of these monsters looks fun, just wait for our post in this series on Moria in a few weeks!
• The Corsairs of Umbar – Throwing Daggers: Throwing daggers are the bread and butter of a Corsair army – their elite units don’t have it (Reavers, Arbalesters, Black Numenoreans), but their basic troops do (Corsairs of Umbar) in their base cost. With a 4+ Shoot value, they operate very similar to Moria Goblin Prowlers (except they begin at Fight 4, don’t have two-handed weapons, and can take shields/spears). The Corsairs also have generic heroes (Corsair Captains, Corsair Bo’suns) who have throwing daggers as standard issue, as well as Dalamyr and Hasharin (who are not only Heroes of Valor in this list, but are also available to the Serpent Horde as Heroes of Fortitude). Speaking of...
• Serpent Horde - Throwing Daggers: the only model available to the Serpent Horde that has throwing weapons are Hasharin. While I don't think Hasharin are necessary in a Serpent Horde army (what with Suladan, Mumak commanders, the Betrayer, and the Golden King of Abrakhan in your unit choices), they can provide a nasty damage surprise to their foes (3 Attacks with Bane of Kings is NASTY - and on generic heroes!). Not much to say about these guys except that you can take them (personally, I think they're better off in a Corsairs of Umbar list, where they can be your Army Leader).
• Sharkey’s Rogues – Whips: Whips are a very special kind of throwing weapon: their range/Strength are terrible (2” range at S1), so they’re unlikely to do much damage when they charge, but since a) Ruffians are only 6 points/model when you field them with whips, and b) you can field Ruffians in groups without heroes, and c) their new Legendary Legion boosts their Shoot value from a 4+ to a 3+, you can get a surprising volume of throwing weapon attacks when you charge (or the turn before if you can stay just out of reach and then move within shooting range). I will also note that because Sharkey’s Rogues don’t have access to spears, they run into a problem of getting enough dice to try to wound their enemies. Since Whips grant the Whirl special strike (and you’re already Fight 2), Ruffians with whips can charge two models, Whirl when their duel begins, and should they manage to win, they can roll 2 dice to wound (one on each foe) – not bad for a 1 point/model upgrade . . .
• Dark Powers of Dol Guldur/Dark Denizens of Mirkwood – Spider Webs: Yet another unconventional throwing weapon attack, this one won’t do any damage on its own, but remains one of the most powerful range attacks in the game. While Mirkwood Spiders don’t have a good Shoot value (5+ on the charge/standing still, 6+ when kiting), anyone who is hit by the attack (no To Wound roll is made) gets Paralyzed. In case this hasn't sunk in, this is absolutely DEVASTATING on the charge! If you run a Dol Guldur list with Mirkwood Spiders Paralyzing models and Hunter Orcs sailing in behind them (or holding the center while the Spiders work the sides), you can be an absolute terror to your opponent . . . not that I’ve got any ideas coming up in the future at all. . . . :)

A Side Note: Throwing Stones

Sneak peak at some things that popped out of the ground in the Shire - the Hobbit Militia on the left was painted by my son Gorgoroth (we added some putty to make it a girl), while the Hobbit Archer on the right was painted by my daughter Vin. They were both very proud of their work, though not as proud as I was that they came up with a painting scheme and stuck to it during the entire painting process. Merry and Pippin were some of my first painted models - I've gotten better since then, but these ones turned out okay.

While not “throwing weapons” in the same way as throwing daggers/axes/spears are, thrown stones are a neat way for melee models to participate in archery (and basically gives them crossbow-like access to shooting). Because the Strength/Range of the stone throw differs by model, evaluating whether a thrown stone is useful or not very much depends on the model you’re looking at, but the four use cases we laid out above still apply. If you’re using really strong monster models (Trolls of various kinds and Ents) or heroes who are decent/good in combat (Bifur, Farmer Maggot, Bullroarer Took, Mega-Bilbo, Mega-Merry/Pippin, Fellowship Sam near Engaged-Fellowship-Frodo), throwing stones might not be your objective – though it may also give you a chance to force an opponent to come to you and drag him off an important position (I mean, how long are you actually going to endure a pelting from Cave Trolls or Ents?). Some models are incredibly vulnerable to melee damage (Hobbit warrior choices in particular), so being able to do something at a distance is really good (even if it requires standing still).

Our next post will be a case-study in using the skirmish info we’ve talked about in this post and the previous post and applying them to the dour Dwarves of Khazad-Dum. This post will revisit a discussion I did back in August 2014. Until then, from all of us here at TMAT, happy hobbying!