Heroic Heroes: Top 10 Heroes for Heroic March

Good morning gamers,

We're on our fourth specialized heroic action today - and it's my personal favorite: Heroic March! I started playing this game with (what is now) the Kingdom of Khazad-Dum, Moria, Isengard, and Lothlorien and ALL of these factions like to use Heroic March (the Dwarves and Goblins in particular). With many, many, MANY factions wanting access to this heroic action (and all but three factions actually having it), it makes you wonder who does it the best for Good and Evil? Before getting into who's "the best," let's get a little reminder of what Heroic March does - ultimately, Heroic March is how . . .

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Back to the action . . .

What Does the Heroic Action Do?

Heroic March gives the hero who calls the heroic action and is unengaged when he begins his move (and models within 6" of him when he begins his move) 3-5" of additional movement, depending on whether they are infantry or cavalry models. In exchange for increasing their max speed, the hero who calls the heroic action (and models that are within 6" of him when he begins his move) cannot charge this turn. Like Heroic Moves, any models that benefit from Heroic March need to end their movement within 6" of the hero who called Heroic March. Models that haven't moved before the Heroic March and choose not to participate in the Heroic March can't move at all during the Move phase.

There are a few nuances in this heroic action that bear mentioning before we go on: first and foremost, this is different from a War Drum. Some models (Uruk-Hai Drummers, Black Guard Drummers, Orc Drummers, Easterling Kataphrakts with the War Drum upgrade, Mordor/Isengard Trolls with the War Drum upgrade) can grant a similar increase in speed to friendly models, but it functions differently in a few respects. Since the extra movement from Heroic March and the War Drum are coming from different sources, they stack with each other (giving you an additional 6-10" of movement to friendly models that are in range of both of them). Speaking of being in range, War Drums cover a 12" radius instead of a 6" radius, granting more of your army access to increased speed. While Heroic March requires you to end within a certain distance of the hero who called Heroic March, the War Drum has no such stipulation, so your army can split up if required. Perhaps the best thing about the Drum is that you don't need Might to activate it (though you usually pay 20-30 points for the benefit of the drum).

So does this make War Drums "just better" than Heroic March? Not necessarily. While War Drums are quite valuable, they come with a major drawback: their restriction on models not being able to charge takes place at the start of the Move phase - not when the hero who declares the Heroic March begins his move. This means that if any friendly model within 12" of the drum (which is a HUGE area) wishes to charge, the drum can't be played at all.

Furthermore, War Drums have keywords for the models that can use them. In the case of Easterling Kataphrakts and Mordor Trolls, the keyword is so general ("Easterling" and "Mordor" respectively) that a pure list will find everyone benefitting. Others (like Orc/Uruk-Hai Drummers) are more restrictive ("Mordor Orc" and "Isengard Uruk-Hai" respectively) and so will only affect part of your army if you have mixed races. Obviously, if you are running an alliance (Easterlings and Mordor, for example), only part of your army will benefit - again, this could be a big problem. Heroic March has the advantage of benefitting all friendly models, regardless of their keywords - and while it comes at the cost of Might, it is quite useful that way.

When Do You No-Kidding-Actually-Use-It?

Heroic March is pretty straight forward in its use - here are the usual drivers for calling it:

• Since most scenarios require you to get somewhere, calling Heroic March allows you to get to important positions faster;
• In some scenarios (like Storm the Camp or Reconnoitre), having a burst of speed late in the game can be more helpful than getting it early (getting away from pursuers once you've gotten around your opponent); and
• Avoiding one or more turns of enemy archery because you're crossing the gap between you and them faster.

Pretty straight forward, right? Wasting this action, however, is easier than you think.

How Can You Waste The Heroic Action?

Assuming that the hero who calls Heroic March isn't charged before he gets to move (which would cancel the heroic action), there are two key situations where a Heroic March can be wasted: by actually not needing the speed or needing to be in two places.

Heroic March is a very useful tool in any army's arsenal, but as you near your opponent's army, he can throw a surprise for you - especially if he's got a lot of cavalry and you have a lot of infantry. If a Rohan commander with lots of Riders of Rohan have been moving away from your troops for several turns while shooting into your ranks, you're probably tempted to "just March" towards him (closing the distance, like we talked about above). If you don't have priority and call a Heroic March, your opponent can move a few models TOWARDS your army and end 7-9" from your starting position. What this will do is force you to either a) waste movement and not move past them, or b) move around these models while avoiding their control zones (which will really mess up your battle lines). You might catch these models before they can charge next turn, but you'll be vulnerable to counter-charges from the main body if you stay and fight.

The second way you can waste a Heroic March is to need your forces to be in two places. A classic example is if you have a squadron of Uruk-Hai Scout Marauders being led by Mauhur - half have shields, half have Uruk-Hai bows. Early in the game, you can March these guys up 11" and then on the next turn, you find that your archers are almost in range of the enemy. Excited to get around your opponent's flank, you call a March to race your Uruk-Hai Scouts with shields around the enemy, but then find that your archers will have to move more than half their movement to end within 6" of Mauhur OR not move at all and not be able to shoot. As a note, this situation can be avoided by moving the Uruk-Hai Scout Marauders with Uruk-Hai bows before Mauhur . . . don't be hasty, li'l Hobbit.

Criteria for Finalists

With SO MANY contestants for today, here's the criteria we're using for our Top 5:

• The hero gets free Might points that can be used for Heroic March;
  
• The hero's Might doesn't compete with other uses for Might; and
  
• The faction lacks access to mounted units (since the speed of March is more important).

Top 5 Heroes - Forces of Evil

#5: Corsair Captains (The Corsairs of Umbar)

Yep, Corsairs can get to D4 on many of their troops, but even at D4, you're looking at 8-9 point models getting torn to shreds by archery without March. As I discussed in the list building series, Corsairs have easy access to Heroic March and they need it. They need it a lot. One of the other great benefits of calling a March with these guys is that your Corsairs of Umbar all have throwing weapons - and this means they can have a 9" move with a 6" throwing weapon range, which makes them incredibly dangerous to enemy troops. With 2 Might points for March on Corsair Captains and Black Numenorean Marshals (who can be mounted on armored horses) and 1 Might point for March on Corsair Bo'suns, you've got plenty of ways to get March into your force.

Corsairs, however, don't really need to March with all of their units, since you can get Black Numenorean Marshals on horses. Honestly, I'm not sure how many you would take unless you go crazy like I did on having four mounted heroes, but the fact is you could and so they fall a little below the rest of the other competitors.

#4: Uruk-Hai Captain (Isengard, but more so from the Assault Upon Helm's Deep LL)

The Assault Upon Helm's Deep Legendary Legion has exactly two heroes it can take: Uruk-Hai Captains and Uruk-Hai Shamans. This means they have access to two specialized heroic actions: March and Channel. While Channelling Fury is awesome (especially near demolition teams that took flaming brands on both of the Uruk-Hai Warriors), Heroic March is where this team thrives - getting their troops (and demo charges) into position quickly so that they can clobber the enemy. All while ballista teams provide cover fire for the masses of infantry that are swarming towards their opponents.

As great as March is for this Legion, all you're doing is granting extra speed to grunts - there are no high-powered heroes that you're moving up (though there are monsters in the form of Isengard Trolls or nasty anti-hero pieces, such as demolition charges). Against some foes, you may not even have to March (if they lack credible archery, since your troops are all D5+). As such, these worthy captains only sit at #4 today.

#3: Moria Goblin Captain (Moria, but more importantly from The Depths of Moria LL)

I don't think there's a better piece you can March across the board than the Balrog (Sauron is a close second) - if he's given a 9" move and uses his Fiery Lash in the Shoot phase, he can threaten any model that ends up within 17" of his starting position. With a free Heroic Combat and 4 Attack dice that usually wound on 3s (and can often reroll 1s because he can Feint), you're looking at massive movement from one of the toughest pieces in the game. Moria Goblin Captains are also blissfully cheap for being heroes at 35 points (with a shield, they're 40 points), so they're easy to include in your army.

In the Depths of Moria Legendary Legion, they're your main-stay heroes (you're required to take a Balrog, but before you take any other kind of hero, you want the Moria Goblin Captain). You have access to Blackshield Captains, who I like for their two-handed swords and Hatred against Dwarves, but they're slightly more expensive so I think you get them after a Moria Goblin Captain (and only if you want the hitting power - that two-handed weapon will encourage you to keep your Might for boosting rolls, not for calling Marches).

While moving the Balrog is a great use of March (as is moving 5" move infantry who have no cavalry models), your Defense isn't horrible (D4-D5 isn't great, but it's fine). Like the Assault Upon Helm's Deep LL, this legion can't really function without March so clearly they should be ranked. With lower Defense than the Helm's Deep legion, you're encouraged to March more often than they are. But if you want to look at an army that REALLY needs March, look no further than . . .

#2: Goblin Mercenary Captain (Azog's Legion, but mostly Goblin-town)

Ah, Goblin-town - one of the few factions that actually enjoys playing Storm the Camp. With only four named heroes and two generic heroes, you'd think that Goblin-town Captains would be a shoe-in (for only 35 points, they give you 2 Might and March). However, since a pure Goblin-town list can take +6 models per warband - and because you only pay 5 points more for Grinnah than a generic Captain (and you get +1 Might and trade March for Strike and a really weird specialized heroic action), I'm not sure generic Goblin-town Captains are that high on your priority list until you're playing above 700 points.

When playing Goblin-town, your first choice is probably the Goblin King and right behind him will be the Goblin Scribe. Gollum is also a crowd favorite (slotted into one of the Goblin King's 24 warrior slots, since he's an independent hero), but the next hero - I think - that you include is a Goblin Mercenary Captain. With the ability to ambush onto the board from a board edge or appear in certain terrain features, a Goblin Mercenary Captain can bring up to 18 Goblin Mercenaries (basically Moria Goblin Warriors with spears - decent troops for being 5 points/model) AND March them on the second turn that they're on the board! These guys are amazing heroes if you're playing Reconnoitre, Storm the Camp, Domination, Capture and Control, Divide and Conquer - basically any mission where you need to be somewhere. For +15 points over a generic Goblin-town Captain and gaining +1 Defense and a neat special rule, I think they're well worth it.

If you want to, however, you CAN deploy these guys on the board with your army to do the traditional marching thing. Generally speaking, the benefit to this is if you're concerned that your D3 Goblin-town Warriors are going to be shot to pieces by S3 archery and you want them to avoid archery damage instead of spawning near the enemy and getting surrounded by all their melee troops. While a bit more expensive than the Moria Goblin Captains we just discussed, your models are really vulnerable to taking damage as they cross the field (and without any cavalry models, you really need the speed that comes from March - and the extra bodies that come from the Scribe).

You'd think that Goblin-town would take the lot here, but nothing is better than free, so the crown has to go to . . . 

#1: Azog with the Signal Tower (Azog's Legion)

Yep, free Heroic Marches for all the heroes in your list except Goblin Mercenary Captains (who can be taken in this list, by the way). Azog starts with 3-6 Might and March (depending on whether he's got the White Warg - which you should always take), Bolg has 3 Might and March, Gundabad Captains have 2 Might and March, and the Lieutenants who come in the Signal Tower have 1 Might and March. While all of that can be LOADS of Might for March, just by manning one of the four pieces of the Signal Tower, your Gundabad heroes can call FREE Heroic Marches during the game. That's AMAZING.

Even without it, with no shooting weapons aside from Bolg's bow and the catapult troll AND expensive troops that are vulnerable to enemy archery (though they have pretty high Defense), you need to be Marching often. The fact that it's free means that your Captains can save their Might for Heroic Moves (and Azog and Bolg can save their Might for better things). This gives you an incredible Might advantage and I think you could grow very addicted to free Marches in this kind of list.

Top 5 Heroes - Forces of Good

#5: Dwarf King (Kingdom of Khazad-Dum)

I got started in the game playing with the faction that would become Khazad-Dum - and I love my bearded fellows to death. Dwarves are great for introducing new players to Matched Play because they have above-average Fight, above-average Defense, above-average Courage, and (if they Piercing Strike with their core troops and just-fight-normally with their elite troops) above-average Strength. With lots of tough heroes and LOADS of combat power, these guys are awesome. Sure, they lack spears, but with plenty of good shooting options and fairly cheap units, they are lots of fun for new players to use.

But they only have a 5" move and they don't have any cavalry options. This is a problem, since most scenarios require you to get somewhere. Enter the Dwarf King - one of the few F6 generic heroes who has Heroic March and 2 Might points. While only slightly more expensive than a Dwarf Captain, the Dwarf King not only gets +1 Fight and +1 Courage, he also gets +1 Will, +3 models he can lead (a recent errata made him a Hero of Valor), and Heroic Resolve (which we covered last time - honestly he's probably not calling it unless you REALLY need it). Not a bad value - at least some of that is free!

While I think a Dwarf King is an auto-include in any Khazad-Dum list (fourth-fiddle in a Kingdom of Moria list, since Balin has March), Khazad-Dum has plenty of archery options that will allow them to make their opponents come to them in scenarios where you don't have to get somewhere. Between Dwarf Ballistas, Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows, and Dwarf Rangers with normal bows, you will probably have to March in some games, but not in all games. Take that archery away, however, and you get . . .

#4: Captain of Erebor or Grim Hammer Captain (Army of Thror)

The Captain of Erebor saves you 5 points and gives you the ability to shield instead of the ability to bash/use a two-handed weapon, and throwing axes. Personally, I like the Grim Hammer Captains, but that's probably because of my irrational love for throwing weapons. :-) Captains of Erebor with shields seem to be everyone else's favorite choice, so I've given them first billet here.

The Army of Thror has fewer choices than Khazad-Dum, but they get spears in trade for bows/siege engines. This means no matter what scenario you're playing, you probably have to get to your opponent. While Grim Hammers have throwing axes, basically all of your damage has to be done in combat - and that means Marching. Even more so than Khazad-Dum players, you need to get that 5" move going faster - and that means that a generic hero with March is the second model you include in your army (right after Thror).

#3: Peregrin or Meriadoc, Captains of the Shire (Shire, but particularly the Defenders of the Shire LL)

If there are models that need speed more than Dwarves, it's Hobbits: while Dwarves tend to be above-average in their Defense, Hobbits are D3 - everything can kill Hobbits reasonably well. Prior to the release of the Scouring of the Shire supplement, your access to March was limited to Merry and Pippin in their boosted forms (each of which has 2 Might points). Whichever hero you use, you can start Marching your army up quickly (by Hobbit standards - nearly doubling your movement and going only slightly faster than a man-sized model's normal move) for several turns.

The Scouring of the Shire introduced two new heroes - Holfoot Bracegirdle and Robin Smallburrow - each of whom has 1 Might point and access to March. The cool thing about these heroes is that they can be included in normal Shire lists that field Gandalf the Grey (who denies you access to Merry and Pippin). So if you pair Gandalf, Holfoot, and Robin with Tom Bombadil, you can March for quite a long time (which is awesome). If you don't like Tom, then go with the Defenders of the Shire LL where you have to take Merry and Pippin.

So why didn't 4" move Hobbits take the gold today? Because you might be able to March for free with . . .

#2: Braga, Captain of the Guard when within 6" of the Master of Lake-town (Army of Lake-town)

Braga has no model yet, so do a head-swap with a bare-headed Theoden model from your Battle for Pelennor Fields box set and a normal Lake-town Guard and you're good to go. :-) Braga can call heroic actions within 6" of the Master of Lake-town and roll a D6. If he gets a 4+, the heroic action is free. This means that, for many turns, you'll be spending about half of the Might points you otherwise would. While you could get extra Might from Alfrid (maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea in Storm the Camp or Reconnoitre), I thing the base 3 Might from Braga should be enough to get your army going. 

Pairing Braga's potentially-free-Marches with generic Lake-town Captains, and you've got a fast-moving all-infantry army. You are also Historical Allies with Thorin's Company, so all of their heroes might have March as well - and frankly, I think if you've filled the Master's warband, Alfrid's warband, and Braga's warband (42 models), I think you want to turn to Thorin's Company instead of "just getting more Lake-town guys" - you don't have any killing heroes and while your troops can be F4, the C2 will make it hard for you to engage Terror armies. Sure, you can have lots of bowmen pumping archery into most Terror armies, but still . . .

So who takes #1? We welcome back into the spotlight . . .

#1: Aragorn (lots of lists, but specifically the Fellowship)

Yes, Aragorn's the only hero with actually-free-guaranteed Heroic Marches. Yes, any Aragorn with give this to you - but the Fellowship tends to need it more than the rest. I was tempted to put the Men of the West Legendary Legion here (or even the Rangers), but the fact is most lists with Aragorn will have more than 10 models (some of which will be mounted) and while the Rangers could all be on foot, everyone who can come with Aragorn has a horse as an option - so you don't NEED the speed as much.

In the Fellowship, you can get horses for Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gandalf, and Arwen (plus Bill is pretty fast), but if you've included any Hobbits or Gimli, you're calling March - you can't leave them behind! Since the mounted versions of the Fellowship are pretty expensive or not available (Boromir is elusive, the rest can be bought for $50+) AND because you are so pressed for points, getting mounts for everyone is unlikely. As such, you're probably doing the thematic-and-economical thing and going it on foot - and THAT is not going to be easy. Unless . . . you March . . . for free . . . every turn. :-)

Note: I know what some people are saying - "WHERE'S GAMLING!" I know, I left him off the list. Yes, his banner regrows Might points, so late in the game, you can have free Marches. I have found, however, that Marches with Rohan tend to be used early in the game (if at all) and you instead rely on regrowing Might on your power heroes so they can Strike late in the game (or calling the all-important heroic Move). As such, I've left Gamling off this list (also, he's more often than not in a cavalry force, so how much do they really need it?). Call me crazy if you want . . .

Heroic March

March is my favorite specialized Heroic Action - no doubt influenced by my love for both Khazad-Dum and Moria (and the Fellowship). Getting places is also really important, so anything that helps you get there is important too. 

In our next post, we turn from what many people hold to be one of the most important heroic actions to one of the least loved heroic actions: Heroic Challenge. Since models can only call one Heroic Action each phase, the question very quickly becomes, "so what happens if I challenge a big hero and he calls a Strike against me? Am I just feeding him D3 Might?" Heroic Challenge is certainly hard to pull off well, but there are certain heroes who do it really well - and we'll be looking at them next week. Prepare to be amazed - until next time, happy hobbying!