The Bare Necessities, Part XXXVI: The Iron Hills

Good morning gamers,

We've already looked at the Iron Hills a little when we reviewed the Army of Thror - they make great allies for basically anyone in the Armies of the Hobbit book (Historical allies with the Army of Thror, the Halls of Thranduil, and the Survivors of Lake-town; Convenient allies with everyone else). With D7 infantry that can be D8 in shieldwall, D6 infantry who can wield either crossbows or two-handed pick-hammers, D6 cavalry that can knock enemy models over BEFORE fighting, chariots that deal three S6 impact hits, and those nasty ballistas that can deny enemy archery. While the list doesn't have a lot of hero options, the heroes it DOES have are very good. So where do we begin when looking to build a balanced list with this army? Well, we should probably begin with this guy . . .

Photo Credit: Rebloggy.com

The Iron Hills: What Do You Leave At Home (And What Can You NOT Leave At Home)?

All pure Iron Hills lists begin with Dain Ironfoot - and in most cases, he will be mounted on his war boar (though an article from Dwarf aficionado Ali King indicates that may not be necessary). Regardless of whether you have a pure Iron Hills army or a Historical Alliance, the addition of Master of Battle (4+) is great for Dain - so unless you're bringing a bigger hero than Dain (not many are), you probably want Dain in your army. For 160 points when mounted, he's expensive for a Hero of Legend, but not as expensive as two Heroes of Fortitude, so you won't suffer too much from bringing him.

With the exception of the mattocks (unfortunate, since they look really cool), all of the gear options for Iron Hills Warriors are amazing - shields by default, the option to trade the shield for a crossbow, a banner on anyone (maybe two banners?), and spears for shield-carrying or crossbow-carrying Dwarves is good. These infantry models form a good core for any army - and make a great anvil for this force in particular. Adding a few Goat Riders to support this army gives you slightly more speed (especially if you March them) - not necessary en masse, but a very dangerous pocket of power.

I don't think you leave home without a good block of infantry and some Goat Riders. The question becomes whether the siege weapons are important to your strategy. On the one hand, bringing a ballista can force almost any shooting army to come to you and engage you in melee (exactly what you want with your block of Dwarf heavy infantry), but similarly, ballista require you to be in a particular place (giving you less deployment flexibility and very little maneuvering once you've deployed). Sure, some scenarios may not require you to move, but if you need to get somewhere, a ballista could be a liability.

The Iron Hills Chariots are very expensive - and while they can do lots of damage, I'm not sure how useful they are without someone like Gandalf the Grey to knock everyone who has engaged the chariot over with a Sorcerous Blast. Chariots are even more expensive when equipped on an Iron Hills Captain (or in an Erebor Reclaimed list with the Champions of Erebor on it). They're powerful, but oh so very expensive. I know people like these things, but I just don't see them fitting in our list today - they cost too much.

Without further ado, let's look and see what we're doing with the Iron Hills in a balanced list . . .

The List

• Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills on War Boar
• 5 Iron Hills Dwarves
• 4 Iron Hills Dwarves with spears
• 1 Iron Hills Dwarf with spear and banner
• 2 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows
• 1 Iron Hills Goat Rider
• Iron Hills Captain on War Goat
• 2 Iron Hills Dwarves
• 2 Iron Hills Dwarves with spears
• 3 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows
• 3 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows and spears
• 1 Iron Hills Goat Rider
• Iron Hills Veteran with Iron Hills Ballista
• 3 Iron Hills Ballista Crew

30 models, 8 crossbows hitting on a 4+ AND 1 ballista hitting on a 4+ (rerolling 1s), 30 D6+ models, 4 cavalry, 6 Might points

The purchases required to get these units are as follows:

• You need to get Dain ($66) - the ForgeWorld model is incredibly nice but very pricey;
  
• We will need two packs of Iron Hills Warriors ($132) - we need 14 Iron Hills Warriors for the basic infantry (converting 7 to have swords instead of spears and 1 needs a banner), though we'll also need three others to be dismounts (two without shields) for the Goat Riders and the Captain;
• We need three packs of crossbows ($99) - we have 8 crossbowmen in this list, three of which need spears (you have some left over from the spearmen);
• We need one pack of Goat Riders ($73, two for normal Goat Riders, one for the Captain), one of which needs a shield (borrowed from an Iron Hills Dwarves we made for a Goat Rider dismount); and
• We need one Iron Hills Ballista ($83).

This is very expensive - about $450 - and that's roughly twice as much as most armies you'll buy at this points level. Iron Hills has a reputation for being expensive - and there are cheaper ways we could do this, but I think this gives you all of the toolkit options you could want from this army. Let's look at what everything does.

Warband #1: Dain's Anvil

Dain has an anvil of 10 Iron Hills Dwarves in a two-rank, five-file battle line (banner in the middle, of course). Dain and a friendly Goat Rider protect one flank, while two Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows can guard the other flank (or be left behind at an objective). Dain has incredible hitting power and his Dwarves can keep Dain out of trouble. This bubble will be Fearless too, so you don't have to worry about charging terrifying armies with it (or the forces near him melting away if you're broken). I will add that Dain has 3 Might and March, so if you NEED him to move his force quickly, you can do that (and not have to rely on your Captain to be nearby).

Warband #2: The Marching Anvil

The Iron Hills Captain ranked really well in my evaluation of the best slayers for the Forces of Good - and he's really good at killing things. With Master of Battle (5+), this guy can threaten to counter-call Heroic Moves/Combats for free - and can potentially counter-call Heroic Strikes as well (even though he doesn't have it). He leads a "4s formation" of melee troops and a small battle line of crossbows to protect your ballista (or hold a contestable objective). He also has a token Goat Rider attendant to help him hit harder on the flanks.

Warband #3: The Ballista
Ah, the ballista. I've played against this thing with my Lothlorien Wood Elves and didn't enjoy it very much. But only once - and that's all it took for me to know that this is a thing I worry about (might have something to do with my love for shooting - especially throwing weapons). While it's true that a ballista can only shoot in one place at a time, the impact of not being able to shoot across its line of fire can be a HUGE boon. This also provides 3 warriors who don't have shooting attacks, which means you can have more crossbows than you'd think (which can provide yet another dangerous threat from a distance).

Scenario Overview

This list has small, powerful warbands - let's see how it does in each scenario:

• Domination: Park your ballista on an objective (since you get to place a few of them, place them as to close to 6" to the table edge as possible). Use Dain's warband to escort the Captain's warband towards the center of the map, parking crossbows on the center while Dain and the Captain figure out where they and the Dwarf shieldwall are needed. Use the ballista and crossbows to pummel objectives you don't want to have to take (keeping the Goat Riders ready to support the ballista should they be needed).
• Capture and Control: Dain and the Captain start on the centerline, while the ballista starts on the rear objective. Your Captain's crossbows should probably focus on clearing/holding a side objective, while Dain gets locked in near the middle to hold the center objective. The Captain and the Goat Riders should be supporting the middle, ready to retreat to aid the ballista where necessary. The enemy's rear objective will be the target of your ballista - firing down the middle of the map with volley fire should mean that your crossbows can't shoot across the map, so make sure your mounted troops are supporting on the opposite side (or you could deny your crossbows their shots).
• Hold Ground: Maelstrom would normally be a problem for a siege weapon army, but not this one: thanks to your army bonus, you've got a 67% chance of placing your units on a board edge, so make sure the ballista is placed near a corner (ideally one with a good line of sight to the central objective). Dain comes on first so you know where he is for the Captain to March. Only one warband needs to be near the ballista - only spend Might on the other warband appearing near the group if you have to.
• Seize the Prize: Your ballista should be lined up looking at the center. On either side should be your crossbows, ready to fire into the middle and still having shots, regardless of whether the ballista scatters to the right or left (since it can cut off your firing lanes if you clump all together). The Captain should call a March on the first turn, moving your infantry block towards the center (not directly towards, or your crossbows will lose their firing lanes), with Dain and the Goat Riders riding ahead of the group (not too far ahead and not in front of your crossbows). After the first turn of moving, your infantry should surge ahead for the objective to hold it, while Dain, the Captain, and the Goat Riders race for the center to screen the objective. Ideally, you'll have an Iron Hills Dwarf dig up the Prize and hand it off to Dain (who can then March his way to the enemy's board edge, denying himself the ability to charge his enemies).
• To The Death: Sit in the back, shoot the enemy, keep that battle line tight near the ballista. Apologizing in advance for the awful game that is about to ensue might be nice (unless Smaug comes). :)
• Lords of Battle: Once again, sit in the back, shoot the enemy, keep that battle line tight near the ballista. You're going to get kills in, your opponent is not going to get as many, apologize in advance if you like (unless Smaug comes). :)
• Contest of Champions: Dain needs to be near the center - so flank him with his anvil on one side and the Captain's warband on the other side. Your ballista is going to be hard to use in this scenario, since the battle lines are going to be close together - but you are denying the enemy army leader access to 4 D6 models (unless he can fly). Your goal here is to get Dain locked in with the enemy warriors as quickly as possible - but if you get a look at the enemy army leader, attacking him with Dain isn't a horrible plan. Remember that if you tie up the enemy army leader for a long time, he won't be getting kills either - so if you break his army and aren't broken yourself, you can win. Just don't let Dain die, yeah? :-)
• Reconnoitre: You have two fast warbands, +1 to your arrival rolls, and a ballista to force your opponent to come towards you. You have almost enough infantry for the Thin Red Line strategy we laid out in the first post of our List Building series, so do that (it will also mean your Dwarves will die, which can be really good in this scenario). Dain and the mounted models should March your infantry towards the middle so you can meet the enemy early, but then group together and make a dash for it later in the game - punching a hole through the enemy's line and racing for the board edge as quickly as possible. Don't be afraid to charge two models with each of your infantry - most of your troops are D8, so they're not worried about being wounded (and if they do get wounded, you're that much closer to being quartered). Your ballista should prioritize enemy cavalry models early in the game, then whoever can score after they break through your line. Crossbows can help with catching escaping models (and keeping enemy models away from your cavalry).
• Storm the Camp: Pound the enemy camp with your ballista (which should be in your camp). Goat Riders are great for claiming an unguarded camp, so let them do their thing while the Captain and Dain assist the anvil in tying down the enemy in the center of the map. Your crossbows should provide a line of defense against enemy models trying to get into your camp, though they probably won't be able to race back to the camp to assist in time if your opponent has fast models.
• Heirlooms of Ages Past: Place the ballista near a marker at the start of the game and touch it on the first turn. Have Dain deploy first, getting near the ballista if you can (you have a really good chance of it, though). Once again, you don't need your Captain to come down in the same place - his warband can hold its own if caught away from the group (and can test a few more objective markers that are farther away). If you get the Heirloom, hide it (ideally near the ballista). Turtle up as best you can and protect it (just make sure you're holding it when the game ends).
• Fog of War: Well, you're protecting your Siege Veteran (so you can go crazy with your two mounted models). Use the crossbows to protect the ballista to ensure that the enemy is forced to come to you and engage your melee troops. Choose a hero to kill with 0-1 Fate - you have a ballista after all, so being able to kill the guy quickly is the key (and an auto-kill from a direct hit from the ballista is not THAT hard to get if you're willing to spend Might). Breaking you will be hard if you stay together, so stay together. The only "hard" part to this scenario is what piece of terrain you want to take. Personally, I think you might do well to pick something near the center of the map, where you can have your shieldwall park on it and defend it to the death (supported by Dain, the Captain, and the Goats). Alternatively, you could pick something far away and have the Captain and the Goat Riders go there, all the while talking up how badly your ballista is going to tear through the enemy ranks so the goats get ignored.
• Clash By Moonlight: Um . . . your ballista will not be as good in this scenario (though it will hit on a 6 from the start of the game, so maybe you'll get lucky?). Your crossbows will not be that good either. The good news is that most of your models will be D8, which most shooting weapons don't wound well EVEN with the +1 To Wound bonus. Your army will be tough as nails to fight - so just hold out! Then, when your opponent gets within 12" of you, you pummel them - HARD - with all that shooting. Dain and the Captain go "boaring" and "ramming" into the enemy, focusing on taking down enemy heroes. This won't be your favorite mission, but I don't think it'll be a bad one for you.

Modifications

There are lots of modifications you could make with this army - some of which are more competitive than others:

• No Ballista, No Captain - While the ballista can be great for board control, if you know that Maelstrom could be in your tournament, you may want to not bring one (though with your army bonus, you are more likely to show up where you want to be). If you want to avoid concerns about where you arrive, it's best to pack in your warriors into two warbands - and this list does just that, turning to Murin and Drar to supplement Dain (instead of running two Captains). With maximum warbands, we have slightly more models (though I'm not convinced it's a better list). It will be cheaper to acquire though (no ballista, just need to get Murin and Drar). This list is also pretty similar to a 700-point list that Ali King mentions in the post I highlighted earlier.
• Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills on War Boar [ARMY LEADER]
• 6 Iron Hills Dwarves
• 5 Iron Hills Dwarves with spears
• 1 Iron Hills Dwarf with spear and banner
• 3 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows
• 3 Iron Hills Goat Riders
• Murin
• Drar
• 2 Iron Hills Dwarves
• 2 Iron Hills Dwarves with spears
• 3 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows
• 3 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows and spears
• 1 Iron Hills Goat Rider
• Ally with the Army of Thror - The Army of Thror is historical allies with the Iron Hills and provides comparably costed F4/S4 infantry with throwing weapons (which can be brutal when backed by Iron Hills spearmen). This list includes a few Warriors of Erebor with shields and spears (budget Iron Hills Dwarves) in case you don't deploy next to each other but otherwise relies on the Iron Hills contingent to do most of the supporting. With 5 crossbows and 13 throwing axes, this army can pack a punch in melee.
• Thror [ARMY LEADER]
• 3 Warriors of Erebor with shields and spears
• 13 Guardians of the King
• Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills on War Boar
• 6 Iron Hills Dwarves with spears
• 1 Iron Hills Dwarf with spear and banner
• 5 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows and spears
• 3 Iron Hills Goat Riders
• Run the Battle of Five Armies - While the Iron Hills can certainly play front-and-center for your army, it can also play second fiddle to other armies. With a D6-8 front line, these Dwarves provide great cover for more vulnerable units - like F5 Elves with +1 To Wound. Enter an alliance with Thranduil and a bunch of Mirkwood Elves with Elven Glaives (D5 isn't great, but when you're behind an Iron Hills front line, you don't have to be tough). We've left Dain at home and brought an Iron Hills Captain (not nearly as good, but a good hero none the less) and have 11 Iron Hills Dwarves to form the front line in front of 11 Elves with Glaives (4 crossbows and 4 Elf bows as well). Supporting these two contingents is a Lake-town Militia Captain and 9 Lake-town Militia (forming a 2x5 battle line if you want it) and giving you access to yet-another-March hero (gives you options for Heroic Moves with the Iron Hills Captain - which may be free with Master of Battle). With 36 models at 700 points, you have a decent size (though you're predominantly average Defense) - but you've got LOTS of combat power:
• Iron Hills Captain on War Goat
• 7 Iron Hills Dwarves with shields
• 4 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows
• 1 Iron Hills Goat Rider
• Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm on Elk with Elf bow, extra sword, Circlet of Kings, and heavy armor (aka, everything) [ARMY LEADER]
• 6 Mirkwood Elves with Elven Glaives
• 1 Mirkwood Elf with Elven Glaive and banner
• 4 Mirkwood Elves with Elven Glaives and Elf bows
• 1 Mirkwood Cavalry with shield
• Lake-town Militia Captain with shield
• 4 Lake-town Militia with shields
• 2 Lake-town Militia with spear and shield
• 3 Lake-town Militia with bows and spears

That's it for the Iron Hills - I didn't talk once about chariots in this list (don't need 'em in my opinion). :) Rythbryt probably has tons to say about this, but I'm feeling pretty good about their treatment today. In our next post, we'll go into a Forces of Evil faction that needs no introduction: Goblin-town. Deemed one of the most competitive armies in the game (despite not having access to banners, fast troops, or ways of buffing its own models), Goblin-town defeats its enemies in only one way: throwing SO many models at the enemy that they can't possibly win. With all of the ways to build a Goblin-town list, can you (or SHOULD you) build a list that ticks all the list building checkboxes? Will it be any good? Find out next time - until then, happy hobbying!