The Bare Necessities, Part XLIII: Radagast's Alliance

Good morning gamers,

We recently looked at both the Misty Mountains and Fangorn factions and today we wrap up the last of the Good all-monster armies (and the last of the participants in the Battle of Five Armies): Radagast's Alliance. Shockingly, this army isn't historical allies with the forces that were at the Battle of Five Armies - maybe because allying in Gwaihir historically into these armies would be broken, maybe because they didn't "officially" work with Erebor, Dale, or the Halls of Thranduil but arrived as an "enemy of my enemy." If you thought, though, that this army would just be a repeat of the discussion on the Misty Mountains, think again (well, sort of).

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Radagast's Alliance: More Than Just Eagles

The Misty Mountains faction is historical allies with a few factions (the Fellowship, Thorin's Company, and Radagast's Alliance) and convenient allies with everyone else in the game. This makes dropping a model like Gwaihir easy for virtually every army in the game (armies like the Fiefdoms or the Rangers probably want to keep their army bonuses, which is the only reason you'd want to forego allying in a F8/S6, nigh-unkillable-without-a-lot-of-effort monster into your force).

Radagast's Alliance may have the same lineup of models (and adds two more), but it doesn't have the same alliance structure. Instead, it can only ally with the Misty Mountains historically and can conveniently ally with the Elven factions (Rivendell, Lothlorien, and the Halls of Thranduil), a few all-hero/monster factions (Thorin's Company, Fangorn, the Wanderers in the Wild, the White Council, and the Rangers oddly enough), the men from the Armies of the Hobbit (the Army of Lake-town, the Survivors of Lake-town, and also oddly the Garrison of Dale), and some of the Dwarves from the Battle of Five Armies (the Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed). So basically . . . you gotta be from the Armies of the Hobbit (or Fangorn or the Rangers - who, as I've already said, probably don't want your help).

That's really limited as a set - and when looking for a balanced list to feature these guys, you have very few options that have a) actual banners (Elves, Dwarves, and Dale), b) fast troops besides Radagast's Alliance itself (Elves and Dwarves), and 30+ models (not the all-hero/monster lists). That made picking our list for today incredibly difficult.

And yet, the biggest question about this list is this: what kind of big hero (or maybe two) do you want to add to another faction to deepen its bench? Some of the factions listed above have a good selection of beater heroes (most notably Rivendell and Erebor Reclaimed, arguable case for Thorin's Company, the Iron Hills, and the Halls of Thranduil), but wouldn't mind having a F8 monster hero (or F7 monster warrior) to back up a hero or two of their own if they have the points for it.

When it comes down to it, this faction becomes more than just "another army of Eagles" - it gives you options. Not only do you have the ability to "just get Gwaihir," but you can also add in heroes like Beorn (who might be the most dangerous model against a single hero in the game) and Radagast (who has several tricks for shutting down heroes brought by your opponent - and can be dangerous in combat if he's equipped properly). While I could have talked about a faction that ran a handful of monster models, I felt like the list below showcases something this faction does well: gives you a better killing hero than what you have in your own list. To see how this works, let's look at today's list:

The List

• Gwaihir
  
• CONVENIENT ALLY: Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain with War Goat [ARMY LEADER]
  
• 4 Iron Hills Dwarves
• 3 Iron Hills Dwarves with spears
• 1 Iron Hills Dwarf with spear and banner
  
• 4 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows
• 2 Iron Hills Goat Riders
  
• CONVENIENT ALLY: Bifur the Dwarf, Champion of Erebor
• 4 Iron Hills Dwarves
• 4 Iron Hills Dwarves with spears
• 2 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows
• 2 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows and spears
  

30 models, 9 crossbows hitting on a 4+, 30 D6+ models, 3 cavalry + 1 flier, 8 Might points

The purchases required to get these units are as follows:

• The Champions of Erebor
  
• 2 boxes of Iron Hills Dwarves
• 3 boxes of Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows
  
• 1 box of Iron Hills Goat Riders (you'll have the dismounts required from your Iron Hills Dwarf blisters - though you'll have to get creative with the mounted Thorin model)
• 1 box of Eagles (or the Character Series of Gwaihir)
  

Iron Hills ain't cheap and this is certainly not cheap.  However, it will prepare you play at all kinds of points levels with Erebor Reclaimed, not just this army. Let's see what our warbands are doing for us.

Warband #1: The Eagle

So let's get this out of the way from the get-go: we could have spent 50-55 points more to get Beorn or Radagast the Brown with Sebastian on an Eagle or a sleigh. Both would have been great options and I'll admit that there's no reason why the list we're viewing today couldn't showcase the Misty Mountains instead of Radagast's Alliance. If you run Beorn - which I originally leaned towards since he's exclusive to Radagast's Alliance - you would have to save money by downgrading Thorin to Balin (and as I've written about before, I think this version of Balin is horrible unless he's on the chariot) OR have to run fewer than 30 models (and probably with less than 4 fast troops or a banner or both).

While we could have jumped at Radagast mounted on something (or on foot), there's a reason people love Gwaihir - he's pretty cheap, he has great maneuverability, he's resilient, and he's F8 (making models like Azog and Bolg work to get a higher Fight Value). He's great, he's dangerous - what more can we say. Radagast could be placed as an infantry model in this army without any changes (something I considered as well), in which case he can make those Iron Hills Dwarves cause Terror AND knock over their opponents with Nature's Wrath/Panic Steed AND do the healing/hexing thing with Renew or Transfix. No matter how you cut it, he'd be pretty useful. But . . . he wouldn't be killing anything - and if you're going to be allied into Erebor Reclaimed, you're competing with a lot of good options if you're not killing anything.

In Erebor Reclaimed, you have six big heroes (3 Attacks and 2-3 Wounds): Dain (more expensive on his pig than Gwaihir), Thorin (15pts cheaper than Gwaihir when fully kitted out), Dwalin (25pts cheaper than Gwaihir), Gloin (60pts cheaper than Gwaihir), Nori (70pts cheaper than Gwaihir), and Dori (75pts cheaper than Gwaihir). One might think that picking any one of the expensive three or any two of the cheaper three might be the better choice, but Gwaihir is far more maneuverable than any of these guys (the cheaper half can't get mounts of any kind, the expensive ones have 8" move mounts), he has Heroic Defense if you run up against something big (Dori and Dain have it), he's base F8 (everyone else is F5/F6 and so will have to Strike with their 2-3 Might points to get that high - and Dori can't Strike at all), and he knocks everything that is S5 or below Prone when he charges (which you can do with the goats, but not with the other things). The S6 is good, but most of these guys are S5 with +1 To Wound and no penalty (Dain, Dwalin, Gloin with Piercing Strike) OR are S4 with +1 To Wound/a reroll (Thorin has the 2H penalty with Orcrist, Dori doesn't have the 2H penalty, Nori gets a reroll). All good heroes, but Gwaihir gives you more options. So we've chosen him.

Warband #2: The King

Thorin is squishier than Gwaihir as an army leader, but this frees up Gwaihir to be a grenade. If you want Gwaihir to be your army leader, ally him in from the Misty Mountains. Otherwise, use Thorin. I am saddened that I didn't have enough points for Orcrist (you CAN get it if you downgrade Bifur to Ori or if you downgrade Bifur to Bombur and drop 5 spears, but I didn't feel like either of these were worth doing). Still, on his goat, the King Under the Mountain is a devastating adversary. With a free Heroic Combat each turn, he can churn through troops (especially if there's a banner nearby) while Gwaihir hunts the big heroes.

Supporting him is a small brick of Iron Hills Dwarves and a group of crossbows that can anchor the line (or hold objectives). You also have two Goat Riders to escort Thorin as he charges across the field. You have a few warrior slots remaining, so if you wanted to slide some more warriors into this warband, you could do that.

Warband #3: Moving First

Given that we needed either Thorin, Dain, Balin, or Dwalin to lead this allied contingent, we knew getting one of the more expensive heroes was out of the question (as were Eagles). So, instead of doing that, we took a hero who can give us something really valuable: free Heroic Moves. We talked about Bifur last time - and this bears repeating: if you're getting free Might to call Heroic Moves, you can get your heroes charging on the turns you want to (OR force your opponent to burn not-free resources on counter-calling your Heroic Moves). Either way, for 65 points, Bifur is a great bargain. If only he had Heroic March . . .

With him is another block of Dwarves - eight melee infantry models to surround Bifur and work with him to smash whatever you face and 4 crossbows to hold objectives and pluck a model here and there. With some of the most resilient models in the game supporting him, this warband can do an incredible amount of damage.

Scenario Overview

Okay - let's see how this list approaches each scenario from the main rulebook.

• Domination: We have 16 Iron Hills Dwarves with shields and 9 Iron Hills Dwarves with crossbows - we can spread out a few onto each objective as we charge, relying on Thorin and Gwaihir to hop from objective to objective and thin the enemy numbers. We have two Iron Hills Goat Riders to support our objective control as well - focus on placing objectives close together.
  
• Capture and Control: Our 16 Iron Hills Dwarves should form a solid line on the center line, with Thorin ready to race around one side and Gwaihir ready to fly over the other side. The crossbows should focus on holding the side and rear objectives, supported by your cavalry/fliers as needed. If you can drive your opponents away from the middle line, you're in good shape.
  
• Hold Ground: Gwaihir deploys last - you want him supporting Bifur's squad (since it's small and vulnerable). If you deploy first, move as quickly as you can with your cavalry to get to the center, using your shieldwall to back towards the center as well as you can. If you need to slow down your opponent, you can use your shieldwall to stall while your crossbows leg it. If your opponent doesn't deploy close to you, use your crossbows to whittle them down as best you can.
  
• Seize the Prize: Gwaihir is probably one of the best models in the game for this mission - as a flying Infantry model that is plenty resilient (and can knock over anyone who beats him to the center), your job is to slam him into anyone that tries to hold the center against you. With crossbows to cover his flanks, goats to close the gap behind him, and shieldwalls to funnel the enemy towards your crossbows and cavalry, race to the center as quickly as you can and don't stop pressing your opponent.
  
• To The Death: You're deploying near the back and relying on your crossbows to do their work. When your opponent does arrive, you've got Gwaihir, Thorin, and a host of heavily-armored Dwarves to smash through them. Keep your banner alive (I recommend a Schiltron formation to protect it from archery) while your opponent comes to you and then form up to attack when they arrive.
  
• Lords of Battle: Well . . . you've got really high Defense, lots of killing power, and high-power archery. Stand back and force your opponent to come to you - then commit with everything and smash away. Hurls from Gwaihir are your friend - not only because they can help your warriors kill prone models better on the following turn (especially if Bifur is getting free Heroic Moves), but because you can rack up the kills with Gwaihir faster.
  
• Contest of Champions: You've got Thorin as your army leader, so charge him into warriors as quickly as possible and get those free Heroic Combats working for you. Gwaihir should focus on tackling the enemy army leader as quickly as possible, but even a "lowly" Iron Hills Dwarf can be a pain for some enemy army leaders to deal with. Use your warriors to keep the flack off of Thorin and get some supporting kills to get the game to end, denying your opponent the time he needs to get kills with his army leader.
  
• Reconnoitre: You have four fast units - and if you can get them off the board, that's great. Honestly, though, without March, you're unlikely to get them off, so use Thorin to slingshot your models towards the board edge from his Heroic Combats (specifically him and his Goat Rider escorts). Gwaihir can flap off the board too, but will probably be needed to do other things (like harass your opponent's models and drive them towards your crossbows/shieldwall).
  
• Storm the Camp: Gwaihir can get into the enemy camp and make a mess of things - sending him straight there will probably cause a ruckus, giving your infantry time to form up in the center. Thorin should support the main line, with the crossbows and Goat Riders providing coverage for your camp. While you want Gwaihir to make it to the camp, don't be reckless with him - Heroic Defense will be his greatest asset if he gets rushed, but don't throw him away whatever you do!
  
• Heirlooms of Ages Past: Once again, Gwaihir is a great asset in this mission. Because you have a 12" Fly monster on your team, place your objectives nearer to the center of the board, denying your opponent the chance to pick the Heirloom up. If you get the Heirloom, hide it away behind your battleline. If you don't get it, you can use Gwaihir to drive the heirloom towards your battle line OR holding up the heirloom from traveling until your infantry arrive.
  
• Fog of War: Let's get this out of the way fast: you're protecting Gwaihir (though you COULD choose to protect Bifur and just keep him out of the action - D8 with 2 Wounds/1 Fate is hard to shoot down). Pick a hero that you can shoot or smash with Thorin or Gwaihir (though be careful if you use Gwaihir - don't want to give up points). Your terrain piece should probably not be a wooded terrain piece, as Gwaihir can't effectively get in or out of it (hopping, no flying). Instead, look for a rocky terrain piece if you can, as your Goat Riders will be able to traverse it without penalty. If you want, though, you can pick something in the center of the board that can be held by a large block of crossbows and shields. Your choice.
  
• Clash By Moonlight: A crossbow's paradise, force your opponent to close with you quickly with your crossbows (S4 with +1 To Wound once the enemy is within 12"). While you are generally resilient to ranged damage, you are less resilient in this mission - so evaluate whether your opponent has the means of drawing you to him or if he has to come to you. If you are free to sit back and shoot, do so. Otherwise, rush and hope. Keep Bifur safe (and Thorin) - both are vulnerable in this mission!
  

Modifications

Given your alliance restrictions, there aren't as many ways to run Radagast's Alliance as there are to run the Misty Mountains, but here are a few other ways you can run Radgast's Alliance that don't check all the boxes we use for this series:

• Ally with the Army of Lake-town – If you're okay leaving the banner requirement and running 3 fast troops instead of 4, you can run the following list by allying in the Master and Braga from the Army of Lake-town with a host of Lake-town Guard to support them. The list has a banner rule from the Master, but no bonus points in scenarios for having an actual one. I've also included Radagast on his Eagle with Sebastian for one of our fast models, but since you're running Gwaihir, you could swap Radagast with 2 Eagles and 1 more Lake-town Guard if you're okay not having the Might (that would get you to 32 models and 4 fliers, for what it's worth - but it would also be just as much a Misty Mountains army as it would be a Radagast's Alliance list). Radagast haters could replace Radagast with Beorn and 1 Lake-town Guard if desired.
  
• Radagast the Brown on Great Eagle with Sebastian [ARMY LEADER]
• Gwaihir
• 1 Great Eagle
• The Master of Lake-town
• 9 Lake-town Guards
• 5 Lake-town Guards with spears and bows
  
• Braga, Captain of the Guard
• 5 Lake-town Guards
• 2 Lake-town Guards with spears
• 4 Lake-town Guards with spears and bows
  
• Ally with Thorin's Company – Radagast's Alliance doesn't have any historical allies besides the Misty Mountains (which you would only do if you wanted Gwaihir to be a Hero of Legend - probably so he can be your army leader). If you're looking for a convenient ally, you're limited to the Armies of the Hobbit book, Lothlorien, and the Rangers (who, as we have said several times already, want their army bonus). Since Radagast's Alliance is a fast-moving force, it would be nice if you could find models that are hard-hitting AND fast. The Hobbit book doesn't have a lot of those - but every model in Thorin's Company can take a pony/horse, so they can keep up. The list below is a 6-man force at 700pts with the "big three" from Thorin's Company (Thorin, Dwalin, and Gloin) and Ori (for sitting on objectives/getting you more Might) joining Beorn and Gwaihir. Ori is the only "easy" target in this group - and he's no slouch. No March to get those ponies moving faster, but with 8-12" movement, I don't think you need it.
  
• Beorn
• Gwaihir
  
• CONVENIENT ALLY: Thorin Oakenshield on pony with Orcrist [ARMY LEADER]
• Dwalin the Dwarf on pony
• Gloin the Dwarf on pony
• Ori the Dwarf on pony
  
• Pure Radagast's Alliance - There's something awkward about having a 150pt hero in Gwaihir: if you want to run him (and let's face it, you probably do), you'll need to either run 50pts below your opponent OR leave Gwaihir behind OR skip the gear on Radagast. I don't want to leave Gwaihir behind, so I've provided the following list with Radagast the Brown on foot with nothing extra, Beorn, Gwaihir, and two Eagles. You could drop an Eagle to put Radagast on an Eagle (or on a sleigh with Sebastian - better if you want the magic support and are less interested in another F7 hero) and give him Sebastian for a 45pt handicap, but this looked like a better way to use the points. Radagast has to be your army leader, so consider allying with the Misty Mountains if you want Gwaihir to be your leader instead (Radagast should be easy to keep safe though).
  
• Radagast the Brown [ARMY LEADER]
• 1 Great Eagle
  
• Beorn
• Gwaihir
• 1 Great Eagle
  

With many of the Forces of Good armies reviewed, we turn our attention next week to the faction I hate seeing on the other side of the board the most: the Trolls. You wouldn't think that three big, slow monsters would cause a problem right? While there are certainly ways of dealing with these guys, you normally don't have the resources to deal with them WHILE dealing with whatever else is in their list. And if only two of the brutes come, you probably have a LOT of other things to deal with. So who do you bring along with the Trolls to make a balanced list? Find out next time - until then, happy hobbying!