Revisiting Play Styles Part 6: The Min/Max Playstyle

Courtesy of Bell of Lost Souls - and an army I don't own

Hey Reader!

Welcome back to the blog! Tiberius wrote a blog post recently about list building for beginners, based on a 2015 post I made talking about the seven list building play styles I noticed at the time. Last time we talked about the Toolkit Playstyle, and in today's post we are looking at the sixth playstyle: the Min/Max army.

I.  The Min/Max Playstyle: "Maximum Firepower"

To start off, I think sometimes that "Min/Maxing" gets a bad rap for no good reason. It's kind of like when people say "fan service is bad," when in reality what they actually mean is, "fan service for the sake of fan service without adding anything to the story is bad," and I feel like that applies here too.

The Min/Max Playstyle attempts to get the most power for the most economical cost. It assesses the needs of the list (numbers, mobility, defense, killing power, answers for big heroes, etc.), and then finds the most effective way to meet all of these needs with good, solid math. Min/Max lists are much like a bodybuilder: it's all muscle, no fat. If it can lose weaknesses in the army it will lose them. If it can strengthen or shore up a pitfall it will do that. 

This does not mean, though, that they must use elite/strong individual profiles: you can min/max with some of the weakest profiles in the game. But it uses these weak profiles to great effect: Goblin Town has some of the weakest infantry in the game, but if you have 100 of them and they can all effectively spear support each other, it turns out they can overrun elite troops with bodies to spare (because bodies they will probably lose).

In our gaming group Rythbryt tends to default to this, and rightly so: if you're going to run an army at X points, why not make it as cool and good as it can be? Why not get the cool pairings that are fun to see on the table? And it's a testament to his love for the game and the enjoyment of his opponents that sometimes he will come with a list prepared for testing, runs it, and then say, "I scrapped it because it won't be fun for anyone else, so I've got a new one to try out" next time we meet. Because the Min/Max playstyle can ruin the fun for others at the table, and that's something worth considering before you use this playstyle.

That being said, 1) it's perfectly viable, 2) it's perfectly acceptable as a playstyle, 3) it's a very attractive option, and 4) it might be instinctive for you, and if any or all of these are true of you, keep reading, because as we discuss "maximizing" this playstyle, we'll be talking about how to Min/Max effectively without making your opponent rage quit your local gaming group.

II.  Maximizing the Min/Max Playstyle's Potential

So for starters, it's worth noting that Min/Maxing, unlike other strategies, is highly regional: your local gaming group, and/or the tournaments you travel to are going to dictate what kinds of lists you're going to fight, and thus what kinds of needs you may have. If you play in a region where there's only a dozen or so people that play the game and nobody plays, say, Smaug, congratulations: you don't need to plan for Smaug! Our gaming group was this way until recently...so yeah, that's now a thing...

Similarly different countries and leagues have different rules on alliance matrixes, banned models, etc., so knowing what is available and what is not is integral to Min/Maxing. If you have access to a cost-effective multi-threat model like Galadriel Lady of Light, that's good to know. If you are only going to be playing Good v. Evil, that is good to know (as it means your orcs may not need to have a plan for fighting Smaug, for example).

Once you have the lay of the land, you start crafting the army. Everyone has their own way of doing this, but the critical aspect to the Min/Max style is the refining process. Min/Maxers carefully and lovingly turn the list over and over, making tiny changes in warband placement and unit composition until the balance is as effective and efficient as it can be. Every model is where it is for a reason, much like a good chess opening.

This then leads to tabletop tactics. We talk a lot about placement, movement, and positioning on this blog, and for good reason: it's what turns a good list into a great list. Min/Maxers plan out their deployments sometimes with very precise measurements, as they know exactly how much room they need between warbands, exactly where specific models need to be to score, etc. And as the game progresses, thousands of micro-adaptations have to be made to make the list work against the chaotic mess that is me -- I mean, the unknown actions of the opponent in response to those maneuvers.

I think out of all of the playstyles the Min/Max style is the most taxing: it's constant thoughts about the same lists over and over until you feel sick, but boy howdy do you know your list and what it can do by the time the tournament comes rolling around. And this is part of why I don't mind losing to min/max lists: they take a lot of time to refine, and I like seeing them rewarded for the investment put into them.

III.  Factions to Consider 

Some factions play better with specific playstyles, and for Min/Max that is very true (hint: it's not Sharkey's Rogues, no matter what people tell you - although maybe that's just me saying it? Who knows). And if I wanted to be boring, I'd just say, "Any Dwarf Faction," because dwarves are fantastic value for the points you spend. Need good Fight Value? You got it. Want a good Shoot Value (even on models that don't have ranged weapons)? Here you go - free of charge. Want high Defense to give you a forgiving front line to cover over low duel rolls? Here you are - oh, and here's some nice above-average armor for your archers and back-liners too, just in case someone slips past them. You never really know. Need good Courage, possibly with a reroll, for charging terror models? Say no more.

Sure, some will say, "but Centaur, they only have 5" of movement," and that's an argument, but in my experience that matters far less than the things they get, and in some scenarios it doesn't matter at all (Contest of Champions anyone? Almost any scenario against Goblin Town, Army of Thror, or another faction that lacks cavalry, archery, or both, and the list goes on).

And it's not just that dwarves have good stats: that's not what makes them a good Min/Max force. It's what they pay for those stats. Let's look at three dwarf models and comparable models from other armies. The humble Khazad Dum Dwarf Warrior: for 9 points you can get this guy a shield or a two-handed axe, but we'll go with a shield so that he's a lot like other models at his same cost: the Warrior of Minas Tirith with a shield and spear, and the Uruk-Hai Warrior with shield (who costs +1pt at 10pts). Compared to the Minas Tirith warrior you get -1" of movement (which, as noted above, maybe it matters maybe it doesn't, but there's ample access to March, so it's not as much of a hindrance as you'd think) and you don't have a spear, but what are you getting in exchange for that? F4 (which is great), an axe (so you can go from S3 to S4 when it's convenient for you), D7 all the time (instead of D7 when you can get Shieldwall to work), and reroll all 1s to wound. And if Minas Tirith doesn't have the army bonus (because it's a legion or it's a convenient alliance) then the dwarf warrior is also getting +1 Courage. All for the same cost - oh, and did I mention your heroes are cheaper, so you can have more of these guys in your army? 

Similarly the Uruk-Hai Warrior is paying more points to get +1" of movement (again, might not be an issue), +1 Strength (though the dwarf can Piercing Strike to tie that) and gets -1 Defense, -1 Courage, no reroll 1s to wound, but hey - takes your army longer to test for Courage to flee after breaking, so that's not nothing. For its cost, the Khazad Dum Dwarf Warrior is one of the best line infantry models in the game, assuming you're not facing large amounts of mounted S3 archery (which, since they're all around 20pts/model, it's hard to get large amounts of mounted S3 archery).

Consider the Iron Guard: at 15 points you are on-par for cost with the Uruk-Hai Berserker, one of the other most expensive infantry models in the game and about on-par with a Knight of Minas Tirith (a heavy cavalry model - yeah, we're comparing an infantry model to a cavalry model, so you know this is going to be good). The berserker has the same Fight Value and Strength, except that the Iron Guard can reroll 1s to wound, oh and can take advantage of the 4+ Shoot Value with a throwing weapon (so chance of dealing damage before entering the fight at all). Both have 2 attacks, and while the berserker has a two-handed weapon...maybe I'm the only one that ever uses them? I mostly see people using the dagger because people don't want the -1 to win the fight, so maybe the two-handed weapon doesn't matter here. The big thing is this: the berserker is D5, but becomes D6 when being shot with a ranged attack, whereas the Iron Guard is D6 all the time, and while Courage and movement are on the side of the berserker by a hair, given the choice I'd much rather cover those bases than resilience and damage (as a Shieldbearer will handle Courage and a captain can handle the movement), and in my experience they come up less often as a deciding factor in a game.

Against the Knight of Minas Tirith things are even more interesting! While about the same cost, the Iron Guard is getting F4 all the time (instead of F4 when near Boromir with the banner), S4 all the time rerolling 1s to wound (instead of S3 with a chance at +1 to wound if you charge), a throwing weapon for damage before the combat starts, and 2 attacks all the time (instead of only when on the charge). Now obviously the cavalry model has a movement advantage...unless it's in difficult terrain, in which case they have the same movement. So we have here a dwarf model that holds its own against a very good, well-costed, cavalry model.

One final one which won't take long: Dwarf King (we'll take him with a two-handed axe just because the model has one). For 80 points he's on par with dismounted Hurin and a High Elf Captain with a shield. Against Hurin the dwarf king has +1 Fight (so while Hurin has Strike, the Dwarf King doesn't really need to as he's always at F6, and even if he loses the fight - well, we'll get to that), S4 with the chance to Piercing Strike to S5 and then add +1 to wound with reroll 1s (so effectively always getting the Feint ability that Hurin has to pay Fight Value for, but with a higher Strength when it matters), D8 instead of D6 (so losing a combat or two doesn't really hurt you), and while he has only 2 Might to Hurin's 3, he doesn't have to spend Might nearly as often, and he offers you more Will Points, which is good for resisting magic (something Hurin struggles with if Gandalf doesn't help him out).

Against the High Elf Captain it's even worse. Both of them are F6. Both of them are S4. Both of them are D7 - oh wait! No they're not! The dwarf king has D8 instead of D7 (or D6, if the High Elf Captain wants to two-hand to get the same +1 to wound bonus that the dwarf king has), has reroll 1s to wound, has more Will Points, and the elf has...an elven-made weapon, which is admittedly not nothing, and +1" of movement plus some extra movement in forests. But if the elf wins he's wounding on 5-6s whereas the dwarf can be wounding on 4-5s rerolling 1s. If I'm looking for value, I'm taking the dwarf king.

I use Khazad Dum as an example because the army has been in the books for a very long time: other factions like Iron Hills (who we will talk about next) are newcomers to the game (and Dain has gotten a huge profile update since The Hobbit movies came out), but they also fit the requirements for the same reasons: what you pay is well-costed for a lot of value. So here's some factions that Min/Max very well beyond "just dwarves," though be prepared: dwarves come up a lot.

• Iron Hills: For their points, these guys are great. F4 S4 D6-8 is very solid, and when coupled with siege weapons, crossbows, and good cavalry these guys are hard to beat. Add on access to powerful 3 Attack 3 Might heroes, and you've got a recipe for success. Sure, you're not the best at shooting (you're not bad either), but if you have chariots running people over sporting tons of attacks and trample damage, do you need shooting?
• Serpent Horde: The sheer amount of poisoned attacks you can do within range of the Betrayer is insane with this army, and since you can combine this with strong cavalry options, monsters, and mumakil all buoyed by very cheap infantry models, you can get incredible killing potential even against D6+ troops for low cost. Sure, you're D4 with no access to shields or heavy armor (other than your wraiths, naturally), but between alliances that give you access to good archery protection and heavily armored warriors, even that's not a real disadvantage. You can get the sun, moon, and stars plus a very potent "Gun Line" with Serpent Horde for very little points.
• Khazad Dum: Do you know what's better than the F4 S4 D6-8 on Iron Hills? F4 S3 with an axe (for S4 when it matters) D6-9 with reroll 1s to wound. Oh, and did we mention that they are the same cost if not cheaper? Sure, you don't get spears, or cavalry, and your ballistas aren't as good, but you get arguably better archery and access to incredible elite troops. Tack onto this access to good heroes (maybe not as great as Iron Hills, but well costed and excellent at what they do), and you've got a meta-built army that can bring the pain and grind out a victory 'til Durin wakes again.
• Riders in Black: This legendary legion isn't "broken" in my book, but it sure is hard to beat for its points cost. You can get a lot of riders for relatively cheap, and at F5 with 1-2 attacks they are pretty good in melee, and get even better when you combine this with their spell suite. Sure, it would be nice if any of them could get above 2 attacks and you need to keep their horses alive, but killing the horses is surprisingly harder than it looks thanks to their high mobility.
• Minas Tirith: There's a reason why Minas Tirith both as a faction and with its legendary legions does so well: your models are very good for the cost you pay. Sure, the warriors are all S3, but your mid-range heroes like Faramir, Madril, Hurin, and the Captain of the White Tower (who is not a named hero, so you can have tons of these guys) more than make up for it, and the fact that your (relatively cheap) heavy cavalry get access to lances helps to cover this shortcoming. You get good shooting (with both S2 and S3 options for bows, in addition to good siege weapons), good standing infantry with Shieldwall, excellent support abilities from your damage heroes, deadly yet inexpensive cavalry, and access to both the most powerful slayer in the game and the best wizard in the game in case you want to cover bases.
• SMAAAAAUGGGGG: Okay, here me out: you get a ton with this guy for 700 points. First off, there's a good number of armies that are going to struggle to wound him at all if you play him right, position yourself correctly, and don't fall for the trap of having to charge. Second, have you seen the wounds on that guy? Removing this model from the board is not easy, and unless you have a Might factory like Aragorn in your army or four siege weapons, there's a good chance you won't remove him from the board. For a flier that can decimate rank-and-file troops in relatively large numbers, clear objectives with ease, and almost always secure points for breaking the enemy army, his cost (in points - money is another question) is quite economical.

And naturally there are other armies that can do Min/Max very well, but I think these armies lend themselves to it quite readily because the relative cost for the models you get is a good trade.

Conclusion

I like the idea of a Min/Maxed army, but I find I don't have the bandwidth to devote to it to really make it work. I have great respect though for those who do, because I know it takes a lot of energy and time to make it work, so good on those who bring these lists to tournaments! May you do well and be rewarded for your time and efforts.

Next time we'll be talking about the final playstyle and my personal favorite: the underdog playstyle. Until next time, you know where to find me,

Watching the stars,

Centaur

"Lie back on the floor," said Firenze in a calm voice, "and observe the heavens.  Here is written, for those who can see, the fortune of our races." ~ Firenze, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix