In Defense Of: Sid Briarthorn

Sid Briarthorn up front as Rowan and Sharkey argue about
directions. Bill and Worm clearly side with Rowan.

 Hey Reader!

Today we're continuing the In Defense Of series, and Tiberius asked me to jump in and chat about Sid Briarthorn, as I've started tinkering with Ruffians and finished painting up the model! We will start by looking at why people tell you not to take this model, then we'll discuss why you should take it, and then close out by discussing how to make it work effectively in your army list.

Why NOT To Take Sid Briarthorn

So, like all of the heroes from Sharkey's Rogues (and The Chief's Ruffians legendary legion), Sid is not a "power hero" in combat: at F4 S4 with 2 Attacks he's barely hitting the baseline for, "this guy will feel like he's better than your average warrior," and by that I mean "he's tying an Uruk-Hai Berserker in fighting stats" while costing 25pts more than one of them. Add onto this the fact that he's only D4 with 2 Wounds and 1 Fate, and he's not a survivable hero either.

And while he's cheap, he's surrounded by other cheap heroes, so he's the "best answer" you have to big heroes that the enemy fields (other than throwing tons of bodies at the problem and hoping it works), which also kind of puts him in the precarious situation of attracting the Elendils, Aragorns, and Azogs of the world because why not remove a Stand Fast hero that is also a banner? And with his combat stats, he's very easy to kill.

Furthermore, Sid suffers from the general problem for Sharkey's Rogues heroes: no cavalry. Unlike Arwen and Eowyn who have a horse to make their S3 more reliable at killing things, Sid has to rely on...I guess trapping people with overwhelming numbers from buddies? And maybe Heroic Strength, assuming you can win the fight in the first place? Add onto this the fact that chasing people down with Sid is not easy and you are highly susceptible to archery, and you've got some built-in issues with getting killing power out of one of the most killy heroes in the faction.

Plus, when you consider that you could get 6-8 more models in the army if you take Ruffians instead of Sid, are you really getting enough value out of him? Why not take 2-3 more bows and a host of bodies to keep Sharkey safe and secure objectives?

Here's why.

Why TO Take Sid Briarthorn

In reality, part of why you take Sid is that he actually is good at killing things, but only inasmuch as he does so as part of the overall strategy for Sharkey's Rogues. So a lot of people who think, "Man, this hero is trash for a Hero of Valour" are right, because they are looking at him from the wrong point of view.

You see, here's the secret about Sid, and really every hero in Sharkey's Rogues except Worm: they're not supposed to fight pretty much at all. Save them until the enemy is spent, throw hordes of trash mobs at the enemy, and then if you really have to, you can engage the hero when it's safe. But on the whole, you don't want to engage with these guys: save their strength for when it matters.

Sid isn't even in combat, and yet he's helping all these ruffians get a fighting
chance at winning these fights. And their odds of wounding are high.

And Sid plays into that very well. First off, he counts as a banner, giving your ruffians a reroll in their fights. This is both useful for effectively spear supporting solo ruffians to help them win the fight, further tip the balance if you outnumber the enemy in a fight, and by that aid he's contributing to the kill count even while not in combat.

And furthermore this plays well into the real strategy for killing things with Sid. When you win a fight near Sid with a ruffian, use the club to stun the target: on a 5+ roll (with no opposed roll: there's nothing your opponent can do about it), you stun the target, reducing them to 1 Attack and F1. On the next turn, charge Sid into that character, and suddenly he's far more formidable.

He also has some Might Points, which you could use for a Heroic Strength, but in reality you're probably better spent using it to call Heroic Moves to insure you can catch stunned people, overwhelm the enemy, etc., or to improve your rolls. It's more effective than Heroic Strength, and it's necessary for getting the beat down on the big foes that are hard to beat otherwise.

You also get the ancillary benefits of chains and the brawler ability that means you never count as being unarmed, and while these don't come up in every game, when they come up they are very nice.

So that's why you take him: he's a good Might caddy that can also bring the pain up close, and helps spur your men to victory.

Making It Work

And this part is pretty straightforward in light of this strategy: using Sid right is actually easier than it looks.

• Keep him in the second rank to provide the banner coverage that you need, plus readiness to jump into a fight near him if the enemy gets stunned.
• Use his Might Points to call heroic moves or improve his duel/wound rolls to insure that you get wounds on the targets you need to remove.
• Don't rush it: you don't need him to be in constant duels to win the game. Take your time, and only commit him when you have the advantage.

Conclusion

I like the concept of this faction - I don't know that I like the expense tied to collecting this army, but I like the idea of it. And given infinite resources and a lot of time to paint them, I'd totally take this army to a tournament with Sid, because I think it would be a very different play experience for both me and my opponent. But if you're looking at playing with an army of ruffians, or you just want cheap guys to ally into your army, consider taking Sid (as he's a 40pt Hero of Valour, and thus can ally with anyone).

Until next time, you know where to find me,

Watching the stars,

Centaur

"I know that you have learned the names of the planets and their moons in Astronomy...and that you have mapped the stars' progress through the heavens.  Centaurs have unraveled the mysteries of these movements over centuries.  Our findings teach us that the future may be glimpsed in the sky above us." ~ Firenze, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix