In Defense Of: Erkenbrand

Good morning gamers,

So today is special because we have an inaugural guest post from one of our long-time gamers here at TMAT, Red Jacket. When Red Jacket isn't talking about how great Elves are or lamenting his luck leading Uruk-Hai, he's usually going on about how great Rohan is. While he loves the usual gang of Rohan heroes, one of the heroes he often fields is Erkenbrand. Erkenbrand USED to be a really competitive choice for many players in previous editions, but with the new rules drop . . . Erkenbrand seems to be out of favor. 

My experience with Erkenbrand is limited to the Riders of Eomer LL (which I love - and almost took to a local event recently), where the very limited set of profiles you have makes him an auto-include after you reach a certain points level. With normal Rohan have a TON of hero options, it's easy to let Erkenbrand slip through the cracks, so I asked Red Jacket to give his thoughts on this hero and why you'd want to take him in a normal Rohan list. Take it away, mate!

Check out Red Jacket's work on Instagram!

“Amid them strode a man tall and strong. His shield was red. As he came to the valley’s brink, he set to his lips a great black horn and blew a ringing blast.” – Description of Erkenbrand, The Two Towers.

Red Jacket: Erkenbrand is the most underrated Rohan hero.  People pass over him without giving him a second thought.

Not only is this a crying shame thematically, since he is one of the few heroes of Rohan that Tolkien actually made a big deal about besides your star cast… but it’s also strange to me given the extremely powerful buffs he brings to the table for Rohan.

Let us summarize the profile:

• Erkenbrand starts at 75 points.  
• He is a Hero of Fortitude and boasts F5/4+, S4, D7, A2, W2, C4. On top of that he follows the standard named Rohan Captain trend with 3 might and 1 Will and Fate. 
• Similarly, he has the option to buy a horse, giving meaning to the standard issue Rohan Expert Rider, and Horse Lord Special rules. 
• Also as normal, he brings the mobility of Heroic March, and the niche killing power of Heroic Strength. 
• His unique, and very powerful selling point comes with the Horn of Hammerhand, a +2 warhorn that affects all friendly Rohan models. 
• Last but not least, for an additional 1 pt. per model, Erkenbrand can serve as a banner for any upgraders Riders of Rohan in his warband.

All around, there is a lot there. It really seems like he should get more appreciation.

“If he is as great as you claim,” I hear you ask, “then why does no-one take him seriously?” Here are a few of the most common reasons that I have heard:

1. “Comparatively expensive/points inefficient” (I put this in quotes because while I get it, I also don’t buy it. No pun intended)
2. Buffs aren’t needed
3. Lacks the “almighty strike”
4. Doesn’t fit the Rohan Meta

By looking at these common objections in turn, I believe that we will see that much of this criticism is unfounded. Furthermore, I suggest that we will see the usefulness and potential for this great Captain of Rohan.

Before we launch in however, I do need to address two caveats.  Never would I ever suggest Erkenbrand is an auto-take. (By which I mean, someone that should always be included in a list from a particular army) I’m not particularly a believer in “auto-takes.” Additionally, Erkenbrand is not an army centerpiece (obviously.) This defense of Erkenbrand is an argument to say that he deserves his place table among Rohan's secondary, supporting heroes.

With that out of the way, let’s jump in! 

Objection 1: Erkenbrand Is “Comparatively Expensive/Points Inefficient”

First of all… despite this being absolute crazy talk… why do people think it? I blame Theoden.  Theoden starts off at the same point cost (75 points).  He is a Hero of Legend, he has the same basic stats except for 2 points of defense, has two extra Will points, a massive 12” standfast, and of course… the *Almighty Strike*. Top it all off with the fact that he is the center of some major buffs for mounted Rohan units, and he is about as close to an auto-take (that I don’t believe in) as Rohan gets. Clearly, from a points comparison, Erkenbrand has much less to offer.  BUT … Erkenbrand isn’t supposed to be an army leader… and I think we can all agree that it’s good to finally see the King of Rohan get the love and attention he deserves. He belongs at the center of the army (literally and figuratively). So I don’t consider it fair to weight Erkenbrand against him. 

The second most common comparison I see is against Deorwine. The Chief of the King’s Knights was released in Gondor at War, and shares an identical state line with Erkenbrand as well as a starting cost of 75 pts.  The difference here comes with the heroic actions and special rules. Deorwine is one of the (many) Rohan heroes who gets Heroic Strike. He gets this instead of the Heroic Strength Erkenbrand sports. This is a huge selling point for a lot of people. Additionally, Deorwine gets the Bodyguard special rule, and perhaps most significantly, the “For Theoden” special rule. “For Theoden” allows Deorwine to call free Heroic Combats if Theoden is in a combat within 12” of him. If he succeeds, he must attempt to get into the same combat as Theoden. If he cannot, then He must move as close as possible to Theoden.

People also often bring up Theodred, but I have to draw the line somewhere and a lot of my same thoughts comparing Deorwine and Erkenbrand are applicable. Unquestionably, Deorwine is a great hero.  I would argue too great, but that is a discussion for another time. <cue rant about stat creep and how Deorwine is wildly UNDERcosted>

With Deorwine sitting here looking great, why would you take Erkenbrand, and how do you argue that Erkenbrand is not “comparatively expensive?” A couple thoughts. First, let’s acknowledge that these two heroes fill very different roles.  Next, Deorwine’s appeal goes way down if you don’t’ have Theoden in your list, or if Theoden dies. None of Erkenbrand’s appeal is tied to anyone’s survival but his own. That in and of itself means that Erkenbrand offers tactical flexibility of a different kind than Deorwine.

Deorwine is a budget beatstick.  All heroes are supposed to kill stuff, but he is designed to do very little other than kill stuff. That’s not bad. It’s just a specific role. While Erkenbrand is just as good as any other Rohan Captain at killing stuff based on basic stats, and with his Heroic Strength is a great option for cracking truly tough nuts, he shines for reasons other than his combat prowess. Something Deorwine does not do. So the comparative cost is offset quite reasonably in my opinion by what each hero brings to the table. Deorwine can take on/stall big heroes with Strike.  Erkenbrand can damage really tough enemies with Strength. Deorwine can mulch enemy grunts (with Theoden around). Erkenbrand can make friendly grunts elite units and still do his fair share of killing.  Comparatively speaking… Erkenbrand holds up just fine.

So what about points efficiency?  Obviously this means different things to different people, and I haven’t done extensive comparison to other army’s heroes of comparative cost. But some very easy comparisons will show you how much Erkenbrand brings to the table, and for how little cost.

The Horn of the Hammerhand #Underrated

First, and most obviously, lets talk about the Horn.  I am unaware of any other model or piece of war gear in the game that does a +2 to courage (or any other stat for that matter). Some might argue that courage isn’t the most useful stat… and they would have a point (more on that later). Certainly I’m not holding it up against The Banners of Minis Tirith or Evenstar. But it’s nothing to sneeze at… and it’s *Included* already.  This isn’t a 40pt addition like they are.  It’s not even a 30pt addition like a regular +1 courage horn is on a NON-Hero model is. Compare Erkenbrand to the likes of Hama or Gamling, and for a mere *20* points you are getting +1 Fight, +1 Defense, slightly different (better?) heroic actions, AND a war horn that is twice as effective as a 30pt piece of wargear on a normal warrior.  That’s what I call points efficient (Did we mention that this stat buff is battlefield wide?  No 6” range on this puppy).

And that’s before you can upgrade up to 12 Riders of Rohan to treat him as a banner, giving you a 25pt piece of war gear for half the cost.  Admittedly, it doesn’t offer scenario points and is limited in who it can effect. Still, at a 50% discount, that’s a great perk… if not a game changer.

So you will forgive me for not buying the "comparatively expensive/not points efficient" line. It’s too pricy a misconception for me to afford. 

Objection 2: The Buffs Aren’t Needed.

Some people might look at courage and think it’s not that important of a stat. Sure it has important purposes, but they can be somewhat niche, and Rohan, ironically, has a lot of options that allow you to bypass courage tests altogether or some of the more common causes for courage tests. (e.g. Royal Guard and Outriders.)

This is quite true. Ignoring for the moment the excruciating real world cost of purchasing both of these types of units (Thanks GW). It is very true that Royal Guard have the Bodyguard rule, which is amazingly useful.  Add to that the trend of Rohan lists often running hero heavy these days, so plenty of opportunities for standfasts, and outriders being able to respond to a standfast from anywhere within line of sight, and you have a real argument that Rohan doesn’t need lots of help in the courage department.

My counter argument is this: in a world where the Rohan meta tends to run Hero heavy… and in a world where you are trying to mount as many of your models as you think you can get away with… how small are you willing to let your model count get? I love Royal Guard. Don’t get me wrong.  But paying 10 points (15 mounted) for F4/S3/D6 is not going to help you win against a game that is slowly creeping up to F4/S4 being regularly accessible. The more elite your army, the smaller your numbers, the less you are going to be able to handle larger forces. Recent competitive tournaments have confirmed that things are swinging away from insanely powerful, elite armies (bye bye Royal Standard and the Riders of Theoden Legendary Legion) and towards large model count armies.

Red Jacket's Rohan force vs. Rythbyrt's Angmar horde at THRO 2020

What if I told you that your response to Terror armies didn’t have to be Royal Guard? What if you had an army that could stare down the Dead of Dunharrow and say, come eat my piercing strikes, while you poke me with your expensive blades of the dead that give you no bonus whatsoever? Angmar and the Witch-King? Boo hoo… I’m now only Courage 4 when you were planning on me being courage 2. Charging is no problem. And all those Spectres you brought hoping to push me around? You are failing almost 75% of the time, instead of succeeding almost 60% of the time like you planned.

And that’s not even touching the ability to with reasonable confidence send anyone for an objective, even if breaking is a possibility. Courage is an undervalued stat… until you suddenly have to start making courage tests.

Objection 3: He Lacks The *Almighty Strike*

Weeding out historical and duplicate heroes, there are no less than six Strike capable heroes ranging from 25 pts up to 100 points (base cost). I in no way intend to suggest that strike isn’t a big deal - it is incredibly useful. But does every hero in your army need to be the one that can take on the big baddie? At almost any point value, you will be able to field a Rohan hero with Strike. Probably multiple. So how important is it that Erkenbrand have it?  

Remember, Erkenbrand is never going to be *The One Hero* you bring. He’s always going to be at least second to a Theoden, Eomer, or Theodred. So… the question is, do you need that second, third, or even fourth striking hero?  Or would you be better suited to bring a heavy hitter who also rounds out your army’s skills and abilities? You’re practically never going to be without strike in Rohan. But Erkenbrand offers tactical options and flexibility that another hero with Strike simply doesn’t.

Objection 4: Doesn’t fit the Rohan Meta:

Many argue, (especially in the wake of Riders of Theoden LL) that the Rohan meta is all mounted, lots of heroes. The army runs on might; heroic moving, and heroic combatting your way through the enemy to get maximum damage output.  When this is the case, and you see heroes like basic captains, or even the Gamling, with close, or the same amount of might for significantly cheaper, or heroes like Dernhelm with even more might and the same cost, you might be inclined to think that it’s better to go with some of these options. And you might be right.

Once again, my argument has never been that Erkenbrand is always the right choice for every list.  But I would argue that even in a list that emphasizes these charge tactics, Erkenbrand is a solid choice.  Sure, he is more expensive than some of the other named captains with the same might such as Gamling and Hama. But as we have already discussed, heroic strength is, (in my opinion) a much more commonly useful tool than heroic defense.  Furthermore, F5 is something that just can’t be underestimated. Winning ties against increasingly common F4 armies is something that is critical for these kind of charge tactics. 

Add to that the courage bonus so your heroes never have to worry about failing courage tests to call those standfasts, can save their will to resist magic instead of on charging the monster that needs to be dealt with, etc.

AND… that’s assuming you believe in the small, elite, all mounted army as the meta.  I still deep down in my heart feel that there is a solid “mixed force” way to run Rohan. And Erkenbrand gets even more useful in a list like that.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Erkenbrand is a well-rounded, highly versatile Rohan hero that deserves some real consideration every time you are building a Rohan list.  Put into the right team of heroes, he is the perfect counterbalance to impetuosity of a Theodred, the raw power of an Eomer, and rounds out the buffs offered by Theoden in a very complete way.  His solid fight value, high defense, and Heroic Strength, plus the army rule bonus when mounted make him the perfect nut-cracker/shieldwall breaker. His bonuses give you tactical options you might not normally consider, and decrease your dependence on particular unit types. Finally, let’s be honest…who doesn’t want to thunder down upon the ranks of the enemy with a wave of 14pt. cavalry that have the skill and strength of Uruk-hai, and the courage of elves?

Tiberius: Thanks for that, Red Jacket! Follow his work on Instagram if you haven't already and watch for updates from us on his armies as they come to events. In our next post, we'll be leaving Rohan for a bit and delving into the ancient kingdom of Numenor. Numenor has only four profiles and thanks to the retrofitting of Dale, Numenor has become the most profile-restricted army in the game. Period. It's not hard to find a place for Elendil (he's amazing), Captains of Numenor (only source of March with a solid profile for a generic hero), or Warriors of Numenor (F4/S4 with almost all of the basic gear options). But Isildur seems to come under some heavy critique - for reasons I don't get. We'll delve into them all next time - until then, happy hobbying!