Quest of the Ringbearer: Model Collection Update, Part V

Good morning gamers,

Well, I don't have the 12 Warg Riders that I need to finish Part II or any new Mumaks, Fell Beasts, Spectres, or Rangers to finish up what I need from Part IV, but we're covering the last piece of the Quest of the Ringbearer main scenarios today (Fantasy Fellowship require a slightly different collection), going from Cirith Ungol to Mount Doom. If you have the Battle for Pelennor Fields box set already, you've got a good start on these models. The other models you need are generally quite useful to have anyway - let's get into it!

Part V: Cirith Ungol to Mount Doom

In this section, you're going to see a mix of the actual models and some conversion work (mostly because I either didn't like the model or I didn't think they were worth the $$$ to have the actual one). Many of the models I do have from this set you've already seen on the blog if you've been following the Formations series (it's every first Thursday of the month if you aren't!).

Purchase #33: Shagrat and Gorbag

I love these guys - both in Mordor generally and in the Cirith Ungol Legendary Legion. Gorbag is a very cheap 3 Might hero who can be F5/3A if he's charging 2 warriors each turn. Shagrat provides the hero-thumping power, though he's at his best when he's got a spearman at his back and preferably a friend in the fight (ideally with a spearman at his back too - and maybe a banner nearby). You need these guys for exactly one scenario in the book, but you will probably use at least one of them in any Mordor list you build.

In Defense Of: Orophin

Good morning gamers,

With a new sourcebook in hand, we delve into a profile that generated a lot of excitement when his model was first seen in the Defence of the North supplement . . . and by almost all reviewers (Sharbie excluded), we see heavy critique for the ONLY Lorien model released in Defense of the North: Orophin. The long-lost brother of Haldir and Rumil (both of whom have been in the range for ages), Orophin was a welcome inclusion in a book that features Lothlorien as one of the three campaigns (that can be linked into one big campaign) in the Defence of the North supplement. But what is it that holds this guy back? Why is it that people don't seem to like him? Well, let's dive in and see what the critics have to say . . . and why I think this guy has a welcome place in Lothlorien lists.

Why NOT To Take Orophin

Photo Credit: Centaur's copy of Defence of the North - photos of this guy are sparse!

On behalf of all Lothlorien fans, let me begin by saying that the first critique of this guy is that he doesn't have a mount option. This isn't new for named Lothlorien heroes - apparently none of them get horses. If you're used to playing with the Halls of Thranduil (two of the three named heroes can take mounts) or Rivendell (five named combat-heavy heroes can take mounts), you probably know that high-Fight heroes who are capped at S3-4 REALLY get more mileage out of having a mount (not only for speed, but also in killing power). It's a known problem for Lorien players that named Lothlorien heroes don't get mounts - and I tell you what, it would have been nice to have Orophin be "the mounted named hero guy" - it just would have been nice.

I'm also going to note in passing that Orophin as printed in the book doesn't have Woodland Creature - but I fully expect that to be erratad in the upcoming August FAQ. I'm writing it up - you should write them too. Moving on . . .

Top 5 Things I Love About Defence Of The North . . . And Top 5 Things I Don't Love About It

Good morning gamers,

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community

A new supplement has finally made its way across the pond and into our hands here at TMAT and as I madly update my army builder spreadsheet to accommodate the new profiles and Legions, I have discovered that there are some really good things about this supplement and some disappointments. 

I don't intend this post to be a harsh criticism of Defence of the North, but rather an honest review of things I like and the sighs I've expressed over what might have been. I do think this is a great supplement overall and while it hasn't risen to the level of War in Rohan or Quest of the Ringbearer, it is a great addition to anyone's MESBG collection. Let's dig in!

In Defense Of: Dragons

 Hey Reader!

Today we're continuing the In Defense Of series, and Tiberius asked me to jump in and chat about the Dragon from Moria, as it's often passed over for other hero choices - both monstrous and goblin - for various reasons. 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 Dragons

I have not bought the GW dragon, because I don't think it's that cool looking.
This is Argamentum from Loot Studios.

We've heard it all before: for the same cost as a fully upgraded dragon you can get The Balrog, who gets Fight 10 (instead of F7), Strength 9 (instead of S7), free heroic combats, and the ability to pull people into base contact with him (thereby making it harder to keep him from fighting, as you effectively have to stay more than 14-17" away from him if he hasn't moved yet, which is really hard to do on any sized board). Tack onto this 10 wounds, turning auto-death abilities into 5 wounds instead, and being available in a legendary legion that makes him even more dangerous (and less susceptible to shooting, which is a huge boon when you only move 6"), and it's easy to see why people take the Balrog over a dragon.

So...Let's Talk about That Dragon (Emperor)

Photo from Gamespot - still one of the best movies ever made

Hey Reader!

So Defence of the North is finally here! We've been hearing about this supplement for quite some time, and as someone who has collected Easterlings since 2012 and has wanted to collect Dale for quite some time (I like Erebor as well, just not a high priority right now), I am so excited to finally have my hands on this book! Shipping across the Pond takes a while, but grateful for the team at GW for their work to get it through customs to us.

One of the most previewed models from the supplement was The Dragon Emperor, with constant discussions about what his profile should look like, what his special abilities should be, and how to fit him into an army that already has good mounted heroes (Amdur and Khamul), good secondary damage heroes (Dragon Knights and now Rutabi), and the balance between mounted forces and an infantry pike block (oh, and archers - believe it or not Easterlings have archers, too). And as information slowly trickled out two things became clear:

First, they were trying to sell a new model. Now it should be noted that I don't mind this, as GW is a company, and they need to sell models. Totally down with him having bonkers stats and abilities both in-world as he's the best that the Easterlings will probably ever get, and also out-of-world from a business perspective. So I've got no issues with the mercantile reasons for making a new power hero for the Easterlings: everything checks out.

And second, and perhaps more so, he's a very interesting fit for Easterlings, serving as a "centerpiece" model (not that Easterlings lacked that before - more on that later) that has both offensive firepower and support abilities (not that Easterlings lacked that either, but we're getting ahead of ourselves).

So how does he hold up? Is he worth the monetary and points investment (as both are high: $190 USD and 170 points in-game)? And is he actually undercosted as some have claimed? Let's take a look.

In Defense Of: Dunlending Chieftains

Good morning gamers,

War in Rohan is one of the best supplements that has been released for the game - it not only provided a host of really great scenarios featuring iconic moments from the Two Towers film and historical battles that weren't really featured in the film (like the two battles for the Fords of Isen and the defense of Edoras), but it also released a TON of models. While Rohan and Fangorn got some neat drops, the biggest winner was Isengard - and most of those models fleshed out the Dunland sub-faction of the larger Isengard army.

With new heroes and warriors to use, Dunland surged in popularity among long-time Dunland players (who played with Dunland for thematic reasons, not for competitive ones) and new players alike - and while heroes like Thrydan kept their stock, there was one hero profile who seemed to get snubbed pretty hard by the arrivals of Frida Tallspear, Gorulf Ironskin and the Wild Man Oathmaker: the generic Dunlending Chieftain.

Theoretically, the Chieftain still has a place (eventually you'll max out the four named heroes' warbands), but time and again the Dunlending Chieftain seems to be passed over for the other named heroes. While Thrydan is a required model in the Army of Dunland Legendary Legion, it seems like everyone wants the named heroes before the unnamed guys. Is that fair? Well, let's look at some of the criticisms of the profile before we make the case for this underrated profile.

Why NOT To Take Dunlending Chieftains

Photo Credit: Games Workshop

The biggest reason to not take the Chieftains is because of the four named Dunland heroes: Thrydan is the most expensive of the bunch (85-95pts), but packs such a punch on offense (as the only mounted Dunland hero and with Mighty Blow with either his one-handed sword or his two-handed axe) that most players view his inclusion as a given regardless of the Dunland force you're trying to marshal. The usual second-place choice is Gorulf Ironskin (and in Isengard "soup" lists, he's usually the first Dunland hero taken), who for 70pts gives you F5/S5/3A with 3-Might-and-Strike (if you don't take the free Heroic Defense against heroes/monsters). Like most Isengard named Uruk heroes, Gorulf isn't that incredible on defense (D5 with 2 Wounds/1 Fate), but with the potential for Heroic Defense blunting your worst opponents, Gorulf is about as tough as they come for Dunland.

Minas Tirith Me Up: Osgiliath/Minas Tirith Terrain Project, Part I

Good morning gamers,

When COVID hit, Lachlan Linton-Keane from Zorpazorp started a gargantuan project (his forte, if we're honest) to create a scale wargaming model of Minas Tirith and have members of his community share in the building of walls, buildings, and siege towers for a massive battle for Minas Tirith when COVID restrictions were removed. As part of that effort, he released templates for walls and buildings of various kinds, and with the help of others, has available for purchase in his web store STL files for siege towers and siege rafts. It's a good time to be a Middle-Earth fan with guys like Lachie around.

Photo Credit: Sott.net
Make no mistake - our endgame is not as grande as Lachie's . . .

I've been looking to build a Minas Tirith-themed board for a long time and when the templates first came out, I swept them up and started planning. With Gondor at War giving us a bunch of scenarios in Osgiliath and Minas Tirith (and some of those being required for Fantasy Fellowships in Quest of the Ringbearer), I wanted my board to be able to work as an Osgiliath board, a Minas Tirith board, and be able to accommodate any scenario from either of these books. And while it's taken me nearly two years to get started, there's been a LOT of planning that is finally coming together. Let's dig in and start building!

In Defense Of: Sons of Eorl

Good morning gamers,

We've looked at Rohan recently with regard to Erkenbrand (read that article if you haven't already) and before then with Captains of Rohan, but today we turn to probably the least used Rohan warrior profile in the game: Sons of Eorl. This profile, which has had a cavalry model for a long time and no infantry model ever, is a staple for a very select subset of Rohan army builds and absent from most Rohan lists at high points levels as well as all of the Rohan Legendary Legions. Depending on how you build your lists, these guys may show up in small numbers or not at all. And that's a shame, because these guys are great - even in normal Rohan lists that don't have Eorl the Young. Think I'm crazy? Well, let's dig into the critiques of the model before we delve into this hidden gem.

Why NOT To Take Sons of Eorl

Let's settle this right from the get-go: if you run Sons of Eorl with Eorl the Young, everyone agrees they can be lethal. If they are within 6" of "Dad", these guys become (besides the Warg Marauder edge case) the only true 2 Attack mounted warriors in the game (and on the charge, they become 3 Attack warriors - which is usually reserved for monster models). With F4/S4 (potentially S5 with the army bonus when charging) and axes standard (S6 on the charge), with D6 riders on D5 mounts, these guys pack a punch and are hard to snipe with archery by most things. If they ram into you, they can crack through just about anything.

The photo is GW, but the reference article was written by Centaur wrote ages ago . . .

Unexpected Military Formations: Skirmish Triangles and the Battle of Dunnichen

Good morning gamers,

In today's formation post, we're departing from shieldwalls (well, not departing far) and Marching people around and turning towards skirmisher formations. Shooting armies are on the rise and new players who want to get into these armies may be tempted to "just rank up" their models in order to use the formations they already know and apply them to shooting lists. Unfortunately, this can have unintended consequences on their firing lanes and cause their faith in shooting to wane. Never fear, though, we'll go over a very simple formation you can use which is inspired by a strategy used by the Picts back in the seventh century.

The Battle of Dunnichen (and its various other names)

You can watch a short video about the battle here and a longer, more academic video here, but what you'll find from both of these is that scholars disagree on where this battle was actually fought. What we do know for sure is provided in the Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation by Bede, who wrote the following ("that same king" refers to Egfrid, king of the Northumbrians):

. . . for the very next year, that same king, rashly leading his army to ravage the province of the Picts, much against the advice of his friends, and particularly of Cuthbert, of blessed memory, who had been lately ordained his op, the enemy made show as if they fled, and the king was drawn into the straits of inaccessible mountains, and slain with the greatest part of his forces, on the 20th of May, in the fortieth year of his age, and the fifteenth of his reign. His friends, as has been said, advised him not to engage in this war; but he having the year before refused to listen to the most reverend father, Egbert, advising him not to attack the Scots, who did him no harm, it was laid upon him as a punishment for his sin, that he "should not now regard those who would have prevented his death."

You can also see notations about the battle in the Annuls of Tigernach (here, click on T668, then go to T686.4) and the Annuls of Ulster (here, click on U686), though neither is very informative about the battle itself (just that it happened). Ignoring some of the propaganda/commentary from Bede, we see something very simple: the Picts, who didn't use shieldwalls (like the Northumbrians did) pretended to flee so as to draw the enemy into bad terrain and cut them down. Instead of playing to the advantage of the shieldwall, the Picts used their better knowledge of the terrain and maneuverability to force the Northumbrians to fight differently than they would have preferred. The idea of using terrain to slow down an enemy advance so that you can kill them slowly is an all-too-common strategy in MESBG and something that skirmishing armies do quite well.

So how do you do it? How do you make your opponent come after you when he KNOWS you're just going to shoot him? The answer is . . . you change the way your army is formed up to make your army both more flexible and (ironically enough) more inviting to crush.