Armies of Middle-Earth SBG: The Rangers

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Summer is here again, and so it's time for my annual tradition of trying to finish this series on army lists.    :-P To get back in the swing of things, I figured I'd start with two lists I've spent a lot of time playing over the last year: the Rangers and the Dark Powers of Dol Guldur. The Rangers won the coin flip, so here we are.

While this list is not the most competitive list out there, my personal experience is that it is both (1) an absolute blast to play, and (2) way more competitive in way more scenarios than you might think at first glance. The secret sauce is the absurd number of heroes you can / must take, complimented as well by the assortment of heroes (and sometimes troops) you can ally with them). Having one of the best heroes in the game, with one of the best wargear items in the game, also doesn't hurt. (Can you guess which? spoiler: there are two great candidates.)

Once again, while there's a lengthy list of community resources at the end, I'll flag the Green Dragon Podcast's episode on the Rangers at the outset: definitely give that a listen if you have a lengthy painting project. Devin Moreno over at the DC Hobbit League did a great review of the Rangers after the new edition dropped, both on YouTube and with Mik at Veni Vidi Double. Finally, I have listened many times to the Green Dragon's post-tourney report from Ardacon 2018, when Kylie ran a now-outdated Ranger-heavy list that used the same run-and-hit tactics that continue to make the Rangers so dangerous. If this is a list that interests you, those battle reports give a lot of insights into how to run that list well.

Shall we?

Army Quick(ish) Hits

• Strength: Heroes . . . heroes everywhere. For a list that includes just five profiles (two of which are basically identical), there are a lot of strengths to this army (and a few weaknesses). As you'll see, the vast majority of those strengths flow directly from the fact that every model in this army is a hero. Even at low points levels, it is unlikely that the enemy will ever have more Might than you (which in itself is a big deal). Throw in the Fate to cheat death at least once, Will to have a chance against enemy spells, great courage, and a decent Fight Value with Strength 4 strikes, and you have a solid starting point for any force. Especially since... 
• Strength: Army bonus. Not all army bonuses are worth keeping, but if you plan to spam mass-Dunedain Rangers or Rangers of the North (and in a pure list, you kind of have to do that) you'll want to keep it. Each Ranger or Dunedain gains an additional attack whilst on foot. For 25-30 points each (with a point of Might, Will, and Fate, to boot), two attacks at Fight 4 gives you a great chance at winning combats (a 30% chance at rolling a "6," and a 56% chance at rolling a "5" if you have the Might point to boost). Backed by a 6" banner (more on that in a minute), and the odds improve even further (42% and 70%, respectively). The Rangers have some weaknesses (namely, dying if they lose combats)... but amazingly, if you win fights a lot of those weaknesses tend to disappear. And while the two attacks bonus is the star, don't sleep on the fact that you get Woodland Creature for all your models. The ability to slip 6" through woods when most opponents only move 3" (or worse) is not to be underestimated.
• Weakness: Numbers. One weakness that doesn't disappear: as an all-hero faction, your numbers are going to be low relative to other army lists. And that's before you factor in some of the more expensive heroes that you'll want to take in the list (namely Aragorn and Halbarad with his banner). Allying can help to a point, but only if you go the Shire route (allying the King of the Dead and six Warriors is actually more expensive than running 7 Dunedain). But if you manage to clear 30 models at 800 points, you're doing extremely well (plus I can tell you exactly what your list is). This rears its ugly head the most in objective-capture scenarios, where your limited numbers reduce your ability to contest objectives (at least in the early game). That said, my Rangers are weirdly undefeated in Domination (against opponents ranging from Balrog-Moria to a 60 model goblin town horde) at 550 points / 7 models. I'm sure that's a fluke... but you can win objective scenarios.

Three on one... I can fix this...

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• Strength: Ranged firepower. So how do Rangers deal with armies that outnumber them (which is virtually all of them)? Well, one way is to even the odds before combat. As every experienced player knows, shooting is fickle; but there are several assets in a list that can minimize the fickleness of dice, and the Rangers have access to basically all of them:
• The first is accumulating a massive number of bows. Dice are fickle; but the more dice you roll, the more the results tend towards their mathematical probability (and the probabilities for Rangers are quite good). Because every Ranger is a Hero and comes with a bow automatically, you almost always have the maximum number of bows in your force (the exception is Aragorn, who doesn't come with a bow automatically but should generally always take one for 5 points).
• Second, every model in the list has a 3+ shoot value. If the enemy has Blinding Light (or an equivalent special ability), this may not do anything for you (except force the opponent to spend at least one Might to cast and channel the spell, which can make a difference later). But against an army that doesn't have Blinding Light, that 3+ shoot value is deadly.
• Third, even fickle dice become more compliant when you can reroll them. You can't reroll hits or wounds in this army like you can in others, but with Heroic Accuracy on every Dunedain, Ranger, and hero you can reroll in-the-ways. Coupled with the sheer mass of bows you can fire, the ability to reroll in-the-ways means every wizard, banner, hero, and mount hiding in the back rank is a potential target. And in tandem with the final buff, there is almost nothing you cannot kill at range.
• Finally, might cures a plethora of fickleness. If you must wound something, twenty bows backed by twenty Might points has as good a chance of getting that wound as anything else in the game (unless it's Sauron, of course, who's D10). Here's just one example: just the other day, I had twenty Rangers shooting at a Witch-King on Fell Beast, who was behind cover. Thirteen of the Rangers hit on a 3+ (65%, which is about what you'd expect on a 3+). Of the thirteen, ten made it past the initial in-the-way for the troops (which, I grant you, is above-average), and the remaining three made it past thanks to the Heroic Accuracy (also above average, although I'll note that the expected number of successful in-the-ways would be "10," so 13 isn't that much beyond what you'd normally expect). Of those 13 shots, 9 hit the Fell Beast (69%) and 4 hit the Witch-King (that's without rerolling any of these in-the-ways--but since you basically wound the Witch-King and Fell Beast on the same thing (5s and 5s/3s if backed by Might), it probably makes sense to reroll these at least once and try to KO the Witch-King in a single turn). Three Might points later (four with the Heroic Accuracy), the Fell Beast took 4 wounds (which killed it), and the Witch-King took one (which then cost a Fate and a Might to save). That's a dead fell beast and stats off the Witch-King in a single round of shooting. And in case you're wondering, those odds aren't skewed that much (9 dice roll 3 or more "5s" and "6s" 62% of the time, and 4 dice roll 1+ "5" or "6" 80% of the time--and 2+ 41% of the time). Yes, there are other lists that can do that. But it's not a long list of lists. 
• Strength: Killing power. There are some exceptions (e.g., Iron Hills, Isengard(-ish), the new Mirkwood Rangers legion potentially?), but generally speaking, armies that invest a lot of points in shooting don't like being in combat. Which means that if you run a heavy shooting list and the enemy is packing Pall of Darkness or Blinding Light, the effectiveness of most shooting lists will suffer significantly. Now, don't get me wrong: needing a 6 to hit definitely reduces the Rangers' killing power. But unlike most shooting armies (again: there are exceptions), the Rangers are pretty comfortable in a melee scrap, too. Fight 4 / Strength 4 / 2 Attacks is a good starting stat line, especially if you're fighting Good v. Evil. Other than Uruks, Corsairs, and the new Easterlings with the Dragon Emperor in tow (more on those lists shortly), evil's core troops are generally Fight 3, and rarely higher than Fight 4. Fight 3 is the Ranger's sweet spot, because when they have the higher fight value, those two attacks backed by Might and a banner reroll (which I swear we're getting to) give them a tremendous chance to win fights. Again: if you have a Might point and the higher fight value, you can guarantee you'll win a combat if you roll a 5+, which you'll do 56% of the time on two dice (and 70% of the time if you have a banner reroll). If you win, Strength 4 means you'll wound most troops (D6 and below) on a 5+, and you still have that 56% chance of rolling at least one 5+ on your two attack dice (and a 75% chance of getting at least one 4+, if you decide you want to boost your to-wound roll with Might). And even if Rangers lose combats, their Defense 4--or 5 if you run Rangers of the North--isn't great, but most enemy troops will still need a 5+ to wound them, plus the Ranger has that 50-50 fate roll in his/her back pocket (or a 67-33 fate roll if the Ranger still has Might). That fate save basically halves the enemy's 33% chance of wounding you (5 or 6 to wound + 50% chance of a successful fate save). When you're wounding the enemy 56% of the time, and they're only wounding you 16% of the time, those are odds you can generally live with. 
• Strength: Mobility. Four important things to note here. 
• First, while not every Rangers list features Aragorn, those lists that include Aragorn become lightning fast. Powered by a Heroic March, your infantry models move nearly as fast as Cavalry (9" vs. 10" -- or 8" if you're fighting dwarf cavalry). And while Marching models can't charge on the same turn, your mass bows mean you can still kill things if the enemy doesn't charge you (a 4.5" March backwards, or to the side, is still a pretty good clip for shooting infantry). Your impressive combat stats also mean you're in good position to receive an infantry charge (if fighting cavalry, definitely find some difficult terrain and shoot out their horses ASAP). Most importantly, because Aragorn can call that March for free, you can do crazy things that other lists just can't do (like March two turns in one direction, turn around, march two more turns in the opposite direction, and then pivot a third direction--at which point any semblance of order in the enemy's battle line may be hopelessly scrambled).
• Second, the Rangers have so much Might (plus potentially Aragorn) that you move first a lot. That's a huge deal. Whenever you're playing an elite army, positioning (i.e., picking where you want to fight, and how you want those combats set-up) is extremely important. Thankfully, literally anyone in your force can call a Heroic Move (at least early-on). Yes, Heroic Move-Offs are a thing, and you do lose 50-50 roll-offs sometimes. But you have so much more might than most opponents that at some point, they either can't call Heroic Moves anymore (because their reserves have run dry) or they won't call Heroic Moves anymore (because you have an Aragorn, or the twins, or even an Arathorn, and they need the Might to deal with them... plus they lose 50-50 roll-offs sometimes, too). Once you reach that point, you always move first, which means you always get to dictate the terms of engagement. That's huge tactically, and it's also huge psychologically (both to give you confidence, and to instill in your opponent a sense of inevitability).
• Third is the Heroic Blitz, by which I mean spamming heroic combats. This was the secret sauce to Kylie's list at Ardacon a few years ago, and what makes the Riders of Theoden Legendary Legion so deadly. Rangers' one-on-one combat odds are pretty favorable on their own; but the math becomes even more one-sided once you start "snowballing" Rangers into each other's fights through mass heroic combats. As a reminder, each Ranger (with the army bonus) gets two Attacks on foot. That means if you put two rangers into a combat (which isn't hard to do, especially on the flanks), you have--at a minimum--four dice to win the combat (five if you are in banner range). The odds of four dice rolling at least one 5+? 80% with just the four dice / 87% with the banner (and 52% / 60% odds of getting at least one "6"). Three rangers in the same fight? 91% / 94% and 67% / 72%. Oh... and those are their same odds of wounding whatever they're fighting if it's D6 or below (or D8 and below if you're willing to spend Might to wound). In other words, if you can get 2+ Rangers into a fight, they'll win a ton of fights and kill a lot of things. How do you do this when you're outnumbered? Well, you have to be able to move fast so you can get to a flank (check), move first to get your Rangers to wall-off the enemy's advance (check--tagging front-line models does wonders for this by the way, as the back-ranks tend to get stuck and your two attacks mitigate the advantage of enemy spears), and then move your excess Rangers--preferably with a big hero like Aragorn--into 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 combats that they're virtually guaranteed to win. Call Heroic Combats in those fights, dispatch those enemies, and charge those Rangers into other 1-on-1 fights (turning them into 2-on-1 fights) or into the back rank of spearmen (to trap the enemy), and you can decimate an opponent's battle line so fast it's scary. If you're feeling especially risky, you can even daisy-chain / snowball those Heroic Combats further by having Rangers in 1-on-1 fights also call Heroic Combats (theorizing that you'll be able to Heroic Combat other rangers into that combat, allowing the original 1-on-1 Ranger to get the Heroic Combat off and then charge into another Ranger's combat). This is risky, especially as the enemy troops you're facing improve in quality. But if you do get them off--and barring bad luck, you get them off a lot--things die really fast. Even high-defense battle lines are crack-able if you get traps: again, four dice to-wound will roll at least one "6" 56% of the time (plus you can wound Defense 7 or 8 with just a "5" if you have Might left for the to-wound roll).
• Fourth, all those mass Heroic Combats allow you to rapidly and repeatedly reposition for the next turn outside of the move phase (how's that for alliteration?). At the risk of stating the obvious, moving first in the move phase is awesome. Getting to move twice in the same turn (once in the move phase, once in the fight phase) and then potentially move first the following turn (after taking out a chunk of the enemy's force in the interim) is fantastic, and if you manage to do it two turns in a row (which happens a lot with this list), it's usually game-breaking. At a minimum, you can constantly re-shape and re-draw the battle line by charging in, snowballing into / out of combats, and then re-charging into the enemy. But you also have the flexibility to disengage from combats (more shooting--yay) or to make serious ground towards an objective that should be out of reach. If you move second, get a heroic combat snowball, and then move first, you can potentially move your infantry models up to 18" between your opponent's two move phases... just chew on that for a bit. Oh... and then you could potentially move an additional 6" in that Fight phase through another series of heroic combats. That's up to 24" (more if you have mounted heroes or Rangers) in two turns, while also killing a lot of models. Pretty good mobility, right?

Wait, I thought this post was about the Rangers?

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• Finally, I think it's fair to say that the Riders of Theoden Legendary Legion probably has the most terrifying version of this, with their 10" threat range, the potential for throwing spear casts on the way in, Fight 5 when Royal Guards / Heroes charge, and 4+ dice to wound at Strength 4 (or even Strength 5 on heroes). But there's an argument to be made that the Rangers' heroic blitz is far more flexible, and perhaps even more threatening in the long run: 
• While the Rangers can't close quite as fast (although with a 9" March, it's close) and don't have the throwing spears on the way in, their ranged attacks on the approach are far more menacing. Because Riders of Theoden incentivizes heroes (which are cheap, but not super cheap), the model count between Rangers and Riders tends to be about the same. But the Riders lack the option to take bows on their heroes, and are strongly incentivized not to take 24" bows either (because Royal Guards on the charge are so devastating, plus Bodyguard is a big deal). The Rangers, by contrast, always have 24" bows on basically everyone (maybe not Aragorn), and while the bows themselves are only S2, the Might behind them (not to mention Heroic Accuracy everywhere) means sniping D6 riders (or even D7 heroes) is easier than it appears at first glace. That threat is enough to force most opponents to come to them.
• Once you hit combat, the Rangers on foot match the cavalry warriors for Rohan attack for attack (2 v. 2) and Strength for Strength (4 v. 4)... assuming Rohan gets the charge. Granted, Rohan usually gets the charge the first time around, and also usually charges on a turn when they've lost priority to avoid the possibility of counter-charges (although whenever you're playing a kiting, skirmish force and they have 24" bows while you have predominantly 8" throwing spears, sometimes Rohan will charge on a turn where they've won priority to prevent that force from retreating beyond 10" and shooting them again). But on that all important following turn (where there will be a 50-50 Heroic roll-off), a win by the Rangers can decimate Theoden's Riders. Winning the charge gives the Rangers a decided advantage on attacks (2 v. 1), Strength on those attacks (4 v. 3), and even Fight Value (4 v. 4 or 3, depending on Royal Guard vs. Rider). And that's before we get to the kill power disparity (Rangers get 2 S4 dice, while Riders get 1 S3 dice, instead of 4 S4 dice).
• The Rangers' heroic blitz is also more flexible. In addition to being able to blitz with any Ranger (or clump of Rangers) who still has Might (as opposed to the 20-25% of your army composed of named heroes), infantry models only suffer a fraction of the penalties for fighting in certain difficulty terrain that cavalry models do. For the Rangers, it's only halved movement (3" instead of 6"), and even that penalty is avoided if they're operating out of woodland terrain. Critically, they're still 2 attacks at Strength 4. Cavalry models suffer a more severe movement penalty (2.5" of movement, instead of 10") and lose their charge bonuses (which, at a minimum, is the two attacks on the charge and the four dice to wound if they win). That's a massive loss.
• Lastly--and this will be the last thing on this: while the kill-power of a cavalry model is undeniable, don't underestimate the advantage of having a force of two-attack models on 25mm bases. The larger base sizes can lead to awkward interactions, especially if your opponent is fighting in a choke point or in a tight battle line. The Rangers, on the other hand, have much more flexibility to duck and weave from fight to fight, either in the Move Phase or during successful Heroic Combats. So while the Riders of Theoden definitely have the more devastating Heroic Blitz, the Rangers have a far more flexible one that is much less dependent on winning 50-50 roll-offs, while still having excellent killing power.
• Strength: Fear nothing. We come to it at last: the great wargear item in this list. That would be Halbarad's banner (tell me I'm wrong), which confers two huge bonuses: a 6" reroll (awesome on two-attack models with Might) and a 6" Fearless bubble. The latter effect is much better than it looks on paper. It turns out there's a lot of very scary stuff out there (not just models with Terror, but things like spectres and sentinels that like to push your models around). Being able to look at those models and laugh, then ignore them, is huge in a game when you only have so many models to begin with. Don't sleep on that reroll bonus, either. Giving a two-attack model another chance to score that "6"? When it goes off--and it goes off a lot--it's demoralizing for opponents. Aragorn is definitely the best profile in the list, but Halbarad is probably the most important. 

87... but I've still got it...

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• Strength: Slay everything, tank everything. Speaking of Aragorn, let me give him a specific shout-out here. In addition to all the utility he brings you (moves, accuracy for free, a horse if you need mobility), let's not forget he's awesome at killing... well, literally everything on a 4+ (or 3+ if you two-hand). Spamming Heroic Defense is no joke, either. Lots of lists aren't excited to fight a Balrog or Sauron, but with Aragorn in your force you've actually got a real shot. (Upon further reflection, Anduril is definitely the best wargear item in the list--tell me I'm wrong.)
• Strength: Budget options. Okay, "budget" is probably the wrong word here. But at low points levels, you also have the option for Arathorn. Aragorn he is not, but Arathorn is a perfectly serviceable army leader at low points levels (being 75 points in a list where you buy your basic profile in increments of 25 points is pretty good, too). Three attacks, a bow, Heroic Strike, and three Might means he can deal with Captain-level and two-attack Striking heroes pretty effectively. He is fragile (D5, two wounds, 1 Fate), so keeping him safe from shooting and then snowballing other Rangers into his combats is key. Alternatively, Halbarad is also a decent leader option at low points levels. He gives something up on the attack (2 attacks instead of three), but the option for a horse usually sets him slightly ahead, and that 6" banner bonus is huge at low points levels. The inclusion of both heroes (plus 1-point spears on all your Rangers and Dunedain) basically allows you to scale this list to any points level that's 100 or more.
• Weakness: Staying power / Match-up Options. As you can probably tell, I'm high on this list in general. But there are three situations where this list will struggle (in addition to the aforementioned objective capture scenarios, where low numbers can work against you):
• Dedicated shooting (especially if you have Dunedain). The Dunedain typically out-shoot most armies (because most armies can't spam archers with 3+ shoot values, or even 4+ shoot values). But there are exceptions, and those exceptions pose a risk to the Rangers (especially the Dunedain, who are D4). Playing these armies can be a challenge, especially if they have Blinding Light / Pall of Darkness (Rivendell with Cirdan/Lady of Light, Lothlorien with Galadriel, any number of lists with Gandalf the Grey / White, or a Mordor list/alliance with the Shadow Lord), or the Stalk Unseen special rule (usually Gondor/Rangers of Ithilien with Mablung or Mirkwood Rangers, less-usually Morgul Stalkers, Wood Elves, or Woses). The good news is that (a) you're probably a better combat army than most shooting armies that you can't shoot back reliably (certain elf lists excepted), (b) most scenarios allow you to start at the 24" line if you want (so you have less distance to cover while charging), (c) if you have Aragorn, you can March infinitely), and (d) depending on how you split up your warbands (i.e., more independent drops instead of large warbands), you may be able to split up into different shooting groups (which may be more effective in combat if you're charged by just a part of the enemy army). Again, while the Rangers are a fantastic shooting list, they have more ways to win games than just shooting enemy armies off the table. With planning, the fickleness of the enemy's shooting dice, and a ton of Might (and Fate) points, you can do it.
• The other two difficulties come from hitting models that can blunt your combats, and therefore your ability to reliably snowball heroic combats. The sweet spot for opposing forces is F4/D7, but either F4 or D7 will pose problems. When you're trying to win Heroic Combats, drawing the duel roll against another F4 model is just the worst. Yes, you still win 50% of the time; but when you lose, you tend to lose models (not just the Ranger in the combat that the Uruk takes a swipe at, but also the 2-3 other Rangers fighting other Uruks that you were planning to snowball into). Defense 7 is less problematic because as long as you have Might, you can wound them on just a "5" (which you tend to get). But there is a cost: each Might you spend wounding is a Might you can't spend later to Heroic Move, Heroic Combat, win a fight, or fix a Fate save. That's why I'm higher on the Rangers in Good v. Evil formats--evil has fewer options for F4, and no D7 troops across the board (plus only Mordor and its allies can bring Pall of Darkness). Good armies have a lot more of both (plus Blinding Light), and over multiple games those drawn combats or failures to wound can swing VP scores.
• Strength: Flexibility. The above discussion hints at what may end up being the biggest strength of this list: its flexibility (or, if you prefer, its ability to "flex" to doing different things at different times... and sometimes even the same time). Shooting, kill power, and speed (all backed by Might, and equally-flexible main heroes) form the core triumvirate. A key supporting advantage is the fact that your Rangers and Dunedain are independent heroes, which means that they can either go in a big hero's warband or you can deploy them independently. Like Kylie on the Green Dragon Podcast, I tend to prefer the independent warband route, especially if you have at least 10 models. Yes, Maelstrom theoretically could result in Aragorn or Halbarad being stranded and unsupported, but practically this is never the case because you have 10+ Rangers who get to roll to come on near them, each of whom has a Might point if you really need to alter their Maelstrom rolls. The advantage is that you get to potentially cover a lot of the board in Maelstrom scenarios (many of which, like Heirlooms of Ages Past or Command the Battlefield actually reward being in different spots on the board), and in standard deployment scenarios you get to see exactly where your enemy is going to be before you have to deploy your big heroes (and most of your smaller heroes, too). In an army that favors positioning, firing lanes, March angles, and opportunistic charges, being able to deploy later (so you can play to those strengths) can be massive.
• Strength: Green Allies. So much for the list proper, which is plenty good on its own. But if you're looking either to spice things up or to add some tournament "oomph," you have two excellent historic alliances you can draw from. 
• The first is the Army of the Dead, which offers three things that are quite good: (1) high Defense models who can shield your Rangers from enemy fire (awesome); (2) Terror to make it even harder for opponents to decide if they're going to challenge your Heroic Moves; and (3) (relatively) cheap, (definitely) sturdy cavalry who can help with the objective game (and have Terror to boot). The Warriors are a fantastic addition, especially against horde armies, where Courage is usually an issue provided you can snipe out their shaman (which the supporting Rangers can totally do). And Aragorn on horse, flanked by 2-3 Riders of the Dead, will move first an awful lot of times, and consequently kill an awful lot of things. There are some limitations. Adding the Dead doesn't really help your model count until you get to 9+ warriors (the King of the Dead + 8 Warriors costs essentially what you pay for 9 Rangers), plus you're trading Might for those warriors. The Dead are not nearly as good at winning Fights as the Rangers (F3/1 Attack). But they can up your staying power significantly (which means you can be more selective in your snowballing), and pose all sorts of problems for enemy hordes if you can position them right. 
• On the other end of the spectrum is the Shire, and here you really have two options: a huge hobbit spam (to up your numbers significantly) or a moderate hobbit spam with Gandalf the Grey. There are definitely advantages to both. Those pesky objective-grabbing scenarios? Much less problematic when you can take 50+ models and march them 7" per turn with Aragorn. Gandalf, on the other hand, allows you to tech in all sorts of helpful things (Rangers shooting from within Blinding Light? Yes please. Protection of the Valar on Aragorn? Awesome. Compel models into a heroic combat blitz? *rubs hands together excitedly*). And of course, he can lead 15 hobbits, too (which are extra dice to throw into combat with Rangers, and potentially even more blitzers if they're in heroic combats with Rangers). Taken together, both ally options give you ways to flesh out the list. The only problem is...
• Weakness: Yellow alliance rules. I'll keep this simple: because Rivendell is a yellow ally, you cannot ally the elf twins into the list without also taking one of Elrond or Glorfindel (you cannot take the twins with Gil-Galad, per Gil-Galad's rules). Now, I grant you that a list featuring Aragorn, Halbarad, Elrond, and the twins would be awesome to play with... at 1200 points. But for most competitive points levels, it's just not feasible and you have to give up the Rangers army bonus. That double-whammy is unfortunate (more thoughts on how to fix that later). Actually, the yellow alliance penalty (losing your army bonus) is pretty punishing all around, to the point that most players don't bother with a yellow alliance (unless they're just allying Aragorn/Arathorn and Halbarad into something else, and leaving the Rangers at home). I guess that comes with the territory of having a really good bonus, but still...
• Strength: Cost. It's not true today (because when I checked this morning, they were out of stock in the United States), but in general the cost of obtaining the models you need for a Rangers list is pretty easy and affordable. Twenty-four rangers in plastic cost only $45 USD (again, when they're in stock), which is enough to field 600 points of Dunedain and 720 points of Rangers of the North (probably more than you'll ever need at normal points levels). If you like variety in your models, there are also three-packs of mental Dunedain and Rangers of the North for $15 USD (also out of stock today), and a three-pack with Arathorn and Halbarad (with and without banner) for $38 USD (apparently there are some stocking issues--fingers crossed that's temporary). The only remaining models are Aragorn (readily available in any number of poses) and then mounted models if you want to mount some of your Rangers of the North. There are no official models for those, but a lot of third-party sellers offer mounted Rangers that are pretty cool, which leads me to...
• Strength: Hobby opportunity. Standard plastic Rangers are fine and all; but if you're like me and want a cooler way to designate who still has Might points than "Rangers 11 and 15," this list is a fantastic opportunity to kitbash and make them your own (and since they're all heroes, and they really should all be unique, right?). There are any number of cool ranger-type miniatures for games like DND, so as long as your tournaments allow proxies you can really go to town customizing them (and then give them names, family histories, motivations, ancient grudges, personalities, etc.). Here are some of my favorites, just to get the creative juices flowing (largely named after Rangers in The Lord of the Rings Online):

Aragorn and Halbarad. 

Aragorn is a standard GW model (Three Hunters Foot / Riders), but the Halbarad was converted from the generic "open hand pointing Ranger." The idea was shamelessly stolen from Bizzare War Star (his version is much cooler, so check that out).

Lothrandir, Calenglad, Halros, and Saeredan

Lothrandir (left, purple), Halros (second from right, green), and Saeradan (right, shooting) are DaVale Games' Human North Rangers from ForgeMaster Miniatures, and the first 3d-printed Rangers I purchased. The scale is a tad small for SBG (see the size of the goblin attacking Lothrandir), but the sculpts themselves are awesome. Definitely ask if you can scale them up slightly, maybe to 30mm instead of 28mm. Calenglad (center, with torch) is a second-generation Ranger from Forgemaster Miniatures, and the leader of my Ranger battle company (he is also noticeably taller). I also have an alternate (torch-less) sculpt in case we draw the Clash by Moonlight scenario. ;-)

Rosselleth, Lorniel and Golodir(s)

Rosselleth (left) and Lorniel (right) were my two first female Rangers. In my mind's eye, they came from the same two-mini pack from WizKids, but haven't been able to find such a set anywhere online. That's too bad, because these are some of my favorite sculpts. Golodir is Lorniel's father, and part of one of the more memorable story arcs in LOTRO (if you run into them in Volume I of the epic story, just don't get too attached). I have gone through a lot of Golodir sculpts (as you can see), but the current version (very center) is from The Printing Goes Ever On / ForgeMaster Miniatures. Great size, two handing his sword (he's Burly in my battle company), and he has the Grey Company star to boot (sadly obscured by shadows from this angle).

Dagoras, Candaith, and Mincham

Three generations of Rangers here. Mincham (right) is a Pathfinder Rogue (the one who looks pretty cool), and one of my earliest Ranger conversions. He doubles as my sorcerer in Battle Companies. Dagoras (left) is a Dark Sword Miniatures Rogue (and looks like he knows it, too). The Dark Sword range is pricey, but there are a lot of very cool sculpts in this genre, including Candaith (center). He was originally an elf ranger, whom I've heavily converted (well, okay--I swapped both the sword and the bow). But get rid of his elf-trademark gear, and he's really cool.

Ariel, Orchalwe, and Reyna.

Who says only men can be rangers? (My daughters certainly think they're cool.) Ariel (left) is a Bones Ranger with a re-posed sword that's probably a tad chunky (but she's crouching, so it's okay). Orchalwe (center) is from ForgeMaster Miniatures (from the triple-spearman set), and is taking a break from his scavenger hunt on Tinnudir to help Aragorn out. I believe Reyna (right) is a Dark Sword mini, and if I recall correctly, is supposed to be some kind of tomb warden (who comes with a dog, which is cool, and a gravestone on her base that I shaved off at great effort). Her attire skirts (no pun intended) perilously close to the 16th century / vampire-hunting fantasy, but she's been so clutch in combat that no one teases her about that anymore.

Nethraw, Culang, and Dannesel

Nethraw (left, red) is a loner who haunts Angmar collecting evil swords, while Culang (center, red) is Golodir's lieutenant (and therefore also haunts Angmar). Both are from Ebora Miniatures (links on their names). Dannesel is another Dark Sword miniature(I think), and is quickly earning a reputation as a scout and strategist (though I'm not sure her shooting Falcon is going to do much to that Castellan).

Mounted Calenglad (left), Radanir (front center), Saeradan (back center), and Golodir (right)

Rangers of the North on horse aren't the greatest profile, but the models are cool (and in Battle Companies, they can be very scary). The three on the left are Mounted Rangers from DaVale Games / ForgeMaster Miniatures. I originally got two sets of these because the sculpts are great, but the customization options are a little limited (I did a spear for sword swap on the two in the front, and reposed the bow on the one in the back). The one leading the charge (Golodir) is a Ranger con Espada a Caballo, from EboraMiniatures, and looks even better in person.

• Strength: Memorable games. Last one before we get to profiles. I've played a lot of games of MESBG. Most of them, I can't remember much about. Maybe broad strokes--who won, probably the scenario, maybe 1-2 clutch moments--but rarely the details. But when there are exceptions, they're almost always games that I've played with the Rangers. Because every hero is unique (both with a name, and a modeling journey), they feel like they have a life of their own. So when Lorniel goes three rounds with a Dweller in the Dark and lives to tell the tale, it feels like another chapter in her tale. When Dagoras takes an arrow to the knee from an orc bow on the first turn, and then rolls a "2" on his fate save, he gets grief about it months later. When Golodir jumps into Aragorn's fight to peel off a Troll Chieftain, there's a knowing glance and the music swells. When they butcher 50 goblins, they celebrate; when they're engulfed by 50 goblins, they fight to the bitter end. Win, lose, or draw, every game is another chapter in a saga that, like their road, goes ever on and on. 

I know that sounds sappy. But we don't care.

Named Hero Profiles

Photo Credit: theargonath.cc

• Arathorn. The OG ranger hero (at least chronologically). Arathorn's statline is excellent at low points levels, and perfectly serviceable (if a bit fragile) at higher ones: Fight 5/3+ shoot, S4, D5, with 3 Attacks, 2 Wounds, Courage 5, and 3/2/1 heroic stats. The D5 is a bit... fragile, and coupled with the 2 Wounds / 1 Fate, there's a limit to the tier of heroes he can square off against and feel good about. He also lacks any benefits to wounding (no to-wound buffs, no elven-made weapon) and while Heroic Strike is great (Heroic Accuracy is meh, if for no other reason than that every other model in the list has it already), the lack of Heroic Defense or Resolve limit what he brings to the table as a support piece. All that said, he's still worth taking in a list for one major reason: cost. 75 points for a 3 Might, striking, 3-Attack hero is pretty good, plus Arathorn comes equipped with a bow already. For large points games, his son is better in every respect. But if you fancy playing Rangers at lower points levels (say, 600 or under), or if you plan to bring a large supporting piece who can keep him safe from all manner of threats (like, say, a certain wandering Grey Wizard), Arathorn offers a way to deal with bigger things without compromising your numbers. And at larger numbers, he's a much more affordable way to pack two-attack Rangers into an army with Gandalf and hobbits.
• Aragorn (Strider). We've discussed Aragorn before: he's the engine that makes the Fellowship of the Ring go, and while his upgraded version in Minas Tirith is pretty much the consensus #1 slayer that good has, his Fellowship / Rangers version is not far behind. That said, I've played with Aragorn a LOT since those reviews... and I'm still not sure he's fully received his due. As mentioned above, Aragorn fills a lot of the same roles in a Rangers list as he does in the Fellowship. He's the engine that keeps you moving (either first with Heroic Moves, or faster with Heroic Marches). I don't think anyone would say that Heroic Accuracy is their favorite heroic action, but when you can call it for free each turn and have 15-20 bows backed by Might to hunt priority targets (and yes, that's targets--plural), it definitely has its uses. And when you need to deal with something big and scary (and can't shoot it off the table), it's awesome to have a leader who's just about guaranteed to be as big and scary. Then there's the psychological edges that Aragorn provides. If you can protect him from stupid stuff (like a magic barrage, clean shots from the enemy, a hurl that takes out his mount) and force the enemy to defeat him in combat, he's an incredibly tough out. Infinite Heroic Strikes (or worse, infinite Heroic Defenses) with an elven-made weapon, followed by 3-8 dice to wound on a 4+ (or potentially a 3+ if you two-hand) gets wearying for an opponent. Infinite Heroic Moves allow you to dictate the terms of engagement time after time. Infinite Heroic Combats allow you to wear down a battle line, reposition, and wear down again. Like virtually all big combat heroes, he's susceptible to magic (although allying in Gandalf from the Shire helps tremendously). But if you can keep him going (or get some timely resists off), he's about as unstoppable a force as Good can field. Strongly consider at 600+ points, and he's close to an auto-include once you get to 750. His upgrade options also pose some interesting questions. Because points are at a premium in this army, my personal priority system is as follows:
• Anduril: I know it's expensive, but there's a ton of D7+ things running around that are a bear to wound if you're only S4. Anduril solves all of that, plus is an elven-made weapon. If you're taking Aragorn in your Rangers list, the odds are that you're playing 700+ points, and at most points levels he's the only thing in your army that can deal with something really big and bad. So give him the beatstick of destiny, the lightsaber, the pointy sword of doom, or whatever your pet name is for Anduril. It makes you more confident, and your opponents far more skittish.
• A horse: If you have Anduril, you don't need the horse to be threatening. But if you can afford both, it sure helps. In addition to increasing Aragorn's mobility, eight dice to wound--on as little as a 3+ if you two-hand--can obliterate just about any model in record time. And heroic combats powered by a charging Aragorn rarely fail to work.
• A bow: This may be a surprise, but think of it this way: in a Rangers list, one of your strengths is that every model in the army can shoot. So why wouldn't you give your leader that same opportunity--you know, the one who can burn a point of Might for free each turn? Aragorn's bow is essentially a perpetual crossbow, and you can kill a lot of things at range with a perpetual crossbow. Oh, and you can shoot into Blinding Light on a 5+. That's not exactly Legolas-levels of excellence, but it's better than anyone else can do.
• Armor: While I'm not sold on the jump from D4 to D5 for Dunedain / Rangers of the North (see below), jumping from D5 to D6 is definitely useful, especially against the vast majority of archery. Aragorn loves fighting in melee (especially if you don't take his bow), but he has to get there first. If your Aragorn is mounted, this upgrade is the best way to get him into combat alive (also, D6 is quite useful against most enemy troops, who remain S3).
• Elven Cloak: It's at the bottom because I have the horse higher, and the cloak doesn't confer any benefits whilst you're on a steed. But if you're taking Aragorn on foot, I'd consider this ahead of the armor because of the dual protection it provides against bows and magic (the one thing Aragorn hates even more than bows). Yes, there's a difference between wounding D5 and D6. But most enemy heroes are S4 (so they wound equally well against D5 and D6), and the enemy troops that are S3 tend to have a really hard time beating Aragorn in fights (in which case, they can't wound him anyway). Yes, it will matter against throwing daggers. Otherwise, show some confidence in Aragorn's combat prowess and take the cloak.
• Halbarad. Arathorn and Strider both have their place. But if you're running Dunedain or Rangers of the North, and you want a competitive list, Halbarad with the Banner is always your first buy. As we discussed above, a 6" reroll for two-attack models with Might is huge. For any Ranger with Might and the higher fight value, a single "5" is enough to ensure that you can win the fight if you want to win it: and with a banner reroll providing that third die, you'll get a "5+" a very reliable 70% of the time. That keeps your rangers alive, keeps them killing things, keeps your Heroic Combats going off, etc. The Fearless buff isn't always useful, but situationally it's phenomenal; and if you do break, you'll be glad you have it. Lastly, while Halbarad's chief contribution is his banner, he's pretty good in a scrap himself: Fight 5, 3+ shoot (with a bow), S4, D5, 2 Attacks, 2 Wounds, and 3/2/1 Heroic Stats are nice. He also brings Heroic Strike (and Accuracy) to the table, the former of which is a welcome addition to the list. Like his chiefs, he's also susceptible to magic (just 2 Will), but the option to Strike does mean that he can call Strikes when Aragorn Heroic Combats for free (or vice versa) or can pair with a Heroic Combat from another Ranger to get some Fight 6+ moving around the table. Again, in a list where you have limited options for dealing with monsters or enemy heroes, that's very useful.

Unnamed Hero Profiles

Photo Credit: cdnaartstation.com

• Dunedain Rangers. This is your standard profile for Rangers in this list, and in a vacuum I'd say they're probable the preferred profile for most players. Fight 4, Shoot 3+, Strength 4, and a Strength 2 bow form your basic combat profile, and are quite good. 1 Attack is meh, but of course the army bonus boosts that to 2 Attacks whilst on foot (which is great). Defense 4 with only 1 Wound is kind of scary, especially against mass archery. But if you win your fights, it doesn't matter (and if you hit S3 armies, it may even be okay if you lose combats against only a single opponent). Of course, their 1 Might, 1 Will, and 1 Fate make them far more unpredictable and resilient than their simple stat line suggests. You also have the option to give them a spear for 1 point. If you're allying in cheaper troops (especially hobbits, but it's helpful for the Dead of Dunharrow, too), this isn't a bad idea: F4 with a Might point is a nice thing to have on a stick. But if you're running just Rangers, I usually get better value out of 5-10 point upgrades on Aragorn instead of a few spears.
• Rangers of the North. These guys are 5 points more expensive than Dunedain, and those 5 points get you two bonuses: you go from D4 to D5 (which is situationally great or useless, so I'll settle on "okay"), and you have the option to take a horse for 10 points. The rest of their statline is identical to the Dunedain rangers (and like the Dunedain, they also have a wargear option for spears). As far as the upgrade options go, the horse would be great if it didn't cost you the extra attack (because the army bonus only applies whilst on foot). But it does, which makes these very expensive cavalry models (albeit models with 1 Might). As the Green Dragon folks say, having a couple of these guys to run interference for Aragorn or to capture objectives isn't bad. But I definitely wouldn't spam them mounted (on foot, they have their place).

Warrior Profiles

Just kidding--there are no warrior profiles in this list. :-P Back in the day (which is to say, before my time playing SBG), I heard you used to be able to field Rangers of Arnor with your Dunedain (an identical profile to the Gondor Rangers that everyone became painfully familiar with in the Rangers of Ithilien LL). I'm not saying those should make a comeback--and certainly not if the list doesn't have a bow limit. But the option to take them in limited numbers--perhaps tied to a unique named Ranger hero, who can only lead six dudes--could be a fun addition to the list.

That said, I'm generally a fan of having at least some armies that are unique in their composition--not every army needs to be able to field a shieldwall, cavalry, archers, and siege weapons after all. The Rangers definitely still have that uniqueness: an army of heroes that you can actually scale to just about any points level. And call me old-fashioned, but I think that's kinda cool.

That said, I will use this space to float one of my solutions to the pet peeve that most Rangers players have about the current profiles in the list: the "meh" difference between Dunedain and Rangers of the North. Yes, D4 to D5 is something, but for most players it's not enough to justify the bump in cost. So here's my thematic solution: give Rangers of the North +1 Fight within 6" of Aragorn. You still need a pretty substantial tax to make that work (because Aragorn isn't cheap), but at least that would give players a reason to consider the more expensive--and if you're running Aragorn, thematic--heroes over the generic ones.

I also have thoughts on other unique hero profiles, like Grey Company Wardens and Champions...  but you can read about those here. ;-)

About those Legendary Legions

So here, we actually do have something to talk about.

While the Rangers are a perfectly capable faction, there are some list-building issues with them if you want to ally four models in particular: Legolas, Gimli, and the sons of Elrond (Elrohir and Elladan). While Legolas and Gimli can technically be allied (being heroes of Valor), you lose your army bonus if you do so (because the Fellowship and the Rangers apparently never crossed paths). The twins, on the other hand, are heroes of fortitude; so to pair them with the Rangers you need to bring another Hero of Valor from Rivendell (which, given that Gil-Galad can't be fielded with the twins, means either Glorfindel or Elrond). Don't get me wrong: Glorfindel and Elrond are great profiles. But they're also point sinks in a list that's already filled with heroes... and they're not exactly thematic point sinks all the time, either. 

The simplest fix (if you believe this is a problem) would be to allow you to take Legolas, Gimli, and the twins in the Rangers list if you have Aragorn. Khazad-Dum basically has this mechanic: you get Mardin if you take Durin; or Floi and a boatload of older, more wizened Champions of Erebor if you take Balin (who ironically is not more wizened than his fellow Champions). Those kinds of lists don't seem broken to me, and I don't think the Rangers would be, either; but maybe I'm missing something. And yes, I know this means that you could pair essentially the Grey Company with Gandalf the Grey in a historic alliance that doesn't actually make sense chronologically with the books... but you can already pair Gandalf with Legolas and Gimli in the same list (Fellowship), and all three with the Twins as a historic alliance (Fellowship + Rivendell), despite them never fighting together in the books... so if theme is your only objection, I call a respectful but firm phooey.

Anyway, unless and until a change like that occurs, your only option to pair these heroes together (without a high elf babysitter) with the option for generic Rangers and the Rangers army bonus is the Grey Company legendary legion, which Tiberius has discussed elsewhere. Taking this legion over the standard Rangers list substantially improves your ability to deal with big threats. While Aragorn (who gets Anduril for free in this legion) feels pretty comfortable against most opponents, he can only be in one place at a time. So having Gimli as an off-tank, or the twins to call strikes or combats, or even Legolas to snipe important targets early does wonders to get the pressure off of him. Plus, you can have up to 18* Might for Heroic Strikes, moves, and combats if you pair all four with Aragorn and Halbarad... definitely nothing to sneeze at.

There are a couple of important trade-offs. First, you can't take regular Dunedain in this legion--only Rangers of the North. That's not a terrible thing in the abstract: Rangers of the North are D5, after all, and D5 is definitely valuable against S2 archery and S4 strikes (both of which are pretty common). But that extra 5-points per model does mean that your already-low model count is just a tad lower (and that's before accounting for the increased cost of the major heroes, who also reduce your count by another 3-4 models each). Additionally, all of the heroes lose their mount options (except Gimli, who has no mount option). That reduces both their damage output and their speed, both of which fine-but-not-great when they're on foot. You also can't mount your Rangers of the North in this list, so you'll be moving 3-9" per turn (depending on if you're kiting, Marching, or Marching whilst Kiting) and that's it.

That said, I had a great time running this legion at a THRO tournament (which is something I usually wouldn't say after having to fight two Balrogs in my two good v. evil matches). The addition of the twins to Aragorn and Halbarad really does allow you to deal with several big threats at once, or to keep a surprising number of troops off of Aragorn while he's dealing with the fire demon. And while the numbers will never be high, your small number of models can put in a lot of work with smart placement, timely heroic combats, and some favor from the Valar (in other words, standard Rangers tactics ;-) ).

Concluding Thoughts

So there we are: another "Armies of Middle Earth" checked off. At this rate, we'll finish the series sometime around 2032... but we are getting there (plus the Dark Powers of Dol Guldur are coming). As always, let us know what you think in the comments!

More from the TMAT Team

• A Season of Giving: Revamping the Rangers Part I and Part 2 (December 2022)
• A Season of Giving: The Watchers of the Roads Fan-Made Legendary Legion! (December 2022)
• TMAT Talks: Episode 17 - Recapping the Hunters' Red October 2021 -- Part I and Part II (November 2021)
• The Bare Necessities, Part XXXIII: The Rangers (August 2021)
• Fleshing out the Rangers (June 2021)
• The Stuff of Legends: The Grey Company (January 2021)
• Heroic Heroes: Top 10 Heroes for Heroic Accuracy (November 2020)
• Revisiting the Rangers of the North: Army Review (August 2019)
• New Rules Part VI: The Kingdoms of Men, Part 1 (December 2018)
• Conversion: Mounted Rangers of the North (August 2013)
• Grey Company Update: Conversions, Naming Schemes, and Units (November 2012)

Support your Hobby

• Games Workshop: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Three Hunters, and The Three Hunters Mounted (Aragorn)
• Games Workshop: Lords of the Dunedain (Arathorn, Halbarad)
• Games Workshop: Rangers of the North
• Games Workshop: Dunedain of the North
• Games Workshop: Rangers of Middle Earth

Recommended Resources

• PODCAST: The Green Dragon Podcast, Ep 89 - The Rangers (April 2021)
• YOUTUBE: Guardians of Wiltshire, Send Forth All Legions - The Grey Company (June 2020)
• YOUTUBE: DC Hobbit League, How to Play and Buy The Rangers (November 2018)
• IN PRINT: Veni Vini Double, Fog of War, Part 9: The Rangers (October 2018)
• IN PRINT: 1d4chan, The Rangers (May 2022)
• IN PRINT: A Fistfull of Miniatures, Passing of the Grey Company (November 2019)
• IN PRINT: Middle Earth SBG France, The Rangers (October 2018)
• BATREP: Blackfyre Productions, Corsairs v. The Rangers, Angmar v. The Rangers (September 2019)
• BATREP: The Tabletop Alliance, Isengard v. The Rangers (October 2021)
• BATREP: W.A.R.G., Angmar v. The Rangers (February 2022)
• ARMY SHOWCASE: The Bearded Brush (January 2020)
• HOBBYING: Michael Hanns, The Passing of the Grey Company (December 2019)
• HOBBYING: A Butterfly's Hobby Tally, Painting Rangers (August 2019)
• HOBBYING: Wargaming in the Wild, Minas Tirith (Gondor) Rangers Painting Guide (January 2019)