Minas Tirith Me Up: Osgiliath/Minas Tirith Terrain, Part III

Good morning gamers,

If you haven't read the last two updates in this mini-series (here and here), we've got twelve 24" x 12" board panels that can be used for the Osgiliath and Minas Tirith missions from Gondor at War and Quest of the Ringbearer. I'd like to note before we continue that I had NO IDEA when I started this project that we'd be getting a new starter box with an Osgiliath emphasis - and boy am I happy I got started building this already! Centaur and I plan to go in on a box together (I need the evil stuff, he needs the good stuff), so Christmas and early 2023 should be a very exciting time!

With the instructional help of Zorpazorp (both from videos and various wall and building templates), we are well on our way to having the outer wall completed. Today we will be finishing the gatehouse (and the walls next to it) and working on getting the our first 48" x 48" of board not looking so pink. Let's get into it!

Photo Credit: Sott.net

The Outer Wall 

Lachie from Zorpazorp hasn't gotten to the main gate of Minas Tirith yet, but he's given us templates for trebuchet towers which stick out ahead of the wall, just like the two ramparts guarding the main gate do. So I started by making two modified versions of the trebuchet tower, each having 9 panels that are 5" deep and 4" wide (only had 16 panels, so I had to use a few off-cuts that will get integrated into the second-from-the-bottom level of each tower). I then marked out a 1" x 1" right triangle on each of the outer corners so I can taper the front of each a bit - these all got cut off and will be used for broken pillars for the Osgiliath, Pelargir, and Harlond port/water sections:

The Stuff of Legends: The Fell Beings of Mirkwood

Good morning gamers,

Legendary Legions are one of my favorite aspects of the most recent rendition of MESBG - they give those of us who like thematic game play a new way to use the existing armies (and sometimes make what would be convenient/impossible alliances actually playable and sometimes competitive). In each sourcebook, we've received 2-7 new Legions and with six books under our belts, there are a veritable host of Legions to use.

But in each supplement (well, most of them at any rate), there are certain Legions that . . . just don't excite me as much as others (and I think I speak for a lot of MESBG users when I say they're not exciting). In Gondor at War (the first supplement released), players rallied quickly to the Return of the King and Riders of Theoden Legendary Legions, but the Men of the West and Army of Gothmog just . . . didn't seem like worthy investments for most players. Similarly, War in Rohan gave us really amazing Legions like the Defenders of Helm's Deep, Ugluk's Scouts, and the Army of Dunland, but it also gave us the Wolves of Isengard and the Riders of Eomer who . . . well, just don't seem to stack up to the other Legions in the book.

Defence of the North contains six Legions and of the six Legions presented in the book, there is one Legion that stands out more than the others as unnecessary: the Army of Dale (especially after the August 2022 FAQs showed that the Windlance was supposed to be available in the Garrison of Dale list all along). While Jeremy Hunthor likes the addition of Sworn Protector in the Legion, adding Sworn Protector to the army bonus if Brand is in the list would make the Legion unnecessary - and no, I won't change my mind (#LegionForLorien). :-) A close second, however, is the Fell Beings of Mirkwood. Like I said in my review of the Army of Gothmog, this Legion has some nice buffs to it (though their actual impact is much less than originally meets the eye), you're probably better off just running a convenient alliance if you want this list instead of the Legion itself. Still, it's a Legion - and I've taken up the mantle to find out a way to make this army unique and cool and somehow relevant in competitive play. Let's dive in!

Part 1: What Do You Need?

Legion Tax: 110pts

The only required model in this list is Razgush, War Leader of the North. For just over 100pts, this means that, at any points level, you can get quite a few models in your force. Razgush boasts a pretty solid profile for being an Orc hero - F5/S4/3A with 3 Might on offense, D7 with 3 Wounds/1 Fate on defense. Against Elves in this Legion, he'll get +1 FV (great for fighting grunts, fine for fighting heroes) and has access to Heroic Strike to challenge someone big. His mace (Bone-breaker) negates the Elven-made dueling boost when Fight Values are tied, so if you do happen to tie the enemy Fight Value (F6 Elven troops/Elven-heroes-who-can't-Strike or a tied Strike-off/select non-Elf heroes carrying Elven blades), at least the enemy isn't getting an advantage. Of course, this is also a poor man's version of the Elven-made keyword, since it won't give you an Elven-made advantage against F6 heroes who have mundane weapons (like Boromir of Gondor or a large number of Dwarf heroes). But still, it's nice to have.

Ranking the New Battlehost Boxes (After The Rules Release)!

Good morning gamers,

When the new Battlehost boxes were announced back in August, Centaur wrote an article that evaluated which would win if they were pitted together. On September 7, 2022, we got the free-to-download "Quick Rules" for the main rules and these Battlehosts and I wanted to both comment on these documents and see how these truncated rules change the ranking of the Battlehosts (in my opinion). Let's dig in!

The Downloadable Rules

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community

First off, we need to view the main rules supplement - great job, Middle-Earth team, for distilling the bare basics of the rules into 14 pages. :)  These rules don't have everything in them, but instead focus on what's relevant to the Battlehosts themselves (a subset of the magical powers, no specialized heroic actions, a subset of the war gear, and a very short list of special rules). By drilling down into "just what's in the boxes", you avoid the overwhelming nature of diving straight into the game (where Mumaks, siege weapons, other monsters, the Ring, and countless special rules/magical powers/wargear options abound).

Many of the profiles (as we'll see) got truncated too - this not only makes it so that the main rules content can be reduced to avoid talking about niche rules, but it also makes it so that the rules for each model are streamlined a lot more (and didn't keep rules that are great for theme, but would never be used in battlehost play). The design team didn't skip magic entirely (which I think may have been a good idea - I never teach people how to play with magic in the first game because it changes how the game is played), but rather limited what kinds of spells can be used in this quick-and-dirty version of SBG. And I don't mind that (though some profiles REALLY changed with this truncation - more on that later).

But there was also a rules change (to simplify things) from the normal game: cavalry get their charge bonuses regardless of who they charge (read, you can't turn off someone's cavalry charge bonuses just by counter-charging them with cavalry). Suddenly any cavalry model looks really good (even if all the cavalry in these Battlehost are only F3). I don't think this changed too much for me, but I'm curious to see if this could be implemented in the normal game whenever a rules rewrite happens (comment below about whether you think this is a good idea or not).

But I do have one critique of this: they provided a single scenario for you to play and the game ends when one side is wiped out. In my experience playing MESBG, playing to the last man is actually an UNFUN experience (especially if there's no way your 2 Orcs are going to be able to kill Gandalf and a half dozen Warriors of Minas Tirith). This is easily remedied by the stragglers running away (the Courage stats aren't great in any of these boxes) or a player choosing to quit the game early, but I'd rather that they introduce the concept of a quarter point instead of "killing all the guys." But hey, if that's the only critique, that's not bad.

Okay, let's get into the Battlehost rules!

The Stuff of Legends: Assault On Lothlorien

Good morning gamers,

Defence of the North brought us six new Legendary Legions and today we're digging into the one that I was the most excited about when I heard about it (and I know I'm not the only one out there who was anxious to give it a whirl) - the Assault On Lothlorien LL. I started playing the game with Lothlorien and Moria - and this list features elements of Moria, Mordor, and Angmar - all of which have been top-tier lists since the current rules set was released (and allying them together just hasn't worked that well - until now). While the profiles you have access to are . . . not the usual competitive staples (or at least, not the way you'd usually rely on them), the list is incredibly strong and fun to play (and while definitely fun for you, it doesn't have to be a slog for your opponent). So let's dig in and take a look at the list!

Part 1: What Do You Need?

Legion Tax: 120-160pts

The list requires you to take Muzgur, Orc Shaman, a new Orc "shaman" profile released with Defence of the North. Additionally, you need to take at least one of the two named Goblin Shamans (Druzhag or Ashrak) - both of which give you access to spiders (and are the only heroes who can bring spiders in your army). This list, like the Cirith Ungol, Men of the West, and Ugluk's Scouts Legendary Legions, has race-based warband constraints (Orcs can only be led by Orc heroes, Goblins can only be led by Goblin heroes, Spiders can only be led by Druzhag/Ashrak), which makes your warband construction a little complicated, but not overly so.

2022 NOVA Open - Centaur's Recap

Hey Reader!

So Rythbryt, Red Jacket, Zorro, and I all went to the Nova Open this year, and it was fun to play against a wide range of people from across the country! While I didn't do well, I wanted to give a quick recap of how the matches went, army I took, and a few highlights.

But first, quick shout out to Telcontar101 and others that we met at the tournament! It was cool to actually put a name to the face of the people who read our blog, and for that we thank you, :)

I.  The Army List: Shire + Rangers Historical Alliance

I decided to go with an army that I enjoy: a Shire army that included Aragorn/Strider with all the cool toys, because I love that guy, and I teamed him up with a vast number of bodies to reduce the chance of getting broken in two hours. So here's the army I took:

Warband 1

Aragorn/Strider with Anduril, Horse, Bow, and Armor (Army Leader)

Warband 2

Gandalf the Grey

5 Hobbit Archers

9 Hobbit Militia

Warband 3

Farmer Maggot with Grip, Fang, and Wolf

5 Hobbit Archers

4 Hobbit Militia

Warband 4

Holfoot Bracegirdle

12 Hobbit Shirriffs

Warband 5

Mayor Will Whitfoot

2 Hobbit Shirriffs

5 Hobbit Archers

5 Hobbit Militia

Warband 6

Farmer Cotton

5 Hobbit Archers

7 Hobbit Militia

TOTAL: 800pts, 68 models, 35 casualties to break, 51 to quarter, 11 Might Points

So we've got decent magic and archery protection with Gandalf, a Big Beater with Aragorn, some 8" move infantry with the dogs for tagging objectives, and 20 archers (plus Aragorn's bow and a lot of rocks).

I didn't know how this was going to do, but having played all of the scenarios a few times against a wide range of armies in practice, I walked into the tournament with a rough idea of what I needed to do.

Armies of Middle-Earth SBG: The Dark Powers of Dol-Guldur in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Photo Credit: The New York Times

So, funny story: I started writing this post almost two years ago. Actually, it was (briefly) published two years ago (as basically a list of bullet points--very embarrassing). So this probably has the record for longest-post-never-to-be-posted (although my "Ode to Kardush the Firecaller" is getting close). Anyway, good things come to those who wait. Or in this case, very spooky things...

So yeah. Dol Guldur. Spooky stuff. Lots of Strength 4. Historical Allies with Azog, Bolg, and da boys. Spoiler alert: they're good, and surprisingly versatile.

Also, be sure you check out the Green Dragon Podcast's recent episode on Dol Guldur at some point--it's phenomenal (except for the discussion of my favorite profile in the list). Definitely worth your time, especially if you have pressing painting projects.

Onward!

The Problem with Beornings

Pic courtesy of GamesWorkshop

Hey Reader!

So to start off, I should mention that I don't mind Beornings: I think they are a fantastic new addition to the game, and I'm so glad to see them in the miniatures line! A+ job by the team in model design, mechanics, points cost, and the legion associated with them.

But beornings bring out a potential issue in the game, which is the concept of "stat creep" from one release to the next, as the release of the beornings outdates, in my opinion, an entire faction in the game. Rythbryt covered this faction recently on the blog, so if you haven't played with them before, I recommend opening that article to give you a deeper dissection of the models in the force, as we won't be going that deep into it here.

Because from what I can see, The Beornings legendary legion is the new Rangers faction, except that they do almost everything better. Let's see why.

The Stuff of Legends: The Pits of Dol Guldur

Good morning gamers,

We're tackling the third of the four Legendary Legions that were released in the Fall of the Necromancer sourcebook, the Pits of Dol Guldur. Universally held by us here at TMAT as the least interesting of the Legendary Legions from that book (and often hailed as the "odd child" by the global competitive community too), this Legion is "just a bunch of Orcs" (and Thrain the Broken). Though its composition isn't anything remarkable and its special rules are sparse, the list is surprisingly versatile, and I've been really impressed with it in recent games (it gains the "Most Improved Opinion After Actually Using It" award for the year - though I'm currently playing the Fell Beings of Mirkwood LL and the Army of Gothmog, so we'll see if the list retains the mantle). So let's dig in and see what there is to know about this list!

Part 1: What Do You Need?

Legion Tax: 165-215pts

The only model you need to include in your list is Azog - and while you don't HAVE to take him on the White Warg, you probably always will. The White Warg comes with 3M/1W/1F that Azog can use while he's mounted on the warg and only costs 50pts (which means you get a F5/S5/2A mount with D5/2 Wounds, Terror, and Fell Sight for ~25pts - quite the steal and perhaps the best mount-for-value in the game). Should you be separated, the White Warg will automatically pass its separation Courage test AND any other Courage tests he needs to make. This pairing is bonkers - together they're very tough to beat, and separated they can be a tactical nightmare for your opponent.

Unexpected Military Formations: Trapping Your Own Heroes?!?!?!?!

Good morning gamers,

Today we're covering a formation that I've been trying out with the new Defenders of Erebor Legendary Legion: a way to trap your heroes so they can proctor free Heroic Combats. In general, trapping your own models is a horrible idea - but in that Legion specifically, you can turn heroes with fairly run-of-the-mill profiles into absolute monstrosities. However, as we'll see later in this post, this formation actually has applicability to lists outside this Legion for those of you who want to add an extra dimension of cunning to your game play (an innocent mind game with your opponent, if you will). Let's get right into it!

The Objectives of the Formation

In the new Defenders of Erebor Legendary Legion, there are two Legion bonuses that grant free Heroic Combats to the four "royal" heroes from the Legion - and they're triggered if the corresponding hero of the pair is trapped:

[A Bond Forged in War] If either Dain or Brand would be Trapped at the start of the Fight phase, then the other may declare a Heroic Combat without spending Might. If successful, they must join their Trapped ally's fight if possible. If this is not possible, then they must move as close as possible to their Trapped ally.

[The Heirs of the Kingdoms] If either Thorin III Stonehelm or Bard II would be Trapped at the start of the Fight phase, then the other may declare a Heroic Combat without spending Might. If successful, they must join their Trapped ally's fight if possible. If this is not possible, then they must move as close as possible to their Trapped ally.

If you've taken Brand, he has the Stoic Fighter special rule in his profile which gives him still MORE bonuses when he's trapped:

ACTIVE - At the start of a Fight involving Brand, check to see if he would be Trapped should his side lose the Duel roll, with the exception of if a friendly model can Make Way for Brand. If Brand would be Trapped, he may reroll a single D6 to win the Duel roll, and a single D6 when rolling To Wound.

These rules paired together gives us an interesting incentive to . . . well, actually trap our own guys. Trapping a model is actually quite easy in the game if you only have one avenue of retreat, as a model must Back Away if it can, but friendly models don't have to Make Way (that's optional). Prior to the August 2022 FAQ, since any model that can't Back Away is trapped, a player could legitimately declare after moving a friendly model (we'll say he has a spear) to block the retreat of Dain, Brand, Bard, or Thorin, that the spearman is "not going to make way" and the hero would be trapped.