Gondor At War Inspired Lists: Mordor Revisited

Good morning gamers (and happy Halloween),

Last time we talked about Minas Tirith - and Minas Tirith has quite a few options available to it in MESBG. But you can probably double your options with a generic Mordor list - and even with the restricted model selection of Gondor at War, there's still a crushing number of models to choose from (at least for heroes - the warriors are pretty stock-standard). Here are the models we have to work with:

• The Witch-King on Fell Beast with the Crown of Morgul and flail
  
• Gothmog (on foot and mounted)
• Guritz and Gothmog's Enforcer
• Zagdush and Goroth
• The Mouth of Sauron (on foot and mounted)
  
• 2 (technically 3) Ringwraiths on Fell Beasts
  
• 3 Mordor Orc Captains with shields
• 3 Morannon Orc Captains with shields
• 1 Mordor Troll Chieftain
  
• 36 Mordor Orc Warriors (12 shields, 12 spears, 6 two-handed weapons, 6 Orc bows)
• 48 Morannon Orcs (12 vanilla, 12 shields, 12 spears, 12 shields and spears)
• 12 Orc Trackers
  
• 3 Mordor Trolls
  

Photo Credit: Gondor At War

While we could certainly kludge together a 700-point list from this, it would probably reflect a list from our review of the Army of Gothmog or perhaps our list from the Mordor army review in our Bare Necessities series. So today, I've decided to tap into allies again and go for something that gets Orc-level cheapness with a bit more punch - let's look at the list!

Top 5 New Battlehosts for Forces of Evil

Hey Reader!

Just like in our last post, a quick caveat before we start: no, we don't have special knowledge about what is going to come down the line from GW, so don't take any of this as, "these are coming in the future," because we know absolutely nothing, :P

But like we mentioned before, I think these are helping to bring people into the hobby, and I think the more ways we can make joining the hobby and playing the game easier and simpler for people, the better it is for all of us.

And with Mordor and Isengard coming to the line (and excellent choices here: both of these are great), this is a great start as they are both iconic armies from the films and books. But what other factions would be good to add? Let's take a look.

We will consider three factors: ease of packaging (so plastic models will have an advantage over resin and metal models as they are going for all plastic battlehosts), popularity (as creating a battle host for, say, The Wildmen of Druadan, may not be worth the investment), and driving sales (it should help to sell models that aren't selling out on their own).

#5: Barad-Dur

Photo Courtesy of GamesWorkshop

So it's worth noting, as I mentioned in my discussion about the current battlehosts, that you can technically do this faction already with the Mordor one (and that's also why it's so low on this list), but hear me out as to why they should make this one a separate one.

First off, a plastic Sauron would just be great. Full stop. And with the Rings of Power show having wrapped up its first season, I think it's worthwhile for us to get a new Sauron. But that's also a big undertaking and would require some investment, which I'm not sure that the company would do.

Second issue is that, again they've already got one: why not just release a new Sauron model and call it a day? There's little reason to create a battlehost that is exactly like the Mordor one but with the heroes changed out, so I don't see them going this route, awesome as it would be.

So while it's definitely possible to make a Barad-Dur battlehost, and if they want one to stand opposite Rivendell, this is a good option. But unless they release a new plastic Sauron, I don't see this battlehost happening.

Gondor At War Inspired Lists: Minas Tirith Revisited

Good morning gamers,

Today begins a new series that we'll be running through November on how to take your Gondor at War collection (NOTE: I updated the post on what you need to get with the money totals at the end due to the outcry that I didn't do that this time - comes out to about $3500, as I expected) and use it in Matched Play. Gondor at War has several factions that could be run pure (Minas Tirith, Rohan, the Serpent Horde, and of course Mordor) or as any of the Legendary Legions from that book (most notably the Riders of Theoden, the Return of the King, the Army of Gothmog, and the Black Gate Opens), but most of those kinds of builds either a) don't have all the models you'd want in your army/Legendary Legion (no Rohan Royal Guards, up to 6 Warriors of the Dead with spears, etc.) or b) have already been covered in our Bare Necessities series. So instead of re-hashing lists that we've already looked at, for some of these factions, we're going to look at competitive alliances you can make to make your game more interesting!

Photo Credit: Gondor at War

Today we begin with one of the focal-point factions: Minas Tirith. Naturally, this means we're going to have a lot of models to work with - in the scenarios we have:

• Faramir, Madril, and Damrod (but no Anborn or Mablung)
• Mega-Boromir
• Gandalf the White and Peregrin Took (Minas Tirith version)
• Denethor and Irolas
• Beregond
• Hurin and Ingold
• 37 Warriors of Minas Tirith (12 shields, 12 shields and spears, 12 bows, 1 banner)
• 24 Rangers of Gondor (16 bows, 8 bows and spears)
• 12 Knights of Minas Tirith with shields
• 4 Citadel Guard

This is one of the most versatile factions in the game and usually doesn't have a problem getting a horde of F4 infantry (usually with Boromir nearby to make a good chunk of them F5). In Gondor at War, though, we have up to 24 Rangers of Gondor at our disposal (but they'll be eating into our bow limit) and 4 Citadel Guard . . . and that's it. No OsVets (and more importantly no Fountain Court Guard) included, so we're looking at a pretty rough go of it if we wanted to have our usual F4 battle line with just our Minas Tirith troops. So instead, we'll be looking at a list today that allies some cheap F4 models into Minas Tirith - and still sticks to the theme of defending Minas Tirith from invasion. Let's dig into the list!

Gondor At War: What Do You Need To Buy?

Good morning gamers,

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community

We did a two-part series a while ago for what models you need to play all of the scenarios from Quest of the Ringbearer (both the models for the scenarios in the supplement as well as for Fantasy Fellowships). Not too long ago, we had a reader ask us in a comment whether we could do something similar for the other sourcebooks and since I've been preparing a Minas Tirith/Osgiliath board and we have a new Osgiliath-based starter box coming out (which Centaur and I plan to go in on together), I figured reviewing what was needed for Gondor at War was a logical next step. So, today we're going to look at the models you'll need in your collection to play everything in Gondor at War (and where you can save some money along the way). Let's get into it!

Part 1: The Defence of Osgiliath to the White Rider (6 scenarios)

Most of these scenarios focus on the city of Osgiliath and as we saw in the old Fellowship of the Ring journeybook, the first two scenarios (the Defence of Osgiliath and the Retaking of Osgiliath - and for the Forces of Good, the fifth scenario) have different scenario objectives (one is objective-based, one is total destruction of the enemy, and one is a get-somewhere mission) but have basically the same map setup and the same participants. We then have three other scenarios with some overlap in models (one with some Mumaks, one with some Fell Beasts, and one with a bunch of Corsairs and Clansmen of Lamedon). Here are the purchases you'll need.

Purchase #1: the Battle of Osgiliath Box Set (or its component parts)

When Gondor at War was originally released, you'd need to pick up the Ranger hero pack (Faramir, Madril, and Damrod), half a box of Warriors of Minas Tirith (more on that later), half a box of Rangers of Gondor (more on that later), and Boromir, Captain of the White Tower to play the first two missions. Now, you can save yourself some time and just pick up the new box set and Boromir. For Evil, you'll have a jump start on a lot of the models you'd need (24 Morannon Orcs, Gothmog, and a Mordor Troll) - and this, added to the cost of the Ranger Heroes, is most of the cost of the new box. Once you factor in the rulebook and terrain, at least the 24 Good warriors you're picking up are free - so it's a pretty good deal if you need these models (though it's not the same value as the Pelennor Fields box set).

Purchase #2: 36 Mordor Orcs (so 2 boxes of Mordor Orcs)

Yep, you need 1.5 boxes of Mordor Orcs - but don't think that the 12 Mordor Orcs you'd be getting from the second box are wasted. Our next purchase requires 3 Orc Captains with shields, which you could easily get from this box (as well as doing a conversion for Zagdush and Orc Trackers). You're probably going to end up with Orcs you don't need for these scenarios, but Orcs are useful for many factions in Matched Play (namely Angmar and Barad-Dur, sometimes for Mordor and Isengard), so just get two boxes (whether you do conversions or not).

Purchase #3: 3 Mordor Orc Captains with shields

As was mentioned previously, you need 3 Mordor Orc Captains - these could be three copies of the "official" Orc Captain sculpt (the one with the pick held in the air), converted Orc Warrior models (which I have done), or purchasing the out-of-production two-pack of Orc Captains paired with one copy of the "official" one if you got that in the last made-to-order round (or whenever it's offered again). Frankly, I think the Mordor Orc blister is one of the most versatile blisters they've come out with and the conversion potential from it is outstanding, so I'd just convert them, honestly.

The Stuff of Legends: The Host of the Dragon Emperor

Good morning gamers,

If you've followed this blog for any period of time, you've probably picked up on something: I don't like Easterlings. I don't - I just don't. Or more appropriately, I didn't like Easterlings. I've heard others (like Matt from the Green Dragon Podcast) protest that Easterlings are not "just another version of Minas Tirith but with worse heroes" - but they are. They just are - or more appropriately, they were. With the release of Defence of the North, the Easterlings got three new heroes and two new warrior options - and while their depth chart isn't as developed as Mordor, Minas Tirith, Rohan, or Isengard, they got some key pieces to become a more competitive faction.

The chief among those improvements was the Dragon Emperor and to accompany this new (and very expensive) model was a new Legendary Legion that, in an astounding and brilliant move, didn't invalidate a "normal" Easterlings list. Yes, he'll probably show up in a lot of Easterling lists (and if you're running him, you probably take a good look at his Legion), but allying with Mordor or Khand (or just running them pure) isn't off the table.

The international community has seen this Legion run to deadly effect - especially in the hands of US-renowned player Matt Iverson - and so I've decided to set my personal biases aside, interview guys who love Easterlings (TMAT's own Centaur and Zorro, TMAT friend MinutemanKirk, and the aforementioned Matt Iverson), and give a fair shake to the Host of the Dragon Emperor Legendary Legion.

I will say that this self-proclaimed Easterling hater doesn't hate them anymore - and this Legion has single-handedly done that. Before anyone thinks I'm going to buy these guys, I will cite the $200 price tag on the Dragon Emperor as my primary deterrent to adding Easterlings to my already copious collection of models. Still, the Legion fascinates me - let's dig into what it does!

Part 1: What Do You Need?

Photo credit: Tumblr
Legion Tax: 170pts

In this Legion, you need to include the Dragon Emperor of Rhun, who comes in at a bargain 170pts. Heroes of Legend are usually not cheap (Theoden, Dalamyr, Suladan, and some builds for the Witch-King aside) and 170pts might seem like a lot, but considering that he comes with a banner and basically has a chariot mount, he's actually quite cost-effective. In the Legion, he doesn't pick up that many buffs - he gets a reroll on one of his dueling dice (two with his banner if his palanquin is still on the board) and gets to upgrade warriors in his warband to Black Dragon for free (nothing wrong with that at all - and when you factor the 36pts saved on the Black Dragon upgrades and the 25pt+ banner, he's closer to 110pts for everything else). Despite not gaining that much, he's the perfect centerpiece to your army and while slow and on a big base, he is integral to the success of (I'll go out on a limb here) any Easterling force.

Top 5 New Battlehosts for Forces of Good

Hey Reader!

Quick caveat before we start: no, we don't have special knowledge about what is going to come down the line from GW, so don't take any of this as, "these are coming in the future" please!!! We love the team, we trust the team, and we don't want to get in trouble, :P

That being said, I think these would also help to bring people into the hobby, and I think the more ways we can make joining the hobby and playing the game easier and simpler for people the better, and battlehosts will undoubtedly help get new players into the game.

And with Minas Tirith and Rohan coming to the line, this is a great start as they are both iconic armies from the films and books. But what other factions would be good to add? Let's take a look.

We will consider three factors: ease of packaging (so plastic models will have an advantage over resin and metal models), popularity (as creating a battle host for, say, Sharkey's Rogues, may not be worth the investment), and driving sales (it should help to sell models that aren't selling out on their own).

#5: The Fiefdoms

Fiefdoms is slowly coming together!

Now this would be an AWESOME battlehost: a group of six knights led by Imrahil supported by a mix of Lossarnachs, Clansmen, Men-at-Arms, and some rangers? This would be incredible and beautiful and just everything that you'd love to see from a battlehost. And with them combining the sets for Lossarnachs and Clansmen, this is easier than ever before. 

But this is also the issue: this is a lot of non-plastic minis in a single set, and there's no living way that this makes a good profit for GW. So while I think it would be among the most attractive of the battlehosts (and even a seasoned player like me would buy it, just because the savings on it would be too good to pass up), it's also one of the reasons it will probably never happen. So I place it here.

The Bare Necessities, Part XLVII: Grimbeorn and his Beornings

Good morning gamers,

With the release of Defence of the North, we have a new faction that you can ally with if you have a Forces of Good army: the Beornings. No, this isn't the new Legendary Legion (view our article from last week on that list) - it's "just Grimbeorn" and up to 15 Beornings. They lose a lot of rules, but they gain something valuable: the ability to ally with other factions. Do any of the other Forces of Good factions have anything to offer that rivals the boosts from the Legion? Let's dive in and find out - I think the answer might surprise you . . .

More gifs of daddy - Photo Credit: Tumblr 

Grimbeorn and the Beornings: How Important Are Army Bonuses, Anyway?

When it comes to the alliance matrix, running a pure list or a historical alliance has one advantage: you get to keep your army bonus. For most factions, though, you can live without it - it might help your army, but sometimes an alliance can get you as much or more than your army bonus does.

While a Convenient alliance makes you "just lose your army bonus" (and this would appear to be the best route for the Beornings to take, since they have no army bonus of their own), an Impossible alliance grants three additional penalties: first and foremost, heroic actions only affect models from the faction that's calling them. This can be bad, but can also mean nothing. Second, banners/banner effects are faction-specific as well. If you don't run banners, it's no big deal (and since Grimbeorn counts as a banner for his guys, bringing another banner will just help the other guys). So there we go - not much lost there.

Third, impossible allies break independently of each other. Giving up points for being broken can be really bad (3-5 VPs in some scenarios) or not that bad at all (1VP in some scenarios). Since there's only 12 VPs up for grabs in any given game, avoiding being broken is generally a good idea (and it causes many armies to avoid Impossible Alliances where possible - even if they have no banners or stand fasts that need to help the army as a whole).

Unexpected Military Formations: The Anti-Archery Shield

Good morning gamers,

Earlier this week, we looked at the Beornings Legendary Legion and I mentioned in passing that there was a specific formation you could use if you needed to advance against enemy archery and there is no terrain to hide behind. Today, we're going to look at that formation.

The Expected Formation: The Solid Wall of Bears

To exhibit this formation, let's look at the following 800pt army:

• Beorn [ARMY LEADER]
• 7 Beornings
• 3 Beornings with great bows 
• Grimbeorn
• 7 Beornings
• 3 Beornings with great bows

If you have two D8 models with 60mm bases, the strategy would appear to be simple: make a 120mm wall between you and your opponent with your bears:

Now this seems like a solid plan - we have D8 models with a 5+ save before they need to spend Fate protecting our D4 infantry. But, if we pit this against a shooting army, we run into a problem: we protect our models from a pretty narrow firing arc.

Because our bears are "leading the charge", we have given our opponent no reason to keep his archers (or anything else) in front of our formation. A smart opponent will not stand in front of you as you charge - he's going to move around the formation as best he can:

The more he moves, the further your bears are from the action. So how can we stop this from happening? Well, we change the placement of our bears to look like this . . .

The Unexpected Formation: Angled Deflection Shields 

What's changed? We still have our bears in front, but we haven't blocked all of the forward arc - instead, we've left a corridor for the enemy to direct his fire without in-the-ways. Why? Because only a few archers will likely be able to make that shot and that means our attrition rate down that alley will be low. By contrast, basically all of our flanks are guarded and we have discouraged our opponent from shooting out our Beornings by moving to the side.

As an added bonus, we know that every archer possible will want to be in one place: the corridor we've left open. Our bears can still advance towards the archers and those archers will just be saf about it, leading us to massacre the main body if they stand/scoot-and-shoot.

Conclusion

This kind of strategy may see some Beornings fall - but with our army together, our bears are right where we need them: amongst the Burly chaps who want that banner reroll. If this formation article was informative for you, let us know below! Until next time, happy hobbying!

The Stuff of Legends: The Beornings

Good morning gamers,

We've covered several of the Legions from Defence of the North so far (the Army of Dale, the Defenders of Erebor, the Assault on Lothlorien, and the Fell Beings of Mirkwood) and today we're covering one of the last Legions that has proved to not only be popular, but also be competitive at top tables. Yes, today we're getting our broken overalls and our plaid shirts on and looking at the Beornings Legendary Legion!

It should be noted that next week we'll be reviewing the "normal" Beornings army list, which isn't exactly an "army list", but functions VERY differently from this Legion. We'll cover when you'd want to use the normal list instead of the Legion in that article, but everyone seems to want to run this Legion and I'm inclined to think that this Legion might be the most competitive way to play with bears and their acolytes. Let's get into it!

Part 1: What Do You Need?

Legion Tax: 200pts

This Legion doesn't require you to run a particular bear (Beorn or Grimbeorn) but does require you to run one of them. Beorn can't lead any troops other than Great Eagles in Radagast's Alliance (the only other list he's in), so popping him into this Legion gives him access to cheaper troops (though they're still pretty pricey, even for elite warriors). Grimbeorn can be fielded in the aforementioned Beornings "list", though with no other help, his contingent caps out at 500pts (so you're in the same boat you'd be in with the Three Trolls if you ran them pure). While both bears are definitely threats to any hero, this Legion allows you to run them together (what would normally be an Impossible Alliance) and get decent numbers in their ranks.