War in Rohan Inspired Lists: Theodred's Guard LL Revisited

Good morning gamers,

As we delve into the War in Rohan supplement, looking at how to take the scenario forces into Matched Play, it makes sense to start with the primary protagonists of the scenarios: Rohan. This means we're starting the series with LOTS of options, as we not only got new profiles in War in Rohan (Helm Hammerhand, Haleth, and Aldor), but we also got a bunch of new Legendary Legions that allow us to run Rohan in different ways. With all the choices ahead of us, let's look at what we have to work with!

We essentially get everything we could want from Rohan if we collect all of the models for the scenarios (like I did for the Scouring of the Shire, I've grouped things a bit because the list is LONG):

• The Royal Family: Theoden, Theodred (no throwing spears), Eomer (no throwing spears), and Eowyn (no throwing spears)
  
• Supporting Named Heroes: Elfhelm, Grimbold, Gamling, Hama (no extra gear), Haleth, Aldor, Erkenbrand, Eorl the Young, Helm Hammerhand
  
• Generic Heroes: 3 Captains of Rohan with shields, 1 Captain of Rohan on horse with shield
  
• Also, we have at least 1 King's Huntsman because we bought at least one command blister
  
• Infantry Warriors: 36 Warriors of Rohan (12 shields, 12 throwing spears and shields, 12 bows), 12 Rohan Royal Guards with throwing spears
  
• +13 Warriors of Rohan if you collect everything you need for the big Battle of Helm's Deep scenario
• You also have 1 war horn (with shield and throwing spear) and 1 banner from the command blister along with 1 banner and 1 war horn from Grimbold's command blister 
  
• Mounted Warriors: 24 Riders of Rohan (8 with throwing spears), 3 Rohan Outriders on horses, 12 Rohan Royal Guards on horses with throwing spears, 6 Sons of Eorl
• You also have 1 Rider of Rohan with banner from the mounted command blister
  

For those keeping track, the only Rohan models we're missing are Dernhelm (though we have Eowyn) and Deorwine, Chief of the King's Knights. We're light on Rohan Outriders and have a small but functional number of Sons of Eorl, but otherwise we have 12+ of every other Rohan Warrior model - and we have THREE banners we could bring in our army. Pretty good, I feel - something we can work with for sure.

The List (and lots of other list ideas)

Photo Credit: War in Rohan

When trying to figure out what list we could run, a few lists were immediately dismissed because of what we don't have: first and foremost, I dismissed the Paths of the Druadan LL, since we need 15 Warriors of Druadan and we only have 9 (because that's what's provided in the Paths of the Druadan scenario/1 blister of Druadan models). Unless we bought another set, we can't meet the prerequisites of the Legion. So, decision made, we're not talking about that list today.

I similarly dismissed the Riders of Theoden LL because we don't have Deorwine and we don't TECHNICALLY have Dernhelm (we have Eowyn, but not Dernhelm) - if you're interested in how to make/use this list, check out our review of the Riders of Theoden in our Stuff of Legends series or our review of Rohan in our Bare Necessities series - both are great articles. While we could make do without Deorwine, he's really good for that list - so I'm skipping it.

I also decided not to discuss a pure Rohan list because, while we certainly have the models for it, we're likely to either make a Riders of Theoden list without Deorwine OR we'd have a Riders of Theoden list "with Theodred" or "with Erkenbrand." The list just didn't seem that inspired (though these are go-tos for guys in our gaming group, like Red Jacket and the Black Prince).

This leaves us with a few options: an allied force (probably with Minas Tirith, the Fellowship, the Wild Men of Druadan, or Lothlorien), the Defenders of Helm's Deep, Helm's Guard, the Riders of Eomer, or Theodred's Guard. While an allied force with Lothlorien (either with the Defenders of Helm's Deep or allying historically with Lothlorien) could be fun, the wargear options we have for Galadhrim Warriors isn't exactly what we'd want for the Defenders of Helm's Deep (Galadhrim Warriors with spears and Elf bows are really good value) and we don't have Guards of the Galadhrim Court to support our Warriors of Rohan, kept alive by Galadriel. With Helm's Guard being far better at lower points than high points levels (not that a good player can't make it work, of course), that leaves us one very competitive choice - and we have (surprisingly) pretty much all the models we'd want for it:

• Theodred, Heir of Rohan on horse with shield [ARMY LEADER]
• 3 Helmingas with shields and throwing spears
• 2 Riders of Rohan
• 1 Rohan Outrider
  
• 3 Rohan Royal Guards with throwing spears
  
• Elfhelm, Captain of Rohan on horse
• 3 Helmingas with shields and throwing spears
• 2 Riders of Rohan with throwing spears
• 1 Rohan Outrider
• 3 Rohan Royal Guards with throwing spears
  
• Grimbold of Grimslade
• 3 Helmingas with shields and throwing spears
• 1 Helminga with banner
  
• 1 Rider of Rohan with throwing spears
  
• 3 Rohan Royal Guards with throwing spears
  
• Captain of Rohan on horse with shield
• 3 Helmingas with shields and throwing spears
• 1 Rider of Rohan
• 1 Rohan Outrider
• 3 Rohan Royal Guards with throwing spears
  

700 points, 38 models, 6+3 bows hitting on a 4+ AND 27 throwing spears hitting on a 4+ AND 1 throwing spear hitting on a 3+ (with a reroll), 14 D6+ models, 9 cavalry, 11 Might points

This list runs more cavalry and fewer Rohan Outriders than you'd see from articles written by Ali King (who gained renown last year with this Legion - you can view his 700-point list here and how he did at the 2022 Warhammer World Grand Tournament with it here). 38 models when you have a lot of cavalry is pretty good - and when almost all the infantry have throwing spears (and all the Warriors of Rohan are upgraded to Helmingas), you've got some incredible power in the list and a very, VERY strong shooting threat. To be technically correct with the scenario participants, I should have the Outriders on horses and probably have a few of the Riders of Rohan downgraded to Warriors of Rohan with shields and throwing spears (which I can do if I use the extra Warriors of Rohan from the big Battle of Helm's Deep), but I like these guys better on foot. Let's see what the army does!

Army Theory

Let's start out by pointing out that we have nearly 40 models and 4 warbands - that's a LOT of guys! Each warband has a small block of 6 infantry that can form a thin wall that can chuck throwing spears at the enemy and then form a two-rank battle line (hopefully joining with blocks from other warbands). Grimbold is your only infantry hero - and his warband includes the ever-important banner (and lots of models who can spear-support him if needed) to help him hold the line against whoever comes.

Each warband also has a few Riders of Rohan (our one Rider of Rohan with throwing spear is in the warband with Elfhelm to concentrate throwing spear charges in one place) and most have Rohan Outriders (outwalkers, as it were) as well. The idea behind this is simple: we want each of our warbands to be able to skirmish with their infantry blocks and leave archers wherever they go, taking advantage of defensive terrain and guarding objectives. Having a few cavalry all over the map is enough to make an infantry formation be careful - especially if the cavalry includes a mounted hero (which we see in three of the four warbands).

Part of the reason we can get so many models in the list (and elite models at that) is because we're getting really points-efficient heroes. Theodred hits a lot harder than a 95-point hero should - and Elfhelm is a good shooting hero who happens to only be 75 points. Captains of Rohan with horses and shields are very cheap (60pts) and though they don't have lances or +1 Strength on the charge, any multi-Attack model that knocks infantry over has a pretty good chance of killing someone. We could have run the list without the Captain and gotten more Helmingas/Riders of Rohan (reaching our maximum 42 models), but I think the extra Might will be better than a few more bodies. Finally, there's Grimbold, who for 60 points is a really cheap 3-Might hero, and while he has to fight two-handed, it also means that should he win a fight, he's likely to split anyone he's fighting in half (and with Mighty Blow, that includes multi-Wound models).

Only Theodred, Grimbold, and the Captain of Rohan can't shoot (thanks to our wargear limitations in the scenarios) - and that mean the rest of the army has absolutely no reason to commit to an area of the map while the opponent is strong. Our plan, then, is simple: use your shooting to make the enemy weaker, then slam in where there's a weakness in the line. Let's see how to employ this strategy as we go into the different mission types.

Gameplay Strategy

Maelstrom & Object Missions (Pools 1 & 3)

We have four warbands for the maelstrom missions and thanks to having a little bit of everything in each warband, we don't really care who appears where - we just want them to be able to skirmish wherever they come on. Your infantry with throwing spears should move their full move on the board with your archers coming on after, only moving half their distance so everyone can shoot (either shooting at enemy warbands you're ambushing by arriving second OR to threaten anyone who chooses to appear near you). Where possible, you want your warbands to pair off and arrive together, but don't bother spending resources to modify their results "just to get the army together."

In Hold Ground, your goal should make your way to the center with your throwing spear infantry - though a direct path is by no means necessary if there are enemies you can skirmish with near you. If you must make a rush, you have plenty of cavalry to lean into (though if there are enemies nearby, they may be needed to support your skirmishing infantry). If your opponent is rushing for the middle, the Captain can March his warband to get models there quickly, while Theodred, Elfhelm, and their Riders of Rohan can charge in, leaving their infantry blocks to walk to the middle on their own.

In Command the Battlefield, by contrast, you want your Riders of Rohan and Outriders to spread to the four winds, hiding from the enemy and contesting as many quarters as possible. Your Riders of Rohan should only charge in and fight if they are near Theodred - otherwise, they're far more valuable staying out of the enemy's reach and able to threaten quarters with their increased speed. Your infantry blocks shouldn't stand and fight unless they have the upper hand, relying on their throwing spears to whittle down their opponents and get a numerical advantage in a quadrant.

In Heirlooms of Ages Past, we have Expert Rider on all of our cavalry, but we want our infantry to try to dig things up if we can. Thanks to having throwing spears on (basically) everyone, a full-moving object carrier can still threaten his pursuers - and if we can get the Heirloom, we can move quickly to circle up and keep the enemy away from the Heirloom. If our opponent gets the Heirloom, we can use our throwing spears for limited skirmishing while we form up, but we'll need to rush in and cause the carrier to drop it if we want to have a chance of winning (shooting all his guys could see us lose the game).

When it comes to object missions, we can bull-rush the center of the board in Seize the Prize, counting on a 9" March for all our infantry, threatening anyone who does make it to the prize with a hail of throwing spears on the first round. If we've Marched, our Captain is nearby to call a Heroic Move on the second turn if we need it, hopefully to create a hedge around the object and having one of our infantry picking up the prize and then handing it off to any cavalry model that isn't Theodred (since he can be drawn away from the enemy board edge).

With our warbands evenly balanced, we have a lot of options in Destroy the Supplies, forming up three shieldwalls to hedge off access to our supplies while skirmishing with our opponent. With 6 Riders of Rohan and 3 mounted heroes, we have a lot of speed that we can use to threaten supply tokens, though Theodred will need to be accompanied well to make sure he doesn't get overwhelmed and baited into danger.

Retrieval is a similar mission: we can hedge up around our "flag" and skirmish for a bit before we advance forward, though our cavalry can run wide and skirmish to get around the enemy lines and then thunder towards the enemy "flag" (which we don't need to dismount to pick up, thanks to Expert Rider). Our heroes should help punch through the enemy where they can - and fair warning: it's going to be hard to keep Theodred from going berserk in this mission, so rely on your other mounted heroes to threaten the enemy flag (and for goodness sake, watch Theodred's match-ups).

Control Missions (Pools 2 & 5)

38 models at 700 points is a great start - but while our strategy for Command and Control, Domination, and Breakthrough will be the same, we don't want to start on the center line (which we saw to be the case for a lot of the factions we viewed in our series in Gondor at War). Near the center line, yes (there are objectives at stake after all), but we want to get one barrage of throwing spears before we begin the charge. By standing 7" away from enemy infantry, we can make sure that we get some shooting in on the first turn. If enemy cavalry start on the center line, we can still set up 7" away, but we'll want to make a Long Fangs formation to take away the bite of their charge. With 29 infantry (26 of which are designed to fight in a shieldwall), we can have 9 columns of 3 models each (with 2 Outwalkers to watch rear objectives), leaving room for 8 of our 9 cavalry to charge through protected running lanes. The odd-man out could be either Theodred or a random Rider of Rohan.

When it comes to getting somewhere, this army has some huge advantages. Having Heroic March and 9 mounted models means you can have some late-game speed in Reconnoitre and some early-game speed in Storm the Camp, relying on your Outriders and some of your throwing spears to catch anyone who tries to get around your ranks (though pushing up quickly with your 8" throwing spear range can make getting around you quite hard).

Your favorite scenario - bar none - is Divide and Conquer: start off with your Captain so that he's positioned to March models up quickly, then either Elfhelm or Grimbold to go in the opposite corner. Theodred can deploy in either corner, but you want to know what you're up against as much as possible before you commit him. Once we're deployed, we try to skirmish with our throwing spears as much as we can, but eventually ending up in the center, using our throwing spears to kill things on the charge (or kill things who are taking their time advancing - or killing things as standard spears).

Killing Missions (Pools 4 & 6)

We have a solid front-line and lots of shooting - we don't feel that threatened by To The Death or Lords of Battle if we can shoot a lot. As such, we don't want to start on the front-line (deploying near our mid-field in both scenarios). If our opponent has a credible shooting threat, we need to advance - but if our opponent doesn't have a credible threat, we can sit back and shoot instead.

In Contest of Champions, we'll need to deploy Theodred on the front line, so we want a Long Fangs formation, potentially hedging Theodred off from a charge if we don't feel good about what he's going to run into. We can try to use Elfhelm to speed-bump the enemy army leader (3 Might and Heroic Defense does wonders), but mostly we want Theodred to slam into some troops, call Combats to get extra kills, and use our army to break the enemy quickly so the game will end before the enemy can get their army leader rolling. Our troops aren't bad, but they also won't stand up to a big enemy army leader for very long.

As we move to the hero-killing missions, we have some options in Assassination: Theodred is our best killer, but he can't be our assassin. Should we choose Grimbold (for that oh-so-nasty Mighty Blow), we'll need to maneuver a 6" infantry model into the right place, which is likely to telegraph a lot to our opponent. Elfhelm would appear to be a better choice, since he gives us the option to snipe wounds with his throwing spear and then later can charge in with Theodred and deal a cheeky last wound. If Theodred kills the target, that's not horrible. Our opponent is likely to pick anyone who isn't Elfhelm (since he has Heroic Defense), so we just want to make sure all of our heroes are shielded as best we can from archery and do our best to get into the enemy quickly.

In Lords of Battle, we need to keep track of how many wounds we've dealt and taken - our throwing spears and bows should help us get an edge quickly, but we will eventually need to charge-and-swarm where we can, hopefully spreading the enemy out into chunks that can be killed quickly.

In Clash by Moonlight, we're going to shoot things - especially heroes. We're also going to try to keep our heroes from being shot to death. Any questions?

Conclusion

This is one of those Legions that surprises you - perhaps like me, you looked at the list and said, "that's nice, but I'll never use it", and then you use it, and you're utterly shocked at how well it works. If you have experience running it - or thoughts on how else it could be run, let us know in the comments below! Next time, we turn to the other well-developed faction in War in Rohan: Isengard. With lots of great options to choose from, which list will win out in the final review? Find out next time and until then, happy hobbying!