War in Rohan: What Models Do You Need?

Good morning gamers,

Photo Credit: Warhammer Community

We're preparing for our FOURTH round of the what-do-you-need-for-scenarios series. Because I love Quest of the Ringbearer so much (check out our page for everything we've written about that), we started with what you need for Quest of the Ringbearer (and Fantasy Fellowships) and have since also covered Gondor at War and The Scouring of the Shire. Our travels take us this time to the next chronological sourcebook to be released, War in Rohan.

Commonly held to be one of the best (if not THE best) supplement released by Games Workshop in this newest iteration of MESBG, War in Rohan is a powerhouse supplement for those who like matched play, introducing Legions (such as the Assault Upon Helm's Deep, Theodred's Guard, and the Defenders of Helm's Deep) that have podiumed across the globe and proven their metal at a variety of points levels. It also introduced a bunch of models, to include most of the current Dunland collection (like the infantry heroes and crebain), as well as selected models from Rohan and Isengard. Oh, and some Ents too (though only one has an official sculpt). Yes, if you're a matched play enthusiast (and chances are . . . you are), War in Rohan might be the best (or at least the most competitive) starting point for you.

But what if you don't JUST want to butt heads with whatever weird concoction of troops your regular playing buddy has thrown together - what if you'd like to play through some of the incredible scenarios that were provided in War in Rohan? Well, today we're going to look at the models you need (and as usual, ways to save some cash along the way). Let's dive right in!

Part 1: Burning of the Westfold to Second Battle of the Fords of Isen (3 scenarios)

Our first three scenarios happen before the events we know and love from the Two Towers film and cover what, historically, marked the beginning of the war between Isengard and Rohan. In it, we're going to need to get most of the Dunland models we need for the campaign, many of the Uruks we'll be using throughout, and many of the Rohan models we'll be using. So . . . this is going to be expensive.

Purchase #1: Two Rohan Battle Hosts

It shouldn't be a surprise that we're going to start off with a Battle Host. We don't actually need Eomer for these missions, but we need 24 Warriors of Rohan and 12 Riders of Rohan, so the battle host will get us the Eomer for free.

But wait a minute - why in the WORLD would we want to buy two of these? Well, two reasons: first and foremost, we need 12 Riders of Rohan alongside 24 Warriors of Rohan in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen scenario, which means if we need dismounts for anyone, we need more than 24 Warriors of Rohan. Furthermore, we need 36 Warriors of Rohan for the Defense of Edoras scenario - so if we're going to need 36 Warriors of Rohan and 12 Riders of Rohan, we might as well buy two Battle Hosts (which will give us 48 Warriors and 12 Riders).

Second, Eomer in the early scenarios has a horse and no extra gear - but in the Paths of the Druadan scenario he'll need at least a shield and has his choice of mount (though no throwing spears). As a result, unless you're willing to do a lot of magnet work, it wouldn't hurt to get two Eomer models. So . . . buy two boxes. :-)

You could also give the second Eomer model to a deserving friend, gift it to someone running a local event (as a thank you or to use as a prize), or sell it/trade it on the second hand market - but I won't be docking the cost of this section by what you might save from selling it.

Purchase #2: Rohan Command Blister

The first scenario (Burning of the Westfold) requires two Captains of Rohan - so we need to get ourselves a Rohan Command blister. But since we need two Captains, we'll also need . . .

Purchase #3: Rohan Mounted Command Blister

Some of our other scenarios require a mounted Captain, so our second Captain should come from a mounted Command blister. Several of the Rohan Legendary Legions from this book (Theodred's Guard, Helm's Guard, the Riders of Eomer) will put a mounted Captain of Rohan to good use - and mounted Riders of Rohan with banners are great too.

Purchase #4: Heroes of Dunland

For the evil missions, we'll be needing Dunland models - lots of them. The three new Dunland heroes are great (see our review of the Army of Dunland LL for more info) and the sculpts are really cool. Get them.

Purchase #5: 12 Wild Men of Dunland (technically 24 though)

Wild Men are cheap and pretty horrible units - but in the scenarios in which they appear, they provide a huge numbers boost to the evil forces. As a result, they're both a cool painting project (their rag-tag nature gives you lots of room for creativity) and fun models to throw around on the table. While you can get 12 Wild Men of Dunland in a single blister, the scenarios ACTUALLY require you to have 12 Wild Men of Dunland with no additional gear, so TECHNICALLY you need to have two of these blisters. For the purposes of computing cost below, I will only be factoring in one of these purchases.

Purchase #6: Three Dunlending Warrior Blisters (or two blisters if you're willing to do some conversions)

So, in these early scenarios, we need 6 Dunlending Warriors with shields and 6 Dunlending Horsemen, which means we need 12 guys with shields . . . so that's three blisters. We'll also need 6 Dunlendings with bows (two blisters) and later we'll need up to 4 Dunlendings with two-handed axes (one blister), so if we buy two blisters, we'll have 2 Chieftains, 2 banners, 8 shields, 8 bows, and 8 two-handed axes.

If we're willing to convert 4 of the two-handed axemen into dismounts for the horsemen and one banner or bowman into a Chieftain (only needed for the missions in the appendices), we'll actually have everything we need. So, figure out if you've got some extra shields lying around and are up for some light conversion work and you're good to go. Those interested in NOT doing some conversion will need to buy an extra blister (not the end of the world - but still expensive, since these models are metal).

Purchase #7: Two Dunlending Huscarl Blisters

Huscarls are the spears in your list - they're really useful (but mostly if you can get good placements for them). As flankers for a big hero (like Gorulf) or in a battleline supported by Frida, these guys can help you concentrate mass in one area while your Wild Men are racing around the sides. The models look great and you should get some. Six seems about right though - I don't think they're good spammed.

Purchase #8: Theodred, Heir of Rohan on foot and mounted

Theodred is one of the punchiest heroes in the game for 100pts or less - and boy is he FUN to use. While his Legion is surprisingly more powerful than I originally thought, he's also a great grenade to include in a vanilla Rohan list (alongside his dad and Gamling). He's a bit fragile, but boy does he pack a whollop. Add him to your collection - he's great.

Purchase #9: Elfhelm, Captain of Rohan on foot and mounted (or a Riders of Rohan blister)

Elfhelm will show up a few times in the campaign and the ForgeWorld model, though pricey, is beautiful and a really good skirmisher if you like throwing weapons. If you're hesitant to pay the ForgeWorld prices, you could use two of those bare-headed Eomer heads you have and put it on a Rider of Rohan and a Warrior of Rohan to stand-in as Elfhelm (it'll mean you need to get a Riders of Rohan blister earlier than normal, but whatever).

Purchase #10: Grimbold Command Blister

This blister was originally created for War of the Ring and is very similar to the Rohan Command Blister above (containing a Captain hero in Grimbold, a banner-bearer, and a guy with a war horn), albeit with a hero who isn't generic. We'll make use of the models in this set a little later, but for now, just know that we've got three banners to use in Matched Play (which is neat and cool).

Purchase #11: Two Rohan Outrider Blisters

Rohan Outriders are, in fact, quite pricey, but they cost only 1pt more than Warriors of Rohan with bows and while they don't have access to axes as default wargear, they do have a 3+ Shoot Value instead of a 4+ Shoot Value. Since they come in metal with two models/blister (four if you include the two mounted versions), you need to buy two blisters to get the 3 models you need. Chances are good you'll want to have four of these guys at least in Matched Play (if you like Outriders), so having them isn't bad.

Or, if you want to delay spending some money and having a dedicated Elfhelm model, you COULD choose to use your extra Rohan Outrider as a Rider of Rohan and convert one of your shield-armed guys into Elfhelm, using some of the throwing spears that come in one of your Eomer kits to transform him . . . that could be cool.

Purchase #12: Vrasku and Mauhur

As we turn back to evil, we need Vrasku in this section and Mauhur in the next - and if you're using Isengard as a vanilla faction, Vrasku (less so Mauhur unless you're me) might appear in your list. Frankly, I get frustrated with the can't-move-and-shoot nature of Vrasku and love the 3A status of Mauhur that I think the blister is worth getting, but not for Vrasku (lots of people disagree with me though).

Purchase #13: Thrydan Wolfsbane on foot and mounted

Now THIS guy I love - my go-tos for Isengard are Saruman, Grima, Thrydan on his horse, and Mauhur - and I've killed SO many guys with Thrydan since the new edition came out. Thrydan is a powerhouse and is necessary for the Army of Dunland LL in the War in Rohan book - get him, he's amazing.

Purchase #14: Isengard Battle Host

Generally believed by both Centaur and myself to be the best battle host released to date, the Isengard Battle Host gets us all of the Uruk-Hai Scouts that we need and a good jump on the Uruk-Hai Warriors we need. Oh, and for the same cost of these two warrior blisters normally, we effectively get Saruman and Grima for free. This is a fantastic value - get it if you're planning on getting started with Isengard.

Purchase #15: Mordor Battle Host

Oh look, it's our THIRD unique battle host (fourth total, since we bought two Rohan battle hosts) - and this is because we need Warg Riders now, dismounts for said Warg Riders now, and lots of Orc Warriors later, so we might as well get the battle host. The Witch-King is unnecessary for this campaign, but it's a beautiful model to have (and it was effectively free).

Purchase #16: Uruk-Hai Command Blister

We need one Uruk-Hai Captain for the Second Battle of the Fords of Isen and so we need the command blister. We'll actually need FOUR Captains later in the campaign, so getting at least one blister is a good start.

Purchase #17: One Uruk-Hai Crossbow Blister (or one Siege Troops Blister and some plastic scraps for crossbows)

So this one requires some explanation: the current requirement is that we have 4 crossbows for the Second Battle of the Fords of Isen - and we could just buy one blister of crossbows for that. However, later in the campaign we're going to need 12 Uruk-Hai Warriors with crossbows (which means 2 more blisters) and at least 3 bomb teams (5 if you want to play the big Helm's Deep game). Since each siege blister comes with 8 Warriors, three blisters will give us 24 Uruk-Hai Warriors - and since we only need 10 Uruks for the 5 demolition teams, we're going to have 12-14 Uruk-Hai Warriors with just swords lying around with nothing to do (12 if you want to be able to run all six of your demolition teams).

So, since their helmets are incredibly similar to what you'd get in the crossbow blister, you have two purchase options here: buy a pack of crossbows if you don't plan to play the big Helm's Deep battle OR buy a siege blister and make some crossbows out of sprue pieces (just a "T" shape will do) if you do plan to play the big Helm's Deep battle. The purchases in Part 3 will be unaffected by what you choose to do (though the big battle in Part 4 will be affected).

Purchase #18: Three Dunlending Horsemen Blisters

We've already mentioned that we need 6 Dunlending Horsemen for the Second Battle of the Fords of Isen, which is probably more horsemen than you're likely to field in a Matched Play game, but they're only marginally more expensive than Warg Riders and have access to both Piercing Strike and a slight boost to wounding mounts.

With almost 20 purchases under our belts, we've got a pretty hefty price tag to get started (this assumes you are willing to do conversions for your Dunlending Horsemen dismounts):

Part 1 subtotal: $1308

Purchase total: $1308 (which, you may recall, is almost as much as everything up through Cirith Ungol from Quest of the Ringbearer and EVERYTHING from the Scouring of the Shire . . . you know, for perspective . . .)

Part 2: Ambush at Night to Warg Attack (4 scenarios)

These four scenarios have a very wide variety of models in them, ranging from half of the Fellowship and some Rohan heroes to some Isengard heroes and even MORE Warg Riders. We only have ten purchases to make, but it's quite the doozie . . .

Purchase #19: Treebeard

Ambush at Night requires us to have Merry and Pippin and the Grishnakh's End scenario requires Treebeard, so we're going to get the new model - and it's really nice. The Merry and Pippin are nice additions too.

Purchase #20: Lurtz and Ugluk

While Vrasku and Mauhur can have objectors across the community, Lurtz and Ugluk are commonly held to be some of the better Isengard heroes. Both have Heroic Strike (while Vrasku and Mauhur don't), both have 3 Might (Mauhur doesn't), and they have Heroic March and come in at under 100pts - great, cheap heroes. Get them - you won't be disappointed.

Of course, Lurtz is really just "for our collection" since we don't need him, but by getting him, we're pretty much set for the Isengard-oriented missions in Quest of the Ringbearer (more on that later) - and he's just good to have for Matched Play.

Purchase #21: Grishnakh and Snaga

While not as flashy as Lurtz or Ugluk, Grishnakh and Snaga are cheap 3-Might heroes who have a unique place in an Ugluk's Scouts list (able to field lots of spear or two-handed-weapon Orcs). These guys aren't anything to write home about, but they sure are useful.

Purchase #22: Theoden, King of Rohan on foot and mounted

Theoden used to be everywhere as the "new" model from the Battle of Pelennor Fields box set and today can be purchased on his own. This guy is the centerpiece of most Rohan armies (with some Legions and Eorl the Young lists excepted) and is a pretty decent hero for being one of the cheapest Heroes of Legends.

Purchase #23: The Three Hunters

You could spend more to get the full Fellowship, but since we don't need Gandalf the Grey (died in Moria), Boromir of Gondor (died at Amon Hen), Frodo (already crossed the Anduin), or Sam (with Frodo) - and since we already have Merry and Pippin from the Treebeard set - we can just get the Three Hunters set and call it a day.

Purchase #24: The Three Hunters on horses

These models are expensive, but it's undeniable that both Aragorn and Legolas become a lot better when they're mounted. We need these guys to be mounted, so here they are.

Purchase #25: Gamling and Hama

Gamling used to be an auto-include in Rohan lists back when all Rohan heroes could regain a Might point from his Royal Standard of Rohan if they start near him with no Might in their stores, but now that you have to be a bit more strategic with which one model regains Might, a lot of players have started leaving him at home. I don't think that's wise - I NEVER have enough Might in my Rohan lists - so I'd encourage you to get these guys (not just for the scenarios).

In both the Warg Attack and the Paths of the Druadan scenarios, Gamling doesn't have his banner - and while there is a model that has come out made-to-order that doesn't have one, I'd recommend either ignoring the banner for scenario play or just using a mounted Captain model (and ignoring the shield, I guess). Hama is . . . kind of underwhelming both in pose and profile . . . but we need him, so whatever.

Purchase #26: Sharku on foot and mounted

This guy is needed for a Legendary Legion, is a pretty cheap 3-Might hero, but doesn't have Heroic Strike (even in his Legion) and has a pretty average Fight Value, so his main contribution to your collection will be for calling Heroic Moves to keep your cavalry charging and for scenarios like the Warg Attack.

Purchase #27: Another Mordor Battle Host

WHAAAAAATTTT!!!! Five battle hosts so far? Thanks to needing lots of Warg Riders in the Warg Attack scenario (and 48 Orc Warriors in the Last March of the Ents scenario), it makes sense to get a second battle host. You could save some money by trying to have a friend go-in on the box with you for the Witch-King (maybe someone who has an old Witch-King but hasn't gotten the new one), but I won't be counting those savings in this article (since you could "just get the Orcs/Wargs" if you wanted to - but it also means you could donate an Eomer AND a Witch-King to a good cause).

Purchase #28: Two Warg Rider blisters

So all told, we need 18 Warg Riders for the Warg Attack scenario, so theoretically, with two battle host boxes, we only need one more blister. However, we also need an Orc Captain on a Warg . . . so that means we actually need a second Warg Rider blister . . . yaye us. Those who want to save some money can use a Gothmog model or something as a warg-mounted Captain - or Golfimbul if you have him.

Well, this isn't going to be cheap, but we do have just over half of the purchases we need for the entire book and this past segment is a lot cheaper than the beginning.

Part 2 subtotal: $538.50

Purchase total: $1846.50

Part 3: Raise the Ladders to Fall Back to the Keep (7 scenarios)

The Helm's Deep sequence, which comprises nine scenarios (and one massive scenario), are perhaps the centerpiece of the entire book - and in the first seven scenarios (the infantry ones), we don't need to add much. Nope, just seven kinds of purchases - though I won't say that it'll be cheap.

Purchase #29: Haleth and Aldor

Rohan heroes are, in general, quite cheap. Haleth and Aldor are cheap even by comparison, though as Forgeworld models, their actual monetary cost is . . . quite a bit more than the other Rohan heroes you have to buy. Still, these guys are great (especially if you plan to run a Rohan infantry-heavy list with Haleth).

Aldor's effectiveness as an archer is an interesting one, since his 5+ Shoot Value and S2 bow (with rerolls on both To Hit and To Wound rolls) makes him . . . only marginally better than a normal Warrior of Rohan (or a Rohan Outrider), but the fact that he shoots before Heroic Shoots are made means he COULD get in a cheeky kill before anyone gets to reply - and if he's near Gamling's banner, he can spend his Might point with impunity knowing he can get it back at the start of the next turn if no one else nearby has run out of Might. Still a big if, but more helpful than you might think.

Purchase #30: Celeborn and Haldir

I love these guys - great killing heroes and fairly affordable (both on the wallet and the points). Of course, Celeborn isn't needed in these scenarios, but if you're starting your Lothlorien collection, he's a really great starting hero.

Purchase #31: One Galadhrim Warrior blister

If you're going to get some Elf heroes, you should probably have some guys to go with them - and I absolutely love these models! The shields are far from enough (per the usual when it comes to GW Elves), but they're great models to have and loads of fun to run.

Purchase #32: One Uruk-Hai Warrior blister

We already have 10 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shields and 10 Uruk-Hai Warriors with pikes, which will get us through most of the scenarios (Raise the Ladders, The Walls of Helm's Deep, Plant the Charges, The Deeping Wall is Breached, Retreat to the Hornburg, the Causeway, and Ride Out), but we'll need 15 shields/15 pikes for Fall Back to the Keep and Eomer's Return, so we need to get another box of Warriors. Of course, we also need 3-4 Uruk-Hai Captains with shields, so it would be good to convert 2-3 of your shield-carrying Uruk-Hai Warriors into Uruk-Hai Captains (those guys raising their swords high make great choices), head-swapping with some Uruk-Hai Scouts if you want to make them bare-headed and look a little different.

Purchase #33: Two Uruk-Hai Siege Troops blisters

As has already been mentioned in Part 1, since we need +8 Uruk-Hai Warriors with crossbows and 3 Demolition teams, we can pick up two siege troop blisters to get the models we want if we want to convert up our own crossbowmen. Alternatively we could also get . . .

"Purchase" #34: Two (more?) blisters of Uruk-Hai Warriors with crossbows

Yeah, you only need these guys if you don't want to convert your 8 unused Uruk-Hai Warriors with no extra gear into crossbowmen. Your choice, your money . . .

Purchase #35: Three (or four) Uruk-Hai Berserker blisters

We need up to 16 Berserkers and with at least 2 Siege Troop sets, we have 4 Berserkers already. For the remaining 12 Berserkers, you need three blisters of Uruk-Hai Berserkers. If you don't want the flaming brands, you'll need to get a fourth blister, but for those who want to save some money, just use the four guys you have carrying flaming brands.

Quite a bit got spent, even if you tap into the savings on Berserkers and crossbows - we're ramping up the cost pretty high! As a reminder, the entire Quest of the Ringbearer collection (not counting Fantasy Fellowships) was just under $2000 . . . 

Part 3 subtotal: $317.50

Purchase total: $2164

Part 4: Ride Out to The Defense of Edoras (3 scenarios + big one)

We turn from scenarios inside Helm's Deep to three scenarios outside it (two cavalry mission and one Edoras scenario). We only have five purchases, but it's REALLY expensive . . .

Purchase #36: Two Rohan Royal Guard blisters

Ouch - for $30, you can get 6 Rohan Royal Guards on foot - and at least 4 of them will want throwing spears (or all of them, your choice I guess). These guys are dangerous and awesome, but they sure are expensive.

Purchase #37: Two Mounted Rohan Royal Guard blisters

Double ouch - for $100, you can get the 6 mounted versions of your Rohan Royal Guards, at least four of which will want to have throwing spears (or all of them). These models are beautiful and metal, but they are even more expensive than their infantry counterparts.

Purchase #38: Minas Tirith Battle Host

Oh look, the last unique battle host and our SIXTH battle host period. Why do we want this? Because we'll be needing Warriors of Minas Tirith and Knights of Minas Tirith for the appendices missions and we need Gandalf now. So, instead of paying for each of the pieces of the Battle Host individually, we can save some money by just getting the battle host now. See, I said this part wasn't going to be cheap.

Purchase #39: Erkenbrand, Captain of Rohan on foot and mounted

We have basically every other Rohan named hero already, so what's one more hero? Erkenbrand often gets criticized for not having Heroic Strike (and maybe he should have it), but since he's a cheap counts-as-a-banner hero and turns those Riders of Rohan you have into all-but-Fearless models, he's actually quite good (and our friend Red Jacket loves to field this guy in his Rohan lists). As of the time of this writing, Erkenbrand isn't in the webstore, so we'll have to guess at his pricing (I'd guess around the same cost as Theoden or Faramir, so in the $30-35 range).

Purchase #40: Two Riders of Rohan blisters (or one blister if you are delaying on Elfhelm)

We need 24 Riders of Rohan total and if you bought Elfhelm instead of converting your own from your bare-headed Eomers, you'll need to pick up two more blisters. Personally, I like the idea of a conversion challenge (oh, and saving money), but do what feels good.

Between the Eomer's Return scenario and the Defense of Edoras scenario, we have "the big Helm's Deep scenario" - but like we did with Gondor at War, I'm not including these additional purchases in the total price of the book. For reference, we don't actually need that much (but it would come out to about $150-200, depending on whether you converted all of your Uruk-Hai Crossbowmen):

• Galadhrim Command blister (for just the banner - though the two Captains and the extra bowman with the war horn are nice to have too)
  
• Isengard Assault Ballista
• One Uruk-Hai Siege Troop blister (unless you bought it already)?
• Two more Uruk-Hai Warrior blisters

Part 4 is in the books, and we've racked up a heap of models despite having only five things to purchase - and boy are we hurting (though I've assumed that you bought a blister of Riders of Rohan in place of Elfhelm earlier, so this only factors in one blister of Riders).

Part 4 subtotal: $312 (you know, Parts 2, 3, and 4 have all been under $600 - that's not bad at all . . .)

Purchase total: $2476

Part 5: Last March of the Ents to Paths of the Druadan (3 scenarios)

These are the last scenarios in the Scenarios section of the book, but despite buying our horde of Orcs for the Last March of the Ents scenario ahead of time, we're going to need quite a bit of cash for this section.

Purchase #41: Quickbeam

We already have Treebeard, but now we've got all the other Ents - and the first we need is the Quickbeam model that was released after War in Rohan was finished. Quickbeam is a cool-looking model (the same model size as the new Treebeard model) and gives you 3-Might-and-March, which is excellent for an army of Ents.

Purchase #42: 4 Ents (one proxy for Beechbone)

We need Beechbone (who has no model) as well as 3 Ents - so get 4 Ents and convert up one to look really cool. While I would love to hold out hope that we'll get a Beechbone model in the future, it's very, VERY unlikely (I mean, it took almost 20 years to get a Grimbeorn model . . .).

Purchase #43: Mordor Orc Command blister (or an Orc Warrior blister)

In the Last March of the Ents scenario, we need 4 Orc Captains with shields, and while you could scour the second-hand market for Orc Captains (or wait for the old two-Captain blister to come back made-to-order), you could also just get a Mordor Orc Command blister (Captain, Shaman, Taskmaster, Banner) and use the heroes as Orc Captains - OR you can pick up an Orc Warrior blister and convert your own. The Orc blister is one of the most versatile blisters in the game and the Orcs have a lot of character (and the cost will be about the same). If you really want some fun converting up your models, you have tons of Warg Riders already (and five extras that we bought because we needed the mounted Captain): this could give you some neat heads to swap onto your infantry - and some specific dismounts for mounted Captains as well!

Purchase #44: Dernhelm

Technically, we need Eowyn (because the Dernhelm profile was released in Gondor at War - though so was Elfhelm, so why, GW, didn't you just give us the Dernhelm profile in the Paths of the Druadan scenario?!?!?!?!), but we're going to get Dernhelm instead. Why? Because the sculpt is cooler and we get yet another set of bare heads we can use for conversions.

Purchase #45: One Wildmen of Druadan blister

These guys are a fun little allied contingent, but you're going to be REALLY outnumbered in the Paths of the Druadan mission even with these guys. I will note that while one blister will get you the models you need for this scenario, to have the number of Woses you need for the Paths of the Druadan Legendary Legion, you actually need a second blister . . . fun . . . These guys are currently out of the webstore, but I expect to see them return at some point (they were around $50 during the last made-to-order/last-chance spree).

Purchase #46: One (technically two) Morannon Orc blister

We need 36 Morannon Orcs (and 3 Captains with shields), so we're going to get ourselves two boxes of Morannon Orcs. If you already have the Battle of Osgiliath box set, you only need one box of these guys, and since my review of Quest of the Ringbearer assumed having the Battle of Pelennor Fields box set, it only seems fair to assume the Battle of Osgiliath box set for these guys. Since we'll have 12 extra models (including 3 guys who come with shields on their personages), we could do some fancy conversions for our three Captains. Otherwise, we'd need to get . . .

"Purchase" #47: Morannon Orc Command

Yep, this blister comes with a Captain, a shaman, a drummer, and a banner - and you know, those are all quite useful things. Save some money if you want, get these guys if you want, I think it's fine either way.

Okay, we're done with the main scenarios - and thanks to those Ents, we have a royal dent in our pocket:

Part 5 subtotal: $453.50

Purchase total: $2929.50 (for those keeping score at home, we've now passed Quest of the Ringbearer/Fantasy Fellowship costs . . . yikes . . .)

Part 6: The Appendices (3 scenarios)

I know what you're thinking: these "optional" scenarios always seem to bite us in the behind - and here, you'd be right again (and if it were possible, even more so than usual). We've already got most of the Rohan models we need and even have a jump on the Minas Tirith models that we need, but thanks to the appearance of Khand (and a bunch of Royal Guards), this section is going to be one of the priciest sections we've had to date!

Purchase #48: Eorl the Young on foot and mounted

Eorl the Young is a crowd favorite at low points levels (along with Helm Hammerhand, who we'll get to in a moment) - though I think running him at high points levels with Theoden and Gamling is really good too (no army bonus, but no other limitations). With the potential to have more than 3 Might points, Eorl is a bargain hero for Rohan. He's currently out of the webstore - probably sells for about $35 from retail.

"Purchase" #49: One Knights of Minas Tirith blister

We already have a Minas Tirith battle host box, which gives us the 6 Knights of Minas Tirith that we need for the Field of Celebrant scenario. But we need a mounted King of Men, which means we could get a Knight of Minas Tirith blister to convert up a mounted King of Men. However, if you'd like to save some money, you could also use a Captain of Rohan (or pick up a mounted Faramir blister). 

Purchase #50: Three Sons of Eorl blisters

Chances are good that if you're running Eorl the Young, you're running some Sons of Eorl too. Sons of Eorl get 2 Attacks when near Eorl, which means that on the charge, these guys pack in a WHOLLOP. With base S4 and axes for Piercing Strike (and possibly Strength +1 on the charge), these guys can get to insane levels of Strength and if they can just win their fights, they can wade right through the enemy. As a two-pack, these guys are probaby about $25-30, so that's not cheap . . .

Purchase #51: Khandish King on Chariot

As we turn to the evil side of the house, we need some chariots - like, a LOT of chariots. And there's no better place to begin than with a Khandish King. Chances are good that if you're playing Khand, you probably have at least one of these guys in your list - 6" banner, big chariot for impact hits/intercepting damage, and Heroic Strike - who's to argue with these guys. They're also really expensive, something that Khand is renowned for. Speaking of which . . .

Purchase #52: Four Khandish Chariots

Yep, we need 5 chariots in total - one King, one Chieftain, and three other chariots. Honestly, this appears to be more than most people are willing to field in matched play, so at least one of these chariots is probably just for this scenario. Trying to keep running lanes for these guys free will take some practice, so if you do play the scenario with friends, make sure the Khand player knows how the chariots work!

Purchase #53: Six Khandish Horsemen blisters

OUCH - these guys come in two-man packs and you need 12 cavalry to play the scenario. These guys hit hard and are really cool models, but boy are they expensive (and a tad fragile in-game).

Purchase #54: Two Khandish Warrior blisters (but actually FOUR blisters)

The Khandish Warrior blister currently has 9 Khandish Warriors - 6 with axes and 3 with bows (and a chieftain). The scenario requires 12 axes and 6 bows, so that's conveniently "only" two blisters. However, we also have 12 horsemen and 4 chariots without infantry, so we actually need four blisters. For those keeping track at home, your estimated cost for these Khandish purchases (#51 thru #54) is over $600 . . . yikes.

"Purchase" #55: One more Rohan Command blister

We need a third Captain of Rohan for the Assault on Edoras scenario, so we could get a second Rohan Command blister (either the foot one or the mounted one - whichever you think you'll use more). However, if we're willing to convert up the hornblower from the Grimbold blister (or we could use the hornblower from the foot command blister - or even just substitute Hama), we don't need to buy this.

Purchase #56: Two more Rohan Royal Guard blisters

For the Assault on Edoras scenario, we need 12 Rohan Royal Guards on foot with throwing spears - we have six already, so it's time to get another six, I guess. Honestly, if you're running the Riders of Theoden or Theodred's Guard, you probably want 12 Royal Guards anyway. 

Purchase #57: Two more Mounted Rohan Royal Guard blisters

We need mounts in the final scenario (the Birth of Helm's Deep), so we might as well get mounts for these Royal Guards while we're at it. Yep, this is a pricey bit of kit, huh?

Purchase #58: Helm Hammerhand

Yes, our final purchase is the biggest beater Rohan has to offer - and thanks to that gorgeous ForgeWorld model, we're REALLY burning money! Still, he's great and one of the best additions from War in Rohan!

With less than a dozen purchases, our final cost is surprisingly high (or perhaps not so surprising - Khand was in the mix):

Part 6 subtotal: $833.50 (or, just shy of what you paid for Parts 3-5)

Purchase total: $3,763 (or put another way, sightly more than you'd need for Gondor at War . . . that's saying something . . .)

Conclusion: Why Quest of the Ringbearer is Such a Good Supplement

As I've done with my review of the models you need for Gondor at War (unsurprisingly) and the Scouring of the Shire (quite surprisingly), I wanted to end this post with my thoughts on why the Quest of the Ringbearer supplement is so good (even though it hasn't been the focus of today). While the original scenarios from Quest of the Ringbearer don't feature a lot from Isengard (especially the Dunland contingent) or Rohan (to say nothing of Ents), it does put you in a good position for collecting the models from this sourcebook.

Thanks to the End of All Things, you've already got Eomer and some Warriors of Rohan (which really means you might have one Rohan Battle Host already). You also already have the infantry versions of the Fellowship, the Uurk-Hai Scouts (and at least Lurtz and Ugluk to lead them, possibly also Mauhur and Vrasku if you want to play with the Lurtz's Scouts Legendary Legion), Haldir, and some Warg Riders if you want to use their Wargs in place of some/all of your Wild Wargs.

If you're interested in playing Fantasy Fellowships, of course, even MORE of your collection is accounted for thanks to five War in Rohan missions being used - most of the named Rohan heroes, all of the Riders of Rohan, the Galadhrim, most of the Uruk-Hai Warriors (and all the Berserkers), Grishnakh and Snaga, and all of the Warriors of Rohan you need for the appendices are required for Fantasy Fellowship missions from War in Rohan. Yep, there's quite a bit of savings you can get from that helpful little sourcebook. While I like all of the sourcebooks that have been released so far, War in Rohan and Quest of the Ringbearer are by far and away my favorites.

I hope you enjoyed this - as expected, we'll be spending the next few weeks on Mondays reviewing lists you can make with just the models in the scenarios from this sourcebook and first on the chopping block is the elephant in the room: Rohan. With tons of new Legendary Legions released (as well as your usual "vanilla" Rohan option or alliance choices), Rohan players are spoiled for choice if they collect everything in War in Rohan - as they should be. So who will we be reviewing in detail next time? I'll only say that it's a list that has grown on me a lot since the sourcebook's release and I've been playing with it a lot over the past few months and have loved every minute of it! Until next time, happy hobbying!