Good morning gamers,
We've looked so far at four Legendary Legions in this series on the War in Rohan supplement (Theodred's Guard, Assault Upon Helm's Deep, the Army of Dunland, and the Defenders of Helm's Deep), but today, we're turning away from the Legion section and looking at a list with no Legions for it: Fangorn. These guys are some of the nastiest models you'll ever have to face - hard to beat in a fight, hard to kill, and with their army bonus, they're immune to a good many magical powers (see my article for how this breakdown works). Thanks to a very few scenarios, we have the following models available to us:
- Treebeard with Merry and Pippin
- Quickbeam
- Beechbone
- 3 Ents
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| Photo Credit: War in Rohan |
With 860pts of Ents, it would be easy to say "take everything except Beechbone" - but with only Treebeard having access to Heroic Strike/Defense, this 7-model army would find it pretty difficult to deal with a lot of different threats (multiple Strike heroes, control scenarios against Fearless foes, perhaps Maelstrom scenarios). As such, while you could certainly run that list with my blessing (it's a bear to fight), I've opted for a convenient alliance instead, that will not only get our numbers up but ALSO help us deal with multiple hero threats.
Last time, we looked at Lothlorien and while the Defenders of Helm's Deep list we looked at featured Galadhrim Warriors in no small place of prominence, the majority of the warriors were (and had to be because of the army construction rules) NOT Lothlorien Elves. But Lothlorien gives you a few things in War in Rohan that are quite valuable:
- Fight 5 on models that cost 9-11 points;
- A banner (though only used in the big Helm's Deep scenario);
- Effective archery on both warriors and heroes; and
- Competent heroes in the form of Celeborn and Haldir who are cheaper alternatives to Beechbone or Quickbeam (though in Haldir's case, MUCH easier to kill).
So, we're going to look at what we can do by grabbing Celeborn (who we have because we need Haldir for the scenarios) and a March Captain to ally with Treebeard (who is one of the hardest army leaders to kill):
- Treebeard [ARMY LEADER]
- Meriadoc Brandybuck
- Peregrin Took
- CONVENIENT ALLY - Lothlorien: Celeborn with Elven-made hand-and-a-half sword, heavy armor, and shield
- 4 Galadhrim Warriors
- 4 Galadhrim Warriors with shields and spears
- 1 Galadhrim Warrior with banner
- 3 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows
- 2 Galadhrim Guard with Elf bows
- CONVENIENT ALLY - Lothlorien: Galadhrim Captain with Elf bow
- 3 Galadhrim Warriors
- 4 Galadhrim Warriors with shields and spears
- 3 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows
700 points, 29 models, 9 Elf bows hitting on a 3+ AND 2 S1 throwing stones hitting on a 3+ AND 1 S10 thrown stone hitting on a 4+, 11 D6+ models, no fast models but 2 Might for Heroic March, 8 Might points
29 models is a little low (especially for the lists we've looked at already in this series, which have varied between 38 and 51 models), but we've got some incredible hitting power in this list. Treebeard is a great hero and Beechbone would be a good helper - but at this points limit, we're unlikely to have him (and while a F7 Quickbeam and F7 Ents are good, they aren't as good as someone who has F6 and the option for Strike or Defense).
Enter Celeborn: this guy is potentially more resilient than the Ent heroes (3 Wounds/3 Fate with D7 vs. 3 Wounds/1 Fate with D8), gives you access to Immobilize to help deal with an enemy hero (maybe someone who was counting on Striking against Treebeard?), and brings a host of Elves with him, increasing your archery firepower (though don't knock S10 thrown stones), your body count, and the ability to get Elven-made weapons into Treebeard's fight (which could make the difference between winning a tied duel or losing it). We also got a banner, something you wouldn't get in a pure Fangorn list.
I could have dropped the numbers by 1 Elf (or Merry and Pippin) to get Haldir in the list, but I don't feel like we need a third hitter as much as we need Heroic March to get Treebeard and Celeborn where they need to be. I will note that if you wanted a three-hero threat, you COULD drop Celeborn and a few Elves in order to get Haldir and Beechbone (as good as Beechbone is, with only 21 models, I just can't see this list being as good as the Treebeard-Celeborn list):
- Treebeard [ARMY LEADER]
- Meriadoc Brandybuck
- Peregrin Took
- Beechbone
- CONVENIENT ALLY - Lothlorien: Haldir with Elf bow and heavy armor
- 2 Galadhrim Warriors
- 2 Galadhrim Warriors with shields and spears
- 1 Galadhrim Warrior with banner
- 2 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows
- CONVENIENT ALLY - Lothlorien: Galadhrim Captain with Elf bow
- 2 Galadhrim Warriors
- 3 Galadhrim Warriors with shields and spears
- 3 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows
Let's see what the list does!
Army Theory
Our last list relied on getting a spam of Warriors of Rohan to support the Elves - this time, however, the Elves are playing the supporting role for Treebeard. As such, we need to start with him. Treebeard is a pain to kill - I've only done it once and I had the Balrog and I almost died. Since he's a Hero of Legend, he's our army leader by default - which we are completely fine with. With F8/3 Attacks and 3-Might-and-Strike/Defense, Treebeard is a nasty threat on the table - but he pairs this with being D8/3 Wounds with 3 Fate points, so even if the enemy Strikes against him and Treebeard loses, Treebeard may not take much damage (or any at all). Like other F8 models, I kind of wonder if Treebeard NEEDS to call Heroic Strike - if you're not worried about being wounded, you might be better off saving the Might point to boost a dueling roll to force more resources out of your opponent.
The usual way units kill Treebeard is with a trap - so our Elves need to form a pocket for Treebeard to act. Making a battle line with a slight gap near Treebeard's base allows him lateral room to move in a Barge or Heroic Combat, while extending the battle line makes it unlikely that the enemy will be able to get into his flank with anything short of a flier (and placing two bowmen 1" away from Treebeard can ensure that this is unlikely to work). With some archers holding objectives and pulling people out of Treebeard's fights, we can make sure he survives and hopefully has the latitude to do what he wants to do.
Celeborn is his right-hand man (well, Elf): Celeborn is hard to wound with archery, hard to beat in combat, and brings the option for Immobilize to neuter whoever he's fighting or whoever Treebeard is fighting OR to increase his damage or Treebeard's damage with Enchanted Blades. Treebeard is a great killer, but rerolling all failed To Wound rolls on a turn when he's got a Trap (maybe because Merry and Pippin have dismounted and charged) is just gross . . .
Finally, we have our Captain - and he's here for March. Cheaper than Quickbeam, using a bow instead of a thrown stone, and most importantly able to bring a LOT of Elves to the fight, this Captain is our "extra guy", just there to fill holes, kill troops, and maybe snipe a horse out from under a big hero. He's good, he's useful, but keep him safe.
Okay, that's the army - let's look at the scenarios we have!
Gameplay Strategy
Maelstrom & Object Missions (Pools 1 & 3)
In Maelstrom, we want to begin by deploying Treebeard. As it happens, we probably don't NEED support for him, but it wouldn't hurt to know where he is. Our primary goal is to use (maybe on the edge of abusing) the ability for Merry and Pippin to dismount and remount Treebeard to our advantage: in Hold Ground, we want Treebeard to steadily advance towards the center of the map (ideally being Marched by our Captain, but don't use Might to boost your roll to do it - we can just rush our Elves on if we need to). If the center is clear, we can drop Merry and Pippin and have Treebeard deny access to the middle from one direction, while Celeborn and his Elves attempt to flood the middle with bodies (it's fine to stop and squish a warband if you have the opportunity).
In Heirlooms of Ages Past, we can use the dismount/remount of Merry and Pippin to allow them to test heirloom markers and if they get it, they can hop into Treebeard's boughs to "hide" from the enemy. Celeborn and the Captain will want to lay down cover fire with their archery to hedge the enemy away from objective markers (or weakening the enemy's position if they find the heirloom marker first).
Finally, in Command the Battlefield, we have some interesting choices: we have two C6 Galadhrim Guards with Elf bows that we can tuck away into a corner if we want to - and similarly, we have Merry and Pippin who can hide as well. Our six other Galadhrim with Elf bows (who can be formed up in two skirmish triangles) can contest the other two quadrants, but this will leave us with VERY few troops to engage the enemy - so while you could tuck these guys away in corners (and sometimes that might be useful), I think this army will want to put its bowmen on the centerline of board edges so they can support the control of two quadrants easily (just by moving across the break line).
When it comes to object missions, we could be in a bit of trouble - maybe. In Seize the Prize, we have archery, but probably not enough to scare the enemy (9 Elf bows hitting on a 3+ and wounding on a 5+ or 6+ will see 1-2 models fall if they don't move - hardly a threat, though perhaps useful), so we'll want to March with our Captain on the first turn and throw everyone (especially Treebeard and Celeborn) forward 9". Merry and Pippin will be within throwing stone range of any vanguard troops the enemy throws to the front - and while they are unlikely to wound anyone, they just might. The second turn is the big one for us - we need Treebeard and Celeborn to go smashing through the front ranks, with the rest of our Elves providing support to their match-ups. If the enemy gets around our lines, we have very little hope of catching them (except with arrows - and maybe an Immobilize or a big rock), so we need to do what we can to make sure that doesn't happen.
Our 9 bowmen (including our Captain) will be spread wide to guard our three supply markers in Destroy the Supplies, so we'd do well to make sure that the enemy has a hard time getting to them. Treebeard should deploy in defense of our center objective at the start, allowing him to move to support either side depending on where our opponent chooses to deploy. Celeborn will want some of his bowmen to migrate to defend the center while he and his melee warriors press ahead to threaten the enemy while also protecting our own supply. The Captain, similarly, should guard the other supply marker, sending someone to guard the center while his warriors just try to hedge off enemy troops (or threaten an abandoned objective). Winning this scenario will be hard (we'll be spread REALLY thin), so our main goal is to break the enemy and keep our supplies from being taken (taking the enemy's only if we have an opportunity).
Retrieval is a bit better - we can surge forward with Celeborn and Treebeard, using our Elves to blunt the enemy while our bows guard our "flag." Our goal is to utilize Treebeard as much as we can, relying on him to break a hole in the enemy and hopefully scoop up the flag with Merry or Pippin, retreating to the safety of Treebeard's head as we storm off to safety (using Heroic Combats to get extra movement to get back to our side of the board). If we can manage it, we'll want Treebeard to benefit from a late-game Heroic March by our Galadhrim Captain to catapult him towards our corners. Still gonna be hard, but I feel the best about this one.
Control Missions (Pools 2 & 5)
Control missions will similarly be hard with only 29 models - but wherever Treebeard is, we don't expect too many to stand against us if Celeborn is close by. So, we begin by deploying Treebeard right on the center as far up as we can. Celeborn will want to be near him with his warriors spread out to create a shield on one flank, while the Captain creates a shield on the other side. If we have two heroes (technically 4 models) worth 350pts in the center of the board, our opponent will be hard-pressed to put that much mass in the center too. If he avoids us, we can drop Merry and Pippin off with some bowmen to guard the center while we press on to wherever the enemy's greatest concentration of troops is. If we have a mass of Elves on the center objective, Treebeard and a few Elves headed one way, and Celeborn and a bunch of Elves going the other way, we have a good chance of holding at least 3 objectives. Whether the scenario is Domination or Capture and Control, we should start with the center objective well in hand and just have to work on taking the periphery objectives.
It's Breakthrough where things change a little: we probably want Treebeard to start on the center line of one of the side objectives, supported by the Captain's warband (melee units to shield Treebeard's flanks while the archers head back with our Captain to our rear objective). Celeborn then plays flex from the other objective, leading his melee units to win that objective and press to the rear while his archers help by shooting (and later perhaps charging) anyone rushing for our rear objective. Because we need to be in two places (and possibly four), this scenario is going to be really hard. Our goal will be to bleed our opponent dry trying to take our rear objective while we hold the side objectives and our opponent's rear objective. If we do that, we have a good chance of winning (but it'll be harder than the other two).
In the travel missions, like last time, we begin with our Captain: in Reconnoitre, we need to know if he's on the board and where he is on the board to know where we want Treebeard to be. Marching him up the field (ideally with Celeborn in tow) will be necessary to shepherd our opponent away from direct paths to our board edge. We have enough archers that, if we have a good firing lane, we should be able to kill stragglers who get past our melee troops, but we're likely to be outnumbered, so leaving 9 models behind may not be feasible. Our end goal is to make sure no more than one enemy model makes it off our board edge while getting Treebeard, Merry, and Pippin of the other board edge (3-0 or 3-1 will see us get 7VPs, will give us no worse than a 7-4 win - which we'll only get if we're broken without breaking the enemy and Treebeard gets wounded).
In Storm the Camp, our Captain leads off again, starting from the front with Treebeard on one side and Celeborn on the other. We surge forward for the first two turns, getting as far ahead of our camp as possible. Our archers can then peel off and guard the mid-field, but unlike a lot of other armies we've looked at, we can't bank on being able to leave them close enough to retreat into our own camp. You could leave the two Galadhrim Guard within 5" of the camp so they could retreat into it within 2 turns while shooting, but we can't spare very many models. Celeborn and Treebeard should play aggressively, using Heroic Combats to slingshot around the flank and get closer to the enemy camp. Treebeard can also Barge if he needs to (though D6" of movement isn't likely to be THAT much of a gain).
In Divide and Conquer, we want the Captain to be with another warband to March them to the center, but WHICH warband is very much up for grabs. The dilemma is very much like what I faced when I ran an 800-point Men of the West list that had a warband led by Aragorn/Elessar, a warband led by Eomer, and a solo-warband with Gandalf the White: Aragorn should March one of the other warbands into the center, but do you pick the warband that has one model that can help that one warband deal with a lot of threats (in Gandalf's case, anti-archery and anti-magic abilities)? Or do you March basically your entire army from one corner of the board?
So also here, we COULD choose to March Treebeard into the center - and the sooner he gets to the center, the better for us, right? Maybe - Marching 26 Elves into the center has utility too - and if we can force the enemy to spend resources fighting us before Treebeard gets there, he could have a huge advantage later. Personally, I'd probably March the Elves in (I chose in the tournament mentioned above to leave Gandalf high and dry and get my whole army in the center - would have worked better if my Aragorn wasn't such a diva though - whiffed and died on his first or second fight).
Killing Missions (Pools 4 & 6)
We aren't really a shooting army, but with Treebeard and the Elves we COULD be better than our opponent. In the scenarios where we can sit back and shoot (To The Death, Lords of Battle, and Clash by Moonlight), we should certainly consider it, but in general, we probably need to get locked in quickly. This is a bit of a risk, since many of our Elves are D5 (but with a banner and two big heroes to hopefully Heroic Combat through some troops - and maybe get a Hurl in - we might be alright). In Clash by Moonlight, our heroes want to head-hunt enemy heroes - especially Merry and Pippin, who can throw rocks with pretty devastating wounding potential from the safety of Treebeard's head.
In Contest of Champions . . . yeah, we've got Treebeard - crush things with him. Celeborn is our defacto anti-enemy-army-leader model, which could be charging in and calling Heroic Defense, but could also be by using Immobilize to lock the hero in place while Treebeard racks up kills around him. Our army should focus on getting the break as quickly as possible and denying the enemy army leader access to our warriors as much as possible. How we use both Treebeard and Celeborn will tell a lot about how well our army does.
As is usually the case, Fog of War and Assassination will be interesting scenarios for us. In Assassination, Celeborn will be our assassin most of the time (unless our opponent has a 1 Wound/0-1 Fate hero we think we can shoot with the Captain), and we want to target someone we can shoot to death if we can (5VPs), but that is likely to have to be used in melee so Celeborn can kill him in melee (7VPs). Keep Merry and Pippin safe - our opponent may forget that he can choose one of them as the target for his assassin, but if he doesn't, they need to be kept safe.
Similarly, in Fog of War, we want to pick either Merry or Pippin to keep safe and dismount both at the start of the game, hide them away, and leave them alone the entire game. We pick a hero we can kill from a distance or up close (doesn't have to be with a specific model this time) and we pick a terrain piece that we can circle up on and die on (ideally woodland terrain, but anything near the center-ish that we can get to reasonably quickly). Treebeard can Combat/Barge to get there faster - we'll need him to clear it, ultimately. We're probably going to break - do the best you can to not, but D5 Elves have a hard time surviving in most sustained conflicts.
Conclusion
Well, we're over halfway done with this series in War in Rohan and next week we turn to the back of War in Rohan to check out a faction that only appears in the Appendices - and with it comes the expensive creak of little metal wheels. Find out more next time - and until then, happy hobbying!
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