Armies of Middle-Earth SBG: Countering Angmar, Part 4 -- Avoiding (Avoidable) Mistakes on the Table

What?!?! Back for more tricks?!?!

Photo Credit: Hint--I'm a creature of habit (it's me again)

Editor's Note: This article is part of a larger series on dealing with Angmar. Click the links for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

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The semester's over, so I'm back baby! (Raise your hand if you had an article from me on your bingo card for today ;-P )

As some of you may recall, over the Summer we explored strategies to counter Angmar (if you missed it, or need a refresher, you can check out the previous articles on dealing with Terror, maintaining control over our own pieces, and weathering magic spells by clicking the links). In terms of list-building, these are the primary tactical issues that we'll want to make sure we address, or at least think about. And as we discussed at length, most armies have at least some tools available to counter these tactics (or at least make things harder for the Angmar player).

What I want to talk about in this fourth and final discussion, however, is something that often gets lost in all the tactics: mental overload. I touched on this some in my write-up of the Angmar faction proper, but playing with and against Angmar lists (especially optimized Angmar lists of the magic-heavy variety) is a taxing thing for both sides. And in taxing situations, it's easy to forget things that should be obvious, scrap our game plan because we think we see "ghosts,"* and make mistakes. So here's the big-picture idea:

Whenever Angmar has a lot of nasty debuff pieces, you want to make their job harder (not easier) by planning ahead, avoiding simple mistakes that play into their hands, and pressing on. 

Admittedly, that's easier said than done, especially against an experienced Angmar player. But here's a few "meta-tactics" (plus a few practical tactical tactics) that can help us accomplish that primary goal.

* Although when playing against Angmar, you may in fact be seeing actual ghosts...

Reminder 1: Playing Angmar does typically make risk-taking more dangerous, so plan accordingly. We've all done them--those risky, "Hail Mary" plays that put all our chips on the table. A hero calls a heroic combat in a fight where the opponent has one more model than we'd prefer; we do a cavalry charge knowing that everything will come down to the 50-50 roll-off next turn; we march 15" into the line of fire, knowing that if we can just weather this turn of shooting, we'll catch them in the open next turn; we call 4-10 heroic combats in a singe fight phase, hoping to evaporate the enemy's battle line. We'd like to think that every game can be won with planning, precision, and patience. But we know there's games that come down to daring, guts, and dumb luck.

The reality is that Angmar has lots of ways to muck up those risky plays, and then to capitalize on any mistakes we made (especially if you're moving first and Angmar moves second). And an Angmar player wants us to think that because of that fact, we shouldn't take risks like we normally would. Just play it safe--conservative. Now there's certainly something to be said for conservative play against Angmar (if nothing else, that style tends to commit fewer of the "stupid" mistakes that Angmar can really capitalize on, which we'll talk about at the end). But you can certainly take risks against Angmar--you just need to take Edna Mode's advice, and have a plan in place should the risky play fail.

Sage advice, that.

Photo credit: pinterest.com (not me this time... I'm not this creative)

So how do we do this? Here's a couple of practical questions to ask ourselves at the start of the game (and periodically as the game progresses):

What's my target priority this round and next round (at least)? One of the best tips for combatting mental fatigue is taking the initiative (i.e., taking control of things you can control), and pressing your advantages. Think of it as being active/positive-minded ("What am I going to make happen?") instead of passive/negative-minded ("What nasty thing is going to happen to me next?"). After all, we are a participant in the game (not just a passive observer), same as the Angmar player. So we should participate.

Threat assessment is an important part of any game, and games against Angmar are no exception. But Angmar armies often have more threats than we're used to dealing with at once, so we need to be constantly assessing and re-assessing what's the most dangerous thing to us, as well as what weakness(es) we're going to exploit to buy us some breathing space. If it's Gulavhar, am I going to avoid him? Try to bait him over to a far flank? Pour every available shot into him, and try to scare him off? Or am I going to ignore him because he'll have trouble causing my Terror-causing Black Numenoreans (or because my big hero can deal with him later, as long as I can eliminate his supporting Barrow-Wight in the first two turns)?

Now again--this kind of in-game calculus feels like it takes on added significance in a match-up with Angmar (because the threats are more varied, and in some ways more subtle). But the calculus itself isn't any different from what you would typically do against any other opponent. And that's sort of comforting, if you think about it long enough. 

What is Angmar likely to go after, that I need to protect/redeploy? An equally-important part of target priority is trying to guess what your opponent will be investing troops, heroes, and resources into accomplishing (and then trying to frustrate those plans). The default answer is "your biggest hero" (and all other things being equal, you'd be right assuming that's the answer). But Fury shamans, banners, second-tier casters, and even support heroes (like Erkenbrand, Halbarad, Lindir, Bosuns, etc.) or elite troops that will tear through orcs (Watchers of Karna, Half-Trolls, Berserkers, cavalry, etc.) may also be primary targets. 

There are many tips that you can use to keep these models alive (at least for as long as possible), and perhaps the biggest is avoiding "stupid" mistakes when it comes to deployment and commitment (which we'll talk about next). But identifying what your opponent wants to kill (and focusing on keeping that model alive) can be far less mentally taxing than just assuming your opponent wants to kill everything and acting accordingly (often resulting in over-thinking too many things, and/or just defaulting to being too passive--both of which tend to lead to bad results against killed opponents, no matter what they're running). 

Another thing to remember: while some of these models should definitely be protected--kept in the back, bubble-wrapped, etc. (Fury shamans and banners come to mind), there are some scenarios where you actually want to become more aggressive with the models that you know Angmar is likely going to be targeting. One such scenario is the tried-and-true "bait" tactic: running a hero you really like, but can live without, to an extreme flank is a worthwhile play if you can tempt Angmar's Vampire to chase him for 2-3 turns, far away from where the main battle is being fought (or a fell beast--though the Compel makes that more risky). Pushing your low-defense Watchers of Karna into combat a turn early may draw Angmar's Shade toward their flank--and away from the other flank, anchored by a couple of heroes (or vice versa). And if you have any models with throwing weapons (spears, daggers, axes--doesn't matter as long as they're S3), you can draw a significant amount of "aggro" by throwing them really anywhere into the opposing battle-line (both because the initial charge will draw attention, and because the threat of a second unopposed charge will loom large in the opponent's mind). If Durin is hanging around behind your battle-line, while a Dwarf Captain and a contingent of Dwarf Rangers are assaulting Angmar's left flank, maybe the Barrow-Wight keeps his Will in reserve to halt Durin when (if) he charges... but if the Captain and Rangers are making a bee-line for that Wight, cutting through his defensive shield of orcs in the process, that sort of "discipline" is going to be harder and harder to maintain as the game progresses (plus the fact that Barrow Wights don't have Might probably means at least one other hero is cheating over that direction, to call the inevitable Heroic counter-Move).

Reminder 2: Once you've established your plan(s), stick to it/them... especially with your heroes. I was originally going to title this tip "Play conservatively with your big heroes until Angmar's resources start to wane." And generally, for big heroes (i.e., your general, anyone that costs 150+, or anyone who does damage that you otherwise can't replicate), this is probably sound advice. A lot of this comes down to avoiding the "stupid" mistakes we'll talk about at the end (if you don't need a hero in the front rank, don't put him there to start and expose him to Compel; don't charge your heroes into a position where they can be flanked/trapped; if your hero is mounted, keep an eye on hurl angles at all times, etc.). A lot of it also depends on exactly how much magic Angmar has, and how much magic resistance your hero has (a 3/3/3 hero is different from a 3/1/1 hero... and even charging a 3/3/3 hero towards 1 barrow wight is a much different calculus than charging that same hero towards 3 barrow wights). 

But "keeping my big hero in reserve, until Angmar's magic runs out" isn't always a winning strategy, either. For one thing, unless you have a way to gank Angmar's magical heroes (and most armies don't have a way to do that, other than running their big heroes into the enemy like a battering ram), you may never get to the point where you've eliminated the magical threat entirely. What's more, the Angmar player doesn't have much incentive to spend their magic on your hero, unless your hero is either (1) in an exposed position where they can be assassinated with minimal risk (something you should absolutely avoid at all costs, unless you're baiting), or (2) in a dangerous position where they'll wreak havoc on Angmar unless immediately dealt with. So if you want to start wearing down Angmar's magic, you need to make that second thing happen. And that second thing almost never happens if your big hero is just hanging around.

So how do we strike that balance? Here's a few practical suggestions for you to mull over:

This is much easier to do if you have multiple heroes that can threaten Angmar. Again, basic list-building principles here: the more threats you build into your army, the less likely Angmar is to tie them all down (because Angmar struggles with target over-saturation, like most armies do). And at bigger points levels, you definitely want a few heroes you can rely upon in a scrap (and if they provide other utility supports, like great Courage, added damage against Spirit heroes, the ability to snipe a flying Monster, or access to Heroic Resolve, even better!).

I'll have a host of practical examples in our upcoming Hero Taxonomy, but if you take a big hero like Boromir or Aragorn, consider a secondary hero like Faramir or Hurin (who have 3 Might, Fight 5, options for mounts, and Heroic Resolve (and in Faramir's case, Defense) to pair with Strike). Pair Bolg with a secondary threat like Fimbul or Yazneg (much cheaper, but adds some surprising punch in a scrap). Suladan and Raza. Durin and a King's Champion (or a couple of Shieldbearers). Thrydan and Lurtz. Run two Dwarf Kings, instead of just one. Or three Mahud Kings. Redundancy is your friend, because you can always press the assault with one hero while the other is safe (or tied down). Or you can press the assault with 2-3 heroes at once in the early rounds, forcing Angmar to spread out its magic (instead of concentrating all its magic on just one target).

Magic is powerful, but remember: all else being equal, in a one-on-one between a caster and a target, the rules for magic favor the target. Forcing Angmar's magic heroes to go one-on-one with your combat heroes isn't just a way to drain them of resources--it also maximizes the odds that your combat hero can keep chugging away. Because as we all know from experience, resisting 1 spell per turn is way easier than resisting 3 spells a turn.

Be confident committing your heroes--just don't commit them alone. Again, this is a good principle for any match-up--we're just being more focused on it (if that's possible) against Angmar. We like charging our mounted heroes into combat--we just don't want them charging in unsupported. So block off their flanks to prevent traps. Put an unengaged model or two behind them to create control zones that opponents will need to charge (and to screen the hero off from flying monsters). Position your banner nearby so your hero has every advantage in combat (bracketing that banner in place with other models, if necessary, so it can't be moved by the Angmar player). If you expect a heavy magic barrage, plan ahead so you have a hero with Resolve in position to provide your charging heroes with cover. If you're going to send a hero into a particular spot, soften up that spot 1-2 turns in advance with concentrated bow fire. 

Combat is inherently dangerous, but that's true against any army (unless you're Tom Bombadil or Goldberry). It's okay (even necessary) to throw your heroes into danger, as long as the danger is calculated.

Be aggressive when you move first. Ironically, Angmar is an army that likes to move second (and in many ways, it's their ability to react that unlocks some of their truly scary combos). Knowing that, it's easy to get discouraged if we win priority (and to become overly cautious in our initial move phase--sometimes to the point of paralysis). So this is where I remind us that Angmar's main battle-line is only average orcs, and if we've put any thought at all into list-building, we should be able to kill a battle-line manned by average orcs. Which means we should be trying to charge them as often as we can.

So take winning priority for what it actually is: a gift, and a huge advantage. Yes, we need to be thinking ahead about things like Hurls and Paralyze. But by aggressively attacking a particular flank, we can also dictate (usually) where that hurl is going to go (or, perhaps more importantly, where it can't go). Or where the Barrow-Wight is most likely to cast. We lock the opponent's battle-line into position (we pin them here, so by maneuvering our cavalry there, we have a charge set-up for next turn). We eliminate potential compel/A Fell Light targets by locking them into combat. We get to decide how fights pair off (even more valuable now, with the newest FAQ). We get to shoot first. We get to react to the opponent calling future heroic actions (or not calling them, which sometimes matters more). And we get to roll those 50-50 roll-offs (which isn't awesome, but it's still better than having your opponent roll them, right?). 

In other words, winning priority means we get to claim the initiative, and as a result we get to control more: and against Angmar, trust me--we want all the control we can get. 

That said...

Be even more aggressive when you move second. So obviously this is dependent on having models you can move if Angmar goes first. And sometimes, that's not going to be the case, especially if we haven't made good list-building decisions and/or the game is nearing the end, and things haven't gone well for us in previous turns (three heroes are paralyzed/assassinated, Gulavhar's been running rampant, and we just don't have that many models left). 

But especially in the early game, moving second can also be a blessing, because while it doesn't change many known risks (it can change some--counter-charging cavalry models, trapping enemy heroes, or redeploying spear supports/banners, for instance), moving second does dramatically reduce the number of unknown risks we need to worry about. All those nasty hurls? Well, we can't fix them (unless we can kill our model the monster is fighting--Corsair players know exactly what I'm talking about), but at least we know (1) where the hurl is likely to come from, and (2) it's direction, which means (3) we know exactly where not to put anything important (and if the end-point is filled with un-tagged models like banners, cavalry, or spear supports, we know to redeploy them somewhere else, and rely on other tactics like shielding to hold the enemy at bay in fights that are likely to be knocked prone). 

All of Angmar's magic is also out of the way (because Angmar has to cast spells during its own move phase), and that helps, too. We still need to be careful about where we send our heroes (and still want to send them in supported), but we don't have to worry about that lucky Paralyze coming in over the top. Flying monsters are also committed (which is great), and since the only way they can threaten us that turn is through a Heroic Combat, we can also take the necessary precautions there, too (anti-fly formations, watching out for Hurl angles, etc.). 

Those fewer decisions give us (ironically) more agency--and if we can combo an aggressive turn of moving second, with a follow-up turn of aggressively moving first (remember--a lot of Angmar armies that go heavy-magic/take a Shade also tend to be low-Might, either because Barrow-Wights/Shades have none, or because wraiths are really expensive), we can really dictate how the game will play out in the immediate future.

If you get to the Fight Phase, and your hero can still fight, strongly consider calling a Heroic Combat. The reality of playing against magic armies is that when it comes to your combat heroes, it's never a given that they'll be able to fight in the following turn. So if you find yourself in a position where your hero is in a favorable fight, and somehow isn't transfixed/paralyzed (i.e., is able to fight normally), you want to at least think about maximizing his/her combat effect in that turn, because that may be the only turn where that hero has the option to fight. 

Notice: I said think. Of course, there's scenarios when calling a Heroic Combat isn't likely to accomplish anything. And yes, Heroic Moves are important. So is striking/calling Heroic Defense (especially if enemy heroes can get into your hero with their own Heroic Combat). But if your hero is safe and has an opportunity to do some damage, at least think about calling a Heroic Combat. 

Scoring 1-2 more casualties a turn doesn't seem like much, but if you do that with 2-3 heroes in a single turn, you can sometimes push your kill count upwards of 10 models in a single turn--and that'll put a serious  dent in most Angmar armies. And that's to say nothing of the psychological edge that comes with doing that: Angmar brought an army to shut down my heroes, they couldn't do it, and now we're giving them the business. Or, vice versa: Crap, the magic's not working and now we're hemorrhaging orcs... next turn better be better, or this is gonna snowball quick. 

Most importantly, while "heroic combat" is a perfectly fine moniker for that heroic action, it's also under-inclusive: because remember, a "heroic combat" also allows your hero--and any other models in that hero's fight--to perform a full move, as well. And while you certainly can move that hero into combat (not a bad idea, especially if that hero is mounted), you can also use heroic combats to reposition models for the next turn, get to far-flung objectives (or at least get a head-start towards those objectives), and move the hero out of range of a spell/flier/monster at the start of the next round. All of which can be incredibly valuable to you, and make things far more unpredictable for your opponent. 

Which leads me to the last tactical suggestion for this section on heroes:

Finally, even if you're not comfortable committing your big hero to the fray (and there's a host of reasons why you may not be), keep your big hero moving (plausibly) forward. I say "plausibly" because I don't want you to read this and think, "gee--I need to move forward all the time, so let's throw Aragorn 10" into the no man's land!" Obviously that'd be dumb at any time (and against Angmar, it's usually suicidal--though Aragorn has a better chance with Heroic Defense/Resolve and Mighty Hero of weathering it than other heroes would). But you do want to keep your big hero moving towards something (even if that "something" is to one flank) because it keeps your opponent moving (and, more importantly, guessing about what your hero is up to). The more movement your opponent has to do to match yours, the more opportunities for mistakes, and the less bandwidth he has to focus on what he's trying to accomplish. 

So keep your mounted hero(es) 4-6 inches behind your main battle-line--out of range of Paralyze (because you have 1-2 inches of troops between you and the enemy, and the enemy has 1-2 inches of troops between you and his/her barrow wight), but well in-range of a charge at the moment of your choosing. And move him around. A lot. It'll give you that sense of control and agency. It'll keep the orcs on edge. It'll sometime expose an opening that you can exploit. And those are all good things.

Reminder 3: Avoid the "stupid" mistakes that make Angmar's job easier.

So everything I'm going to talk about here applies (usually) to every MESBG game you'll play. And there's a hundred other things we could cover here, too (don't fight over barriers if you don't have to; March if you're exposed to heavy bowfire; don't put your wizard in your front rank, especially if he's just D5). But I'm focusing on mistakes that Angmar in particular is likely to capitalize on, because (1) that's what we're talking about here, and (2) they're potentially game-breaking mistakes, especially if we start piling them up.

Photo credit: ro.inspiredpencil.com

#1: If Angmar wants you to fight somewhere, and you don't have to fight there, just refuse to fight there. The most unpleasant play experience you can have against Angmar is against lists that feature the Shade (a 6" "-1 to your duel rolls" bubble) and/or the Dwimmerlaik (a 6" "you may need to spend an extra Might/Will/Fate or lose its effects" bubble). But even a standard list with a couple of Barrow-Wights (a 6" "ooh, I might knock you on your butt" bubble) may create spaces on the board where you'll be at a disadvantage if you fight in a particular spot (and occasionally "spots," plural). 

Now sometimes the scenarios dictate that you fight in a particular place (Contest, Hold Ground, and Seize the Prize come to mind). And if that's the case, you'll be limited in where you'll need to fight (or at least how long you can avoid fighting in that spot). But most scenarios aren't like that: there's either no set location where you need to fight (Lords of Battle, Assassination), or there's multiple spots where you need to fight (Domination, Capture and Control, Destroy the Supplies). Against an Angmar army built around one single model (like the Shade), that may mean sacrificing some VPs to claim others (the Shade's camped on the left objective, so I'll leave that one for now and focus on the other 3-4). Or, it may mean that we commit some of our more expendable models in that area, so our other more important pieces can press our advantage in other spots. Instead of trying to crush Angmar's whole force around the central objective, maybe we have Forlong and some knights/Axemen fight in the Shade's bubble, while Angbor and some Clansmen fight on an extreme flank outside the bubble (to avoid that nasty -2 debuff to any roll that isn't a "6"), and Imrahil and our Knights take on two objectives that are a safe distance away, with a plan to flank the Shade's unit once that task is completed.

Again, this is something we'd probably plan do against any number of other scary models (the Balrog, Azog, Aragorn, Sauron, etc.). There's no reason for us to abandon that strategy against Angmar.

#2: Keep your most important pieces bracketed by less-important troops at all times. Angmar has access to Spectres and Compel (on up to three wraiths, though most likely just one), which means that models who aren't in combat can be moved against their will. So if there's a model we need to be in a particular spot, we need to prepare for that possibility. And if the model we need doesn't have any Will or has suspect courage (or if we don't want to have to spend any Will/risk flubbing a courage test), that usually means that we need to bracket those important models with other models that have to be moved first before the opponent can move our important piece. 

So if you have an Orc banner, put 2-3 orcs around the banner so the opponent has to commit 2-3 spectres/compels instead of just the one. If you're heading towards a bottle-neck, maybe don't put your 60mm base troll in the front rank (where he might stuff up your advance). Maybe wait to rush your cavalry forwards until a turn in which you move second. In other words, standard "good positioning" tactics. Amazingly, they still work against Angmar most of the time. ;-)

Be mindful of your surroundings (both good and bad). Two things to think through here, both offensively and defensively.

First, when on offense, we generally want to engage Angmar in more open spaces if we can. There's lots of reasons for this: 

• First and foremost, Angmar tends to keep their important supporting models (spectres, shades, barrow-wights, even wraiths) in the back. And the faster we can pressure/tag/eliminate those models, the easier it is to deal with Angmar). 
• Open spaces also mean less cover/no cover for Gulavhar/Fell Beasts. And as the FAQs explain, flying monsters only get in-the-ways against shooting attacks from other Monsters or actual terrain--standard infantry and cavalry don't shield them (which, for a model like Gulavhar who's D5, is a huge deal). 
• It means our lines can be spread out more, which generally makes it harder for Angmar to set up devastating Hurls: either a hurl goes down the line (which is disruptive, but usually only threatens basic infantry--and depending on your warriors' defense, may actually do more damage to Angmar's D5 orcs than to your own warriors), or it goes perpendicular to the line (which takes out maybe a couple of troops and a hero's horse, but doesn't do much else). 
• Open spaces also make it easier for us to keep our heroes 4-6" back from the line (generally out of Paralyze range, unless the Angmar player decides to expose the Barrow-Wight to a potential counter-charge that turn, or the next turn). 
• It opens up firing lanes for our ranged attacks (which, again, we should have lots of, in order to deal with Terror). 
• And of course, that's before we get to any other features of our list that may make fighting on open ground advantageous (like, say, we're running a lot/all cavalry, and/or have a lot of mounted heroes in our force).

That said, there are some situations where we may want to consider fighting more defensively among terrain. For example, if our army isn't super-reliant on heroes (i.e., we're playing Champions of Erebor with Gloin, Bifur, Nori, and Balin, or Minas Tirith with Faramir, Hurin, Cirion, and a Captain/Madril), we might not be that worried about Angmar's magic attack. While we'd prefer to use our heroes to fight, our rank-and-file troops all have good courage, Fight value, and defense to do damage to Angmar on their own (IH Dwarves, supported by a healthy contingent of crossbows, a ballista, and some goat riders; or Fountain Court, Citadel Guard, Rangers, and a Bolt Thrower/Trebuchet). Sure, Angmar could spend Will to try to Paralyze those heroes/warriors, or drain their courage, or try to move them with spectres. But as long as we're guarding against sneak attacks (coming up, I promise), we're actually not that worried if the enemy lobs 3-4 turns of Paralyzes over the course of the game. So we can afford to play more defensively (especially if the objectives reward us for camping in one spot, and/or don't require us to be in more than one spot; and especially if we can force Angmar to come to us--something both of these Hero-lite list builds can definitely do).

There are other reasons, too. Flying models can't Fly into difficult terrain (woods, rocks, marshes, even deep water--although just to be clear, I generally don't recommend fighting in deep water, and am not recommending you do so here ;-) ). Fell Beasts also have significantly reduced movement in most difficult terrain (although as cavalry and monsters, I don't think that applies to shallow water). They lose Fly (so only 3" of movement), and also lose their charge bonuses (no extra attack, no knock-down, and again, they can't fly over opposing models/ignore their control zones), both of which significantly reduce their threat in combat. Setting up with some woods to your rear also functions as an enormous "anti-fly formation" that doesn't require you to "sacrifice" models, both figuratively (by putting them somewhere where they'll be doing nothing other than "standing around") and literally (as a sacrifice to some hideous flying beast who'd prefer to tag your army leader, wizard, or banner). Plus, a monster can't hurl a forest (like it can hurl models in a standard anti-fly formation). And if you're playing on an asymetrical board (i.e., one side of the board has more cover than the other), setting up on the denser side and digging in defensively (especially if you have superior shooting--which isn't hard against an Angmar list) may leverage several of these advantages at once.

If that's our situation, it absolutely may be worth taking cover in woods, turtling up in a choke-point, getting behind some barriers... or even just drawing up a defensive battle line back in our original deployment zone, and unleashing our ranged projectiles. Remember: Angmar's battle-line is just regular orcs. And a Shieldwall composed of regular orcs typically can't grind against an elite Shieldwall. They get wounded on 5s while wounding on 6s (sometimes worse). They have the lower fight value, so they lose drawn duels. And if our battle-line has Terror, they may even box out their own models (creating opportunities for us, if we move second, to create 2 v. 1 combats in our favor). In tough matches between skilled opponents and with favorable scenario objectives, these advantages--combined with the safety defensive positioning provides--can be the difference between winning and losing.

So do as Sun Tzu says, and survey the ground before you fight.

Guard against the "sneak attack" play. 

We come to it at last.

If you've played against Angmar before, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It usually starts with us winning Priority, we advance towards Angmar (because we're being aggressive, which is good), some poor shmuck fails his Spectre test and gets pulled forward into charge range, and suddenly Gulavhar and the Witch-King are in combat (sometimes a Barrow-Wight is involved, too, if the model is a hero). We've already moved, so we can't do anything to reposition. Of course we're playing Good, so we can't shoot them (because they're in combat). One of them calls a Heroic Combat in the Fight Phase. And now we're rapidly measuring things to see which heroes/banners/wizards are in range; debating if any/all heroes should be calling Heroic Actions; if so, debating whether they should Strike or Defense; and all the while, we know that whatever we do, it'll be a waste (if we call something, the Witch-King and Gully will just fly somewhere else; if we don't call--or call with some but not others--whatever doesn't call is likely to be murdered... and depending on what army we're fielding, that may be a loss we can't recover from, especially against a skilled opponent).

Fortunately, there's a few general tactics that we can deploy to guard against these sorts of plays (or at least mitigate their damage). I've hinted at some of them already (and Tiberius has done a great job walking through the ins-and-outs of them elsewhere), so I'll just hit the highlights:

Might shenanigans. A common feature of most sneak-attack tactics in this game is that they require (1) the spending of Might (2) on a Heroic Combat. Angmar's sneak attacks aren't any different, which means there's a whole host of tactics that we can use to try to muck up these sneak-attack plays before they materialize: 

• For starters, the hero has to have Might... and if you've ever tried list-building with an Angmar list, you may have noticed that a lot of competitive Angmar armies actually don't have much might (because Barrow Wights, the Shade, and even the Dwimmerlaik don't have any). There are some exceptions, of course--and they generally tend to be the models that cause the most havoc when they Heroic Combat (the Witch-King, Gulavhar, Buhrdur). But take a moment or two before a match starts to take stock of exactly how much Might Angmar has--and keep track of those stats as the game progresses. Because Angmar's might is generally a scarce resource, every Might spent on a Heroic Move, Channel, Strike, or Defense early in the game is a Might that can't be spent on a Heroic Combat later (and every Heroic Combat called now is one fewer Heroic Move, Channel, Strike or Defense later). Speaking of which...
• Because every model (yes, even Dernhelm) can only call one heroic action per phase, calling a Heroic Combat means that a model can't call Strike or Defense (and vice versa). So if we can put a model in a dangerous situation early (i.e., we get a Striking hero and multiple friends into Gulavhar, egging him to call Heroic Defense instead), we can dramatically reduce the chances that the opponent will ever call a combat in the first place. Which means we'll know exactly where Gulavhar will be not only this turn, but at the start of next turn.
• Remember also that Heroic Combats are generally pretty tough to pull off, because the model that calls it must kill every model in the original combat for it to fire. And the odds of killing a model vary dramatically, based on a variety of factors. The attacker's strength is usually not a variable in Angmar armies (because generally the truly terrifying "sneak-attack" plays involve monsters that are either S6 or S8). But whether Angmar's model has charged does generally matter (not for Buhrdur, but for a fell beast or Gulavhar, it's usually the difference between 2-4 dice to wound and 8-10 dice to wound). The number of models in the fight also matters--because even if a monster does charge, it still can't kill five models in a single-turn if it's a fell beast (or 6+ models if it's Gulavhar). And if that monster has charged a hero, don't forget about other tricks in your heroic action suite. Heroic Defense dramatically reduces the odds of a successful Heroic Combat going off (especially if you can get 1-2 other models/spears in the combat to roll more dice/soak up more wounds). And while not every hero has Heroic Defense, a lot of them that don't do have Heroic Strength... which I grant you isn't the same, but against a Fell Beast in particular (S6 cap), it actually has a niche use because a S4 hero has a pretty good chance (3+) of avoiding the knock-down (and probably gutting the effect of Rend, too), both of which may mean the difference between dying and not.
• Finally, remember that even heroes who can't call Heroic Defense (or can't/won't call Heroic Strength) can still muck with Angmar's Heroic Combats (maybe) by calling a heroic action they all have: another Heroic Combat. If you have the updated rulebook, have a second look at the section on Heroic Combats. For the rest of us, there was an FAQ a couple of years ago that clarified what happens if two heroes in the same fight both call Heroic Combats (link here, top of p. 3). The skinny is that you roll-off to see whose heroic combat resolves first (like you would do normally). If the Angmar player's heroic action resolves first, everything proceeds normally (and if your hero is slain, along with every other model in the combat, Angmar's heroic combat is successful). But if your heroic combat resolves first, Angmar's heroic combat doesn't occur. Which means that even if your hero dies in your heroic combat, Angmar's hero (and supporting models) don't get to move. And against a low-might army like Angmar, that loss can be huge.

Make use of your measuring tape. Remember that pre-measuring in MESBG is perfectly legal, and largely expected (within reason, of course--pre-measuring just to slow-play things may result in disgruntled opponents). Heroic Combats with Buhrdur are just less unpredictable than Heroic Combats with a Wild Warg Chieftain (6" vs. 10"). WWC combats are less predictable than combats with a flying monster (10" and no Fly vs. 12" with Fly). And even 12" has its limits (literally, it's limited at 12"). Yes, spectres and Compel can muck with that sometimes. But once you know where that hero is, you can anticipate where his Heroic Combats will probably go (or at least where the potential sneak attack targets are). Especially once you factor in...

Control Zones 101. As any seasoned player knows, control zones are the #1 defense against getting "ganked" by any faction, at any time, in any in-game situation. If you need a refresher, I'd commend Tiberius's recent 101 on control zones to you. But the most basic principle is that if you have an important model in combat, and you're concerned about Angmar using a Heroic Combat to get into that hero, you should deploy at least one expendable, unengaged model (the "screener") around your hero in such a way that Angmar (1) cannot charge that hero without entering the screener's control zone, and (2) cannot charge both the screener and your hero at the same time. The reason both must be true is because (1) control zones only work if a model must enter another model's control zone, and (2) if the model performing the Heroic Combat can get into both the screener and the primary target, it can do that, which generally negates the primary benefit of the screener--forcing the Heroic Combat into some other (less valuable) model.

I say "generally" because there's some scenarios where the screener may still successfully shield the hero, even if both can be charged (they depend on what your hero is doing, who he's fighting/not fighting, who else is fighting in his original combat, and who has priority--in other words, it's highly situational). But if you want to avoid all that rules-lawyering, just do your best to set-up the screener and hero as described above, and you're golden. ;-) 

It may not stop Angmar from still calling that Heroic Combat. It may not even mean that your hero is safe (screeners set-up in loose formations like these generally make nice Hurl targets for flying monsters, which means your hero may lose his/her mount, take chip damage, etc.). But it generally means that your hero won't need to fight the full fury of that monster this turn... and that means you get at least one more move phase/shoot phase/fight phase for that Hero to do things (and more opportunities for you to counter what Angmar is doing). And having "one more turn" against Angmar is always a good thing.

Sometimes special formations add spice to life. We can also build on basic control zone tactics through use of creative formations. Let me start off by saying that I have nothing against a good ol' fashioned shieldwall--two ranks, stacked up parallel to each other, taking on all comers. But even that formation can benefit occasionally from some variation. And since no model in our game confers any sort of offensive benefit from being stacked up in a line like that (and the vast majority of models don't receive any defensive benefit from being lined up that way, either), there's no reason why we need to line-up that way against Angmar, especially if an alternative formation offers some additional protection/advantage. So if your relationship with Angmar is getting stale, here's some ideas for spicing things up:

• Insetting heroes is a great way to protect them from barrow wights (only 6" range), and even a Compel/Fell Light on a mounted hero becomes a lot less threatening if Angmar can't pull them into a "no man's land" where they can be easily surrounded and trapped. 
• Against Monster heroes / mounted heroes with big bases, you can protect your infantry heroes by using a modified Gear Tooth Formation. You'll want to set the hero slightly behind your front rank, leaving a gap between your front rank warriors that's wider than 25mm but smaller than 40mm (or 60mm if you're worried about a Fell Beast or Gulavhar). That will prevent your hero from being charged (assuming he can't be pulled by magic/courage shenanigans, of course), while still leaving your hero free to maneuver/charge if you move second.
• While Buhrdur is undoubtedly nasty, sneak attacks from a fell beast or Gulavhar tend to be more disruptive. Fortunately, there's a ton of ways to set-up an anti-fly formation, depending on the models you have available and your overall strategy for the match (the "Open Skirmish Triangle," in particular, doesn't look like it should be effective--but it's actually very hard for flying monsters to play around because of how much space it takes up, how it leverages control zones, and how it combines with other shooting threats in your army to essentially create a kill zone (especially if you're an evil shooting army like Harad or Umbar, and can shoot into your anti-fly formation).

Telegraphing. Speaking of formations and spice, a potential Achilles heel for many "sneak attacks" is that they actually take time to set-up, which means that they're generally telegraphed in advance (if you know what to look for). For example: one of my preferred tactics when I'm playing Angmar is that I'll set-up a future sneak attack by using the Witch-King's superior movement (horse or fell-beast) to cast a couple of Drain Courage spells on a model I plan to pull forward with a spectre (usually heroes, but occasionally troops, too). 

The theory is definitely a sound one: if you have the Crown of Morgul (as the Witch-King in Angmar will almost always have), you can safely cast Drain Courage with a single die, expect it to go off all the time (a 2+ to cast, rerolling all fails--so you fail 1-in-36 tries, or 2.77% of the time), and it'll do something positive every time. If the Hero resists it, that's one less Will (probably) later on to resist a Paralyze or Transfix/Compel, pass a Courage test, etc. If the Hero doesn't resist, that spell--combined with Harbinger of Evil--effectively reduces that hero's Courage by -2... and if it happens 2-3 times, even the most courageous of heroes may find themselves chickening out (C7 Elessar becomes C3 in Harbinger Range... a real problem against an army where standard front-rank orcs cause Terror). And that means that instead of having to spend Will on a Compel, I might be able to use a lowly spectre to get the pull, which would not only save my Witch-King's precious will, but also pull that hero even further out of position (because A Fell Light is in Them moves the model full, instead of just half like a Compel would). 

But think about how much has to be set-up for this strategy to work (and all the "tells" along the way):

• I need to spend a couple of turns casting Drain Courage on the same model (pro-tip: if that happens to you, it's a good sign that something's afoot);
• I'll need a spectre or two in range (some armies have tons of spectres, but most Angmar armies will only have 2-4, so if a couple of them are shading one direction, that's a tell).
• Both of these casts have a 12" range, so keep an eye on what the Witch-King and/or spectres are doing after they do it. For that matter, keep an eye on what the rest of the army is doing while this is going on. Is the Witch-King casting behind an advancing army? Is the army advancing straight forward, or are they cheating towards the hero that's being targeted? (If so, odds are that's where the opponent is heading.) Away from the hero that's being targeted? (That magic barrage may be a long-range feint to get you to reinforce that side of the board, while Angmar's real play is on the other side of your battle line.)
• Finally, what are the rest of Angmar's combat heroes doing during this time (and where are they)? If there's a Barrow-Wight and Buhrdur/Gulavhar on that same side, that probably means the ultimate plan is to wear your hero down for a Paralyze flash-kill. But if no one else is within 9" of the Witch-King/spectres, the odds of that happening go down significantly (even a 12" flying model typically can't make up a 9" gap when they have to fly diagonally, over two battle lines, to get to a hero).

That's just one example, but there's other telegraphing, too. I know Fly gives monsters like Gulavhar a lot of movement. But 12" only stretches so far if the armies are closing (especially if Gulvahar has his eye on something juicy behind your main battle line). So if Gulavhar is starting to cheat to your left, that probably means he's eyeing something on your left side instead of your right. If you suspect this is the case, consider doing the old "man-in-motion" trick that (American) football offenses run to sniff out defensive plays: if you suspect Gully is after your banner, move your banner from your left side to your right, and see if Gully matches his movements. Worst-case scenario: your banner ends up out of Gully's initial attack range (not a bad thing). Best-case scenario, you can sniff-out what Gully's up to (even if he doesn't mirror your banner, and stays left, that tells you something: he's eyeing something else on your left side... and you can usually sniff out what thru process of elimination). Again, like we talked about above, stagnant battle lines tend to favor Angmar: we need to keep our heroes and important pieces moving!

Special note: Dealing with hurls. Finally, let me say a few things about anticipating/breaking up hurls:

• First, because of how the Hurl rules work now (namely, models can only be hurled in one direction: directly away, along a line drawn thru the middle of both the monster's base and the hurled model's base), it actually takes a lot of effort nowadays to set-up a devastating hurl. Unfortunately for Angmar, it's much easier to set-up when you move first, especially after the lines have clashed (because Compel and spectres can't move models that are engaged in combat; and of course, tagged monsters can't move to set them up, either). So if you move first, you can't always dictate whether there will be a hurl, but you can usually dictate what that Hurl will hit if Angmar commits to it. An anti-fly formation set-up at an angle from your front line (i.e., you set-up one model about 2" to the left and 1-2" in front of your battle line, and another model 2" to the left and 1-2" behind your battle line) can often prevent a flying monster from getting a clean bowling alley down your battle line (maybe 1-2 models at the edge get clipped, but that's it--something you can usually live with). A refused flank can also do this (and is a solid tactic against Angmar generally, especially if your force is more elite and Angmar outnumbers you). And while Angmar typically has a flying monster, a lot of Angmar armies don't (just cave trolls/Buhrdur, with a Witch-King on horse instead of on fell-beast). In which case, those hurls get a lot more difficult to set-up.
• If you're moving second, can't get locked into combat, and are concerned about a hurl on the following turn, consider spreading out your models in your battle line. Instead of having them standing right next to each other (6 of them in a 6" space) give them a half-inch to an inch of space (so there's only 3-4 models in that 6" space). That way, the base hurl (difference in strength +1") hits fewer targets, which probably results in fewer disruptions. You of course want to be careful about this, because it does open your front-rank up to more 4 on 2 combats (i.e., two shields and two spears charge your one shield/spear file). But as Tiberius discussed recently, control zones help with that more than you might think at first glance, and if you have the higher fight value and S3/D6 or better (which, again, you should really have on your rank-and-file troops if you are building against Angmar), the difference between 4 dice and 2 (especially if you have a banner reroll) actually still gives you a better than 50% chance of winning the fight. As Tiberius explains, you actually need 8+ dice in a fight to secure a 50% chance or better of winning a duel if you have the lower fight value against two dice backed by a banner. So as long as you aren't allowing your models to be completely engulfed, you can probably manage. 
• Staggering your battle line can also accomplish something similar (your first shield/spear file is a half-inch to an inch forward, your second file is a half-inch to an inch back, and you alternate back and forth). In addition to doing weird things with control zones (it actually makes it difficult to charge the back rank because of how those control-zones overlap), it has a myriad of other uses. It makes it very difficult for cavalry models to pin down/charge more than one model at once (not that you want to be charging your cavalry models into two spears/two shields, but whatever). It's a great way to offer some cover to infantry heroes who are part of your main battle line (Dragon Knights on foot, Rutabi, Raza, and even pseudo-heroes like Half-Trolls) because it makes it impossible for more than one enemy warrior to charge them, and usually impossible for any mounted heroes to charge them (leaving them free to counter-charge or redeploy at will). And critical to our discussion here, it means that if the enemy decides to try a hurl, more of Angmar's models are going to be caught in the cross-hairs of the hurl than normal, because half of their models are pulled forwards into the "middle" of our battle line (including, potentially, some spearmen). And if you combine the two tricks (off-setting your spaced-out battle line), we can deprive a hurl of a lot of juice (to the point where the monster may actually just attack normally, instead of doing a hurl that is likely to result in minimal impact (and maybe not even a kill, depending on how hearty the warrior is who's going to be thrown). Which leads me to...
• Not all hurls are bad. Now hear me out: it's not fun to be subjected to a hurl. The hurled model gets repositioned (nothing you can do about that). It will often die. The models it passes through also get knocked prone (usually), and die (sometimes). And it can be a real bummer if the hurl goes through a hero (especially a mounted one, or one we were counting on killing things in combat). Having said that, as any experienced player knows, there are several situations where it may actually be advantageous in the long run (or even the short run) to bait your opponent into doing a Hurl. The most obvious is when you "accidentally" set-up models on a flank (usually an extreme flank) in such a way that it requires that flying vampire to fly 10-15" away from where the real action is. You generally need real bait for this (for some reason, mounted models really work). And a purely rational opponent will sniff this out, and avoid it. But even experienced players will be tempted (I know Gully will be out of position, but doggonne it, I can knock over four cavalry models!). So Gully flies over, he hurls through/kills those four cavalry models (maybe they die heroically, maybe they don't). And you get 2-4 turns of Gully being far away from everything else in your army (which is an acceptable trade for you). The other sneaky thing about hurls is that while you can kill the models you hurl/hurl through, there's no guarantee that you'll do that. I vividly remember my Witch-King trying to hurl a Rider of Rohan through three cavalry models and Theoden--I de-horsed them all, but didn't wound anyone. Remember: if you have especially high defense (D6+, although D7 is better), a Hurl needs a 6+ to wound any model you pass through, a 6+ for the "collateral damage" on your hurled model, and a 5+ (if you're D7 or above) on the actual S6 Hurl die, to deal wounds. Combined with spacing, staggered lines, and/or a refused flank/angled anti-fly formation (to reduce the number of Hurl dice in the pool), that degree of difficulty to wound may result in a situation where no damage is actually done. And if the monster that hurled called a Heroic Combat (like my Witch-King did that time that I vividly remember), you might even catch them with their proverbial pants down.
• Lastly, look for opportunities to leverage the new changes to in-the-ways for flying monsters. For a myriad of reasons, flying monsters pose the most significant Hurl threats. And Angmar can field up to four flying monsters (about as many as any list can field, save Mordor or the Misty Mountains/Radagast's Alliance), who's also the strongest, save for Smaug (S8 Gulavhar--even stronger than a Dragon). But if you have respectable-to-excellent shooting, the fact that standard rank-and-file infantry no longer provide in-the-ways for flying monsters means that the Angmar player will typically be more cautious in how they approach your lines. And that's especially true for Gulavhar (D5), who's extremely vulnerable to S3+ shooting (plus wounds he takes from shooting attacks early also de-power him in combat, because his attacks and courage are tied to his current wound count). Now ideally, you want Angmar out in the open where cover is limited (because that way you can shoot him). But more likely than not, there'll be some cover for Gully to hide behind... and you can leverage that fact, too. For starters, assuming the objectives and/or your shooting will force Angmar to charge you, it's probably safe to assume that Gully (if not the whole army) will be traveling towards you in a direction that's largely dictated by where the terrain is. So if there's terrain to your left, move right. If the VPs for the scenario will allow you to camp out 15+" from the nearest terrain piece, do that. And if you're concerned about a Hurl, either don't set up your battle line near a terrain feature, or do set it up near that feature, but in a spot where Gully won't be able to see you without exposing himself. Because Gully (for some reason) doesn't have Fell Sight, he can only see what he can charge. So if he can't see the end of your battle-line, he can't charge the end of your battle line (and thus can't hurl down it). And oh, by the way: you can do the same thing to protect your other important pieces/heroes. If you're concerned about Gully ganking something important, set that important thing up in a spot where he can't see it when he flies behind that tree, or that ruin, or that hill. Or, if you have multiple heroes (including some expendable low-Fight heroes who don't have Strike (but do have something like Defense), set them way off on a flank where they can be seen from behind cover (while your main heroes can't), and maybe Gully takes the bait. 

Ultimately, you can't always dictate what an enemy monster will do. But there's plenty of room for ingenuity and creativity to make Hurling as hard as possible (and to minimize how harmful a successful Hurl ultimately becomes).

Avoid unnecessarily burning your resources (especially your Might and Will). We talked about this in the magic discussion (where I think it's most relevant), so I'll just hit the high points. When it comes to magic defense, Angmar usually has more offensive resources (specifically, more Will on multiple casters) than you have defensive resources (Will to resist, Resistant to Magic, Might for Heroic Resolve, etc.). So you're going to need to pick your spots. It sucks to lose your hero's horse. But if you've tried to keep your Army leader out of Paralyze range, and something unexpected happens (the enemy moves second/first in subsequent Move Phases, so they catch you in range), you don't need to resist the Paralyze if there's no way the enemy can get into your army leader (especially if you can bring 2-3 warriors and/or another hero to your leader, to help him wake up). Same thing with Drain Courage and Transfix spells (and sometimes Compel, though that's trickier because it's usually setting up something worse). If you don't need to resist that particular spell, at that particular moment, you're usually better off not doing so (especially if you've been using the tips and tricks we talked about to press your advantages, and have avoided making the mistakes that open you up to dangerous combos).

The other thing to think about is your use of Might (especially if Gully is around). All things being equal, most armies prefer to move first. And there's definitely times when you'll want to do that against Angmar. But remember that sometimes it's better to let Angmar go first if they win priority, do whatever they're going to do, and then react (either to mitigate the negative impact of something like a Hurl, counter-charge cavalry or a monster without Might with a Hero who can strike, or to press an advantage--a Barrow-Wight got too close for a Paralyze cast, an Orc Captain can be surrounded and trapped, or Angmar stalled out on some of our Terror models). Instead, the turns when you want to be challenging Angmar with Heroic Moves are either a turn when we know everything's about to get real bad (ideally we try to minimize that with good play early on), or when there's a real opportunity if we move first to get into the backfield and tag casters, barrow-wights, flying monsters, or support pieces (banners/the Shade). Angmar armies tend to be lower on Might anyway, apart from the Witch-King, Gully, and Buhrdur (all of whom would rather use their Might for things other than heroic moves). So if Angmar wants to burn their limited stores to move first (in a turn when there's no serious threat to them doing so, and/or we're pretty confident we know what they'll do and can counter it)... let 'em. That's less Might for them to use later on, in turns when who moves first actually matters (and less Might to modify spells, call Heroic Combats / Strikes / Defenses, etc. along the way, all of which are wins for us).

Keep the pressure up where you can, especially on Angmar's Spirit Heroes. Finally, a quick reminder again of first principles: Angmar's just Orcs. Orcs are fine, not great. Hit them with anything hard, and they'll melt like wax. Keep the pressure on them, and they'll fall back. Gully and Fell Beasts can only be in one place at a time. Barrow-Wights don't want to fight your heroes fairly. The Shade has to be (almost) front-and-center to be effective, but doesn't under any circumstances want to be in an actual scrap. Bottom-line: take the fight to Angmar aggressively with your troops (by constantly presenting a threat to cut through their orc screen to get to something important), and you can dictate a lot of how the round will go. Good things generally happen in most scenarios if you're moving forwards and your opponent is giving ground, when you're applying the pressure and your opponent is reacting/playing defensively. So just do that. ;-)

I know this isn't Edna, but this was too obvious to pass up...

Photo credit: tenor.com

Reminder 4: Playing Angmar is no excuse for forgetting the objectives (or what your army does well). One of the earliest lessons I learned in MESBG (shortly before it was officially re-christened "MESBG") was that while killing models is tempting, the game is won or lost on objectives. And that's still true when you're playing Angmar: the VPs are still the VPs.

Now it's true that Angmar has a lot of tools to win VPs: I believe every scenario gives points for wounding the enemy general (and most--but not all--award more points for slaying the enemy general), which is something Angmar does exceptionally well. And a handful of scenarios award you VPs (or at least max VPs) for wounds dealt by a particular model (Contest is the most punishing, Fog of War/Assassination less so) or having a banner. Again, those are VP goals that Angmar can typically do well (both killing with their chosen hero/your banner, and locking up your champion/assassin). 

But the vast majority of VPs for most scenarios require you to do other things: kill more models, break the enemy without being broken, be in a particular spot (or six), have more models in a particular spot (or six), dig things up/destroy them, or hold/control various parts of the board (while navigating to them from 12" deployments, 24" deployments, corner deployments, or maelstrom deployments). 

Now Angmar can certainly do those things, too. But it will generally be trying to do those things with just standard orcs. And that fact exposes some weaknesses that you can take advantage of. Orcs move a respectable speed... but just a respectable speed (unless Angmar is burning Might to March--and as any Angmar player discovers in short order, Might is not typically a resource they have in abundance). They tend to fight in shield-wall formations (so they tend to take time to get into position, tend to telegraph that position on the approach, can be easy to flank if your army is more maneuverable/you get to move last/first in successive Move Phases, and don't do well in sustained grind sessions against other shield walls that can charge them (F4/D6/C4 or better)). Their Defense 5 is fine against standard (S2) bow fire, but weak against most everything else (elf bows, throwing weapons, standard strength infantry, Hurl damage, etc.). Their Fight 3 is fine, but not great. They don't have access to any large banners (only standard 3" banners). And while Terror covers some of these weaknesses against some opponents, it doesn't change the fact that once you get into a standard orc, it's pretty easy to retire him.

One last thought: generally, it's a good idea to have at least one back-up strategy for scoring VPs against your opponent. But against Angmar, it's generally a good idea to have at least two back-up strategies--especially if your primary strategy is dependent on one particular hero being in a particular place at a particular time. If you need to reach a far-flung objective, send a few extra models in the vanguard (or better yet, two vanguards). Consider having two heroes anchor your battle-line instead of just one. Think about Marching to an objective earlier, to get an extra turn of elf-bow shooting in. Whatever you need to do, have a few plans in motion to accomplish those goals, so you can account for the unplanned.

So yes--be mindful of the fact that your opponent is playing Angmar. Plan accordingly (and maybe back-up plan more than you'd usually). But don't let that scare you away from pursuing the VPs that you would normally pursue with the army that you've brought. 

While we're on that topic, another basic thing that's easy to forget in the midst of a fatiguing game (when we're struggling to keep track of all the ways Angmar can beat you) is what our army does well. Yes, Angmar lists tend to have a lot of threats, and those threats certainly may counter (perhaps even hard-counter) some of the things our list does well. But presumably we built our army for a reason, too, right?  It has strengths also. It has at least some models Angmar doesn't like (or, if we've built our army with anti-Angmar strategies in mind, maybe a lot of models Angmar doesn't like). It offers advantages in certain scenarios (or for specific VPs within a scenario) that Angmar will have trouble countering. And if we play to those strengths, we have a chance to wear down Angmar's advantages in the long run (which is sometimes all we can ask for). So stay true to yourself, play to your army's strengths, and press the advantages that you have (especially if they line-up with the objectives of the scenario).

There she is!

Photo credit: pinterest.com

Reminder 5: When all else fails, breathe and press on. As I hope this series has helped to illustrate, there's a lot of options available for blunting Angmar's assault. But that fact doesn't change what Angmar ultimately is: a faction that has access to unique profiles that, when taken together, can present a lot of practical problems for a lot of army lists. List-building also doesn't address a host of things that can (perhaps will) happen on the table-top. It doesn't adjust for the skill of your opponent. It doesn't account for dumb luck (or dumb rolling). And it doesn't account for the psychological wear-and-tear that you may experience in a game (especially if it's late in the day, on the second day of a tournament). Stuff just hits the fan sometimes.

When that happens, and nothing seems to be working, it's really okay to hit "reset." To take a pause. Breathe. Re-evaluate your strategy. Engage in a tactical retreat. Whatever you need to get your head right. And then, press on again. Their resources still run out. They're still only orcs. The objectives are still the objectives. And it's never over 'til it's over. Unlucky stuff happens. But luck is fickle. Play it out, see what happens. After all, in the end, it's still a game. If we lose, but we put up a real fight, there's no shame in that. Shake hands, and try again next time.

*Gets off soapbox* 

So... that was a lot to take in. :-P If you made it this far, I'm flattered. 

I'm sure there's other tips and tricks that are helpful against Angmar (for you seasoned vets out there, please chime in in the comments!). And there's some supplemental content in the pipeline, with some more faction-specific tactics and ideas (hero taxonomies, best lists with tools for fighting Angmar, etc.). But hopefully that's enough to get you started, and to get your creative juices flowing!