The Board Is Set: How to Play Command the Battlefield

Good morning gamers,

Last time, we reviewed my favorite scenario from Pool 1, Hold Ground. Today, we will be viewing another maelstrom scenario - and one that has a very different strategy to it: Command the Battlefield. This scenario can have far more excitement to it than Hold Ground, but because of how the scoring mechanics work, some armies will have a harder time winning this scenario than others. We'll start off by reviewing how maelstrom scenarios work - if you want to skip this refresher, click here to jump to the specific scenario rules.

Pool 1: Maelstrom of Battle

In most scenarios, you have some control over where you can deploy your units - you usually have a deployment area that is 24-48" deep and you can set up your warbands to support each other however you want. The scenarios in Pool 1 don't work this way - with the exception of siege weapons, one very big tower, and one Legendary Legion, no one starts on the board when you roll for priority. During each player's Move Phase, the controlling player will roll for each warband that hasn't entered the board and depending on what the roll is determines whether the warband arrives (the warband doesn't arrive on the roll of a 1), where it arrives (2 or 4 is the north/south board edges, while a 3 or 5 is the east/west board edge - a 6 lets you choose which board edge you want), and who gets to pick the starting deployment point (2-3 is the opposing player, while a 4+ is the controlling player). Based on the roll, one of the players will pick a point for the warband to walk onto the board. Might can be used to modify this roll. Models are not allowed to charge on the turn that they arrive, but units that can move into enemy units without charging (chariots and war beasts) can, in fact, try to run over enemy units.

Because the deployment of units happens at the end of each player's Move Phase, it's generally considered better to deploy second instead of first so you can respond to your opponent's deployments. Additionally, it is sometimes recommended that if you don't want your opponent to pick the deployment point for your warband, you'll want to use a Might point on the warband leader to increase a 3 to a 4 or decrease a 2 to a 1. If you're deploying your first warband, it probably doesn't matter who places their arrival point, but if you're deploying first and you need your warband near another warband, you'll want to spend Might to place the arrival point where you want. If your opponent has already deployed, allowing your opponent to place the arrival point probably means you're in for a scrap on Turn 2 . . . which could be fine, but is likely to be bad.

There are a few heroes who can either modify their rolls or those of others (Madril, Guritz, and Robin Longfellow), some army bonuses that provide roll modifiers (the Iron Hills and the Rangers of Mirkwood LL), and one hero who is treated as always rolling a 6 (Lurtz). If any of these options are available to you, you'll want to review the rules to make sure warbands are brought onto the board in the right order.

When it comes to deployment, there is a common strategy where players will attempt to deploy near a corner so that whether they get a north/south or east/west roll doesn't really matter. This is often employed by armies that have heroes who provide a lot of synergies (like Cirdan or Galadriel) or when there is a potentially vulnerable unit (like a siege weapon or Denethor). By allowing your army to deploy together, you're probably committing to spending Might to modify your rolls, but you'll also have your synergistic models where you need them.

If your warbands are pretty self-contained and don't need to be next to each other, you can basically deploy anywhere you want. More than anything else, the scenario rules will probably determine where your warbands go down. This can also be the strategy for armies with lots of warbands - if you know you have 6+ warbands, then someone is probably showing up everywhere, so spending Might to be where someone else is will probably not be necessary.

The main thing most players who lose priority on the first round will try to do is deploy near any enemy warbands that were deployed in an isolated position. This can allow them to bring a greater mass of their army to bear on a small part of the enemy army. The player who goes second needs to be careful about their deployment rolls, as a 2 or 3 might see one of their warbands deployed in an are teaming with enemy models. In general, it's better to lose priority on the first turn, but you might also start with less Might than your opponent.

Okay, let's talk about our second maelstrom scenario and different options for winning it.

Command the Battlefield 

In Hold Ground, where along a board edge you deploy doesn't really matter - you can deploy near the center of a board edge or near a corner with very little strategic loss either way. In Command the Battlefield, your deployment point can have huge implications for the rest of the game. In this scenario, the board is divided into quadrants, each of which has a 12" exclusion zone from the center of the board. In this scenario, an army that tries to camp out near the center will lose.

Deploying in a corner with your whole army can be really good in this scenario, but just like we said last time, if you're going to deploy in a corner, you probably want some speed boosts to help you out. You will probably start with majority control (1VP) if not super-majority control (double the enemy models) of that quadrant (2VPs), but all of the other quadrants are probably being ceded to your opponent. This means one thing: you have to come to your opponent.

Alternatively, you can choose to deploy your warbands near the center of a board edge, thus contesting two quadrants (though anyone on the line doesn't count towards either). You may need to pick two deployment points that have a fair amount of distance, but you will also be contesting the points on three objectives - and if you get to deploy second, you could even control the three quadrants where your opponent didn't deploy.

Since breaking the enemy is only worth 1-2VPs and wounding the enemy army leader is only worth 1-2VPs, controlling three quadrants and keeping your army leader safe is usually enough to win the game, so let's see what strategies we can use in this scenario.

Strategy #1: Run and Hide

While this isn't going to make for a very interesting game, if you know your opponent wants to get locked into a prolonged conflict and you think he has a distinct advantage in a pitched battle, hide in the corners. Yes, just hide - force the enemy to split up, see if you can get a tactical advantage, and exploit it if you can. Shooting and speed can help you a lot here - and this is an excellent strategy for cavalry archer lists who already want to delay their engagement until they have an advantage.

But this can also be a great idea for horde armies - if your opponent isn't concentrated in one area, find where he's weak and overrun his position. If the enemy has deployed in one area, avoid it and focus on getting around his forces so you can get traps. The most oppressive horde in this scenario is Goblin-town, who can not only start with an obnoxious number of models, but they can also bring on more models from any board edge of their choice . . . if they're hiding from you, you probably won't break them.

Exemplar factions: horde-style Serpent Horde/Angmar, the Shire, Riders-of-Rohan-heavy Rohan lists (including the Riders of Eomer LL), and Goblin-town are probably the worst offenders, with most Assault on Lothlorien builds and most Lake-town builds (either faction). If you happen to face a spam Khazad-Dum list with lots of shooting, be very afraid . . .

If this strategy doesn't appeal to you (either because you don't have enough models to hide and still outnumber your opponent or because you don't like the play style), here's an unconventional strategy . . .

Strategy #2: Rush the Middle 

The middle of the board isn't worth any points, but it is a good staging area for threatening all four quadrants. If you have a fast army, racing for the middle is a great way to spread your opponent out and smash though any quadrants he has sparsely populated. This scenario ends after one army has been quartered, so if you can keep a close eye on the clock, you can very deliberately force the control of at least two quadrants from an enemy that is trying to keep all of its units in scoring zones. In most cases, it pays to have some shooting to help this strategy work.

Exemplar factions: fast-infantry builds as well as shieldwall lists with Heroic March aplenty will like this strategy, such as Theodred's Guard/Helm's Guard if they brought Captains, most Easterling lists, and pretty much any list with Aragorn in them.

Strategy #3: Go for Break

If you have a really small army - hero-heavy or all-hero lists especially - any scenario that requires you to have more guys that your opponent is going to be a struggle. Here's the thing though: your heroes are probably better than the basic troops your opponent brought, so if he wants points for breaking you, he'll need to kill off your guys - and that generally means that he's going to need to leave a few guys in the corners while the rest of the army tries to contain you. 

Herein lies the trap: if your opponent has identified a quadrant as "safe," he's going to be very tempted to leave only a few models to hold it - and if you can break the army, chances are those models will run. Even if they don't, you've gotten just as many VPs for breaking the enemy as he has with overwhelming control of a quadrant, so if you can also kill his army leader and can contest the other quadrants you can make it a tight game.

Of course, you may not get the opportunity to break the enemy if you don't have speed or shooting - so it's best if you bring some of that along. Cavalry heavy lists will find this strategy easier than infantry lists, but you can certainly have a plan to break the enemy and hope people flee from there.

Exemplar factions: a lot of all-cavalry Rohan lists or those that invested heavily in heroes (e.g. "hero hammer" builds) will fall into this category, but the key here is mobility more than numbers. Killing power is a must, since you're trying to break the enemy and force break checks, but speed is also important, since you'll need to catch your opponent.

Okay, one last "strategy" . . .

Strategy #4: Admit Defeat and Ignore the Scenario 

I heard on an episode of the Durin Show where Markus Hammond and his Durin-led Dwarves were up against a Goblin-town horde and both he and his opponent knew exactly how it was going to go down: Goblins would pour in from every board edge, the Goblins would have double his models in every quadrant, they wouldn't let his Dwarves fight them in open battle, and the game would be boring.

So . . . Markus gave the other guy the win (10-0 - they assumed Durin would still be alive), they ignored the scenario rules, and they smashed each other. Apparently, it was glorious -  and I personally respect Markus for deciding what was worth his time and what wasn't. Ultimately, the Goblin-town player was happy, Markus had a good time, and that's really where you want an MESBG game to be. If you're trying to win every game at a tournament, this strategy isn't for you - but if you can see that you're going to spend a lot of mental energy on a futile cause, you could take this approach and be happy instead.

Exemplar factions: no factions really start with this strategy, but it's usually going to happen to slow armies that are fighting super-hordes. It can also happen to low-model-count armies, even if their mobility is good. While I can't say which factions are going to default to this strategy, you and your opponent will probably know if it's the case before too long . . .

Conclusion

That's Command the Battlefield - I've had some stellar games with this scenario and while I don't think it's as good for new players as Hold Ground, I do think it's a great scenario. Next time, we'll be reviewing the last scenario from Pool 1: Heirlooms of Ages Past. Heirlooms is one of those scenarios that a lot of players hate - and I think it can be the least fun of these three scenarios . . . unless you've drawn Goblin-town on Command the Battlefield - but we'll look next time at ways for you to play it and hopefully give yourself a better chance of winning (and enjoying yourself). Until then, happy hobbying!