Good morning gamers,
We're back in our in-depth reviews of the new army lists for MESBG and today we're looking at "the other Fellowship list" (really it's one of four, but we'll get to the others soon): the Breaking of the Fellowship. This list has kept a lot of what the old Legendary Legion had, but it's been changed in a few profound ways to give those of us who enjoyed using it something new to tinker with.
I covered the Breaking of the Fellowship Legendary Legion in our Stuff of Legends series back in April 2021 and I gotta say, there are both not a lot of changes to this list and some very BIG changes to this list. Let's dig into what's new in 2025 . . .
The Breaking of the Fellowship: Changes for 2025
Profile Selection
In the previous edition, we had eight profiles - the Fellowship members who were alive when the fighting at Amon Hen started. For the most part, the wargear they had in the films was accurately conveyed in the wargear options for the models (Aragorn's bow was at the boats with Boromir's shield, but Boromir got his shield and Aragorn's bow was noticably absent). I mentioned this to GW several times and in this edition of the game, Aragorn has his bow. Yes, I am taking credit for that change (though hopefully not sole credit for it - surely someone else was thinking the same thing I was).
In this edition of the game, we not only have those eight profiles, but we also have the Wood Elf contingent that met them on the borders of Lothlorien, led by an appropriately-geared Haldir and no option for Wood Elf Captains (sigh . . .).
With the addition of Haldir and his warband, your maximum models has increased from 8 models to 24 models and the maximum points cost of the army (assuming you only take 1 banner) is roughly 850 points, which is much better than capping out at 600 points before. I can't help myself, I like the changes to the army profiles (though I do think the throwing weapons on the Lothlorien Warriors should only be 1pt each - paying the same as throwing spears for less range and no extra bonuses is not fair, especially in a world where you can't take these on all of your melee units)
Army List Bonuses
Many of the rules for this army list are the same as the old Legendary Legion - you still get Elven cloaks on your heroes for free via the Shielded from Unfriendly Eyes rule (which includes Haldir - the Lothlorien Warriors have the Elven cloaks built into their profiles, so they don't count), which is now giving you potentially 45pts of free value. You also retain the You Have My Sword rule, which makes your Fellowship models Fearless (so Haldir and his Elves will need to test normally . . . with the war horn in the mix, I'm not that worried) and can keep you from counting as broken if Frodo is alive at the end of the game, which is super nice when your army is small and your Defense is low.
You also keep the Fortify Spirit boost from the Blessing of Galadriel rule, however Fortify Spirit isn't quite what it used to be. Still, magical resistance is good to have, no matter who you are - and this is especially true if you have a hero-heavy list.
You also get the gifts, none of which noticably changed, though Merry and Pippin's daggers do have the Elven keyword now (which I asked for - thanks GW team!). Frodo is still giving you a per-turn chance from Blinding Light on a 3+ (which is better than Gandalf casts that spell now for the exact same duration?), Sam will still jump things automatically, Aragorn will still eviscerate Uruk-Hai heroes, and Boromir . . . well, Boromir still gets Woodland Creature from his shiny new belt.
Two of the weapons got downgrades, though they're minor: Legolas's bow used to get the rerolls on his To Hit rolls when he was near a friendly hero, but now that needs to be a friendly Lothlorien model - so keep him near an Elf bowman or Haldir, ayuh? Gimli's Galadriel's Locks rule also changed - instead of getting a full reroll of his dice, he now gets a single D6 reroll when dueling (and he can still use this rule three times). It's still good, but it's not the same.
The big change to the army rules that changed is that there is no "my buddies all count as banners for me" anymore - this well could be because the Lothlorien Warriors can now bring banners, but it does mean you have to be more strategic with what you include in your list AND where your units are deployed/stay. If you're playing a maelstrom mission and your Elves show up away from Aragorn and the Fellowship (which you can have some control over if you burn Might to get the placement you want), you'll need to figure out whether you're racing for your other warband or not.
Profile Adjustments
If you want the full run-down of the differences in the Fellowship profiles, check out last week's post (it all applies, except the bits on Gandalf and Bill), but here's the skinny on the profiles:
- Aragorn got a bunch of buffs that make him better in combat (F7, hand-and-a-half sword) and more resilient to magical shut-downs (Resistant to Magic, Ring of Barahir), and did not increase in cost;
- Boromir got a bunch of buffs that make him better in combat (F7, reroll a failed To Wound roll when near a friendly Hobbit model) and now treats his Horn of Gondor as a war horn in addition to the potentially duel-winning monstrocity it was before, and did not increase in cost;
- Legolas picked up a bunch of shooting-related rules - he got Sharpshooter, can shoot into combats with his three arrows, can shoot while in combat (including shooting those he's fighting), doesn't suffer move-and-shoot penalties in this list because he's infantry, gets a +1 To Wound bonus while shooting arrows if Gimli is ahead on the kill count, and (wait for it) did not increase in cost;
- Gimli is . . . basically still Gimli, but with +1 Fate? Still good, but . . . very much the same;
- Frodo got his price reduced by 5pts and the Ring isn't able to halve Fight Value when there's a big hero in his fight - otherwise very much the same;
- Sam got boosted to 2 Attacks, can keep an enemy non-monster from moving for a turn with his Frying Pan, and did not increase in cost;
- Merry and Pippin got an extra Fate Point each and did not increase in cost;
- Haldir is more or less the same, though he picked up an epithet (Haldir, Galadhrim Captain), has Sharpshooter with Expert Shot (so like Legolas, he can pick his "target" while shooting multiple times), lost his treat-Theoden-and-Aragorn-
like-a-12"-banner rule, but kept his One Final Blow rule as a consolation prize for his demise in melee, all without an increase in cost; and - Lothlorien Warriors (nee Wood Elf Warriors, aka "pajama Elves" and "my first loves in the Lothlorien list") didn't really see a change in their profile - their throwing daggers are still 2pts/model (though you're capped at 1/3 of your warriors having them and you can't give them to your spearmen), they still have access to Elf bows, and their Wood Elf Spears are now "Elven" weapons (as they always should have been), so you can get the old Elven-made keyword benefits from the second rank or while shielding.
Okay, with the profiles out of the way, let's look at some strengths and weaknesses to this list.
The Breaking of the Fellowship: Strengths and Weaknesses
It's hard to "compare" army lists in this edition - in the previous edition, you could compare any Legendary Legion to your options with a "standard list" (either pure or allied) to get an idea of what you're losing or gaining. The closest point of comparison for this list is probably the Fellowship, which we talked about last week. In that list, we had Gandalf and Bill as options and this time, we have Haldir and some Wood Elves. A few observations on this key difference.
First, we got more bodies in this one and the options we have in this list help us do some of the things (but not all of the things) that we could do with Gandalf and Bill. Bill gives us a banner but for a few more points, we can get a Lothlorien Warrior with banner - and this guy might cost more, but he'll also count for VPs in some of the scenarios, which is nice. He's also got Stalk Unseen, so if we know he's worth points and can sit back and shoot (more on this shortly), we can make him an invalid target for pretty much everyone and sit tight on a few VPs before the game even gets going.
Gandalf provides anti-archery and anti-magic boosts, but the Elven Cloaks on everyone, Frodo's "flashlight", and the Fortify Spirit boost on everyone can provide a more static resistance to these things instead of the timing-sensitive spell suite that Gandalf brings to the table. Also, Gandalf has to be our army leader if we're running a Fellowship list with Gandalf in it, while Aragorn is our army leader in this list . . . in general, I think you're gonna be happier if Aragorn has Dominant (3) and does super cool things as your leader.
Now just because we can do some of the things that Gandalf and Bill can do doesn't mean this army list is better necessarily than the last one. Gandalf has some interesting take-back or "let me fix it" options in the form of Foil Magic, Strengthen Will, and Sorcerous Blast (if you get creative) that we don't have in this list. Similarly, Bill can regrow previously-lost resources which we can't do here. All of these are timing-sensitive, so if you don't want to have to learn what Gandalf and Bill do (or if you want to get 200pts of Elves instead of two heroes), then take this list. If you like magic and ponies . . . take the other one.
The other strength of this list is shooting - you get a LOT of it in this list. In the Fellowship army list, you have access to Legolas (3 shots at 24" after a half-move), Aragorn (1 shot at 24" if you took his bow after a half-move), Gandalf (possibly 1 Sorcerous Blast or Collapse Rocks at 12" during/after a full move), Gimli (1 throwing weapon at 6" after a full move), and all four Hobbits (4 thrown stones at 8" if they didn't move). This leaves Boromir and Bill in the cold, but is also only 10 shots if you're happy where you are and within 6-8" of the enemy. That's a very scrummy shooting list, but it's not going to be a shooting list for very long.
This list, however, works VERY differently. You have to take Aragorn (165pts with bow), but you can then take Legolas and Haldir (175pts together), you've only spent 340pts and you can start taking additional heroes or up to 15 warriors. We'll get into the trades later on in the sample lists, but suffice it to say that if you just add 1 Lothlorien Warrior with Elf bow to the list (350pts exactly), you'll have 4 models who can shoot 7 arrows a turn, all hitting on a 2+ or a 3+ and Aragorn can move them 4.5" a turn while still shooting (and Legolas won't suffer the penalty for moving and shooting - still hitting on a 2+, probably with a reroll). I defy anyone to find me a better shooting combo for a 350-point list.
Finally, the list can have a TON of Might and gives you better options for filling in points than "taking Merry and Pippin". Nothing against the two little dudes - with 2 Fate points, they are likely to take more of a punishment than Lothlorien Warriors will - but the F3/S2 profile with 4" move just isn't as good as F5/S3 (though the re-rolling all failed To Wounds is nice). Yes, the little blokes have more to recommend them in this list than usual, but I think having a F5 Elf with throwing daggers or a F5 Elf with a Wood Elf spear and saving a point is worth it over these guys. #ChangeMyMind
Additionally, there's a very strong argument that 4 Elves are better than taking Sam (or more appropriately, saving 2pts by taking 6 Lothlorien Warriors is better than take 3 Hobbit heroes). Yes, Sam has Heroic Strike and 2 Attacks - but Heroic Strike will see Sam get to F4-6, not the previous F4-9 - most of the time, he'll be tying the Elven Fight Value or coming up short (and the tying of Fight Value doesn't mean as much because he doesn't have one of those "nice shiny daggers"). Free Heroic Combats to get to Frodo are nice and all, but I think the Elves are still the better deal.
Boromir and Gimli are both excellent options in this list - and I think I'd be hard-pressed to make the case that their equivalent weight in Elves is better. I think both of these guys are easy inclusions at 700pts and eventually, you're going to "fill in the corners" with your Hobbits who aren't Frodo. As was the case in the previous list, it's likely that Boromir out-classes Gimli in this list, unless you really want to get that +1 To Wound to Legolas's late-game shooting (but Boromir's Might, base F7, and war horn are probably helping out more than Gimli's possibly-eventual-kill-count-
Finally, we have Frodo. I think if you're playing at 500pts or above, you probably want him - the Fearless/not-counting-as-
The Breaking of the Fellowship: Strategies for the Tabletop
Our first stop for strategies has to do with shooting: as Red Jacket recently commented in his article on the Rangers of Mirkwood Legendary Legion (previous edition article, but this thought is DEFINITELY still applicable to the current edition), shooting-heavy armies do encourage you to stand somewhere and keep space between your opponent. In some scenarios, this is perfectly fine - but in other scenarios, this can cost you the game if your opponent hops on the majority of the objectives, loses lots of guys to shooting (but not everyone contesting objectives), and then the game ends and he's in possession of the VPs . . . not great.
But shooting can be a useful tool - especially when you have Heroic March on Aragorn and a free Might point each turn with Mighty Hero. If both of your warbands (Aragorn's and Haldir's) start near each other, it's not hard to get 24 models to be within March range and be able to move 4.5" each turn while still shooting. Boromir and the spear-armed Elves can move a bit more freely (as can any Hobbits you have in tow, as well as Gimli and throwing-weapon Elves until the enemy gets close). This list can relentlessly advance towards objectives so long as they have archery cover (move Frodo first so you know if you need to stick to cover or not) and once they get close to the enemy, they can have Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and the melee Elves slam into whatever wants to block them while Legolas, Haldir, and the bow Elves keep up the pressure on the flanks.
If the scenario doesn't require you to go anywhere, don't. Hide - but hide where you can see/shoot enemy models. If your opponent doesn't have Blinding Light, Legolas's Pinpoint Shot rule is really nice - pick anyone who's hiding with strategic value (army leader, banner, bomb-team-Uruk, objective grabbers, key hero's mount, etc.) and start plucking. If you signal to your opponent that the game is going to go poorly unless he comes to you, you can force your opponent to play the game you want to play - and that's always a good position for an all-hero army to be in.
I mentioned in my review of the Breaking of the Fellowship LL back in 2021 that you should take your time in the Move Phase to figure out where you want your army to be. I mentioned this last time because with an 8-model list, the actual moving of your models might take less than a minute - but making sure that you move the models in the right order, making sure they move to where/as far as they need to in order to work together, and making sure that you make any rolls you need to make is key to the list working. If your opponent has a normal-sized army, even the addition of the Wood Elves is likely to see you with fewer models than he has - so your Move Phase might take less time than his EVEN if you're being thoughtful about your moves. Besides maybe the Shoot Phase (organization can help with this a lot), the other phases of the game are likely to go quite quickly because you don't have a lot of models - so take your time.
Finally, there's a lot of rules in this list, so please know your list and accept that in the first few games, you're going to forget a few things. It's cool - it happens to all of us. New lists, new rules, updated profiles, new interactions - it's all very confusing and exciting. Make mistakes - the list can be very forgiving (especially if the flashlight is working). Take chances - the list can be used well by high-risk/high-reward play styles. Get messy - Elves may die, Hobbits may die, occasionally Men may die, but they're gonna take down quite the haul on their way out.
Okay, let's get to some lists!
Sample Lists
Our first list will be a 500-point list that comes in a few points short but includes a small, punchy army:
- Aragorn - Strider with bow [ARMY LEADER]
- Legolas Greenleaf
- Frodo Baggins
- Haldir, Galadhrim Captain with Elf bow
- 4 Lothlorien Warriors with Elf bows
- 2 Lothlorien Warriors with Elven throwing weapons
- 5 Lothlorien Warriors with Wood Elf spears
500pts, 15 models, no D6+ model, no fast models but free Heroic March, 11+ Might points
I don't have Boromir in this list, but that's literally my only complaint - a bare-bones Frodo is in the list to give us the flashlight/ability to not count as broken, we have a slew of Elves to give us some presence (most of whom have Wood Elf spears to allow us to defend by shielding or support our friends should we have the space to do that), we have Aragorn, Legolas, and Haldir as shooting-capable units, and we have 6 shooting weapons on our Elves to help us deal some extra damage (4 of them are bows). With 10 shots a turn and a decent number of models considering how many heroes are in our list, I'm confident we can even the odds against our opponent after the first round of combat.
Things get a lot better once we scale up to 650, since we can add Boromir to the mix and a banner:
- Aragorn - Strider with bow [ARMY LEADER]
- Boromir of Gondor with shield
- Legolas Greenleaf
- Frodo Baggins with Sting
- Haldir, Galadhrim Captain with Elf bow
- 1 Lothlorien Warrior with banner
- 5 Lothlorien Warriors with Elf bows
- 4 Lothlorien Warriors with Elven throwing weapons
- 3 Lothlorien Warriors with Wood Elf spears
650pts, 18 models, 1 D6+ model, no fast models but free Heroic March, 17+ Might points
Boromir adds a lot to the list, but I'm not sure that he adds more than Legolas does in the previous list. Having him around gives us a second F7 hero who can stand near Frodo and make sure the VP protection he's providing is secure. In return, Frodo keeps him from meeting the ill-timed end he finds in the original story by keeping archery away (hopefully). Dominant (2) and the Courage boost on the Elves is a nice add as well.
The banner makes our Lothlorien Warriors (and our heroes) a lot better - yes, these guys can't take spears anymore, so they're "just standing there," but Lothlorien Warriors who get to re-roll their dueling die when striking normally or get to re-roll their lowest dueling die when supporting/defending by shielding with their Wood Elf spears is clutch. We've also slightly increased our archery to 11 bows/4 throwing weapons/1 rock, which is pretty good.
To round things out, we can get everyone except Sam at 800 points if we leave most of the throwing daggers at home:
- Aragorn - Strider with bow [ARMY LEADER]
- Boromir of Gondor with shield
- Legolas Greenleaf
- Gimli, Son of Gloin
- Frodo Baggins with Sting and Mithril Coat
- Meriadoc Brandybuck
- Peregrin Took
- Haldir, Galadhrim Captain with Elf bow
- 1 Lothlorien Warrior with banner
- 5 Lothlorien Warriors with Elf bows
- 1 Lothlorien Warrior with Elven throwing weapons
- 8 Lothlorien Warriors with Wood Elf spears
800pts, 23 models, 2 D6 models, no fast models but free Heroic March, 20+ Might points
Depending on your view of the necessity of the Mithril Coat, Merry, Pippin, and either Sting or Aragorn's Bow, we could have gotten Sam into the list (Sam's profile is better now, but 40pts is a lot when you're buying Elves and some of Middle-Earth's mightiest heroes). A 23-model list that features 15 F5 Elves and 5 big heroes/3 mini heroes doesn't look like much (and it might die in a flash if caught in the open), but golly it's gonna be hard to catch these guys if they're allowed to do what they want to do!
Conclusion
This is a fun list - and I think it's a marked improvement over the old Breaking of the Fellowship Legion. Yes, it's gonna appeal to a very specific group of hero-centric players, but it adds some variety that was sorely needed in the list. I'm excited to play with it more and am curious what you think? Let us know in the comments below how this list shapes up in your mind (especially compared to the Fellowship army list). Until next time, happy hobbying!
No comments:
Post a Comment