Good morning gamers,
This is it for Rohan (for the now, anyway) and we're wrapping up two months of Rohan lists with the one that started it all, really: the Riders of Theoden. Back when the MESBG revamp happened, Rohan was . . . well, it's always been a popular list, but it was really popular: the new starter set landed a lot of people with new Theoden models and lots of Riders of Rohan and anyone who didn't already have a host of Rohan models got to enjoy painting three models (a rider, a horse, and a dismount) for every 14-17pts they wanted to spend on warriors . . . good times. A few months after the revamp, the Gondor at War supplement dropped and with it came a host of new Legendary Legions - and while the Black Gate Opens and Return of the King Legendary Legions were incredibly popular, neither of these Legions was as popular or as dominant on the top-tables as the Riders of Theoden. It was, quite honestly, one of very few Legions that looked like it was an improvement on a trimmed-down army list - and from a game design perspective, it was basically the poster boy for what any Legendary Legion was supposed to be.
Fast-forward six years and we've got the Riders of Theoden army list, which hasn't seemed to dominate quite as much as it did back in the day (even as new Legions and a host of new models were introduced to the game). Is this list still worth running? And if so, what's making people shy away from it? Well, let's take a look and find out what we have to work with vis-a-vis last edition!
The Riders of Theoden: Changes for 2025
Profile Selection
The profile selection is essentially the same as we had before - we have all the named heroes you'd expect with Theoden, Eomer, Eowyn/Merry (formerly Dernhelm), Deorwine, Elfhelm, and Gamling. Joining the fight we have Captains of Rohan (one of whom you can name as Grimbold - give him heavy armor and a shield why don't ya?), Riders of Rohan, and Rohan Royal Guards (who can be led by Theoden, Eomer, Deorwine, and Gamling . . . so you can field a lot of them, if you don't want throwing spears on all of them. This is the same list as in the previous edition and honestly, it doesn't need any changes . . . you know, unless you wanted to make a mounted Grimbold model and a revamped profile to go with it, GW? :)
Army List Bonuses
Two of your army special rules are the same as they were before - your mounted models get Strength +1 on the charge and once per game, Theoden can cry "DEATH!" and your heroes get to declare free Heroic Combats or Strikes. Getting in a good DEATH! turn has always been the way this list has stood above standard Rohan lists and if you really lean into the heroes, you can have an absolutely devastating turn with this rule (much like the once-per-game Look to the Sun ability for the Riders of Eomer).
There is a new rule, however: any friendly Cavalry Warrior models near Theoden and Eomer get Dominant (2), which is a situationally useful (but the situation is present in most of the scenarios) ability that makes your all-cavalry force feel larger than it is. Like some of the Erebor and Dale rules, however, this is a rule that competes with DEATH! a bit in that the harder you lean into your heroes, the less this rule will be useful. Also, staying within 3" of Theoden and Eomer is not that big of a radius - but in a scenario like Hold Ground, Command the Battlefield, or Divide and Conquer where you really want to be in one or two places, it can be super useful.
These are mostly new profiles, but there are some interesting design choices here:
- Theoden, King of Rohan hasn't changed in price, but he's lost a lot of his previous weight thanks to the Arise, Riders of Rohan rule transferring to any Rohan General (which, I'll go on record to say, was a good change). Herugrim got better (it auto-wins ties when the combat is drawn and Fight Values are the same instead of rerolling 1s even when the Fight Value of Theoden is lower than his foe), he can lead Rohan Royal Guards (which is particularly good in this list), and he still has a 12" Stand Fast. Unlike the Road to Helm's Deep list, Theoden is back in all his glory with D7 and a D5 Snowmane standard - and boy does this feel like a Theoden we can fight with again (albeit in very managed fights)!
- Eomer, Marshal of the Riddermark has seen some pretty great changes this edition - like all heroes, he's more expensive mounted than he was before, but not drastically more expensive. His horse, Firefoot, also got faster and he himself got the promotion to F6. Guthwine now triggers an additional To Wound roll when it gets natural 6s To Wound, which is a poor man's version of Mighty Blow, but hey, it could be good sometimes? His Leader (Rohan Royal Guards) is quite useful in this list and the Price of Grief rule will definitely be on the table every game since Theoden is a must-take. As mentioned above, he's also the source for Dominant (2), which means he wants to be leading units that are assaulting enemy objectives so that a slight swing in your favor can turn into a flipped objective. Honestly, besides the handful of lists where you have to take him, I think this list is the best list for Eomer to be included in your force.
- Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan with Meriadoc Brandybuck is a Fortitude Hero in this list and has gained an extra Fate point. She's got very few changes to her profile, but her I Will Kill You if You Touch Him rule has seen a few changes. For starters, while Theoden is alive, Eowyn can reroll 1s on her To Wound rolls when making Strikes (which is . . . better than nothing). Once Theoden is slain, Eowyn still gets Fearless/rerolls all failed To Wounds against the model that killed him but doesn't have to stay near the point where Theoden died. With all of her upgrades (including Merry), she's 120pts, which is more expensive than the Dernhelm profile was in the last edition (by like 30pts). She's pretty expensive . . . maybe look into the next hero if you're on a budget . . .
- Deorwine, Chief of the King's Knights got the hit that a lot of heroes did this edition and went down to 2M/2W/2F instead of 3M/1W/1F - this works out better for him than most other heroes, but not having 3 Might is still a drawback. You have Theoden in your list by default, which gives Deorwine Sworn Protector and if Theoden is Engaged within 6" of Deorwine, Deorwine can call a free Heroic Combat (just like last edition). Free heroics have always been good - and Deorwine has always been good when tucked in close to Theoden . . . this much has not changed. He's still got Strike and March, which makes him a pretty flexible hero option for 90pts - as much as I like Eowyn, I think I'd take this guy before her most of the time.
- Elfhelm, Captain of Rohan is still a very affordable hero and has 2 Fate to support his Horse Lord ability, doesn't suffer the move-and-shoot penalty with this throwing spears, and still rerolls failed To Hit, In-the-Way, and To Wound rolls when shooting, which is awesome (and why you'd want him in your list). He's also still a tank into enemy heroes with Heroic Defense and 2 Might, but he's also got 3 Attacks base now . . . honestly, I think his F4 is his "only weakness" and it's hard for me to think of any heroes that are better to take than this guy (after you've taken Theoden, Eomer, and maybe Deorwine).
- Captains of Rohan are basically the same as they always were - they can't take bows or throwing spears anymore, but they're still cheap fortitude heroes who can be D7 with heavy armor and shields. Without Arise, Riders of Theoden/Rohan, these guys have capped out at F4, which is fine-not-great into warriors or heroes. Still, they're cheap Heroic March heroes, but I think you have better choices in this list.
- Gamling, Captain of Rohan got the reduction from 3 Might to 2 Might reduction that a lot of heroes experienced this edition, his banner now has a larger radius (6", which is great) but also restores Might on the roll of a 6 when they're used instead of regenerating 1 Might point each turn. This . . . makes the Might restoration a lot less reliable, but potentially can restore Might before a hero is out and can restore more than 1 Might point each turn . . . potentially. He still remains a difficult banner hero to kill (especially in this list) who has access to Heroic March (as does Theoden), so he might still be worth taking in lists. Personally, I think the greatest thing he does is allow players who really like Rohan Royal Guards to run a lot of them - but your ability to spam mounted Rohan Royal Guards is going to be limited by basically any points level.
- Rohan Royal Guards went up by 1pt and didn't get anything from it besides the Spear Mastery special rule. They can be fielded by Helm alone in this list, which means if you want a lot of them, you have to fill his warband with them (Rythbyrt was running Rohan lists with 20 of these guys on foot in the last edition - you can almost do that here). These guys are a little pricey, but they're base F4 with F5 on the charge (while within 12" of your General), they're D6, and in this list (like most of the other ones), they're S4 on the Charge. While I generally say take these guys if you want to but it's fine to leave them at home, this list is very much an in-your-face, charge-hard kind of list . . . and for that, I think you want as many punchy heroes as you can and as many punchy warriors as you can. Take throwing spears on these guys if you can, but also take some of these guys without throwing spears so you can pile in the elite profiles.
- Riders of Rohan are virtually unchanged from last edition - they still cost 14pts each, but they picked up Spear Mastery (so they can spear support if they get dismounted) and they simultaneously got a nerf in that only 1/3 of them can take throwing spears (since bow limit and throwing weapon limit are two different things). They don't have great courage, but they get F4/S4 on the charge and have built-in skirmish options. All in all, I'm happy that these guys didn't increase in price and I think they're in a pretty good place overall. In this list, however, I think you just want a few to be objective takers and harassers - you're looking at this list mostly for the Dominant (2) mounted Rohan Royal Guards.
I am very happy that the warriors didn't increase in price at all - most of the heroes going up in price is already a toll on your numbers OR the number of heroes you choose to take. Let's look now at what this list has that sets it apart from your other Rohan list options (especially those that specialize in cavalry, like the Riders of Eomer, Ride Out, and Road to Helm's Deep lists that we've been looking at lately).
The Riders of Theoden: Strengths and Weaknesses
The first strength of this list should be obvious: this is a cavalry charge list. Warrior cavalry that are F5/S4 on the charge with D6 in case they blunt is a very, VERY strong unit to have in your list - and paired with cost-effective heroes that can get a free heroic action (and maybe grant Dominant to those warriors) means you can rescue warriors who were in okay-not-great positions and make it less likely that you lose troops. Lists that focus on big charges and can pull them off often send their opponent into a crisis mental state, which can give a subtle advantage to the cavalry player if over-extending doesn't happen. This is all really good stuff . . . if you can get the charge off (more on that in the strategies section below).
As is the case with most all-cavalry lists (not last week's one, interestingly enough), this list is likely to be very, VERY limited in its numbers due to the general expense of the heroes you want/need and the warriors you want/need. This isn't necessarily a problem, but it does mean that the list will be very unforgiving of a bad charge or a series of turns when you don't get Priority to trigger your charge bonuses. The harder you lean into heroes, the lower your numbers go - and similarly but to a lesser extent, the harder you lean into Rohan Royal Guards instead of Riders of Rohan, the lower your numbers go. Both heroes and RRGs are great - just understand this comes with the downside of a very small fighting force.
That said, about half of your heroes and most of your warriors (all if you take a 2:1 ratio of Riders of Rohan to Rohan Royal Guards) will be skirmish-capable. Theoden can't shoot (neither can Deorwine, Gamling, or Captains anymore), but Eowyn (technically Merry), Eomer, and Elfhelm can all shoot - and this gives you the ability to do some skirmishing while maneuvering to a good charging point. While this list isn't nearly as focused on the skirmish game as the Road to Helm's Deep (or even the Riders of Eomer), it is very much focused on using skirmishers to weaken a flank before you come crashing down on it. While you can certainly run 2 Riders of Rohan for every 1 Rohan Royal Guard you field, I think it's generally a good idea to have a smattering of Riders of Rohan (1-4, you can take a banner on one of them if you want to) so that you have cheaper objective-grabbers that you don't mind leaving behind on objectives. In a pinch, you can even dismount them if you have good terrain to block line of sight for you - something to think about.
There's limited protection in this list, however, from enemy magic or archery. This isn't new - the Road to Helm's Deep list and the Ride Out list struggle with this as well - but it can be devastating (especially for a list that doesn't get the 5+ Horse Lord save that the Kingdom of Rohan list has). Since you can't benefit from DEATH if you lose the Cavalry keyword (and since you can't re-mount a horse like you can in the Road to Helm's Deep list), keeping your mount under you (and keeping your riders in their saddles) before your big charge is really, REALLY important. Use terrain to your advantage as much as you can or be ready to weather a single barrage of arrows or magic before being forced to charge. Don't endure more than that - you can't, really.
This list doesn't have access to Aragorn or Legolas (or the wealth of mounted heroes that we saw in the Army of Edoras), but it does have a very deep bench when it comes to heroes. With six named heroes that are all bringing something (perhaps expensively) to the party, you can scale this list up quite high or even scale down the list to very low points levels if you want to. Unlike some army lists that eventually reach the "add a Captain/Shaman and their warband" place, this list has to play at an obnoxiously high points level before you feel like you've reached your limit. Keep in mind, however, that these heroes really do want to be within 12" of Theoden at some point in the battle so they can benefit from DEATH! - while this list will have a deep bench, it's not one that can spread out and put those heroes in a lot of different places from the start.
The Riders of Theoden: Strategies for the Tabletop
We have written a HOST of articles on how to use cavalry - look for the "Cavalry Charge" series on the Tactics tab for more on that. Timing a cavalry charge takes time to learn, but the gist of it is pretty simple: charge when you're moving second OR when you'll be charged first, hit one side of your opponent's line to limit reprisals, use Heroic Combats to get more out of the charge than you otherwise would (and sometimes make your opponent burn Might points that he'd otherwise not have to). Charging with cavalry is fun and potentially game-changing if you lean into the mechanic - and this list certainly leans into the mechanic!
When writing your lists, look for heroes that work well together - and if you can afford to lose 5-6 models, consider getting another hero. Theoden is a must-include in this list, but he doesn't hit as hard as most 110pt cavalry heroes. Taking Eomer with Theoden costs you 255pts (if Eomer has throwing spears), which still leaves you with a good pile of points for warriors at low points levels (Rohan Royal Guards cost 16pts/model without throwing spears, so you can get 15 of them along with 5 sets of throwing spears for 250pts). We'll look at a 500pt list later, but besides lacking a banner, getting 17 heavy-hitting cavalry is a fine start to your list! If you're concerned about points, a hero like Deorwine is an excellent take, though he's hitting less-hard than Eomer (and Eomer hits even HARDER if Theoden happens to go down . . . which presents a very interesting catch-22 for your opponent).
While skirmishing is very useful in this list, don't let it distract you - use your skirmishing as a tool to soften an enemy position, focusing as much damage as you can on one part of the enemy battle line instead of picking off a model here and there across the whole thing. Centaur wrote an article about 10 years ago (yes, we've been around for a while) that shows this pretty astonishingly - losing 4 models in one place vs. losing 4 models in four places can mean the difference between a weak flank and a solid battle line, so use your skirmishing to prepare your opponent's flank for a good charge.
Finally, don't forget that you can use DEATH! for more than just killing stuff - yes, you can use it to roll up a flank, with your heroes killing 2-4 models each and your opponent having absolutely no say in the carnage besides "rolling better than you". While there will be some games where that meets the victory point requirements, DEATH! can also be used for strategically spreading out your heroes to claim far-flung objectives and "get out of Dodge" or for repositioning your army to prepare for a later charge (like we talked about last time in the Road to Helm's Deep list). While you certainly can (and might have to) use DEATH! to call free Heroic Strikes, I think Combats are very much a stronger way to go if you have the choice. Ideally, you're using this on a turn when you get to call the shots with regard to match-ups - and there are not many heroes (or monsters) that your S4-5 cavalry want to be engaging (even if Eomer is F6 now). It's far better to spend one turn running over grunts and bringing down the numbers disparity than it is to risk fighting a big hero who Strikes back, gets the higher Fight Value (or ties yours - only Theoden is feeling okay in that setting), and potentially losing your horse or taking a wound or two. Play it safe and run over grunts - you're a cavalry list, fighting the big stuff will come eventually.
Sample Lists
Our first list is a 500pt list that features Theoden and Eomer with 13 warriors - it's not all Rohan Royal Guards, as I wanted a banner (and you can only take those with Riders of Rohan). I had 4pts to spare, but no room for more throwing spears, so if you wanted to use your points better, you could downgrade a lot of the non-throwing-spear units to Riders of Rohan and pick up an extra guy:
Scaling up to 650, I've added Deorwine (a long-time fave of mine) and that gives us 54pts for additional men . . . so naturally, I've opted for an additional Rider of Rohan for objective grabbing and a few more Rohan Royal Guards:
Twenty models is pretty low, but this list hits hard and only has two models (besides the horses) that are D5 or less. At 800pts, we can pick up yet another hero, and I've opted for the cheapish-and-reliable Elfhelm - I wanted Eowyn to finish the set, but she's just SO much more expensive than Elfhelm. Maybe I chose wrong, drop three warrior models if you want to run Eowyn (it turns into 2 fewer models overall and might result in another throwing spear, depending on who you choose to lose):
Conclusion
These guys still feel very much the same as they did last edition - they're nasty in a brawl and if you can afford to buy that many Rohan Royal Guards on horses (I've bought the STL files for Andrew Medbury's proxy models - I don't play Rohan exclusively enough to buy the metal ones at $15/mounted model and $10/infantry model). Next month, we'll be turning to the last of the "big four" factions from the Lord of the Rings and delve into some Mordor lists. I haven't completely ignored these guys for the past year - I've looked at the Legions of Mordor list and the Barad-Dur list already and I think they're pretty great - but the Mordor-exclusive lists haven't had much attention and I think there's some nuggets of goodness that aren't being tapped there. Find out what the Dark Lord cooked up as we travel to Mordor - and until then, happy hobbying!
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