Updated Armies of Middle Earth (Mordor and Khand)

Photo Credit: Warhammer.com

Good morning gamers,

Just a short interruption on this off-week Thursday to let you know that Rythbryt is finally working on those Seventh Edition updates to our Armies of Middle-Earth Series. :-P The format has had to change slightly, because traditional "factions" have gone away, giving way to multiple army lists (and for some/most of these lists, you need 2 army books plus maybe a Legacies PDF to get the entire roster of profiles that each can take). Plus, you know... some profiles have changed and stuff. :-P

First up this week are Mordor and Khand, which you can access via their old links here:

• {7th Edition} Mordor in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game
• {7th Edition} The Variags of Khand in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Each write-up has been updated to include the complete roster of all profiles that have the "Mordor" and "Khand" faction keywords (respectively), complete with a unit-by-unit summary of which lists can field these models now, what benefits the model gets (if any) from being taken in that particular list, and where you can find the original profile as well as the army list (Armies of the Lord of the Rings, Armies of the Hobbit, Armies of Middle-Earth, or Legacies). In addition, we've updated the general strengths/weaknesses of the "faction" as a whole, and updated our final section to talk (briefly... or at least briefly-ish) about why you might prefer one Mordor list over another, and which lists lean heavily into a specific theme, allow you to replicate older alliances, etc.

As with everything we do, this is a work in progress--and it turns out that updating some of the larger write-ups takes some time when you need to sort through three books (and occasionally an army builder) to get the whole picture (the Mordor update alone took about 10 hours... hopefully the rest will be faster, now that we've ironed out the process some). Still, we hope this proves useful to you as you begin to navigate the new edition. And don't forget, you can also catch up on our profile reviews for the new edition over on this page.

Finally, as always, please let us know in the comments if there's anything we've missed or can improve (or if there's a particular faction you'd like Rythbryt to prioritize next--rumor is that he's looking at dwarves, camels, and fellows if left to his own devices ;-) )!

War in Rohan Inspired Lists: Khand Revisited

Good morning gamers,

Today we're back to studying one of the most expensive factions in the game - and one of the things that pushed War in Rohan over the edge as the most expensive supplement we've looked at so far: Khand. If we look strictly at the one scenario in the appendices that requires Khandish units, we have the following units to work with:

• 1 Khandish King on Chariot
• 1 Khandish Chieftain on Chariot
• 3 Khandish Charioteers
• 12 Khandish Horsemen
• 18 Khandish Warriors (6 with bows)
  

While I could build a 500-point list with just Khandish units, I opted today to showcase how you can get much of the punch from Khand allied into a more reliable anvil from a different faction. Let's dig in!

The List

Photo Credit: War in Rohan

The tricky thing about War in Rohan for evil alliances is that the only ACTUAL heroes we have in the scenarios are Heroes of Fortitude. Thrydan becomes a Hero of Valour in the Army of Dunland Legendary Legion (see our recent article for info on what that might look like - and check out our review of the Legion for additional details on the list), but he's normally a Hero of Fortitude. Thanks to the way the PURCHASES have to be made for the heroes we need, we actually do have a Hero of Valour from Isengard that we can tap into: Lurtz. Here's the list:

The Bare Necessities, Part XXVII: Khand

Good morning gamers,

As we continue the part of the series where we discuss armies I don't intend to collect, we will be looking today at the Variags and Khand and how you can run these lists with a balanced list in mind. Khand has some really cool mechanics that, by all rights, I should love (as many bows as you like so long as they're mounted on horses, fairly inexpensive heroes with lots of bite, and chariots that run things over). The drawback, of course, is the expense to get started collecting (though chariots can be acquired from various historical ranges and Khandish warriors look a bit like Samurai or Ashigaru troops). 

Credit: Scott's Wargaming

Money for me is a huge factor in what I collect - I might be willing to drop $200 on an army over time, but if getting to a starting place costs $200+, I'm probably not biting (and with a single chariot costing more than $40 at the moment and the horsemen coming in metal blisters, this army won't be on my radar . . . ever). Still, Khand is pretty popular and you can learn a bit about these guys online (the Green Dragon Podcast featured a discussion on Khand - check that out, they interview a Kiwi who has had great success with them).

While I have never run Khand and never fought Khand, my good mate MinutemanKirk (as well as someone I met in a Facebook SBG group) was willing to answer some questions on Khand for me. Here's how our discussion went . . .

Interview Questions with MinutemanKirk and JS (some edits for clarity by Tiberius)

T: Is there ever a time you would run Khandish infantry?

MK: Alright, so I expounded a little bit on my guest blog post. I don't think Khand is a very viable army on its own (right now anyway, fingers crossed for more units/heroes!). I think the situations I would run infantry is if I was trying a horde approach, didn't have the models for more mounted units, or wanted to have a scrub unit for holding down objectives. None of those, apart from not having enough models, are compelling enough for me to run Khand infantry en mass.

JS: No. Never. Except for scenarios or when there are a few points left to boost numbers in warbands. Basic thinking does not work on Khand - your Khandish Horsemen are your infantry and your Khandish Chariots are your real cavalry.

T: Since you can run Khandish Horsemen with an unlimited bow limit (assuming you keep your army bonus), are these horsemen good to run? If so, how many do you run (and what is the ratio of horsemen to chariots)?

MK: Khand cavalry are surprisingly efficient: Fight 4, Strength 4 (using Piercing Strike), and a bow for only 13 points. It allows them the flexibility to be pure skirmishers (although Serpent Horde would be a better choice for that) while also enabling perfectly legitimate melee attacks. The problem with focusing on skirmish while also wanting to use chariots is chariots are inherently NOT skirmishers with their unique movement rules: you can't just stop and run away if the enemy makes a run at you. Their movement rules also make it difficult to skirmish wit chariots on terrain-heavy or other movement-restricted boards. If I had unlimited time and money to run a Khand force, I would probably go for a 2:1 or 3:1 rider to chariot balance. Chariots are great, but they need a little screening and when one or two go down, it leaves a massive hole in the line (and a thirty point loss each). Despite the in-the-way requirement, I've found charioteers are extremely squishy.

JS: Typical warbands would look like this: 1 Khandish King on Chariot + 1 Khandish Charioteer + lots of horsemen. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

T: Chariots are awesome, but how do you keep them from running into each other? Are there issues you've ever run into when facing armies that feature Command/Compel?

MK: I've never had an issue with them running into each other, but then I've also never run more than four chariots at a time. You want to avoid getting them in a column formation whenever possible, because, if a chariot doesn't kill something, the whole column stops. Avoid that and it's relatively easy to avoid friendly tramples. I've also not had an issue with Command/Compel as long as it only comes from a single caster. When using Easterlings with Khand, most opponents either can't get to a chariot before it gets into close combat, or is focused on neutralizing Amdur/Dragon Knights. So far as I understand the rules, even a Command/Compel must follow their movement rules. Thus, if you get a chariot into close combat, a Command/Compel isn't worth the effort since you'll be running over your own guys anyway. (T: so far as I know, that's correct as well - more on this discussion in a few weeks, :-) ).

JS: Your chariots are your cavalry. You want them on the flanks to crush enemy static lines (having them bruise over bowmen blocks is very efficient). Well played, they will never touch each other. You should have on each side one Charioteer/King on Chariot. Your anvil line is composed of your cavalry, shooting while moving, then crushing with Piercing Strike the enemy lines while your Chariots are disturbing spear supporters.

T: Is it worth taking bows on your charioteers instead of axes?

MK: Personally, I would never take a chariot with a bow to skirmish with.

JS: No, never. You want them to run over enemies, then in melee use Piercing Strike. Even if the enemy wins the fight against you (which is not that easy with Monstrous Charge and your 6" banner from the King) he still needs to overcome your shield (your Chariot). Classic charioteers should pick up softer targets. Your King has to deal with the heavier heroes.

T: Any additional thoughts?

MK: Kings are always better to take than Chieftains unless you don't have the models or you don't have the points. You absolutely lose nothing (King's have Heroic March too), and the extra Attack and Defense in close combat are literally lifesavers.

JS: Khand can't do a spear-and-shield formation, but it's best not to find a work around for this - work with what you have. Yes, it is a very non-classic play style, but played correctly, it can be even stronger.

Thanks guys - we'll be looking at a list I derived from this discussion, with a few lists from MinutemanKirk (and a follow-up post from me) at the end of the post.

The Bare Necessities, Part XXVI: The Easterlings

Good morning gamers,

We've recently viewed the factions of Barad-Dur and Arnor and how you can run these lists with a balanced list in mind. Today, we continue observing lists I don't intend to collect by looking at one of the most iconic armies in the game, beloved by one of the largest fan-bases in the game, and often critiqued for "not having enough teeth" by everyone in the game (especially its fan base): the Easterlings.

I don't like Easterlings - I've made that abundantly clear in numerous posts. That being said, my son has taken a fancy to Easterlings, and far be it from me to crush his little dreams and aspirations. So, I reached out to our resident Easterling players to get their feedback on how you'd build an Easterling army with a balanced list in mind. My good mate MinutemanKirk has already shared thoughts on Easterling list builds, so check that out if you haven't already read it. Below are some tailored thoughts from Centaur.

Easterlings List Building Principles with Centaur

• Fast Models: So, the natural option are kataphracts; while they are heavy cavalry they do move at 10", but what makes them unique is that you can take a drum on your cavalry. This, as far as I know, is the only civ that has this option. So you can save Might by not calling Heroic March, or move even faster by calling Heroic March. And since all of your heroes work well mounted (personally I don't like mounting war priests, but you could), this could also be filled by your heroes if you don't want to buy a ton of kataphracts.
• Banners: You can take banners on foot or on horseback, so plenty of options for banners. And at c. 32-34 pts [if you put the banner on an Easterling Warrior], not that expensive either.
• Models: With most of your infantry costing 8-11 pts, and even your cavalry only costing around 14pts, it's not hard to get numbers with an Easterling Force. The fact that your captains only cost around 50-55 pts also helps (assuming you're not mounting everyone).
• Ways to Neutralize Enemy Heroes: You have two really good neutralizing options on its face: Khamul (for Transfix and Compel, not to mention area denial in case you mount him and they don't want to be charged) and Amdur (free Heroic Strike if an opponent calls one, and F6 with an elven-made weapon if they don't call one). In addition, though, with heroes who are hard to knock down and the ability to pike support, they also reduce the kills a hero/monster gets in a match and forcing the spending of more Might, which I would contend is a way to neutralize heroes.
• Ways to Augment Your Models: This is primarily done by heroes: war priests provide both Fury and Bladewrath and Amdur provides a banner rule. Naturally you have drums and banners among the warrior options, but that's about the extent to which they augment their models. So not a lot of options, but the options they have are what the army needs.

Thanks guys - we'll be looking at Centaur's Easterling list (it's a pure list), with other lists following at the end.

{7th Edition} Armies of Middle-Earth SBG: The Variags of Khand in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Photo Credit: LOTR Fandom

Updated: Seventh Edition (June 2025)

To the east of Middle-earth lies the fractious and war-torn land of Khand, split into untold numbers of provinces, settlements and villages. These are all presided over by a host of kings and chiefs, each one having come to rule through Ruthlessness, treachery and the acquisition of wealth, for in Khand, power lies with the ones who can best afford it, and loyalty is a commodity that can be bought or sold as if it were goods on a stall...

It is not just the kings and chiefs of Khand that can buy the loyalty of these warriors. Often the rulers of nearby lands will pay the Khandish Kings handsomely for the use of their armies when they march to war against their foes in Gondor or other enemies of the Dark Lord, for the warriors of Khand are stubborn and belligerent fighters that will refuse to back down even if they should be clearly beaten, exhibiting a savage nature for which they are famed. Their horsemen are skilled riders, and will often form a flanking force to pick off scouts and those that stray too far from the safety of the rank and file. However, the most deadly force within the armies of Khand are their chariots. Ridden by only the Kings and their most loyal followers, the chariots are able to charge through ranks of enemies, leaving fields strewn with corpses in their devastating wake...

~ Armies of the Lord of the Rings, Sixth Edition

Khand is an army so legendary (and mysterious) that it made the jump to Legacies in the Seventh Edition. Almost nothing is known of this mysterious troop in the lore (apart from the fact that they were, in fact, there at Pelennor), but in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game, Khand has historically taken the form of axe-wielding horse archers and charioteers, which gave them a unique place in the Middle Earth we inhabit. 

If your events allow Legacy models, the upgraded version of Khand (which you can see here) received a number of buffs in the new edition, most notably to their chariots (which are now extremely tanky and difficult to table, while remaining merchants of death once they get rolling). The entire faction also remains tailor-made to take out enemy cavalry models, between their chariots (which do two Strength 4 impact hits to both horse and rider, plus have Monstrous Charge) and their generic horsemen (which are Fight 4 with bows and hand-and-a-half axes, for a slightly more balanced points cost).