Understanding the Game: Using and Fighting Spell-casters, Part 2

EDIT: If you found this page, you should know we've posted an update for the new MESBG rules (2018)! You can find the updated page here.

This post is a continuation on a discussion about spell-casters and how to deal with them. If you missed the post on Nazgul, you can find it here. Today, though, we're going to talk about using and beating spell-casters with unlimited Will points...my favorite kind of lore-master!

Using Spell-Casters: Unlimited Casters

Only a few spell-casters have an unlimited number of Will that they can spend during the game. This can be because of a staff of power that they wield (Gandalf, Saruman, or Radagast) or because of an innate magic ability that surpasses that of less extraordinary lore-masters (Galadriel and Sauron). We will deal with both of these types of wizards in turn.

Two popular wizards to include in armies are Gandalf and Saruman. Wizards are some of the least common spell-casters because they are very, very expensive. Cheap wizards like Radagast the Brown or Saruman the White (Good version) cost 150 points each, while Gandalf the White costs over 200 points...that's a lot to pay for one hero. Gandalf the Grey and Saruman the Colorful (Evil version) are 170 points each and both provide a few specialized benefits for their armies.

Wizards are expensive primarily for three reasons: first, they have amazing longevity in typical games. All wizards (Galadriel not included here) have Defense 5, 3 Wounds, 3 Might, 6 Will, and 3 Fate points. The high number of Will points is an obvious boon for spell-casters, but the large number of both Wounds and Fate points means that they can deal with enemy archery pretty well and live to tell the tale. If wizards receive a screen of protection by allied units, their ability to save their wounds and Fate points for melee combats later will also keep them alive longer. The 3 Might points not only helps in making sure that spells are cast, but they also allow these mages to call Heroic Moves or Heroic Combats, depending on the situation's need.

Wizards also gain a free Will point each turn. For Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast, this takes the form of a staff of power giving them a free Will point that they can use to assist in casting spells, resist enemy spells, or occasionally pass a failed courage test (usually not a problem with 7 Courage, but I've seen it done). This makes wizards particularly dangerous at the end of the game when enemy spell-casters and especially combat heroes have burned through their Will points and are now incapable of resisting the spells they cast (or choose not to resist in the case of Nazgul units).

The final advantage is that though wizards don't have more than 1 Attack, their Fight values are high. Galadriel has the typical Elven hero Fight 6, while the other wizards have Fight 5. This makes them on-par with Elven warriors and most heroes, ensuring that they should win ties against most basic units and stand a good chance of winning fights that they assist in. For wizards like Gandalf and Saruman, that staff of power comes in handy in combat, as you use it like a two-handed weapon. This makes your Strength 4 spell-caster capable of assisting other heroes in taking down tough targets, relying on the combat hero to win the fight and the great wizard to come crashing down on the head of the enemy. Gandalf is the most combat-ready of these heroes, as he may choose to instead wield Glamdring the Foe Hammer instead of his staff (hand weapon with Strength 5), perfect for cutting through most enemies without penalty.

Where all wizards come into a field of their own is the sheer number of spells they can cast and the ease in which they do it. Like the Nazgul described above, wizards have many spells and the most commonly used ones are easy to cast. We will begin by looking at Gandalf's spells. Immobilize (does the same as Transfix mentioned in a previous post) and Command (same as Compel mentioned in a previous post) are cast on a 3+ and a 4+ respectively, which is typical of a dedicated spell-caster. Gandalf also has two static spells: Blinding Light and Terrifying Aura, both of which stay with him so long as he has 1 Will remaining in his store (free Will point doesn't count). The former prevents units within 6" of Gandalf (or obscured by him) from being hit by archery on better than a 6. This is great for protecting weak troops, but isn't very good at getting past enemy volley fire. Traditionally, I've used this spell to protect Wood Elves, who generally get cut to ribbons by archery. Terrifying Aura gives Gandalf the Terror rule, which is great for protecting him from being engaged by lots and lots and lots of angry Goblins.

Gandalf's most prized spell is also the one he has the hardest time casting: Sorcerous Blast. This spell not only deals a Strength 5 hit to the unfortunate recipient of the spell, but also casts the body of the target away from Gandalf X" which is determined by the roll of another dice. Any units hit by the target (including the target himself) are knocked to the ground and those who get hit by the body take a Strength 3 hit. Kill a few units with this spell and you can guarantee your foe is going to be careful about making nice pretty lines with his warriors, but since the spell is cast only on a 5+, don't expect to cast it easily on a single dice (like most of your other spells). I find that this spell is best cast diagonally at spear-filled ranks, as you can clip multiple units (usually 4 or so) with a single inch of movement. Optimally, you'd want to align yourself so that you are shooting slightly diagonally down a battle line, but since this rarely affords itself, I'd go with the diagonal shot through the ranks.

Gandalf also has a little-used spell called Strengthen Will which can give a hero (sorry warriors, you're not eligible targets) 1 Will point if they started with none or return a Will point to a hero who spent one earlier in the game. Though this spell has obvious advantages if you have a hero who is being threatened by an enemy spell-caster (Gimli, Boromir, Legolas, or Aragorn in particular), it is a rare occasion when Gandalf's magic turn will be used in bolstering a friend. Still, it has some great uses which we will get into a bit later.

Saruman casts Transfix and Compel on a 2+ and a 3+ respectively. He also has Terrifying Aura and Sorcerous Blast like Gandalf does (cast on a 2+ and a 5+ respectively), but he lacks the Cast Blinding Light and Strengthen Will spells. To make up for this, Saruman's tactical advantage is found in two special rules: first, his Stand Fast! range is 12". Since the other heroes in the Isengard list have no higher than Courage 4, having a hero with a 12" Stand Fast! radius and Courage 7 means that your ability to keep units in the field shouldn't be too difficult if you can keep Saruman from being engaged by enemy units. Saruman also has a palantir, which he can use to claim priority on one turn before the dice are rolled for priority. This is great for catching archers seeking to escape your units, getting the charge against cavalry, or closing on enemy warriors with throwing weapons. Your foe could, of course, call a Heroic Move (and you could call one too if you wanted), but even if your foe moves first, most heroes will be hurt by spending one of their two or three Might points to move out of the way of your troops. So even this is a boon for an army that fields Saruman, since all wizards should fear Might points (perhaps only behind a large store of Will points).

Galadriel is a different kind of spell-caster: she gains a free Will point without a staff of power (can never be taken away from her), and she has three spells which are easy to cast. Blinding Light is great for protecting the fragile armies of the Elves from Lothlorien (as we've discussed above), while Immobilize and Command are great for neutralizing enemy heroes who specialize in killing units (and she casts them on the traditional 3+ and 4+ respectively). For 130 points, she is a bargain hero (not to mention she has a Fight 6 and 3 Wounds with 3 Fate points that she can re-roll if she fails them the first time). One should be careful though, since she is only Strength 3 and Defense 3, so enemies that engage her in combat could pummel her easily.

Fighting Spell-Casters: Wizards

The most straight-forward way to deal with wizards is to engage them with several warriors in melee combat. With 1 Attack dice for each of these heroes, their ability to fend off a lot of enemies is difficult - very difficult - even with a high Fight value. Their relatively low Defense values will mean that even an average melee soldier will not have much difficulty wounding these heroes and can burn through the caster's Fate points and Wounds.

Shooting these heroes is possible as well, though those with Cast Blinding Light make this a bit less effective than engaging in combat. Gandalf and Saruman's Defense 5 rating means that Strength 2 bows will also have a low likelihood of wounding the target. On the other hand, Defense 5 is not a high Defense rating for most melee warriors (or Strength 3 bows). This makes the straight-forward approach more appealing (or the use of Elf bows or Dwarf bows).

One of the most subtle way of dealing with these spell-casters comes when you use a Nazgul. Since spell-casters are only worth their while when they have Will points, a well-rolled Sap Will spell can reduce the Will store of any of these heroes to 0. With the free Will point each turn, the wizard will now need to rely on using low-end spells (usually not devastating ones) or use it to resist your next slue of spells. The 170 point wizardry specialist is soon turned into an over-priced hero, which should pay for any Nazgul on foot. If you're using the Witch King, you can of course cast Your Staff Is Broken! to take away even the free Will point from Gandalf or Radagast, but I would instead just go with a Transfix spell, for the same reason I don't recommend casting Sap Will against a unit with 1-2 Will points (you still force the hero to use their Will up defending against you and you could potentially make it easier to kill them in combat).

The next post will deal with the other two categories of wizards, but I'm curious to hear about tricky ways you deal with wizards (or knacks you use while using them)! In the next few posts, I'm going to be covering the final two categories of spell-casters in the game and provide a summary of Saruman the Colorful, who I've tested in a few games, so watch this space!

Understanding the Game: Using and Fighting Spell-Casters, Part 1

EDIT: If you found this page, you should know we've posted an update for the new MESBG rules (2018)! You can find the updated page here.

So if you've followed my army lists at all, you know that I really, really, REALLY like using spell-casters in my Lord of the Rings armies. Most of my friends shy away from these units, but they really are useful and fun to use (albeit limited in scope and usually expensive). I'm going to go over some of the ways to both use and fight spell-casters, focusing on some of the heroes we have seen/might see on this blog.

The heroes we will look at today fall generally into four categories: Nazgul, Unlimited Casters/Wizards, Combat Mages, and Auxiliary Support. Each of these casters has a different purpose in the army and is used to supplement the needs of the force.

1. Using Spell-Casters: Nazgul

Nazgul are both blessed and cursed as spell-casters: they have the potential to be very, VERY cheap, they can cast several powerful spells with relatively easy casting values, and have a minimum of 7 Will points to use to cast spells. Since their ability to fight and stay alive is tied to their Will (as well as health), special care must be used when choosing to use Will and where to position Nazgul. Since a Nazgul really enters into a realm of its own when the enemy force is broken, keeping a Nazgul alive throughout the game is a must.

There are three spells that should be used by any Nazgul commander because of their ease in casting (should use 1 dice) and the devastating short-term or long-term impact that they can have: Drain Courage (2+), Transfix (3+), and Sap Will (3+). Each of these requires a very specific target, however, in order to work properly.

Drain Courage is useful when targeting minor heroes with Courage 4-5 (or less, of course). These heroes have the ability to call a Stand Fast! when the going gets tough, which can keep lesser units from fleeing the field - what you definitely don't want. With only 1-2 Will points (perhaps) to resist the spells cast by your Nazgul, it is possible that these spells may not even be resisted - especially if the hero is in the middle of a hoard of enemies. Why this is the case will be seen later under the section discussing the Transfix spell. When the army breaks, the minor hero (or heroes) might be in a serious trouble if they are within 12" of the Nazgul, as their Courage values will be at least 1 lower than normal and probably 1-2 lower than that.

Transfix is a spell that should be used against any foe that specializes in killing units (usually heroes, but elite warriors can be targeted too if they are in a valuable position). The Transfix spell reduces the Fight value of the victim to 1 (that's lower than almost all basic troops), reduces their Attack dice to 1 (even if they shield), prevents them from rolling Wound dice even if they win, AND prevents the unit from moving or calling heroic actions (in the case of a hero). A hero only needs to be stung once by this spell before he chooses to resist it every time. Be sure to have a group of warriors nearby to charge the hero (or already have charged the hero) to capitalize on the hero's weakness, trapping if possible.

Sap Will should only be used against enemy spell-casters and other auxiliary heroes who rely on a Will store greater than 3. Since spell-casters use Will to make up for their expenses, reducing their effectiveness is a must for a Nazgul. This spell also becomes one that MUST be resisted, as failing to resist leads to a Will store of 0...ouch. From experience, even if your spell-caster gets a free Will point each turn, the Force of Good will feel the pain of not having more than 1 Will point (which means the caster either resists OR casts). Casting Sap Will against heroes with 1-3 Will doesn't make that much sense, as a Transfix or a Drain Courage is likely to deplete their Will Store already. Since Sap Will seeks to eliminate Will points, blocking a Transfix or a Drain Courage spell meets the same objective with greater damage done either in the short term (with Transfix) or in the long term (with Drain Courage).

It is with this backdrop that I need to talk about the Witch King. He casts spells at the same level as unnamed Ringwraiths and begins with the same stat-line as other Ringwraiths except that he has already paid for 3 extra Will points. Where the Witch King pulls away from other Nazgul, however, is his baseline access to the spell Your Staff Is Broken! With this spell, the Witch King can take away the benefit of a "staff of power," the source of free Will points for wizards. Though this is rarely going to be used by the Witch King, there are two other benefits that come from equipment that can be given to the Witch King.

The first is the Crown of Morgul. For 30 points, you can turn this Nazgul spell-caster into a slayer with 3 Attacks. With a base Will store of 10 (and a max of 20), your hero can now fight in a lot - I mean, A LOT - of fights. 7 rounds of combat later, you'll see lots and lots and lots of dead units (especially if he has 2 Might/10 Will/2 Fate for a grand total of 120 points). Though his Fight value is still only a 5, this combat strength is great for supplementing a small army and making them more impressive. The other benefit that the Witch King can receive comes from taking a Morgul blade. If you win a fight, you can declare before rolling your wound dice that you are using the blade - if any wounds are not saved by a Fate point (or some other means), the unit dies outright, no matter how many wounds he still has. Bummer for heroes (or Trolls and Balrogs if you're fighting a Force of Evil)...

Fighting Spell-Casters: Nazgul

Nazgul have a single Wound, which means that the most straight-forward way of killing them is to shoot them from afar. Defense 8 (and obstructions from line of sight) tends to limit the effectiveness of this strategy, but it remains an option (and I've seen it done before). Thankfully other strategies can be used to defeat these foes: simply engage them in battle, force them to use their Will points up, or exhaust their store to incapacitate them. Each of these runs its own risks, but the options are varied depending on your strategic advantages.

Engaging a Nazgul in fight-after-fight is one of the most straight-forward ways of killing them. If you have warriors who have high Courage values (or the Bodyguard special rule), you can engage a Nazgul unit and wear down his Will store by mere engagement. Most likely, enemy units will only wound your Nazgul on a 6, unless they have a two-handed weapon to increase their chances (like Elrond's Elven blade does here).

Spell-casters can force a Nazgul to use his Will points in a defensive manner in very limited situations. These could include casting Immobilize against a Nazgul who is already in a fight with a major hero (or a lot of smaller heroes) or casting Command on a Nazgul who could be forced to move into charge range of melee troops (or ranged weapons). A Sorcerous Blast or a Nature's Wrath spell, of course, will force a Nazgul to resist a spell to avoid taking damage (or dealing damage to other units), but having units with these abilities can be very, very costly. On the whole, the user of a Nazgul should weigh what the cost of ignoring enemy spells is - usually, accepting the spell's effects will not be damaging to your character. Remember that survival until the last turn is critical for your Nazgul!

Once a Nazgul has a limited number of Will points (if the unit casts a lot of spells or fights a lot), you can sometimes let them run their course and weather their storm. At some point, every Nazgul will be down to 3 Will points or less and will (read "really should") consider strongly whether he should cast any more spells or venture too close to your battle lines (especially if you have cavalry in your army). The Nazgul will seek to remain shielded from the enemy while staying close to the action to affect the courage tests of the enemy units if/when they break, but besides that, he is a dead weight to his army. If you can weather his wrath, this can give you an opportunity to clobber enemies with surviving heroes and elite troops. It's risky, but it definitely works against cheap, unnamed Nazgul.

Think you know what it means to use a spell-caster? We're just getting started! Nazgul are good spell-casters if you need a cheap caster for your army. If you're running an army of Uruk-Hai and you're tired of buying 60 point captains who flee from every engagement, consider paying 60 points for a Ringwraith with 1M/7W/0F to benefit from his Courage 6 and neutralizing of enemy heroes - perfect! In the next post, we'll talk about what spell-casters you can use if you have a good chunk of money sitting around (or you're playing a big game one afternoon), so watch this blog!

Storm The Camp: Wood Elves vs. Uruk-Hai

So for Battle Report #2 for Wood Elf month, we're having a friendly Storm the Camp game between the Wood Elves and Uruk-Hai. Today's mission, though, places an added challenge on the Elves, as evidenced in the army lists below:

The Fist of Isengard: 502 points

Saruman the Colorful - 170 points
18 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shields - 180 points
11 Uruk-Hai Warriors with pikes - 110 points
1 Uruk-Hai Warrior - 9 points (unit with two-handed axe)

3 Uruk-Hai Warriors with crossbows - 33 points

34 units, 3 crossbows, 1 hero

The Defenders of Lothlorien: 400 points


Celeborn with Elven blade, heavy armor, and shield - 150 points
8 Wood Elf Warriors with Elven blades and throwing daggers - 80 points
10 Wood Elf Warriors with Wood Elf spears - 80 points
3 Wood Elf Warriors with Elf bows and Elven blades - 30 points
6 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows - 60 points


28 units, 9 Elf bows + 8 throwing daggers, 1 hero

As you can see, the points in this game are not even - the Uruks have the advantage. This game is to identify the melee capabilities of Celeborn while also chronicling for the first time on this blog the capabilities of Saruman, the great wizard of Isengard. Unlike the two games I've played already with Saruman (sadly not recorded here on this blog), Saruman benefited from Strength 2 bows in the enemy army. In this game, Saruman runs the danger of being targeted by the Elven arrow fire (though no volley fire is in this game). It will be a battle to see whether or not Saruman can focus on transfixing Celeborn or whether he needs to spend his time casting Sorcerous Blast against the vulnerable Wood Elves (the Wood Elf Warriors are wounded on at least 4s by the blast).

To win this scenario, each army has a table corner which serves as their "camp". If, at the end of any turn, there are more opposing units within a camp than defending units, the game ends with the victory going t to the invading side. If both camps are "taken" in the same round, the game ends in a draw. Major victory/loss is awarded if a hero (in this game, the hero) is alive. The board has a smattering of woods, rocky areas, and a marsh. The center of the field is left open, to allow for open combat on the way to the objectives. The Uruks won the roll off and have chosen to select their corner (the northwest corner), ceding priority to the Elves for the first turn.

I'm putting finishing touches on two posts which provide details on the two heroes listed here. I'm going to try to get those posts finished after this one (where I have time to test what I write about and lend my analysis some credibility). In the meantime, allow me to simply say that Saruman the Colorful is your stereo-typical wizard who benefits from casting Transfix on a 2+ and Compel on a 3+ (better than other wizards) and has a Palantir, which allows him to seize priority during one round (great for catching Wood Elves and other skirmish units). Celeborn, on the other hand, has a few Will points which he could use to cast Immobilize or Aura of Command (everyone within 6" passes any Courage tests), but seeing as this army is facing Saruman and happens to pass most Courage tests anyway, it doesn't look like he'll be casting much. Thankfully, Celeborn is also decked for combat and shares most of the stat line of Elrond (except he doesn't have an Elven ring to pass Fate rolls easier).

---

Turn 1: (Priority - Wood Elves)

Both armies advance towards each other and as typical, Saruman fails to cast Terrifying Aura on himself. I chuckled and we began the next turn. The Elves are almost in archery range and will definitely be in range next turn. I could have not paid for the heavy armor for Celeborn and instead gain another archer to complete the volley team, but part of me wanted to make sure Celeborn was wounded on 6s by the Uruks instead of 5s and the other part of me wanted to see what happens when there is no volleying. No pic this round, nothing interesting.

---

Turn 2: (P - Uruk-Hai)

The armies continue to move towards each other, but the Elven archers are now in range. The Uruks are marching in the Warhammer Fantasy "Lance" formation, providing a solid two-lines of protection for their pikes. Gaius thought it would be cool, but I have my doubts.

This round, the Elven archers killed a single man, slain by a Wood Elf arrow. First kill is an Uruk (no surprise). 

Kill count: Wood Elves 1/34, Uruks 0/28.

---

Turn 3: (P - tied, Wood Elves)

So I actually didn't want priority this turn, but I'll take it I guess. Since I'm fighting against a Movement 6 army instead of a Movement 5 army, my chances that I get more than one round of throwing weapons in is not very likely. I move up so that he cannot charge me (about 8" away) and wait to see what he does. The Uruks form up, allowing their crossbows to fire on the archers guarding my base and Saruman rolls up his sleeves to do some magic.

Magic he does: he spends 2 Will points (free + 1/6 W) to cast Sorcerous Blast against one of my throwing dagger guys and blasts him into two of the men behind him. The target and one of the spears go down hard and do not rise (1/3 Might paid to wound).

In the Shoot phase, the Elves kill one Uruk guarding the crossbowmen, but fail to kill anyone else. The Uruks respond with two of their three crossbow bolts hitting, killing two Galadhrim Elves. Youch...

Kill count: Wood Elves 2/34, Uruks 4/28. The Uruks are coming out hard from the get-go.

---

Turn 4: (P - Wood Elves)

Sigh, here we go again...out of charge range and I've got the skirmish troops. So, I maneuver my guys to again force him to advance slowly or get hit by sharp things. Celeborn moves so that he has a clear view of Saruman and casts Immobilize him. With a 5 rolled on a single dice, Saruman decides to just roll his free dice and gets a 5 as well. A great cheer arose from his Uruk minions as Celeborn fell into the Elven battle line. The Uruks moved up into charge range, knowing that they needed to get the jump on the next turn before the Elves were united as one force. 

Since the Uruks were within 3" of Celeborn, Saruman cast Compel on the great Elven lord with a single dice (2/6 W). Celeborn paid another Will point (2/3 W) and a Might point (1/3 M) to resist the spell. With a single Will point left, I'm a little afraid of what this spell-caster will do once the fighting starts (as wizards are the one kind of spell-caster that you can't just "wait out").

In the Shoot phase, a Galadhrim Warrior killed an Uruk crossbowman and the crossbows returned fire and killed another Galadhrim. The Uruks are on a roll...

Kill count: Wood Elves 3/34, Uruks 5/28. The fun will begin depending on who gets priority...

---

Turn 5: (P - Saruman seizes priority...uh-oh)

THIS is where Saruman comes into a field all his own. Using the Palantir of Orthanc, Saruman seizes priority and I am left helpless to do anything (besides potentially wasting one of my two Might points to try to move first). The Uruks press hard on the lines and Saruman uses his free Will point to cast Transfix on Celeborn. With his last Will point and one of his remaining Might points (2/3 M), Celeborn resists the spell and knows he has one turn to cut through the Uruk lines and reach the enemy caster. Not. Good. Nothing of interest happened in the Shoot phase.

Celeborn uses his final Might point to call a heroic combat: he narrowly wins the fight and crashes three fatal blows on the Uruk in front of him. He then advances on one of the nearby pikemen, whose control zone protected both Saruman and the retreating pikeman.

The Elves obviously felt their reputation was on the line, because they won all but two fights. More than that, the Elves lost one of their number (trapped and alone, poor bloke) and dealt six kills in return (one by Celeborn). After rolling 6 after 6 after 6, the Elves remain alive and deal a terrible blow to the Uruk army.

Kill count: Wood Elves 10/34, Uruks 6/28. The Uruks are 7 units away from breaking, while the Elves are only 8 units away...this should be pretty close.

---

Turn 6: (P - Wood Elves!)

The Elves charge and fail with all their throwing daggers (yet again). Celeborn is the last to charge and he places himself so that he cannot be trapped. The Five remaining Uruks with shields are far from him, so all he'll be facing are pikes. Saruman, no surprise, successfully casts Transfix on Celeborn. The other fights are fairly one-sided. No one shot in the Shoot phase, as the Elven archers have charged and the Uruk crossbows reformed to protect their base.

In the Fight phase, five Uruks beat Celeborn (who despite being Transfixed still rolls a 6 to win the fight) and score two wounds, both of which were saved by his Fate points (3/3 F used). With one other dice rolling a 5 in the rolls to wound, I'm really happy I took the heavy armor this game. In the other fights, the Elves clearly had the advantage, but only killed 3 Uruks this round. The Uruks, in turn, won two fights and killed no one. The Elves must be blessed.

Kill count: Wood Elves 13/34, Uruks 6/28.

---

Turn 7: (P - Wood Elves again!)

The Wood Elves charge again and this time, their throwing daggers worked! Two Uruks fell, which not only pays for the weapons, but chopped a good hole in the Uruk battle line. Celeborn is, once again, transfixed by Saruman - BUT, Saruman rolled a 1, so he paid a Might point to make it work (2/3 M). Three Elves and two Uruk crossbows fired warning shots at each other (not even hitting each other...next phase). We realized after taking this shot, btw, that one of the pikemen was free to move and so he backed up the Uruk fighting Celeborn.

In the Fight phase, Celeborn won his fight (despite being transfixed) and the Elves around him slew four Uruk-Hai. One Elf died during the round (despite being backed up by a friend).

Kill count: Wood Elves 19/34, Uruks 7/28. The Uruks are broken and are speedily retreating to their base. The game is all but over...

---

Turn 8: (P - tied, Uruk-Hai)

Saruman barely passed his Courage test, transfixed Celeborn yet again, and called a Stand Fast! for his army. Three Uruks needed to test for Courage and two passed the test (the one who failed hoisted his pike and you can see him scurrying away from the field). The Uruks worked on consolidation, since they only have six Uruks in the foreground. The Elves, in the meantime, send three of their warriors back to their base to make sure no one can get around their flanks. The other Elves form up in a battle line and prepare to throw their daggers again.

In the Shoot phase, the Uruks took aim and fired at the Elven archers (by far the greatest threat to their army), but they failed to hit them again. The Elves responded by killing a crossbowman with a Galadhrim arrow and one shield-carrying Uruk with a throwing knife. In the Fight phase, the single fight was won by the Elves on tied 6s and they succeeded in killing their foe.

Kill count: Wood Elves 23/34, Uruks 7/28.

---

Turn 9: (P - tied, Elves)

The Elves charge into the Uruks and engaged three of them, failing to kill any with their throwing daggers. Saruman decided to not provide his Stand Fast! range to the men in his base in order to get a beautiful shot with Sorcerous Blast (free + 2 other dice, 3/6 W). He succeeded in getting the shot off, but stopped short of knocking over Celeborn. After paying his final Might point, though, he succeeded in killing all three of his targets. The Uruk who was charged, now free to do as he wished, now decided with his companions to charge other units. Only one of the four units within the base failed his Courage test and the others ran up to be closer to Saruman - the Uruks aren't going to play defensively quite yet. Nothing happened in the Shoot phase.

In the Fight phase, nothing of interest happened, but here's what the field looks like (with 3 more Elves waiting back at their base and five Elven archers of to the left of the shot).

Kill count: Wood Elves 24/34, Uruks 10/28. With 10 Isengard units remaining and 15 Elves on the assault, we decided to call it a game. Since both Saruman and Celeborn were alive, we called it a minor victory for the Elves.

---

Conclusion:

Assessment by Tiberius:

I love my Elves - I really do. The strategy they use is really complicated and very risky, but it can pay off big when run well. Today, I got lucky during one round of combat that succeeded in keeping the flak off of Celeborn while he was transfixed. If it weren't for killing 6 guys in one round, I probably would have been toast. As soon as Celeborn fell, it would have been Sorcerous Blast after Sorcerous Blast, and that is never fun.

Assessment by Gaius:

The opening formation worked rather well: the pikes were protected, keeping the death count from rising until an unnaturally bad round of combat. With the Elves rolling 6s almost every fight (first to win, then to kill), there's really nothing you can do but hope it stops. Next time, though...next time.

Stellar unit for the Uruk-Hai: Saruman the Colorful

The Uruks really didn't do anything this game: no more than 3 kills per unit type and only 10 kills total. Saruman, however, killed 5 units and succeeded in keeping Celeborn down to 2 kills (both in his first round of combat). He finished the game with 3 Will points plus his spare one, plenty enough to kill a few more Wood Elves with Sorcerous Blast or keep Celeborn from doing anything interesting. This all serves as icing on the cake when you consider that he also gave his Uruks priority on a round after no hits were launched by throwing daggers and Celeborn was cautious enough to not challenge the Uruks. Getting your troops into combat with the Palantir is a huge benefit when you're using Uruk-Hai.

Stellar unit for the Wood Elves: Wood Elf Warriors with Elven blades and throwing daggers

Though I didn't use the Elven blades much this game, these guys are loads of fun. Their throwing daggers finally kicked in near the end of the game, resulting in 3 kills and of course, they fought in the forefront and killed numerous Uruks with shields. This they owe to their spear supporters, naturally, but the added pep that the throwing daggers brought after the initial shock was made was nothing short of perfect.

Hero Review: Celeborn with Elven blade, shield, and heavy armor

First off, the Elven blade is a must. You shouldn't be penalized with the "unarmed" rule when you can pay 5 points for the blade. Against most armies, the heavy armor should suffice, but the D7 that you can give Celeborn (and that I gave him today) really paid off. I like using melee heroes (despite my love for spell-casters) and I also like his ability to cast Immobilize on his foes. I can see him doing really well against Trolls, as they can't resist his spells and he can have 4 Attacks if backed up by a spear. If he doesn't have a shield, he can wound a Cave Troll on 5s with 4 Attacks - one good round and you're golden. Like all melee heroes, however, he lacks the Will points to stand up to a wizard like Saruman, so be sure to have other units that can do the killing each round for him.

Understanding the Strategy: Skirmish Units

So besides spell-casters, I really like skirmish units. When given the considerations they need, skirmishers can be very powerful and can provide a real headache to an enemy general. This post will focus on why one should include skirmishers in a force and some recommendations for what skirmishers to take and how to use them for the armies of Good. I'll briefly go over some skirmish options for armies of Evil, but there aren't nearly as many to pick from.

Why take skirmishers?

Skirmishers tend to be expensive (7-25 points) and lightly armored (if armored at all). Though cheap skirmishers can be fielded effectively in large numbers, more sophisticated skirmishers can buy themselves back in points with high statistics, deadly weapons, or special capabilities. When protected, skirmishers can kill enemy units without fighting them up close, scoring kills without risking your own units. Often times, these units will make up for the additional cost you paid to take them instead of conventional "men-at-arms" warriors, who rely on shields, swords, and spears. To show how this works, allow me to highlight a few principles...

Skirmish Principle #1: Keeping Distance

Skirmish units are generally not heavily armored, which means that should they lose a fight in close-combat, the chances that they live are not very great. Skirmishers have a ranged weapon of sorts (throwing weapon or a bow) and to gain the full use of these weapons, they must keep some space between an advancing horde of foes and their fragile formations. A commander of skirmishers should keep in mind not only the distance between the foes and your skirmishers, but must also measure the distance between your skirmishers and the edge of the board or an impassible piece of terrain. Since most skirmishers will back up from their advancing foes to gain the greatest benefit of their archery, you need to be mindful of where the wall is that you will back into.

Skirmish Principle #2: One Step Ahead

Skirmishers with throwing weapons require an extra consideration before use: the commander of a contingent of throwing weapons must be mindful of who is more likely to gain priority on the following turn. If your opponent moves before you, you can bring your warriors into 6" range from his warriors, but you risk (against your average army) being charged the following turn (if he has priority). If on the following turn, you are required to move first, it will generally be best to move 6" backwards to create a gap of 12" between you and your foe. Even if he stops outside of your throwing weapon range, he will be unable to charge you on the following turn, giving you time to choose how to hit him then.

If you have infantry and your opponent has cavalry, this tactic becomes a bit more difficult to maneuver. Since your foe can move 10-12" towards you, it is possible to get past a 6" throwing weapon radius. In this case, it is best to move into throwing weapon range (when your opponent moves before you) and count on charging the foe on the following turn, taking away the benefits of the cavalry models. This may mean getting closer than 6" to your foe, but making sure that you can charge the following turn is imperative, as cavalry are great at countering throwing weapons if they can maintain distance.

Skirmish Principle #3: Knowing When To Strike

Generally speaking, charging a group of skirmishers against men-at-arms or elite warriors is a bad idea. With low defense and the benefit of ranged weapons, charging is not a good idea unless you have the advantage. Once the enemy has been cut down to size (a smaller size, that is), charging your opponent should only happen when his warriors are disadvantaged in multiple fights. Winning these fights (and hopefully killing the guy afterwards) will allow your skirmishers to defeat the detachment that has been sent to deal with you and allow you to move on to harassing the main body of troops of your foe.

Application of Principles #1: Wood Elf Warriors with throwing daggers or Elf bows

For 9 points each, Wood Elf Warriors are very powerful skirmishers. All Wood Elves can benefit from their 3+ Shoot value if they are given throwing weapons and when coupled with Elf bows, your Wood Elves can bring their innate Strength 3 to bear against enemies from a distance. If protected from enemy archery and charging units, Wood Elves can (and often do) decimate their foes and pay for their equipment quickly. 8 Wood Elf Warriors with throwing daggers and 4 Wood Elf Warriors with Elf bows can pay for their equipment by killing 5 Goblins, 4 Orcs, or 3 Uruks of any kind and statistically, this should happen in 2-3 turns if there are no shooting modifiers (in-the-way, volley fire, spells, etc.). Pretty good, huh?

Fighting against foes with 5" movement is the perfect scenario for the Wood Elf throwing daggers, as they can move after their foe does to 5.5" away from their foe, throw their weapons, and force the enemy on the next turn to move only 4.5" because of the control zone contention. After this advance, your units skip away to the 5.5" distance and let your opponent get ready for that again. If you are forced to move before he does, you have the choice of charging him with your throwing weapons OR moving 5" away, forcing him to choose whether to leave more than 6" between the two of you (can't charge the following turn) or come back into range (still can't charge you). Regardless of the choice, your skirmishers won't be charged during this turn and if the foe attempts to remain outside of your throwing dagger range, he won't be charging you next turn either.

Wood Elves also benefit from the Woodland Creature special ability, which allows them to move through wooded terrain without penalty. Wood Elves who can enter a wood while retreating from their foes will put a good-sized gap between them and their oppressors and perhaps buy an extra turn or two of harassment. Anyone who is foolish enough to pursue these Elves will see them skip right through the other side of the wood and watch as these troops become encumbered in it. If the foe tries to go around, the harassment continues and the Elves may be able to cut back the way they came and leave their foes staring at an empty back of the woods, buying more time.

6) Application of Principles #2: Dwarf Rangers with Throwing Axes or Dwarf Longbows

Dwarf Rangers provide a different kind of skirmisher: the armored kind. Very few skirmishers can get to D5, but the Dwarf Rangers do. For 10 points each, a Dwarf Ranger armed with throwing axes or a Dwarf Longbow is dangerous and capable of dealing damage to his foes. If your enemy uses Strength 2 bows, these skirmishers are some of the best to use, since their D5 means they are wounded on a 6s, instead of 5s.

Like the Elves mentioned above, the throwing axes of these Dwarves can be lethal against enemies. Unlike the Elves, however, your units only move at 5" each turn, which means that if you're playing against a foe with 6" movement you may not be able to skirmish as much. Against Goblins with 5" movement, however, you can readily engage in the steady retreat with throwing axes to reduce their numbers. Dwarf longbows can shoot just as far as Elf bows, but are only Strength 2 instead of Strength 3. This makes them good bows to include in a Dwarf army, though, since the extra 6" at a 3+ Shoot Value is great against D4 and D6 foes.

While the Elves can move through wooded terrain without penalty, Dwarf Rangers can move through rocky terrain without penalty. Just like the woods, these rocky places can give your Rangers the opportunity to place distance between them and their foes and also provide solid cover for your troops. Rocky ground can also be used to form choke points depending on their placement and this allows you to have your enemy choose to face a solid line of Dwarf Warriors or try to catch the Dwarf Rangers harassing their flank by slogging through rocky terrain. This choice will usually favor the Rangers if the foe thinks they can catch them and if they don't make that choice, your rangers should be there to hammer his flank hard and take out his spearmen.

7) Application of Principles #3: Riders of Rohan/Warriors of Rohan/Rohan Royal Guards with throwing spears

The Host of Rohan is almost exclusively a skirmish force: D4-D5 units carrying throwing weapons or bows (either on foot or on horseback) provides an army that lives and dies based on how many foes fall before combat begins. Warriors of Rohan have a standard profile with a Shoot value of 4+ and Defense 5 (when carrying a shield), allowing them to field a large band of skirmishers for 9 points each. This army, however, also provides incredible skirmishing cavalry in addition to elite skirmish infantry.

Riders of Rohan cost 13-15 points and begin with both a bow and shield. These D5 cavalry can resist enemy archer fire (though they benefit greatly from cover as well) and can be equipped with throwing weapons, allowing you to skirmish with your foe easily and outmaneuver him while keeping the fire up. If you move half of your distance, you can shoot with a bow from 24" away, allowing you to engage the enemy's light troops before they are anywhere near your forces (or take shots at his cavalry units with throwing weapons). If the enemy comes closer, you can use throwing weapons (if equipped) and hammer Defense 5 foes who close in on your troops. Though these are costly skirmish units, their effectiveness in combat is undeniable.

Rohan Royal Guards cost 10-12 points and provide an elite warrior with the ability to skirmish. With heavy armor and shields, these guys are D6 and can stand against most barrages that hit them. Throwing spears allow them to skirmish a little but if they are caught by the enemy, they bring Fight 4 to bear against their foes. Royal Guards can also be mounted for 6 points each, allowing them to bring an incredible Fight value to the advantages of cavalry outlined above.

Conclusion: Skirmishers in the Ranks of Evil

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to employ skirmish units in your armies. I mentioned before that Armies of Evil can also field skirmish units, though their selection of units is much lower. Warg Riders, Haradhrim Raiders, Corsairs of all kinds, and Goblin Prowlers can be used to skirmish with a foe, and can use the same strategies identified above (corsairs operate a lot like Wood Elves with throwing weapons while Haradhrim cavalry have slightly lower defense but are similar to Rohan cavalry). All told, most Evil units fall into the traditional "men-at-arms" categories. In a future post, I'll show you an allied contingent at 600 points that fields an army of strictly skirmish units and see how it fairs against a foe that fields a conventional army without skirmish units to illustrate the usage of these principles. What armies will these be? Well, expect to go underground sometime very, very soon...