2022 NOVA Open - Centaur's Recap

Hey Reader!

So Rythbryt, Red Jacket, Zorro, and I all went to the Nova Open this year, and it was fun to play against a wide range of people from across the country! While I didn't do well, I wanted to give a quick recap of how the matches went, army I took, and a few highlights.

But first, quick shout out to Telcontar101 and others that we met at the tournament! It was cool to actually put a name to the face of the people who read our blog, and for that we thank you, :)

I.  The Army List: Shire + Rangers Historical Alliance

I decided to go with an army that I enjoy: a Shire army that included Aragorn/Strider with all the cool toys, because I love that guy, and I teamed him up with a vast number of bodies to reduce the chance of getting broken in two hours. So here's the army I took:

Warband 1

Aragorn/Strider with Anduril, Horse, Bow, and Armor (Army Leader)

Warband 2

Gandalf the Grey

5 Hobbit Archers

9 Hobbit Militia

Warband 3

Farmer Maggot with Grip, Fang, and Wolf

5 Hobbit Archers

4 Hobbit Militia

Warband 4

Holfoot Bracegirdle

12 Hobbit Shirriffs

Warband 5

Mayor Will Whitfoot

2 Hobbit Shirriffs

5 Hobbit Archers

5 Hobbit Militia

Warband 6

Farmer Cotton

5 Hobbit Archers

7 Hobbit Militia

TOTAL: 800pts, 68 models, 35 casualties to break, 51 to quarter, 11 Might Points

So we've got decent magic and archery protection with Gandalf, a Big Beater with Aragorn, some 8" move infantry with the dogs for tagging objectives, and 20 archers (plus Aragorn's bow and a lot of rocks).

I didn't know how this was going to do, but having played all of the scenarios a few times against a wide range of armies in practice, I walked into the tournament with a rough idea of what I needed to do.

Armies of Middle-Earth SBG: The Dark Powers of Dol-Guldur in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Photo Credit: The New York Times

So, funny story: I started writing this post almost two years ago. Actually, it was (briefly) published two years ago (as basically a list of bullet points--very embarrassing). So this probably has the record for longest-post-never-to-be-posted (although my "Ode to Kardush the Firecaller" is getting close). Anyway, good things come to those who wait. Or in this case, very spooky things...

So yeah. Dol Guldur. Spooky stuff. Lots of Strength 4. Historical Allies with Azog, Bolg, and da boys. Spoiler alert: they're good, and surprisingly versatile.

Also, be sure you check out the Green Dragon Podcast's recent episode on Dol Guldur at some point--it's phenomenal (except for the discussion of my favorite profile in the list). Definitely worth your time, especially if you have pressing painting projects.

Onward!

The Problem with Beornings

Pic courtesy of GamesWorkshop

Hey Reader!

So to start off, I should mention that I don't mind Beornings: I think they are a fantastic new addition to the game, and I'm so glad to see them in the miniatures line! A+ job by the team in model design, mechanics, points cost, and the legion associated with them.

But beornings bring out a potential issue in the game, which is the concept of "stat creep" from one release to the next, as the release of the beornings outdates, in my opinion, an entire faction in the game. Rythbryt covered this faction recently on the blog, so if you haven't played with them before, I recommend opening that article to give you a deeper dissection of the models in the force, as we won't be going that deep into it here.

Because from what I can see, The Beornings legendary legion is the new Rangers faction, except that they do almost everything better. Let's see why.

The Stuff of Legends: The Pits of Dol Guldur

Good morning gamers,

We're tackling the third of the four Legendary Legions that were released in the Fall of the Necromancer sourcebook, the Pits of Dol Guldur. Universally held by us here at TMAT as the least interesting of the Legendary Legions from that book (and often hailed as the "odd child" by the global competitive community too), this Legion is "just a bunch of Orcs" (and Thrain the Broken). Though its composition isn't anything remarkable and its special rules are sparse, the list is surprisingly versatile, and I've been really impressed with it in recent games (it gains the "Most Improved Opinion After Actually Using It" award for the year - though I'm currently playing the Fell Beings of Mirkwood LL and the Army of Gothmog, so we'll see if the list retains the mantle). So let's dig in and see what there is to know about this list!

Part 1: What Do You Need?

Legion Tax: 165-215pts

The only model you need to include in your list is Azog - and while you don't HAVE to take him on the White Warg, you probably always will. The White Warg comes with 3M/1W/1F that Azog can use while he's mounted on the warg and only costs 50pts (which means you get a F5/S5/2A mount with D5/2 Wounds, Terror, and Fell Sight for ~25pts - quite the steal and perhaps the best mount-for-value in the game). Should you be separated, the White Warg will automatically pass its separation Courage test AND any other Courage tests he needs to make. This pairing is bonkers - together they're very tough to beat, and separated they can be a tactical nightmare for your opponent.

Unexpected Military Formations: Trapping Your Own Heroes?!?!?!?!

Good morning gamers,

Today we're covering a formation that I've been trying out with the new Defenders of Erebor Legendary Legion: a way to trap your heroes so they can proctor free Heroic Combats. In general, trapping your own models is a horrible idea - but in that Legion specifically, you can turn heroes with fairly run-of-the-mill profiles into absolute monstrosities. However, as we'll see later in this post, this formation actually has applicability to lists outside this Legion for those of you who want to add an extra dimension of cunning to your game play (an innocent mind game with your opponent, if you will). Let's get right into it!

The Objectives of the Formation

In the new Defenders of Erebor Legendary Legion, there are two Legion bonuses that grant free Heroic Combats to the four "royal" heroes from the Legion - and they're triggered if the corresponding hero of the pair is trapped:

[A Bond Forged in War] If either Dain or Brand would be Trapped at the start of the Fight phase, then the other may declare a Heroic Combat without spending Might. If successful, they must join their Trapped ally's fight if possible. If this is not possible, then they must move as close as possible to their Trapped ally.

[The Heirs of the Kingdoms] If either Thorin III Stonehelm or Bard II would be Trapped at the start of the Fight phase, then the other may declare a Heroic Combat without spending Might. If successful, they must join their Trapped ally's fight if possible. If this is not possible, then they must move as close as possible to their Trapped ally.

If you've taken Brand, he has the Stoic Fighter special rule in his profile which gives him still MORE bonuses when he's trapped:

ACTIVE - At the start of a Fight involving Brand, check to see if he would be Trapped should his side lose the Duel roll, with the exception of if a friendly model can Make Way for Brand. If Brand would be Trapped, he may reroll a single D6 to win the Duel roll, and a single D6 when rolling To Wound.

These rules paired together gives us an interesting incentive to . . . well, actually trap our own guys. Trapping a model is actually quite easy in the game if you only have one avenue of retreat, as a model must Back Away if it can, but friendly models don't have to Make Way (that's optional). Prior to the August 2022 FAQ, since any model that can't Back Away is trapped, a player could legitimately declare after moving a friendly model (we'll say he has a spear) to block the retreat of Dain, Brand, Bard, or Thorin, that the spearman is "not going to make way" and the hero would be trapped.