Quest of the Ringbearer Inspired Lists: Ugluk's Scouts Legendary Legion

Good morning gamers,

In our last article, we looked at some Rivendell models you can add to your Quest of the Ringbearer collection to run a fun Rivendell list. Today we're looking at some of my favorite models in the range (aesthetically and thematically): Uruk-Hai Scouts! Yep, we're going to Isengard and seeing what kind of Scout-based lists we can make!

The List

Isengard plays an important part in the Lord of the Rings films, particularly in the Two Towers. In the Fellowship of the Ring, though, there are few forces that are quite as terrifying as seeing the scouts of Isengard racing down the Anduin pursuing the Fellowship (and ultimately engaging them at Amon Hen). Your Isengard collection, though, leaves you with very, VERY few choices:

• Lurtz is the "big hero" during the Amon Hen sequence;
• The Uruk-Hai Scout command pack will be useful too, though you only NEED the Captain with two-handed weapon (the other guys are useful too - just not needed for the campaign);
• You'll need 24 Uruk-Hai Scouts, conveniently provided in a single plastic kit; and
• You have access to 3 Orc Captains and 37 Mordor Orcs from the Osgiliath scenario (which Isengard has access to if you read closely enough).
  

If you're playing Fantasy Fellowships, though, you get a few more models to work with thanks to the Ambush at Night scenario:

• You need Ugluk (who comes in the Lurtz pack);
• You need Mauhur; and
  
• You need Grishnakh and Snaga.
  

If you limit yourself to these models, the clear army to run is the Ugluk's Scouts Legendary Legion, where you can field 5 warbands of Orcs or Uruk-Hai Scouts (for a total of 52 models):

• Ugluk [ARMY LEADER]
• 3 Uruk-Hai Marauders with shields
• 2 Uruk-Hai Marauders
• 1 Uruk-Hai Marauder with banner
  
• 3 Uruk-Hai Marauders with Uruk-Hai bows
• Mauhur
• 3 Uruk-Hai Marauders with shields
• 3 Uruk-Hai Marauders
• 3 Uruk-Hai Marauders with Uruk-Hai bows
  
• Uruk-Hai Scout Captain with two-handed axe
• 2 Uruk-Hai Marauders with shields
• 3 Uruk-Hai Marauders
• 2 Uruk-Hai Marauders with Uruk-Hai bows
  
• Snaga, Orc Captain
• 4 Orc Warriors with shields
• 1 Orc Warrior with spear
  
• 5 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• Grishnakh, Orc Captain with shield
• 5 Orc Warriors with shields
• 6 Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 1 Orc Warrior with shield, spear, and banner

700 points, 52 models, 8 Uruk-Hai bows hitting on a 4+, 1 D6+ model, 28 fast infantry, 13 Might

This is a big list - 52 models is nothing to sniff at. In the international community, it would appear that a lot of people think that this list is a great choice. I, however, get frustrated with this list because the 8" move on the Uruk-Hai is wasted a good bit of the time. Since you have access to spears on the Orcs, if you want to run a shield-supported Uruk-Hai line, your Uruks will need to either a) move 6" to let the Orcs keep up, or b) need to move 4" to shoot and move on the same turn (slowing down your Orcs and not allowing the archers to keep up with any melee Uruks that want to move 8"). Sure, you can run an Uruk-Hai Drummer to make those bow-armed Uruks move 5.5" while shooting (which is basically the same movement as you get on your Orcs), but at that rate, you're moving "as fast as normal troops" - which means the 8-11" movement you should get on those Uruks is still wasted (at least to a degree).

Quest of the Ringbearer: Pop-Up Bree!

Good morning gamers (and happy Thanksgiving if you're in the States),

Confession: I have wanted to build a city board with tons of houses for ages. The idea of having side streets and main roads for armies to use to maneuver has always intrigued me. But, in MESBG, there is a tendency for boards with overly-cluttered maps to become a game in and of themselves and detract from the ACTUAL game that's being played. So when I saw the Nazgul In Bree scenario in Quest of the Ringbearer sourcebook, I immediately got thinking about how to build Bree (and how to run the Depths of Moria LL, but that's a different story). :-)

I knew there were two complications I needed to tackle when it came to the buildings: first and foremost was storage. Most of the YouTube content you find out there on building medieval taverns or Bree buildings specifically are built from foam card and aren't easy to store. I don't have a lot of storage space, so I wanted to avoid having 3-4 boxes of terrain for a single board.

Second and more applicable to game play was the skyline problem. You've probably run into a situation once or twice where you were not able to get your head behind your model to see if it has line of sight to something - and that usually happens when there's a building behind your model. Well, I wanted the buildings to be easy to remove and replace so that wouldn't be a problem (since the streets will be narrow).

So how do we do this? Well, we start by eating lots of family-sized cereal (my go-to is a Post-brand cereal that has raisins in it, but I settled for others when those weren't in stock at my favorite warehouse members-only supply store).

Quest of the Ringbearer Inspired Lists: Rivendell Revisited

Good morning gamers,

We're back in Quest of the Ringbearer and discussing lists we can make for Matched Play based on models we've collected from the sourcebook. Last time we looked at Angmar and today we're digging into their ancient foe, Rivendell.

I know what you're thinking though:

You: "Aren't we given basically no Rivendell units in Quest of the Ringbearer - just Gildor, Arwen, and technically Glorfindel?"

Me: "Correct - next to none."

You: "And we've got loads of other factions we could be building for?"

Me: "Absolutely - and we will."

You: "But we're still covering Rivendell today?"

Me: "Yes."

You: " . . . Why? . . ."

Me: "Because of these guys . . ."

Yes, I've been searching high and low for these two models for AGES and now that I have them, I'm getting them on the tabletop! So strap in - we're going to see how we can finnagle Quest of the Ringbearer to suit our needs (and maybe purchase a few more models along the way).

The List

If you limit yourself to just the models from Quest of the Ringbearer, your Rivendell collection is . . . depressingly small:

• Gildor Inglorion is used in one mission (Shortcuts Make Long Delays);
  
• Arwen Evenstar is used in one mission (Flight to the Ford);
  
• You have the option to use Glorfindel in Flight to the Ford instead of Arwen; and
  
• You have 6 Wood Elf Warriors in the Lothlorien scenarios (and probably have 18 other Wood Elf Warriors if you bought the plastic box) who could be used as Noldorin Exiles.

This doesn't give you much to go on - so go purely from Quest of the Ringbearer, you need to a) collect models for Fantasy Fellowships, and b) be okay allying with Lothlorien and the Fellowship. Some of the members of the Fellowship (Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas in particular) are powerful heroes who can increase your damage output (up-close or from a distance) and Aragorn/Boromir have March for your army (so Gildor doesn't have to spend his Might point doing that). With Fantasy Fellowships, you get access to:

• An armored-version of Haldir (and Celeborn, actually); and
• 12 Galadhrim Warriors (though you probably have 24 if you picked up the plastic box). 

With the knowledge that you could do a direct swap of Aragorn for Glorfindel, the list you could run looks like this:

• Gildor Inglorion
• 1 Noldorin Exile with throwing daggers
  
• 5 Noldorin Exiles with Wood Elf spears and throwing daggers
• 4 Noldorin Exiles with Elf bows
• HISTORICAL ALLY: Haldir with heavy armor and Elf bow
• 5 Galadhrim Warriors with shields
• 5 Galadhrim Warriors with shields and spears
• 5 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows
• HISTORICAL ALLY: Aragorn - Strider with armor and bow [ARMY LEADER]
  
• Boromir of Gondor with shield
  

With 29 models, 11 fast infantry with a free Heroic March from Aragorn (or 6 Might for March on Boromir if you run Glorfindel instead of Aragorn), and 13 Might points (plus Mighty Hero if you run Aragorn), this is a truly terrifying list (vulnerable to archery, perhaps, but a terrifying list all the same). However, it doesn't feel very Rivendell-like - AND it doesn't really give Gildor or Glorfindel the time to shine that they really deserve. So instead, I've recently been trying something else out (plus most of my Galadhrim Warriors have Elf bows and spears . . . so I can't play this list right now).

Most Rivendell lists will sport a bunch of High Elf Warriors, which we don't have in any of the QOTR scenarios. Many Rivendell lists will also include at least a few Rivendell Knights, which we don't have in any of the QOTR scenarios either. With access to Noldorin Exiles, you probably don't NEED Rivendell Knights for speed per se, but many players would prefer the high-Defense, lance-wielding, all-bow cavalry models over their half-priced, more fragile, all-throwing-weapon-capable infantry models. I get that.

Quest of the Ringbearer: Model Collection Update, Part III

Good morning gamers,

We're back for another update on my Quest of the Ringbearer collection and while I don't have the 12 Wargs I need for Part II, we're looking at the Amon Hen sequence for Part III today!

Part III: Lothlorien to Emyn Muil

There are four scenarios covered here - three chain-linked scenarios and one "big scenario" with everyone in it. Depending on whether you're playing Fantasy Fellowships or the normal campaign determines which one you'll be doing, so let's look at the participants.

Purchase #18: Lurtz and Ugluk

Two pretty good mid-tier heroes . . .

These are two great heroes and I have enjoyed using them in the Lurtz's Scouts LL. I got both for cheap off eBay and Ugluk got a skinnier sword than the original metal model has thanks to being damaged before I got him.

Purchase #19: Uruk-Hai Captain with 2h

You can get this guy now in the Scout command pack, but I did a conversion off a Scout - those poses are really dynamic and some of my favorite poses in the game.

Purchase #20: 24 Uruk-Hai Scouts

You need a box of Scouts for the scenarios, but if you plan on running the Lurtz's Scouts LL or the Ugluk's Scouts LL, you probably want more. Here are my 24 favorite ones in all their glory:

You want as many of these guys as you can in two Legendary Legions . . .

Crowd favorites - fast with average Defense and above-average Fight/Strength

Usually not run without shields, but I find you can get a few more numbers out of these guys if you leave some shields at home . . .

Bonus pic - I converted an Uruk-Hai Drummer up as well (and three Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk-Hai bows and banners for the Lurtz's Scouts LL). I've actually shown these guys on the blog before, but I think they deserve some billings here on their own:

Conclusion

Here's how the standings look:

• Current Model count: 
• Part I: 42/42 (100%)
• Part II: 43/55 (~78%)
• Part III: 27/27 (100%)
• TOTAL: 112/124 (~90%)
• Estimated cost remaining: ~$80

Quest of the Ringbearer Inspired Lists: Angmar Revisited

Good morning gamers,

Angmar is an old kingdom and as such, it doesn't have any historical allies. Early in the Third Age, after the fall of Sauron, the kingdom of Angmar dominated over the weakened kingdom of men in Arnor and strove against the Elves of Rivendell. You wouldn't think that a scenario book set during the late Third Age would be able field much from Angmar, but alas, the Quest of the Ringbearer is FULL of Angmar models. Let's see what kind of list we can build from it!

The List

In Quest of the Ringbearer, we have a surprising number of Angmar models available to us:

• We have 4 Barrow-Wights from the Fog of the Barrow-Downs scenario;
• The Witch-King of Angmar in a variety of missions;
• A Wild Warg Chieftain and 18 Wild Wargs in two missions;
• 1 Cave Troll (who is a much needed hitter);
• 6 Dead Marsh Spectres from the Dead Marshes mission; and
• 3 Orc Captains and 37 Orcs (12 shields, 12 spears, 6 two-handed weapons, 6 Orc bows, 1 banner) from the Osgiliath mission. 

This is . . . a really good foundation for an Angmar army - and if you expand your collection to play Fantasy Fellowships, you also have 18 Warg Riders to add to your team. Let's look at one of the ways you can do it:

I didn't quite have enough Spectres for this one, so I have a Warrior of the Dead standing in . . . see if you can spot him. :)

• Barrow-Wight [Red - ARMY LEADER]
• 3 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields
• 3 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 3 Angmar Orc Warriors with Orc bows
• 1 Angmar Orc Warrior with two-handed axe
• 1 Cave Troll with Troll chain and hand-and-a-half hammer
• Barrow-Wight [Yellow]
• 3 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields
• 2 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 1 Angmar Orc Warrior with shield, spear, and banner
• 1 Angmar Orc Warrior with Orc bow
• 1 Dead Marsh Spectre
• Barrow-Wight [Green]
• 3 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields
• 2 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 1 Angmar Orc Warrior with shield, spear, and banner
• 1 Angmar Orc Warrior with Orc bow
• 1 Dead Marsh Spectre
• Barrow-Wight [Blue]
• 3 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields
• 3 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields and spears
• 1 Angmar Orc Warrior with Orc bow
• 1 Dead Marsh Spectre
• Wild Warg Chieftain
• 6 Wild Wargs