Road to the Grand Tournament: Part One – Forces of Good

On February 26th and 27th 2022, I will be making the trip to Warhammer World to compete in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game Grand Tournament [GT]. For me, the event is one of the highlights of the tournament scene. Whilst it may not always be the most competitive event on the calendar, it has a level of history that no other event can match. Being able to call yourself a Warhammer World Grand Tournament winner is an achievement anyone who is into Wargaming can appreciate.

I have had a couple of near misses at success in the last few GTs in this current Edition of the Game – playing on top tables (and on Warhammer TV) for the final round at both the last two GTs. On both of these occasions I have just missed out on a Top 3 spot, despite losing neither game (one was a Draw).

Nevertheless, I am not here to dwell on the missed opportunities of the past, so looking ahead to this year, my goal is to finish in the Top 3 and secure one of the really cool GT trophies. Therefore, the first thing I need to do is to pick my Armies to take me to victory.

At previous GTs (and if I am honest, most events) I have always taken Dwarves. In 2019, I got 3 Wins out of 3 with Army of Thrór, and in 2020 it was the turn of Khazad-dûm; they got me 2 Wins and a Draw.

I have been successful with Dwarves and they are, by and large, the Army I’m most experienced with. I had strongly considered taking them again, but after gathering numerous newer Armies during lockdown, I felt it was time to change things up a little. As such, whilst I have a couple of Good Armies waiting in the wings that I built during the last couple of years, I am hesitant to go into the GT with a List I have not used competitively before. Therefore, this really left me with only one option…

Théodred’s Guard

The Army I have enjoyed using the most (outside of my Dwarves) is by far the Théodred’s Guard Legendary Legion [LL]. It has many characteristics that appeal to me as an Army, and I have already used it successfully on route to becoming the Great British Hobbit League [GBHL] League Champion last year (2021) by winning two GBHL 100 events with the LL. However, I have yet to use it above 650 Points; whilst 700 Points isn’t much of an increase, it does somewhat alter and increase the threats you may face.

Muster the Rohirrim!

By utilising my experience of the List and the forces I have assembled (at the time of writing this), my Good Army will consist of the following (I will also give a breakdown of each part of the Army, and what it can bring to the table):

Spears Shall Be… Thrown!

One of the appealing factors of the Army is your access to Throwing Weapons that you can accumulate en masse. This is an aspect of my Dwarven Armies that I have become quite the fan of. There is even an extra bonus here of the larger 8” range on the Spears.

Usually, you pay 2 Points for a Throwing Spear; I feel this is a little pricey, but the fact that in this LL they can also be used as Spear Supports, arguably means you are only paying 1 Point for the Throwing Weapon, and 1 for the dual use of the Spear. If you ask me, that’s a bargain.

The threat of 25 Throwing Weapons has a psychological impact on your opponent, and thus they are often worth it for this alone, as they are making an impression before you even score a Wound with them. It can force opponents into difficult decisions, and into using Might that they wouldn't otherwise use in order to avoid losing their models to charging opponents armed with Throwing Spears.

Sworn Protector

Everyone in the Army (including Théodred) gets ‘Sworn Protector Théodred’. Whilst this is a little redundant on the Rohan Royal Guard, it is a big benefit for the whole force. Never worrying about having to take Courage Tests makes the Army much more reliable.

This auto-pass Courage feature is doubly useful against Evil Armies, where Terror is often more prevalent (especially given the Good vs. Evil format of the GT). Angmar generally and Black Númenóreans have often been mainstays in Evil Lists, but this LL lets you negate one of their biggest bonuses.

Helmingas

Strength 4 troops are a fantastic option to have in a Good force. Outside of Dwarves and Númenor, Helmingas are the only option that provides this. You can also now use them whilst being supported by Rohan Warriors; not having to ally in Spear Supports really gives this LL a unique selling point, and unleashes their full potential.

Strength 4 is also arguably better for Good forces. As a general overview of troops across Evil, you are more likely to get Defence 4 to 6 models, with no Defence 7. This means that in nearly all games in the GT, you are getting value from your Strength increase. Additionally, if you really want to, Helmingas can go to Strength 5 if armed with Axes in order to get the bonus against most others models that Strength 4 doesn’t give you an advantage against.

Rohan Royal Guard

Despite the doubling up of Bodyguard and Sworn Protector bequeathing no additional benefit on them in this LL, Rohan Royal Guard still provide a valuable Defence 6 and Fight Value 4 troop for this Army. They deliver the resilience and skill to compliment the hitting power of the Helmingas, and thus collaborate excellently.

Mounted Rohan Royal Guard can also get to Fight Value 5 on the charge whist within 12” of Théodred. At only Strength 3, they may not hit as hard as they would in some other Rohan Lists, but being able to hold the Fight Value advantage over most Evil troops (and equalling/bettering the Fight Value of most Evil Heroes) makes them a handy threat; you’ll likely force out some Might from opponents who are left in the unfortunate position of having to Heroic Strike to outfight troops.

Mounted Rohan Royal Guard also make excellent Objective grabbers, with their speed, Fight Value, and Defence.

Outriders

These guys weren’t in my original Théodred’s Guard Lists, I originally felt the Shooting was not worth the loss in Combat potential, and I was also quite excited to see how many Throwing Spear I could fit in a List. Their special unlimited range Standfast rule also seemed a bit redundant in an Army where everyone receives Sworn Protector.

I will admit, I misjudged their use, and Outriders are now a key facet of my List. Nevertheless, I probably don’t use them as many other people use them outside of this LL.

Outriders are not my fast Objective grabbers, as I don’t give them a mount. I find that mounted Rohan Royal Guard with Throwing Spears can do this job better. Instead, by taking advantage of this being a Rohan battle line Army, these guys operate as my Shooting battery. With a Shoot Value of 3+, 11 of these guys can match most other units for skill with a Bow; only being outshot by the most dedicated ranged Armies.

Lastly, whilst I may have initially written-off the Standfast rule as redundant, it is this redundancy that I have actually come to appreciate. If things go wrong with Théodred, I can derive comfort from knowing that as long as I have a Hero alive, I have troops that will reliably hold Objective.

The Unlikely Lads

Your Hero selection in Théodred’s Guard is likely the thing that makes most people give this LL a pass and opt for one of the other LLs. I will admit, it is the weakest part of the List, but there are still some solid options; I think all the Heroes have worth, but they are often just overshadowed by other Rohan Heroes.

Théodred

Your Leader and lynchpin for the Army, Théodred can hit like a tonne of bricks with his base 3 Attacks and re-rolling Wounds on the charge. Whilst this damage output is great, he is also your only Hero with Heroic Strike, so will often be needed to take out enemy Heroes.

Only having 2 Wounds and 1 Fate lowers his durability, and adding in that he must charge if he can means he fulfils the role of a grenade. This is generally not too much of a problem in any other List where he is a supporting Hero. However, in a List where he is your Leader and where many of the Army benefits rely on him, you actually want to use him more cautiously. This is something I quickly learned in my first few games. Conversely, the good news is that the killing power of the troops means you don’t need him to over-commit, and thus he can be used in a support role.

Grimbold

The Helmingas tax – Grimbold is often only taken in Lists because he enables you to get these Strength 4 Warriors. In all honesty, that is why he is here as well. With only Defence 5, and always getting ‘-1’ to the duel roll, he is neither resilient nor reliable enough to win Combat on his own.

That is not to say Grimbold doesn’t have his uses. A base Fight Value of 5 is pretty handy, and will match most Evil Heroes. His Mighty Blow Special Rule can also combine to provide a real threat to some multi-wound models. With Spear and Banner re-roll, he will also get a couple of dice in Combat with no ‘-1’ on the Duel roll; thus increasing his reliability in this List.

An additional 3 Might is the biggest thing Grimbold brings. Acting as a Might-caddy can free the other Heroes to use their Might elsewhere.

Elfhelm

Probably my favourite Hero in the List is Elfhelm; he is one of those really unique Heroes that makes you think “I love that as a Profile”. Elfhelm is one of those Heroes that is less commonly used in other Rohan lists, so his talents can often be unknown to opponents as well.

He does have some downsides in being only Fight Value 4, but this is not as bad when only facing Evil, as in my experience you will find less Evil models that will match or beat him.

The main benefit of Elfhelm is his Throwing Spear, which pretty much always hits on a 3+ and with which you get to re-roll Hits, In The Way, and Wound rolls. Back that up with 3 Might, and chuck him on a Horse – suddenly you have an 18” threat range to all enemy Mounts or vulnerable targets.

Elfhelm also has Heroic Defence and Heroic Accuracy. Both can be incredibly handy; whether you’re seeking to hold up an enemy Hero for a Turn, or really put the fear into a squishy enemy back rank with your units armed with Bows and Throwing Spears.

Captain of Rohan

Finally, we come to the Captain of Rohan. If there is one thing I really do like in this Edition of the game, it is the way Captains have become a genuine consideration in many Lists. This is no different in this LL.

Not only is the Captain able to reach Defence 7, but he is also able to get to Fight Value 5 within 12” of Théodred. Much like the Rohan Royal Guard, this means he’ll be able to hold the Fight Value advantage over most Evil troops (and equal/better the Fight Value of most Evil Heroes). With Strength 4, the Captain can also inflict a respectable amount of damage whilst mounted on the charge, with the option of an Axe boosting them up to Strength 5 (if required).

The main reason people tend to take Captains is for Heroic March. Along with the normal benefits in this List, Heroic Marching a mass of Throwing Spear-wielding troops increases their threat range to 17”.

Looking Forward…

This is where I will be wrapping up Part One of my Road to the GT series; next time I will be looking at my Evil Army and breaking it down in much the same way. Look out for that one, and do let me know your thoughts on this series of articles (e.g. whether you’d be keen to see more).