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For those of you that have missed the previous instalments in this series, I would advise you read Parts One and Two, where you can learn all about the Lists I am planning to take to this year’s Warhammer World Grand Tournament [GT].
It may come as a surprise to many, but I rarely ever get to play many games outside of Events. Since I was humbly crowned Great British Hobbit League [GBHL] Champion at the fantastic Scouring of Stirlingshire Event in December, I have played a grand total of 0 games. The Into The West Event would be my normal season-opener, but with Covid delaying it until the summer, I was facing the prospect of no games until the GT itself! This was not ideal preparation (to say the least).
Luckily for me, Will Champion and the Team at 7th City Collectables were running an Event in early February, and I managed to snag a ticket for it. What made this opportunity even better was that this was an Event specifically designed to provide GT practice (or act as a replacement Event for those who missed out on a ticket to the GT).
Tactical Theory
At this juncture, I believe it might be helpful (and of interest) to outline some of the basic tactics and theories behind my two Lists.
Having used variations of both Armies at a previous Event in the 2nd half of last year, I know how they work at other Points levels, yet I have not been able to test them at 700 Points. Nevertheless, I believe the theories behind the Lists still hold up.
Théodred’s Guard – Shoot And Throw
This is quite a simple strategy to enact. The 11 Rohan Outriders can hopefully provide ranged dominance, forcing my opponent to come to me.
My opponent is then forced into range of my Throwing Spears. With the option to move full and still throw, I can move out of the standard Charge-ranges in order to gain more rounds of shooting.
Terrain can be used to funnel my opponent into an area in order to pincushion them, whilst protecting my own flanks.
Once the enemy has been worn down, the main bulk of my line can commit and hopefully break my opponent, fracturing their weakened lines.
A unique attribute of my battle-line are the Helmingas and Rohan Royal Guard (both equipped with Spear). I can therefore be flexible with who I place in the front rank. When fighting Strength 4 enemies, I can put the Helmingas up front; when fighting Strength 3 enemies, maybe the Rohan Royal Guard (with their Defence 6) instead.
The Throwing Spears will continue to be a threat every time I win Priority. It is not something I would rely upon, but every additional Kill will be a blow to my opponent. It can also force Might out from them (with little consequence for myself), as they seek to call a Heroic Move in order to initiate engagement and limit the number of Throwing Weapons they’ll have to weather. Théodred and Grimbold are likely to remain with the main line, providing the Might support and Heroic Combat potential (where needed).
When my line is engaged, the Rohan Outriders can either move to hold my home Objective (if applicable), or provide numerical support in the main battle-line; after all, an Archer is not just a ranged threat.
Both the Captain of Rohan and Elfhelm will be able to lead the small contingent of Mounted Rohan Royal Guard to outflank the enemy, counter their moves, or capture/accomplish Objectives. Their speed, Throwing Spears, comparatively high Fight Value, Might, and Killing-power should give them the advantage in most skirmishes taking place away from the main battle-line.
What About The Shadow Lord?
When your Army has such a potent ranged threat, there is always the question of what happens if you face Blinding Light (or some similar effect), and the Shadow Lord? Luckily for me, a Good vs Evil format means that I won’t face Blinding Light (or some similar effect), and the Shadow Lord is the only thing that can neutralise my shooting.
When thinking about possible bad match-ups, it’s good to think of the overall context. So yes, my shooting will be neutralised, but the likelihood is that if I face an Army with the Shadow Lord, I won’t (in turn) be faced by a significant shooting threat from them; Mordor just doesn’t have that potential (without allies).
The other (often overlooked) aspect of these bubble effects is the constraint it can place on the enemy Army. To benefit from it, they must remain within 6” of the source. It’s pretty doable, but can allow you to anticipate the Army movements. If you consider most Objectives have to be deployed at least 12” away from each other, it can hamper the enemy’s ability to do so, or even force a portion of their Army out of the protective bubble.
Additionally, always knowing I will hit on a 6 changes the dynamic of how my Army moves; suddenly I don’t have to weigh up whether or not I move my units with Throwing Weapons, as they’ll all be hitting on a 6 anyway.
Throwing Weapons (unlike most Bows) also have the added bonus of continuing to be a threat when combat hits. Continuing to neutralise this threat can become a big drain on the Shadow Lord, who has to expend a Will-point nearly every Turn in which I could charge, or risk the Throwing Spears.
What Is The Biggest Threat?
It’s important to understand that most Lists have a weakness; even some of the most successful and powerful Lists have bad match-ups, or an Achilles Heel. Depending on what your opponent brings, this could take the form of drawing a particular Scenario in that game. Unfortunately, the weakness within my Good List is Théodred himself. He isn’t the most survivable Leader, and additionally is my only source of Heroic Strike. Luckily, I have other ways to get Fight Value 5 into the List, but I will still have to manage Théodred; for example, I might be required to hide him at the back of the board in order to protect the Leader Victory Points, and the bonuses he provides to my troops.
In terms of Lists I would most fear, it is likely to be those of the Fallen Realms. They are the only Evil Armies who can potentially outshoot me, and who have the numbers and Fight Value to go toe to toe with me in combat as well. It is in these games that I will be most reliant on the impact of the Throwing Spears, as well as playing the Scenario tactically. This is not ideal, but it is achievable.
Hit Them Hard And Fast
The tactics I will employ with my Mordor Army are almost completely juxtaposed to those I will utilise with my Good List.
In many Scenarios, hitting an enemy high up the board will give you control of most of the Objectives; this is where the Drum comes in, as the speed it grants you allows you to get in the face of the enemy in their territory. It also provides a massive redeployment option for a large bulk of my troops, with my opponent unable to react sufficiently to it, or having to pull their troops out of position in order to do so. This Army has a battle-line that can put out 3 Attacks (at Strength 4) in most combats, as well as often being able to take advantage of re-roll to Wound bonuses. In most cases, this should mean that in any combat I win, I will score a Wound.
Gothmog and Gorbag are proficient at inflicting casualties on most enemy troops early, utilising the Time Of The Orc Special Rule (and their Might) in order to ensure this happens.
If I have been successful in fracturing the enemy lines and formation in the early combats, every Priority my opponent loses might then be catastrophic for them, especially as the likelihood is that I will now have the numerical advantage.
This is where the Master of Battle Special Rule can really shine, as it allows you to freely counter opponents’ Heroic Moves as they seek to recover from losing Priority.
How To Deal With Heroes?
One of the big threats posed by most Good forces is their Heroes. At 700 Points, I would expect to see three to four in a Good force; with usually only one or two providing a significant combat threat.
There are standard tactics for dealing with Heroes, including smart play and positioning; you can also shoot at their Mounts, both in combat as well as out of combat.
I also have the additional benefit of 2 Spellcasters who both have the potential to regenerate their Will. Many mid-level Heroes will only have 1 Will. This means (unless they are lucky) that they will only be able to attempt to Resist one Spell (and might not even be successful in doing so). If I target these Heroes with a Fireball, I can force them to spend their Will resource; this then allows me to target them freely with one of Muzgúr’s Spells.
More powerful Heroes may be able to Resist for a couple of Turns. However, there is likely to only be one such Hero present in their force, and with multiple Spells being Cast at them, they’ll not be able to Resist forever. Even an early attempt at the Wither Spell can force the opponent to Resist before combat hits. Their Strength 4 decreasing down to Strength 3 suddenly makes it 6s to Wound my Gundabad Orcs; this forces them into a tough decision as to whether it’s worth suffering the handicap, or seeking to Resist it and leaving yourself vulnerable to future Spells.
Under Fire
If I am to come under a sustained threat at range, I also have options in a change of formation; this changes my tactics slightly, but still exists in addition to the abilities I already have to negate the effects of shooting through the Stalk Unseen Special Rule, the Drum, and Heroic March.
Moving the Morannon Orcs with Shield to the front of the line gives you an ‘in-the-way’, in addition to a reliable Defence 6 against enemy missiles (even Strength 3 Elf Bows).
You might think that this could cause movement issues, with the Morgul Stalkers out of position and unable to comprise the front line (thus helping overwhelm the enemy through weight of dice). However, you can instead utilise the Morannon Orcs to provide a steady battle-line, whilst the Morgul Stalkers move out and pincer on the flanks. Their natural 2 Attacks will give me an advantage in any one on one situation; the more of these I can force, the better.
What Is The Biggest Threat?
There are few Good Armies that can resist the hitting power my List can wield, but chief amongst the exceptions are Dwarves. Defence 7 completely negates any benefit from my Strength 4, and Dwarves are often one of the few Armies with Strength 4 (which can significantly hurt me), especially when combined with their Fight Value 4.
Luckily, I know a thing or two about Dwarves; whilst there is little I can do in a head to head match-up, I will usually outnumber them, and my force possesses a significant movement advantage. This can give me the edge in most Scenarios, even if I struggle to get through their high Defence.
Putting Theory Into Practice
That’s enough theory though, so let’s see how my Armies got on when I took them to the GBHL 80 Event at 7th City Collectables that also would provide a welcome warm-up for the Warhammer World Grand Tournament.
If you need a reminder of my list you can find them in Part 1 (Good) and Part 2 (Evil)
Round One - Théodred’s Guard vs Angmar: Assassination
My first game of the year was against Aidan Lummer’s Angmar (you can see his List below):
Generally, one of the best Evil match-ups for my Théodred’s Guard is Angmar, and it was no different on this occasion. My List naturally counters many of Angmar’s tricks; Sworn Protector nullifies Terror and the tricks of Dead Marsh Spectres. Additionally, I don’t have a reliance on my Heroes to score Kills, which limits the impact of the Barrow-wights. Finally, the low Defence and Fight Value of the Angmar Army means that my Throwing Spears are a significant threat to them, and I have the far superior battle-line.
Furthermore, Assassination is a Scenario that has some advantages for me, particularly as I can use my shooting dominance to its fullest. You can see the terrain I set up by also forced Aidan to avoid the middle-ground, and he also opted to split his force in twain to cover each flank.
Early in the game, I was able to catch Aidan’s Orc Captain (my Target) out of position with Elfhelm (my Assassin). To do this, I targeted his Warg Rider with a combination of Elfhelm, my Rohan Royal Guard on Horse, and my Rohan Captain; I then called and completed a Heroic Combat that allowed me to engage his Orc Captain. I Trapped him, exploited my higher Fight Value to win the fight, and Killed him with Elfhelm.
Knowing that I had secured 7 Victory Points, my main focus was now on breaking Aidan’s Army; this I did. Aidan did manage to get the opportunity to Kill Elfhelm in one round, and Théodred in another; whilst neither of these events would have cost me the game, it could have made the scoreboard much closer.
The Witch-king and his Warband were fairly anonymous throughout the game; I kept them at arms-length through the threat of my Throwing Spears and the Bows of the Rohan Outriders (who only had Grimbold to lead them). This starved the Witch King of high-value targets.
The game ended with Aidan’s force being Broken, and my force suffering minimal casualties. It was revealed that his Orc Captain was his Assassin, and my Rohan Captain his Target. Neither Leader had been Wounded.
10-0 Victory: Théodred’s Guard
Whilst Aidan did not fall into the Deployment death-zone trap I had laid for him, I was able to capitalise on him splitting up his force. This enabled me to move Théodred away from the threat of the Witch-king. Aidan’s aggressive use of the Orc Captain also gave me a good opportunity to exploit, as I felt he focused less on employing the Orc Captain’s ability to Heroic March (so as to not allow his force to get out-manoeuvred by my Army), and more on attacking his Target; this then allowed me to reach and Kill him (as I had nominated him as my Target).
Round Two – Mordor vs Radagast’s Alliance: Hold Ground
Game Two saw myself playing on Table Two due to my fairly big score in the first round. This time, I was playing event-regular (and all-round fun guy) Nathan Talbot (you can see his List below):
The match-up was one I would be confident in in most Scenarios; with my Army having access to the Fury Spell, 2 Attacks, and Strength 4, I knew from experience that these aren’t things that Eagles like to face.
Things got worse from the outset for Nathan, as his two Eagle Warbands got split up in the Maelstrom Deployment. Gothmog’s Warband had to deploy on the other side of the board, and thus had a free run to claim the central Objective.
Nathan opted to try and take out Gorbag and Kardûsh’s Warbands in Turn Two. However, a failed Casting attempt at Nature’s Wrath, followed by a counter-charge (combined with a Heroic Strike) from Gorbag and the unengaged Orcs, resulted in one of the Eagles being vanquished. That Turn, Muzgúr arrived to support my Warband, meaning Nathan would not get a second attempt at this approach; I took out Radagast and the remaining Eagle before Gwaihir’s Warband could come and support them.
The game ended in the first Turn that it could, with Gothmog’s Warband easily scoring maximum Victory Points by capturing the central Objective; with Nathan’s Leader slain and his force Broken, I had successfully achieved all the scoring Objectives.
12-0 Victory: Mordor
On reflection, I was glad that Nathan did not retreat with Radagast’s Warband in the first instance, as this allowed me to take him on piecemeal. Hero/Monster Armies tend to perform best when together, as they need to be able to support each other; their separation from the rest of his List allowed me to take full advantage with my Army’s strengths.
Round Three – Théodred’s Guard vs Isengard – Retrieval
With my two Wins (and possessing a Victory Points difference of +22), I was now on the Top Table facing an Isengard Army run by returning GBHL veteran Anuj Dua (you can see his List below):
In much the same way as my first game, I deployed in a defensive formation between two impassable bits of terrain; this left my Objective a little exposed to a potential flanking manoeuvre.
The exposed vulnerability was actually a feint to draw part of Anuj’s forces away from the battle-line. I deployed my Rohan Captain and a small squad to delay Thrydan and his flanking force. Meanwhile, Elfhelm led the mounted Rohan Royal Guard to capture the Relic which was only being defended by the long-ranged Spells of Saruman.
As the game progressed, the central fight quickly turned in my favour; superior numbers and the growing death-toll (which was catastrophic) caused by the Throwing Spears leaving Anuj with little he could do.
Saruman failed a Sorcerous Blast attempt at one of the mounted Rohan Royal Guard, and did not get another chance to Cast before Elfhelm turned his attention on him. Grimbold was able to do a Heroic Combat to swing into position in order to charge Saruman in the next Turn. Caught between the two Heroes, a Trapped Saruman had only one die to forestall his impending doom; it was not enough to prevent Grimbold using his mighty Axe to cleave him through.
As the game drew near its conclusion, my Rohan Captain’s Warband had finally been wiped out, but it was too little too late for Anuj; I had captured his Prize, Broken him, and slain his Leader. The game ending on the first Turn it could meant that I could not score maximum Victory Points, but ultimately Théodred’s Guard had another strong Win in the bag.
8-0 Victory: Théodred’s Guard
Having a significant numbers advantage, ranged threat, and the mobility required to achieve the Objective meant I was in a strong position to dictate play. Things may have been somewhat different if Anuj had opted to play defensively and concentrate less on trying to reach my Objective, focussing instead on trying to Break me and wound Théodred.
Round Four – Mordor vs Radagast’s Alliance – Reconnoitre
I finished Day One of the Event at the top of the Leaderboard, and would be heading into Day Two with a great chance to achieve a place on the Podium. I was drawn against Tristan, and in a surprise turn of events I ended up playing a second lovingly-painted Eagle Army with my Mordor List. The only difference this time was that Gwaihir was the Leader, and Radagast was on an Eagle (not a Sleigh) - (you can see his List below):
As we set to playing Reconnoitre, I was able to get the centre of the board at the same time as the Eagles (due to the speed I had from the Drum).
The terrain both worked in my favour, and against me. I was forced to funnel my troops into a central channel, meaning I couldn’t use my numbers as well as I’d like in order to run around the Eagles and escape the board.
The terrain also meant I got to make excellent use of the Stalk Unseen Special Rule on my Morgul Stalkers. Whilst having a 12” Move is generally great for the Eagles, as long as I kept behind some terrain and was over 6” away, they could not charge me.
In order to force Tristan’s hand, I sent the Morgul Knight and a small number of Morannon Orcs to make a break for the board edge on the right-hand side. This drew Gwaihir and another Eagle away from the central kerfuffle as they sought to prevent them escaping. The two surviving members of this group would then jump into the nearby terrain, negating the Eagle’s main advantage as they slowly worked their way to the board edge. One Eagle was then forced to babysit the edge of the board in order to prevent these two making a break to escape.
Whilst this was happening, Radagast had been jumping in and out of combat (using Heroic Combats to retreat to a safe range); however, he was unable to cause significant damage to my force (although I did lose Gothmog’s Warg to a Hurl).
I made my move once I had lost Priority; using the Drum, I closed to within charging distance of the Eagle who had remained in the centre (with a Might-depleted Gwaihir re-joining them that same Turn). Having pushed further up the board, I used some terrain on the left flank in much the same way as I had on the right, in order to force Radagast to babysit these models to prevent them making a break for the board edge.
Winning the next Turn’s roll-off, I pinned the enemy combatants down, and much like the last game (through a combination of Heroics Strikes and Heroic Combats) I proceeded to Kill at least an Eagle a Turn. This resulted in Gwaihir’s death on the second round of these combats.
My remaining models then made for the board edge, with Gothmog and over 50% of my Army; Tristan was Broken, and his Leader slain, so I scored maximum Victory Points.
12-0 Victory: Mordor
Having played a lot with the Eagles in the last Edition, I knew Reconnoitre was not the easiest Scenario for them. To overcome this difficulty, I have always believed the trick was to hit the enemy as high up the table as you could; you would have to Break the opponent as fast as possible, and take out anyone who could provide a Standfast or Fury. Successful application of this approach meant you could hopefully end the game before the enemy got a chance to reach your board edge.
Round Five: Théodred’s Guard vs Serpent Horde – Domination
Having yet to concede a Victory Point in the Event so far, I couldn’t really complain about how it had been going. However, I had had some favourable match-ups and Scenarios come my way. I knew this was about to change when I saw the List Rob White (my next opponent) put on the board to face my Théodred’s Guard; Harad.
As mentioned earlier, Harad is one of the Lists I would fear the most with my Army, and Rob had brought exactly the kind of List I was concerned about (you can see his List below):
Knowing my Army could be overpowered both at range and in combat by his Army, and knowing that in addition I lacked the numbers advantage, I knew I had to play smart from the very start of this Scenario; I proceeded to do this with the placing of the Objectives. The Rohan Palisades on the board were causing a narrower channel down the middle; I deployed both of my Objective-markers right up on the centre line, and Rob put his in the more traditional corner areas.
Winning the Deployment roll-off, I picked Rob’s side of the board and Deployed the majority of my force near the centre line. Most of Rob’s forces were deployed closer to his board edge to avoid facing my Throwing Spears in Turn One. This gave me control of four out of five Objectives, and I contested the other.
Sadly it appears that the photos of this game were corrupted and did not save properly onto my camera for unknown reasons. I have drawn a diagram on paint to help though instead.
Whilst pushing to engage his Army as high up the table as I could, I took serious casualties in the first significant round of combat; I also had some poor dice rolls, ultimately failing to score a Kill in response.
The contested flank saw the majority of our Heroes (with a smaller group of troops) fighting a desperate skirmish in order to establish dominance. After losing three Heroic Move roll-offs in a row, I was lucky to still have Théodred alive. Unfortunately, Grimbold and my Rohan captain had been slain.
After sustaining initial losses to compete in the open against Rob’s troops, my main line (led by Elfhelm) had retreated in order to hold the central Objective.
Rob, sensing that he was running out of time to capture the Objectives, sent small forces to take the three other Objectives I held. However, he was unable to do so as my Rohan Outriders slew the low Defence Harad models before they could wrest control from me.
With the clock running out, I was already broken, and Rob himself was just a couple of models away from being Broken. However, Sworn Protector ensured none of my models fled the battlefield. With the majority of the Objectives under my control, Rob made a last-ditch attempt to take the centre and flank Objectives with Suladân, and also tried to take out my Rohan Outriders on the Objectives near my board edge.
The game culminated with only one Objective within Rob’s control (but contested); I still had two uncontested Objectives and one contested Objective to give me the victory.
5-2 Victory: Théodred’s Guard
Sometimes in tournament-play, you have to think outside the box in order to give you a Win in a bad match-up. That’s what I had to do in this game; the game was effectively won through my Objective deployment, and the board edge roll-off. If I had lost the roll-off, I still had a strong plan to use the palisade as cover and force Rob to come to me. I did make a few mistakes in this game (being just a man), and had a little bad luck on the roll-offs (which didn’t help), but I made that key decision at the start that clinched it for me.
Round Six: Mordor vs Riders Of Théoden – Contest of Champions
It was the last game of the Event; I was at the top of the Leaderboard, and the only undefeated player remaining of the 36 that started the Event. Due to the way the Good vs Evil format worked (and with his previous high-scoring Wins), it transpired that I was playing Rob again. This time, however, my Mordor Army was facing his Riders of Théoden Legendary Legion (you can see his List below):
Contest of Champions against Riders of Théoden is always difficult; even though Théoden himself isn’t a big killing machine, the fact that there were very few warriors in Rob’s list limited the amount of Kills (especially ‘easier’ ones) that Gothmog could ultimately get (particularly when compared to Théoden’s prospects). Luckily, Gothmog has the Hatred [Man] Special Rule, which proved invaluable in this match-up, and additionally he could get a lot of free Heroic Actions by employing his Master of Battle Special Rule when the plethora of Rohan Heroes attempted their own Heroic Actions.
I was able to take advantage of Rob placing two Rohan Royal Guards in front of Gothmog during Deployment, as this effectively gave me two Kills for the Kill-tally in Turn One. I could have capitalised further as I also got a free Heroic Combat into an already engaged Déorwine; however, I instead lost both the roll-off and my Warg.
My Spell-casters peppered Théoden with their Spells, and whilst he Resisted the first Flameburst, he was down to Strength 3 and out of Will by the time Turn Two was concluded. Gorbag then inflicted a Wound and slew Théoden’s Horse at the end of the second Turn. Théoden would then prove to be unable to increase his Kill-tally from the two he scored in Turn One, and was one Wound away from being Killed (with the ever-present danger of a successful Cast of Flameburst).
Muzgúr’s Warband had drawn Elfhelm, a Rohan Royal Guard, and the Rohan Captain away from the main battle-line, forcing them to commit to combat.
Gothmog and Gorbag now began to take out the rest of the Rohan Heroes, assisted by my winning three Heroic Move roll-offs in a row (revenge for the three I lost to Rob in the previous game). Théoden finally succumbed to another Flameburst in the same Turn that Gothmog scored another couple of Kills (vanquishing both Éowyn and Merry); this gave me an unassailable lead.
Knowing that I had won as long as I broke Rob, I set about to doing this. In the following fight, I used the Morgul Knight to negate the Rohan Cavalry Charge bonus, and did a Heroic Combat with Muzgúr and company, taking out the Rohan Captain, Elfhelm, and the Rohan Royal Guard. This gifted Muzgúr back two of his spent Will, but it also happened to drop Rob’s force to 25%, thus ending the game.
When the game ended, Gothmog had doubled Théoden’s Kill-tally, but was just off tripling it. Having also opted to take the safe option of Killing Théoden with a Flameburst to confirm the victory, I did not get the bonus points that I would have if Gothmog himself had slain him. However, I was not Broken, and thus achieved a decisive victory.
8-0 Victory: Mordor
This was the first game I really got to test out the impact of having two Spell-casters, and despite some poor Casting rolls, it effectively won me the game. Théoden couldn’t do much against the Magic, and was left at my mercy from Turn Two onwards. Even though the game ended on the Turn Muzgúr regained his Will, it also showed how even if it hadn’t ended, I could still have kept the pressure on through the offensive Spells of Muzgúr and Kardûsh (the latter of whom had sacrificed some of his Orc Trackers in order to regenerate his Will).
Summary
Undefeated (with 6 Wins, 55 Victory Points for, and 3 against), I finished top of the Event and took home the ‘1st Place’ trophy. I couldn’t really have expected the Event to go any better. In addition to the gaming, I had an enjoyable weekend to boot at 7th City Collectables (who were wonderful hosts).
My tactics and game plans generally worked as I hoped; I was also pleased with how both Lists performed. I did have some favourable match-ups, but I think that was partly down to my Lists being well suited to the Event format.
I noticed that I made some small errors during my fifth game; luckily I got the big calls right, and it didn’t cost me (thus proving to be a valuable experience in what was a poor match-up for me).
I do not foresee any last-minute adjustments to my Armies now, and I expect the Lists I’ve outlined will take to the field at the Warhammer World Grand Tournament. Find out how I got on in the concluding part of this series of articles, and see whether my winning streak continues (or whether it transpires that I used up all my luck in this practice Event).
