You Haven't Got Any Friends Tournament Recap

Yeah... I'm more than a little late on this one. You Haven't Got Any Friends was run back on the 27th of June, but this blogpost languished in my drafts for at least a week. Life can be busy you know, children to raise, terrain to paint, sleep to be slept. 

As we all bake in the repeating heatwaves that is 2026's British Summertime, let's step back just over a week, to a GBHL Teams Event in Brum.

You can check out my list here, at the end of my review of the Defenders of Helm's Deep. 

Game 1 - Vs Assault on Helm's Deep in Breakthrough

 

Having seen the teams and their lists ahead of time, this was the matchup I wanted, purely for the theme of it. My other options essentially boiled down to various flavours of goblin, or Shadows of Angmar. Fate served us well and I was granted the chance to fight many, many Berserkers. 

I went in confident. Berserkers are dangerous, but I could match them with Elves in combat and I vastly outshot the single crossbow-uruk. Uruk Captains could be dangerous also, but my own heroes outclassed them nicely. Of course, this confidence may have been my downfall.

With a mind for the objectives, I deployed decently far forwards, but split my warbands around two buildings, with Theoden in the centre and Aragorn and Haldir on the flanks. The Uruks deployed in a long line right at the front of their deployment zone and charged forwards, right at Theoden. Shooting knocked a couple off, with Aldor notably wounding one of the Captains with his first shot, paying for his points nicely and securing near-instant VPs.

I brought Aragorn around to the flank with his archers to target the back ranks, and this was answered with the Uruks staying just out of his charge range. This space they gave him was smart, completely zoning Aragorn out of the fight. Worse still, I intended to answer with a Heroic March to move him and his warband into range, but completely forgot to call it and lost a turn to the mistake.

There's not much else to note from here. Both armies ground each other down in combat, whilst I sent my Rohan Archers up the left flank to at least secure that objective. The Uruk Captains waited patiently whilst the Berserkers chopped through my troops, eventually jumping on and slaying Theoden and my banner.

Perhaps I needed Gandalf to arrive with reinforcements! The final score was 4-13 in favour of my opponent, but it was well fought and Cameron was great to play against.

Game 2 - Vs Thranduil's Halls in Hold Ground

 

Deploying first, I got Theoden down in the Southern corner, and with a bit of Might on Haldir, managed to deploy my full list in one large group, moving the full distance forward. In response, Legolas arrived directly in front of me on the Eastern board edge, just out of charge range. Thranduil would arrive on the 2nd turn, and after some deliberation, my opponent James Paterson chose to squeeze him in behind my list, perhaps in an attempt to pincer me. 

I'd given away priority this turn, so rather than engage directly, I shuffled most of my army westwards, setting up a new frontline with a building to anchor my northern flank, and using the southern flank to try and mob the end of the Mirkwood lines, avoiding Thranduil for now.  Aldor yet again does work on the cavalry, dehorsing a knight. 

The next turns basically amount to the main parts of each list fighting each other, whilst our archers tried to find shots at each other, myself targeting the cavalry and Legolas especially. I believe I did manage to remove a Fate or two from the prince, and eventually dehorsed or killed the cavalry.  On the combat front, Aragorn was unable to get at Thranduil, the Elf King carving through my troops with Heroic Combats. Even with both Theoden and later Haldir chopping towards him, James keeps  bodies in the way as I am just unable to grind through the elven heavy armour. 

Bogged down in combat, I'm unable to move towards the objective in the centre, as it is covered by Legolas and the Mirkwood archers, despite my attempts to creep around and shoot them down. Eventually, the game ends 3-13 to James. 

I think the mistake here was trying too hard to win the fight rather than the go for the objective. When I initially reformed my line, the smarter move should've been to leave a screening force and have Aragorn march the majority of my list to the objective. Rather than trying to pin down Thranduil, I would've been able to focus (if only briefly) on the less combat-oriented elements of Legolas' warband. 

That's my tunnel-vision again!

Game 3 - Pits of Dol Guldur in Destroy the Supplies

 

After lunch we got the inter-team face-off, with me being matched against fellow Brumdabad member Rik Jones. He'd brought an interesting all-mounted Pits force, and this ended up being the best game of the day, which was actually saying something. 

With me being massively outsped, I decided to deploy back, bunching around the central and left objectives. I left the right open on purpose, mainly just to avoid spreading out my force to much. The game starts with some top-tier shooting, de-warging several Orcs. Aldor yet again scores his points back by wounding the Captain, which is followed up with Haldir removing his Fate in the following turn.

With some luck, I get the first charge and push forward around a small ruin which does well to keep limit the wargs a little. Even with me taking the initiative, the mass dice from charging Hunter Orcs drops a fair number of my warriors, quickly levelling out the shooting damage. Rik naturally gets my rightmost supply, despite the token warriors I sent to dissuade this. In the melee, I have to focus to keep Theoden and my banner safe from Azog. 

On the front line, Aragorn kills the Captain and tries to start Heroic Combatting towards Azog, but he's just not quite dealing enough wounds, and there are more than enough Orcs and Wargs to keep getting in the way. I keep my archery focused on the left flank, trying to clear out the Orcs there so I can sneak warriors forwards to claim a supply, but I fall short on that goal.

In the centre, with enough of my troops dead, Rik steals priority with the Surprise Attack army rule and with a bit of clever movement, pounces on Theoden. I'm largely walled out of my efforts to save the king, and he is struck down in a single turn. The game ends to quartering, though I don't recall which force now!

We have to recheck the points once or twice due to a miscount (I didn't read the rules right!), but in the end the game comes down to an incredibly close 8-7 to myself. A great game against Rik, I hope we get a chance to play again as it was a real gentleman's game.

Game 4 - Vs Men of the West in Conquest of Champions

 
(List obviously built pre-FAQ, Gwaihir was 150pts still)

I'd been dreading facing Men of the West, being one of the premier meta lists in the game right now. The list had a nice mix of Rohan and Gondor warriors, and even a Captain of Minas Tirith. Henri was at his first event, but was a great lad to play against and I hope he enjoyed the game and day as much as I did. 

Perhaps naively, we both selected our respective Aragorn as our champion. I get first move and target some warriors with Aragorn, electing to feed Elessar just one of mine. Mindful of Gwaihir getting Theoden or my banner, I set up to shield them, so the big bird simply jumps on that shielding force.

Terrain and deployment doesn't leave much space for shooting even with Haldir being deployed in the rear half, ridding me of one of my list's strengths. Instead I move my archers to try and find flank shots. 

Another grinding melee, with my army basically trapped between the actual men of the west and Gwaihir. The Eagle chomps through a ton of my models, hurling several Aragorn's way. I get lucky there on the wounds, with even one of the hurled warriors surviving against the odds. In the centre, both Aragorn kill a single model each before clashing for most of the game. Henri brings my Aragorn to a single wound first, but I'm able to return the favour soon after. 

We both manage to break each other's force around this point either, despite my struggle to kill Minas Tirith Warriors. Eventually, I get lucky and kill Elessar with Haldir, only for Gwaihir to kill Aragorn in the exact same turn. We play a bit longer, grinding against each other and Theoden eventually goes down before I can quarter him as he is able to shield to keep the game going. We eventually call the draw as one of Henri's teammates points out that neither of us can score any more points.

I'm not sure how I could've played this differently. Perhaps with the winning priority, a full retreat may have been the option, trying to draw out Gwaihir so he could be dealt with separately whilst I harassed the rest of the force with bow fire. Always easy to get focused on the combat, especially as I needed kills on Aragorn, and dealing with Elessar's Might stores was a priority too.

Final Score: 4-4

The End of the Day

As the dust settled, and the heat was finally peaking in the event hall, my team, Brumdabad 2, sat at 5th place overall. Considering the competition, that's really not bad and the four of us had done decently. What's more despite ending in 10th, the other half of the wider GBHL team, who had competed under There And Back Again: A Dwarf's Tale, had picked up best theme for their fantastic set up that involved Balin in two separate eras with dedicated foes for each. Rik, who I'd faced in the third round picked up Best Army for the day as well. 

A great showing for the lads all round!

As for my list, Defenders really is a well-rounded list I believe, and has the chops to go far if played right. The combination of cheaper Rohan bodies supporting the Elves, plus some solid heroes can really do some good work. MVP of the day 100% goes to Aldor, who performed well in every scenario. Despite his low shoot value and Str2 bow, the re-rolls he gets really boosts his reliability and you've always got the option to throw his Might point at a roll to confirm a kill. Well worth including.  

As it stands, my next event will be another teams one, this time Four Make a Fellowship, an 800 points event. I'll be taking Army of the White Hand to this one, which if that sounds a bit meta-chasy, just know I'm intending to bring a number of Dunlending Warriors, Vrasku and only four Crebain. 

That said, recent conversations plus a recent episode of Entmoot as me eyeing up the Grey Company again, and so whilst I don't yet know how many more events I will be able to attend this year, I'm almost 100% locked in on taking them every single time, just to see if I can get them to podium. So wish me luck, I may need it!

Thank you for your time once again. If you like what I do here, you can also follow my hobby progress via Instagram, where I can be found at @Manic.Hobbying. In any case, just your support being here is greatly appreciated, and I hope to see you again.

Until next time! 

 

Defenders of Helm's Deep Army Review

The next tournament I'm attending will be a four-man teams event, with the players needing to divide up a War of the Ring era Good army, an WotR Evil army, a Hobbit-era Good army and an Evil Hobbit-era army. I can currently only field WotR lists, so after a bit of discussion I was nominated to run the WotR Good Army. I deliberated for while with various lists, considering Defenders of the Pelennor and Realms of Men primarily, alongside Grey Company which I've done well with earlier in the year.

Despite struggling somewhat in the meta, I can't avoid running Rohan, but I am very aware of the faction's weaknesses. This namely being average Defence and below-average Fight value, coupled with limited boosts to damage boost outside occasional list bonuses. They aren't bottom tier by any stretch, but they have been left a little behind in the meta.

Allies are the solution for some of this, and Rohan does have many options in its available lists. I've tried Gondorian support a few times via Pelennor and Realms of Men, and they work well, but thinking about potential lists I may have to face I figured I would go with Rohan's most elite allies; the Elves of Lorien.

Can't go wrong with some Elven firepower

Defenders of Helm's Deep is of course the movie-canon depiction of the battles of Helm's Deep, allowing you to field an alliance of Rohan infantry, armoured Galadhrim and the Three Hunters. It's a damn shame it doesn't retain cavalry, but obviously that would not make sense. What it does do is partially address the list of Rohan weaknesses I mentioned earlier:

• Elves cover the Fight Value issue superbly. F5 outfights most enemy troops and even threatens  a good number of heroes. With Elven Blades also, it tips ties in my favour.
• Whilst not a major boost as it does tie with Throwing Spears, Elf Bows are Str 3 to threaten odd numbered Defences more, and do so at a greater range. Elven Swords are also hand-and-a-half allowing for +1 to wound if needed.
• Elves with shields alongside Royal Guard can be D6, to give the battleline that important defensive boost. 

Finally, I do like a list with some decent shooting, and DoHD does offer a good amount between the combination of Elf Bows, Rohan Bows and Throwing Spears, plus Legolas, Haldir, Aldor and King's Huntsmen as hero options. It would be a bit of a trap to lean too heavily into shooting with this list I think, but I ignoring it would be equally silly.

,

So let's break down the options the list gives before we build our final list for the event:

Heroes

Heroes of Legend

Theoden, King of Rohan

Theoden is the list's only "tax" and must be your leader. At 80pts base with the option for a shield (bringing him to D7), that's a fairly low cost start, and for the price you get a fairly normal mid-level hero profile with March and Strike. The former is nice in an all-infantry list, but Strike is likely more of a last-resort option and Theoden is going to be more comfortable chopping through infantry. 

His special rules do elevate him somewhat, Herugrim is a fantastic piece of wargear that auto-wins tied combats rather than going to a roll-off, giving some weight to Heroic Strike. It's important to note that the auto-win is tied to Theoden's personal Fight Value, he can't simply support Aragorn to win at F7 fights, but it is useful nonetheless. Theoden also comes with a 12" Stand Fast paired with his 5+ Courage. Should the army break, he also gives Courage re-rolls within 6" once the army is Broken. This is fantastic for keeping your models in the field, and incentivises keeping Theoden alive to the late game. Not always easy as he does only have 2 Wounds and a single Fate point.

Finally, he confers a Banner re-roll to Haldir if he is within 6", whilst also allowing him to auto-pass Courage tests and re-roll failed To-Wound rolls when making Strikes. More on this when we get to Haldir.

All-in-all, you may be missing Snowmane, but Theoden is a solid support for the list. Keep him safe at the back of the battle-line and manage his fights carefully.

Heroes of Valour

Aragorn (Strider)

We all know how Aragorn works by now. At 165pts he's the most expensive model in the list, but for that cost you're getting one of the most combat-capable characters in the game thanks to his suite of Heroics, F7, free Might points, and hand-and-a-half sword. This incarnation has no wargear options, but comes with Armour by default, bringing him up to a much safer D6.

Free Heroic Marches and Moves are fantastic for the army's mobility throughout the entire game, long outlasting the equivalent from Captains. I also quite rate Heroic Accuracy after playing Grey Company, allowing me better chances at picking-off banners or threatening heroes in the early game. There's also the option to call it to affect Throwing Spears as well, which could be an interesting play.

Oh, and he boosts Haldir in the exact same way Theoden does.

If you've got the points and your meta revolves around similar heroes, he's well worth considering.

Perhaps the absolute best option for leading the charge

Gimli, Son of Gloin

The future Lord of the Glittering Caves is much in the same guise as he is in any other list. 100pts gets you a solid roadblock of a hero, F6, 2-3 attacks with the option of two-handing, Strike and Strength on offence with D8, 2 wounds and 3 Fate should things go south. He's not going to flashy, but I'd argue he's going to be a solid addition to the list, and a worthwhile consideration if you just can't squeeze in Aragorn.

Unfortunately, like those other lists, he's in competition with Legolas and the elf certainly is the flashier option. Useful if you can afford both, as it'll make sure you can almost always get that +1 To Wound bonus for Gimli, but otherwise he's got stiff competition.

Haldir, Galadhrim Captain

Haldir feels almost like an auto-include in the list to me, despite being most obviously yet another piece of competition for Legolas. At 85pts base (optional Elven Cloak) this saves nearly fifteen points in comparison, and whilst you do lose a lot of the ranged threat, Haldir still gets two shots a turn, still has Sharpshooter and still has 3 Might.

All that said, Haldir does fit a different niche better with the Army Rules allowing Haldir to treat both Theoden and Aragorn as a 6" banner that grants him Fearless and re-roll all failed wounds. This turns him into a reliable combat piece in my opinion, F6 with Strike and an Elven Hand-and-a-half weapon makes for a valuable second beater hero to back up Aragorn.

He's going to potentially take less wounds than Legolas would in the same role thanks to being D6 over Leggy's D4/D5 though he does only have a single Fate. Finally, he brings his Final Blow special rule, granting a free S4 hit on every opponent in the combat should he die, all of which can be affected with Might if needs be.

Legolas Greenleaf

An incredibly popular profile this edition, Legolas possibly needs less introduction than even Aragorn does. You're bringing this 100pt Elf (5pts each for Armour or Elven Cloak) if you want to be an absolute menace at range. There's very little in the game that isn't threatened by this guy's shooting, even if you manage to pin him down in combat. He's arguably even more powerful in this list as well, as now he has a 30" range as well.

If you manage to squeeze him in alongside Gimli and you can get the dwarf's kill count up, there's also the chance for a +1 to Wound on those shots as well, effectively making them Strength 5! 

Legolas is going to be a huge consideration in every build of this list, often the first option. He's far from invincible of course, but considering he's likely going to have the support of plenty of other archers, your opponent is going to have a hard time advancing on you intact.

Heroes of Fortitude

Captain of Rohan

The lowly Captain of Rohan isn't without merit. 45pts is incredibly cheap for getting some extra Might into the list, and Might that frees up needing to have Theoden use his on Marches. You can also bump 10 points to boost this guy to D7, making for a decent anchor in your battleline that's not going to go down too easily, even if that F4 is a bit dicey.

They might best on a budget, but don't overlook them entirely.

Galadhrim Captain

Perhaps a straight upgrade to Rohan equivalent, 70pts gets you all the same stuff but packaged in with F6, Elven Weapons and Woodland Creature. They can also bring an Elf Bow if you really want it.

That said, you're probably best just finding the points to bring Haldir instead, who is essentially an "Uber-Captain" and offers so much more. 

Gamling, Captain of Rohan

If Haldir is a straight upgrade to Galadhrim Captains, Gamling is the same for Rohan Captains. If fully kitted out, you do lose a point of Defence, but in exchange you get F5, Bodyguard, Heroic Defence and the ability to lead Royal Guard. Gamling is an easy alternative if you were considering a Captain, but the main reason to consider would be the Royal Standard of Rohan.

40pts for a 6" banner in your all-infantry list is going to be a powerful purchase, especially when some of your battleline is going to be F5 Elves. For that alone it might be worth the cost over bringing both a regular Captain and a Warrior with Banner (76-86pts versus Gamling's 95pts) or simply two Warriors with Banners (62pts). The standard of course does bring the extra bonus of allowing Rohan heroes to ignore Might spent on a roll of a 6. In this list that's at minimum Gamling and Theoden who are going to be likely candidates for calling Marches and Moves consistently.

It's certainly less powerful than it is in purer-Rohan lists, but a consideration nonetheless as Gamling will always be easier to keep alive than a Rohan Warrior.

Minor Heroes

King's Huntsman

Only one option here, and it's from Legacies.  Much of what I said in my Army of Edoras review will remain true here too, but if he has a niche there, it's infinitely less in Defenders of Helm's Deep. Here you've got competition from Haldir, Legolas and Galadhrim Captains. Even Aldor (more on him in a moment) is potentially a better choice, and for half the cost.

For his special rules, only failing In-the-Ways on a 1, and with the potential to regain his two Might points if he kills the right thing is still something unique, but I'd be surprised to see him fielded in anything that isn't 1000pts plus, or if you absolutely insists on packing in as much shooting as possible and already have the two Elf Heroes.

Independent Heroes

Aldor, Rohan Archer

Aldor is one of those Ranger of the North style profiles. For 20pts your essentiallly get a Warrior of Rohan with Bow, boosted with a single point each of Might, Will and Fate. And I think that's perfect for representing minor characters sometimes!

Unlike his Warrior counterparts, Aldor does only have a 5+ Shoot value but he makes up for it with some special rules. Unsteady Nerves means he will always shoot first, even before Heroic Shoot. The potential to kill someone who is themselves calling Heroic Shoot is hilarious, even if it is incredibly unlikely to happen. He also has Lucky Shot that means he must re-roll failed To-Hit and To-Wound rolls when shooting. Even with his low shoot value and Str 2 bow, he's suddenly much more reliable, especially with a Might point to potentially flip a crucial roll.

Aldor is well worth taking in my humble opinion, if only for the whimsy.

Haleth, Son of Hama

The final hero on the list, Haleth represents the young boy Aragorn speaks to on the steps of Helm's Deep before the battle. He is not quite the powerhouse of his name-counterpart in the War of the Rohirrim however, instead being a support hero. Much like Aldor, he's a boosted warrior, though for the 30pts instead, which gets him an 2 Wounds and 2 Fate. He also goes up to 2 Attacks if Aragorn is within 6". 

Should he be in combat, he also boosts the Fight Value of all Rohan Infantry and Aragorn by one if they're within 6". F8 Aragorn, F5 Royal Guard and Captains, F6 Theoden and Gamling. Even the Rohan Warriors are pulling their weight much better at F4. It's certainly a powerful boost, but not without downsides. First, Haleth is Fearful with 6+ Courage, so may not even make it into combat.

Second, he's an F3 warrior with D4. He might not die to a stray arrow, but he will fall quite easily if not protected. You'll want him near Aragorn for the mutual boosts, which will help as he can either join Aragorn's combat or be rescued via Heroic Combat. I'd still probably assign a Royal Guard or an Elf to babysit him though.

I've personally found him tough to squeeze into my lists, so I'm not sure how worth his points he really is, but there's certainly space for him, even if it's just flavour.

Warriors

To support your Heroes, you have Rohan Royal Guard, Warriors of Rohan and Galadhrim Warriors. 

Warriors of Rohan are going to be your mainstay, and you can horde out quite nicely with them. They suffer with F3 and D4/5, plus the limit to Throwing Spears, but remain reliable skirmish infantry. I'd personally get as many Throwing Spears as you can here, an infantry horde will appreciate the support and the option to sit back 8" and pepper your opponent with S3 shots is great option. Don't overlook the Bows either, even though you have Elves, Rohan archers are cheap and can still put on the pressure at up to 30".

Rohan Royal Guard are limited to either Theoden or Gamling's warbands, but that still means you could bring up to 30 of them in the list. They do feel overcosted here however, especially with the Galadhrim, but aren't without merit. They're your only option for Bodyguard, which does have value and are still F4 D6 heavy infantry (with a potential for F5). Just a couple of these guys accompanying Theoden is probably not the worst idea, though it may be best to leave the spears to the standard warriors.

Finally Galadhrim warriors. They're limited to being only 33% of your lists, so you have to be discerning on what wargear you want to bring with them. An Elf with a shield is cheaper than a Royal Guard and fights better, so whilst the temptation is going to be to max out on Elf Bows, sprinkling a few with Shields, Spears, both or neither across your battleline is going to do wonders for your ability to grind out the opponent. Take a mix and you won't be sorry.

Final Round Up

Pros:

 - Good mix of Heroes

 - Flexible troops. 

 - Lots of synergy and auric bonuses.

 - Access to the Three Hunters.

 - Access to F5 troops.

 - Good access to March.

 - Great Ranged potential.

Cons:

 - Heroes compete a little for roles.

 - Theoden isn't the strongest general.

 - Troops limited to S3 (only elves get to two-hand).

 - Royal Guard are overpriced.

 - Battleline is hurt by throwing weapon limitations.

 - No magic or magic resistance (except Aragorn).

 - No cavalry/fast movers.

So, onto my Tournament list. The event is running at 650pts so I think I can fit at least three heroes into the lists. 

Theoden is a given, so it's just a matter of his support. I've gone for a small battleline of Royal Guard supported by Elves with Spear and Shield, giving me high Fight, high Courage, decent defence and Bodyguard. With a banner in support and two skirmish triangles of Rohan Throwing Spears, this should be able to block out a spot and harass an enemy into coming to me.

Next up is Haldir. I mentioned above I feel he is almost an auto-take for his bonuses, so here is. Legolas was considered, but I think I'll have enough shooting and want the hero support for Theoden. Haldir will bring along a trio of Elf archers, who will be shielded in turn by a few Rohan Warriors with shields. I don't expect this warband to be too static, with Haldir and the Rohirrim at least running off to support the combat up-close if I don't need his bow shots. The Elven archers are the prime candidates for objective capture, as they can move freely through woods and still shoot where needed, but it never hurts to have three more F5 combatants if the situation calls for it.

Finally, I'm bringing Aragorn. I seem to be too often faced with the likes of Beorn, Durin and Elessar, so having my own big combat piece seems like a smart move. The fact that his free Might can be freely upping my mobility or directing a cheeky Heroic Accuracy to pick of something important is the cherry on top. Having a second boost aura for Haldir seemed like a good plan too. 

Aragorn will be bringing along two more elves with shields, some more Rohirrim with Throwing Spears, and a trio of Rohan archers. His warband can both bolster the battleline and also offer ranged and skirmishing support nicely. 

Of course, I couldn't just leave it there. With the 20 points freed up from taking Haldir over Legolas, I reckon I had space for a bit of whimsy in the list in the form of Aldor. He'll fit nicely into Theoden's warband ensuring I have bows in all three and an extra body to help keep the King safe (even if it's a Fearful one).

I'm quite happy with this list. I have tried to take as many Throwing Spears as possible as they offer so much flexibility, and also spread Galadhrim around into each warband to ensure that F5 is available. The list has a solid enough battleline when brought together (11 warriors long if needed, not counting heroes), and Aragorn and Haldir can offer the punch it needs. 9 Bow shots (5 being elven) and 9 throwing spears is a respectable amount of shooting as well, and should hopefully be enough to soften up the enemy. I could've gotten more bows, but that feels like a trap in some ways.

33 models also seems like a decent number considering I've got Aragorn and a good number of elite troops taking up a chunk of points, and the list has some good Courage bonuses for keeping it in the lists should things go wrong. It pretty much nails the "five models per 100 points" guidance you hear sometimes, over by a half model.

The overall plan with this list is to get Theoden's warband anchored somewhere defensible and let the bow and spears force the opponent forwards. Haldir can support Theoden and leave Aragorn to hunt down whatever needs killing/fetching/sitting on. With extended Stand Fast and Courage Bonuses, the bow-armed Elves can be safely spread to rear objectives where they can still threaten the opponent with bow fire.

My weakpoint really is Theoden, as he's not the strongest General in the game, especially on foot. It will really depend on what the scenario is for how he fares. Thankfully as well, I know only Game 1 has a chance of facing Grima, as that will be against an LotR-era Evil army. The other games will be against the respective Hobbit lists and an LotR Good list. 

Really, I expect any fight to be a grind, and it will just be case of whether or not the early shooting can give me an advantage. I'm hoping my lessons from playing Grey Company will apply here in kind, with patient manoeuvring and focused shooting carrying the day. Hopefully I can get some test games in before the end of June.

Thank you for your time once again. If you like what I do here, you can also follow my hobby progress via Instagram, where I can be found at @Manic.Hobbying. In any case, just your support being here is greatly appreciated, and I hope to see you again.

Until next time! 

The Power of the Disengage - Why I'm losing games

It's probably quite obvious on this blog, but I'm quite the fan of Rohan and its cavalry forces. It was likely witnessing the Ride of Rohirrim at Pelennor in my formative years, and it's a very common story for a lot of players. Now, Rohan in the latest edition struggles to properly recreate that moment on the tabletop, but with luck, canny hero usage and good timing for the charge and use of Army Rules, you can get some fantastic results with the Riders of Rohan charging through some Orcs.

In general practice though, Rohan excels much more as a skirmishing force, as many of us know well. Throwing Spears and Bows on cavalry makes for a tough force to pin down without taking casualties, and they are able to kite and still cause damage. When coupled with the likes of Eomer, Theodred or Helm Hammerhand coming crashing through your lines with a few Royal Guard, you have an effective list for frustrating your foe and keeping the initiative, assuming you have the skills.

This is my failing in recent games however. Using Riders of Eomer within a Doubles tournament and a Rohan-cavalry-heavy Realms of Men list in a practice game, I have noticed an unfortunate trend in my piloting of cavalry. I get tunnel-visioned into the charge, quite often re-charging a battleline and leaving myself open to counter-charge. I've gotten better and leaving that relief force behind for a second-turn charge, but there's still issues with how I'm playing. Let's get into it.

The Doubles Tournament

This tournament back in April was my girlfriend's first real look at competitive MESBG. I've corrupted her thoroughly with a love for The Lord of the Rings (that latent nerdiness hit hard), so when she found she enjoyed the game after a few home practice matches, it was great to have her volunteer to accompany me to a Doubles event. If you've read the previous post on building an Ent, I went into this a little there.

Our Alliance in force, ready to take the fight to the White Wizard

So how did the event go?  I was outwardly confident, particularly due to the power of the Ents and free Heroics on Eomer. Three games across a single day with two 400pt lists using the Doubles scenarios from the Matched Play guide, and the final result was 1 Win, 2 Losses. We both had a tonne of fun, and the first two games were thrilling for different reasons, but by the third tiredness was setting in and a difficult game definitely left us disheartened.

The issue I believe was actually how I personally played my cavalry. Let's break it down.

Game 1 was against a Khazad Dum-Riders of Eomer alliance. My intention had been to try and focus down the opposing cavalry and support the Ents against the large group of Hearthguard dwarves. The high defence coupled with F5 and Burly just wasn't a prime target for my Riders. Deployment however put this very group of Dwarves right in front of Eomer, and so I tunnel-visioned right at them. The initial charge went ok, but I was ahead of the Ents and they were at least two turns away from supporting me, though rocks were flying in from the Ash Ent and hobbits. Erkenbrand's warband was also off to the far side offering fire support, which did to a semi-decent job of keeping part of the opposing cavalry back for fear of losing horses.

The smart move would've been to drop back after that first turn, take some pot shots, then charge back in once the Ents were in combat support range. Instead I stayed in close, and got counter-charged by the opposing Eomer. He Heroic Combated through a couple of Riders and my banner, and took part in killing his counter-part alongside Durin. This left the Ents vulnerable to being outnumbered, and whilst they did acquit themselves well particularly with Hurls keeping the enemy heroes on their backs, the Oak Ent eventually fell allowing for our force to count as Broken. Unlucky rolling on the Ent's special Brutal Power also left us one short on a VP goal to get a draw.

It might not sound like it, but the game was actually fairly close and tactically interesting. Our opponents were also both fun players and I believe we gave them our Most Sporting vote. 

Game 2 was against the event's ringer, Dale Groves. Always a good lad to play against, he was incredibly helpful and welcoming, recognising my girlfriend as a newcomer. His Gundabad list looked scary but luck with combats, Gabii's love for Hurl's and some helpful pointers from Dale himself saw us tear through the Berserkers, and even take down Azog and the Troll Brute quite efficiently. 

The difference here is clear in hindsight. Deployment saw the Ents in the centre with my cavalry at the back of the board. This meant the Ents were first into combat and my Cavalry could support them as I'd always intended whilst building the list, guarding the flanks and grabbing objectives whilst being a threat with their bows.

If only I'd remembered that lesson.

Game 3 was against a Reclamation of Osgiliath-Khazad Dum alliance. It promised to be as tough as it sounds, a bucket-load of high Defence models led by Boromir and yet another Durin. A river down the centre and a split deployment could've been a challenge, but we were able to ford the river with the Ents and reunite with our full might to bear on the Dwarves, leaving the Gondorians to run for several turns and get bottlenecked at the river.

It should've been so easy, and my initial charge tore through a good number of dwarves to keep them pinned in. The failure came in the follow-up again of course, not utilising Hit-and-Run tactics against a much slower force and ultimately I even ended up blocking out Treebeard, one of our most powerful combat pieces. He spent far too many turns behind Eomer and the Oak Ent, unable to help except with thrown stones.  Boromir got into play as well, despite us shooting out his horse. In getting overly focused on having Eomer trying to protect the Oak Ent with his Heroic Strikes against Boromir, I ultimately lost my leader again, and Treebeard failed to get into the fight until late in the game. 

We were ground down by the troops and lost simply due to lost initiative. The cavalry wasn't charging, the Ents weren't Hurling and our most mobile troops were little more than roadblocks instead of support. It left a sour taste in the mouth, simply for my choices essentially outplaying our own army.

A lot to learn, and realistically I just need to take a step back once I commit my cavalry. Had I faded back in both Game 1 and Game 3, the story could've been much different.

Easier said then done...

Realms of Men Practice Game

For this game, I was testing out the idea of running Realms of Men at an upcoming Teams event, and essentially built a list that was "Fields of Celebrant at home".

With this list I wanted to match a decent Gondorian battleline with the power of F5 cavalry, needing a Rohan General to give that bonus to the Royal Guard. On paper it's pretty good, with a lot of options for controlling the battlefield. A solid defensive battleline bolstered by two F6 Strike Heroes, a contingent of shock cavalry that can skirmish, scouts, light infantry and decent bow line and in particular a Bolt Thrower constricting enemy movement.

I went up against fellow Brumdabad team member Matt, who had brought along his Host of the Dragon Emperor list, featuring Rutabi. With the scenario being Stake a Claim, my cavalry should allow me to get early fortification points and it does, especially with Matt skirting terrain to avoid being targeted by the Bolt Thrower. 

Where it goes wrong is the right-flank. Rutabi's warband is small, but not enough to ignore. I could either cede the flank to her and risk bow-fire in the back, consolidating my forces against the Emperor, or go for a swift kill. With the combo of a pike-support Knight of the White Tower and my Rohan King, it's certainly doable to take down the Easterling Hero. 

A winnable fight, if managed well.

It doesn't go that way, I missed that the flank had enough space for the War Drakes to get around, meaning the Rohan King would only split the combat, and then he goes and whiffs the Heroic Combat anyway. Worse, the risk goes against me even further, as on the following turn, whilst I am able to win a Heroic Move off, it turns out that I had in fact blocked my King in with the Banner. I am able to charge and bring in Royal Guard reinforcements, but not being able to tactically retreat sees a good portion of my cavalry pinned in unequal fights. 

Rutabi ultimately brings down both the Knight and my King. I do lose the game in the end, though the Fortification points are fairly equal. Notably I also misplayed the Gondorian battleline on this one, again tunnel-visioning on getting into combat. Had I instead moved to the right, it would've forced the Emperors warband to cross open field to engage me, leaving the his flank open to the Bolt Thrower.

I should really get my eyesight checked.

Lessons Learned

So the takeaways from all this, aside from needing to step-back and see the bigger picture.

First: All the timing and positioning in the world won't help a good cavalry charge if you just get bogged down with it in the following turns. I've already learned the relief-force method, and that helps, but I need to recognise when to disengage, especially with Rohan cavalry who struggle with their statline but can still cause damage at range. I've spent too much time cycle-charging cavalry units in Total War not to understand this.

Second: Escape and reinforcement avenues. It's all well and good getting off a good charge if I then block off elite infantry or monsters from getting into help as well. Cavalry is there to make the hole, the infantry (or Ent) is there to plug it! 

Similarly, not blocking in my heroes. MESBG is 100% a game about mobility, and the Heroic Move is one of the core facets of that. Whilst the banners and backup needs to be close, if the the Hero can't move back, he can only go forwards, often into two, three or even four enemy infantry looking to kill him on the opponent's Move Phase.

Third: Perhaps don't fight if I don't have to. Many scenarios have objectives and rushing those, perhaps to take off the token defenders my opponent has left, is often more of use than charging headlong into a fight. Perhaps engaging in a slightly different location gives some penalties to my opponent, like a siege engine shooting into their flank, or bottle-necking Gondorians at a river ford.

What else do you recommend, oh dear armchair generals? 

With the next event coming up, I'll be pivoting back to Defenders of Helm's Deep, so these lessons will be a little less of use for that particular set of games, but not without merit. We'll have to keep them in mind for when I next run cavalry, whenever that may be.

Thank you for your time once again. If you like what I do here, you can also follow my hobby progress via Instagram, where I can be found at @Manic.Hobbying. In any case, just your support being here is greatly appreciated, and I hope to see you again.

Until next time!