A question I see a number of new players ask when starting out is what would be good next purchases for someone looking at expanding from the Pelennor Fields starter set. So I'm have set myself the challenge to create an army list for each of the three factions included in the box set plus a maximum of £50 for each army of additional models from the Games Workshop store (it will probably be possible to do these cheaper using independent retailers, eBay or buy and sell sights, but by sticking to GW it'll provide a level playing field).
Before I get stuck in a quick note on books. All three of the armies within the Pelennor Fields box will require the Armies of the Lord of the Rings book to provide rules profiles. The Gondor at War book would also be a useful addition with all three armies gaining additional profiles and Legendary Legions, so I'd also recommend picking that up too if possible.
Dead of Dunharrow
Suggested purchases:
King of the Dead £25
Three Hunters £25
We'll start with the easiest list to write. The starter set comes with a supply of Warriors of the Dead but no heroes that can lead them. There's only two options for an army list to build from, either the Dead of Dunharrow list from the Armies book or The Return of the King Legendary Legion from Gondor at War. In both of these the King of the Dead is an essential purchase so it was 1st on the shopping list. After that the Three Hunters are an excellent option, unlocking the chance to use the Legion and is probably the better of the two options.
Return of the King
Aragorn
5 Warriors
King of the Dead
5 Warriors
Gimli
5 Warriors
Legolas
4 Warriors
745 points
Mordor
Suggested purchases:
Morannon Orc Commanders £24
Witch King on Foot (eBay or trade groups)
Again the starter set provides plenty of Warriors in the form of 36 Morannon Orcs and a Mordor Troll. However, the only Hero available is a Nazgul on Fell Beast (who I'd suggest using as the Witchking). So again we have to purchase some heroes. Firstly, you will need a dismounted Ring Wraith, and rather than using most of our £50 budget to get one from GW then they show up on trade groups or eBay fairly frequently. To this I'd suggest adding some Orc Heroes in the form the Morannon Orc Commanders set (providing a Captain, Shaman, Drummer and Banner). These will help to bolster your Orc horde by providing sufficient warband spaces and help support the Fell Beast and Troll in damage dealing. I opted against providing any further suggestions primarily because Mordor has such variety within it's selections and therefore it depends heavily on personal preference but the suggestions above will still allow you to create a solid army.
Mordor
Witch King on Fell Beast with Crown, Morgul Blade, Flail and max stats
Mordor Troll
Morannon Orc with Banner
16 Morannon Orcs (8 with shield, 8 with shield and spear)
Morannon Orc Captain with Shield
Orc Drummer
11 Morannon Orcs (5 with shield, 6 with shield and spear)
Orc Shaman
6 Morannon Orcs (3 with shield, 3 with shield and spear)
794 points
Rohan
Suggested purchases (if you don't mind waiting until things get restocked):
Eomer £20
Gamling and Hama £25
Suggested purchases (if you want to get stuck in straight away):
???
Rohan has a huge array of options for different armies thanks to a wide selection of Legendary Legions to choose from. For example, you could pick up Helm Hammerhand from Forge World and a Rohan Command set to run Helm's Guard, or Theodred and Grimbold to run Theodred's Guard, both for £50 or below. However, if you are willing to wait for a restock then picking up the gorgeous new Eomer and a Gamling and Hama pack will provide a solid start to the muster of the Rohirrim, with both of them frequently appearing in top lists within IHL events.
Rohan
Theoden with Armoured Horse, Heavy Armour and Shield
4 Riders with throwing spears
Gamling with Royal Standard
4 Riders
Eomer with Armoured Horse, Heavy Armour and Shield
4 Riders
Hama
10 Warriors (4 with throwing spears and shield, 6 with shield
650 points
Bonus list
Another option with the Rohan models is to opt to go for the Defense of Helm's Deep Legion from the War in Rohan book. For this I'd suggest getting the Three Hunters (getting some extra utility from your purchases as they also work well with the Dead of Dunharrow) and a box of Galadrim Warriors*. This option gives you a start on another army while still allowing you to play with the models you have.
Defence of Helm's Deep
Theoden with Heavy Armour
18 Warriors of Rohan (8 with shield and spear, 8 with shield, 2 with bow)
Aragorn with Armour
Gimli
Legolas with Armour
9 Galadrim Warriors (7 bows, 2 shield and spear)
700 points
* Ok, they technically come to a total of £51, but who's going to quibble over a pound?
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