War in the North - IHL Finale 2022 - Podium Review

 

A couple of weekends ago the latest season of the Irish Hobbit League came to its conclusion in the League Finale hosted by Paddy McCormick at Exploding Dice Games. This was an escalation style tournament with games being played at 450, 650, 800 and finally 1000 points. So let's take a look at what armies came out on top. 

3rd Place 

Dave Murphy 

Barad-Dur 

In 3rd place was Dave with this Barad-Dur force. Really this 'army' is all about one model. Sauron really is a one model army and the rest of the list is there to support him doing his thing. At the lower points levels there really isn't much that can stand up to Sauron, while at the higher levels he's got additional backup from the Witch-King and Shelob, neither of whom are foes to be taken lightly. In terms of the Warriors, numbers are low here but by utilising the Terror of the Black Numenreons combined with the -1 Courage aura means that enemies will struggle to dictate the flow of the combats.

2nd Place

Dave Coleman 

Army of Thror

The 2nd place army was this Army of Thror. Dwarves typically boast a high Defence and good hitting power, which here are provided by their powerful Heroes and the Guardians of the King. As well as their close combat ability all those Guardians of the King also bring some short ranged shooting ability with their throwing axes, increasing their damage output. One area that Dwarves typically struggle with, however, is mobility (Dwarves are wasted on cross-country). The inclusion of a Captain helps somewhat with his Heroic March, but here Gwaihir is also added to bring a highly mobile, flying monster to mitigate this Dwarven shortcoming. 

1st Place

Ivan Sheehan 

Ugluk's Scouts 

And in 1st place is Ivan Sheehan (again) with his Ugluk's Scouts (again). This year Ivan has used these scouts to great effect at numerous events both in Ireland and over in the UK. Whereas with the 2nd place list mobility was a potential weakness, here is the complete opposite. Thanks to Mauhur providing the Marauder upgrade to all the Uruk-hai, a Drummer and access to Heroic March these Uruk-Hai can hit speeds of 14 inches a turn, outpacing even cavalry and even flyers. The only issue is making sure that the Orcs can keep up to offer their support with the combats to get that bonus on the Wound rolls. There are no standout Heroes in this Legion, which makes it harder for an opponent to shut down a single threat, and instead relies on its quality Warriors to do more of the work during the game.

So there's the roundup of the final IHL winners. Congratulations to all of them and thanks to Paddy for hosting the event. I'll leave you with a selection of photos of the weekend.

Building Battlehosts - Battle of Osgiliath

 

When Games Workshop released the new Battlehost Boxes a couple of months ago I asked several members of the Irish SBG community to offer their suggestions on how to build out an army based upon the contents of each box (you can find these articles here and here). And now that the latest starter box is landing in players hands I thought it was time to do the same thing for the contents of the Battle of Osgiliath box. Same rules apply as before, each person gets the contents of the box and an additional £60(ish) to spend at GW (cheaper prices are available in FLGS, but I'm using RRP here to provide an even benchmark) to create an army. This time around who better to ask for help than the 2 most recent IHL champions, Ivan Sheehan and David Coleman. 

Minas Tirith 

Ivan Sheehan

Hello all, Rob asked for my help on a little series he's doing and i was delighted to help out. I was given the good side of the new starter and a 60 pound budget to expand. I have 2 avenues I'll look at but 1st the box contents. 

Faramir 

Madril

Damrod

12 warriors of minas tirith

12 rangers of gondor. 

So off the bat we have a decent amount of might and plenty of bows (too many really). I would look to add some cavalry and infantry to balance out the bows and another hero. My 1st Avenue would be the new minas tirith battlebox, you get a decent hero in Gandalf and 6 cavalry and bulk out more on infantry (24 more warriors) and come in 10 pounds under budget. Very handy. This will be the best way to expand your starter box to playable levels quickly. I'll have lists at the end. 

The other avenue is a different hero and some cavalry and a blister of infantry. So with the route I'd bring in Faramirs brother Boromir and then cav. Boromir with his banner is a massive force multiplier and the cavalry will provide some needed punch especially with boromir having his banner

So boromir at 24 pounds and cavalry at 27 pounds brings you to 51 pounds. Which is a little awkward budget wise but if you done mind going a little over I'd throw in a pack of fountain court guard. Some bodyguard is always good to have and the d7 can be hard to shift. 

Now onto lists 

With the battle box you end up with something like this at 750 points. Which is a decent benchmark to aim for. 

Gandalf on shadowfax

6 knights with shields

Faramir, bow

6 warriors with shield

6 rangers

Madril

4 rangers with spear

8 warriors with spear and shield

Damrod

2 rangers

4 warriors with spear and shield

This uses all your heroes and most of you warriors and has decent numbers and covers a bunch of your bases at the beginning and will certainly get you started on the journey. It also is not exactly 750 points so if you fancy trying some conversions you can add 5 more spears to your force. 

Now the other avenue. This one is a touch more restrictive but I'll lay out my thoughts. 

This one is 650 points due to warrior limitations

Boromir with horse and Banner. 

​6 knights with shield

Faramir 

4 fountain court guard with shield

4 warriors with spear and shield 

5 rangers of gondor

Madril

2 rangers of Gondor

2 rangers of gondor with spear

4 warriors with shield. 

Damrod. 

So this uses all available heroes but the lack of troops means this one only just gets to 650 and I'd recommend another box of warriors to bulk it out as a next purchase. 

Overall i think i prefer the Gandalf avenue especially the new players as it provides a good base to build from. If you don't mind going over budget then the custom boromir build with added warriors might be for you. 

Thank you for asking me to be apart of this again Rob. 

Rob

As I did previously with the Battlehost suggestion articles, I'm going to focus more on the theme aspects of list building in my suggestions. As this box is based on the Battle of Osgiliath that naturally was the obvious starting point for a themed army. 

Looking at the contents of the box set we can see that we have some decent heroes but that the warriors are massively over the bow limit with 16 of 24 carrying a bow. Luckily Games Workshop have already helped us out here with the Rangers of Ithilien Legendary Legion allowing all those Rangers to ignore the bow limit. In order to field this Legion it is required to include Frodo, Sam and Smeagol (who still fit with a film inspired Osgiliath army) so they're the 1st thing on the shopping list*. After that I wanted something else to really lean into the Osgiliath theme and what better than some Osgiliath Veterans. Adding 2 packs of those, still left some money in the budget so a Minas Tirith Command pack was added to the list to provide another Hero in the form of a Captain plus a Banner and a Warhorn for the army. With all these purchases we are left with a 700 point army as follows 

Warband One 

Faramir with bow

2 Osgiliath Veterans with shield

2 Osgiliath Veterans with spear

2 Osgiliath Veterans with bow

1 Minas Tirith Warrior with banner 

1 Minas Tirith Warrior with Warhorn

Madril

4 Rangers

2 Rangers with spear 

Damrod

4 Rangers 

2 Rangers with spear 

Captain of Minas Tirith with shield

3 Minas Tirith Warriors with bow 

4 Minas Tirith Warriors with shield and spear 

4 Minas Tirith Warriors with shield 

Mordor

Dave Coleman 

So for our Mordor section of the new Starter Set we are going to focus on a Morannon Orc focused army with some hitting power in the form of the Mordor Troll & Morgul Knights and some fantastic Magic support with the Witch King of Angmar and the Mouth of Sauron. 

The extra kits I am adding to the starter set is the Witch King of Angmar Foot & Mounted, the Mouth of Sauron Foot & Mounted and a box of some of the best cavalry around, the hard hitting & terror causing Morgul Knights. These extra boxes comes to £65.

A sample 750pt list could look something like this with the above additions to the starter set:

Witch King of Angmar, Horse, Morgul Crown, 3 Might, 5 Will, 2 Fate

5 Morannon Orcs with Shields

5 Morannon Orcs with Spears & Shields

Gothmog, Warg, Shield

7 Morannon Orcs with Shields

6 Morannon Orcs with Spears & Shields

1 Morannon Orc with Spear, Banner & Shield

1 Mordor Troll

Mouth of Sauron, Armoured Horse

2 Morgul Knights

This list packs 30 models including your 3 Heroes and Monstrous Troll. You also have 8 Might which is a nice amount for 750 points. The Morannon Orcs will form your main line supported on the flanks by the Morgul Knights and the Troll. You can utilise the higher strength of your models to crush any opposing mainline troops. Your two spellcasters can sit in the backfield neutralising your opponents heroes with reliable transfixes and they can also strike pin point areas with their high mobility while mounted and they're both no slouches in combat either with base Fight 5 and 3/4 Attacks on the charge. Gothmog is a reliable beatstick with 4 attacks on the charge, you should be aiming to have him clean through warriors while using Master of Battle to counter enemy heroic actions and keep your army moving. 

I would recommend doing a small conversion using the Banner contained in the Morgul Knight Kit to model onto one of the Spear armed Morannon Orcs.

Rob

Again the fairly obvious scene to try to recreate with the Evil half of this box is the assault upon Osgiliath, after all that's what the box is based upon. This box would be a great foundation for an army themed around that, and, in my opinion, is possibly a better starting point for a general Mordor army than the Mordor Battlehost due to the inclusion of Morannon Orcs instead of Mordor Orcs, which are generally considered a better choice. In fact, this was the direction of my initial thoughts on this force, building a Mordor army based around the Army of Gothmog Legendary Legion.

However, I decided eventually that I wanted to do something a little different and looked instead at the other battle that features Gothmog heavily, the Battle of the Pelennor. We already have have Gothmog with the Warg we see him riding at the Pelennor, a Troll and a host of Orcs, which makes a solid starting point for an army. The other main feature of the Battle of the Pelennor is of course the Mumakil of Harad, and so for my suggestion that's what I'm going to say, simple as that. With that simple addition we can get a Pelennor Fields themed 750 point army as follows. 

Warband 1

Gothmog on Warg

1 Mordor Troll

7 Morannon Orcs with shields 

7 Morannon Orcs with shields and spears 

Warband 2

War Mumak of Harad with Rappelling Lines and Tusk Weapons 

6 Harad Warriors with bows

6 Harad Warriors with spears 

Thank you to Ivan and David for taking part in this article.

So there's our suggestions. What are your thoughts and what would you do differently?

*Ok, the Hobbit models available currently aren't the best fit thematically, but you can probably pick up more suitable sculpts on the 2nd hand market easily enough if that bothers you. 

Is this the last? Piles of Shame

"A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it."

Sometimes a things are not all that they appear. A seemingly innocuous box is more than just a box. It's important, symbolic, a milestone, somethingto fear. But we'll get back to that.

Like a lot of hobbiests I have a sizable pile of shame. The lure of a new model or a new army is sometimes just too great and while I do feel that I am more restrained with purchases than many, my slow painting speed has ultimately left me with a mountain of models in front of me. A decades worth of impulse purchases, ebay hauls, part complete projects and unfulfilled potential that is seemingly ever present, following me from one house to the next. Always there, always judging. 

I knew I had to do something about it, or be haunted for all eternity. It's not as if I haven't tried to tackle this before. So far this year I have managed to paint more than I've bought and projects such Battle Streams in Middle-Earth and the Battle Companies Community Challenge have encouraged me to dig deep into my pile of shame to unearth long forgotten models that were destined to languish untouched for eternity. But it was never enough, the pile was still there, always judging. 

It was time for something drastic. I needed a plan. The simplest way to clear the pile of shame would be to sell it (or at least a significant part of it), or get a commission painter to paint it for me. But is that not just admitting defeat to the pile? Always having to carry that shame, that judgement. No, I had to do this myself. 

Throughout September I sifted through the pile, facing the shame. Like an archaeologist uncovering an ancient ruin, rediscovering those incomplete projects of yesteryear. It resulted in a list. A list of 6 armies, some long lost to the mists of time, some much less ancient. 6 armies I wanted to paint and finish but that currently waiting, judging. 

And that brings me back to the box. That innocuous little box. A couple of the armies were short one or models in my collection so a quick order was placed with my new favourite 3rd party retailer to fill those gaps and that's it. I am pledging not buy any more MESBG models until every single one of those 144 models is complete*. One whole gross.

Can I ever complete this herculean task, or will this be my final ever purchase? Will the pile of shame win, forever judging? Maybe I just need to face my fear. 

*For those painters who could probably finish that in a weekend, bare in mind my painting speed has been compared with the movement of the continents. Thorin's Company took 7 years to complete from start to finish. 

Journey to the Emerald Isle - Army Lists

This weekend the Irish Hobbit League hosts one of its largest events of the year, the Journey to the Emerald Isle. This is a 700 point Good vs Evil event, run by Dave Murphy at Exploding Dice Games in Bangor. Taking a quick look at the army overview we can see that single faction armies and Legendary Legions dominate the the popularity charts compared with traditional alliances. 

Now with 16 players each bringing 2 armies we have a lot to get through. 

James McKernan.

Men of the West (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader):

• Aragorn, King Elessar.

• 5 Warriors of Minas Tirith with spears and shields.

Warband Two:

• Legolas.

Warband Three:

• Gimli.

Warband Four:

• Captain of Minas Tirith.

• 1 Warrior of Minas Tirith with banner, spear, and shield.

• 5 Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields.

• 4 Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields and spears.

Warband Five:

• Beregond.

• 5 Warriors of Minas Tirith with bows.

Assault Upon Helms Deep (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader):

• Uruk-Hai Commander with shield.

• 8 Uruk-Hai Warriors with pikes.

• 9 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shields.

Warband Two:

• Uruk-Hai Captain.

• 1 Uruk-Hai Warrior with pike and banner.

• 5 Uruk-Hai Warriors with pikes.

• 8 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shields.

Warband Three:

• Uruk-Hai Captain.

• 4 Uruk-Hai Berserkers.

Warband Four:

• Isengard Assault Ballista.

Up first we have a pair of Legendary Legions in the Men of the West and Assault on Helms Deep. While Men of the West isn't considered to be a strong legion it does boast some powerful heroes in the 3 Hunters and Assault on Helms Deep is always dangerous with its Ballista. 

Mike Bradfor

Army of Laketown & Thorin's Company (Green Alliance)

Warband One (Leader)

• Gandalf the Grey on horse.

• Bombur.

Warband Two

• Bard with armour and horse.

• Sigrid & Tilda.

• 6 Laketown Guards with bows.

• 7 Laketown Guards with spears.

Warband Three

• Master

• 2 Laketown Guards

• 4 Laketown with bows

• 9 Laketown with spears

Warband Four

• Alfrid - 20

• 3 Laketown Guards with bows

• 6 Laketown Guards with spears

Assault on Lothlorien (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader)

• Druzhag

• 1 Giant Bat Swarm

• 7 Moria Goblin Prowlers

• 7 Moria Goblin Warriors with Orc bows and spears

Warband Two

• Muzgur

• 1 Orc Warrior with Banner

• 4 Wild Wargs

• 5 Orc Warriors with spears

Warband Three

• Ashrak

• 1 Giant Bat Swarm

• 4 Venomback Giant Spiders

• 5 Moria Goblin Prowlers

• 5 Moria Goblin Warriors with Orc bows and spears

Warband 4 -

• Moria Goblin Shaman

• 4 Moria Goblin Prowlers

• 3 Moria Goblin Warriors with Orc bows and spears

I'm always pleased when I see Thorin's Company on a army list and here they are supporting a Lake Town army to provide magical support and buffs to their allies. And the Assault on Lothlorien will be hoping that the darkness will help them shooting down their opponents. 

Gerard Bunting

Iron Hills and Halls of Thranduil (Green Alliance)

Warband One (Leader)

• Thranduil with heavy armour and extra Elven-made sword.

• 2 Mirkwood Cavalry with shields.

• 5 Mirkwood Elves with Elf bows.

• 5 Mirkwood Elves with shields.

• 4 Mirkwood Elves with Elven-made glaives.

• 1 Mirkwood Elf with Elven-made glaive and banner.

Warband Two:

• Dain Ironfoot on War Boar.

• 15 Iron Hills Dwarves with spears and shields.

Moria and Dark Denizens of Mirkwood (Orange Alliance)

Warband One (Leader)

• Balrog.

• 9 Moria Goblin Warriors with shields.

• 9 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears.

Warband Two

• Moria Goblin Captain.

• 6 Moria Goblin Warriors with shields.

• 6 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears.

Warband Three

• Spider Queen.

• 1 Giant Bat Swarm.

Here's a pair of alliances built around powerful heroes. Thranduil and Dain head a Battle of the Five Armies themed list for Good and the Evil armies are led the Spider Queen and one of the biggest heroes, the Balrog. 

Colleen Bunting

Fangorn (Single Faction)

Warband One (Leader)

• Treebeard with Merry & Pippin.

• 1 Ent.

Warband Two

• Beechbone.

Warband Three

• Quickbeam.

Barad-Dur (Single Faction)

Warband One (Leader)

• The Dark Lord Sauron.

• 10 Orc Warriors with shields.

• 9 Orc Warriors with spears and shields.

• 1 Orc Warrior with spear, shield and banner.

Warband Two

• Ringwraith with 2 Might, 7 Will and 2 Fate.

• 5 Orc Warriors with shields.

• 5 Orc Warriors with spears and shields.

• 1 Orc Tracker.

Speaking of big heroes, next we have the Ents of Fangorn and the Dark Lord himself. Both these lists are highly dependent on how well these big models perform. 

Michael Bunting

Minas Tirith, Lothorien and the White Council (Orange Alliance)

Warband One (Leader):

• King of Men.

• 10 Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields.

• 5 Rangers of Gondor.

Warband Two

• Haldir with Elf bow.

• 8 Galadhrim Warriors with spears and shields.

• 1 Guard of the Galadhrim Court Guard.

• 5 Wood Elf Warriors with Elf bows and Wood Elf spears.

Warband Three

• Celeborn with Elven-made hand and a half sword.

• Galadriel, Lady of Light.

Mordor and Angmar (Red Alliance)

Warband One (Leader)

• The Shadow Lord.

• 7 Orc Warriors with shields.

• 7 Orc Warriors with shields and spears.

Warband Two

• Orc Taskmaster.

• 5 Orc Warriors with shields.

• 3 Orc Warriors with shields and spears.

• 1 Orc Warrior with shield, spear and banner.

• 1 Orc Warrior with spear.

Warband Three

• Great Beast of Gorgoroth.

Warband Four

• Gulavhar.

Micheal is a player who is well known for bringing more unusual alliances and he's stayed true to form here. Bringing Minas Tirith into an elf list helps to increase the model count of this Good force and Gulavhar brings a big scary threat into the Mordor force. 

Alex Neaves

Dale Legendary Legion

Warband One (Leader) 

• King Brand 

• 6 Dale Knights 

• 7 Dale Warriors with spear and shield 

• 1 Dale Warrior with banner 

Warband Two

• Prince Bard 

• 6 Dale Knights 

• 7 Dale Warriors with spear and shield 

• 1 Dale Warrior with banner 

Warband Three 

• Dale captain with Esgaroth bow

• 12 Dale Warriors with Esgaroth bow 

Ugluk's Scouts (Legendary Legion)

Warband One 

• Ugluk 

• 6 Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk bow

• 1 Uruk-Hai Scout with banner

Warband Two 

• Mahur

• 5 Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk bow

• 6 Uruk-Hai Scouts with shields

• 1 Uruk-Hai Scout with banner

Warband 3

• Grishnak with shield

• 10 Orc Warriors with spear and shield

• 2 Orc Warriors with 2 handed weapons

Warband 4

• Snaga

• 10 Orc Warriors with spear and shield

Warband 5 

• Uruk-Hai Scout Captain with Uruk bow

•  5 Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk bow

Back to the more regular fair of Legendary Legions. Here we have the still relatively fresh Army of Dale led by their King and Prince and the Ugluk's Scouts Legion, which has been shown to be a winning army in the right hands. 

Max Small

Azog's Hunters (Single Faction List)

Warband One (Leader)

• Bolg on Fell Warg

• 9 Hunter Orcs

• 3 Hunter Orcs with two-handed weapons

• 1 Hunter Orc with banner

Warband Two

• Fimbul on Fell Warg

• 2 Fell Wargs

Warband Three

• Yazneg on Fell Warg with lance

• 9 Hunter Orcs

• 3 Hunter Orcs with two-handed weapons

Warband Four

• Narzug

• 12 Hunter Orcs with Orc bows.

Kingdom of Khazad-Dum (Single Faction List)

Warband One (Leader)

• Durin

• 11 Hearthguards

Warband Two

• King's Champion

• 5 Dwarf Warriors with shield

• 5 Iron Guards

Warband Three

• Dwarf Captain with shield

• 4 Dwarf Warriors with shield

• 4 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bow

Durin and 11 Hearthguards will really pack a hefty punch for this Khazad-Dum army. Meanwhile Hunter Orcs are also able to deal some damage thanks to their Many Blades and Bolg is one of the most fearsome around.

Connor Whitla

Halls of Thranduil

Warband One

• Thranduil on Elk with heavy armour, extra Elven-made sword, and the Circlet of Kings.

• 4 Mirkwood Cavalry.

Warband Two

• Mirkwood Elf Captain

• 2 Mirkwood Elves with shield.

• 4 Mirkwood Elves with Elven-made glaives.

• 4 Mirkwood Rangers.

Warband Three

• Tauriel with Elven bow

• 2 Mirkwood Elves with shield.

• 2 Mirkwood Elves with Elven-made glaives.

• 3 Mirkwood Elves with Elf bows and Elven-made glaives.

• 5 Mirkwood Rangers.

Azog's Legion

Warband One

• Azog on the White Warg with heavy armour and Stone Flail.

• 2 Gundabad Berserkers with two-handed picks

• 6 Gundabad Orcs with shield.

• 5 Gundabad Orcs with spear and shield.

• 1 Gundabad Orc with banner, spear, and shield

Warband Two

• Bolg on the Fell Warg

• 5 Gundabad Orcs with shield

• 6 Gundabad Orcs with spear and shield

Featuring both Azog and Bolg this Azog's Legion army is bringing the most powerful Orcs in Middle-Earth, able to tackle armies on their own. And as mentioned above, Thranduil is certainly no slouch himself, especially when backed up by an army of elves. 

Christopher Cornhill

Minas Tirith (Single Faction List)

Warband One (Leader)

• Denethor.

• 3 Citadel Guards with spears.

• 3 Citadel Guards with longbows.

Warband Two

• Boromir, Captain of the White Tower on horse with shield and Banner of Minas Tirith.

• 6 Knights of Minas Tirith with shields.

• 4 Warriors of Minas Tirith with shields.

• 4 Warriors of Minas Tirith with spears and shields.

• 1 Warrior of Minas Tirith with bow.

Warband Three

• Irolas.

• 4 Guards of the Fountain Court.

Warband Four

• Faramir on horse with heavy armour and lance.

• 1 Osgiliath Veteran with bow.

• 1 Osgiliath Veteran with shield.

• 1 Osgiliath Veteran with spear.

Isengard (Single Faction List)

Warband One (Leader)

• Saruman on horse.

• Grima Wormtongue.

• 8 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shields.

• 8 Uruk-Hai Warriors with pikes 

• 1 Uruk-Hai Warrior with banner.

Warband Two

• Uruk-Hai Shaman 

• 6 Uruk-Hai Berserkers

Warband 3 

• Uruk-Hai Captain with shield.

• 6 Uruk-Hai Warriors with crossbows

• 2 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shields

Minas Tirith is one of my favourite factions and here we have Boromir with the Banner providing a huge buff to the defenders of the white city. Uruk-Hai are a very dependable troop option due to solid statlines and should be a difficult army to breakdown. 

Connor Kerr 

Isengard and Mordor (Convenient Alliance)

Warband One (Leader)

• Saruman on horse

• Grima on horse

• 1 Crebain

• 2 Uruk-Hai Warriors with crossbows

• 1 Uruk-hai Warrior with pike

• 2 Uruk-hai Warriors with shields

• 3 Uruk-hai Berserkers

• 1 Orc Warrior with banner, spear, and shield

• 2 Orc Warriors with shields

• 4 Orc Warriors with spears and shields

• 1 Warg Rider with shield and throwing spears

Warband Two

• Gothmog on Warg with shield

• 7 Morannon Orcs with shields

• 8 Morannon Orcs with shields and spears

Kingdom of Moria/Balin's Expedition

Warband One (Leader)

• Balin

• 7 Khazad Guards

• 2 Vault Warden Teams

• 3 Dwarf Warriors with shields

• 3 Dwarf Warriors with Dwarf bows

• 1 Dwarf Ranger with Dwarf longbow and throwing axes

Warband Two

• Kings Champion

• 2 Khazad Guards

• 2 Vault Warden Teams

• 3 Dwarf Warriors with shields

• 1 Dwarf Ranger with Dwarf longbow and throwing axes

Warband Three

• Dwarf Shieldbearer

• 6 Iron Guards

Another army led by Saruman, one of the best spellcasters in the game, although this time allied with Gothmog and Mordor. And on the Good side is another Dwarf army, this time led by Balin with plenty of elite troops. 

Peter Fenton

Return of the King (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader)

• Aragorn Strider with Anduril

• 1 Rider of the Dead

• 3 Warriors of the Dead with shield

• 4 Warriors of the Dead with shield and spear

Warband 2

• Legolas Greenleaf

• 1 Rider of the Dead

• 2 Warriors of the Dead with shield and spear

Warband 3

• The King of the Dead

• 1 Rider of the Dead

• 1 Warrior of the Dead with banner, shield and spear

• 2 Warriors of the Dead with shield

• 3 Warriors of the Dead with shield and spear

Moria (Single Faction List)

Warband One (Leader)

• Moria Goblin Captain with shield

• 1 Giant Bat Swarm

• 3 Moria Goblin Warriors with shields

• 3 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears

Warband Two

• Grôblog

• 1 Cave Troll with spear

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with shields

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears

Warband Three

• Moria Goblin Captain with shield

• 5 Moria Goblin Prowlers

• 2 Moria Goblin Warriors with shields

• 2 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears

Warband Four

• Cave Drake

• 1 Giant Bat Swarm

Warband Five

• Moria Goblin Shaman

• Cave Troll with hand and a half hammer

• 2 Moria Prowlers

• 2 Moria Goblin Warriors with shields

Return of the King frequently makes an appearance at tournaments due to its solid reliability stemming from a D8, Terror causing battle line and the leadership of Aragorn. At the opposite end of the spectrum are Moria Goblins, who make up for their lesser quality by bringing more bodies to the Battle.

Nicholas Forsythe

Defenders of Helms Deep (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader)

• Theoden with heavy armour and shield

• Haleth

• 3 Rohan Royal Guard with throwing spears

• 3 Rohan Royal Guards

• 6 Warriors of Rohan with throwing spears and shields

• 2 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows and spears

Warband 2:

• Gamling with Rohan Royal Standard

• Aldor

• 8 Warriors of Rohan with throwing spears and shields

• 1 Warrior of Rohan with bow

• 1 Warrior of Rohan with shield                              

Warband 3:

• Legolas with armour and Elven cloak

• 10 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows and spears

Evil List: Dark Denizens of Mirkwood 

Warband 1

• Spider Queen

• 3 Giant Bat Swarms

• 2 Mirkwood Spiders

• 4 Giant Spiders

Warband 2

• 3 Mirkwood Spiders

• 2 Giant Spiders

Warband 3

• 2 Mirkwood Spiders

• 3 Giant Spiders

Warband 4

• 2 Mirkwood Spiders

• 3 Giant Spiders

Warband 5

• 3 Mirkwood Spiders

I hope no-one has a phobia of Spiders because this Evil list has a lot of them. And on the Good side we have a Defenders of Helms Deep list with plenty of Elf Bows to take advantage of the extra range provided by the Legion bonuses. 

Luke Hilder

Assault on Lothlorien (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader)

• Muzgur.

• 3 Giant Bat Swarms

• 3 Wild Wargs

Warband Two

• Ashrak

• 3 Venomback Giant Spiders

• 2 Moria Goblin Prowlers.

• 3 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears.

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with Orc bows.

Warband Three

• Moria Goblin Shaman.

• 4 Moria Goblin Prowlers.

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears.

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with Orc bows.

Warband Four

• Moria Goblin Shaman.

• 4 Moria Goblin Prowlers.

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears.

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with Orc bows.

Warband Five

• Moria Goblin Shaman.

• 4 Moria Goblin Prowlers.

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with spears.

• 4 Moria Goblin Warriors with Orc bows.

Rivendell and The Fellowship (Historical Alliance)

Warband One (Leader)

• Elrond on horse with heavy armour.

• 13 Rivendell Knights with shields.

• 1 Rivendell Knight with shield and banner.

Warband Two

• Aragorn, Strider on horse with armour

Another Assault on Lothlorien army with plenty of Moria Goblin Archers hoping to take advantage of the cover of darkness. Meanwhile for Good we have a highly elite force of Rivendell Knights led by Elrond and Aragorn. 

Matt Hamill

Rivendell and the Fellowship (Historical Alliance)

Warband One (Leader)

• Elrond on horse with heavy armour.

• 11 Rivendell Knights with shields.

• 2 Rivendell Knights

• 1 High Elf Warrior with Elf bow

Warband Two

• Aragorn, Strider on horse with armour and Anduril

Mordor (Single Faction List)

Warband One (Leader)

• The Witch-King on Fellbeast with Morgul Crown, 3 Might, 18 Will and 3 Fate.

• 14 Morannon Orcs with shields.

• 1 Morannon Orc with banner and shield

Warband Two

• Khamul on Fellbeast on Fellbeast.

• 10 Morannon Orcs with shields

Warband Three

• Kardush.

• 5 Orc Trackers.

And another very similar Rivendell Knights army with strong hitting power, good shooting and excellent mobility. And for Evil there's a pair of Fell Beasts that will bring a huge double threat to the table. 

Paddy McCormick

Defenders of Helms Deep (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader)

• Theoden with heavy armour and shield.

• 4 Rohan Royal Guards with throwing spears.

• 6 Warriors of Rohan with throwing spears and shields (and axes).

Warband Two

• Aragorn, Strider with armour.

• Haleth.

• 8 Warriors of Rohan with throwing spears and shields (and axes).

Warband Three

• Gamling with Rohan Royal Standard.

• Aldor.

• 10 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows and spears.

Pits of Dol Guldur (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader)

• Azog on the White Warg.

• 5 Hunter Orcs.

• 4 Hunter Orcs with Orc bows.

• 1 Hunter Orc with Orc bow and war horn.

• 6 Gundabad Orcs with spears and shields.

• 1 Gundabad Orc with banner, spear and shield

• 1 Fell Warg

Warband Two

• Gundabad Orc Captain with shield.

• 2 Hunter Orcs.

• 2 Hunter Orcs with Orc bows.

• 4 Gundabad Orcs with spears and shields.

• 1 Fell Warg.

Warband Three

• Gundabad Orc Captain with shield.

• 2 Hunter Orcs.

• 2 Hunter Orcs with Orc bows.

• 3 Gundabad Orcs with spears and shields.

• 1 Fell Warg.

Onto the penultimate pair of lists and we have the Defenders of Helms Deep and the Pits of Dol Guldur. Both these armies a top class hero in the form of Aragorn and Azog respectively and utilising them effectively will be key to victory. 

Dave Murphy - TO/Bye Buster Lists

The Breaking of the Fellowship (Legendary Legion)

Warband One (Leader)

• Aragorn, Strider with Elven cloak.

• Legolas with Elven cloak. 

• Gimli, Son of Gloin with Elven cloak.

• Boromir of Gondor with shield and Elven cloak.

• Frodo Baggins with Mithril Coat, Sting and Elven cloak.

• Samwise Gamgee with Elven cloak.

• Merriadoc Brandybuck with Elven cloak.

• Peregrin Took with Elven cloak.

Warband One (Leader)

• Lurtz with shield.

• Uruk-Hai Drummer

• Uruk-Hai Scout with banner and shield.

• 4 Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk bows.

• 7 Uruk-Hai Scouts with shields.

Warband Two

• Ugluk.

• 3 Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk bows.

• 7 Uruk-Hai Scouts with shields.

Warband Three

• Mauhur.

• 3 Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk bows.

• 6 Uruk-Hai Scouts with shields.

Warband Four

• Uruk-Hai Scout Captain.

• 3 Uruk-Hai Scouts with Uruk bows.

• 6 Uruk-Hai Scouts with shields

And finally we have the bye-buster lists of the Breaking of the Fellowship and Lurtz’s Scouts. 

So there's all the armies battling for the top spot. Good to everyone. 

Building Battlehosts - Evil

 A couple of days ago the preorders for the new Battlehost boxes began at Games Workshop. These each offer a good way to start a new army or are an excellent entry point to the game. But what about when you want to move beyond the contents of each box. In my last article I looked at the forces of Good (check it out here if you missed it), with the help of some other members of the Irish SBG community, so it seems only fair to dive into the forces of Shadow this time. Same rules apply as before, build an army based upon a Battlehost box plus a maximum of £60 of additional purchases. And joining me this time are Micheal Bradford commanding the orcs of Mordor and Patrick McCormick the Legions of Isengard.

Mordor
Micheal Bradford

So, you've just seen the Witch-King/Orcs/Warg Riders Battlehost Box huh?


Chances are that it's appealing to you as the basis for a Mordor Army - and don't get me wrong, with a welcome range of potential alliances, synergies, and a large variety of characters & units, Mordor is one of the most diverse and fun armies to build. 


However, I want to spin you the idea of appreciating the duality that this Battlehost offers, in that the units included can also form the backbone of an Angmar army.


Celebrating the Witch-King of Angmar at the height of his Northern dominion, this faction provides a range of ghostly synergies that can combine to make it one of the most potent armies in the game.

Witch-King by Alan Lee 

If the thought of this evil spirit army intrigues you, here are some suggestions as to the next few purchases you could make to supplement this Battlehost box, along with a lower-points list idea tailored to meet the models you'll have to hand once purchased.


Hill Troll Chieftain Buhrdur - £22 - A key strength of an Angmar force is incapacitating the enemy. To capitalise on this, it's important to build in units that can deal damage. Enter Buhrdur. A mighty cave troll hero, his ability to kill will certainly come in handy against tough opposition units and enemy heroes. Furthermore, his banner effect upon dispatching such is a welcome effect to increase the potency of your force.


Dead Marsh Spectres - £10 - These guys aren't heroes, but as a warrior unit they offer fantastic versatility. Their strength lies in a special ability that allows them to compel an enemy model into taking a courage test. Should the target model fail the test, they can be moved anywhere (within certain parameters). Want to get rid of a pesky banner or spear support? These guys can do that. Want to move a model within charge range to allow for further combat shenanigans? Look no further. And the great thing is, this special ability costs no Will points, allowing you to mess around with the enemy formation on a whim, whilst your magic caster conserve Will for the high priority targets.


Barrow Wights - £10 - Speaking of magic casters, Angmar has access to some of the most frightening in the game. Barrow Wights have access to a spell called paralyse. An enemy unit that fails to resist this spell will find itself incapacitated - it will automatically lose fights (unless supported), meaning the orc chaff that will form the meat of your force can suddenly simply roll to wound, without having to try and win the fight. And imagine if you'd a beastly killer in position to jump the downed target? They'll be lucky to survive that round of combat. Paralyse is a very hard spell to recover from, but in addition the arguably low points cost of the Barrow Wights, their ability to strike against opponent's courage value instead of their defence, and their contribution as heroes towards the terror-causing army bonus, makes them a frequently seen staple unit and potent member of any Angmar army.


Mordor Orc Commanders - £26 - Trying to give you an idea of what further purchases you could make to the Battlehost box with a budget of under £70, it was a toss-up between these guys and another box of Mordor orcs (remember, these guys can easily double up as Angmar troops and heroes [for the most part]). Based on the (admittedly lower numbers) list I've cobbled together based on these specific purchases, I've opted for this set (although I'd definitely be advising another box of Mordor Orc warriors when you reach the next payday). Angmar is an odd faction, in that it can often be a force that prefers to react, and move second. Your heroes should be behind orc lines, therefore safe to cast magic, whilst your terror-causing ranks should limit how many opposition models charge you. Therefore, reacting to the enemy allows you to swarm isolated threats, whilst targeting specific high priority models with your big hitters. An Orc Captain can be a decent killer in your army, especially when mounted, but they also bring a resource that is lacking (although not necessarily missed due to the strength of reactive play) - Might. They can act as a Might-caddy for a timely Heroic Move or Heroic Combat, or even a Heroic March if you need to get up the board swiftly - allowing for your main heroes like the Witch-King to conserve their Might for important situations. Additionally, this set provides a banner bearer. Not only can banners provide VPs in certain scenarios, but they saliently provide that dice reroll in combat, which will be particularly useful when it comes to winning fights.

 


So with those sets overviewed, here is a sample 600 Point list based on what you have available:


Warband 1 - 

(Leader) Witch-King (3/15/3) on horse, with Morgul Crown

Dead Marsh Spectre

Orc with Banner

4 Orcs with Shield

4 Orcs with Spear

2 Warg Riders with Shield and Throwing Spear


Warband 2 - 

Buhrdur

Dead Marsh Spectre

2 Orcs with Shield

2 Orcs with Spear

3 Warg Riders with Shield


Warband 3 -

Barrow Wight

Orc with Shield

Orc with Spear

Orc with 2-Handed Weapon


Warband 4 -

Barrow Wight

Orc with Shield

Orc with Spear

Orc with 2-Handed Weapon


= 600 Points


At 30 models, this army is on the lower side of what you'd want to field numerically. At higher Points, you'll want to cram in a bunch more orcs, before adding more Will and maybe a Fell Beast to the Witch-King, and looking at playing around with heroes/monsters (e.g. an Orc Captain, Cave Troll, Wild Warg Chietain, Gulavhar, more wraiths etc.). That said, this army has the tools to incapacitate the opposition through a fair amount of casting power, whilst your Warg cavalry and Buhrdur can provide the punch as your orc chaff hold the lines. The Witch-King himself has the ability to fight when needed thanks to the Crown, but with the Crown's reroll for casting and 15 Will, he may be best placed to sit behind the lines and shut down enemy units.


Rob

Following on from Micheal's suggestions, I too am not going to stick to the Mordor army list. As before I am attempting to other very thematic options from the movies (or books) and that didn't jump out at me within the Mordor list with this box. By the time we see the armies of Mordor marching forth in the films the Witch-King has ditched his horse in exchange for a Fell Beast and the majority of the Orcs would be better represented with the Morannon Orc set by this point(so maybe the Battle of Osgiliath box would be a better starting point). Luckily, the models in this box are suitable for multiple armies in the game.

And what scene could be more iconic than the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring with the forces of the Last Alliance taking on the hordes of Sauron. We already have a rabble of orcs as well as some Warg Riders and the Witch-King (who, although wasn't featured in the film at this point is part of the list and would conceivably have been there in the lore). Obviously we are going to need to add the big boss himself, Sauron. This gives us a major focal point for the army who is pretty much able to tackle most targets, either with magic or in combat. One of his advantages is that he is able to led a Warband of 24, instead of the usual 18 for a Hero of Legend, which gives the feeling of that horde of orcs that assailed the Free Peoples. But for our horde we're going to need a few more, so I'll add another box of Mordor Orc warriors to the army, giving us a solid 48 to utilise (minus 6 that we will need for dismounts of the Warg Riders). All told this gives us a list looking something like this:

Barad-Dûr
800 points

Sauron
8 Orcs with shields
8 Orcs with spears
4 Orcs with bows
4 Orcs with 2 Handers

Witch-King on horse with Crown of Morgul, 3 Might, 3 Fate and 6 Extra Will
2 Warg Riders with shield
2 Warg Riders with bow
2 Warg Riders with shield and throwing spear
2 Orcs with spear



Isengard 

Patrick McCormick 

A new power is rising in Isengard, containing a plethora of warriors at your disposal to march across the lands and stain them with the blood of Rohan. The leader of the box set is none other than Saruman the White; one of the best wizards to use in the game. His ability to cast magic at will and rally the Uruk-hai warriors into battle makes for the perfect general to start you on your journey. Modelled on horse allows for Saruman to gain more board control by controlling his armies from the back lines and dictating were weaknesses can be found. Lurking not far behind the former head of the White Council is Grima Wormtongue. Unbefitting, Grima is a man of Rohan who betrayed his country in order to be rewarded with wealth and power from Saruman. Not selected in army lists for his ability in combat, Grima is often chosen for his ability to corrupt enemy heroes, making their capabilities to perform acts of heroism more difficult. Also included in the set is an unusual miniature; the Palantir. The lost seeing stone allows the user to see events happening across Arda, whether in the past or the future. The Palantir’s features are reflected in the game – allowing the forces of Isengard to win priority automatically. This special rule can be crucial in latter stages of a game; to take true advantage of certain scenarios or denying your opponent with the upper hand.

24 Uruk-hai Scouts and 20 Uruk-hai warriors are packed into this box set. The balance this set offers a new player is the capacity to build the army in many different directions. Adding a couple more heroes to the list is a must; but certain additions will allow the army to be built into Legendary Legions. The Isengard Battle force can be the starting point to introducing any of the 3 Legendary Legions; Assault on Helms Deep, Lurtz’s Scouts or Ugluk’s Scouts. From a gaming perspective, these build ups have been showcased on the top tables at many tournaments, which can be a good selling point for new players delving into the game (because who obviously doesn’t want to win all their games).

Moreover, the troops are easier to paint than other options being released. The dark skin of the Uruk-hai, the many shades of brown leather on the scouts and shadowy reflection on the armour offers excellent starting points for first time hobbyists. The Uruk-hai were my first army that I collected as I wanted something easy for me to paint based on how they were reflected in the movies.

 

I was asked after buying this battle force, what extras I would include to make the force better. I was given an extra £50 to make this work. Obviously, with so many warriors in the set, you will have to include heroes. The apparent choice would be to include Lurtz and Ugluk. Many will remember the former from the movies; almost beheading Aragorn during the Ambush at Amon Hen. This tough Uruk leader was instructed by Saruman to search for the halflings in order to retrieve a weapon which alter his dominance in Middle-Earth. Ugluk was also found in the next movie; proving that restaurants were offered in Isengard and “putting meat back on the menu”. These two heroes are necessary for the two scout legions mentioned above. They will be the army leaders in this case and will need some more back up. Mauhur and Vrasku, the next purchase for the new player. Mauhur offers something very special in both these legions; making the Uruk-hai scouts able to run 8”. This is pivotal in games, often allowing controlling players to have board control with objectives or by getting to the enemy much quicker. Finally, I would add the Scout Command pack. The banner and captain are musts in this legion as the scouts will need assistance in some cases to ensure they win the fights. The captain allows for more troops to be taken once warbands have been filled. The extra points of might come in handy too for Heroic Moves, which allow Lurtz and Ugluk to keep their Might store fresh when they come face to face with bigger heroes.

Rob

For my recommendations on each of the Battlehosts I've tried to pick fairly iconic scenes from the movies to base an army upon. However, with the Isengard one I struggled, primarily because Saruman the White never leads his Uruk-Hai into battle but also because the 2 halves of this box (Uruk-Hai Warriors and Uruk-Hai Scouts) are also separate entities that don't appear together on screen. Having seen the suggestions above taking a more Scout based approach with the various Scout Heroes I decided eventually that I wanted to focus primarily on the fighting Uruk-Hai. And once I'd decided on that there was really only 1 scene I could choose, the moment that Saruman unveils his vast legion of 10000 Uruk-Hai from a top Orthanc (I'd just have to built a scale tower for the scenic bases of Saruman and Grima).

Firstly, I knew I'd some extra heroes and only non-scout option here is the Fighting Uruk-Hai Command pack. This gives us access to a Captain, a Shaman and a Banner bearer, all pretty good additions to forces of the White Hand. At this point I had a couple of options on what else to get. Option one was another box of Uruk-Hai warriors to really bulk out the army and get a little closer to that 10000 or option two was to get some more elite units in the form of a pack each of Berserkers and Uruk-Hai Crossbows. In the end I opted for the elite options which is sufficient for this 650 point list:

Saruman 

Grima

1 Uruk-Hai Warrior with banner

6 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shield 

6 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Pike

2 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Crossbow

Uruk-Hai Captain with Shield

3 Berserkers

2 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shield 

2 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Pike

2 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Crossbow

Uruk-Hai Shaman 

2 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shield 

2 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Pike

So there's our suggestions, what would you consider adding to each of the Battlehosts?

Once again, thank you to Michael Bradford and Patrick McCormick for contributing to this article and offering their insights.