Battle Companies Community Challenge

 

'But it is told that he was a renegade, who came of the race of those that are named the Black Númenóreans.... And he entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again, and because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lord's favour; and he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc.'

A while ago I got asked by some Welsh man if I wanted to take part in some content creator painting challenge alongside other MESBG bloggers and YouTube creators. After first getting over the shock of being recognized as a content creator I tentatively asked what this would entail. "Don't worry, you'll only have to paint about half a dozen models and you'll have a couple of months to do it. Loads of time," was the reply. For context, my painting slowed to half a model painted in the 3 months prior to this conversation since the birth of my son. "Sure, why not" came my foolishly over eager response. Then I found out about the rules. Those rules were:

Each participant had to submit 2 colours to the organiser, Dewi (the aforementioned Welsh man).
We would then all be assigned a random colour combination from these submissions and a random Battle Company to build and paint before the deadline.

Easy, no problem. Unless I randomly drew either a company with models that I don't like (like Elves or Black Numenoreans) or colours that are hard to paint (like yellow). But what are the chances of that?

And then the draw happened...

@?$#@

Yellow and purple Minas Morgul.

Hitting not one, but two of the things I didn't want. Well at least it wasn't Elves.

The only yellow paint I own came from the 1st paint set I got when I started this hobby, now more than a decade ago. In this case my dog genuinely did eat my homework after I caught her chewing on the bottle several years ago.

After getting over the initial disgust I eventually got into chopping, glueing and painting my Battle Company, consisting of 2 Black Numenoreans, 6 Orcs and their faithful canine companion. And here they are in all their splendor.

Herumor leading the Company through the ruins of Middle Earth

"Shar? Shay-ah? Ba? Bac-eens? Bagg-eens?" queried Fuinur, trying to wrap his tongue around the strange syllables as he paced about the dimly lit room. "What is this supposed to mean?"

"How am I supposed to supposed to know?" Snapped back Herumor, angrily shooting forth a shower of sparks from an outstretched palm that briefly illuminated the small space. "If we knew that the the Master wouldn't be tasking us with finding out. That's all the whips and flaying knifes of the Tower could get out of the sniveling creature they captured. Not even the Black Hand himself could get anything else out of it."

"Maybe if they hadn't flogged it half to death they might have gotten something more to go on. I've seen those cutthroats at work, probably cut it's tongue out to get it to speak. And now we're to find information on what this wretch meant? What's so important about it anyway?"

"Some weapon for the war the Dark Lord is after." replied Herumor, summoning another shower of sparks as he peered at the rudimentary map laid out on the rough-hewen wooden table. "There were rumours of strange happenings surrounding the Lonely Mountain when the Dragon fell, that's where we'll start looking. See if we can't lure the Naugrim with a little something," he said as he pulled out a heavy gold ring set with a blue gem from a pouch he had on his belt and set it on the map. It sparkled in the dim light, seemingly with a glow of it's own.

Fuinur looked on in amazement, finally stopping his pacing to gaze in wonderment at the gem. "Is that..." He stammered, "How..."

"Indeed it is. One of the Seven. We're to tempt the Naugrim of the Lonely Mountain with it in exchange for information on this Shire Baggins," replied Herumor, stowing the Ring securely back in it's pouch. "We'll gather a squad of Orcs, lads we can trust, and head North. No more than half a dozen, secrecy is key."

Fuinur thought for a moment before a crude smile spread on the grizzled old warrior's face. "Lagduf and his lads were reliable enough in the Eastern Campaign and he owes me a favour after I saved his skin against those Dwarves in the Orocarni."

After studying the map for an extra few seconds Herumor finally stood from the table, rolled up  the map and stowed it beside the pouch on his belt "That's decided then. We leave at dusk tomorrow."

Herumor the Sorcerer, the leader of the company

Fuinur the Warrior, 2nd in Command

Lagduf, the leader of the Orc pack

Ufthak

Othrod

Belameg

Gorgol

Radbug

Beruth the hound (because why wouldn't I take a dog?)

So that's my Minas Morgul Battle Company ready to seek out information on Baggins and the Ring. 

When creating them I wanted everyone to be converted (with the exception of the dog) to really generate some individuality. With the Orcs this just involved a host of chopping and changing within the Mordor Orcs and Warg Riders kits, both of which are great for kitbashing like this. 

However, with the Black Numenoreans a little more imagination was required. As I mentioned above I really dislike the Games Workshop design for Black Numenoreans and don't feel that the aesthetic fits with my view of Middle Earth and that the scale and look fit better with Warhammer Fantasy or Age of Sigmar. 1st thing to change on them was the outlandish helmets that they sport and to reduce the excessively spiked pauldrons. It was while I was searching for inspiration on what I wanted these two models to look like that I came across the opening quotation of this article. This confirmed that Black Numenoreans could learn sorcery and so immediately I wanted my leader to take the Path of the Sorcerer and I settled on the hooded ominous figure summoning fireballs. This was created using a head from the plastic Eowyn model with a green stuffed hood and flame, as well as trimming down the wildly impractical sleeves. As for the 2nd Numenorean, I rummaged through my collection and found some Army of the Dead. Having seen some people paint these up as living men of Carn Dum in the past I felt that one of these heads could work to give an old veteran warrior vibe.

When it came to painting I knew I had to stick with Yellow and Purple as my main colours but I wanted the Black Numenoreans to still retain that dark, menacing colour scheme, so chose to use dark purple as the main colour on them. This was done by liberal use of purple washes over a grey base coat then highlighting back up with some yellowish object source lighting from the flame on Herumor and with greys and purples on Fuinur. Having chosen purple as the main colour on the Black Numenoreans that meant I had to feature yellow prominently on the Orcs, not normally an Orcish colour. In order to avoid it looking too bright and garish I started with a beige and layered up multiple washes of Agrax and Sepia with yellow highlights to give a dirty, grimy appearance more in keeping with Orcs. The armour and skin tones were again based on purple washes similar to the Numenoreans. 

And finally I decided to make a display board for the Company using an Osgiliath Ruins kit that's been waiting for some paint for many years. This was painted simply with numerous dry brushes of greys and browns over a grey prime and mounted onto an MDF base taken from a broken photo frame with sand glued down for ground texture.

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And so there is my attempt at this challenge, but be sure to check out all the other excellent contributions from these other brilliant content creators:

Dewi Evans - Guardians of Wiltshire

Steve Crowe - Top Table Gaming

Cameron Cochrane - PaintsOnA4Up

Dan Slobodian, Steve Thorley, Colm Browne, David Cooper and Dan Stuart - Drawn Combat

Sam Huddy, James Willson and CJ Millar - At Dawn, Look to the East

Dene Palmer - Dene Paints Things

Harry Parkhil - Battle Games in Middle Earth

Damian O'Byrne - Battle Streams in Middle Earth

Benjamin Bowles - Benji's Hobbies

Alex Temple - Battle Camper

Alistair King - GBHL Blog

Nírnaeth Arnoediad 2022 - Podium Review

Recently the Irish Hobbit League held it's largest event ever at the Nírnaeth Arnoediad tournament in Underworld Gaming, Dublin. 23 players battled it out over 6 games (you can see all the lists here), but only 3 made it to the podium. Let's take a closer look at them.

3rd Place
Ellis Priestley
Corsairs of Umbar

Warband 1
DALAMYR (LEADER)
8X BLACK NÚMENOREAN
1X BLACK NÚMENOREAN WITH BANNER
9X CORSAIR OF UMBAR w/ Spear and sheild

Warband 2
DELGAMAR
3X BLACK NÚMENOREAN
1x CORSAIR OF UMBAR w/ Sheild
10x CORSAIR OF UMBAR w. Spear and sheild

Warband 3
CORSAIR BO’SUN with shield
5xCORSAIR REAVER
5xCORSAIR OF UMBAR w. Spear and sheild
1xCORSAIR OF UMBAR w. sheild

CORSAIR CAPTAIN with shield
12xCORSAIR ARBALESTER

59 models

In 3rd place was Ellis Priestley with a large Corsair army. At 59 models this was one of the largest armies at the event (with only one other bringing more models). This gives the army great board presence, being able to cover a large amount of ground just by flooding it with weight of bodies. The other point to note is that most of those large amount of troops have some form of ranged weapon, either crossbows or throwing weapons. This makes a Corsair army a very frightening prospect to face at range and also on the charge.

2nd Place
Ivan Sheehan
Ugluks Scouts

Warband 1
Ugluk (Leader)
5 uruks, shield
6 uruks, bow
1 uruk, banner

Warband 2
Mauhur
5 uruks, shield
6 uruks, bow
1 uruk, banner

Warband 3
Uruk hai scout captain, shield
Drummer
6 uruks, bow

Warband 4
Grishnakh, shield
10 orcs, spear, shield
2 orcs, 2 handed weapon

Warband 5
Snaga
5 orcs, shield
3 orcs, spear
3 orcs, spear, shield
1 orc, 2 handed weapon

60 models

Following his 2nd place at the Scouring of Che-Shire last month, Ivan has once again finished 2nd with his Ugluk's Scouts. At 60 models this goes 1 better than the Corsairs of Ellis above and it's those numbers combined with the extra pace provided by the Marauders upgrade and Drummer that gives this army great board control. Although the Orcs in this army don't benefit from those speed bonuses they do play an important role in allowing the model count to be so high, providing Spears to support and unlocking the Animosity Legion special rule that greatly increases the killing power of the army. The final point I'd like to mention is that this army doesn't have any stand out heroes, instead relying on its warriors to get the job done. This means that there is not a clear target for enemy heroes or spell casters to target, reducing their effectiveness.

1st Place
Alexis Dufrasne
Angmar

Warband 1
Witch King with 3M, 15W, 3F, Crown of Morgul, Morgul Blade and Fell Beast
5 Angmar Orcs with Shield
3 Angmar Orcs with Spear
2 Spectres
1 Wild Warg

Warband 2
Gulavhar
4 Angmar Orcs with Shield
1 Angmar Orc with Banner, shield and spear
3 Angmar Orcs with Spear and shield
2 Spectres
1 Wild Warg

Warband 3
Barrow Wight
4 Angmar Orcs with Shield
3 Angmar Orcs with Spear
1 Wild Warg

Warband 4
Barrow Wight
4 Angmar Orcs with Shield
3 Angmar Orcs with Spear

41 models

And the winner was, taking the title back to Belgium, Alexis with this Angmar army. I'm sure I've spoken before about the competitive power of Angmar as it is a popular choice in the IHL. A large portion of this power comes from the magical proficiency within the army list, led here by the Witch King (who gets rerolls on casting thanks to the Morgul Crown) and very ably backed up by a pair of Barrow Wights (whose Paralyse spell is rightfully feared by enemy heroes). Having 3 powerful casters means that there are very few opponents that can withstand the magical onslaught for long. Then, once that magic has neutralized the enemy threats the pair of flying monsters, Gulavhar and a Fell Beast are ready to sweep in and slaughter their helpless foes.

Congratulations to Ellis, Ivan and Alexis for earning their places on the podium and to all the other winners on the day; Louis Vanhecke (whose stunning Riders of Theoden won Best Painted), Matthew Butler (who won both the Favourite Army and Best Model awards with his Azog's Signal Tower) and Tom Armitage (who won the Favourite Opponent Award) as well as all the winners of the various spot prizes throughout the weekend. And a special thank you to the TO, Michael Bradford, who by all accounts ran an incredible tournament. And so all that's left for me to do is to leave you with a tiny snippet of some of the photos taken during the event.

Nírnaeth Arnoediad 2022 - Army Lists

 

The IHL swings back into action this weekend for the Nírnaeth Arnoediad tournament in Underworld Gaming, Dublin. As well as providing points towards the Irish League, this tournament is also a scoring event for the GBHL and counts as the NI Open for Ardacon, offering entry to the Masters Tournament at Ardacon to the winner, so there's a lot to play for. This is also shown by the international representation attending with a total of 8 overseas players making the trip, 6 from Britain and 2 all the way from Belgium.

The tournament is an 800 point event playing 6 games selected using the pools system in the Match Play Guide and is being run by the excellent Michael Bradford.

With 26 players (plus a bye-buster) entered this represents the largest event on the island of Ireland to date, so there's lots of lists to get through. But first a quick overview. Here we can see that Evil is continuing the trend of the last few events in being more popular than Good and that the majority of armies are either Legendary Legions or Pure Factions, with less than 30% including any allies.

Dave Shirra

Thorin’s Company

Warband 1

Thorin Oakenshield with Orcrist and the Oakenshield

Fili

Kili

Balin

Dwalin

Bifur

Bofur

Bombur

Oin

Gloin

Dori

Nori

Ori

13 models

What can I say, I see Thorin's Company and immediately love it. Fingers crossed Dave is able to get all the synergies built into the list working well. Hopefully they make the trip from Britain worth it.

Michael Bunting 

Moria

Warband 1

Dragon + Breathe Fire + Fly (Leader)

Bat Swarm

Warband 2

Dragon + Breathe fire + fly

Bat Swarm

4 models

Just 4 models here, but when 2 of them are dragons they'll be a force to be reckoned with. A pair of Bat Swarms add to that threat by neutralizing the enemies powerful heroes.

James Williams

Rangers of Mirkwood LL

Warband 1

Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood: Elven Cloak (Leader)

15 Mirkwood Rangers

Warband 2

Mirkwood Ranger Captain

12 Mirkwood Ranger

Warband 3

Tauriel

11 Mirkwood Ranger

38 Models 

The 2nd international traveler is bringing with him this Mirkwood Ranger list. With 38 Elf bows this army is going to have a powerful Shooting phase. Meanwhile, Knife Mastery will allow these elves to pack a punch up close too.

Matthew Butler

Azog’s Legion

Warband 1

Azog with Signal Tower, Stone Flail and Heavy Armour (Leader)

7 Gundabad Orc Warriors with Shields 

7 Gundabad Orc Warriors with Spears 

2 Ogres 

Warband 2

Gundabad Orc Captain with Shield

5 Gundabad Orc Warriors with Shields

6 Gundabad Orc Warriors with Spears 

36 models (inclusive of the 7 lieutenants on the Signal Tower)

First time I've seen a list with Azog's Signal Tower, so will be interesting to see how it does. Azog himself is an excellent and powerful Leader , threatening any other Heroes present.

Luke Revell

Mordor and Isengard

Warband 1

(Leader) Witch King of Angmar 3/20/3 with Crown of Morgul and Horse

Warband 2

Lurtz with Shield

5 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Shield

5 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Pikes

4 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Crossbows

1 Uruk-Hai Warrior with Banner and Shield

Warband 3

Ugluk

4 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Shields

4 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Pikes

3 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Crossbows

Warband 4

Vrasku

4 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Shields

3 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Pikes

3 Uruk-Hai Warriors with Crossbows

40 models

Uruk Hai are excellent, solid line troops, combining good Fight, Strength and Defense stats. An interesting choice here is to ally in the Witch King on horse as Leader, who is an excellent spell caster as well as having competent combat ability thanks to the Crown of Morgul.

Harry Parkhill

Minas Tirith

Warband 1 

Aragorn King Elessar Mtd 

7 x Warrior of Minas Tirith w Shield

6 x Warrior of Minas Tirith w Shield and Spear

3 x Ranger of Gondor w Spear 

1 x Guard of the Fountain Court w Shield 

1 x Citadel Guard w Longbow

Warband 2

Gandalf the White w Shadowfax

5 x Warrior of Minas Tirith w Shield 

4 x Warrior of Minas Tirith w Shield & Spear

1 x Warrior of Minas Tirith w Banner, Shield, Spear

1 x Knight of Minas Tirith w Shield 

3 x Ranger of Gondor w Spears

1 x Guard of the Fountain Court w Shield

35 models

Next up is Harry Parkhill of Entmoot podcast fame (check it out if you haven't already, it's great) traveling over from England . He's bringing along a Minas Tirith army led by Elessar and Gandalf the White who will provide good killing potential and good magical cover.

Donal Carroll

Corsairs of Umbar and Serpent Horde

Warband 1: Dalamyr (Leader)

4 x Corsair with shield

7 x Corsair with spear

5 x Corsair Arbalesters

Warband 2

Delgamar 

4 x Corsair with shield

4 x Corsair with spear

4 x Corsair Arbalesters

Warband 3

Corsair Captain with Crossbow

4 x Corsair with shield

4 x Corsair with spear

4 x Corsair Arbalesters

Warband 4

Suladan with armoured horse

5 x Haradrim Raiders with War Spear and Bow

6 x Abrakhan Merchant Guard

55 models

Here we have a alliance between the Corsairs of Umbar and the Serpent Horde. 55 models means this is on the higher end of the model count and with corsairs all carrying ranged weapons they'll be a big threat in the shooting phase and on the charge.

Gary Doyle 

Numenor and Rivendell

Warband 1

Elendil w/horse and Shield (Leader)

4 Numenor Warriors w shields

4 Numenor Warriors w shields and spears

Warband 2

Cirdan

1 Rivendell Knight w/shield

2 Elves with bows

2 Elves with bows and spears

1 Elf with bow and shield

Warband 3

Glorfindell with Armour and Asfoloth

1 Rivendell Knight w/shield

1 Elf with Shield and Banner

6 Elves with Shields

7 Elves with Shields and Spears

32 Models

Elendil and Glorfindel lead the line of this Last Alliance themed army and provide two hugely powerful combat models. Meanwhile, Cirdan is excellent value for his buffing spells.

Niall Woods

Easterlings 

Warband 1

Amdûr on armoured horse (Leader)

10 Black Dragon Kataphrakts (1 with banner)

Warband 2

Rutabi

4 Black Dragon Easterling Warriors with spear and shield (1 with Banner) 

1 Black Dragon Easterling Warrior with bow

2 Black Dragon Easterling Warriors with shield

Warband 3

Brogir

2 Black Dragon Easterling warriors with shield 

1 Black Dragon Easterling Warrior with pike and shield

1 Black Dragon Easterling Warrior with bow

1 Black Dragon Easterling Warrior

Warband 4

Dragon Knight 

6 Dragon cult acolytes

32 models

The 2 new Easterling Heroes feature in this army list. It will be interesting to see how they perform on the tabletop.

Luke O'Reilly

Serpent Horde and Mordor

Warband 1 (Leader)

Suladan on Horse

Warband 2

WK on FB with crown 3/18/3 

5 Black Numenoreans

5 Morannon Orcs with Spears and Shields

Warband 3

Shagrat with shield and heavy armour

5 Black Numenoreans

5 Morannon Orcs with Spears and Shields

Warband 4

Marshall on Horse with Shield and Lance

5 Black Numenoreans

5 Morannon Orcs with Spears and Shields

34 models

This is a fairly typical Mordor army featuring a frontline of Terror causing Black Numenoreans backed up by S4 Morannon Orcs. Of particular note, however, is the inclusion of Suladan as Leader, meaning that pressure is removed from the Witch King to survive.

Eoghan O'Keane

Rohan and Minas Tirith

Warband 1 

Theoden King of Rohan with Armoured Horse, heavy armour and shield

Rohan Royal Guard with banner, horse

X3 Rohan Royal Guard with throwing spear, horse

Warband 2

Deorwine, Chief of the King’s Knights with horse

X3 Rohan Royal Guard with throwing spear, horse

Warband 3

Eomer with armoured horse, shield

X8 Rider of Rohan

Warband 4

Gandalf the White on Shadowfax

18 models 

Up next is a fully mounted Rohan army with Gandalf the White allied in. This will hit hard if it can pull off a good charge and Gandalf provides excellent magical support.

Connor Glover

Thranduil's Halls

Thranduil - elk, extra sword, circlet, heavy armour (Leader)

3x cav w/shield

4x elf w/glaive and bow

6x Palace guard w/ spear and shield

Legolas w/ cloak

6x elf w/shield 1 with banner

3x elf w/ glaive and bow

Tauriel w/bow

5x elf w/shield

3x elf w/glaive and bow

1x sentinel

34 models

All the named Heroes feature in this Thranduil's Halls list with Thranduil providing multiple buffs to the army as well as a solid combat presence.

Louis Vanhecke

Riders of Theoden

Warband 1

Theoden [Leader] (heavy armour, shield, armoured horse)

3 Rohan royal guards (horses)

Warband 2 

Deorwine (horse)

3 Rohan royal guards (horses)

Warband 3

Dernhelm75

2 Rohan royal guards (horses)

1 Rohan royal guard (horse, banner)

Warband 4

Gamling (horse)

3 Rohan royal guards (horses)

Warband 5

Elfhelm (horse)

1 Rohan royal guard (horse)

1 Rider of Rohan

Warband 6

Captain (horse)

2 Riders of Rohan

Warband 7

Captain (horse)

2 Riders of Rohan

26 models

The 1st of the two Belgian players making the trip to Ireland. This is a very Hero heavy force that will make the most of the Legendary Legion's special rules to hit very hard on the charge.

Ivan Sheehan

Ugluks Scouts

Warband 1

Ugluk (Leader)

5 uruks, shield

6 uruks, bow

1 uruk, banner

Warband 2

Mauhur

5 uruks, shield

6 uruks, bow

1 uruk, banner

Warband 3

Uruk hai scout captain, shield

Drummer

6 uruks, bow

Warband 4

Grishnakh, shield

10 orcs, spear, shield

2 orcs, 2 handed weapon

Warband 5

Snaga

5 orcs, shield

3 orcs, spear

3 orcs, spear, shield

1 orc, 2 handed weapon

60 models 

Fresh off the back of a 2nd place finish at the Scouring of Che-Shire recently Ivan is once again running his Ugluk's Scouts army. This list brings a horde of fast moving, F4, S4 Uruks with bonuses to wound while providing no big target for the enemy to focus on.

David Murphy

Angmar

Warband One 

The Witch-King of Angmar on horse with Morgul Crown, 3 Might, 3 Fate & 15 Will. (Leader)

2 Dead Marsh Spectres.

5 Angmar Orc Warriors with shield.

5 Angmar Orc Warriors with spears.

1 Angmar Orc Warrior with banner and spear.

Warband Two

Barrow Wight.

4 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields.

4 Angmar Orc Warriors with spears.

1 Angmar Orc Warrior with two-handed weapon.

Warband Three

Barrow Wight.

4 Angmar Orc Warriors with shields.

4 Angmar Orc Warriors with spears.

1 Angmar Orc Warrior with two-handed weapon.

Warband Four

Angmar Orc Captain with shield.

3 Angmar Orc Warriors with shield.

3 Angmar Orc Warriors with spears.

1 Angmar Orc Warrior with two-handed weapon.

Warband Five

Gulavhar.

2 Angmar Warg Riders.

45 models

Angmar is usually a popular choice in the IHL. This is largely due to the control their powerful magic abilities can give them (nobody wants their biggest Hero Paralyzed by a Barrow Wight).

Matthew Loftus

Assault on Helm's Deep

WARBAND 1 

URUK-HAI CAPT with Shield (leader)

6xURUK-HAI WARRIOR with shields

8xURUK-HAI WARRIOR With pikes

1XURUK-HAI WARRIOR with pike and banner

3xURUK-HAI Bezerkers 

WARBAND 2 

URUK-HAI CAPT with Shield

6xURUK-HAI WARRIOR with shields

7xURUK-HAI WARRIOR With pikes

WARBAND 3

URUK-HAI CAPT with Crossbow 

11xURUK-HAI WARRIOR With crossbow

WARBAND 4

ISENGARD ASSAULT BALLISTA

WARBAND 5

ISENGARD ASSAULT BALLISTA

51 Models 

Another of the British competitors, this time with a multiple Assault Ballista army, making the most out of the Legion bonuses. And with 51 Uruk Hai not to be trifled with.

David Coleman

Mordor and Moria

Warband 1

Mouth of Sauron, Horse (Leader)

12 Black Numenoreans

2 Morgul Knights

1 Orc Warrior, Banner

Warband 2

Durburz

1 Bat Swarm

2 Prowlers

12 Goblins, Spears

Warband 3

Groblog

1 Bat Swarm

3 Prowlers

3 Goblins, Spears

1 Goblin, Spear, Shield 

Warband 4

Goblin Captain

Warband 5

Watcher

43 Models

The Mouth of Sauron isn't often seen but here he's being used as a way to ally in a D6, Terror causing Black Numenorean frontline for the Moria Goblins to backup as well as a Banner. An interesting addition to the Moria army.

Dave Chambers 

Isengard

Warband 1

Saruman on horse (Leader)

Grima

5 Uruk Scouts with shield

Crebain

6 Uruk Warriors with crossbow

Warband 2

Lurtz 

5 Uruk Warriors with shield

7 Uruk Warriors with Pike

1 Uruk Scout with Banner

1 Uruk Beserker

Warband 3

Vrashku

Crebain

5 Uruk Scouts with shield

6 Uruk Warriors with crossbow

42 models

Uruk Hai again, except this time using the Isengard army list instead of a Legendary Legion.

Alexis Dufrasne

Angmar

Warband 1

Witch King with 3M, 15W, 3F, Crown of Morgul, Morgul Blade and Fell Beast

5 Angmar Orcs with Shield

3 Angmar Orcs with Spear

2 Spectres

1 Wild Warg

Warband 2

Gulavhar

4 Angmar Orcs with Shield

1 Angmar Orc with Banner, shield and spear

3 Angmar Orcs with Spear and shield

2 Spectres

1 Wild Warg

Warband 3

Barrow Wight

4 Angmar Orcs with Shield

3 Angmar Orcs with Spear

1 Wild Warg

Warband 4

Barrow Wight

4 Angmar Orcs with Shield

3 Angmar Orcs with Spear

41 models

The second Belgian making the trip is bringing along this Angmar army. The inclusion of two flying monsters here make this a daunting prospect to face, especially with the danger posed by a pair of Barrow Wights threatening Heroes.

Ian Hutchinson 

Halls of Thranduil & Survivors of Laketown

Warband 1

Thranduil with Elven Cloak, Elven-made Sword, Heavy Armour, Horse, (Leader)

1 Mirkwood Elf with Banner

6 Mirkwood Elf with Shield

7 Palace Guard with Shield, Spear

Warband 2

Legolas Greenleaf with Armour, Elven Cloak

2 Mirkwood Cavalry with Shield

4 Mirkwood Elf with Elf Bow and Shield

1 Mirkwood Elf with Banner and Shield

Warband 3

Gandalf the Grey on Horse

8 Lake-town Militia with Shield and Spear

1 Lake-town Militia

33 models

Up next is another Thranduil led list, this time with Laketown allies. Here the Elves bring the quality warriors and Laketown help to bump up the numbers and also allow the inclusion of Gandalf for some magic coverage.

Tom Armitage

Isengard

Saruman (Leader) on horse

Grima Wormtongue 

14 x Uruk-hai warriors (7 x shields, 7 x pikes)  (1 with banner)

2 x Beserkers

Sharku 50 on warg

4 x Warg riders with shields

Vrasku

5 x Uruk-hai warriors with crossbows

Gorulf

4 x Beserkers

1 x Huscarl

1 x Crebrain

36 models

Another Isengard army led by Saruman, although this time with different warband leadership. A good mix of troop types on display here, including some cavalry which isn't as often seen in Isengard.

Dan Ahern

Rivendell, Fellowship & Halls of Thranduil 

Warband 1

Elrond with heavy armour and horse

1 Rivendell Knight with banner and shield

11 Rivendell Knights with shield

Warband 2

Aragorn Strider with horse, armour and Anduril

Warband 3

Legolas Greenleaf with horse and armour

15 models

Mobility, charging power and ranged fire are all prevalent in this allied force. Although low on numbers the heroes really pack a punch in this list.

Damian Pajestka

Moria

Durburz (leader)

Cave troll with hand and half hammer

2x Prowler

3x Moria Goblins with shield

3x Moria Goblins with spear

3x Moria Goblins with bow and spear

Groblog

Warg Marauder

4x Prowler

2x Moria Gobilns with shield

3x Moria Goblins with bow and spear

Moria Goblin Captain

Warg Marauder

Moria Goblin Drum 

4x Prowlers

3x Moria Goblins with spear

1x Moria Goblin with bow and spear

Cave Drake

Bat Swarm

Moria Goblin Shaman

2x Moria Goblins with shield

3x Moria Goblins with bow and spear

44 models

They have a Cave Troll. And quite a few Goblins. Also, a Cave Drake and Bat Swarm combination offers a real threat that enemy heroes will want to avoid.

Alex Neaves

Return of the King LL

Warband 1                        

Aragorn cloak

4 warriors shield

4 warriors shield spear

Rider

Warband 2

King of the dead 

4 warriors shield

4 warriors shield spear

Rider

Warband 3

Legolas armour cloak

4 warriors shield spear

4 warriors shield

29 models

Next we have the ever popular Return of the King Legion. High defence, Blades of the Dead and Terror make sure this is battle line that is tough to crack and can inflict some damage.

Ellis Priestley 

Corsairs of Umbar

Warband 1 

DALAMYR (LEADER)

8X BLACK NÚMENOREAN

1X BLACK NÚMENOREAN WITH BANNER

9X CORSAIR OF UMBAR w/ Spear and sheild

Warband 2 

DELGAMAR

3X BLACK NÚMENOREAN

1x CORSAIR OF UMBAR w/ Sheild

10x CORSAIR OF UMBAR w. Spear and sheild

Warband 3 

CORSAIR BO’SUN with shield

5xCORSAIR REAVER

5xCORSAIR OF UMBAR w. Spear and sheild

1xCORSAIR OF UMBAR w. sheild

CORSAIR CAPTAIN with shield

12xCORSAIR ARBALESTER

59 models

The final international traveler is bringing this Corsair horde. A host of throwing weapons and crossbows make for a scary ranged threat and a block of Black Numenoreans provide a bit more staying power than the typical Corsairs.

Jack Scroope

Assault on Helms Deep

Warband 1

Uruk-hai Captain, shield

Uruk-hai Berserker

4 Uruk-hai Warrior, Shield

4 Uruk-hai Warrior, Pike

5 Uruk-hai Warrior, Crossbow

1 Uruk-hai Warrior, Banner, Pike, Shield

Warband 2

Uruk-hai Captain

3 Uruk-hai Warrior, Pike

1 Uruk-hai Warrior

Warband 3

Uruk-hai Captain, Shield (Leader)

2 Uruk-hai Berserker

1 Uruk-hai Warrior, Banner, Pike

4 Uruk-hai Warrior, Crossbow

4 Uruk-hai Warrior, Pike

4 Uruk-hai Warrior, Shield

Warband 4

Isengard Assault Ballista 

Warband 5

Isengard Assault Ballista 

Warband 6

Isengard Assault Ballista 

43 models

Three siege engines!?! This list will really do some damage at long range with 3 Ballistas and 9 crossbows, forcing the enemy to attempt to close the gap as quickly as possible.

Bye Buster

Michael Bradford

Depths of Moria

Warband 1

Balrog (Leader)

6 x goblins with bow and spear

9 x Goblins with shield

3 x Goblins with spear 

Warband 2

Captain with bow and shield

Blackshield Goblin Drum

4 x Blackshield goblins with shield and spear

4 x Goblins with shield

2 x Goblins with bow and spear

Warband 3

Blackshield Shaman

3 x Goblins with shield

3 x Goblins with bow and spear

Warband 4

Blackshield Shaman

3 x Goblins with shield

3 x Goblins with bow and spear

And finally we have the bye-buster list. A Depths of Moria army with a big focal point in the Balrog.

So there we have it, 27 army lists ready for battle this weekend. I hope everyone has a great time and especially hope all the international competitors enjoy their trip.