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.

'History became Legend' - Theme and Legendary Legions

"Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar?

Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar?

Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth,

And the Grey Company ride from the North.

But dark is the path appointed for thee:

The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea."

Passing of the Grey Company by JeiWo on Deviant Art

Legendary Legions have generated a lot discussion over the last few months, especially regarding their place in competitive matched play situations. This discussion has become more and more prevalent as more and more Legions get released in new supplements. Admittedly some of that fervour will potentially die down following the changes made to the Vanquishers of the Necromancer Legion in the latest round of FAQ's. However, I do still feel that there is still enough of a discussion to be had here about their wider impact.

This increased focus on Legendary Legions has also led onto a wider discussion on the role of theme in general within the game. Theme is something I feel passionately about, it's the main reason I play this game as opposed to the multitude of other wargames on the market. The magic of Tolkien captured my teenage imagination and never truly let go. All of my army lists are heavily rooted within this and I generally make list writing decisions based upon whether or not they fit in with the lore of Middle Earth. And so anything that encourages others to subscribe to the same philosophy and encourage the promotion of thematic armies (which Legendary Legions are supposed to do) should be good, right?

Personally, despite the fact that I love thematic armies, I am not a great fan of the Legendary Legions. Obviously there's the balance issue that has generated such discussion within the community regarding several Legions being either too powerful (eg. Vanquishers, Ithilien Rangers etc) or too weak (eg. Men of the West etc). With me not being a competitive gamer and Games Workshop's seeming willingness to 'fix' the most egregious examples of poor balance via Erratas I'll not focus too long on this point. Yes, balance is important, but as long as GW stay on top of the problem and power creep doesn't set in to the detriment of the game then fine by me.

Instead I want to focus more on the theme side of the Legions. After all, that's supposed to be the reason for their creation. I  have long been a believer that everyone is entitled to have their own interpretation of Middle Earth, whether that's influenced by the books, or the movies, or some of the Tolkien inspired artwork, or any combination of these. One of the issues I see with the Legendary Legions is that they don't fit with that view, and instead take a very narrow view of what a themed army should be, which doesn't always fit with other interpretations. 

For example, the Defenders of Helm's Deep only focuses on the movie version of the battle instead of the book version which saw Aragorn and Eomer rallying the Rohirrim upon the Deeping Wall. Indeed, this idea for an army is only considered to be Convenient Allies, or as Games Workshop describe it 'armies that were around at the same point in time, but never actually fought together'. JRR Tolkien disagrees.

"Éomer and Aragorn stood together on the Deeping Wall. They heard the roar of voices and the thudding of the rams; and then in a sudden flash of light they beheld the peril of the gates.

'Come!' said Aragorn. 'This is the hour when we draw swords together!'"

There are other examples of Legions that, to me personally at least, stray away from the lore of Middle Earth; Mauhur being included in Lurtz's Scouts despite not joining the Scouts until they reached Fangorn on the way back to Isengard, the Grey Company having no horses when they rode to the Anduin, Trolls being included but Dunland excluded in the Assault on Helm's Deep, Men of the West being all infantry etc. 

'This is an evil door,' said Halbarad, 'and my death lies beyond it. I will dare to pass it nonetheless; but no horse will enter.'

'But we must go in, and therefore the horses must go too,' said Aragorn. 'For if ever we come through this darkness, many leagues lie beyond, and every hour that is lost there will bring the triumph of Sauron nearer. Follow me!'

"I bid you stand! Men of the West!"

"Snarled Uglúk, '... these Whiteskins have better night-eyes than most Men, from all I've heard; and don't forget their horses! They can see the night-breeze, or so it's said. Still there's one thing the fine fellows don't know: Mauhúr and his lads are in the forest, and they should turn up any time now.'"

Each of these armies (and others besides, I'm sure) could be written just as, if not more, thematically outside the limitations of the Legendary Legions, but also without the benefits of Legion special rules. Indeed, the history of Middle Earth is so vast and rich that it is impossible for Legendary Legions to fully encapsulate everything that is thematic. Indeed it is the creativity of writing a unique army list that's personalized to me that I enjoy most about army building, whereas I feel that the Legions stifle that creativity and can feel a bit cookie cutter and samey.

Instead I encourage everyone to put aside the Legendary Legions, dig deep into the lore of Middle Earth and create your own individualised interpretation and craft some unique themed army lists.

Council of Tallaght - Podium Review

 

Recently the IHL returned from it's Christmas break and held it's first event of 2022 at the Council of Tallaght, hosted at Underworlds Gaming and organized by Dan Ahern. This was an 800 point, 2 day event and was contested by 14 participants. But only 3 could make it to the podium, and here they are.

3rd Place

Patrick McCormick

Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed

Warband 1 (Leader):

Dain Iron, Lord of the Iron Hills on War Boar

14x Iron Hill Warriors with Spear and Shield 

1x Iron Hill Warrior with Spear, Shield and Banner

3x Iron Hill Warriors with Crossbows and Spears

Warband 2:

Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain on War Goat with Orcist 

3x Iron Hills Goat Riders

Warband 3:

Bifur the Dwarf, Champion of Erebor

8x Iron Hill Warriors with Spear and Shield

3x Iron Hill Warriors with Crossbows and Spears

In the Bronze medal position was this Iron Hills and Erebor Reclaimed alliance. This basis for this list is a rock solid Dwarven shieldwall comprising of D8 Iron Hills Dwarves and a pair of powerful mounted heroes in Dain and Thorin. Bifur then makes an excellent 3rd hero due to his ability to generate free Heroic Moves, which will help prevent the slow moving Dwarves from getting bogged down with enemies. Although this list could be run as pure Erebor Reclaimed the advantage of using the alliance is that it allows Dain to be a more durable Leader than Thorin, due to his 3 Fate and Fearless rule.

2nd Place

Ivan Sheehan

Ugluks Scouts LL

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

Scout Captain, shield. 

3 uruks, bow. 

Warband 4

Grishnakh, shield. 

10 orcs, shield, spear. 

2 orcs, 2 handed weapon. 

Warband 5

Snaga. 

5 orcs, shield. 

6 orcs, spear. 

1 orc, 2 handed weapon.

Warband 6

Orc Captain, shield. 

2 orcs, spear,shield. 

1 orc, 2 handed weapon. 

In 2nd is Ivan Sheehan's Ugluk's Scouts. This Legendary Legion combines large numbers with quality warriors. Uruk Hai are a very cost effective troops choice due to their stat line of F4 and S4 and here in Ugluk's Scouts they get additional bonuses to mobility and bonuses on wounding rolls. The one thing the Uruks do lack however, is spears, although the pair of banners and Orc spearmen help to mitigate that weakness, although the Orcs will need to get into combat themselves to activate the Legion bonuses on wound rolls.

1st place

Michael Bunting

Mordor and Angmar

Warband 1:

Shadowlord on Horse(Leader) 

7 Black Numenoreans 

8 Morannon Orcs shield and Spear

Banner 

Warband 2:

Task Master 

6 Black Numenoreans 

6 Morannon Orcs shield and Spear

Warband 3:

Great Beast of Gorgoroth

Warband 4:

Gulavhar

And in 1st place was this alliance between Mordor and Angmar. This list is built around the twin threats of a Great Beast of Gorgoroth and Gulavhar. The Great Beasts ability to trample enemies mean that opponents either risk taking large casualties or are forced into moving out of the way of the Beast. Meanwhile, Gulavhar is one of the best killers in the game with his inclusion being well worth the penalties of making the army an Impossible Alliance. Backing up this pair of monsters is a shieldwall of Terror causing Black Numenoreans supported by S4 Morannon Orc spears and the Shadowlord, whose Pall of Darkness helps to protect the pair from taking damage from range.

Congratulations to all the winners and to Patrick McCormick for winning Best Painted Army and David Chambers for taking the Best Painted Single Model award.

And I'll leave you with a few of the photos from the event.