Battles on the Coast - Army Lists

The 2023 IHL Season kicks off this weekend at the Battles on the Coast tournament in Exploding Dice Games, Bangor and organised by Connor Glover. This is an 800 point, 6 game event with a total of 25 players signed up (which would be an Irish record attendance).

Looking at the overall breakdown of the armies we can see that Good has a slight edge over Evil (14-11) and that single faction armies are by far the most popular.

Gareth Mansfield (Sunday only)
Barad-Dur

Warband 1
Leader Sauron
5x Black numenoreans
1x Mordor Troll w/ Hand and a half hammer
4x Morgul knights w/Lance
1x Morgul; Knight w/Banner and lance
8x Orc Warrior w/ spear and shield
1x Orc Warrior w/ Banner, spear and shield
4x Warg rider w/ Shield and throwing spear


25 models

Up 1st we have the Dark Lord himself (the 1st of a few appearances in his various guises). He's supported here by a Troll, some hard hitting Morgul Knights and a gang of Orcs with a couple of banners to ensure plenty of rerolls.
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Bill Taylor
ROTK LL

Warband 1
Leader - Aragorn w/anduril
4x Dead with shield
4x Dead w/shield and spear

Warband 2
King of the dead
7x Dead w/shield
6x Dead w/shield and spear
1x Dead w/ shield and banner

Warband 3
Hearld of the dead w/shield
4x riders of the dead

29 models

Up next is the Return of the King Legion. A long time favourite since it came out in Gondor at War and proving to be tough and resilient with the D8 Warriors of the Dead.
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Nicky Forsythe
Dunland LL

Warband 1
Leader - Thrydan Wolfsbane on horse
7 Dunlending horsemen

Warband 2
Gorulf Ironskin
5 Dunlending warriors with shield
4 Huscarls
1 Dunlending warrior with Banner
1 Dunlending warrior with 2 handed axe

Warband 3
Frida Tallspear
4 Dunlending warriors with shield
2 Huscarls
1 Dunlending warrior with Banner
1 Crebain
1 Dunlending warrior with 2 handed axe

Warband 4
Oathmaker
6 Wildmen
6 Wildmen with double handed weapons

Warband 5
Chieftain w Axe and Shield
3 Dunlending warriors with bow
2 Dunlending warrior with shield
1 Huscarl
1 Crebain

51 models

Another popular Legendary Legion, this time from Dunland. A 51 model horde with high strength Warriors with access to bonuses to wound and 2 large banners that promises to hit hard in the right circumstances.
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Stephen Surgenor
Halls of Thranduil

Warband 1
Leader - Thranduil on horse w/circlet, extra sword and Heavy armour
2x Mirkwood Cav w/shields
Mirkwood elf w/banner and glaive
Mirkwood elf w/glaive
4x Palace gurad w/ shield
4x Palace guard w/shield and spear

Warband 2
Legolas on Horse w/elven cloak
6x Mirkwood rangers

Warband 3
Tauriel w/bow
4x Mirkwood elf w/glaive
4x Mirkwood rangers
4x Palace guard w/shield

33 Models

The 1st of many Elf based armies at this event. This Thranduil's Halls army brings all the named heroes to provide some punch.
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David Coleman
Lothlorien/Fellowship

Warband 1
Leader - Galadriel
8x Galadhrim Warriors w/shields
1x Galadhrim Warrior w/shield, spear and banner
5x Galadhrim Warriors w/bows, spears
3x Guard of the Galadhrim court
1x Sentinel

Warband 2
Celeborn w/ Armour, shield sword
1x Galadhrim knight w/shield
6x Galadhrim Warriors w/shields
3x Galadhrim Warriors w/bows and spears
4x Guard of the Galadhrim court
1x Wood elf w/bow

Warband 3
Boromir of Gondor on horse w/shield

36 models

More Elves, this time of the Galadhrim variety. Guards of the Galadrim Court are excellent for providing F6 pike support, which troubles many heroes, while Galadriel provides magical support and Boromir of Gondor is a combat monster and brings 6 Might to the army.
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Ivan Sheehan
Halls of Thranduil and Survivors of Laketown.

Warband 1
Leader - Thranduil, extra sword, circlet of kings, heavy armour, bow, horse.
2 mirkwood cavalry, shield.
6 mirkwood elves, shield.
5 palace guard, spear, shield.
2 sentinels.
1 elf, banner, glaive, bow.

Warband 2
Tauriel, bow.
5 elves, shield.
6 elves, glaive, bow.

Warband 3
Legolas, horse

Warband 4
Laketown survivors captain. Shield

31 models

Another Elf based army, again bringing the 3 named heroes from Thranduil's Halls. Here though a Laketown Militia Captain brings a cheap source of Might and access to Heroic March.

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Peter Fenton
Return of the King LL

Warband 1
[Leader] Aragorn - Anduril, Elven Cloak
3 Riders of the Dead
4 Warriors of the Dead - Spear, Shield
3 Warriors of the Dead - Shield

Warband 2
The King of the Dead
5 Warriors of the Dead - Spear, Shield
4 Warriors of the Dead -  Shield

Warband 3
Legolas - Armour - 105
4 Warriors of the Dead - Spear, Shield
3 Warriors of the Dead - Shield

29 Models

Another Return of the King (I said it was popular). This time trading a Herald for Legolas to bring a little bit of ranged firepower to an otherwise all melee army.

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Patrick Mccormick
Angmar

Warband 1 (Leader):
The Witch-King of Angmar with Crown of Morgul on Horse (3M/16W/3F)                      
5x Angmar Orcs with Picks and Shields
5x Angmar Orcs with Picks and Spears 
2x Angmar Orcs with Two-Handed Picks and Picks                        
1x Angmar Warg Rider with Shield
1x Dead Marsh Spectre                                    

Warband 2:
The Tainted on Horse
4x Angmar Orcs with Picks and Shields
4x Angmar Orcs with Picks and Spears
1x Angmar Orc with Two-Handed Pick and Pick            
1x Angmar Warg Rider with Shield
1x Dead Marsh Spectre                                                                                                              
Warband 3:
Buhrdur, Troll Chieftain
4x Angmar Orcs with Picks and Shields
4x Angmar Orcs with Picks and Spears
1x Angmar Orc with Banner and Pick
1x Angmar Orc with Two-Handed Pick and Pick                                                                  

Warband 4:
Angmar Orc Captain with Pick and Shield
3x Angmar Orcs with Picks and Shields
3x Angmar Orcs with Picks and Spears                                                                                    
Warband 5
Barrow-Wight                                                                                                                            
Total Units: 46

Two Wraiths and a Barrow-Wight give this Angmar army a lot of offensive magic to shutdown enemy heroes. It also means that all those Orcs will be causing Terror, making to more difficult for the opponents to engage them, especially with 2 Harbinger of Evils around.

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Andrew Buckley
The Iron Hills

Warband 1
Dain ironfoot (leader) on foot
1 dwarf with banner, spear & shield
6 dwarf with sword & shield
6 dwarf with spear & shield
5 dwarf with crossbow

Warband 2
1 Dwarf captain on chariot with mattock
3 Dwarf crew with swords
1 dwarf with banner, spear & shield
3 dwarf with mattock
2 dwarf with spear & shield
4 goat riders with warspears

33 Models

Next up are the Dwarves of the Iron Hills led by Dain. Here an Iron Hills Chariot provides a big centre piece model and focus for the army.

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Nick
Rivendell

Warband 1
Elrond w/horse, hadhafang, heavy armour, Vilya
10 knights of rivendell w/ elf bow, elven made hand and a half sword, lance and shield.
1 knight of rivendell with banner, lance.

Warband 2
LEADER- Gil Galad w/horse, aiglos, heavy armour and shield.
10 high elf warrior (Kings guard) elven hand and a half sword, shield, spear, heavy armour.
5 high elf warrior w/bow, heavy armour.

28 Models

More Elves, this time of the Rivendell variety. A large contingent of Rivendell Knights provide excellent mobility and hitting power, while F6 Elf Warriors means that the small infantry force shouldn't be overwhelmed easily.

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Christopher Cornhill
Isengard

Warband 1
Leader - Saruman Mounted
Uruk- Hai w/shield x8
Uruk- Hai w/pike x8
Uruk- Hai w/banner
Isengard Troll w/shield & spear

Warband 2
Uruk-Hai Captain w/shield&two handed sword
Uruk-Hai w/crossbow x6
Uruk-Hai Berserker x4
Uruk-Hai Drummer
Uruk-Hai W/banner

Model Count - 32 Models

A classic Isengard Uruk-Hai based army is next on the list. Saruman is an excellent spell caster to get some board control against enemy heroes and Uruk-Hai Warriors are dependable troops here.

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Connor Whitla
Serpent Horde

(Leader) The Betrayer on Horse
4 Haradrim Warriors with Bow and Spear
3 Serpent Guard
2 Serpent Riders
1 Watcher of Karna with Bow

The Golden King of Abrakhan
3 Abrakhan Merchant Guard
2 Haradrim Warriors with Bow and Spear
3 Serpent Guard
1 Serpent Rider
2 Watchers of Karna with Twin Blades

War Mumak of Harad (Haradrim Commander) with Gnarled Hide
6 Haradrim Warriors with Bow

30 models

This Harad army is really focused upon the War Mumak and Connor will be hoping to get plenty of Tramples off with it.

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David Wade
The Last Alliance

Faction:Númenor
Warband 1
Elendil, High king of Gondor and Arnor (leader) Shield&horse
18 warriors of númenor; 6 bows, 6 shields, 6 Spear&shield, 1 banner

Warband 2: Rivendell
Gil-Galad, High king of the elves; Shield&horse
5 kings guard, Spear &shield
13 high elf warriors; 6 shields 1 spear , shield &banner, 6 elf bows

Models :38

Bringing both High Kings in a Last Alliance army is certainly a bold move. The use of these 2 powerhouses will be crucial to the success of this army.

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Ned Merrick
Minas Tirith and Fiefdoms

Warband 1
Boromir, Captain of the White Tower with Horse; The Banner of Minas Tirith; Shield;
4 Knight of Minas Tirith with Shield
11 Guard of the Fountain Court with Shield

Warband 2
Leader - Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth with armoured horse; Lance
9 Men at Arms
5 Clansman of Lamedon

Warband 3
Duinhir
5 Blackroot Vale Archer
3 Blackroot Vale Archer with Spear

40 models

Boromir with Banner and Imrahil are a potent combination here, both for their own combat ability and the ability to buff the Fight Value of the Warriors around them. F6 pikes supporting a D7 front line is tasty.

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Luke Wilksonson
Arnor

Warband 1
Arvedui, Last King of Arnor (Leader)
14 x Warriors of Arnor
1 x Warrior of Arnor with Banner

Warband 2
Captain of Arnor with Bow
11 x Hobbit Archers With Bow
1 X Hobbit Archers with Warhorn and Bow

Warband 3
Captain of Arnor
12 x Warriors of Arnor

Warband 4
Captain of Arnor  with Bow  
2 x Rangers of Arnor with Spear and Bow Warband
5 x Rangers of Arnor with Bow

Warband 5
Malbeth the Seer
12 x  Warriors of Arnor

63 models

Sticking with the Kingdoms of Men, here we have a faction that doesn't get a lot of use, Arnor. 63 models makes this one of the biggest armies attending the event and a large number of them being F4, D6 will make this army difficult to breakdown, especially when combined with Malbeth's Foresight.

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Michael Bradford
Assault on Lothlorien

Warband 1:
(Leader) Druzhag
1 x Bat Swarm
2 x Giant Spider
6 x Goblin Prowler
6 x Goblin Warrior with Spear and Bow

Warband 2:
Ashrak
1 x Bat Swarm
4 x Giant Spider
5 x Goblin Prowler
5 x Goblin Warrior with Spear and Bow

Warband 3:
Muzgur
1 x Bat Swarm
1 x Orc Warrior with Banner
3 x Orc Warrior with Spear

Warband 4:
Goblin Shaman  
5 x Goblin Prowler
5 x Goblin Warrior with Spear and Bow
1 x Wild Warg

Warband 5:
Goblin Shaman
1 x Wild Warg

52 models

Assault on Lothlorien is the current new hotness assaulting the top tables and last season's League runner-up will be hoping to show why again here. This Legion has a lot of tricks up its sleeves to help it win games.

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Matthew Butler
Azogs Legion

Warband 1
(Leader): Azog with Signal Tower Heavy Armour and Stone Flail
*Signal tower contains 7 lieutenants
2 Gundabad Ogres  
Troll Brute  
10 Gundabad Orc Warriors with Shields
10 Gundabad Orc Warriors with Spears (90)

31 Models

There's really only one thing to say about this list, and that's Signal Tower.

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Calvin Phillips
Rivendell

Warband 1
Elrond Leader /w Heavy Armour and Horse
4 High Elves with Shield
4 High Elves with Spear and Shield
2 High Elves with Elf Bow
1 Rivendell knight with Shield

Warband 2
Glorfindel /w Armour of Gondolin and Asfaloth
4 High Elves with Shield
4 High Elves with Spear and Shield
1 High Elf with Banner and Shield
2 High Elves with Elf Bow
1 Rivendell knight with Shield

Warband 3
Erestor
2 High Elves with Shield
2 High Elves with Spear and Shield
2 High Elves with Elf Bow

32 Models

More Elves. Including 2 of the big Rivendell heroes opens up more options and makes it harder for an opponent to deal with them.

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Chris Baird
Minas Tirith

Warband 1:
Denethor (Leader)
11x Fountain Court w/ Shield

Warband 2:
Boromir w/ Banner of MT and Shield
5x Rangers w/ Spear
5x Warrior w/ Shield
3x Warrior w/ Spear and Shield

Warband 3:
Hurin w/ Horse
5x Knights w/ Shield

Warband 4:
Irolas
6x Warrior w/ Shield
6x Warrior w/ Spear and Shield

45 models

Next is this large Minas Tirith army led by Denethor. Having Denethor as Leader makes it easier to protect any Leader VPs in scenarios by keeping him hidden (especially when Hurin is alive) and means that the big hitters in Boromir and Hurin can play more aggressively without risking those VPs.

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David Murphy
Angmar

Warband One:
The Witch-King on Angmar on horse with Morgul Crown, 3 Might, 3 Fate & 15 Will (Leader).
2x Dead Marsh Spectres.
1x Angmar Orc Warrior with banner and spear.
5x Angmar Orc Warriors with shields.
5x Angmar Orc Warriors with spears.

Warband Two:
Barrow Wight.
4x Angmar Orc Warriors with shields.
4x Angmar Orc Warriors with spears.
1x Angmar Orc Warrior with two-handed weapon.

Warband Three:
Barrow Wight
4x Angmar Orc Warriors with shields.
4x Angmar Orc Warriors with spears.
1x Angmar Orc Warrior with two-handed weapon.

Warband Four:
Angmar Orc Captain with shield.
3x Angmar Orc Warriors with shields.
3x Angmar Orc Warriors with spears.
1x Angmar Orc Warrior with two-handed weapon.

Warband Five
Gulavhar, the Terror of Arnor.
2x Angmar Warg Riders with shields.

45 models

Gulavhar is rightly feared as a combat monster due to it's high Fight, Strength and Attacks, the ability to Fly and the chance to regain lost wounds. Combined with the magical support of the Witch-King and a pair of Barrow Wights to neutralise enemy threats, he'll be difficult to deal with.

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Chris Gill (Sunday only)
Rise of the Necromancer LL

Warband 1:
The Necromancer of Dol Guldur Leader (Legend)
The Witch-king of Angmar
The Abyssal Knight x2
The Lingering Shadow
The Forsaken
The Dark Headsman
Castellan of Dol Goldur w/morgul blades x2

9 models

Although this army only contains 9 models the ability for the Wraiths to resurrect themselves makes it surprising resilient.

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Gary Doyle
Barad-Dur

Warband 1
Sauron - Leader
11 Black Numenoreans
1 Black Numenorean w/banner
3 Mordor Ors w/spears

Warband 2
Ringwraith-2 Might 12 Will 2 Fate & Fell Beast
9 Black Numenoreans
3 Mordor Orcs with Spears

29 Models

Another Barad-Dur army, although this time with a Fellbeast instead of a Troll to back up Sauron. This list also goes heavier on the Black Numenoreans to provide a Terror causing wall, buffed by the negative Courage modifiers of Sauron and the Ring Wraith.

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Connor Kerr
SONS OF ROHAN OF GONDOR

Warband 1
Leader - Aragorn King elessar mounted
10 Warriors of Minas Tirith w/ Shields and spears

Warband 2
Eomer, Marshall of the riddermark w/shield
Haleth Son of Hama
10 Royal guard w/throwing spears
1 Royal guard

Warband 3
Gimli

Warband 4
Legolas w/armour

26 models

Here we have a Black Gate inspired Alliance with King Elessar and King Eomer each leading a contingent of their followers. A really good thematic list.

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Alex Neaves
Moria featuring Spider Queen

Warband 1
(Leader)durburz
2 Batswarm
7 goblins,shield
 6 goblin,bow,spear

Warband 2
Groblog
9 goblin spear
2 goblins bow spear

Warband 3
Goblin shaman
2 goblins,shield
2 goblins spear

Warband 4
Goblin captain,shield
6 goblins shield
5 goblins ,spear,bow

Warband 5
Watcher

Warband 6
Spider queen

Models:47

Our penultimate list is this alliance between Moria and the Dark Denizens of Mirkwood. With 2 threatening monsters, a pair of Batswarms and a horde of Goblins this list has the tools to be competitive.

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Michael Bunting
Rivendel and White Council

Warband 1:
Erestor ( Leader)
4 High Elf Warriors shield
4 High Elf Warriors shield and  spear
4 High Elf Warriors bow and spear

Warband 2:
Elladan And Elrohir with Heavy Armour and Bow
3 High Elf Warriors shield
4 High Elf Warriors shield and spear (One has a banner)
4 High Elf Warriors bow and spear

Warband 3:
High elf storm caller
2 high elf warrior shield
2 high elf warrior shield and spear
2 high elf warrior bow and spear

Warband 4:
Galadriel Lady of Light

34 models

And finally we have yet another Elf army. Galadriel Lady of Light used to be a staple of so many Good armies (before she was FAQed down a Heroic Tier) and here she is again, still as dangerous as ever.

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So, there's all the lists, all that remains now to see who comes out on top. 

IHL Newsletter - 2023 Q1

 "We meet again, at the turn of the tide. A great storm is coming, but the tide has turned."

As one year ends and another begins, so does the Irish Hobbit League season. 2021-22 goes down as the largest season so far in the league with 68 participants battling it out at 18 different tournaments. But eventually there was a winner. Taking it right down to the wire and winning he League by the finest of margins was Ivan Sheehan, who won the League Finale to pip Micheal Bradford into 2nd place, with David Coleman securing the final podium place in 3rd. Here's just a few words from the Champion himself:

Congratulations on winning your 2nd IHL title. How does it feel to be champion for a 2nd time?

[Ivan] It feels good to be honest. To know that all the practice paid off and that the plan of sticking to one army over a season really seems to be the path to success. For me at least. And to win the league versus such excellent and admirable hobbits makes it so much better.

Were there any particular standout moments or games from this league campaign?

Oh now. To pick just one is very tough. Especially in the odd double season the IHL had for itself. The league final will always stand out though. Knowing i had to win the event to win the league meant i put much more thought into my moves and games. So it will always be etched in there. A really good event.

That and dragging Ugluk to victory time and again. Sometimes while crawling him along the ground. I really have fallen in love with his Legion. Even if i still hold him in very low regard.

This is the 3rd time in a row that the title is heading south to Cork. Do you think the Corkonian dominance will continue or could we see the crown heading elsewhere in 2023?

I would really want it to come home again hah! Myself and David Coleman have the very good fortune of playing each other regularly and as they say Iron sharpens Iron. As the last 3 seasons of The IHL amply prove.

There are some promising recruits coming up in the Dublin and NI regions though. And maybe the Old Guard will be roused from their slumber and come claim what was once theirs!

What would you say to anyone thinking about getting involved in the League?

Just jump in. We do try to be as welcoming as possible. We're lovely lads and ladettes really. Even if it's just getting more active on the IHL facebook page and posting pictures of toys or your love of the lore building up to maybe going to an event once you feel more comfortable. There are more and more new people joining which each season it seems. So no better time to jump in before the rough edges get filed off all the new bloods hah!.

Thus, as at the turning of the tide, when one season finishes, another begins, and the 2023 IHL season all kicks off next week with the Battles on the Coast, an 800 point event at Exploding Dice Games in Bangor, closely followed by the Tallaght Skirmish, a 500 point one dayer at Underworld Gaming, the following week. Both these events are currently sold out, but don't worry, there's plenty of events on the way throughout the year. To give a brief rundown of the currently confirmed tournaments so far there's:

18th-19th February - Desolation of Dublin - Underworld Gaming, Dublin - Ivan Sheehan - 850 points Good vs Evil 

6th-7th May - Exploding Dice Games, Bangor - Paddy McCormick - 600 points - GBHL 90 points

3rd-4th June - Conquest of Hibernia - Underworld Gaming, Dublin - Dave Murphy - 777 points - GBHL 100 points and Ardacon Masters Qualifier

15th-16th July - Nirneath Arnoediad - Belfast Harlequins Hockey Club, Belfast - 800 points - GBHL 100 points and Ardacon Masters Qualifier

As well as a host of other events that will be confirmed over the coming weeks and months. Be sure to keep an eye on the IHL Facebook page to ensure you're kept up to date.

And with that I bid you all a very fond farewell and happy hobbying. 

Annual Hobby Review (or not)

 “Even the good plans of wise wizards like Gandalf and of good friends like Elrond go astray sometimes when you are off on dangerous adventures over the Edge of the Wild, and Gandalf was a wise enough wizard to know it.”

The Edge of the Wild by Alan Lee

I was thinking about writing something along the lines of an annual hobby review as is so popular around this time of year, but actually, there's not a huge amount to review; approximately zero games of ME:SBG played, a grand total of 69 models painted across a few game systems and an overall backlog reduction of 24 models (less than half what I'd hoped for). Sure there are some nice models in there that I'm really proud of (such as my Minas Morgul Battle Company completed as part of the Community Challenge last spring), but in general the real world just got real.

The Minas Morgul Battle Company (one of the few completed projects of 2022)

Juggling a full time job and a young family ended up occupying most of my time and energy over the past year. This was maybe especially true for the last 14 months or so; a new baby boy and a few difficult medical diagnoses for my older girl involving multiple hospital visits and stays, coupled with the usual stresses of work and running a household have often left me too drained of energy (both mentally and physically) to consider lifting a paint brush or writing something for this blog. Therefore, progress has been slow on my numerous army projects; Razgush's Orcs are still missing Razgush and any beastly allies, the Knights of Gondor are still mostly horseless, the blog has had some difficult pauses with no updates etc etc. As my opening quote says, the good plans have gone astray. 

And yet, despite all these hurdles throughout the year my involvement with ME:SBG has really helped me to cope with the challenges faced by providing an excellent distraction from the general stresses and giving me a chance to relax. I start into this hobby to help me during a battle with depression back in my early 20s. Back then it was just painting a handful of historical models, almost as way to practice some form of mindfulness, focusing my attention on painting 1 model meant I wasn't focusing on everything else occupying my head. I still believe that finding some time to sit down and paint is a great way to relax and unwind, even if finding that time is increasingly difficult. 

Yet, this hobby became so much more than just painting a few models when I found the wider hobby community. Now I have so many other tools and options to help put aside the stresses for a few minutes. Whether that is through listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos or reading other blogs from the many excellent content creators out there, or interacting with fellow hobbyists on Facebook pages and private or group chats, they all help to keep the motivation going. Of all the various wargaming communities I've had interaction with over the years, I genuinely believe that the international ME:SBG one is the greatest of them all, and for that, thank you everyone. 

It's as Galadriel so accurately said, 

"Hope remains while the Company is true." 

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.