The Lay of the Land: Object Scenarios

On to the next scenario pool, we look at the Object Scenarios found in Pool 3 of the Match Play Guide. As the name suggests, all the scenarios include the tactical addition of VPs based on objects on the battlefield. With two of the three scenarios being new additions to the list of SBG options, we see how they compare to their scenario brethren.

Seize the Prize

Within Middle Earth, an ancient and mysterious artifact has awoken. Its power has drawn two opposing armies to claim it, hoping to use its secrets for their own ends. Both forces will stop at nothing to possess it. - Matched Paly Guide (pg.17).

Seize the Prize, the OG scenario of the three in the pool, is proof that new isn't always better. The scenario holds its own when compared to its newer cousins and proves to be an interesting, tactical mission. With the vast majority of VPs up for grabs relating to an object, placed in the centre of the battlefield, both armies are forced to focus their attention on the middle of the board. You can't afford to be a passive player in Seize the Prize and it is common to see both armies call Heroic Marches in the first turn to inch closer to the object. However, simply having the object isn't enough as that may only give you a paltry 3VPs. You are pushed into your opponent's army in order to gain more VPs, 5 for holding the object within your opponent's board half or a game-winning 7 if you escape from your opponent's board edge. This tactical decision (do you stick with 3 and hold out, push for 5 or go gung-ho for 7?) creates an interesting dilemma, especially considering VPs are on offer for breaking and killing the enemy leader. 

So how do you turn the scenario in your favour? Mobility. The object is 12" from you at the start of the game. Cavalry with a Heroic March make that up on the first turn and most standard infantry will be their turn 2 (poor dwarves, goblins and especially hobbits). If you don't have built-in mobility in your list, bring a captain or another hero with March. They are invaluable for so many scenarios. Now there are a handful of models who are game changers for Seize the Prize: flying infantry. If you have eagles, crebain or bat swarms, you are playing the scenario with cheat mode activated. If you bring Gulavhar, things get even better! (It's quite possible to win by turn 3 with a lucky roll when picking up the object and a couple of well-place Heroic Combats!) The only thing getting on your way is luck. With the object needing a 4+ to be plucked out of the ground, if you have offended the dice gods, no amount of mobility will save you. 

A fun, tactical scenario which encourages positive, aggressive tactics. Sounds good to me.

Scenario rating: 5/5

Destroy the Supplies

By destroying the supplies and rations of their enemy, once force can gain an immediate upper hand in the battles between the two armies. - Matched Play Guide (pg.27).

A recent addition to SBG, Destroy the Supplies is a classic attack and defend scenario. With VPs spread across a range of objectives (for each destroyed enemy supply marker, banners, breaking and leader kills), it provides a real tactical challenge for the generals upon Middle-Earth's battlefields. Each side has 3 objective markers, placed evenly at the edge of their 12" deployment zone, which represent their armies stash of goodies. The scenario creates the conundrum of having to protect your own supplies whilst simultaneously looking to burn and pillage your opponent's. The best thing about Destroy the Supplies is that it allows a huge range of tactical approaches to be employed in search of victory. If you have an army suited to a defensive war of attrition, you can castle around your objectives and outlast your opponent. You could be aggressive and pin your opponent back whilst pressuring their objectives. Do you abandon 1 objective to keep the two others safe? The choice really is yours! Numbers are going to be helpful, allowing you to more easily attack and defend, as will having some mobility in your army. However, that can be said of most of the scenarios and Destroy the Supplies doesn't feel like an instant loss if you are outnumbered or outmanoeuvred, unlike some scenarios, but rather an challenging uphill struggle. There is a growing trend in that I rate scenarios which promote players getting stuck-in and being proactive and Destroy the Supplies continues in that vein. 

Scenario rating: 4/5 

Retrieval

Both forces have claimed something of value from their enemy, and both will fight to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. - Matched Play Guide (pg.25)

Retrieval is, to all intents and purposes, 'capture the flag: Middle Earth edition'. Both players are attempting to take hold of the opponent's objective whilst making sure they keep the enemy's filthy mittens off of their own. The premise is simple, promotes positive gameplay and forces each player into clear tactical decision. However, for me, the execution is poor. The scenario suffers from a strange diagonal deployment zone, with essentially a 6" deadzone separating the two armies. The 'flags' are placed 15" from each players corner and VPs are scored largely by retrieving the objective (up to 7 in total) but can also be gained by the usual breaking and leader kill opportunities. The issue is, it takes so long to traverse the map diagonally for a large number of armies that it is often easier and quicker to just focus on destroying the opponent's army. If you put enough pressure on you can break your opponent, and start the subsequent game ending rolls, before the objectives ever come in to play. This is further compounded by the fact that, in order to get significant points from holding the objective, you really want to return the object to your deployment zone or look to escape from one of your own board edges. For some armies this is but a pipe dream. I can't see many a situation where a Moria army or a dwarf army ever achieves that before the game comes to an end. Now Rohan and other cavalry heavy armies love this scenario, particularly if they have a couple of Heroic Marches available, as do flying infantry (where bat swarms become Moria's only hope of retrieving the object). I love the concept but can't help but feel that the traditional horizontal deployment would have worked better. If you overlook the distances involved, it is another scenario which promotes a good old scrap but one which can often devolve into a mini 'To the Death' for lots of armies.

Scenario rating: 3/5

The Object missions offer fun, aggressive games but clearly are skewed towards more mobile armies. When you have set of missions focussed around reaching objective markers, this is somewhat unavoidable. However it is clear that the missions are well-balanced enough to make sure that any army composition is at least viable, helping make Pool 3 a welcome sight at tournaments across the world.

Hero Showdown: The Riders of Theoden

In this hero showdown, we look at the different heroes available to the Riders of Theoden LL and the order in which they should be added to your army list. 

At the end of 2019, I decided to change up the armies I played for the EAHC league. The strong combination of the Last Alliance for my good army and Angmar for my evil army had taken me to 2nd in the final league standings but I fancied trying a different style for 2020. Now, rather obviously given the current situation, I haven't played as many tournaments so far this year with my new armies as I would have liked. However, I did manage to get to 5 tournaments before the year became a write-off. For those tournaments I played with Rohan, my good army for year, in 4 of them. My findings from those tournaments? The pony lords in a Riders of Theoden list are incredibly strong and, in some cases, borderline broken! After a couple of tournament wins and 2 losses in 17 games, they are very competitive and fun to play (although probably not to play against!). 

This post will go through the heroes available to lead your brave Rohirrim into battle and put them in order of effectiveness. 

The Riders of Theoden

Before we look at the heroes, a quick run down of the Legendary Legion is needed. Found in the Gondor at War book, the The Riders of Theoden is designed to represent the glorious charge at the Pelennor Fields and allows players to recreate Theoden's inspirational speech on the tabletop. The LL limits you to being all mounted and having a smaller list of heroes to choose from (albeit the best heroes available to Rohan anyway!). In exchange for those 'drawbacks', you gain a couple of rules. First, you keep the army bonus of +1 strength on the charge (amazing!) and gain the 'Death!' special rule, allowing a once per game opportunity for all Rohan heroes within 12" of Theoden to call a free Heroic Combat or Strike (if they have that in their profile). This is insane. Absolutely insane. If you're not screaming 'Death!' the first turn you charge into your opponent's front line, are you even playing The Riders of Theoden? 

So the LL is good- really, really good - but which heroes should be leading the way? There are 7 (well, technically 8 as 1 profile is 2 heroes combined) heroes available to you, 6 named and 1 generic profile. All the heroes offer something but some are autopicks and other are more luxuries. From the least needed to most important, we have the following:

7th Place - Captain of Rohan

At the bottom of the list, probably unsurprisingly, we have the standard Captain of Rohan. In truth, he's a solid hero. 3 attacks at S5 on the charge for a low points cost is always nice. It's also pretty easy to get him to FV5 if you keep him near Theoden. However, the reason you take a captain is to get access to Heroic March. That is their niche. Unfortunately for our friendly captain, other heroes in the LL have access to March and come with extra benefits. Not a bad choice, but the weakest of the bunch. Most of the time, leave him back in Edoras cleaning out the stables.

6th Place - Elfhelm, Captain of Rohan

Added in Gondor at War, Elfhelm rocks in at 6th place in the list. Basically the same as a generic captain but with 3 Might, Elfhelm exchanges Heroic March for Accuracy and Defence, both handy options with Defence being very frustrating for an opponent. He also gains the Pinpoint Accuracy rule, allowing him to re-roll hit, wound and in the way rolls when throwing his throwing spears. Also ignoring the move and shoot penalty, Elfhelm fulfills the role of unmounting the biggest enemy hero when he is in the list. With 3 Might and a bucket load of rerolls, 1 opportunity to target an enemy is usually enough to leave them trudging it on foot for the rest of the game. Once he's done that, he offers little else. In fact, he is often worse in combat than a generic captain as he is locked at FV4 because he doesn't have the 'Arise Riders of Theoden!' rule. Very frustrating and making him a bit of a liability in combat. He sits in 6th. 

5th Place - Eomer, Marshall of the Riddermark

Oooh, controversial! The beatstick Rohan hero. 3 attacks, D7 with a shield, FV5 and 3s in all the right places, Eomer is a combat monster. But, for me, he sits at 5th place in this list. Eomer has no real flaws, although he does start getting a little pricey when fully kitted-out, so why is he so low in this list? Well, cost is one reason. His sister is another! (We will get on to her shortly). The Riders LL doesn't lack in killing power and so Eomer, who is primarily a killy hero, isn't as vital as he would be in other armies. He is by no means a bad choice and always performs admirably on the tabletop but he isn't what the army needs. Eomer also lacks the little tricks the heroes higher up in the list bring to the battle. A poor position for the future king of Rohan but the fact he is so low in the list shows just how strong the army is!

4th Place - Deorwine, Chief of the King's Knights

There is so much to love about Deorwine, even if he misses out on a podium spot. FV5, D7 and the Bodyguard rule gives you a solid attacking and defensive hero straight out of the box. For a very efficient points cost, you also get a 2 attack hero with March and Strike and 3 Might points. All of this would make a good choice but it is his special rule, 'For Theoden!', which makes Deorwine shine. When Theoden is engaged in a fight within 12" of Deorwine, Deorwine can call a free Heroic Combat. Should Deorwine win, he must join Theoden's combat or move as close as possible to him. Any Heroic Action advantage is excellent but, in a LL which already gives you access to free Heroic Actions, Deorwine takes the strength of the list and makes it stronger. A fine addition to a Riders of Theoden army. 

3rd Place - Gamling, Captain of Rohan

Rocking up in the bronze medal position, we have Gamling. Looking at his profile, you begin to wonder why? Locked at FV4, only D6 and possessing the useful but not hard to find Heroic Defence and March, very little about Gamling's stat-line truly impresses. However, the sole reason you bring him comes in the form of an expensive but stupendously good wargear option: the Might machine, the banner of infinite Might, the Royal Standard of Rohan. Firstly, it provides your army with a banner, a must have in some scenarios and great for helping you win fights. However, costing double that of a standard banner, it is the the borderline broken second effect which raises eyebrows. Any Rohan hero who is out of Might at the start of the turn and who is within 3" of Gamling regains a might point. There is no limit to this! Have 4 heroes without Might? Place them near Gamling and enjoy four nice, freshly-baked Might points. If you get to the end game with Gamling alive, enjoy constantly having priority as you call Heroic Moves for fun against a Might-less opponent. He synergises even better with the next hero in this list too! Any opponent thinking they will just target Gamling, don't forget he has Heroic Defence, which he can call every turn, all game, thanks to his banner! Good luck with that. The Royal Standard also means that you can spend Might for days to get kills and call Heroic Combats, that is assuming of course you actually have to pay for Heroic Combats given the Death rule and Deorwine. I have spent a ridiculously stupid 36 might points in a 700pts game before. I have killed 28 Morannon orcs in one turn, spending buckets of Might and not even blinked. It's crazy, insane and, sometimes, a little bit stupid.

2nd Place - Dernhelm

How can you better the 'Might Machine'? Well you bring Eomer's younger sister, ready for war. Dernhelm, Eowyn and Merry's Pelennor Fields inspired combined profile, is, in my mind, the best value profile in the entire game. For less than their individual profiles, but with more bonuses, you get 2 heroes, albeit on one horse. With 3 attacks base, FV5, resistant to magic and heroic strike, you have a strong base. Their combined 3 Might points are handy and, although her low defence of 5 can be a concern, you have a hero capable of chopping through chaff and taking on mid-tier heroes much more expensive ther herself. Although not at Eomer's elite level, Dernhelm performs this role well-enough to make him a little redundant, particularly when you factor in her cost. I place her higher the Gamling because you need a 'combat' hero in every army and Dernhelm offers that at a great value. However, when you take both, Dernhelm becomes stupidly good. As Eowyn and Merry are separate heroes (really useful in Fog of War by the way when you pick Merry to protect), they both activate Gamling's Royal Standard. 2 free might a turn? Yes please! Use Merry to Heroic Move every turn and Eowyn can Strike or Combat as required. Nasty!

1st Place - Theoden, King of Rohan

And so we come to the G.O.A.T of Rohan heroes, the O.G himself, Theoden! Technically, he has to come first as he is the only required hero for the LL but you always want him anyway. For a very reasonable cost, you get a Hero of Legend with FV5, 2 attacks and a possible D7. He is a little squishy with only 2 wounds and 1 Fate but he offers so much synergy to you army that, even if he sits behind your lines all game, he is a worthy investment. First, he has to be on the battlefield to activate 'Death!'. With that easily being 5-6 Might points worth of actions for free, it is a great start. Deorwine also synergises well with him as do your Captains and warrior models. FV5 Rohan Royal Guard (who come packing the bodyguard rule) spam is my preferred approach, something Theoden makes possible. And, for a final cherry on top, he has a 12" Stand Fast should you ever need it. The King of Rohan isn't your best hero but he is your most important.

The King sits atop the list of most important Rohan heroes for his own LL. Probably not a surprise! The list itself is incredibly strong. Hopefully you will soon be mustering the Rohirrim on tabletops world-wide. DEATH!!!

Kieran

The Lay of the Land: Hold Objective Scenarios

We continue our discussion and analysis of the 18 scenarios in MESBG. Be sure to read the first post in the series, covering Maelstrom of Battle scenarios, if you haven't done so already. This time round, we move on to pool 2; the 'Hold Objective' scenarios.

Domination

This battlefield will provide a distinct tactical advantage for whoever holds it for many years to come. Victory can be achieved by forcing the enemy back and securing the key points on the battlefield. Failure will not be permitted! - Matched Play Guide (pg. 11).

First up, we have a look at Domination. Before armies are deployed, 1 objective is placed centrally and 4 others are placed by the players in alternating order. There are restrictions in place to make sure the objectives are spread fairly evenly across the tabletop. The deployment areas for Domination are great for armies that want to tear through their opponents in brutal close combat, with both zones ending at 24" or half of the battlefield. This allows you to place immediate pressure on your opponent and helps to mitigate losses from bow fire as they will struggle to fire too many times when you're already bearing down upon them. If you are not deploying on the centre line then, in all but a tiny handful of circumstances, you're making a mistake. This is because of the way VPs are scored in Domination. With each objective worth 2VPs if only friendly models are within 3" or 1VP if more friendly than enemy models are within 3", objective control is vital. If you don't contest the centre of the board early, you will often find that you are surrendering too much board control and facing an uphill battle from the first dice roll. Given that breaking and wounding the enemy leader only offer 1VP each, Domination is a rare scenario in which you can fairly comfortably chuck bodies forward with reckless abandon. 

The scenario promotes positive, aggressive play and often becomes a real slugfest. The only issue for me is that it requires models to end the game within range of the objective and the game doesn't end until 25%. This means you're likely to face plenty of courage tests for being broken before the game ends and orcs and many other evil armies don't like courage tests! It is hugely frustrating when 4 orcs flee for their very lives on an objective you thought was safe and secure. It's even worse when the lonely elf warrior of your opponent's smugly passes every check needed for 3 turns. This means good armies typically win out in the end game of Domination, but a smart evil player never leaves home without packing their trusty shaman in his back pocket. The scenario is also very hard for smaller, elite armies. Numbers are key to Domination so make sure you're bringing plenty of bodies. 

Scenario rating: 4/5 

Capture and Control

By holding key strategic points, both armies believe they can control the field of battle and use these tactically important locations to force their enemy in to defeat. Whoever controls the battlefield will have gained an important foothold for the many battles yet to come. - Matched Play Guide (pg. 19).

What a great scenario! For me, Capture and Control takes all of the small drawbacks of Domination, screws them up, throws them in the bin and leaves behind a stellar scenario for any type of player and any type of army. Again, 5 objectives are placed before the game but, this time, in a predesignated plus (+) shape. The deployment once again allows centre line deployment, although high dice rolls for warbands mean you can deploy further back, and, as before, the centre line is where you should be deploying. 

The major difference in Capture and Control is that you don't control objectives by having more models by them. Instead, a friendly model tags an objective which you gain control of over the end turn and any objectives which friendly and enemy models in base contact stay neutral. This is brilliant as you can 'tag and go' objectives and don't have to leave a portion of your army sitting on an objective, twiddling their thumbs. It means small, elite armies can compete with bigger armies. Having more models still offers a small advantage but a smart player will manoeuvre in a way to remove this bonus. The game also ends differently, this time on a 1-2 when one force is reduced to 50%. All of a sudden, every turn becomes massively important as it may end up being the last of the game. This adds extra tension and excitement to the game. I distinctly remember one game at 'W.A.R of the Ring' where the game refused to end and it boiled down to 1 uruk-hai crossbowman against Glorfindel on foot and a single Numenorean warrior! Capture and Control always seems to create memorable and interesting games for both players. What more can we ask for?

Scenario rating: 5/5

Breakthrough

With both forces locked in a battle for supremacy, both sides know that if they can break through their enemy's lines they can seize a valuable strategic point from their foe. - Matched Play Guide (pg. 26).

Added in the Matched Play Guide, Breakthrough rounds of the Hold Objective scenario pool with great addition to the scenarios of MESBG. Prior to the game, 4 objectives are placed in a diamond shape in the middle of the battlefield, 12" apart in each corner of the diamond. VPs are then scored for controlling each objective, achieved by having more models within 3". The twist this time? The objective in your deployment zone is worth only 1 VP, the 2 on the centre line up to 2VPs and your opponent's objective worth up to a huge 4VPs! With 24" deployment zones, it's a third scenario where you deploy as close to your opponent as possible. The highlight of this scenario is the importance of attacking and defending. You don't care about your almost worthless objective but your opponent sure does! It is a case of one man's trash is another man's treasure. There is no point going gung-ho for your opponent's objective if you can't hold your own. This delicate tactical balance provides a scenario which challenges the best generals and leads to close, thoughtful tabletop games. It is worth noting your leader can give away 2VPs in this scenario if killed so they need a little babysitting when compared to the other 2 scenarios in this pool. For me, the only downsides echo those from Domination. Bigger armies will find the scenario easier and evil armies can struggle when they get to the business end of the fighting and start taking courage tests for being broken as this scenario doesn't end until one army is reduced to 25%. However, Breakthrough is another example of an aggressive, in-your-face scenario that creates memorable battles.

Scenario rating: 4/5

The Hold Objective scenario pool is always a welcome sight at any tournament. All 3 scenarios offer well-balanced, positive and tactical gameplay experiences for both players. A strong contender for best scenario pool in the game. Next time we look at the Object scenario pool; they have a hard act to follow!

Thanks for reading,

Kieran