Build Me an Army Worthy of... The Kingdoms of Khazad-Dum and Moria

Hello readers, after my return last week with a post on the Serpent Horde, James, a fellow EAHC member, asked if my next 'Build Me an Army Worthy of...' post could be on the Kingdoms of Khazad-Dum and Moria so here we are! Although technically two army lists, I'm looking at them together here as they share 90% of the same options. Further, as I look to build a 500pts and 800pts army I would take to an EAHC event, I think the Kingdom of Moria shines at less than 650pts, whereas the Kingdom of Khazad-Dum is stronger above 650pts. 

Now any flavour of stunty-boys are new to me and don't typically fit my playstyle but, since the beginning of the pandemic, I have painted a large LOTR dwarf force and an Army of Thror force, both of which I am itching to see on the tabletop. Therefore, I have spent plenty of time theory-crafting lists, as well as listening to the EAHC Podcast episode focusing on dwarves with Ali King on YouTube as he is the GBHL authority on all things dwarven. It is well worth a listen if you get the chance! Now I feel well-prepared to delve deeply into the Kingdoms of Khazad-Dum and Moria.

Balin of Many Banners - 500pts

Balin, King of Moria

5 Khazad Guard

4 Vault Warden Teams

King's Champions w/ 2 Heralds

4 Dwarf Warriors with shield

3 Dwarf Warriors with dwarf bow

2 Iron Guard

25 models, 3 bows

My 500pts dwarven force comes from the Kingdom of Moria list, where I feel as though Balin's drawbacks as a Leader are lessened thanks to the more restrictive points value. At 500pts, going the Durin route, most likely with accompanying Hearthguard, is just too expensive. At the core of this army, we have the literal wall of Vault Warden Teams, the only spear supports in the army list, who bunker down the centre of the army whilst their peers go chopping with their axes. With a reasonable number of models, a few bows to attempt to pick off key cavalry models and strong heroes at 500pts, this list has a few tools up its sleeve. Combine that with a hero who can March, 2 Heroic Strikers and 2 banners, Balin and his beardy brothers can be a tough opponent.

Balin, King of Moria, is a solid profile and he is a capable leader of the force. Probably a little over-costed in terms of points, nevertheless, being S4 with a master-crafted axe for a constant +1 to wound means he is very effective at wounding the enemy. Being limited to 2 Attacks is frustrating but, with a banner more than likely in range, 3 dice at FV6 will win most fights. Balin's Heroics are what make him great in this force, with Heroic March a key addition to any dwarf force to counter the 5" move and lack of cavalry. Additionally, having Strike is always strong and allows Balin the opportunity to challenge higher quality heroes, especially with his D8 forming an effective fail safe if he does lose the Duel roll. Finally, his access to Heroic Defence, albeit largely redundant due to his heavy dwarf armour, does mean you can surprise an opponent who has managed to charge him with a high Strength monster or is benefiting from a to Wound bonus. The final bonus touch everyone's favourite tomb-dweller offers is his Longbeard rule, allowing you spend one of his 3 Will to re-roll your priority roll. This is perfect late game where you both roll 1s and 2s for priority, although if you are cursed with the same luck as the EAHC's Sam, you'll probably re-roll into a 1 when it matters anyway! Some things to consider with Balin though include not only his 2A but also the fact he only has 2W and 1F. This means that despite his D8, a few lucky rolls for your opponent, or an abundance of S4, can be problematic.

Supporting their ill-fated king, we have a key aspect of the army, 4 Vault Warden Teams. At D9 on the front rank, FV4 and S4, these vertically-challenged gentlemen will hold down the centre of your batteline for eternity. Sit these guys on an objective or push them into an enemy shield wall and they will comfortably bunker down and pick up many kills along the way, especially if the King's Champion lends them a Herald with banner. Monsters also need to be concerned by your Warden Teams as they are robbed of the ability to use their Brutal Power Attacks and the foe spear's +1 to wound against them greatly helps remove the threat of cave trolls and the like. You do need to be wary of getting flanked with your small Vault Warden block as the -1 when not supported by a foe spear can be problematic, but then the D9 is often enough of a forgiving get out. Also accompanying Balin, I have picked 5 Khazad Guards who add a extra dose of axe-shaped killing power with their S4 and option to 2-hand. At FV4, D7 and the Bodyguard rule, they will often more than make back their points. 

Now the other hero in the army is the shockingly good value, King's Champion. Included in his cost, you get the Champion and 2 tag-along Heralds who both come to battle with banners. When you reduce the cost of 2 dwarves with shield and banners from the Champion's profile, you are left with an incredibly cheap, very-killy hero. At FV6, S5 and with 3A, the Champion will chomp through troops and make a mess of all but the strongest of heroes. Couple his impressive stats with 2 Might to Strike, he really is a big threat to your opponent's plans. With only 2W and 1F, he looks a little squishy, but he has a couple of ways to counter this, both linked to his trusty Heralds. When 2 of the 3 models are in base contact with each other, they get a +1D boost, which is increased to +2D when all 3 are in base contact. D9 is incredible, but you are only realistically going to have a +1 boost in most circumstances. The other benefit the Heralds provide is the fact the Champion can spend the Herald's 2F each to stop wounds. This means it is possible to have a D9, 5F Champion! Not likely, but an interesting proposition.

With the Champion, we have a few different warrior profiles. First, he has a couple of Warriors with bows. A small contingent of bows is always useful and they are there purely to threaten heroes with mounts and hold objectives. At S3 with dwarf bows, albeit only 18" range, they can easily scare an opponent into playing more conservatively with their heroes. The other great benefit is that they are still stout, hot-blooded dwarves at FV4 and D6 so can hold their own if you need to chuck them into combat. 4 Warriors bring shields to access D7 and secure the flanks of the Warden block. Their job is to road block the enemy, shield with banner support in range and survive long enough for the Khazad and Iron Guard to do the killing. Speaking of Iron Guard, we have a couple of them tagging along with the King's Champ. At FV4, S4 and with 2A, these beardies offer a great killing punch but are a rather large points investment, especially at the comparatively low for dwarves D6. With throwing axes in tow, use the Iron Guard to turn the probability in your favour on one flank as the shield-bearing dwarves hold the other flank.

Tactically, this army wants to sit on an objective as their opponent throws bodies into the Warden shield wall. Overpower one flank of your Warden Teams with the Iron Guard and Khazads, backed up by the King's Champion and a banner. On the other flank, bunker down and shield up with your Dwarf Warriors and a banner to buy time for the other flank to do their thing. Balin can help shore up the defensive flank or apply further pressure with the Khazads and Iron Guard as appropriate. It certainly has its tough match-ups but this force is hard to dislodge and outfight.

Immovable Bearded Object and Unstoppable Bearded Force - 800pts

Durin, King of Khazad-Dum

8 Khazad Guard upgraded to Hearthguard

2 Dwarf Warriors with dwarf bow

5 Dwarf Warriors with shield

Dwarf King

6 Vault Warden Teams

King's Champions w/ 2 Heralds

2 Dwarf Rangers with dwarf longbow

2 Dwarf Warriors with dwarf bow

3 Dwarf Warriors with shield

3 Iron Guard

42 models, 6 bows

At 800pts, Durin, the almighty tank he is, makes an appearance. At 42 models, this is a great model count when you take into account the quality of the troops. This force acts in a similar way to the 500pts list above: you want to form an unbreakable centre with your Warden teams and shield Warriors whilst your heroes and Khazad Guard, particularly with the Hearthguard upgrade, overwhelm one flank. The Vault Wardens role is explained above, as are the benefits of the King's Champion and Iron Guard. The bows in this force are again there to offer an answer to removing enemy hero's mounts.

Big daddy Durin is the first big change in the increase to 800pts and with him comes a change to the Kingdom of Khazad-Dum list. A massive upgrade on Balin, for a big chunk of points more, he also carries a fancy master-crafted axe (the exact same axe Balin ends up wielding, in fact) but he has 3A to make more use of it. With 3W and a D9, he is also much harder to kill, although the 1F point is still a slight concern. The King of Khazad-Dum also has a rule allowing the player to re-roll a priority die, but this time it is a one-off thing. Despite this, it can be a clutch moment in a game, if you remember to use it! Durin is also sporting a fancy horn which not only provides a nice, if often not required, courage boost but also makes Durin super scary with Terror. A fine leader who suffers from the lack of a mount option which his peers also bemoan, Durin is a fine bearded hero to lead the dwarves to battle.

As Durin does not have March, the next new hero is an important one, the Dwarf King. Hailing from what I imagine is a lesser dwarven hold so as to not bear any grudges against the clearly more kingly King Durin, the Dwarf King provides a solid base line of stats and access to Heroic March, a must have for the dwarves. Dwarf Kings offer so much more than their Captain brothers: It is always worth the extra investment, particularly for the FV6. At D8, 2A and 2W, the King will not set the world alight but will easily crack open a fair number of heads for the good of the dwarves. 

The last key changed to this army when compared to Balin's entourage is the addition of the Hearthguard Khazads. The upgrade gives the Khazads Burly, allowing them to 2-hand without penalty. Being S4 and adding +1 to Wound, these guys become seriously killy! Now the upgrade cost really adds up if you take too many and they become a big investment for a 1W model without any spear supports. Nevertheless, place these on one flank with Durin and the King's Champion and there are not many things in MESBG they won't wreck. Having a Herald's banner nearby is vital as without that flappy bit of fabric, you are relying on a single D6 in most fights which is always bad.

Durin and crew take the core ideas of the Balin list and add an extra lethal edge. Not many lists will relish the high defence wall of armoured, bearded, axe-wielding warriors and their tank-like core. Mobility is always going to be an issue but, when you get to a battle of attrition, the dwarves will be singing the victory songs long into the night in the caverns of Khazad-Dum.

So that's my take on a couple of LOTR dwarf lists. In theory, it will work wonders and bring me much joy, and my enemies much despair, on the MESBG battlefields. However, I may have completely messed up and created 2 dire lists that will bring the dwarven kingdoms to ruin. When the world returns to some sort of normality, I guess I will find out! Let me know what you think: Glory to the dwarves or the end of Durin's line?

Kieran