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
