CJ's "More will come" Profiles: The Variags of Khand

Rhun wouldn't be complete without also giving some TLC to the Variags of Khand, who made their SBG debut along with the Easterlings in Shadow in the East. Originally, there were profiles for the mercenary Khandish Chieftains and Warriors but with the wildly inconsistent mechanic of having to roll for them to appear for your game (on a 1, they don't get deployed at all). This didn't make it to the Five Army Books ruleset, and since then the Khandish faction has been a somewhat unloved satellite nation to the main stories of the War of the Ring. Chariots being resigned to giant dismounting frisbees in the Hobbit era didn't help either. In the current edition, the King in Chariot is a fearsome centrepiece whilst the army bonus encourages a Mongol style hording horsemen with bows. If they weren't so expensive to buy and had any semblence of tools to deal with Big Bads, Spellcasters, or meta Courage Control lists it'd be nice to see some more of them about. Also due to the Monstrous Charge rules, Khandish Charioteers can only knock over Hobbits, whilst being 34pts of 1 wound D4, which isn't ideal either.
So to add some variety and tactical options to Khand, I borrowed from the mercenary aspect of previous lore, and simply added a pair of useful 3Might Heroes with thematic army-buffing rules. See what you think, and feel free to suggest what you think would help out the Khandish players.

WARRIORS

Khandish Mercenary Warband 35pts
Variags are a harsh and unforgiving clan of warriors, where skill in combat determines the hierarchy of the males. But such things are always entwined with jealousy, bravado, and the willingness to be followed by the members. Those cast out of their Variags often travel far in search of riches, fighting as a warband for the highest bidder.
A Khandish Mercenary Warband consists of 6 Khandish Mercenaries, with any combination of optional upgrades. One Warrior takes on the role of the warband’s Captain for the purposes of deployment. A Mercenary Warband may be included in a Khand Army List, or as a Green Ally to any Army List that has Khand as a Green or Yellow Ally.
Khandish Mercenary
F4/4+ S3 D4 A1 W1 C2
Armour, Dagger, Hand-and-a-half Axe or Bow.
Enforcer upgrade: 20pts (once)
The Enforcer of the Mercenary Warband assumes the role of the Captain of the Warband, becomes a Minor Hero, and gains 1M, 1W, 1F, Fv5, C3, and the Burly rule.
Horse: 5pts each
Loyalty is fleeting: If the Leader of the Army is slain, the Mercenaries immediately count as Broken.
Deleted rule (too Battle Companies and too much headache to keep track of):
Complimentary fighting skills: (10pts)
Each of the five members of the Mercenary Warband which are not the Captain of the Warband may each choose one of the following Characteristics to improve by 1 in their respective profile: Fight Value, Shoot Value, Strength, Defence, Courage. The Captain of the Warband allows friendly Mercenaries within 3” to re-roll 1s in Duel Rolls. (This variety may be confusing for an opponent, so it would be encouraged that you give individual paint schemes and suitable names to your Mercenaries).

Khandish Informant 20pts Horse 5pts
So renowned for loyalty based on currency and the frequent ejection of individuals from the Variags are the Khandish, that individuals seeking vengeance by fighting alongside their enemies are not uncommon. A select cunning few see this as an opportunity for subterfuge and, should they survive, they will be well compensated for their agency in enabling the Khandish victory.
F4/4+ S3 D4 A1 W1 C3
Independent Hero
Hand and a half Axe or Bow, Dagger, Armour.
A Khandish Informant takes up a slot in the warband of one of your Leader. At the beginning of a game, allocate one enemy Hero to be the Target of the Informant. The Informant then deploys with that enemy warband, placed by the controlling player. The Informant is moved immediately by the controlling player after the Target has moved and may partake in Heroic Moves or Marches called by them. Enemy models may not target the Informant with magical powers, shooting attacks, or charge the model.
Spy in the camp: Up to three times in a game, when the Target declares a Heroic Action, the Informant may signal to his Leader (line of sight), who may then call the same Heroic for free even if he would not normally have that Heroic Action. After the third time this action has been used, the opponent realises the duplicity and may target and attack the Informant as normal. Additionally, if the Informant voluntarily charges or shoots an enemy model, or voluntarily moves more than 12” away from his Target, the cover is blown. The Informant may move through one enemy model per turn.
Nobody’s on nobody’s side: When making strikes against the Target, the Informant gains the Backstabber rule. Additionally, whilst under cover, an Informant may elect to Charge, make Strikes against, and Shoot at, his friendly Khand models under the rouse of remaining under cover. (This may allow you to, for instance, shoot into the Target’s combat and either deal a Wound or remove their ability to call a Heroic Combat!).


HEROES

Ghazan the Ravager 90pts
Thundering through villages on horseback to wreak destruction and making it safely far away before help can arrive, Ghazan’s expertise is in the swift, glancing blow.
Hero of Fortitude
F5/4+ S4 D5 A2 W2 C5 3M 1W 1F
Armour, Dagger, Hand-and-a-half Axe, Horse
Heroic Strike
Horselord, Weapon Master
Hit and Run: If Ghazan charges an enemy model whilst mounted, Ghazan, mounted Khand Models, and Chariot riders within 6” of Ghazan that have charged that turn may declare a free Heroic Combat with the following restrictions: The subsequent movement may not be used to charge enemy models, and participating models may only move up to half of their movement value. Ghazan’s combat is resolved first in this instance.

Temuulen the Raider 90pts
Raised in the saddle of a speeding horse, Temuulen has an almost unnatural ability to correct for the relative motion between his bow and any target. With speed of thought and word, his reflexes help guide the archers around him and have built the Khandish reputation of the deadliest mounted archers around.
Hero of Fortitude
F5/3+ S4 D5 A2 W2 C4 3M 1W 1F
Armour, Dagger, Longbow, Horse
Heroic Accuracy
Horselord
Stable Aim: Whilst mounted, Temuulen and Khandish Horsemen 6” of Temuulen do not increase their shoot value when moving up to half of their movement.

Khandish Bounty Hunter 30pts
When a Khandish Mercenary who has skill with ranged shots survives enough encounters and elevates this accuracy to a unique selling point, they often transition into a more straight-forward assassin. For the right price, a Bounty Hunter will use the distraction of battle to bring down any individual from range, before setting off back to collect their payment.
Horse 5pts
Morgul Poisoned Arrows 5pts
Independent Hero
Mv8 F4/4+ S4 D5 A1 W2 C4 M2 W6 F1
HDef
Poisoned Crossbow
Stalk Unseen
Who do I have to kill?: At the beginning of a game, select one enemy Hero to be the Bounty. A Bounty Hunter may only voluntarily charge their Bounty or target them with shooting attacks. Once their Bounty has been slain, remove any assigned Bounty Hunters.
Just a Hired Bow: A Khandish Bounty Hunter does not count towards your army model count, models slain for the purposes of Breaking, nor models remaining on the board for scenarios which end at 25%. Additionally, the Bounty Hunter does not take Courage Tests for being Broken, and cannot hold Objectives, Objects, or earn their player VPs with the exceptions of Leader Wound/Kill and Kill Tally for eg Lords of Battle. The Bounty Hunter is always deployed last, either within the Controlling Player’s deployment zones, or within 6” of any board edge.
Target acquired: A Bounty Hunter may reroll failed To Hit rolls. If the Head and Body of the Target can be seen, the Bounty Hunter does not need to roll In the Way tests when making Shooting attacks. Terrain pieces will only ever provide a 3+ In the Way against a Bounty Hunter. If the Bounty is engaged in combat but no friendly models obscure the shot of the Bounty Hunter, reroll failed Wounds.
Dead or Alive: Instead of making Strikes, a Bounty Hunter may handcuff the Bounty, in which case they count as being under the Paralyse Magical Power and may be moved as a Heavy Object.
Will you share in the treasure?: If charged by an opponent, the Bounty Hunter may expend a Will point in order to force the charging model to take a courage test. If failed, the model succumbs to greed, flees, and is removed as a casualty.

Designer's Commentary: If you want to encourage an all-mounted faction with mounted bowmen and chariots, I think that one of the ways you can achieve this without a Gamling Banner can be to apply pressure to Might points in a similar way to how Angmar does to Will. If you can use an Informant Grima-style to grant you effectively free Heroic moves, you gain an advantage. If a Bounty Hunter is sniping away enemy Heroes you can force them to spend Might for fear of dying without using it. This should help a player to engineer being the one left with Might in the endgame, and then get the charges needed or the Chariots doing their lawnmower impressions. To aid with this, Ghazan's Hit and Run can be used not only for added mobility (balanced by not allowing a 2nd charge and only half movement), but also screening off your Heroes with the cheaper troops. This not only allows Ghazan to "reload" his rule, but also give Chariots an extra trampling movement (doesn't count as charging!), or line them up for the following turn. In the case of a Khandish King in Chariot, it is also an opportunity to move your banner effect to cover more combats in a single phase. Temuulen is a little more straightforward, but giving that volume of bows the capacity for better shooting as well as Heroic accuracy should help in removing spears which will blunt your cavalry charges. The Bounty Hunter is somewhat rule-heavy, but with nothing else filling a similar role in the game I've had to make some guesstimates. Chinese were THE crossbow inventing and implementing nation but on horseback would be very unwieldy. A dedicated sniper requiring armour piercing capabilities though seemed a good fit. They would also poison their bolts, which is referenced here. Finally the mercenary warband felt like a flavourful nod to the prior rules about Khandish mercenaries and could be a way to sneak some horses into ally-able lists such as the Corsairs or even Moria. But with a low courage and a propensity to flee, I'm not sure they'd be an autoinclude in everyone's lists!

Fantasy Fellowships Part VII Finale- For Frodo/Bilbo

 As the Ringbearers make their way ever closer to Mount Doom, the Men of the West gather what strength they have left and march to challenge the Dark Lord and distract him. The final battle begins.

CJ

Scenario 23- The End of All Things 

Particpants- Bilbo, Dori with Sting, Bard, Arathorn, Saruman, Dwalin, Alfrid, Grima, Eomer, 25x Warriors of Minas Tirith (1x Banner, 8x Shield, 8x Spear and Shield, 8x Bow) and 25x Warriors of Rohan (1x Banner, 8x Shield, 8x Throwing spear and Shield, 8x Bow)

Evil- Mordor Troll Chieftain, the Mouth of Sauron, Gollum, 3x Morannon Orc Captains and 50x Morannon Orcs (2x Banner, 12x Shield, 12x Spear, 12x Spear and Shield)

The remaining men, able to still fight, march on the Black Gate. They wish to create a distraction for Sauron to buy Bilbo the time he needs.

The Gate opens and hordes of orcs march out, enveloping the forces of Good. Alfrid mutters some words in Bard’s ear, getting him charged up with rage (up to 6 might). Saruman casts terrifying aura and they brace as the orcs charge!  The Troll chief and orcs hit the front hard. Arathorn and Bard cut through the orcs before them, when the troll barges four men to the floor and rushes Bard, but somehow fails to cause any wounds (triple 2).

Bilbo begins the last stretch, but the Ring is attempting to corrupt him and weigh him down. But the Hobbit perseveres. Back at the Black Gate, Bard leads the charge, and a turn of Heroic Combats follow from Dwalin and two orc captains. All three succeed and both orcs charge the Rohan banner, while Dwalin grabs one of the captains and cuts him in half with his two-handed axe. The Banner bearer is killed but the banner is picked up by another. Eomer beats another Captain and causes a wound upon him. During all this, Arathorn draws Anduril and charges the Troll Chief! He runs in and swings, but his blow is parried aside and before he can follow up with another attack. The King of Gondor is picked up and thrown through a crowd, Grima is saved from death by his armour, an orc is killed by the impact but every Minas Tirith warrior is unscathed. However, Arathorn lies still, his body broken and dead, Anduril lies beside him.

Bard is in shock and just snaps himself out of it to dodge the Troll the next turn (triple 1 to wound). Dwalin is enraged and takes off a second captain’s head in one hard swing. Saruman, who has been fluffing his magic throughout, fails again to immobilise the troll for Bard. And Eomer is piled by orcs and takes a wound from them. As Bard struggles on with the Troll, the Mouth of Sauron charges into the flank on his horse and begins killing Gondorians and Rohirrim around him, hellbent on slaying Alfrid or Grima, whose very presence was causing the captains difficulty with their commands. Saruman finally pulls off a compel and the Troll stumbles away from Bard, who is looking exhausted, having spent 5 of his 6 might.

Bilbo, despite the problems that the Ring is causing him, continues to push forward with Dori and enters the doors into Oroduin. Back at the Gate, the losses are taking their toll and Eomer takes another wound. A morannon orc rushes through a gap and before anyone can stop him, buries his blade deep in Alfrid’s gut. He collapses and passes as loyal soldiers slay his killer. Bard is beaten by a captain and orcs, taking two wounds from them for it. As Bilbo enters the chamber in Mt. Doom, he hears a familiar cry and Gollum pounces on top of him, Bilbo’s combat experience from his quest to Erebor and this show as he rolls a 6 and wins the fight, then causing a wound. Before his loyal companion, Dori, slams his flail into Gollum’s chin, plunges Sting into their attacker and pushes him over the side into the pit.

The battle is getting desperate as the small circle gets smaller. Eomer charges the Mouth and brings him off his horse, then causing a wound (1w, 0f). The Mouth retaliates by putting Eomer in the same position. As Bilbo closes in on the platform, the rest of the Fellowship fight like demons. Bard leads a last-ditch charge, in which Dwalin drops his two-handed axe and draws two instead, immediately hacking a third captain to pieces and Grima manages to push off an attacker with his elven dagger. Eomer stumbles over to the Mouth and prepares to deal one final blow, but it never comes. The Mouth is too quick and strikes him down where he stands. The Leader of Rohan falls, so close to where the King of Gondor lies.

Bilbo draws the Ring and holds it over the drop. He stares at it as it speaks to him, giving visions of power, tempting, and intimidating him. Bilbo draws on his last reserves of might….and drops it. The Ring is destroyed!

Kills

Bilbo- 0                 Arathorn- 1

Dori- 1                  Dwalin- 5

Bard- 3                  Alfrid- 0

Saruman- 2           Grima- 0

Bravest- Grima    Fool- Arathorn

GOOD WIN

Endings

Arathorn, Alfrid, Eomer and Gollum are slain.

Arathorn’s son, a young Aragorn, is brought out of hiding and coronated King after his father’s death, with assistance until he comes of age through Ecthelion, the steward of Gondor. And his father becomes a man of legend.

The Rohirrim crown Eowyn, the last surviving Royal, as Queen of Rohan after her heroics at the Pelennor.

20 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses. 316 total kills, 31 slain enemy heroes, 1 slain enemy monster. 6/9 original Fellowship members survived.

Sam

Scenario 23- The End of All Things 

Particpants- Old Bilbo, Lotho with Sting, Hurin, Saruman, Haldir, Dain, Aldor, Grima, Eomer, 25x Warriors of Minas Tirith (1x Banner, 8x Shield, 8x Spear and Shield, 8x Bow) and 25x Warriors of Rohan (1x Banner, 8x Shield, 8x Throwing spear and Shield, 8x Bow)

Evil- Mordor Troll Chieftain, the Mouth of Sauron, Gollum, 3x Morannon Orc Captains and 50x Morannon Orcs (2x Banner, 12x Shield, 12x Spear, 12x Spear and Shield)

Note: Gollum is written in as Bilbo struggling to overcome the Ring’s seduction.

Bilbo and Lotho finally close in on their destination. As they struggle up the slopes, Bilbo feels the strain and the cracks in his mind broaden. When he comes back, he is wrestling Lotho on the ground and has hit him with a rock but failed to kill him. With Bilbo back under control, they get towards the doorway. Bilbo again loses his focus but uses might to avoid caving again.

Down at the Black Gate, the men of the West have formed a defensive circle with Grima in the centre putting down the enemy. Saruman casts terrifying aura on himself and calls out ‘For Smeagol!’ (not knowing of his death). Dain rushes across the circle towards the Troll Chief’s side. As the Orcs close in, Aldor looses an arrow that takes out a captain’s spearman and Haldir fires a shot that gets into a gap of the Troll Chief’s armour and wounds him.

Just as the fighting is about to begin, Saruman blasts an orc and Haldir charges the troll chief. Two orc captains call heroic combats but the Rohirrim warriors manage to fight them both back. Saruman takes a wound from orcs and Hurin bloodies Anduril. Haldir beats the Troll but fails to wound it. Saruman then turns and blasts the Mouth of Sauron off his horse causing a wound. He then suffers for it as he takes another wound from orcs. Eomer takes on a captain and deflects a strike with his shield, landing two of his own, which is saved by fate. A loud cry of dismay is heard as the Troll Chief smashes through the elf’s defence with an almighty strike, shattering his elven blade, and Haldir’s limp corpse is casually tossed aside.

Seeing that their defences are taking losses and holes are appearing, Saruman calls a heroic move to close up some of the bigger gaps. Eomer, joins the move and tightens up his line of Rohirrim. But as the orcs rush back in, the old warrior Aldor, who has been struggling under such numbers is overwhelmed and takes a blade to the gut. He falls beside the leader of his people. Grima is enraged at the death of the man, who had become a close friend in their adventures, and lunges into the fighting, furiously stabbing an orc. In his fury, he goes in too deep too quick and ends up with a similar fate to his friend.

The Orcish captains sense blood and rush into the fray against heroes (Hurin and Saruman). Hurin wins but fails to land any blows upon his foe. He and Eomer both rally their men and once again, tighten up the ranks, the latter is finally wounded and the former attacks the Mouth of Sauron and a captain at the same time. With a loud warcry, Anduril swings and knocks back the captain before swinging back and taking off the head of the Mouth. Dain finally gets a chance to rush the Troll Chief and with a mighty flurry of strikes from his hammer reduces it to 1w, 0f. Many of good’s warriors fall.

Back at Mount Doom, Lotho sees Bilbo again teetering on the edge of madness. They once again end up fighting as Lotho pushes Bilbo up against the wall and slowly struggles him down the corridor. Bilbo again tries to fight on the walkway above the lavaflow, this time he gets the upper hand and nearly ends up sending them both over the edge, but Lotho’s yells finally get through to Bilbo…seeing how close they are now and driven by purpose, he approaches the end of the walkway…

At the Black Gate. Eomer rushes to Dain’s side and stands before the Troll, but the troll overcomes them both and hurls Dain across the fighting, where he lands upon Saruman’s spearman. The White Wizard overcomes the difficulty of fighting alone and slays the captain before him. The Banner of Minas Tirith falls nearby as it was forced to the frontline. Hurin, refuses to lose hope due to this and strikes down another captain nearby. The strain is showing for the forces of Good, which is exacerbated by the sudden death of the White Wizard, when he is overcome by orcs and has his throat cut! Hurin is also overwhelmed and finally wounded and Dain rended by the Troll, going down to 1w, 0f. Suddenly, there is a very real chance of the forces of Good being obliterated!

Dain, heavily wounded and unable to lift his hammer due to a broken arm, snatches a fallen orcs mace and charges the Troll again. But due to his state, it’s more an act of defiance than a real threat. The Troll picks him up one last time and slams the dwarf into the floor. The King under the Mountain has fallen. The victorious Troll then sees Hurin, bloodied and tired before him. Wanting to make the hat-trick, he charges, roaring at the Warden of the Keys. Summoning the last of his energy, Hurin ducks the Troll’s swing and stands, driving Anduril under the Troll’s chestplates and up through its heart!

Bilbo staggers up to the precipice and raises the Ring, but immediately feels the madness rising again, threatening to take over and force him to keep the Ring. Before he can give in though, a hand lashes out and smacks it from his grasp. The Ring flies through the air and falls down into the volcano below. As Lotho drags Bilbo away from the edge before he can leap in after it. The Ring is destroyed!

Kills

Bilbo- 0            Haldir- 0

Lotho- 0            Dain- 0

Hurin- 8            Aldor- 1

Saruman- 2       Grima- 1

Bravest- Hurin    Fool- Aldor

GOOD WIN

Endings

Haldir, Dain, Saruman, Aldor and Grima are all slain in battle. Each is returned to their homeland for burial, besides Saruman, who is cremated and scattered to the wind.

Eomer takes his place as the King of Rohan, in place of his uncle Theoden and former heir, Theodred.

Hurin earns his place as a true hero of Gondor and takes on the role of Steward in place of Denethor and Faramir.

Bilbo and Lotho return to the Shire. Bilbo is eventually taken across the seas to the west and Lotho gains the position that he craved as tales of his exploits become legend.

14 wins, 1 draws, 8 losses. 261 total kills, 30 slain enemy heroes, 3 slain enemy monsters. 1/9 original Fellowship member survived.

Will

Scenario 23- The End of All Things 

Particpants- Frodo, Pippin with Sting, Boromir, Gandalf, Faramir, Irolas, Damrod, Denethor, Eomer, 25x Warriors of Minas Tirith (1x Banner, 8x Shield, 8x Spear and Shield, 8x Bow) and 25x Warriors of Rohan (1x Banner, 8x Shield, 8x Throwing spear and Shield, 8x Bow)

Evil- Mordor Troll Chieftain, the Mouth of Sauron, Gollum, 3x Morannon Orc Captains and 50x Morannon Orcs (2x Banner, 12x Shield, 12x Spear, 12x Spear and Shield)

The armies of Gondor and Rohan circle up outside the Black Gate. They spot the Mouth of Sauron dangling a Mithril coat and blowing raspberries at them. 

'Pippin!' yells Damrod.

'No!' cries Denethor.

Gandalf silences them. And Boromir stares silently at the forces of Mordor before slowly turning and whispering 'For Gondor...'. The entire army of the Free Peoples charges towards the Orc lines.

Evil gives chase and the Mouth of Sauron slams into a pair of Rohirrim. Good opens fire, killing three orcs with their volley. The Mouth calls a heroic combat and then after spending his second might to kill the first warrior, fails to kill the second. On the left flank, several Rohirrim are slain. But at the front, the cluster of heroes hits the orcs hard.



The next turn the Mouth fluffs a second fight and this time loses his horse to two Rohirrim. The Troll Chief barges four men of Minas Tirith back, punching a large hole into the circle! Many more of the Rohirrim are overrun and slain. Gandalf finally succeeds in casting and blasts the orcish banner away!

Frodo and Pippin are getting close to the Crack of Doom and have so far been unhindered.

Boromir, Irolas and a Morannon Captain call heroic combats. The Captain punches another hole in the defences and flanks a couple of Minas Tirith warriors.

Irolas goes next and manages to charge the Troll chief. He is then closely followed by Boromir, who adding in the fight 7 and Anduril for elven blade, has suddenly turned the fight heavily in favour of good! Both sides roll a 6 and good snatches the win on a 3! Irolas spends a might to cause a wound and Boromir causes three more on the trapped Troll, spending a might to cause a 4th and guarantee that the beast is slain! The Sword of the King of Gondor brings down the biggest threat!

To the rear the Rohirrim desperately hold back the tides! Gandalf still continues to fail with his magic (clearly his staff was integral to his abilities) and calls a heroic move to reorganise the defences. The Mouth sees an opening and casts immobilise on Boromir, using the chance to surround Irolas and go in for the kill! The man of Gondor calls a heroic Defence with his final might. As a result he only takes a single wound and survives the ambush. Boromir, who was also assaulted, repels an attack too.

Back in Mt Doom, Frodo and Pippin get into the entrance of the volcano. When the long awaited attack arrives and Gollum pounces! He catches them off guard, knocking Frodo back, he bites and savages Pippin, removing an ear (0f)! He then retreats into the shadows and attacks again! But this time they are ready and Pippin drives his blade into the assailant! Gollum is slain!

Continuing his streak, Gandalf fails again with his last will point to cast (1 successful spell all game). Good continues to hold on, and do so well, with only Irolas injured.

Over the next couple of turns, many of the men are slain but they stubbornly hold back the assault, led by Boromir. Irolas manages to slay a captain!

Frodo and Pippin edge closer as the Ring attempts to weigh its bearer down. But Frodo is resilient.

Boromir lunges out of the crowd at the Mouth and after a couple of turns of jabbing and parrying, Anduril gets through the defence and claims a second hero!

Frodo reaches the edge of the platform and immediately feels a wave of temptation hit him. But before it can take hold, he hears Pippin call 'Don't you dare!'. Frodo summons all his remaining strength and opens his fingers, the Ring falls out as if in slow motion and plops heavily into the magma below! 

Kills

Frodo- 0             Faramir- 2

Pippin- 1            Irolas- 3

Boromir- 8         Damrod- 2

Gandalf- 3          Denethor- 2

Bravest- Boromir    Fool- Gandalf

GOOD WIN

Endings

Frodo returns to the Shire, where he spends several years before quietly leaving via the Grey Havens with Gandalf to sail into the West.

Eomer is crowned the new King of Rohan and his sister Eowyn heads East, where she is wed to Boromir, at Denethor's insistence. Faramir is very unhappy and surprisingly isn't very keen to accept Denethor's mumbled apology about the attempted murder in Amon Hen business. He only does so to please his brother. 

Denethor remains the Steward of Gondor and without the hefty weight of war with Sauron on his mind is considerably easier to be around and continues to be guarded by the Citadel Guard including Irolas and the newly appointed, Peregrin Took. Boromir remains the Commander of Gondor's armies, while Faramir takes up the role of rebuilding Osgiliath assisted by his loyal friend, Damrod.

16 wins, 2 draws, 5 losses. 309 total kills, 28 slain enemy heroes, 2 slain enemy monsters. 8/9 original Fellowship members survive. Impressive.

Cheers for reading guys, we have four other Fantasy Fellowships still at work but they are currently held up by the state of the world at the moment. I'll update them as they are done in the future.

The next series that I'll be doing will be a Battle company campaign with 10 players total*. Hope you stick around to read about those.

*At time of writing

CJ's "More will come" Profiles: The Easterling Empire

Who's that Pokemon?
Iiiiiit's....Buneary???

At the dying of the light on the 31st Dec the SBG community was teased with silhouettes of a promised new set of models. The bunny ear helmets all but certainly indicate that we will be returning to the Eastern Kingdoms for the first time since A Shadow in the East, which drew inspiration from East Asian influences. Particularly, the Kingdoms of Rhun seemed to be serving a casting of Ancient China as the Easterling Empire and their enemies the Mongols as Khand, their...er...allies? (Khand also has a style similar to the older Han Chinese in armour and chariots, but the mass horseback archer approach seems Mongol-inspired too).

As a casual history nerd and a childhood fan of Mulan, I've often been intrigued how you could supplement the Eastern Armies in a way that would mirror the historical allegories of the old Sourcebook, and compliment the playstyles of the existing ranges. Today, I'm sharing some ideas for profiles that could be great fun on the tabletop for the Easterling Empire, and where appropriate the history they're based on. In a day or two I'll follow up with likewise for the Variags of Khand.

WARRIORS

Easterling Infiltrator 10pts

Where a phalanx or cavalry would be impractical to flush enemies out of hiding, the Empire can deploy specialists in close quarters fighting.

F3/4+ S3 D4 A2 W1 C3

Armour, Throwing Dagger, Daggers

A Knife in the Dark: Within terrain pieces, Infiltrators gain +1 to Duel rolls.

Sudden Strike: Infiltrators gain +1 on Leap, Climp, Jump tests. They may also finish their movement directly into combat regardless of the roll on the test.

Designer's Commentary: We’ve seen the silhouettes of what look suspiciously like Easterling ninjas so this is an attempt at a guess what they may go for. Knife fighters have a distinct advantage in enclosed environments as they do not require the space to swing a blade, hence the Knife bonus. Sudden Strike also prevents enemies from camping out on raised terrain with their bows raining down on your vital middle pikes.

Easterling Imperial Guards 9pts

Only those entrusted by the Emperor for their skill in battle are granted the use of an Easterling Halberd. Those with leadership capabilities are anointed Captains of the Imperial army. Those with brute strength are indoctrinated into the Imperial guard.  

F4/4+ S4 D5 A1 W1 C3

Easterling hand and a half Glaive/Halberd (axe)

Bodyguard

DC: The halberds are really cool and underrepresented and Easterlings have a kill potential problem. Birds, meet stone.

 

Similar to this, but preferably more field of vision

Easterling Double-Arc Shieldbearer 14pts

When the lines meet, the Double-Arc Shieldbearers ram their heavy shields into the ground and brace behind, trusting the pikes behind them to deal the damage.

F3/4+ S4 D7 A1 W1 C3

Two-handed Double-Arc Shield, Heavy Armour

Phalanx, Burly

Testudo: Easterling Shieldbearers gain the Shieldwall rule. Additionally, Shooting attacks require a 6+ in the way to pass through them.

Heavy Shield: If a Shieldbearer elects to Shield, they may use the Bash special strike when winning a fight.

Anchored position: At the end of a Shieldbearer’s movement, it may declare the intention to Anchor. This counts as using half of the model’s move distance. Whilst Anchored, the Shieldbearer’s Strength raises to 6, and Defence to 8, but may not Shield or make Strikes. An Anchored Shieldbearer cannot be Barged, Hurled, or Rended. Additionally, they will not back away if they lose a fight, the opponent must back away instead. If supported by a pike, the Shieldbearer will not count as trapped in a fight, and the Pikes gain +1 to Wound.

DC: The natural extreme of a pike block with large shields is to have specialist front rows with enormous shields that the pikes can use for balance to focus on the strength of the drive. Easterlings struggle against Monsters Hurling through their carefully constructed pike lines, so by raising the Strength and negating BPAs the Scutum Bearer provides a similar role to a Vault Warden as well as preventing the phalanx being easily run over by cavalry. The additional protection from ranged weapons should further encourage an opponent to engage the pike block, whilst the bonus to Wound should help with the perennial S3 issue, as should the option to Bash foes- which provides an additional option for negating mounted Heroes.

 

Double-Arc Shields were used in Chinese warfare from 770BC and evolved into the second design by the end of the Qin dynasty in 206BC. Placing a wall of these down with spears on the shoulders at the side would be a strong position to fight from. During the Warring States Period, the Tower Shield (right) was also used. At 20x36", they covered the majority of a contemporary soldier and two rows could be used to form a Testudo-style defence against incoming fire. Put some Easterling shield corner spikes on the bottom corners to anchor into the groun and that would present a pretty immovable object with a strong man behind it. 

Easterling Warrior Wargear:

Easterling Black Huolong……..20pt

Early pioneers of the use of fire and small explosions for psychological warfare, by the time of the War of the Ring the Emperor’s tasked military strategists and engineers are ready to introduce a prototype mobile weapon of enemy disruption. In a two-stage action, the Huolong takes flight and reins fire down upon the startled enemy formations, allowing the Kataphraktoi to bear down on the scattered foes.

An Easterling Warrior equipped with a Huolong counts towards the Bow limit. This Wargear allows four *Easterling* models in base contact with the Huolong to make a once per game ranged attack during the Shoot Phase in lieu of making any other action in the same turn. A Huolong is treated as a Heavy Object, with 2 Wounds and D6. Any enemy model that spends a full turn in base contact with a Huolong may disable it and remove it from play.

The range of a Huolong is 12”-36”. Rather than rolling to hit, once a target has been selected immediately apply a Scatter roll of up to 3”. On the roll of a 1, the Huolong is a dud and removed from play and no further action taken. After the initial Scatter roll, the Huolong launches four shooting attacks at the target (Sv4+) which Scatter again up to 3”. As the Hulong rises before firing, treat its shots as volley fire for the purposes of In The Way rolls.

Models struck by a Huolong suffer a S5 Hit. If they survive, S5 or lower models are flung back D3, are knocked prone, and immediately roll a D6. On a 5+, the model is Set Ablaze.

DC: In the interests of encouraging opponents to engage Easterlings in an area that they can use pikes to full advantage, some ranged superiority options would go a long way. As Middle Earth is just encroaching on the technological warfare revolution of explosives (thanks, wizards!), something like this on the boundary between paradigms has historical precedent. Personal siege equipment hasn't been done in SBG before, and having a scattering of these worrying microthreats in your Easterling force would open some interesting tactical options including knocking Heroes off their mounts and forcing them to waste a turn crawling to put out fires.

Huolongchushui - "Fire dragon rising out of the water".
The Chinese were early exponents of gunpowder, smoke, and fire as psychological weapons. But before the cannon, gun, or bomb (for mass destruction), this weapon is believed to have represented the mid-stage between conventional ranged weapons and gunpowder-based ones. The four "legs" would be lit, causing the cannon to rise up to a height. Then when the fire reached the main body, more gunpowder would cause an explosion and propel incendiary arrows from the mouth. In that sense, they invented the multistage rocket well in advance of space travel! Excellent for firing at large troop formations, these were used most prominently in naval warfare, where a lucky shot could set an enemy ship ablaze. Fans of Disney may also recognise them as the loose inspiration for the handcannons in Mulan.

Easterling Blockade 80pts

In anticipation of the reinforcement of Gondor by Rohan, the Easterlings constructed a blockade on the main road to negate the horse lords. Were it not for the intervention of Ghan-Buri-Ghan, this simple piece of tactical engineering may well have sealed the fate of Gondor.

D8, 5Wounds, Siege Target

4 inches tall, 8 inches wide. A 1” thick plank is placed high enough to allow archers to see over, but also receive cover from incoming shots. Two ladders are placed at either end. 4 arrow slits are placed at ground level, the outermost 1” in from the edges, and then the innermost a further 2” in from these.

An Easterling Blockade comprises of a blockade manned by 8 Easterling Warriors with Bow, and counts as a warband in its own right. These models do not count towards the bow limit. This may be deployed in the usual manner within the player’s deployment zone as one of the warbands in your Army List. In Maelstrom Scenarios, deploy the Blockade as if it were a Siege Engine. The Easterling Archers may not leave the Blockade voluntarily, may not lie down behind the Blockade, and will not take courage tests for being Broken. If the Blockade is destroyed, they will take falling damage as normal and then be free to act normally.

Enemy models may attempt to climb the Blockade using the rules for Climbing, and fight the Easterling bowmen as though atop a ladder once they reach the top. The four arrow slits may manned by models with bow and be Shot through in the normal manner. Alternatively, each may be manned by an Easterling armed with a pike. During the Fight Phase, each Easterling may make a single Strike against enemy models either in base contact with the Blockade or attempting to climb it, using the control zone rules for defending a barrier. These Strikes receive +1 to Wound against climbing targets.

At the end of a game, any objectives covered by an area up to 6inches perpendicularly behind the Blockade or up to 1 inch in front count as being under the control of the Easterling player for the purposes of VPs regardless of other factors, so long as the Blockade is manned by at least 6 models. This extends to areas of the battlefield (including terrain pieces, objectives, and camps), as well as Relics, Prizes, and can deny VPs for destroyed Supplies.

DC: By creating a choke point between terrain pieces and giving a ranged advantage due to the built-in terrain cover, this profile may force the enemy to advance to the Easterling player where they can have a phalanx formation waiting and bring dice to bear in combat. This should also help to provide a use to any excess Easterling bowmen a player may have! To compensate for the absence of mobility, the Blockade provides a useful and potentially game-swinging piece of board control for VPs.

HEROES

Easterling Dragon Squire 40pts

Young Easterling Warriors with a talent blade-in-hand can be taken on by members of the Dragon Knights in a mutually beneficial apprenticeship. The young Squire fights alongside his Knight in battle, bearing his Standard, and in exchange the Knight gains bragging rights if his Squire joins the rank of the Knights. Quite possibly, he also hopes it may spare him from betrayal when his Squire eventually surpasses him!

Independent Hero

F4/4+ S4 D6 A2 W2 C5 M1 W0 F0

Heroic Strike

Heavy armour, Dragon Standard, and Sword.

Armoured Horse 15pts

A Dragon Squire is assigned to a Dragon Knight, and deploys as part of their warband which may include 6 other models.

Shield of Blades, Phalanx, The Gleaming Horde, Blood and Glory

Dragon Knight’s Herald: Whilst within 3” of his Squire wielding his Dragon Standard, a Dragon Knight gains the Herald of Victory rule (see Amdur).

Reckless Flauntation: When fighting 2 or more enemies, a Dragon Squire can improve his Fv by 1 in exchange for reducing his Defence by 1.

DC: Historically, this is very much the relationship Knights would have with their Squires, and as nothing similar currently exists in SBG, this seemed a fun and characterful opportunity. Dragon Knight-lite, with a boost to his assigned Knight and a thematic double-edged sword special rule reflecting the desire to prove worth.

Illustration of Saxon Knight and Squire bearing his Standard. The Knight is even in black armour, what more do you want?

 

 

 

 

"Specialised armour developed for warriors in chariots who did not need to move so much and could wear full-length armoured coats."

"[Chariots included]...heavy bronze and armoured versions for punching holes in enemy ranks, those converted to carry fixed heavy crossbows, or even towered versions for commanders to better view the battle proceedings."

Easterling Dragon Emperor 200pts

Amdur has been dispatched to lead Easterling forces in the assault on Gondor in the South. Meanwhile in the War in the North, the Dragon Emperor looks to expand his territories out of Rhun and seize the economic and strategic benefits of the Iron Hills, Dale, and the Lonely Mountain. A veteran Imperial Guard who has murdered his way to the top of the Eastern Kingdoms, the Emperor is a skilled tactician, but has developed a healthy amount of self-preservation in his older age.

Hero of Valour

F5/3+ S4 D7 A2 W3 C5 3M 3W 3F

Fullbody Heavy Armour, Emperor’s Chariot, Easterling Battle Stave (See Warpriest)

Heroic Strike, Heroic March, Heroic Defence

Special rules: Horse Lord, Phalanx, Weapon Master (see Dwalin), Herald of Victory (see Amdur)

Iron Will: Whilst atop his Chariot, the Dragon Emperor gains the Resistant to Magic and Fearless special rules, may not lie down, and cannot be knocked prone or flung out of the Chariot.

Superior Vantage: The range of Heroic Actions and Stand Fast! of the Dragon Emperor is increased to 12” whilst mounted in his Chariot.

Fanatic Devotion: When suffering his final Wound, after Fate points are used, the Emperor can allocate one model within 1” which is Bodyguarded to him to suffer the Wound instead.

Armoured Chariot: 120x92mm base, four Armoured Oxen pull a 2-tiered 4-wheeled enclosed fortified Chariot. Two narrow slits at the front on the lower tier enable an unseen driver to pull the reins. The Emperor deploys on the upper tier, protected from incoming bowfire by a parapet (fortification, 5+). He has access to a mounted Reloading Crossbow.

Chariot:  Mv8” S4 D8 A0 W5 C7

Monstrous Charge

Stable Platform: The Dragon Emperor may still fire his Reloading Crossbow after moving up to full distance in his Chariot, with a +1 to Sv. In an exception to the normal rules, he may fire the Reloading Crossbow in the same turn as Fighting. This may include at models in combat with the Emperor and will not require In The Way Tests.

The Emperor’s Chariot follows the “Chariot Charge”, “The Chariot in Combat”, “The Chariot and Magic”, and “Large War Machine” rules of the Iron Hills Chariot with the following exceptions:

As the Driver cannot be seen, he is not an eligible target for Shooting, Strikes, or Magical Powers. However, he is relying on the command of his Emperor to steer. Therefore if the Emperor is Transfixed or otherwise unable to move as normal, the Driver will either make a complete move straight forward, including into friendly models, or will not move at all if the Chariot remained stationary the previous turn.

Models the chariot moves into contact with suffer three S5 Impact hits.

In combat, the Emperor is treated as too high to be struck by any Wargear other than Pikes, which must roll a 1-4 to hit the Chariot or a 5-6 to hit the Emperor. Monsters may strike the Emperor as normal with the same In the Way Test. Enemy models may elect to strike the Chariot, or the Oxen: 

Armoured Oxen: Mv10 S4 D6 A0 W1 C3

If all four Oxen are slain, the Chariot is removed. The Emperor makes a Thrown Rider test and is placed in the centre of the Chariot’s base.

Zhuge Liang's Repeating Crossbow: Shot and reload with one squeeze! Arrows used were often dipped in poison too.

 

Bronze Armoured Chariot, Qin Dynasty, 221-206BC

Khurasan Miniatures Period Chinese Chariot

1st Corps SU40 War wagon

 

DC: The tiered Chariot is based on a War Wagon with an observation tower used by the Guangwu Emperor (AD 25-57) in a battle at the Great Wall. In the absence of any illustrations, imagine a combination of the above pictures. Being relatively impervious to combat, whilst dishing out a few attacks using a long Easterling Battlestave seems like the leadership approach of an Emperor who followed the example of Bronn of the Blackwater who succeeded in life by being really good at killing people. A kind of halfway ruleshouse between the Iron Hills and Khandish Chariots, this should be a fun profile to deploy providing a really big hammer to your troops' anvil, whilst keeping your Leader VPs relatively safe. The ability to remove the Chariot by killing the Oxen makes it comparitively weaker than other Chariots if it loses a fight, but the Emperor can use his Horselord rule to keep them around a bit longer.