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Rant about battles versus grey company
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Author:  ReaKon [ Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Rant about battles versus grey company
I think this is the right place to put this being as it is for battle reports but here goes...

I went and had a few games at my local GW this evening and had good fun as they were all adults I played against. Well this is up until I got asked if I could test this kids tournament army. I agreed as I am always happy to help someone less experienced than myself.

After getting ourselves a table, I noticed that he had grey company on him. As soon as I saw it I rolled my eyes. Grey company seem to be the army that all young new players seem to go for and they have to be the most boring army to play with and/or against IMO. Well I thought to myself that I couldn't back down now i had agreed so I said this kid could roll for the scenario while I get my army out of my box. Funnily enough, I was told that the mission was 'meeting engagement' so my eyes went straight to where the dice were rolled, which by some funny coincidence had been removed so I couldn't check what they were. (however this could be just me have a lack of confidence of kids being honest)

For this reason I didn't argue for the reason that he could have been telling the truth. For those of you who don't recall this mission, it is pretty much a standard battle but you move on from your table edge, meaning that I was the furthest away from his archers I could possibly have been. I decided to play the only army I would stand a chance against him with. This was an alliance of gil-galad with galadriel (the fighting one)

My tactics was to play a bunched ball with galadriel casting blinding light in the middle of it and running at him. Funnily enough, he only managed to kill five men by shooting at me (plus he managed to get galadriel down to 1 wound and 0 fate through volley fire). Once I had got there, I started slaughtering him, which usually happens when you get enough men to a grey company army. After killing about 10 men in combat and not losing any myself, this lad decided to pack in and give up stating that there won't be many armies with cast blinding light to play against him with anyway.

All in all it was one of the most boring games I have ever played as there was no tactics involved in just standing and shooting at me so I just stuck to one tactic which didn't need changing. After succeeding with this boring tactic of mine, the apponent was a bad loser and only sulked when I killed a few men of his

My main rant is that everytime I have played against grey company it is the same situation. I am not moaning because they are too strong, I am simply moaning because the games are boring. I have never lost to them because there doesn't seem like there is much they can do against my elves when I get up close.

Sorry to those of you who don't agree with me but I had to get this off my chest...
Author:  hithero [ Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
Funny, when I playtest my armies I want to try out difficult scenarios for me to win against difficult opponants, this kid obviously just wanted to win and not to 'try out' his force.

I've yet to play with or against a grey company army but I know exactly how you feel. I felt the same thing when I took my High Elf force to two GT and just shot every everything to death and actually ended up oppologising to my opponant.
Author:  CaptainOfTheWolfRiders [ Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
Having owned a Grey Company army for several months before getting rid of it, I can safely say that I was never bored while playing with it, merely because I was desperate to try new tactics with them besides "stand and shoot". I never ever won a game with the Grey Company...I always hear rants that they are too strong and such...play against my army and you'll never say that ever again :wink: .

I dunno. I was always changing my tactics, even charging into combat quite often. We had a lot of Orc and Moria players at our shop, so I would normally win the combats with my better Fight value Rangers.

Just my two cents.
Author:  ReaKon [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:39 am ]
Post subject: 
well I wouldn't mind playing against someone like you then who uses different tactics, it wouldn't have been boring. Maybe I just need to play against an experienced player with grey company.

Hithero: I also play high elves and have played many very competitive games, this does sometimes call for shooting the hell out of the opposition but when you only get one third bows, they just don't seem to shoot enough, this means I have to choose what I want dead or weakened the most.

In alot of missions, elves win quite easily with an experienced player. This has changed with legions scenarios. in a few of them, cavalry have a huge advantage. One example would be something i never realised could happen until it did. It is the scenario where you have to dig up the artifact in the middle. He had isengard against my elves and he used magic against any elves getting near the middle. He then used foot soldiers to dig up the artifact which took him 2 turns. By this time I was around his flanks on both sides and didn't think he could get off the board without a fight from either erestor or glorfindel. This was wrong, he moved 6 inches into a warg rider, then the warg rider rode 10 inches towards the open edge of the board. By the rules for light objects, this was allowed. My 6 inch move stood no chance against his 16 inch move.

There is also the scenario where you have to get off the board. Rohan really shine on this mission. cavalry just need to find a gap or create one and then they are off the board.
Author:  Beowulf03809 [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
I have never played against a GC force either, but I know what you mean.

My Woodland Realms force is pretty shooty even at 33%. There have been some games I can't score an arrow Wound to save my life and other games where I feel bad about the damage I'm doing to my opponent. I played one not too long ago where I took out a Cave Troll and about 25% of his Goblins before he even reached me. I eventually stopped shooting in that game and just charged in.

I think people that play GC armies this way are really selling themselves short when they just stand and shoot. They have decent model counts and stat lines and some nice options. I would much rather play them in small mobile groups that maneuver the table from cover to cover, shooting as they go and trying to draw the enemy forces apart to engage them on friendly terms. To be honest though,

GW really did a poor job with testing the impact of their special rule as it encourages this style of play. If they would have made them 50% bows they would still have been very potent shooters but would not be ONLY shooters, or if they would be forced to be an allied army only (must have another LoME list as your primary...even if it's just a Hero) that would also have helped curb this.

Regarding his statement against Blinding Light: With the steady growth in deadly shooting ( Corsair Crossbows, Dwarf Balistas and Rangers, poisoned blowpipes and bows, etc).) I am VERY happy that my main Good army almost always packs a Blinding Light-caster.
Author:  Grevane [ Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:03 am ]
Post subject: 
Being a GC player myself, I have to say that this tactic is a huge bunch of boring cow manure.

Sure, it works. But it really is no fun to either side. I would use it in tournaments or such, but I have always been a gamer that would make lists and fight in the spirit of the army. Grey Company spirit is "For Arnor!" I will move up slowly, whitttling down oposition before finally charging. Or back up with one unit to lure, and jump the flank with another. GC has a lot of possibilites besides the shoot, run, shoot, run, and it is people like this that really give it a bad name.

As for mostly new guys playing, I have to say. I am the only new guy in the shop who plays them, out of...well a lot. Isengard and Minas Tirith are the most popular starting armies.

Yea, fight me, and it would be an exciting game. I prefer charging trolls just to see if I can hack them down. ;)

PS: Worked on a Mumak!
Author:  doop dude [ Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:58 am ]
Post subject: 
hmmmm....

The subject you have raised only applies to people who love to win: not necessarily every GC player (me being one myself). I for one do not sit my base line letting loose arrows all game: i only do that for the first half ;) . Nah, my tactics vary. Admittedly, i have spent many a Storm The Camp scenarios with at lest 2/3 of my men defending, but apart from that, no, I prefer to move out. Yes I utilize Shooting as much as possible, but I realize that my men have higher Strength then Bows, so i try to get into combat ASAP, unless, I have a strategy NOT to get there!

rock on

doopy 8)
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