Starting a series of batreps as we play every week, and to show WotR is alive and kicking!
For the first game of the new year a friend wanted to try out his Rohan boys. He maintains they can be a viable army, I concur. I took a slightly experimental Angmar list to make things more interesting.
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Angmar 1205 points*
125 The Tainted** (Leader)
200 Gulavhar - The Terror of Arnor (Legendary)
25 Fate: Curse of Morgoth
The Ettenorcs
160 7 Co Orcs & Shields
50 + captain Garsh
100 + Shaman
35 + Banner
15 + Drummer
25 + taskmaster
The Blackshields
100 5 Co Gundabad Blackshields ***
150 5 Co Men of Carn Dum
40 2 Co Orcs & Bows
40 2 Co Orcs & Bows
40 2 Co Orcs & Bows
120 1 Co Court of Fallen Kings (Barrow Wights)
* Under House Rules each player must take at least 1 legendary formation as well as 1 fate, captain, banner, musician, and other upgrade if taking more than 5 Co entitled to that upgrade. In this case Angmar had to include 1 taskmaster and 1 shaman.
** Both The Tainted and The Dwimmerlaik, the 'Angmarim Nazgul' are useful choices against Hero-heavy Rohan.
*** Being a key part of Angmar, a fully thematic ally, canonically the Witch King always used Mt Gundabad as a source of troops.
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Rohan 1195 points
90 Eomer (leader)
75 Erkenbrand
50 Deorwine
25 Fortune: Counterspell
Grimbold's Helmingas (Legendary)
205 4 Co Warriors (includes banner)
15 + Hornblower
80 4 Co Oathsworn bowmen
+50 Captain
80 4 Co Oathsworn
210 7 Co Riders of Rohan
175 7 Co Royal Knights
35 + Banner
105 3 Co. Rohan Royal Guard.
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Setup:
Scenario: Sieze the High Ground
Deployment: Shieldwall
Angmar won the setup and made Rohan set up first. Rohan in turn gave priority to Angmar on turn 1.
Rohan had a balanced set up with infantry poised to march to the central hill with alacrity. Angmar similarly was reasonably balanced with infantry but the 'heavies' (barrow-wights and Gulavhar) starting more on the Left flank. The Angmar Right flank was deliberately left lighter.
Turn 1.
Angmar
The orc archers seize terrain. The orc infantry doesn't hang about and swarms up over the central hill. The shaman tries to transfix the Royal guard in the centre but they shrug it off. The Blackshields move forward with the aim of getting off the hill to close down Erkenbrand and his riders and allow the orcs elevated shots over their heads. The Nazgul moves out of the way to the ruins and uses his spells to lower the courage of the royal guard and then Transfix them (pall of Night failed!). The Men of Carn Dum move up the Right. Gulavhar moves up just behind the orc infantry and the Wights are supporting the goblins.
Rohan
The Transfixed Royal Guard are now a Roadblock hampering the mobility of the centre. The Eomer and the Oathsworn move into the woods and Grimbold's boys start to move around the Royal Guard. The Archers size the ruins and ready to fire. Deorwine moves from the paralysed Guard to the Royal Knights to attempt the start of a sweeping move down the Angmar right, but fails to At the Double. Erkenbrand moves up close to the Blackshields but out of Charge range.
Shots. Almost negligible. Some shots are exchanged no major casualties. An orc and goblin or so, and A rider and a knight.
Charging. None. Erkenbrand has the chance to slam into the Blackshields, but chose not to, holding fire until he could get close to the Nazgul.
Turn 2.
Rohan
Angmar wins priority and makes Rohan move first. Erkenbrand keeps his distance, pulling back a little. The Royal Guard advance towards the orcs a little Eomer comes out to play and Grimbold manages to move around the Guard, just. The Royal Knights gallop down the right this turn in a true cavalry flanking manoeuvre. The Oathsworn archers vacate the Ruins to get more attacks on the orc infantry.
Angmar
Time to close. The orcs advance on the Royal Guard after the shaman Transfixes Eomer, whose formation is at base courage due to now being within 12" of the Nazgul. The Nazgul casts Pall of Night on Erkenbrand stopping his charge on the Angmarim left flank into the Blackshields, and then lowers the courage (Sunder Spirit) and then a 6 on Visions of Woe inflicts 6 casualties. The Orc Archers leave the woods to stand athwart the path of the knights in an attempt to screen the men of Carn Dum from a charge in their flank as they have moved up ready to smash into the Oathsworn bowmen. The opportunity to surround Eomer and isolate him is too great and the Blackshields move in to charge his right flank safe in the knowledge that Eomer and Erkenbrand cant charge them first. The Wights move in ready to charge Eomer's front, and Gulavhar moves between Eomer and Grimbold, but failing his At the Double! so using a precious point of Might.
Shooting. Is more bloody. The Angmarim soak up thrown attacks from almost every Rohan formation. The orc archers on the right flank lose half a company as do the Men of Carn Dum. The orc infantry lose over a full company, and the goblins half a company. The Angmarim whittle away at Eomer.
Charging. The orc Captain calls a Heroic Charge and slams into the Royal Guard. They may have been better focussing on Grimbold, but when Grimbold counter charges their flank, Gulavhar charges Grimbold in the rear. He avoids Eomer and the inevitable Epic Strike and Heroic Duel. Deorwine charges the blocking Archers. And Eomer gets hit by the Blackshields and the Wights. The Men of Carn Dum hit the Archers, they, the orcs and the wights all get unstoppable charges too.
Fight. It's a big turn almost every formation on the board is suddenly engaged. Unsurprisingly Deorwine calls a Heroic Fight, as does Gulavhar (for free). Deorwine destroys the orc archers and slams into the Men of carn Dum's flank in the second charge and devastates them. So much for the Orcish speed bump. At least they prevented two charges on the Carn Dum lads. The Oathsworn archers take a beating from the Carn Dum beserk fury, but are down to half strength. The Carn Dum lads are down to just over a single company, and disordered, they Panic but make the courage test.
The Central fight is close with 16 Rohan casualties and 20 Orcs. The Orcs are steadfast but Gulavhar is disordered and wasn't able to make a second charge.
Eomer calls Epic Rage and Epic strike. He may as well call Epic Rage, the Wights are hitting his Courage 3 and the Blackshields are hiting his flank which is Def 3 anyway. The Oathsworn manage to kill half the wights, but in turn are destroyed by the Wights and the 2 attacking companies and 3 support of 'prowling' blackshields. Farewell Eomer...
Turn 3.
Angmar goes first. The disordered formations recover. (Quite a challenge for the Men of Carn Dum) who nudge up to the Bownmen. Gulavhar moves in behind the Royal Guard. and the Orcs shuffle back a little, again managing to Transfix the Guards in front of them the Wights move up to pressure Grimbold from behind, and the Blackshields reform and inch towards Erkenbrand right on the Left of the battlefield. The Nazgul envelops Pall of Night on the Royal Knights (who fail a Will of Iron), then comes out to play, as his archers vacate the ruins to bring him within 6" of Grimbold first Visions of Woe to kill a couple more, then having his Black Dart Counterspelled.
Rohan.
Erkenbrand retreats out of the way of the Blackshields. He is backed into a corner and is desperate to Heroic move closer to Gulavhar or later The Nazgul, but refuses to be drawn into combat with the Blackshields. The bowmen retreat back into the ruins and the knights strike out to the centre just south of the objective hill ready to strike the orcs or the archers next round once that Pall has lifted.
Shooting. Angmar whittles a few more of Grimbold's lads away. Rohan kills some more goblins (almost a full company in some lucky shots from Erkenbrand's riders) and a few orcs infantry driving them back a few inches. But Grimbold and the oathsworn archers focus their shots/weapons on Gulavhar and both score a hit. Using the Fate Grimbold's is discounted (after he burned 2 Might to score it!) but the bowmen cause a wound.
Charge. Gulavhar charges Grimbold. The Wights try too, but fail (a 1!). The orcs hit the Royal Guards again (who have spent most of the game pinned in the centre close to their deployment zone), and the last 10 or 11 Men of Carn Dum charge the Ruins.
Fight. The Rohan infantry is routed. Gulavhar finishes off Grimbold then charges the Guards from behind and reaves them to a single company. The orcs manage to get enough hits to mop up. The Bowmen kill a few Men of Carn Dum, but lose more men and are also down to a single company and are forced out of the Ruins.
Rohan capitulates here. The leader dead, and no effective infantry able to contest the High ground, it's looking grim. Deorwine's knights are still potent but in the face of the Wights, Gulavhar and just under half of the Angmarim infantry able to camp on the hill it doesn't look good for their chances.
In conclusion
Although it was over in three rounds, I feel the Rohan list was still essentially sound. And something as simple as the Knights succumbing to Pall of Night changed the tide somewhat and may have made the result less clear. Also a sizeable portion of the Rohirrim (Erkenbrand and his 8 co of Cavalry) did not get into the fight! They were boxed in on the Angmarim Left by the Blackshields, and unable to sweep in a flanking manoeuvre like Deorwine's Knights. Angmar had made the Right rather weak to focus on the Left and take the risk with being flanked by the knights.
