are there any tactics for using the riders of the dead? are they worth it?

does anybody see any advantage in fielding them besides that they are faster than the foot warriors of the dead.

It's always good to have speed in an army. The horse cannot be shot out from under him, so either he's always moving 10" or he's dead. He's got good defense, so in scenarios requiring speed, they're hard to stop with bowfire. If you're doing an all Dunharrow list, then throw a few in there. If not, you may be better off with cheaper cavalry. As for tactics, I can't help you there.

They can work well as counter-charging units: Hold them back until your front line of infantry engage/get engaged, then dispatch your riders where needed.

Or they can be sent after high-priority targets (siege engines, other big things) that may be causing you grief while the rest of your army trudge onwards.

Those are just two suggestions, I'm sure you'll find many more on the field!

Now I will disagree with G.Bloke there.....

Use your riders to rob the enemy of their cavalry charge, if they call a heroic move or win priority, pray to the dice gods that you are fighting cowards!

Even with a high def, being knocked down will hurt (the riders will get knocked down same as the foot slogers )

IMO the riders are only good for some speed, other than that they are in trouble as their base size and pts means they will be outnumberd, also with no bonus for charging I see them as a waist, unless you realy need speed for the objective.

Allies are a good idea, but make shure they're cheap and solid (like gondor) or maby some GC for shooting

Riders of the Dead don't get knocked off their steeds, at least I don't think they do. Ever tried pushing a ghost over? Don't. You end up looking very silly.

I should've included the 'ruin opponents cavalry charge' in my first post, its a good one. A terror-causing, high defence ghostly warrior on an equally dead horse is indeed a scary thing.

They are quite a hefty amount of points, so its up to you to justify them being in your army. As Azure said; allies are a good plan, unless you specifically want an army of dead guys.

Off Topic: I'd love to see Angmar vs the Dead of Dunharrow... Ghosts/Zombie-ish things vs Ghosts... That would make an awesome battle report.

Riders of the dead are not cavalry, they have no horses and as such can be knocked over.

Think of them like wild wargs as they have cavalry bases and move fast but get no bonuses for charging (the spectral steed rule)

Looks like I still have some tactics to teach you G.Bloke

For allies, KoMT are good as ther are only 14 points with a shield, thats less then your dead foot troops

I have a quick question. If you are going to pick up an item (such as in seize the prize) or dig something up (also sieze the prize) with a cavalry unit, do you have to dismount before you can?

if so, and advantage of riders of the dead that is being overlooked is the fact that they have speed, but dont have to dismount to perform actions such as these.

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Ugluk--"What is it? What do you smell?"
Uruk-Hai--"Manflesh"

I don't know, but riders of the dead count as a model on foot in all respects with a move value of 10" (like a wild warg)

Well all of Ya gave me some intrest in the riders

I have always liked and used the Dead but I never really considered the Riders now i just might...


Also one positivething is more they look great on the Battle field

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I am the Mouth of Sauron, here him speak'

Along with what General Haar mentioned this is a good point, but can they rob the enemy's cavalry from their charge bonus though they are not counted as cavalry?

No, they don't stop cavalry charges, and may be knocked down. However, it may be good to "Counter-charge" in the sense that if you lose priority and you have models engaged, then the riders can pick and choose who to assist. It gives no other bonus than his one dice roll to help the fight.

Thats not how I ment, (foolish children )

When cavalry are used, they usualy sit 7" away from you, thus out of range of the foot troops, thats where the riders come in...

So, you put you riders slightly infront of your foot troops and hope that you are the one to charge (terror helps if the enemy moves first),

you won't get any bonuses for charging, as the riders count as models on foot, BUT if the enemy cavalry isn't charging they arn't getting bonuses,

You see how it all works now?

...

Good

Now so everyone is very clear: Riders of the Dead are counted as models on foot that can move 10"

Perhaps you should have worded that more clearly to begin with instead of talking to us so condescendingly. We're quite aware that the Riders are models on foot that move 10".

It's not a bad idea but watch out that you don't get swarmed. Terror will help but it won't do everything.

Sorry, it was ment to be light hearted, but doesn't read that way, my bad, lol

IMO riders of the dead are only good if you are doing a pure ghost army and want some speed, other than that they are an awfull lot of points for an already expensive army, so Dunharrow might be better as an allied force than a stand alone force,

What do you think?

Just be careful. I've learned the hard way that things can be taken the wrong way when you're reading them instead of hearing them. Can't use your tone of voice online.

I mentioned that in my first post (I think). I agree with you. They're great for speed in a pure ghost list but if you're allying them you might as well take some better cavalry. As allies, I would only take the infantry. Dunharrow rarely works as a stand-alone force, so I assume they'd be better allies, though I've never seen it done so I can't attest to their effectiveness.

I expect we will see how well they do if/when GW bring out a box of plastic dead for WotR, so we will see whether our wisdom is good or bad

I fully expect the RotD to remain metal for a long while though.

Also it would be fun to play the battle for Pelargir from Gondor in flames, that could give an interesting veiw of how the dead work as a small contingant of a larger force.

Now that males better sense, thanks guys!

I have 9 warriors of the dead and the king, and I think I'll go for 4-5 riders for a small contingent.

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OFTENTIME,THE SHADOWS SERVE NOT ONLY TO CONCEAL THOSE WHO WISH TO DO EVIL,BUT ALSO PROTECT THOSE WHO SEEK TO DO GOOD

interesting what new goodies will the Dead have afther the WotR is realeased

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I am the Mouth of Sauron, here him speak'

I've seen the WotD models in the plastic and they look really quite nice I don't reckon their list will be expanded though.