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 Post subject: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 8:04 pm 
Craftsman
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Hey fellas,

I've been getting back into hobbying recently and I am looking to build up some of my evil armies. Starting with the evil men. I've always thought that was a cool theme and something that feels a little out of the ordinary, not everyone has a evil men army and since you get bits of it in the movies and books but not a lot of actual coverage it feels like there's room for exploring it.

Anyway I want to combine Easterlings and Harad and build up an army for 500-700 and hopefully up wards.

I kind of like the idea of two to one Harad to Easterlings, with the idea of the Easterlings kind of leading the hordes of Harad almost as like a slave army.

I really want at least one Wraith too. I am leaning towards Kamul to lead the easterlings and be the general.

I have a handful of Watchers of Karna, Suladan, a Taskmaster, a couple Abrakhan guard, a couple Half Trolls, several warbands of Haradrim warriors, 6 haradrim raiders and 24 Easterlings. I like and would like to pick up the Serpent guard and Serpent Riders but they're really pricey on ebay and I dunno if I wanna bother with those.

What should I look to pick up to round that out? I like the Golden King he looks pretty cool but whats a good mix of those and what should I get next round it out to like 600-700 point?

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 7:51 am 
Loremaster
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Sounds to me like you're running a Harad any ;). Sounds like you're set for Harad. I recommend an archery block of Harad, they hit on a three plus (warriors and watched of karna) and have psn arrows. Get Amdur to lead your Easterlings and build a phalanx with pikes. Use kataphraks as your heavy cavalry
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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 1:54 pm 
Kinsman
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If you model some Warriors of Harad with spears and Bows, you can include them in the Easterling Pike-Block.

From back to front:
Shield+Pike -> Bow + spear -> Shield

Depends on what you want to do with your bowmen though. You can also accomplish this with Easterling Archers, but they cannot get the upgrade to have a better shoot value.

Watchers of Karna are dirty, nasty, filthy hobbitses so make sure you run enough of them. Their two attacks can either be used as "my archers have two attacks and Fight 4, please charge them" or "My infantry is really efficient, and here they come".

Potentially you can run a harad "spear block" and an Easterling Pike Block together, but Harad are more skirmishy.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:52 pm 
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According to the rules in the hobbit you cant stack a spear in front of a pike. You can only stack a pike in front of a pike.
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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 5:49 pm 
Kinsman
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Well, I'll be darned! I have been doing it wrong the whole time. Then again my playgroup did dance between LOTR SBG and Hobbit SBG rules the whole time we played so we sort of had a combination of the rules.

Thanks for informing me!

Well, that changes things. Though my favorite Easterling tactic of doing the following still stands:

Back to Front
Pike+Shield -> Pike+Bow -> Shield

The shields on the back are because... it comes with the model :( but it also helps prevent attacks at the rear from being too deadly. Bows can shoot over the first rank and then support once the lines clash.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 6:06 pm 
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Yes, and Easterlings, much like haradrim can have a 50% bow limit as well, which also helps!
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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 9:40 pm 
Craftsman
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Thanks for all the responses guys!

Is Amdur better then Kamul? I really wanna get at least one Wraith in there somehow and I kind of like Kamul better then the Betrayer, I also have and dont have the Betrayer lol.

Good tips on the pike block too! I hadn't thought of that but its cool. Are the Kataphraks better then a Dragon Knight or two?

What are thoughts on the Haradrim heroes? I have the task master and Suladan but The Golden King also seems super strong and fits well thematically with the Abrakhan guards and the Half Trolls I've got but I just crunched some of the numbers and I only get two of them at 500, maybe only one if I take Easterings and then going up to like 800 maybe could get all three but then I am still light on Harad.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 1:11 am 
Kinsman
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Amdur is cheaper than Kamul but Kamul is relatively better. Kamul is just more expensive.

Kataphraks a different story from Dragon Knight as they are cavalry by default. Kataphraks are great because they are armoured horses and... cavalry lol.

Dragon Knights are ok, but I do not like them personally because they cost as much as a troll but die to two arrows since they lack fate points.

Task Master is really good... really good. Watchers of Karna are too good. Abrakhan Guards are cool and pretty good. Half Trolls are good from what I have seen, but no one really sees them for some reason.

Golden King is good, Suladan is pretty good.

Enjoy my vague and "descriptive" opinions on the models!

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 7:43 am 
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Ha! Nice, I think I mostly follow. Probably worth picking up the Golden King then. Thanks fellas this is helpful. I'd still be curious to her more about the Easterling cav. I like the idea of adding a few in to diversify the look of the army a bit.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:22 am 
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The golden king is worth it. He by default has 4 attacks all with a + 1 to dmg. I like Harad but they are squishy. Suladan is great for his 12" stand fast.
Dragon knights are good but I'd rather see a warrior Dragon knight as opposed to An independent hero. Save the extra points and up grade to black dragons. I like amdur due to the fact that he counts as a banner. Khamul is arguably better though I am loathe to admit it.
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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 3:39 pm 
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Banner re-rolls in a phalanx is great (Amdur)

Easterling Cavalry are great hammer/anvil tools with the phalanx. Don't run them out but use them to do a combined strike with the phalanx, preferably from the sides.

Black Dragon upgrade is important for the F4, since F4 is very important in order to keep up in the fight phase.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 4:24 pm 
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It seems you need a full review on Easterlings and Harad...well guess better start a bit more detailed info about these things..

Harad:
The Betrayer, arguably one the best hero killer as a nazgul, hes pretty much a pseudo harasharin in battle however for him to be that, he needs to be mounted either horse or preferably fellbeast. His trick with Poisons can come handy and its a very unique touch to give to an entire army buff bonus, however hes a bit limited depending how much you intend to field him and what does the majority of your army consist to justify the investment.

Having this is mind, hes pretty deadly in common known combination with Serpent guard and this is where you want to have plenty of em. Unlike the most harad models where poison relies on arrows, in serpent´s guard case, it applies in combat, even with their half spear/lance weapons. (get em in combat charging on horse with the lance profile and each combat you win you got literally a 60% chance to kill a tough model D6/7) making it much easier than most lance wield knights out there.

However this combination its kinda pricey, more in the wallet than actually on points..

Knight of Umbar its another good option, hes a better decent solid Nazgul and his Mimicry its superb combined with his armour, making him very sturdy to take on an oponent and of course hes one of the few nazguls who actually have 3 might points. Though the Knight of Umbar its well.... from Umbar...

The Golden King its kinda formidable model for his point cost, hes a support, a killer with decent fight skill, and some morale breaker as well with his riches beyond renown special rule. His only problem its the lack of Fight value to stand up toe to toe with mighty heroes, but otherwise hes quite a beasty to take on... even an erebor dwarf line with shields dont like facing the wrath of this 4A king with +1 to wound rolls.


Mahuds are a mid decent heroes you can also field in as warband leaders that despite not being the bravest, they are bold as hell when comes on spanking time. A king for a mere 90pts of brutal tough (D6 harad standarts its high), quite high fight and superb Strength to match even uruk hai captains, makes this bully a complete wrecking machine. Hes specially good as those 90pts invested hes also riding a camel. Who dont like to charge an enemy and inflicting S4 hits before the actual fight begins?

I would take king over tribemaster everyday cause despite his cost its 15pts higher, that fight 5 courage 4 and 2 Will can actually make a diference in battle.

Suladan its a mid/cheap decent character with an awesome stand fast, hes not like the character you want to engage him at all combats, but hes pretty decent when he goes up against something. Consider him kinda like Theoden but a bit more usefull.


Units:

Although harad can get alot of flavour, harad its ment for skirmishing and attacking rather than defending.

Important notes:
- Harad warriors despite being cannon fodder, they can be deadly if given basic profile with axes.
- Serpent guard can turn superb with the rght characters to lead them (aka betrayer).
- Corsair reavers are always a must cause those are the few models in middle earth who actually can go toe to toe with elves and still having more A per model.
- Corsair Arbelesters are kinda decent... bit uruk standart,not that great for melee, but nice strong defence on a shooting standout.
- Watchers of Karna are the golden jewel of Harad armies for they can multirole with effecience (except tanking).
- Abrakhan guard, decent and brutal chopping killing machines, you should consider having some of these amongst your lines to chop chop chop! (pseudo uruks with 1 less defence but gain +1 to wound? yes please).
- Half trolls are decent, kinda like Abrakhan guard on steroids but with alot better fight, strength, defence, attacks and wounds.

Easterlings:

Khamul

Hes very usefull swiss knive kind of nazgul, hes just arguably better than Amdur cause of his essence leech special rule that allows him to manipulate combats on you favour the way you wish and this combined being a nazgul it does making 1 ability pay off the other even further.
He is better fighting random models however for characters might turn a gimic to spare him will as he will burn will points faster bettewn spell casting imobilize, spirit leech and considering losing will if he dont inflict wounds.

Amdur is a character killer with a very impressive fight value, though hes kinda bad to absorv damage as 2 wounds and 1 fate for a 100pts model aint all that great. Still hes also a pretty good support heroe as if you dont need to fight with him, afraid losing it, you may still pull some strings to make the remain force effective thx to him.

Dragon knights are fun to play though it sounds better on paper than in the field.

Priest its almost a must to support your force, and unlike most shamans, the priest 2 spells are equally powerfull and usefull ones.

Easterlings warriors got a variety of wargear in which can make em a decent cost unit to a fairly pricey one around geared uruk hai cost.
You can pull quite some interesting gimic with phalanx formations with these fellas.. backline fght 4 and bows and so on...

The cav aint that all too impressive on killing power but do not underestimate them, giving them th vital black dragon upgrade, these semi brutal killing machines get even better at their role, having fight 4 to match most of the armies fight value out there or even surpass a good portion of others, as fight 3 its mostly random and you got a feeling of lacking to win fights with it.
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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 8:00 pm 
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In general is it pretty reasonable to go various elites up front, Watchers, Guards, Half Trolls, ect, to take a back line of haradrim spear support? I realize the serpent guard are better and if I can pick some up i will assuming they aren't an arm and a leg.

Is it worth taking the Easterling archers in the pike block? I got pinched for points pretty quickly. 500 feels like a bad number for trying to mix the two armies lists cause it hard to fill out all the warbands while taking troops from both.

I like the idea of like one Dragon knight probably, maintaining a good mix of Easterlings and Harad with the Easterlings as the "elites" of the army.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:24 am 
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The hard part about sticking elites in front is that they be ome easy archery targets. Not so much of an issue with half trolls as they have a solid defense. One tactic I use is to keep the elites in back until about one round before the two battle lines collide then manuever the force so the elites are in front for the charge.
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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:05 am 
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Yeah that makes sense. I guess it depends on how much shooting they have how I should deploy. Either way rolling around a beef front line just before lines meet seems pretty good.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:01 pm 
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Well the´re some interesting combinations bettewn Harad/easterling and Khand...

For a normal phalanx block I normally take on

4 front easterlings with shield
4 2nd line easterlings with bow and pike
4 3rd line easterlings with pike and shield.

Then when my oponent get´s 2 close I´ll just simply swap the line around and the archers at the last rank to support as their superior fight 4 will contribute to the entire fight line
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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 2:20 pm 
Kinsman
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You can always convert haradrim raider models into serpent riders.

Keep your dragon knight, if you decide to go with him, behind meat so he takes less heat. The guy is way too fragile to have 70-85 points shot from the table in one turn. You could have him hang out with cavalry, spending might on heroic moves and then hopefully regaining it when the charge lands.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 1:29 am 
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Totally yeah, the Dragon Knight looks like a lot of fun to play and adds a nice bit of diversity to the list.

I am not hugely into converting stuff, but I may still look out for the Serpent Riders and Serpent guards on ebay and what not. Maybe, fingers crossed, GW might bring some of those guys back with their renewed attention on the lotr.


Thanks for all the responses fellas.

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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 7:52 am 
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My two cents for the Dragon knights, skip them and play more pike men with the black Dragon up grade.
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 Post subject: Re: Harad and Easteren kingdoms
PostPosted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 1:30 am 
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Hey crew,

I had finally finished painting up most of my fallen realms stuff and I ended up coming up with this list. I am pretty happy with it actually. I dunno lemme know what you think.

Warband 1 12/12
Mâhud King with Shield; War camel;
6 Haradrim Warrior with Spear;
3 Haradrim Raider with Bow; War spear;
3 Haradrim Raider with War spear;
----
Warband 2 12/12
Haradrim Taskmaster
4 Haradrim Warrior with Bow; Spear;
3 Haradrim Warrior with Spear;
3 Abrakhân Merchant Guard
2 Half Troll of Far Harad

Warband 3 5/12
Ringwraith (1) with Horse; 2 Extra Will;
5 Black Númenórean

32 models, can't remember off the top of my head how much might but there's the task master in there so hopefully I could a few cheeky ones. Might be worth adding might on the Wraith instead of the two extra will.

I was having really hard time fitting in one of the named wraiths at 500 and still getting three warbands and I tweaked around with it for a while and I am pretty happy with this! The third wraith warbands is technically Mordor but the Black numenorians are in Harad and I am just thinking of it as a weakened Betrayer or something, which is fine cause I am not the biggest fan of that model anyways.

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