Minas Tirith

As an army list Minas Tirith is quite impressive but since the split from the Fiefdoms army list they have lacked interesting niche units. I have created two to fill this void; the Minas Tirith Dog Handler and the Gondor Battle Barge.

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MINAS TIRITH DOG HANDLER (Man)

Points Value: 30

Move        F        S        D        A        W        C        Might    Will    Fate
 6”          3/4+      3        5         1         2         4            1    1        1

Equipment: 
Spear

Horse………………………….………………. 10 points

Master of Dogs. You may take up to six Hunting Dogs for every Pack Master in your army. See below for their profile.

Huge Bellow. The Dog Handler’s Stand Fast! only affects dogs but all dogs on the battlefield always count as being in range of it. 

If your army includes a Dog Handler, you can upgrade any number of Hunting Dogs to Hounds at a cost of +1 points per model. Hounds have Fight 4 rather than 3. 

HUNTING DOG (Dog)

Points Value: 6

Move        F        S        D        A        W        C
   8”         3/5+     3        3         1         1         3
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Designer's Notes. Based on the fact that so many ancient armies throughout real world history have taken dogs into battle and many other factions in Middle Earth have animals at their disposal, dogs for the Minas Tirith army list just seemed to make sense. They should provide a nice alternative to the rank-and-file feel of the army list too.

Suggested Model. Wargames Factory's Mastiffs from the Hail Caesar range should do the trick. A simple Minas Tirith conversion should work for the handler.

Tactics. Try deploying the dogs on the flanks and use them to take out enemy spear support; then use hard hitters, like Knights, for a frontal assault.

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GONDOR BATTLE BARGE (Men, Wagon)

Points Value: 150

                           Strength  Defence  Wounds  Move
Battle Barge            -              10              6             6”

Crew. A Gondor Battle Barge has no crew to begin with. It may hold up to thirteen warriors. It requires four models (including a Supreme Commander) to be on board for it to be able to move and for the special rules to take effect. It is pulled by three oxen whom have a shared profile with the Battle Barge shown above.  The crew may act as normal warriors (including shooting) for the duration of the battle, they do not need to man the drums for example.

Supreme Commander. The Supreme Commander may be any hero from the Minas Tirith army list. They are restricted to moving only on the Battle Barge. Any allied hero from the Minas Tirith army list within 12” of the Battle Barge may use the Supreme Commander’s Might and Will points as if they were his own. If the Supreme Commander is killed the Battle Barge may not move and the Trumpets, Huge Banners, Drums & Horns and For Gondor! special rules are ignored.

Trumpets. All allied heroes from the Minas Tirith army list within 12” of the Battle Barge who expend a point of Might may immediately recover it on the roll of a 5+.

Huge Banners. All allied models from the Minas Tirith army list within 12” of the Battle Barge treat it as a banner.

Drums and Horns. All allied models from the Minas Tirith army list within 12” of the Battle Barge may roll a D6 for every Wound that they suffer for any reason. On the result of a 6 the Wound is ignored exactly as if a Fate point had been expended. This affects the models on board the Battle Barge but not the barge itself or any nearby siege equipment.

For Gondor! All allied warriors from the Minas Tirith army list within 12” of the Battle Barge count as having the Bodyguard special rule and are protecting the Supreme Commander, unless they already have this special rule.

Barricades. The barricades around the Battle Barge work exactly like wall fortifications. The have an In The Way roll of 4+. Models attempting to fight the barge in close combat do not need to use ladders and will not fall down if they lose their Duel Roll. 

Destroying the Barge. The barge itself has no attacks and is treated exactly like a fortification. If the barge is destroyed, remove it from play. All models on board are knocked prone and suffer a Strength 4 hit. They are placed as close as possible to where they were standing on the barge.

Gondor in Flames. If the Battle Barge is destroyed all warriors and heroes from the Minas Tirith army list on the battlefield receive a -1 penalty to their Courage value.

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Designer's Notes. The Battle Barge is based on the Gondor Carroccio over on Llama's War of the Ring blog - a fantastic blog, by the way - but he hasn't provided any rules. The rules I have designed should give Minas Tirith the most powerful troop-enhancing model in the game. It was difficult to cost up points-wise but I have over priced it rather than under priced it as, if used correctly, it could become the bane of most armies. 

Suggested Model. I would recommend scratch building out of ply board or card board, with the addition of a few oxen from North Star Figures. The profile I have created is based on a slightly bigger barge than the one pictured above - enough to hold 13 people. I would also consider building the barge around the oxen rather than have them pulling it, but I will post pics when I eventually make mine!

Tactics. I would use the barge as a way to heighten the effectiveness of archers. Fill the barge with archers - they can still shoot if the barge moves - and keep it in the middle of the army on the front line. Anyone who attacks will have to roll to hit the barricades yet, if they do not charge, your archers are free to shoot. Quite deadly!
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FAQ

Can the Minas Tirith Dog Handler lead models in addition to his dogs?
No, he may only lead the six dogs that he is permitted and no other models.

If the Gondor Battle Barge makes a full move, do archers on board count as having moved?
No, archers' movement and that of the Battle Barge are treated separately.

Can the Supreme Commander attempt to recover his Might points if they were used by a friendly hero within 12"?
Yes.

Azog's Hunters

Azog's Hunters will inevitably make some appearance in "The Battle of Five Armies" and so I've steered clear of adding too many units to their army list. Bolg, however, was in dire need of an update after the changes made to him between the development of the first two Hobbit films.

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BOLG, HUNTER ORC CHIEFTAIN (Orc)

Points Value: 145

    Move        F        S        D        A        W        C        Might    Will    Fate
       6”         6/4+     5        6         3  3         5            3          3  1

Equipment:
Heavy armour, two-handed pick and Bolg’s Orc Bow.

Warg……………………………………..… 10 points

Burly.

Brute Strength. In combat Bolg may choose to use all of his power to best a single foe. If Bolg wins the Duel Roll, he may nominate a single enemy model in the combat. The nominated model is knocked prone, Bolg may now only attack that model for the remainder of the turn. 

Morgul Arrows. Each Wound inflicted by Bolg’s Orc Bow (after Fate rolls) causes two Wounds, instead of one. 

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Designer's Notes. I tried to stay true to "The Desolation of Smaug" by highlighting Bolg's two key moments. His "Brute Strength" special rule represents his duel with Legolas (and possibly more duels to come) and the "Morgul Arrows" rule is for teh shot fired at Kili. I though it better to just cause two Wounds than to have to keep track of an ongoing infliction for the whole game like the traditional Morgul Blade.

Suggested Model. Surely Games Workshop will release a new Bolg model soon! If not, a talented scultpure could try to copy Samoht's Bolg from over at the One Ring.

Tactics. Bolg is a hero killer first and foremost. He should prove more than a match for anyone (including Legolas) and be sure to capitalise on his "Brute Strength" special rule.

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FAQ

Goblin Town

Goblin Town is a faction that I feel we will see more of in "The Battle of Five Armies" film so I've generally steered clear of altering them for now. 

I couldn't resist adding one unit, however; the Goblin Tunnellers are shown below.

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GOBLIN TUNNELLERS (Goblin)

Points Value: 7


Move        F        S        D        A        W        C
    5”        2/5+     3        3         1         1          2     

Cave Dwellers, Chittering Horde.

Tunnellers: Goblin Tunnellers are not deployed at the start of play. Instead the controlling player announces before rolling for priority that he would like them to enter play that turn. Roll a dice for each model; on a 4+ they are deployed. They may deploy anywhere on the board in the controlling players move phase but not in an enemy control zone. They may not charge the turn they arrive but may otherwise act normally.

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Designer's Note. The Goblin Tunnellers are the joker in the Goblin Town army list; they are unpredictable for friend and foe - something I think suits the goblins well. They could prove to be a deadly counter measure to pesky elven archery (the bane of Goblin Town) or simply be lost in their own tunnels for turns on end before they eventually enter the fray.

Suggested Model. Pick up some cheap Goblins from the "Escape From Goblin Town" boxset on eBay. Snipping them in half, bending them over and repositioning the heads plus a little green stuff work should go a long way to making these models.

Tactics. Try using a few in the early turns of the game to harass enemy archers. This will allow for the main bulk of your force to advance unhindered. 

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FAQ.

Smaug the Magnificient

I created the Smaug the Magnificient profile to fill the giant dragon-shaped hole that was missing from my "Desolation of Smaug" sourcebook. 

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SMAUG THE MAGNIFICENT (Dragon, Monster)

Points Value: 500

Smaug is one of the mightiest dragons to have ever inhabited Middle Earth. His outer scales are near impenetrable and his fire has slain many foes. He desolated the city of Dale and drove the Dwarves of Erebor from their homeland. He has a love of gold stronger than any man. His vanity is his biggest weakness. 

Move        F        S        D       A       W       C    Might    Will    Fate
  12”      10/3+   10        9        4        1       7        3          8        0

Terror, Harbinger of Evil, Resistant to Magic, Fly, Fearless.

The Terrible. The first enemy of the turn that Smaug charges suffers a single Strength 10 hit.

The Magnificent. Smaug counts as a Monstrous Mount and so receives all the usual cavalry bonuses.

But One Weakness. Smaug has only one weak point in his impenetrable hide; a loose scale revealing his tough inner hide. This spot needs to be hit exactly to stand any chance of causing a Wound to Smaug. When rolling To Wound against Smaug a 6+ In the Way test must be passed; from both shooting and close combat attacks. 

Lonely Dragon. Smaug may not call ‘With Me’ or use the Stand Fast! rule.

Wrym Tongue. Any enemy model within 6” of Smaug attempting to use a point of Might must use two points instead of the usual one. If they only have one remaining Might point they may not perform the Heroic Action.

Fire Ball. In the Move phase Smaug may choose not to Move and may instead announce that he is ‘Preparing to unleash a fireball’. The fireball is used in the Shoot phase and has a range of 12”. The target and all models within 2”  suffer a Strength 6 hit.

Ancient Beast. After any Will has been used to resist spells, Smaug may roll an additional dice to resist the effects of a magical power. This means that when he has 0 Will, he is able to roll two dice with the Resistant to Magic special rule.

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Designer's Note.  tried to stay as true to his character and his story as I could. He has some mighty impressive stats and special rules but, just like in the book (and I assume film), he can be killed by a single lucky arrow. Bard in particular will have a good chance of killing him as he can re-roll In The Way Tests with his special rule.

The rest of the profile is fairly standard, with his "Wrym Tongue" special rule showing the more smooth-talking side of Smaug whilst providing a nice counter measure to the inevitable barrage of Heroic Strikes that will come his way.

Suggested Model. Wait. Hopefully Games Workshop or Forge World will release one! If not, try Forge World's Carmine Dragon.

Tactics. Smaug will most probably be the only model in your force if you choose to take him. Hit hard and fast. It will only be a matter of time before the oponent makes a lucky roll so try to end the game fast by picking off their heroes.

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FAQ.