With the updated Riders of Rohan thundering across the battlefields of Middle-earth, we decided it was time to get some tactical tips for all Marshals of the Riddermark. Fortunately for us, Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game community veteran Kalman Steels answered our call for aid in a thorough assessment of the armies of Rohan.
Kalman: The Kingdom of Rohan really doesn’t need much of an introduction. A favourite for movie and book fans alike, it is also one of the most popular factions in the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game. Famous for their glorious and devastating cavalry charges, Rohan are the faction to use if you want to ride out and meet your opponent for death and glory.*
I’ll begin by looking at the strengths and weaknesses that come with a Rohan army, and then dig into how to make the most of them on the battlefield.
Strengths
A host of different lists to choose from
The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is broken down into Army Lists. Each one represents a faction with their own special rules from a certain point in Middle-earth’s history. Rohan has 10 Army Lists to choose from, such as Riders of Théoden, Army of Edoras, or the Fords of Isen, but Rohan models can also be taken in four other lists with other factions, such as Men of the West and The Grief of Éomer. Having the choice of 14 lists means you can have a Rohan force ready for any Scenario.
A wide and varied choice of Heroes
Rohan has some of the most famous and recognisable Heroes from The Lord of the RingsTM movies and novels, with the likes of Théoden, Éomer, Éowyn, Helm Hammerhand, and Héra. With each Hero adding something different to your army, you can adapt your force to counter any foe.
Excellent Cavalry
It goes without saying that Rohan are the horse lords – they even have a special rule with that very name, amongst a few others. Riders of Rohan can gallop effortlessly over the battlefield with their 10" move, getting into the perfect position to strike on their terms. Due to the Cavalry Charge rule and the bonuses it provides, when the forces of Rohan choose to engage, they can sweep their foes from the field.
Bows
Every Rider of Rohan comes with a bow. Every single one. Riders of Rohan can unleash deadly volleys of arrows to thin out their opponent’s ranks before lining up a glorious cavalry charge to win the day. A common tactic for Rohan players is to ‘kite and shoot’ their opponent until the time is right – at first light on the fifth day.
Weaknesses
Low model count when using only Cavalry
Taking an all-Cavalry list can quickly erode the points you have to spend on your army. After taking your favourite Heroes, you may not have a lot of space for a suitable model count. Experienced Rohan players will try to find that perfect balance between having all the cool stuff and including enough models. The last thing you want is to Charge in and then quickly be mobbed by hordes of Orcs!
Fortunately, Heroes like Éomer and Helm Hammerhand can easily make up for their army’s lower model count, each capable of carving a swathe through their foes.
Low Defence
Riders and Warriors of Rohan don’t tend to wear a lot of heavy armour, relying instead on keeping the foe at a distance until the time is right. As the majority of the army has a humble Defence 5, Rohan armies can’t take as many hits as others, or risk being exposed to enemy shooting for too long. Use the speed of your Cavalry to close in quickly with the foe, or ensure that there is plenty of intervening terrain between your warriors and enemy missile weapons.
Getting bogged down
Rohan armies, especially all-Cavalry armies, will often find themselves outnumbered on the battlefield. With Rohan’s strength being in the cavalry charge, losing Priority roll-offs and getting counter-charged by hordes of infantry can spell doom for a force of Rohirrim. Holding some of your Cavalry back in a flying reserve will give you a second wave of charging riders that can help toImitigate losing a key Priority roll-off.
Too much choice
Whilst this is a nicer problem to have, Rohan players have lots of awesome Heroes to choose from. In total, Rohan has 21 Hero profiles from both the Armies of the Lord of the RingsTM and the Armies of Middle-earthTM supplements. Mustering a Rohan army will leave you spoilt for choice! But I’ll give you some advice… Éomer, choose Éomer!** You’re then allowed to shout “To the King!” every time you move him.
Strategy
Using Cavalry
As we now know, if you choose to muster a Rohan force centred around Cavalry, you will often find yourself outnumbered, but there are tactics to help you achieve victory even against the vast legions of the enemy.
When starting the game, you ideally want to identify areas on the board you can use to effectively ‘kite and shoot’ your opponent with your bows. For the first few turns of the game, you want to try to bring your opponent’s model count down, and if possible, draw them into a better position for when you eventually Charge – for example, encircling them or leading them away from vital objectives that your fast-moving Cavalry can easily return to as the battle progresses.
Models armed with bows can move up to half their Move Value and still Shoot. This means that your Riders of Rohan can Move up to 5" (almost the full Move of an average Infantry model) and still loose their arrows. When this tactic is used correctly, your Riders will always just be out of reach – but can always forgo a turn of Shooting in order to leave the enemy behind if they need to. This is a strong tactic as it gives your opponent one of two choices: run at you and risk breaking up their formation, or stand still whilst being pelted by arrows.
Choosing the right list for your playstyle
As noted above, Rohan players have a wide choice of Army Lists to muster from. Each one of these lists has different special rules to represent a particular scene from the films or books. Some lists are Cavalry-heavy, whereas others are mainly made up of Warriors of Rohan, such as Defenders of Helm’s Deep. When choosing and subsequently playing a certain list, you want to make sure you maximise these special rules to your advantage.
For example, if your playstyle is to lean into the ‘kite and shoot’ mechanic of the army, you wouldn’t choose the list ‘Ride Out’, as it features a special rule called Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn, which means that all your Cavalry models must Charge if able. On the flip side, if you want an army that crushes the foe as it sallies forth, then Ride Out may be for you, as that same special rule makes your Cavalry even better on the Charge!
If you’re looking to field more Infantry than Cavalry, then I recommend Defenders of the Hornburg, as this list has Héra, the Bride of Death and the furious Helm, Wraith of the Hornburg leading Warriors of Rohan. I’ve played this list a lot over the past year, and have found Helm to be one of the most enjoyable Heroes in the game as he goes around punching foes with his bare ‘hammerhands’.
Finally, if you’re looking for a more balanced Rohan Army, Riders of Théoden and Riders of Éomer will be right up your street. The Riders of Théoden Army has a special rule to represent the greatest cavalry charge in cinematic history, while the Riders of Éomer can bring Gandalf the White to battle, who can utilise the light of the dawn to blind your enemy as you close with them
Heroes
The biggest challenge you will have is choosing which of your favourite characters to take. However in certain lists, some Heroes are crucial.
In the Riders of Éomer list, the Marshal of the Riddermark becomes unleashed. He gains the special rule “To the King”, allowing him to call a free Heroic Combat once per turn. A Heroic Combat allows you to Move and Fight again if you slay all the models you began the phase in Combat with. Combining this with the Cavalry Charge bonuses turns Éomer into a meatgrinder who can happily slay four or five enemies a turn. His horse, Firefoot, also has a whopping 12" Move, just to make sure no one escapes his wrath.
Another unique Hero is Lief, Page of Helm. Lief is not a melee beast like Éomer. He will often find himself sitting behind the battle lines handing out the Orders from Edoras, buffing your Army when needed. Lief can issue up to five orders per game and each order, when used at the right time, can spell doom for your opponent. For example, he can make all Rohan Hero models within 3" declare a Heroic Combat for free, which can be devastating. He can also allow your models to Move further or Shoot more accurately. All of this makes him a great, versatile and cost-effective Hero option.
Finally, we have the humble Captain of Rohan. As Rohan has so many named Heroes to choose from, Captains are often overlooked, but they can be great additions to your army.
There are two main reasons for this. The first is their points cost – as a cheap option they allow you to fit more models in your army compared to taking an expensive named Hero. Secondly, every Captain is able to call a Heroic March. When they do this, they can make Infantry models move an additional 3" and Cavalry move an additional 5". The only caveat is that you are not allowed to Charge if you take part in a Heroic March. Nevertheless, if you want to get into a better position quicker, or beat your opponent to an objective, Heroic March speeds you on your way.
Final Thoughts
The Kingdom of Rohan is a fantastic faction for both veterans and beginners alike. They have access to so many different Army Lists and Heroes that once you have an army fully mustered, you’ll be able to try out different rules, tactics and playstyles for ages to come. Before long you will be fearing no darkness and shouting “Forth Eorlingas!”.
* Yes, Kalman has tried to squeeze in as many lines from the films as he possibly can.
** We think the Third Marshal of the Riddermark might be Kalman’s favourite.
