The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game/Tactics/Rohan

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Why Play Rohan

there's 2 real reasons: You like the visuals of a mounted anglo-saxon force charging into the gross hordes of evil, and if you gotta go fast. The entire army can (and should) be mostly mounted on horses, lots of decent archers, and a nice selection of models on GW's web store, they are a good starting point for a man-based good army.

Pros

• Lots of Cavalry, meaning lots of prone enemy models and a stupidly high movement across the army
• The 'expert rider' trait on all of their mounted units makes them hard to slow down and hard to throw off their mounts.
• They have one of the better army bonuses if used correctly
• More ranged weapons than you might initially guess - if done right then every model in your army can have throwing spears or a bow to chuck around, helping to soften up the enemy before that glorious strength 4 charge
• Good army to start with: Théoden box, Dernhelm box or Éomer box, 4 riders of Rohan boxes (RIP money), 1 box of warriors of Rohan for dismounted riders and there it goes the core of your army (ALL IN PLASTIC YEAH). Royal guard and Gamling when you get more experience and you want to expand the army. Ignore the command set (bannerman can be converted with a spearman form the infantry box, king's huntsman is useless, war horn dudes redundant and captains...Well better to get Dernhelm than a captain full kitted out)
• Pelennor Fields starter kit is ridiculously good value for money and gives you a great basis for both this army and a mordor army. If you can find a friend who is willing to swap you the Rohan stuff for the Mordor stuff, even better.
• Possibly the coolest good army in the game

Cons

• You have a tendency to be outnumbered by a fair margin due to the point cost of a bunch of mounted warriors
• If Théoden dies then the list tends to crumble
• While you have lots of throwing weapons, those will rarely be hitting on better than a 4 (Throwing Weapons don't take the -1 to hit when charging), so don't rely on them
• A lot of our heroes tend to be standard at best, if not worse
• For an all-cavalry list, you have a disappointing lack of lances - this is more unfortunate than it appears, since strength 3 with +1 to wound will outperform strength 4 nearly every time. Yeah but forget that s4 is like a semi lance which costs 2 pòints and cavalry troops get it at +1 point (OH WAIT ROYAL GUARD AND OUTRIDERS DO NOT INCREASE ITS BASIC COST, JUST RIDERS OF ROHAN) + Theoden's rule so it is balanced in terms of point efficiency. And heroes on horse have s5 on charge without any increased cost in their profiles. Other s5 dudes or with lances pay for them.
• Bad infantry if you're not taking them as part of the 'Defenders of Helm's Deep' Legionary Legion.

Army Bonus

"Ride for Ruin and the World's Ending!" - All of your cavalry gets +1 Strength when they charge. Given how important Strength is in Middle-Earth, you'd better hold onto this faction ability. Also, Riders of Rohan don't count towards the army Bow Limit.

Unit Analysis

Heroes

• Theoden, King of Rohan: Theoden, like a lot of the Rohirrim characters, is cheap and versatile. With access to armoured horses and a respectable Defense of 7, Theoden makes for a solid choice of first hero. His only downside, however, is his average stat line, but his low point cost balances that out. The fact he can take up to 18 followers is a plus, his sword , herugrim, allows him to feint even if his enemy's fight value is higher than his. He also has a 12" inch stand fast, but only a single fate point, so he can become quite vulnerable to hard hitting enemies. But his real value is the fact that he boosts the Fight Value of a lot of your stuff (Captains of Rohan, Riders of Rohan and Rohan Royal Guard) if they charge within 12 inches of him, which could be the fight winner against a lot of human armies. Should probably be the core of your army, but save hero hunting for Eomer

• Theodred, Heir of Rohan: Much like his Father, Theodred is a prime example of Rohan's characters. Standard stat line, relatively low cost, and multiple upgrades. A hero of valour, he no longer has access to a bow, but can still take throwing spears. Like his father he only has one fate point, but due to his reckless charge rule he must always charge, so take at your own peril. The good side of this rule is that he can reroll any failed to wound rolls if he has charged that turn, so if he is on horse and this guy wins the fight he can hit very hard.

• Hama, Captain of Rohan: Five points more than a captain of Rohan, he trades "Arise, Riders of Theoden!" for 1 might and "Sworn Protector (Theoden), an ability which lets him auto pass all courage tests if Theoden is on the board. What makes this good is it allows him to 'stand fast' more than once, meaning that this body guard is more of a support than an actual body guard. If you use him right, he can be a game changer once terror or break tests come into play.

• Eomer, Marshal of the Riddermark: Beast in close combat, with 3 attacks, 3 wounds, Fight Value 5, S4, D7 (with a shield) and 3 points of Might, Will and Fate. Also has a special rule where he goes crazy if Theoden or Eowyn die. He's not cheap though, running 125 points with Shield, Armored Horse (He is a horse lord so it is nearly mandatory) and Throwing Spears, and doesn't give the bonus to Riders of Rohan Theoden does. Should be considered carefully.

• Eowyn, Shield Maiden of Rohan: Now you too can play with your "macbeth plot twist" but in high fantasy! at 30 points base she's one of your cheapest 'effective' heroes (more on that later), though with no base armour and only a hand weapon to speak of, she's more realistically priced at a 40 point minimum with access to throwing spears and horse. with okay M/W/F and an all around terrible stat line, she's best used as a key to unlock 6 more troop models.
  • Dernhelm: From the Gondor at War book, Dernhelm is literally just Eowyn with Horse, Armor and Shield, plus Merry with Shield on the same model for only 75 points. This has the effect of giving Eowyn an extra attack, access to Merry's Might and Merry's Resistant to Magic special ability, turning Eowyn into a damn effective hero, and if she gets killed, Merry dismounts and has to go be dealt with on his own, which can frustrate people. A very cheap and effective hero and very worth a look.

• Meriadoc, Knight of the Mark: 25 points for Merry with Armor and Dagger, and the option to get a Shield for 5 points. On his own, Merry is basically nothing, but he might see use now as part of the Dernhelm combo with Eowyn. Still, take him alongside Eowyn as Dernhelm, or not at all.

• Gamling, Captain of Rohan: With a stat line that is nothing to write home about and no real upgrades beyond a horse, Gamling should only be brought for one reason: the Royal Standard of Rohan. At the cost of doubling your point value, you get the ability to regenerate might on all heroes near Gamling, which can be a game changer in the final fourth of a match. DON'T OVERLOOK THIS. Gamling himself may not be a legendary fighter on his own, but that free might is an insane prospect; infinite heroic moves should be enough to sell you on always taking this guy in your army. UPDATE: The August 2020 errata update changes Gamling’s banner significantly: it now only provides a free might to ONE hero per turn, and that hero still has to be within 3 inches and out of might. While this is a big nerf, the banner is still a valuable and interesting piece of wargear, and makes Gamling a cool option rather than an auto-include.

• Erkenbrand, Captain of Rohan: With the ability to act as a banner to Riders from his warband, a suped up warhorn (adds +2 courage rather than +1, but only to friendly Rohan models), and a solid fighter stat line, Erkengrand is one of the better named heroes Rohan has access to. Fast, tough, hard hitting, AND a solid support hero, he does it all for a fair price at that.

• Elfhelm, Captain of Rohan: A Captain of Rohan with Shield and Throwing Spears, for 10 points more than a Captain of Rohan. For those 10 points he gets an extra point of Might, a 3+ to hit while shooting and a neat ability where he can reroll hit, wound and In the Way while using his Throwing Spear and never gets a -1 to hit with it for moving and shooting. Those 10 points might be worth it to have him cut his way through lightly armored infantry quickly (consistently killing 1 with his throwing spear and then moving on). Be careful though, he doesn't have the Arise Riders of Theoden rule.

• Deorwine, Chief of the King's Knights: Captain of Rohan with Heavy Armor and Shield, an extra point of Might, 1 higher Fight and the Bodyguard rule, plus an ability to call a free heroic fight if he's within 12 of Theoden in a fight (and then has to move closer to Theoden), for 20 points more than a Captain of Rohan. Useful if you keep him near Theoden, but otherwise don't bother.

• Haleth son of Hama: That kid that Aragorn gives a pep talk to. Barely qualifies as a hero: can't take a warband, has basic equipment with no options, and a statline not much higher than a basic troop. He does have 2 fate though, and gets +1 attack while within 6" of Aragorn. Finally, if he's engaged in combat other Rohan models and Aragorn get +1 fight while he's alive.

• Aldor, Rohan Archer: That old fuck that gets a luck shot at an Uruk-Hai at the start of the battle of Helm's Deep, this is reflected in the crunch as he ALWAYS shoots first in a round, even before Heroic actions and rerolls to hit and to wound when doing so. Other than that he's just a basic archer with heroic stats. Honestly not very good, but in an infantry heavy list, why not? He's only 20 points. Merry costs more than him.

• Eorl the Young: The founder of Rohan with a faster-than-average horse and a solid hero stat line. what really makes him different from the other Rohirrim characters is his ability to be a mini-Aragorn and not spend a might on a 4+, giving him on average, 5 might instead of 3, more if you're lucky. Note that if you take him, you can't take any other named heroes and can't ally with any other factions other than Minas Tirith (also with no named heroes). Seriously consider taking Sons of Eorl with this guy, since the points you save from not having any named heroes help pay for their slightly extravagant price, and their damage output is straight up doubled if they stay near him. Plus it makes for a cool, fluffy, strength 5 battering ram to smash your luckless foe asunder.

• Helm Hammerhand: Another old-time hero who locks you out of allies and other named heroes. Has a brutal combat statline (3 attacks, S5, a two-handed sword, Burly), a War Horn that makes him cause Terror when he charges and he boosts the Fight Value of all Rohan Warriors within 6 inches of him. He is also by a pretty wide margin the most expensive hero Rohan has access to (175 points with Horse, if you give him a horse he's 50 more points than a fully tricked out Eomer) with only 1 point of Fate. In order for him to be worth that, he really needs to be taken in the Helm's Guard Legendary Legion, which gives him Mighty Hero and a free Heroic Combat every turn, turning him from a brutal close combat hero into an Aragorn level monster.

• Captain of Rohan: You standard captain with access to a little bit of everything for maximum variety. Funnily enough one of your better options when you look at the point total: 75 points for a hero that can and will rival most of your named men (and woman)

• King's Huntsman: An interesting choice. with a standard archer statline and an elf bow base for that glorious strength 3, the huntsman is already a solid hero, but he only gets better. the 'master archer' rule makes him pass any 'in the way' roll on a 2+ and gives him the ability to restore all his might whenever he shoots at a hero or monster. factor in his cheap price, and you have a solid hero for making your enemy sweat. Like a few similar characters, he's an minor hero so he only unlocks 6 troop slots in his warband.

Troops

• Rohan Outrider: better at shooting but more spooked by close combat, outriders are Rohan's ranger equivalent. They have access to horses, and get to benefit from 'stand fasts' even if they are out of range for it. Despite first impressions, these guys are in fact welcome in most lists, if not entirely competitive - have 10 or so on foot behind your cavalry and consistently pepper your enemy with shooting that may not be hard hitting but is at least accurate. Since they don’t need a hero to babysit them you can commit a few extra points to your charge, and as Riders don’t count towards bow limit, they shouldn’t cause any organisational problems.

• Rohan Royal Guard: passable defense, a standard stat line, access to horses, throwing spears, and the bodyguard special rule Royal guard will end up being one of, if not the most common unit in your army, though they come at the downside of being incredibly expensive fully kitted out.

• Warrior of Rohan: Your cheapest, but most unfortunate troop. A 'standard' human stat line, though with a lower defense these guys are intended to be your bread and butter unit, but even at their cheap point value they are greatly out performed by most other units. They are solid if you're wanting to try and swarm your enemy or are playing a certain themed battle (because helms deep is cool), otherwise go for your other troops.
  • They do have one thing going for them and that is access to throwing spears. Since they have an 8" range (vs 6" for regular throwing weapons) you can sometimes get a volley off before the initial charge. Be aware you do take the -1 to hit if you moved and throwing the spears, but only if they aren't throwing them as part of a charge.
  • If you're dead-set on an infantry-based Rohan army, take the Helms Deep legendary legion, which allows them to use their throwing spears as normal spears so long as they didn't throw them that turn. Better than it first looks, it gives you an 8" bubble in front of your infantry line where your opponent cannot stop without taking a volley of Str 3 spears.

Cavalry

• Rider of Rohan: Your real bread and butter unit. with access to throwing spears, and a bow and horse base, riders make for an interesting core choice, and since the faction ability of Rohan makes Riders of Rohan immune to the bow limit, you can take as many as you want.
  • These guys are extremely flexible, having the option of getting in the thick of it or sitting back and peppering the enemies with arrows.

• Son of Eorl: For six points more than a Rider of Rohan, you lose the bow, and access to Throwing Spears (and Horns/Banners, if that's important to you) but gain a point of Fight, Strength, Defense, Courage and get armor for their horse. They also lose the ability to get +1 Fight when charging near Theoden, but get +1 attack at all times when close to Eorl. They certainly fight harder, and S5 on the charge is nothing to sneeze at, but it's up to you if the increase in points is worth it.
  • Definitely not worth it if you're not taking Eorl

• Rohan Outrider with Horse: Slightly more worthwhile on horse than on foot, as it'll let you avoid getting pinned down and you might actually get to use their Stand Fast ability. Unfortunately they do count towards your bow limit, unlike Riders of Rohan and they don't gel well with Rohan tactics, so they're probably a skip.

• Rohan Royal Guard with Horse: An extra point of Defense and Fight for 1 point more than a Rider of Rohan (although you lose the Bow) plus the Bodyguard rule. While Riders of Rohan will probably make up the majority of your force, but these guys can make a solid center of your cavalry charge to smash into the enemy's lines. An extremely offensive choice around Theoden, specially if armed with throwing spears becoming pseudo elves on horse while charging.

Legendary Legions

A new thing added by Gondor at War, basically a smaller army within the main army that gives you special bonuses but can't take an army bonus and can't ally with other armies. Allows you to put together armies from specific moments from the movie.

• The Riders of Theoden:
  • Bonuses:
    • "Ride for Ruin and the World's Ending!" - All of your cavalry gets +1 Strength when they charge and Riders of Rohan don't count towards your bow limit, same as the normal Rohan army, although quite useful as the army literally does not allow you to take infantry.
    • "Death!" Once per game Theoden can choose to use this ability. If he does, all Rohan Heroes within 12 of him (including him, obviously) can declare a free Heroic Combat or Heroic Strike. Can be utterly devastating if used at the right moment.
  • Army List: You must take Theoden no matter what, and if you like Dernhelm can be part of Elfhelm's Warband.
    • Theoden with Shield, Heavy Armor and Armored Horse
    • Eomer with Shield and Armored Horse (can take Throwing Spears)
    • Dernhelm (can take Throwing Spears)
    • Deorwine with Horse
    • Gamling with Horse (can take Royal Standard of Rohan)
    • Elfhelm with Horse
    • Captain of Rohan with Horse (can take Bow, Heavy Armor, Shield and Throwing Spears)
    • Riders of Rohan (can War Horns, Banners or Throwing Spears)
    • Rohan Royal Guard on Horse (can take Banners or Throwing Spears)

If you're gonna take this, the natural choice should be to go with Theoden plus Gamling (with royal standard) and add in either Deorwine or Eomer in larger games. Sitting Theoden and Gamling next to eachother will give you shocking killing power, as your infinite might for both means free heroic combats every turn, letting you smash through enemy lines with impunity. For those larger games where you can get a third hero in, Eomer or Deorwine (possibly Dernhelm as well) make for great choices. Eomer is a beast that can slaughter ranks on his own time, and Deorwine opens up the very, very interesting tactic of starting a turn next to theoden/gamling and getting his free might welfare, only to move out and charge something causing a problem a little ways away, get his free heroic combat within 12" of theoden, use his might point to ensure that combat goes deadly, and then charge back toward the king to rinse and repeat. While normally Rohan's biggest problem is they don't quite have heroes on the same par as other armies, theoden/eomer/deorwine all having heroic strike with near limitless might (keep gamling using his for heroic defense, don't want to lose that banner) means they can duel on par with the greatest fighters of the age, and have the S4 riders come in to do the rest.

With the Gamling nerf, the above strategy doesn't work anymore outside of Elfhelm shenannigans. The list is still a strong list, but should be built with lots of micro-heroes to benefit from the DEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATH charge.

Allies

Historical Allies

Lothlorien: Lothlorien have powerful infantry and great casters, but their cavalry is a little overpriced. Rohan have excellent cavalry but no casting and their infantry is pretty lacking, so they might make good allies.

Minas Tirith Gandalf the white can support your troops by casting blinding light to protect them from shooting - good for keeping all your horsemen alive before your first charge. Gandalf also gives Rohan what they lack the most, magic resistance! Warriors of Minas Tirith are also very welcome, making up for Rohan’s shitty infantry with a reliable, high-defence shieldwall.

The Fiefdoms

Wildmen of Druadan

Convenient Allies

The Fellowship

The Dead of Dunharrow

Rivendell

Fanghorn

Halls of Thranduil

The Misty Mountains

The Rangers

The Shire

The White Council

Impossible Allies

Arnor

Numenor

The Kingdom of Khazad-Dum

The Wanderers in the Wild

Thorin's Company

Radagast's Alliance

Army of Thror

Garrison of Dale

Army of Laketown

Survivors of Laketown

Iron Hills Dwarves

Erebor Reclaimed

Tactics

General Rule

-Delay, delay, delay
-We are way faster than just about any army that outnumbers us, and any army that is as fast as us, doesn't outnumber us. This means you can choose where you engage almost every time, and if you can't choose where to engage you < should at least be on fair footing against them.

Might

-Kite with heroic moves, avoid using other heroic abilities unless it saves the life of your hero or if the late game has already set in and heroic moves are no longer necessary.
-Improve chances of successful heroic moves and use less might by taking out opponents characters at range first, this has the double effect of not allowing them to combat your heroics when they have priority and means you don't need to use might to retreat when you have priority

-If you're feeling fancy, Dernhelm and Gamling can be combined for an infinite Might loop. See, Merry can use his single point of Might to do things for Eowyn, and when a Rohan hero is out of Might near Gamling with the Royal Standard of Rohan, they get a free point of Might, allowing Merry to declare a Heroic action every turn and then regain the point at the start of the next turn, so long as they're near Gamling.

Charges

-While royal guard are very good on the charge, as soon as they get swarmed they are going to be eaten alive
-Use multiple waves of riders to ensure even counter chargers get charged and therefore pulled out of combat with the first wave (heroic moves can help with this, heroic charge followed up by non-heroics)
-Avoid fights where you have a high chance of getting swarmed, one Cavalry charging 2 infantry isn't horrible but you no longer hold a direct advantage

Shooting

-Rohan is one of the factions where, between throwing spears and bows on your Riders of Rohan, every single model can have a shooting attack, so using them well is key to victory.

-There is a priority in who you shoot first
1. Ranged units (especially those with decent strength) (generally easier to kill due to lack of shields)
2. Heros (1 and 2 are interchangeable in some situations, especially if the heroes have lots of might)
3. Models that can easily keep up with your feinted retreats
4. Models that provide some form of buff (Banners, horns, drums, etc.)
5. Basic warriors
-Don't waste shots on things that you can't possibly kill in one round of shooting unless there are no other targets
-If you have a target that you're prioritizing but other models are in the way that fall lower on the list, that's okay. Shooting with no minus to hit is better than moving to avoid that in the way check, worst case you hit a basic warrior you would have wanted to hit eventually anyway, which may clear your lines of fire for other models.

Monsters

-To be determined...
-Likely going to involve baiting those big guys out, plunging as many shots as possible into it, then charge when you have the priority