Hi everyone,

I'm new here and haven't played any LOTR seriously for over 6 years. I really want to get back into it and possibly go to some tournaments next year.

I really like the Harad and Umbar army list and have put together a quick army here. Could somebody have a look and let me know if I am heading in the right direction or if I am going to be defeated all the time.

Also what armies am I likely to struggle against?

Thanks in advance.

Warband 1
1 Suladan, horse.
5 Serpent Riders.
= 165 points.

Warband 2
1 Haradrim Chieftain, bow.
12 Haradrim Warriors, bows.
= 134 points.

Warband 3
1 Haradrim Chieftain.
12 Haradrim Warriors, spears.
= 129 points.

Warband 4
1 Dalamyr.
6 Abrakhan Guard
2 Haradrim Warriors, spears.
= 162 points.

Warband 5
1 Corsair Bo'sun, spear.
4 Corsairs, shields.
4 Corsairs, spears.
= 110 points.

Total = 700 points

50 models, 12 (+1 hero) bows, 6 cavalry, 8 might, 1 banner (Bo'sun).

I know nearly nothing about Harad and Umbar but many people seem to believe that Corsair Reavers are the way to go.

Welcome back to the game, hope you like the new warband system I haven't played much with Harad, but I'd say it looks like a good start. One thing you might do as a general rule is make sure all your warbands are filled, as it tends to save on the number of heroes you need. For example, you could add a few watchers of karna to Suladan's warband, they might be more effective than Abrakan Guards. Then you could skip the bosun and pack Dalamyr's warband with reavers backed with spears.

And yes, going by just the profile, the reavers appear to have been tweaked to be very effective.

Hmmm that's some good feedback. I totally overlooked Reavers when I was looking at the book.

Quick question - how important are banners in games? I didn't use them much before, but I read that one of the missions really needs your army to have a banner or it's easy to lose.

I just checked out the latest FAQ and it says that models like Bo'suns no longer actually count as banners for that particular mission. I think I will drop him and take a Haradrim banner in one of my other warbands. Then I can upgrade some Corsairs to Reavers.

I prefer the look of the Abrakhan Guard over the watchers so I think I will test them out for a bit and see how they go. I am a bit worried about cracking open Dwarf armour. Their S4 and +1 to wound looks like it would really help.

You misunderstood. It actually means that the Bo'Suns don't count as banners for scoring points in that scenario not that their effect is negated. I prefer actual banner bearers if you ask me because in case the bearer gets killed the banner can be picked up by an adjacent warrior. I am sorry that I can't give you better advice. I only have the old Harad sourcebook not the newer one, so I am not familiar with any changes.

Sorry, when I wrote my previous post I thought Abrakhan Guard couldn't be included if you wanted a 50% bow limit, but since I'm wrong about that, the Guard is probably a good choice.

Banners add to your victory points, which makes them useful even for elves in some scenarios. Even if you don't take one, part of your objective will be killing your opponent's banners to deny him the points.