I am wanting to get into LotRs (SBG) but I am a complete loss as to where to begin with army building. I want to build a 500 pt Dwarf army with potential Minas Tirith or Fellowship allies. What are some good rules of thumb that I should follow when I build this army? Do I always want to max out my bow limit? Are there certain units to always buy or always avoid? Are banners/horns worth it at this points level? Is Minas Tirith/Durin's Folk a good match, or am I better off sticking to just the Dwarves?

Right now I am thinking about taking Balin and a Shieldbearer as two of my heroes. I also have two Dwarf Warrior box sets, a Dwarf Ranger boxset, and about 8-10 KGuards. Any ideas of how to put together a good 500 point army using these models and maybe a few small purchases?

You should always max bpws if you have decent archers. Dwarves have strength 3 bows so yes, and Ranggers of Gondor have good shoot value.

At 500pts you will generally have space for 3 warbands. In the case of banners and horns it depends on the list, elves never need either, dwarves courage is also decent so no horn. A banner is good for dwarves as they don't have normal spears.

If you have a King's Champion use him as your 3rd hero, he comes with 2 banners cheap so you don't need others, though he cvan only have 10 Warriors in his Warband it should be fine.

Minas Tirith can provide you with cheap spearmen, but your list will look (and be) very cheesy.

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"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Regarding cheese- it will only be so insofar as the theme will require a little bit of explaining. As for a solid 500pt force, I would stick just with Durin's Folk. Balin, the Shieldbearer, and perhaps a captain should make decent heroes, supplement with normal dwarf warriors and rangers, and include the Khazad Guards- yes, maximize the bows (the extra range of the ranger's bows might be better, but if you intend to get your archers into combat, then go with normal warriors). Use mainly dwarves with shields to back up the Khazad guard, ignore the 2H weapon warriors at this level, because the Khazad Guard can give you any 2H weapons you need, while still keeping the defense high.

Balin and the King's Champion should always be in the mix, and keep those banners with the champion at all times. Make sure to capitalize on the special abilities of those fellows.

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"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

Thanks for the replies! So are Ironguard worth it at this level? I am having a hard time filling up three warbands, so do I split forces equally between them or have 2 full WBs and a half-filled one? If I am doing my math right, I think I can fit the following into a list:

Balin with Durin's Axe
Gimli
Shieldbearer

8 Warriors with Shields
8 Warriors with Bows
8 Khazad Guard
1 Warrior with Banner

Does that look reasonable? And if so, how should I divide up the Warbands?

I would swap one of your heroes and the banner for a King's Champion.

If you don't have one, and will not get one though it would have to do, split the Warriors and Khazads evenly, and give the banner to the dwarf who needs it most.

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

King's Champion would add well to it. Ironguard are very worthwhile, due to having the extra attack and throwing weapons- they work excellently when teamed up with Khazad Guard.

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"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

I am down for switching out the Shieldbearer for a King's Champion/Heralds. However, doing so leaves me with two full WBs and 76 points left over:

Balin with Durin's Axe
4 Dwarf Warriors with Shields
4 Dwarf Warriors with Bows
4 Khazad Guard

King's Champion
2 Heralds
2 Dwarf Warriors with Shields
4 Dwarf Warriors with Bows
4 Khazad Guard

Can/should I take a cheap hero such as the Shieldbearer or Floi to fill out the last points? Should I cut down some Khazad Guard for more warriors? Thanks for all the help!

Get a cheap Hero. They;re usually the best point fillers.

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"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

Updated list:

Balin with Durin's Axe
3 Warriors with Shields
3 Warriors with Bows
1 Warrior with GW (because I only have 8 HW/S models)
2 Khazad Guards

King's Champion and Heralds
2 Warriors with Shields
3 Warriors with Bows
2 Khazad Guards

Shieldbearer
3 Warriors with Shields
2 Warriors with Bows
3 Khazad Guards

What is a GW? Apart from Games Workshop, of course.

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"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

LOL... mixing up my game systems. GW = Great Weapon = Two-handed weapon.

Oh you meant two-handers.

The list looks pretty decent.

_________________
"I am the Flying Spagetti Monster. Thou shall have no other monsters before me"
-FSM.

I agree with Gothmog, the list should work well. As a note, don't be afraid to have some of your dwarves shield when necessary to buy time for another warband to arrive to help, depending on the circumstance. Or to give Balin and the King's Champion more time to cut the enemy down to size.

Best of luck!

_________________
"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”