Thermo's 500pt All Cavalry Rohan

Thermo · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 1:58 pm

Hello One-Ringers! I think I'm back, so please forgive my absence! It's been hectic since the engagement but finally, I have just about finished painting/basing my 500pts of Rohan. It's an all cavalry force which I have played with many many times and they are great fun to play with! But now it is painted. I feel like I can start to get involved in some of these tournaments I've been promising to join in with.

Though cavalry and Rohan in particular get a hard time in SBG, there are a number of tactics and considerations which have made them quite competitive for me and as mentioned above, regardless of result, they are fun to play with. And I hope you agree with me, after the painstaking process of painting all those horses, they're looking good enough for the table at last. (excuse poor, rushed picture)

W1 - Eomer, KotP (armoured horse)
1 x Son of Eorl
1 x Mounted RRG (TS)
8 x Riders of Rohan (or Westfold Redshields)

W2 - Erkenbrand (horse)
1 x Son of Eorl
1 x Mounted RRG (TS)
5 x Riders of Rohan (or Westfold Redshields)
3 x Outriders (Mounted)

I still have some things I want to do with the bases and horse highlights need finishing for all the riders of rohan. I haven't added highlights for the RRG yet either but confident enough to post a picture!

The only thing is having to proxy the Outriders (the RoR with bows) whilst I wait for those models. One thing I find with the all cavalry army is that with the bases, it is very difficult to get all your riders into combat at any one time. As primarily a skirmish army that picks off it's enemies and then concentrates by using it's manoeuvrability to hit where the enemy is weakest, there are always a number of RoR that cannot get into combat and therefore, the Outrider option is definitely worth it for picking off targets.

The trick is with this army is to stay out of enemy concentrated bow fire and use your own movement to pick off weaker targets whilst getting in position to get the charge, trying to save Might to call heroic moves if priority is lost in combat and odds sway against. It's about getting in and out and as long as you don't try and use the cavalry like infantry, they are very very "killy" The two attacks on the charge plus the knockdown upon winning the combat can really compensate for their low numbers, especially if you are patient in picking off your enemy first and have good target priority. Erky's horn keeps them fighting even if you're taking casualties and the upgrade can be handy against certain enemies. KotP is a bit more of a powerhouse than MotR which I find helpful. A simplistic review of how they work but might be interesting for some to discuss.

And most of all, fun to play!

Good to be home

whafrog · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:50 pm

Those look great, fantastic paint job! :yay:

Can't really comment on the army, I never have any success at all-cav.

Dr Grant · **Joined:** Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:50 pm **Posts:** 1339

Nice to have you back and congrats again on the engagement!

The force is looking great, I too love all mounted Rohan, despite how much they struggle competitively there're very few armies that look better on the tabletop.

I agree with a lot of your tactics but there's a few other tips you might find useful. I find success with all cav is largely down to warband size. You have 2 warbands with 10 warriors which, thanks to their large bases, means that some of your guys inevitably end up ranked up behind the others and/or out of range of heroic Moves/Marches and courage tests - disastrous for cavalry. I find that warbands of 4/5 warriors are ideal as they can all stay within range of the captain and deploy separately to spread out, safe in the knowledge that they're within range of Might. Personally I'd drop about 5 of your warriors and replace them with a captain with armour, shield and horse, that should work out points wise and leave you with 3 warbands of 5 warriors (as well as 2 more Might), far more effective in my opinion.

At higher points levels I'd also consider allying in a mounted wizard who can use Immobilise to take care of Monsters (who hurl) wizards (who blast) and Thranduil (who knocks everyone down for free without thinking about it). Both Gandalf and Radagast are nice and fluffy and will add a lot to your army, Radagast can channel Terrifying Aura for a nice big terror bubble, this will prevent a lot of the counter charges that are the bane of cavalry. Including Raddy from the Radagast's Alliance list also gives you the option of bringing in some eagles which are, again, very effective allies for all mounted Rohan.

Hope this helps!

P.S. If you're interested in joining the tournament scene, there's a 500 point one in Preston at the end of October, seems custom made for your army no? :-)

Thermo · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:28 pm

whafrog wrote:

Those look great, fantastic paint job! :yay:

Can't really comment on the army, I never have any success at all-cav.

Thanks whafrog, your insight encouraged me to give it a go so here it is! I've been playing with the unfinished models for some time and as mentioned, having some success but can see how precarious they are and easy to counter.

I'll get some better pictures up for you...

Dr Grant wrote:

Nice to have you back and congrats again on the engagement!

The force is looking great, I too love all mounted Rohan, despite how much they struggle competitively there're very few armies that look better on the tabletop.

I agree with a lot of your tactics but there's a few other tips you might find useful. I find success with all cav is largely down to warband size. You have 2 warbands with 10 warriors which, thanks to their large bases, means that some of your guys inevitably end up ranked up behind the others and/or out of range of heroic Moves/Marches and courage tests - disastrous for cavalry. I find that warbands of 4/5 warriors are ideal as they can all stay within range of the captain and deploy separately to spread out, safe in the knowledge that they're within range of Might. Personally I'd drop about 5 of your warriors and replace them with a captain with armour, shield and horse, that should work out points wise and leave you with 3 warbands of 5 warriors (as well as 2 more Might), far more effective in my opinion.

At higher points levels I'd also consider allying in a mounted wizard who can use Immobilise to take care of Monsters (who hurl) wizards (who blast) and Thranduil (who knocks everyone down for free without thinking about it). Both Gandalf and Radagast are nice and fluffy and will add a lot to your army, Radagast can channel Terrifying Aura for a nice big terror bubble, this will prevent a lot of the counter charges that are the bane of cavalry. Including Raddy from the Radagast's Alliance list also gives you the option of bringing in some eagles which are, again, very effective allies for all mounted Rohan.

Hope this helps!

P.S. If you're interested in joining the tournament scene, there's a 500 point one in Preston at the end of October, seems custom made for your army no? :-)

Thanks buddy! I agree, I must admit, I'm pretty chuffed when I see them all lined up.

I'd love to be involved, and Preston is just down the road! But I'm at the UFC in Manchester on 26th (but if there's a second day, could make that?!) Been looking forward to getting involved in some single army tournaments too. Next year you'll all be seeing a lot more of me!

Some good advice there pal and I'll be sure to take it on board. Particularly re: bigger points value and mounted Wizard options (something I've not looked into) One thing I have done is get myself an Eagle/Gwaihur as it seems to work very well alongside this force.

I also take on your point regarding warband sizes and this is very very true and something I found an issue when first playing this force. I've even tried your suggestion (but used Eowyn) going for the three smaller warband option.

However, my own solution was to swap in the Outriders as the extra courage and shooting value are particularly useful. Keeping them back as mobile sniping units works very well in support of other mounted archer units who are receiving a greater penalty for moving. I find that no matter what, a charge against an infantry war band and the maximum cavalry units you can/want get into the combat sensibly is 4 or 5 before pulling out and getting bogged down. And with the prerogative being to isolate and overwhelm enemy warbands weakened by bow fire, this has been a decent little tactic and a list that avoids being even smaller. But I'm sure I will continue to play about with everyone's ideas and find ways which work better!

Thermo · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:40 pm

Some better images I hope!

Amarthadan · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 4:40 pm

Looks great! (can't give any advice though, not a cavalryman myself.

)

Coenus Scaldingus · **Joined:** Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:14 am **Posts:** 1121

How does this force work with regards to the bow limit?
As Riders of Rohan are completely ignored, aren't you way over the limit (with 6 out of 10 eligible models armed with bows)?

Dr Grant · **Joined:** Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:50 pm **Posts:** 1339

Coenus Scaldingus wrote:

As Riders of Rohan are completely ignored, aren't you way over the limit (with 6 out of 10 eligible models armed with bows)?

That is a damn fine point! :yay:

Time to drop 4 of those Outriders and get Eowyn involved!

ElfLover · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 8:12 pm

I play Wood Elves so can't comment on cavalry but wanted to say congratulations yet again with the engagement and I wish you luck for the future

Thermo · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 9:14 pm

Coenus Scaldingus wrote:

How does this force work with regards to the bow limit?
As Riders of Rohan are completely ignored, aren't you way over the limit (with 6 out of 10 eligible models armed with bows)?

Don't they still count towards the working out? So although they themselves dont contribute to the bow limit, they are still part of the army for working out a third? Same as heroes are... (They ignore being part of the one third limit but still count as part of the army when working out a third?)

ElfLover wrote:

I play Wood Elves so can't comment on cavalry but wanted to say congratulations yet again with the engagement and I wish you luck for the future

Thanks pal!

SouthernDunedain · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 9:17 pm

you ignore heroes for bow limit. 1/3 (rounding up) of all warriors may be armed with bow weapons. pg 5 in the sourcebooks. Ignore heroes and RoR.

Edit: Found it in the FAQ

Quote:

Bow Limits
Q: If my force comprises warbands from army lists that
feature unusual Bow Limits (such as Azogʼs Hunters,
Harad & Umbar and the Eastern Kingdoms, with a 50%
Bow Limit; or Rohan and Elrondʼs Household that
feature Warriors who ignore the Bow Limit), and pick the
remaining warbands from another army list, how will this
affect my overall Bow Limit? (p100)
A: SNIP In the
case of the Rivendell Knights and Riders of Rohan,
simply ignore them entirely for the purposes of
determining Bow Limits, so a third (rounding up) of the
remaining Warriors in your force can be armed with
bows.

Thermo · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 9:58 pm

Thanks for clearing that up and for the source! (Hello by the way SD!)

I guess I only need three after all

Damian · **Joined:** Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:59 pm **Posts:** 246

Lovely army.

Son of Éomund · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 10:04 pm

They look good Thermo! I wish you luck in the tourney scene with your cavalry list.

Thermo · **Posted:** Wed Sep 04, 2013 10:18 pm

Amarthadan wrote:

Looks great! (can't give any advice though, not a cavalryman myself.

)

Thanks buddy, appreciate the feedback!

Damian wrote:

Lovely army.

Cheers pal

Son of Éomund wrote:

They look good Thermo! I wish you luck in the tourney scene with your cavalry list.

Many thanks! I'm sure it won't be the most competitive in a tourney but it's fun to play, thematic and I've had a quite bit of success with it so far, although I've far from encountered many of the likely problems this force will face.

Armandhammer · **Posted:** Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:35 am

Ahhh, I love this thread!

I’m working on a Rohan force myself. Just waiting for a few more minis before I start assembling/painting.

I totally get the shortage of outrider models. It’s really too bad they don’t pop up on eBay consistently :-(

What foot models do you use for your mounted sons of eorl? The most common (and pretty convenient) substitute is to use the Rohan captain with dead orc but I’m wondering if you found any other substitutes from other ranges/converted models yourself.

Thanks

Thermo · **Posted:** Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:38 am

Quote:

Ahhh, I love this thread!

I’m working on a Rohan force myself. Just waiting for a few more minis before I start assembling/painting.

Thanks my friend and good to see you again!

Good to hear someone else is giving Rohan a go. Play to their strengths as a skirmish force and they can be effective! I wouldn't wish the painting of all those horses upon anyone though, it put me off painting for months earlier this year!

Quote:

I totally get the shortage of outrider models. It’s really too bad they don’t pop up on eBay consistently

Tell me about it!

Quote:

What foot models do you use for your mounted sons of eorl? The most common (and pretty convenient) substitute is to use the Rohan captain with dead orc but I’m wondering if you found any other substitutes from other ranges/converted models yourself.

Thanks

I hadn't thought to go with the captain actually (and damn it, I had it and traded it!) But your right, that would have been good! I've been looking at some Heroes of the Viking age Jarls from gripping beast I think and am looking to do some light conversions but the foot side of this army is certainly not done yet! I'm going to be rewarding myself and painting the Eagle next and maybe touching up the Grey company. No more Rohan until I need to!

SouthernDunedain · **Posted:** Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:18 pm

Quote:

What foot models do you use for your mounted sons of eorl? The most common (and pretty convenient) substitute is to use the Rohan captain with dead orc but I’m wondering if you found any other substitutes from other ranges/converted models yourself

RRG with an axe and possibly a head swap would look good.

Dr Grant · **Joined:** Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:50 pm **Posts:** 1339

Armandhammer wrote:

What foot models do you use for your mounted sons of eorl?

It's a tricky one this as you risk running into the dangerous world of proxying. I feel that as GW hasn't made a figure on foot, you shouldn't be required to have to buy an expensive (at least £6 for the Finecast captian on ebay) figure to stand in for him.

Damian took a Son of Eorl to the Longbottom Carnival and just used a Rohan Warrior on foot with an axe to represent him unmounted and I had no issues with this (it's worth pointing out that there were no other Rohan warriors in his army to be confused by). Even if there were a mix of warriors and Sons of Eorl I'd be happy using normal Rohan warriors to represent them as there simply aren't other models. You would need to differentiate them of course as I've done for my Rohan army: Normal Rohan warriors - brown shields. Grimbold's Helmingas - green shields (Greenbold :lol:

) Dismounted red shields - Errr, redshields. It works fine and has never caused confusion.

Of course the best situation is some lovely conversions, I think the key thing is to have no helmets in which case some simple head swaps with warriors of rohan or Royal Guard as Southy suggested would be great. The King's Huntsman would be another good donor head.

Thermo · **Posted:** Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:59 pm

Quote:

RRG with an axe and possibly a head swap would look good.

Could work.

To be honest, Eorl the Young on foot with a head swap and axe instead of spear would be most perfect, considering the armour.

But ultimately, it's about getting the balance right price wise for a model that effectively only comes into play if your horse is downed.

Quote:

It's a tricky one this as you risk running into the dangerous world of proxying. I feel that as GW hasn't made a figure on foot, you shouldn't be required to have to buy an expensive (at least £6 for the Finecast captian on ebay) figure to stand in for him.

Since they don't have a model, i think anything that is clearly identifiable as the down Son of Eorl should be acceptable at a tournament, whether it's scratch built, or a fun conversion or just a paint job that stands them out.

Quote:

Damian took a Son of Eorl to the Longbottom Carnival and just used a Rohan Warrior on foot with an axe to represent him unmounted and I had no issues with this (it's worth pointing out that there were no other Rohan warriors in his army to be confused by). Even if there were a mix of warriors and Sons of Eorl I'd be happy using normal Rohan warriors to represent them as there simply aren't other models. You would need to differentiate them of course as I've done for my Rohan army: Normal Rohan warriors - brown shields. Grimbold's Helmingas - green shields (Greenbold ) Dismounted red shields - Errr, redshields. It works fine and has never caused confusion.

Aye, I think anyone who had issues with this situation isn't worth playing against. there isn't a model and I think if even a little effort is made so the model, whatever it is, is clearly identifiable as a downed son of eorl, it should be acceptable.

Quote:

Of course the best situation is some lovely conversions, I think the key thing is to have no helmets in which case some simple head swaps with warriors of rohan or Royal Guard as Southy suggested would be great. The King's Huntsman would be another good donor head.

Aye, those two are perfect head swaps... expensive models to get hold of though. And damn it I traded mine to Ste!

I think for now, I'll use to warriors with axes with the paint job. I'll ask Ste to make me two shields and then perhaps do a head swap down the line. Something cheap!

Where can I find the details for Preston buddy?

Thermo's 500pt All Cavalry Rohan

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