Is it worth it equiping troops with bows and blades, i cant decide

There is no right answer to this question, but a lot depends on the enemy forces. I like to equip some as quite often you will be fighting D6 enemy and 2-handed weapons are great.

Never, instead give your archers spears for these reasons.

1. There weak, so any hand to hand combat, they will more likely die.
2. They can hide behind the wall of stronger troops you have.
3. If your archers are with spears they can move up with your lines and shoot at the same time -50% moment of course.

I assume you are talking about elves, and I will say no because if you are carrying a bow you cannot use a 2-h weapon and since you already have a normal hand weapon to start with it is worthless.

@coolestguy
1. They are not any weaker than any other guys, they just have 1 less defense than shieldmen, and he is playing elves where usually your frontline doesn't have shields.
2. Again, other troops aren't stronger. Shield guys have more defense but with elves shields will also have spears unless you want to spend a ton of $$$ buying metal blisters of shield elves and converting them to have hand weapons. That is, if you play high elves, with Galadhrim it costs the same having spears and shields so why bother?
3. It is much better for the archers to flank the enemy and keep shooting at the back lines even when you are already in close combat.

Don't give them spears, waste of points.

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Elves with elf blades can use them even when they have a bow.

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@ marthorblabla bla what ever your name is

"Dont give your archers spears waste of points"

LMAO

Ill face your army who's archers dont have spears any day of the week.

Waste of points? You must like losing lol

Mm Dude, get a grip of yourself and watch the tone. Your acting like a "spoiled brat" (Can´t believe I just said that)

When your trying to make a point then state your ideas and try to discuss things not make the mockery of other...

And currently I would say that indeed no use giving them bow... as they are better of shooting from a far...

Such tactic as you pointed out only pays off with Easterlings and Grey company IMO

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Really? I must tell my, undefeated in 12 GT games, High elves that :/

There is alway's a situation when they are useful.

Statistically your elves will be better of in the fight, it means your elves lose less fights and therefore loss less models, extra dice means a lot more chance of winning a fight especially with their higher Fight value.
And if you do have extra bodies, trapping enemy will double your kill rate.

Maemethor elven baldes dont count as 2-handed weapons unless you say so but back to the point today I tried equipping elven bowmen with swords in a battle and i won and in the second battle I equipped bowmen with spears and I won so both ways work i guess':roll:'

this would not necessarily be an elven army.

The "Pain Train" (as one guy I played against called it) consisted of Fountain Court guard (w/ Sheilds) back by Citadel Guard (w/ spears and bows) backed by Dol Amroth Pikemen. Expensive but deadly....

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Woodland Realms: 2382 pts: 18/08/2010

Instead of insulting me because you can't think of anything to counter my argument, maybe you should be using that time to think of something to prove your point. The only point you are proving is that you act like a 5 year old which you claimed me of being in another thread. (better check that one out cause I wrote a long post there just for you)

Actually I do use spears for my archers, but this specific thread is talking about elves, and I don't play elves. I use Citadel Guard with spears and longbows and Rangers of Gondor with spears hiding behind a line of Warriors of Minas Tirith.

And about the original question which had nothing to do with spears. As far as I am aware you still can't use the elven blades as 2 handed weapons if you carry a bow, so that is also a waste of points too seeing as you already have a hand weapon. High elves do at least, I am not so sure about Galadhrim. Correct me if I am wrong. If Galadhrim are unarmed otherwise, then definitely give them swords as all bowmen will see combat eventually 90% of the time, and as Hithero pointed out, you will want them to charge into the main battle to assist the other elves, but it always depends on what you are facing and what the scenario is.

Still, Elves have some of the best archery in the game and it would be a waste having them supporting other guys in combat when they could be shooting or charging from the flank.

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You can use elven blades two-handed while armed with a bow - its the EB's last remaining advantage, Page 44 elven blades.

Oh cool I must have missed or forgotten about that! Thanks!

If you don't use your bowmen in the main line and have them flank the enemy then 2 handed weapons can be very good, so maybe not equip all the archers with them, but maybe half.

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having archers with spears is popular here. the fact is that eventually your gonna need to get your archers in the nitty gritty and without spears you just watch them fall one at a time to infantry.

i used elf archers half of them with spears in the last tourney here in syracuse. i took second only because i had a bye in round one which allowed a guy i beat to pass me but any ways sour grapes. in the last round my archers were charged by wargs and because of spear support i was able to win the fights and destroy my enemies cavalry.

this works well with isengard. i have a front line of scout bowmen and a back line of orc bowmen with spears. i make the enemy come to me then if they engage my archers they are able to take on most enemies while my berserkers and fighting uruk-hai mop up the rest or vice versa.

point is your dealing with an economy of points and i have only seen archery win a game once (my high elves mutilated some wood elves, i had blinding light and s3 bows against his d3... good night) and in a tournament with a time limit or when targets are scarce you need your archers to pull double duty especially with the cost of a basic elf warrior with armour.

i through elf blades on my archers without spears and never used them once. i dont like 2xhanders. i would rather win fight and hope for a 6 tha lose the fight and hope my opponent fails to roll high enough.

and lastly the high elves are so backwards. i loaded up on plasyic elves through e-bay got some metal spears then made green stuff moulds and after a lot of converting my frontline is all swords and shields and the back is just spears. some of the orc spears look as tohough they could pass for elf spears.

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