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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 2:40 pm 
Elven Elder
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You can shoot and move with crosssbows when you have might for herioc move/heroic charge.

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 2:46 pm 
Elven Warrior
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okay, maybe place amdur in the feral uruk hai unit, so i can ambush the enemies in the rear, and what's your meaning about the legendary formations and battlehosts

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:18 pm 
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Battlehosts rulebook, expansion for WotR has army lists, each has a point cost but special rules for all formations in that battlehost. Each battlehost specifies min/max companies/formations you need to make up the host. For example "The Fighting Uruk Hai" cost 75 points and you must take Saruman, 2-4 formations of Phalanxes (3 companies minimum in each formation) and 2-4 Formations of Uruk warbands (3 co min). You get special rules for them special fates you can buy unique to Isengard faction, and the battlehost is exempt from the decree of Rarity, so it can have lots of Rare formations that usually would be illegal without matching number of commons (big example is The Uruk-Hai Siege warriors Battlehost, with at the extreme 1 common and 10 rares).

If you take crossbows, Vrasku's Talons is a legendary formation, with better rules and abilities than a standard crossbow formation. But being a legendary formation you can only take 1...

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:29 pm 
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i know what they are, i only want to know wich battlehosts you think are good, and wich not, okay?
doesn't matter

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 3:51 pm 
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Sappers are best used against small units with high defence, especially cavalry. When they go bang I find they only kill on average 4 to 6 troops per formation.
You can use this to your advantage, if you are going to send them off like guided missiles, cover them with some cheap troops, ruffians wild men or even orcs.

The loss of half a company of say wild men is not to bad if you can get 3 or 4 formations in return. You must have he right targets, catching 2 units of orcs is a waste of time, 3 or 4 units of def7 boys is what you want. :-D

Myself I like to use them as area denial weapons on the flanks, I find that as most people (rightly so) like to use their fast moving cavalry on the flanks, sapper behind ruffians are great, you can inflict damage while your opponent is to afraid to close due to the sappers. This tactic can also work with pike, thin one company deep formation, their flanks covered by terrain filled with bow. More of a minefield than missile. :-D
This works especially well against morgul knights, believe me I know. 8)
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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:32 pm 
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mastermanje wrote:
i know what they are, i only want to know wich battlehosts you think are good, and wich not, okay?
doesn't matter


Ah it wasn't clear, as it seemed you were asking what they were :).

Isengard wise, half the legendaries(2/4) and 2/6 battlehosts seem to be scout based. and i havent played scouts much, so can't really comment on their usefulness, beyond some of Ugluks scouts Battlehost rules seem cool especially "Alive and Unspoilt" which gives two BH formations Def 10 vs shooting attacks.

Legendaries are all worth taking I think, if youa re going to take that formation type anyway. If you take crossbows, take Vrasku first then standard, same for sharku and warg riders. if you take scouts take Mauhur or Ugluk first. None stand out by themselves as 'take me', they are effective, but downside is varsku, Ugluk and Mauhur are all max 3 companies. And sharku cant have a drummer or banner like standard warg riders.

Battlehosts:

The Fighting Uruk Hai... need lost of troops for this, its good if you want a mostly vanilla set up, but I dont really think the special rules justify the cost, I mean the rerolls on terror and hits are good, but you don;t easily get more than 2 formations effectively fighting within 12" of Saruman to take advanatge of this

Warg Riders - Fun but you need a lot of models... but these fellows will be all over the enemy, and you want that to get on flanks and rear for those prowler rules..

Siege lords. For me Great, lots of fun rare formations with no decree of rarity. The special rules arent specially versatile, but sappers, beserkers and ballistae and Vrasku.. fun fun fun

Dunlendings: urg... without proxying them this will be a rare host to field... as it needs a fair few metal models....

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:58 pm 
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okay, thanx :D

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:39 pm 
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mastermanje wrote:
okay, my ideas were:
vrasku's tallons
some other xbows
uruk hai berserkers with amdur(an other model, renamed to Karvag, an uruk hai who has enormous strenght and leads elite units) with epic rampage, that combination can kill whole formations in one turn, and maybe give him the carn dum crown, or how it is called, since he has resilience 3 and can use so extra epic rampages.
some feral uruk hai in ambush
saruman
a pike unit to counter cavalry
Thydran leading some dundelings with 2 handed weapons
some wargs
a balista deployed in a defensable structure
that goblin wizard calling wargs(more thematic as bats or spiders) and helping saruman with magic
anyone some tips for this list, and wich battlehosts and legendary formations are good


Hi Mastermanje, Isengard are my main army so I'll give you my opinions.

vrasku's tallons - I don't think their worth it. Xbow I find works better with 2 companies, the tallons need 3 to spread the cost. His special rule gives you 2 extra shots per company maximum of 3 times. 8 more xbow 35pts give you 9 per turn, plus a 50pt captain if you need to move and shoot.

some other xbows- SIT DOWN, hold onto something I have a revelation for you, Xbow are not as awesome as people think they are. They compare well with say Gondor bow, but 2 companies of Orc or Rhohan bow are as effective for only 5pts more. Ruffians are 50% more effect than xbow for the cost. :-D
xbow are still of very good and useful if you put them into defensive terrain, partially low capacity terrain, but they are not as powerful as people think. Do the maths, you will see what I mean.

uruk hai berserkers with amdur(an other model, renamed to Karvag, an uruk hai who has enormous strenght and leads elite units) with epic rampage, that combination can kill whole formations in one turn, and maybe give him the carn dum crown, or how it is called, since he has resilience 3 and can use so extra epic rampages. - I use Amdur in higher point games (Shagga son of Dolf) leading his Dunland axemen and he works very well, I think you may find that in a company of berserkers he is to vulnerable, that's one very tempting def5 target

some feral uruk hai in ambush - If you can back them up with some cheap wild men works great

saruman - :D

a pike unit to counter cavalry - situational but I find they are OK on flanks

Thydran leading some dundelings with 2 handed weapons - Huscarls make up the bulk of my army, and are excellent. :D

some wargs - solid even have rules showing you how to use Cavalry :-D

a balista deployed in a defensable structure - never used one myself

that goblin wizard calling wargs(more thematic as bats or spiders) and helping saruman with magic - not fussed myself but only for Fluff reasons

anyone some tips for this list, and wich battlehosts and legendary formations are good - none of the legendary formations do much for me, the Battlehosts are like most Battlehosts hit and miss.

The fighting Uruk-hai is not bad if you are going for a Uruk heavy force, depend on whether Saruman throws more than 16 6's
I'm not fussed with scouts, but if I where to take them the the Scouts of Saruman is how I'd do it. Ugluks scouts are to much of a points sink.
The fact you have to take formations of six puts me off the warg riders, I like them small and manoeuvrable to hit those flanks :-D
Siege Warriors require units I don't use so not fussed

The boys from Dunland :D Love them, this Battlehost is half my Isengard army. Not cheap, but you have to included under-costed Thrydan which helps. The extra D3 dice on the charge is a nice plus but the main use of this Battlehost is to get round the RARE status of the Dunland troops.

Finally the link to the bits supplier that I promised you. From the US but great service and quick delivery to the UK (I assume Holland will be the same) http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Hoard-O-Bits?_ ... 4340.l2563
My Historical I normally get from local UK Suppliers, but not sure how they are with European deliveries, so I'm probably not the best person to help you with them.
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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 2:50 am 
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catdubh wrote:
mastermanje wrote:
some other xbows- SIT DOWN, hold onto something I have a revelation for you, Xbow are not as awesome as people think they are. They compare well with say Gondor bow, but 2 companies of Orc or Rhohan bow are as effective for only 5pts more. Ruffians are 50% more effect than xbow for the cost. :-D
xbow are still of very good and useful if you put them into defensive terrain, partially low capacity terrain, but they are not as powerful as people think. Do the maths, you will see what I mean.

It depends. Two formations (for say 1000pts) combined with Saruman is very effective. Crossbow shooting can be concentrated in a way bowfire cannot and running the force as a stand-off and kill list is very effective.

One formation alone is just another good shooting unit. Different overall strategy and different matter entirely.

20pt bow are good troops, no one would argue there, but they can't quite do the paint the target and kill as well as Uruks and Saruman can. Much easier to take out that 20pt bow.

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:12 am 
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Vrasku's Talons I think do add up points wise:

3 companies of Uruks with X-bows: 105 points
Generic uruk captain: 50 points
Total 155 points

3 Companies of Vrasku's Talons: 165 points

So for an extra 10 points you get another point of might, and that Take aim rule. It seems worth it to me.

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 4:57 pm 
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It's 200 points for 3 companies of Vrasku's Talons.


(anybody not see where this is going?) :mrgreen:
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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 5:19 pm 
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I was under the impression that the cost of the first company purchased was whatever the special listed cost was. Which would make the Talons 95+35+35 for 3 companies. It does seem a little vague now that I look at it though.
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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 5:39 pm 
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No, look at the points cost of the legendary formations in battle reports. You've only payed for 2 companies, 3 companies is 95+35+35+35.

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 5:49 pm 
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Yeah the wording seems to imply that I guess. Not sure why I thought otherwise.
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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:16 pm 
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orkdom wrote:
Not sure why I thought otherwise.


A lot of people do though.
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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:50 pm 
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Alright. I can see this descending into a points debate about legendaries too, the way I priced it I thought was correct as this was indeed the way the local and the staff from the next local GW store (who come in on cover for the and like to dabble WotR with different players to their usual) did things, and I play regularly there.

As it is counting the first points value as the price of the first unit and the extra units generally seemed equitable to me. The hero is non epic by definition and the legendary stats often much if any from regular troops of same type.

So while still dealing with my surprise (and I debated this before with GW shop staff too, mind, I didn't just assume) I can say then in answer to the question posed on this thread then... nah Any Isengard legendary formation just ain't worth it. take standard scouts or crossbows or wargs and plop a captain in there at least you get decent upgrade options (*scrubs my own lists of any trace of Isengard legendaries*)

[I would still argue at the lower points value legendaries generally *just* become worthwhile taking...]

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:31 am 
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While it is a little hard to follow because I was writing it at 3 in the morning, I did a breakdown of Legendary point costs over on Warseer once.

http://www.warseer.com/forums/showpost. ... stcount=34

and if you accept that the designers valued Might at 25 points per point then it becomes pretty clear that the first company is not included int he cost (beyond the fact that the nothing in the rules suggest that it is).
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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 9:01 am 
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Yes, I noticed the approximate 25 points/Might point link before too. Thinking about it in the light of day I might still take Vrasku's Talons, which means that over a captain (2 Might 50 pts) he is equivalent (3 Might 75 points) leaving 20 points for his take aim rule which can be withering when used right against an ennemy or makes the unit more manouevrable.

Discussing this with my eldest son who loves elves he did point out you would need a hole in the head to take the Rivendell Guard over standard Galadhrim and a captain. They cost +5 per company and that seems to be for the Stalwart rule (which looks a good rule on paper but makes virtually no difference in actual battles, in this case without it -it would be 'oh my! My long range unit with incredible long bows is hit and moves back slightly, what shall I do?, woe!! Ah, I know : I'll shoot back and move back to same position next turn at half move and carry on as if nothing happened... "). Erestor has the same stat line as the Galadhrim caoptain (yeah captain with 3 Might).

Soo... 3 Galadhrim companies + captain + banner = 60 + 60 + 60 +50 + 35 = 265 points
3 Rivendell Guard (+ Erestor + banner) = 65 +65 +65 +125 = 320 points
As these have EXACTLY the same profiles, and with captain and banner are effectively the same fighting force ... You are paying in effect 55 points for Stalwart rule and a legendary formation with no special rules. I think there is a slight typo as the commander should be 2 Might not 3 like other captain types. Even so... looks like I needn't paint up my Erestor for a looong time yet...


Anyway... back to legendaries and Isengard. The limit of 3 companies does hamper their usefulness, so its nice to have a thematic army and use these guys to round it out, and use the fun rules they have sometimes.. but if you want maximum bang per buck they arent *really* worth it.

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:26 pm 
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erhm, that galadhrim are high elf cohorts!!!
doesnt matter, and thanx for reactions, and i've found something about the legendaries http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/conte ... eMode=true, as they used 1500 points here, and if you didn't have to buy 3 extra companies for a 3 copanie legendary, than he would have the points to buy another company
my army list for now is:
200 points total
Thydran
2x 3 comp.dundelings with 2h's, one with banner bearer
3 comp balistea(in def. terrain)
4 comp warg riders, hornblower
Saruman
Dugburz, one of saruman's most tallented shamans(Drûzhag)
Karnash, a very intelligent leader of sarumans army(Gotmog)
2x 4 comp xbows with captain
6 comp. uruks with shields
4 comp. feral uruks
Khamul(still didn't found a name for him)
any other ideas?

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 Post subject: Re: Isengard
PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:30 pm 
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Khamul should be Khamul really the Nine are the Nine and there are no more ... :)

You seem to be about out of points available for allies or I might suggest Kardush. The Three epic ruin casters of Saruman, Druzhag and Kardush i call the 'Conclave of Ruin' and i have been experimenting with it. Kardush is still better than a standard Shaman for 100 pts. but three tremors or exsicates a turn on key enemy units has gotta hurt.

Other wise it looks pretty solid witha mix for most situations. Possibly a togue single company type eithe r beserkers or sappers??

I am interested in Isengard 1500 pts as I am taking an army to GamesDay on the 25th for a special event/tourney for the SW UK GW Stores. I am frantically painting up my Isengarders as i currently have about only 600 painted fully enough to pass muster... So i am back to painteing uruks right now even.....

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