Hey guys,

So after many years playing 40k and some experience with Warhammer Fantasy I'm finally taking the plunge into the Middle-earth SBG. I bought one of the Mordor box sets years ago, and it looks like I have 44 Orcs with various weapons (mixture of hands weapons and shields, bows and spears), an Orc captain w/ hand weapon and shield, an Orc with a banner, 6 Warg Riders with assorted weapons, 5 Mordor Uruk-hai and a troll.

I haven't had a chance to read through the rules yet, but what would you guys suggest in terms of adding heroes to this force? In terms of models my two favourite Mordor characters are the Witch-king of Angmar and the Mouth of Sauron, are they viable under the current ruleset?

I have to ask as well, I've seen some articles online about fielding the Nazgul of Dol Guldur and the Necromancer as a force in their own right. I wouldn't mind building up towards that army for larger games, so what would be the best way to go about allying the Nazgul of Dol Guldur to a Mordor force in the short term? Are there any warriors from the Dol Guldur list that I should consider adding in addition to the Nazgul to supplement the Mordor stuff I already have?

If any of you guys would be willing to propose lists that might work that would be tremendously helpful in terms of planning out my purchases - I'm still waiting for my rulebook and the Mordor supplement to arrive.

Do NOT buy the Mordor Sourcebook. The new sourcebooks will be coming out in just a month or two with the new rules. Some years ago, I wasted too much money buying rulebooks just before they became obsolete.

General thoughts on Mordor: good, versatile army. High Defense (6+) will keep your troops alive, and high Fight Value (4+) will win them fights.
Orcs have neither, but make cheap spear support.
Black Numenorians have both, plus Terror. They are your best shield wall unit.
Black Guards have both plus Strength 5, but are too pricey per points...maybe worth it against Dwarves .
Morannon Orcs have high Defense, but bad Fight Value (3). With Strength 4 and spear, they make effective but pricey spear support.
Spectres can make an enemy Monster useless (as they generally have low Courage), so I'd recommend one or two.
Fell Beast is worth it for your Witch King. I would stay with Mordor Nazguls, as they are the best magic casters in the game. Dol Guldur Nazguls are great fighters & hard to kill...but magic is more usefull, and you already have great killers in this list.
Shagrat, War Leader, for example.
Grisnack & Gorbag are the cheapest 3 Might leaders in the game, I think. Generally, whoever has the most Might in the last few rounds will win.

Here is a handy Armybuilder for Excel: http://www.lonelyknight.0fees.net/?i=1

Here is a decent 600 point army with what you have:

Witch King on Horse 3 might 20 will 3 fate (get a Fell Beast)
6 Orcs with Shield & Sprear
5 Orcs with Spear
1 Mordor Troll

Mouth of Sauron Mounted
6 Orcs with Sheild & Spear
6 Orcs with Spear

Orc Captain (get Gris or Gor: cheap on Ebay)
3 Orc Shield & Spear
3 Orc Shield
6 Orc Spear

7 Might 39 Units Not super competative, but will do.

Or...trim out horses, Troll, and WK's Will points to 15 and get another Warband...48 Orcs with Shield & Spear should make your opponents nervous.

Enjoy.

With the Armybuilder, you can juggle your options with Mordor Uruk-hai, Spectres, Fell Beast, etc.

I will suggest a ringwraith on a fell beast, along with some more Mordor trolls. You will need a couple strong units(around 3 total should suffice). However, Morannon Orcs might be nice to deal with the heavy armor of the warriors of Minas Tirith. Of course, a Mordor Orc will deal the killing blow easy enough, but will need a normal Mordor Orc to help win the fight. Never got to play the Witch King or Mouth of Sauron, or even get to know them. (Have read up on Fell Beasts a bit. Morannon Orcs are similar to Uruk Hai).

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