Army Selection is a key factor in any battle. A weak selection may leave you at a disadvantage before you’ve even deployed.

There are several key points you should consider when deciding what to pick in your army – as follows:

• Is it legal? Your army should always comply with the rules! It is surprising how many armies actually don’t.
• Have you got enough warriors? An army of ten WoMT led by Aragorn and Boromir, no matter how good Boromir and Aragorn may be, are going to have a bad time against 72 orcs led by two orc captains. Try not to pick models like Gothmog or Mordor troll chieftains in a 500 pt battle unless your opponent will also be hero heavy, as it will leave you heavily outnumbered.
• Have you got enough might in your army? An army with 2 might points may not be able to exploit tactical positions as well as an army with 6. If that position comes up when you need a heroic move but cannot orchestrate one because you have spent your might, you won’t be able to take advantage of it.

You can base an army around these points, and tailor it to the opposition you are facing. If you are playing an army of Moria Goblins, you know they have a low courage value – anything that can cause terror is a must. Also, their ability to outnumber anything but Dunlendings leaves them with a huge force – you will need to really limit the heroes you take, adding as many rank and file troops as you can. A low fight value means that taking special troops that have 1 higher fight value is virtually a waste of points, so leave them out! The special ability they have to negate terrain means that they can more easily get into better positions than you when the board is full of terrain so you should get as many troops of your own that can do the same thing.

If you apply this method of thinking to all of your army selection, then you should have a good army. This is what I would consider a good force to take against Warriors of Minas Tirith –

This force uses Mordor Uruks as a kind of shock force, as their higher strength means they only need a 5+ to wound WoMT. The Wargs counter any KoMT the enemy may bring and can be used to remove spearmen, making it that much easier to win a combat against the WoMT. Also, you will probably still outnumber your opponent with 51 models in your force! Four might points gives the army tactical strength as well.

Refused Flank

Refused flank is a classic tactic to use when your opponent has set up in a long battle line. Especially effective when you are outnumbered (although Mordor probably won’t be). It involves setting up to attack only one part of the army you are facing. However, the real skill in it is to deceive your opponent long enough so they don’t just close on your army. To do this, it is best to have a set up like the following with your main attacking force on one side, and a highly mobile yet tempting unit, like a Ringwraith on horse or fell beast, deployed on the other side. Also, deploying forces that are not going to be engaged in combat, such as bowmen, on that side too just enhances the effectiveness of your deceit.

From here, you advance the wargs at walking pace, slowly advancing while holding the same line. The orcs also go forward, though at full pace. Ideally, you should lose priority for this manoeuvre. When the opponent is almost upon you, within charge range after he has moved, whisk the wargs away from the unit they are facing, and coordinate both the wargs and orcs in the same place. Don’t try to combat every man – charge in two on one in as many situations as possible. This unit should not last long – you should have killed most of it within one turn. The wargs are now free to play havoc at the back of the lines, while the orcs take the army bit by bit as the opponent struggles to get the battle line round in time.

Variations
If you have large terrain pieces in the centre of your board, these can be used to your advantage. First, do the same as you did before – but lure the enemy between two terrain pieces. They now have to spend a turn getting round the terrain to reach the fighting. Terrain can also block line of sight to your main unit for bowmen deployed on the refused flank.

Sacrificial units are also good for tying up the enemy – place one on the refused flank, and the chances are that the enemy will deploy a portion of his forces trying to destroy it. This gives you extra time, and can also put one of your opponent’s units in a bad position. If you put your sacrificial unit there, he will go into the bad position himself.

Note: I have used the term units here, and although LoTR is not centred around units but the individual model, I consider a unit to be a small battle line of 8-10 warriors.

This tactic is, as the title suggests, centred around splitting up your army into several sections. It is mainly useful for also splitting your opponent’s forces up, making him commit to a tactical error – such as splitting his forces down the middle and allowing you in through the gap to separate them. One of the things you need to consider is what the two forces are going to contain – i.e. 1 force of 10 orcs compared to another force of 5 Warg riders. The best tactic to use in this force would be similar to a refused flank, but send the Wargs round the side while advancing the orcs down the middle. The opponent either abandons the Wargs and lets them get into a great tactical position, or tries to combat the Wargs and gets drawn out of line, separating his own force. The Wargs' increased mobility means that they can move into the other force if they wish, or lead the other enemies further astray. A third force, perhaps of another 10 orcs, could be used as reinforcements – or as another distracting unit. I would recommend yet more Wargs in this position. This is an example of this tactic:

EVIL

Orc Captain (Warg, shield) Orc Captain (Shield) 48 orcs (Combinations as in box set) 12 Warg riders TOTAL

55 pts 45 pts 280 pts 120 pts 500 pts

GOOD

Dain Ironfoot Dwarven Captain Dwarven King 15 Dwarves (6 shields, 3 t/h weapon, 6 bows) 10 Khâzad guard TOTAL

125 pts 60 pts 75 pts 129 pts 110 pts 499 pts

This Dwarf Army is top heavy with heroes. It is important to remember that they are less maneuverable, as they have a lower movement value. This fact makes them particularly susceptible to this tactic so people with Ereborian opponents take note! While seemingly very hard opponents, it is important that you realize taking higher strength Uruks is not going to make much difference. Only the bowmen (Who probably aren’t going to see combat anyway) and the two handed weapon carriers (There are limited numbers of these, as you only get 1 in a blister pack!) are going to be wounded on a 5+ even by Uruks! Realizing this means that you can still outnumber your enemy, as this shows. Outnumbering this force by 2 to 1, you can clearly see the advantage the orc player has – the dwarf player has not taken into consideration the amount of heroes he has taken, and although with 7 Might points between the heroes, they have nonetheless limited the troops taken by the Dwarf player. This is obviously a downside to having dwarves, as their high cost in money terms means this type of army is all too regular!

Anyway, on with this tactic.

Phase 1
Set up your forces like this:

From this position, first mount the two groups of 6 orcs onto the Wargs as passengers, and then advance 6 of the Wargs down the right flank. This should distract the Khâzad guard. If not then you have flanked the opposition anyway, and can lead a charge from behind. Keep the other Wargs where they are, as they will come into play later! Advance the orcs at normal pace.

Phase 2
Now, drop off the orcs from the flanking Wargs – these will become “Sacrificial” Orcs, dying for the Red Eye! Retreat the Wargs on this flank at full pace, and engage as many Dwarves as you can in combat with the 6 sacrificial orcs. This holds them up for a turn, maybe even 2! Move the other Wargs into the gap in the middle, leaving each group of Dwarves isolated! Drop off the other passengers, to use as more sacrificial bait, holding them up for another turn. From here, you can push the Wargs behind the dwarves and break them up. Due to the Dwarves slow pace, the Khâzad guard should never be able to reach their trapped friends in time! You can then take on the Khâzad guard with the remainder of the Orcs, while using the Wargs to capture the objectives.

This topic is about making the most of battle lines. An all too common line is to have shielded men marching forward backed up by Spearmen, but this is not always the best option. Hardly any battle lines make use of bowmen, who get left behind your main force. This is sometimes a good tactic, but not always – if you are in a tight spot in combat, then your bowmen can move in and give you extra dice in combat! The trouble is getting into a position where you can fire every turn unhindered – a simple enough trick.

Use of Wargs

Though not usually considered as a battle line, Wargs are nonetheless effective. Even though Spearmen can’t back them up, they get two attacks each on the charge anyway, so no problems there. Increased mobility means they can get into better positions more easily – splitting and reforming in one move phase is not impossible.

Also, Wargs are good reconnaissance units. Send them in before your battle line, and they will do some damage. Send in a captain with them too, and you are able to call a heroic move next turn and get out of harm’s way. Known as hit and run, this tactic can break up an enemy battle line before they get a chance to strike back.

Spearhead
A spearhead formation is where you deploy in a triangle formation, with the point facing your enemy. Best used for breaking through, it utilizes your best warrior in front (for example your hero, mine is Bûbthak or Bali Nofe Rebor, great or chieftain), followed by special units second (Uruks) followed by your rank and file troops. It splits your opposing force in two, and allows you to deal with it bit by bit. Once your hero and and other forces have gotten through, concentrate on one side, using your rank and file troops to hold up the other side. A more effective way of doing this is to send in several spearheads, or have two battle lines on either side to combat the forces when they are split. When only dealing with spearmen you can pick them off easily. Likewise, your battle line should roll two dice in every combat compared to your enemy’s one. If your spearhead is comprised of cavalry, then you should easily be able to reach each end of the battle line within one turn.

Spear and Bow Line
This line is where you arm all your bowmen with spears and advance on the enemy at half rate, shooting through the first line, and then switch to spears. This would involve a lot of conversions! This is effective because it means that instead of paying 6 pts for bowmen that are more likely to kill your own men by shooting into combat when it is reached, you pay only 1 pt for it! However, you will need to make sure that the bowmen don’t make up more than a 1/3 of your force. Use this tactic sparingly.

Rabble!
Perhaps (ok, definitely) the most in character line for Mordor is a rabble! Advancing like this is not a battle line as such but a skirmish group – allowing you to move around easily, without your own troops in the way. This is not a fun line to use – you get bored after moving the first 40 orcs every move phase!

Surround Them!
Yet again, using cavalry you can really swing things in your favor. You send in a spearhead of cavalry before your main battle line and then keep going forwards. Before this, shoot only at the places where your cavalry will advance, weakening the spots. You then have them split in two, with cavalry behind them, and orcs in front. Advancing in your line, have trackers in a curve around the back, snatching odd shots. Reform your cavalry again, and charge as a battle line into the spearmen. Charge in the battle line, and start to lap around the sides with trackers and spare orcs – you have them surrounded!

Well, I have digressed a little here – not many battle lines, but never mind....

Mordor Heroes

Sauron
Sauron is the ultimate component of any Mordor army. Unfortunately, his high price tag makes him all but impossible to field - not everyone wants to spend all of their points on one warrior! When you do use him, ensure that you still have reasonable sized hoard (Say at least 50 models) - any smaller than this and you will be pummeled into the dust, your inferior troops being crushed! The best tactics for Sauron are hanging back and casting spells, as he is by far the best spell caster in the game. He won't often pay back his points cost in warriors, but the odd transfix and rush in with a troll and countless orcs will go a long way towards it. Remember that, aside from Saruman's palantir, Sauron has by far the longest magical reach in the game - 6" more than his nearest rivals! This enables you to work exclusively from the back, protecting him. If you really want to, you can then pick off one or two warriors a turn in combat, but Sauron is not a specialist combat hero. His stats may suggest otherwise, but 3 attacks are not invincible - with 1/2 a chance of winning the combat against 6 or 7 warriors, providing one of them rolls a 6, he will take hits half the time. People are careful with Aragorn - they know he is not invincible. But people will often think that Sauron is invincible for his points cost.

Shelob
Shelob is a more tactical model to use. Her hunting instinct rule makes her very susceptible to archery - it will only take a 6 from an elven bow to wound her, and possibly send her packing! To counter this, you have a large movement value, and a flexible range of places to go - ignoring terrain penalties is one of the best special rules in the game. It will allow you to keep her behind woods, crashing through the woods, and then assaulting out of the woods - once in combat, you cannot be shot at. Not the best model to use for hit and run, she undoubtedly has her benefits using this tactic against heroes. The poison rule means that if you can get into combat with a hero, hit and wound, and then scamper the next turn, then that hero has a decent chance of taking another wound for nothing in the rest of the game! A decent technique of shielding her is to use Warg riders, as they can keep up, have impact on the charge, and have two wounds to apply volley fire to!

Trolls

Ringwraiths

Transfix
The basic, yet most effective spell is transfix. The best use of it is to transfix a big hero like Aragorn, and then jump in on him with a troll and 3 or 4 orcs. Result one dead Aragorn. Also useful if you cannot avoid combat that turn - transfix your enemy and let him watch as you escape.

Compel
Slightly better than transfix, a change represented in the casting cost, compel will be rarely used. It may be helpful to move someone towards you, effectively giving one of your models a 9" assault move, but for the change in casting value it is better to stick with transfix. A lessened effect is better than none! It is quite useful when you are playing the ringbearer, however.

Drain courage
Often overlooked, this spell is very useful. An incredible tool when faced with limited numbers of enemies, such as the Weathertop scenario, it can keep your Ringwraiths out of combats they don't want to be in - at the start of every Weathertop scenario, I would make every Ringwraith cast this for the first two turns on Aragorn, making it almost impossible for him to charge you! A great tool when combined with terror, people do underestimate it.

Black dart
Black dart is used far too much. Use up 3 points of will with it, and you have a 2/3 chance of killing a WoMT - hardly worth it! Only one, which you could use on a drain courage, will wound only 2/9 of the time - whereas drain courage works a much more favorable 5/6 of the time. Sauron's chill soul is much more effective, especially considering he has unlimited will!

Sap will
An effective spell - most useful in partnership with transfix. You can cast sap will on Aragorn one turn, either forcing him to give up his will or use it trying to resist, and then transfix him next turn, when he is mentally drained!

The Ringwraith on fell beast is a moderately effective assault weapon, with 3 attacks between the rider and mount. Still, its main use is as a magic user - the fell beast gives it an amazing 12" movement, leaving it the best option yet! A horse is also good, but a fell beast is far better - the ability to take more than one wound, its high defence and high strength means that, given the points, I would take it over a horse any day. The Witch King is also much better than the Ringwraith, as it has added M/W/F.

Troll Chieftain
A Troll Chieftain is the best combat hero, aside from Sauron, that an evil player can field. Any player can win with a Troll Chieftain - his extreme stats and heroic abilities make him an easy pick for beginners. I personally have never used one, so I don't know what they are like in battle - but from assessing his stats, I can see that the ability to take on up to 3 warriors and crush them all, followed up by another combat with a heroic action, is too good to miss. You could get a whole lot more orcs for his points cost, but you can use him and 36 orcs in a 500 pt army!

Shaman
A shaman is moderately useful in a Mordor army, but I would personally prefer not to use them. Although Fury is a great spell, only 4 will has great limitations – Ringwraiths are much better investments! Never use Transfix with a shaman, as it will cost you a large amount of will, and may not even come off – all for a limited effect!

Gothmog

Mordor Orcs

Morannon Orcs
Morannon Orcs are excellent in reasonable numbers, such as between 10 and 20. Superb shock troops, they do have to pay for it - they may be strength 4, but they do end up being 50% more expensive than a normal orc when fully kitted out. Having a high defence, high strength, and good weaponry, they are a choice weapon with a Mordor army - most useful when facing high defence enemies such as WoMT.

Mordor Uruks
The best foot troops available for a Mordor general, these are also good in reasonable numbers. High stats make them good shock troops - but I would recommend against fielding more than 10 and a captain in one army due to their expensive cost. A good choice for your banner bearer, they will have greater survivability against warriors like WoMT.

Easterlings
Another good option, these have exactly the same stats as WoMT - meaning they will always have equal chance of destroying one! The best looking models in the game, Easterlings are expensive to buy, and you won't see many of them. A small unit of 6 is about right.

Warg Rider

Orc Trackers
Try to take Orc Trackers instead of Orc bowmen. For 30 points of Orc Bowmen, you get 5, with a rubbish shoot value, yet for 30 points of Orc Trackers you get 6 - enough to volley fire - with an improved shoot value. With a situation similar to rangers, who have a better shoot value and are less points than a WoMT, Trackers are well worth it. This also shows how cheap Warg Riders are - a Warg Rider cost 1 point less than an Orc Tracker on Warg, while an ordinary Orc costs 1 more, meaning you get the Warg and all the benefits for 4 pts!

This is an army I feel would do well in any situation. It has a good blend of troops and contains enough troops to outnumber any army.

It contains in excess of 60 models, while still having 15 cavalry and a strong contingent of bowmen. I would never be able to actually field this army without a lot more money, but it is an army I am aspiring towards. It is a kind of guideline to army selection in a Mordor army.

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