The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game/Tactics/Minas Tirith

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Boromir and the soldiers of Gondor take back Osgiliath.


Why Play Minas Tirith[edit]

Because Minas Tirith is one of the most complete LotR armies in the game, has some amazing models. These are your army if you want to be the Jack of all Trades army who have excellent defense values and AMAZING models. If anything these guys are kind of like your space marine analogues in that they are easy enough to paint, sturdier than your average man, and are the standard example of a 'good guy' in LotR.

Pros[edit]

  • Almost universally high Defense values
  • Incredibly versatile on the tabletop (Offensive, deffensive and mixed style)
  • Multiple amazing heroes
  • Has the ability to drop a metric TON of infantry down
  • Despite low costs very strong statlines, able to pretty easily be as choppy and courageous as elves
  • TREBUCHETS!
  • You get to have Gandalf the Fucking White in your army! And Pippin OH YEAH...just kidding, ignore this dude as Denethor did.
  • Cheap army to get started into the game (plastic infantry/Cavalry and elites are in blisters).

Cons[edit]

  • Not the best in any one field
  • Certain troops can be really expensive. To be fair, they are pretty well costed, so no "Extremely cheap for what they do in game" issue here...Go for elven armies if you look for bargains instead.
  • Heroes like Elessar/Uber Boromir must do the "heavy lifting" cause the entire infantry of this army has low killing power (Stuck at s3, no +1 to wound, hatred or s4 available unless you pick lances on your Cavalry)

Army Bonus[edit]

All Gondor units increase their courage by 1, making most units courage 4 and Osgiliath Veterans Courage 5! this also gives heroes +1 courage making them even more resistant to terror.

Unit Analysis[edit]

Heroes[edit]

  • Aragorn, King Elessar: Much like his other version, Aragorn is as great as ever. Arguably, he is THE BEST man-sized Good Hero in the entire game, and he's easily the best Good combat Hero. Now toting a Defence of 7, Andúril base, and the option to take an armoured horse (He is a Horse Lord so it's pretty much mandatory now) he's still the beatstick he always was, plus he counts as a 6" banner that he also benefits from. However, much like his other renditions, he is super expensive, and at his current cost he shouldn't really be brought to any fight lower than 700 points, and even then you have some cheaper options rolling around. To use him effectively, always get him his horse, and don't be afraid to use his Fate to protect it; it's way easier to make Elessar his points back if you're able to boost his movement and give him an extra Attack (against possibly prone/trapped models) in the process. Do be aware that because Elessar costs so much and is so deadly he'll be a massive target for the enemy, so always get him an escort of some kind. Knights are ideal for this role, but even if you can't get them then have him and his horse trot near some Warriors so that you can dictate which enemies can engage with him and which ones can't.
    • If you're wondering how best to use his Mighty Hero rule, saving the point for modifying a dice is usually the worst way to spend it; unless Elessar is completely surrounded and will be Trapped if strikes are resolved against him (in which case you need that 6). Otherwise using it for Heroic Moves/Heroic Combats is typically best; enemies are going to want to run away from him so jumping on them before they can move is a good idea, as is being able to fight with him more than once in a turn. Generally Aragorn will not need his other Heroic Actions, Heroic March is only useful for moving around the battlefield and you'll stop using it the second combat starts; Heroic Strike won't usually be needed since it's rare to find other Heroes with Fight 6 (although it will come in handy if you do); Heroic Strength is near-useless since Andúril already covers that issue, and Heroic Defence is only useful if Elessar is put in a bad combat against a Monster. Speaking of which...
    • Watch out for Monsters. While King Elessar is powerful, he's not invincible and just like in the movie, he can be stepped on by something like a Troll Chieftain. He's also vulnerable to Monsters with the Knock to the Ground rule (Shelob, Cave Drakes and the like) since they automatically unhorse him and since his Strength is only 4 they can use Rend to bypass his Defence. This is where you might want to use Heroic Defence, however it'll mainly keep him alive until he can run away (make sure to call a Heroic move as soon as he's clear). If you must take on Monsters, then weaken them first. So long as the Troll Chieftain has lost a wound and its Fate point he'll statistically kill it if he charges on his horse, and otherwise he's more likely to lose than win.
      • Do remember you can counter the Knock to the Ground rule by having Knights ride with Elessar; so long as they are spaced right, he can charge out from a group of them while enemy Monsters cannot charge in. This will keep him on his horse and go a long way to making his points back.
    • Watch out for models with Heroic Defence. Andúril can only wound them on a 6 (as per the FAQ) despite Andúril saying it "never" requires more than 4+ to Wound. It's a bad idea for Elessar to get locked down in combat if he's not killing things since he represents so much of your army, so save those road blocks for your other Heroes or just try to avoid them altogether until the very late game.
    • Considering how big a target King Elessar is, consider bringing Húrin the Tall. Not only is he good in a fight as well, if Elessar unfortunately dies you won't give up the points for losing your Leader since Húrin's Line of Command rule will prevent them from getting the bonus Victory Points (though they will still get the point(s) for wounding your leader).
  • Gandalf the White: One of the strongest supporting Heroes in the game, with a flexible range of magical powers meaning that he will always be useful in nearly every situation. Add in base 6 Will Points (plus a free one each turn from his Staff of Power), 3 Might, 3 Fate (which you can reroll thanks to the Elven ring that he wears) and 2 attacks (3 if you charge whilst riding Shadowfax) that hit at strength 5, and he's a fantastic choice that can do a bit of everything well, especially since his base Defence is 6 somehow (fighting that Balrog really toughened him up). It’s a shame that even all this doesn’t quite justify the fact that he’s 220 fucking points (without the horse). Save him for larger games, and even then only get him if you know your opponent is bringing a ton of Cavalry.
    • For a spell rundown, His notable powers are Banishment, which lets you one-shot Nazgûl and other Spirits from Angmar; Sorcerous Blast to knock holes in the enemy lines and unhorse enemy models from their mounts; and of course the ever-awesome Blinding Light, which can keep your Shieldwall safe from arrows (or enemy siege weapons) or protect your Cavalry on their way to the enemy. Make sure to channel it, as having it constantly in effect is much better than trying it every turn and possibly not getting it (regardless of how little a chance that is). Immobilise is a great spell for stopping enemy Heroes, and since Evil Heroes are really good in combat it's great to prevent them from striking back when they inevitably win Duel rolls (or prevent them from hiding once you aim your bows at them since a lot of them have low Defence). Command is good for making your enemies break formation so that their banners are exposed or to pull the banner away from an enemy so that it can't be passed on once you kill the bearer, and it's rare you'll find better uses for it besides that. In Scenarios where you're after a carried objective is can also be useful since you can move the enemy carrying it and force them to drop it, and it's also useful if you need to move an enemy Hero out from behind their line of troops or cover so they no longer benefit from In the Way rolls or get exposed for a charge, but you shouldn't make a gameplan around this. If your opponent knows you have it they'll structure their forces in a way that prevent you from getting the movement you need to make this happen. Fortify Spirit is situational, however it would be a good idea to use it if your opponent has a Ringwraith on the battlefield. Gandalf is a prime target for them since he's so expensive himself, and Fortify Spirit makes it far less likely he'll be on the receiving end of their spells, and makes it more likely he'll be around to use Banishment on them. Strengthen Will is a good spell to cast whenever you've got a momentary reprieve, and especially in the later stages of the game when your force is broken. Keeping your troops on the field is essential and you'll likely find your Captains running out of Will before long. It also helps you resist Transfix on your Captains if your opponent rolls low for their casting roll, since they can use their Will on that and then get the point back from Gandalf later. Terrifying Aura is typically not worth it unless you've already cast a channeled version of Blinding Light; you don't have any way of lowering the enemy's Courage and so the only ones who'll be stopped by it are those who Gandalf can already dominate in a fight. If you do still want to use it, make sure the channel it as well, it's much easier to make the enemy fail that way and Gandalf might be able to avoid a hard fight. Lastly Your Staff is Broken is very situational. You'll use it if you're up against Saruman, Radagast or Gandalf (who is obviously an imposter), but your opponent will be expecting this, and they'll likely be saving Will to counter it. Since they only need to match your casting roll, don't spend too much Will trying to get the spell off or you won't be able to beat them and break their Staff since once your own Will is depleted, it becomes a lot harder to get the spell off successfully.
    • Watch out if your opponent brings the Witch-king or the Necromancer. Both are one of the few models in the game that can manage to beat Gandalf in a magic contest, especially if they use Your Staff is Broken (it does exactly what it sounds like). The Dwimmerlaik is also a Ringwraith to watch out for, since even if Gandalf uses his will to resist the Dwimmerlaik, that particular Nazgûl can cancel out Gandalf's Will roll on a 4+, forcing you to spend another Will Point just to make it count. It's for this reason that if you see either the Witch-king or the Necromancer, you should get ready to case the channeled version of Fortify Spirit ASAP.
    • Note that with a Courage of 7 (the highest base value anyone in the game can get) Gandalf is effectively Fearless so long as you get your Army Bonus. This is fantastic as aside from keeping your Warriors around, it also means he can spend all his Will on magic, and save none for himself later.
    • Gandalf has interesting synergy with certain models that spend will to use unusual actions. Harry Goatleaf and Barliman Butterbur from the Wanderers in the Wild are two examples of this, since Harry can spend Will to freeze enemy infantry in place on a 3+ and Barliman can heal Gandalf on a 5+. Unfortunately they (and other such models) are Convenient Allies with Minas Tirith (or worse) so you lose your Army Bonus, but if you weren't keen on keeping it then it's something to consider since Gandalf can replenish their Will through Strengthen Will.
  • Denethor, Steward of Gondor: Denethor, is a weird case. He has an okay stat line (decent Strength though), a high Courage, but no Might or fate. He also has a special rule that risks him acting as an Evil model for a turn, but you shouldn't worry about that. With a war horn from one of your Warriors and your army bonus Denethor will only fail this roll on snake-eyes, and even if he does, you can spend a single Will point to get him to auto-pass it (assuming you care and he's in danger of getting killed or killing something important). Having Boromir in the same force also prevents you from needing to take these tests, but as mentioned that's not a big deal at all (however it makes Denethor a shoe-in if you're already taking Boromir). Denethor's big advantage and why you might still take him despite his special rules both being negative is because he's able to bring along a metric ton of Warriors, having a Warband size of 15 for only 35 points, and with his Courage it's incredibly unlikely he'll flee even when your force is broken. This makes him ideal if you want a bunch of Warriors on the board and don't care about having a combat Leader, though it does means you will struggle to win the Contest of Champions Scenario since that's a Leader kill count game, so just ask your opponent to not play it. This is unfortunate because he HAS to be your Leader if you take him, NO EXCEPTIONS (especially since the FAQ made it so he can't be taken alongside King Elessar).
    • Don't take Denethor and Faramir in the same list. Faramir doesn't really benefit from becoming Fearless since the army bonus and a war horn already make him effectively Fearless, and being forced to charge can really mess up your game plan, especially if your opponent snipes out the models you place down to deliberately block Faramir's charge then places something there that he has next to no chance of beating (like a Troll Chieftain).
    • Consider taking Húrin alongside Denethor, especially if you think Denethor might be in combat or sniped out. Not only does Húrin become significantly buffed by him if he needs to stay nearby for some reason, but he also prevents you from losing Victory Points if Denethor is killed in some manner. Together the two of them also provide practically everything you need for a horde of troops, since both of them allow you to take 30 Warriors for 115 points, which is nearly double the amount King Elessar can take for almost half the value.
  • Peregrin Took, Guard of the Citadel: Ha ha no. Funnily enough, he's a Defence 4 hobbit who's not even the cheapest hero available to you. To add insult to injury, he's an Independent Hero, meaning he can't even be brought to add on more troops. He's easily the worst choice for the army sadly, despite killing more orcs on screen than Irolas...
    • If for whatever reason you want to use Peregrin anyway, keep him near more important Heroes so you can use his Heroic Defence to stop something massive. If he stops a Monster from killing Faramir, giving the Captain a turn to run away for example then he's done his job. You also might as well buy him the Elven Cloak, since it'll help protect him from bows which wound him on a 5+, and you can also separate him a little from your other Heroes so that his Stand Fast! can help keep your Warriors around. Just remember, there's always better options to take than Pippin.
  • Boromir, Captain of the White Tower: The other super beatstick Minas Tirith can take. With almost as many options as Faramir, a solid Fight value and Defence of up to 7 (always give him a shield, always), he can and should be in your front line making a mess. What really puts him above other fighter Heroes is his stupidly high Might value of 6, and the Horn of Gondor, which when you're outnumbered, can cause you to win the Duel roll without even rolling for it. It's worth noting that he can take the Banner of Minas Tirith, which is a 6" Banner that boosts the Fight value of him and all Gondor Warriors around him, and you absolutely should take this. If you don't, then you might as well be taking King Elessar since he is better in combat than Boromir, and Boromir alone isn't worth 160 points. Thankfully with the banner Boromir is much better at buffing your Warriors than Elessar is since a Fight of 4 and a re-roll will allow them to beat a lot of Evil armies, or tie them in Duels which will give them more of a chance in melee combat. Careful though, according to the FAQ, you can't take him alongside King Elessar and still hold on to your faction bonus or ability to ally... but he can be in the same army with Gandalf the White with no penalties because that makes sense.
    • Since Boromir costs so much, consider getting Denethor to back him up. Denethor's low cost will counterbalance this and allow you to buy a ton of Warriors to use while Boromir can go off killing things with his own troop. Just know that if Boromir is targeted and focused down (since he's a huge target, especially with the banner) then Denethor will automatically fail his first Broken Mind test.
  • Faramir, Captain of Gondor: One of those previously mentioned 'cheaper options' from Aragorn's entry. To put it simply, Faramir is amazing. at 80 points base and with a metric ton of upgrade options, Faramir can fill any role you need without issue. Factor in his slightly above standard statline and you have an amazing Hero that will pull his weight, if not more, in any game you bring him in. With heavy armour, a shield, and a lance + horse you have a character who can smash through Infantry, and still cost less than 100 points total. Generally speaking, if you want a solid (but cheap) Hero, he's the go-to option.
    • Be careful if you bring his daddy along because if you do, he has to charge an enemy unit if he is able to do so. Although this may not sound like much, if you are outnumbered and playing a defensive technique, his daddy issues will probably ruin your plan. Denethor's buff doesn't even really help Faramir out, since you can recreate it by just taking a war horn on one of your Warriors and then hiding him somewhere. Combined with the Army Bonus it'll make Faramir Courage 8, so he'll effectively auto-pass all Courage tests unless some Ringwraiths spend a long time (and a lot of Will) draining his Courage, but if they actually do this then Faramir will make his points back by forcing the Nazgûl to waste theirs, so it's worth it.
    • Note that if you bring Maglung, his Birdcalls rule will grant Stalk Unseen to Faramir, even if he's wearing heavy armour so there's absolutely no reason to take Faramir without it considering how much tougher it makes him.
  • Beregond, Guard of the Citadel: That one cool guy who said "fuck the rules" and saves our home-boy Faramir (in the book anyway). With a longbow like the other Citadel Guard and the bodyguard rule (he's basically a guaranteed Stand Fast!), Beregond acts as a solid support character who's only hampered by his warband size. Sadly this means you probably won't use him outside of low points games, since with only one Might he can only call one Heroic Accuracy for the Citadel Guard, and with his poor stats (especially his one Wound) he's not going to be around for long in a fight. Still, if you want an archer Hero who will make sure all the Warriors around him stay on a backfield objective, he absolutely can be a good investment, just make sure to keep Warriors in between him and the enemy. With only one Wound you don't want to take chances your opponent rolls that lucky 6.
    • Beregond really shines in lower point games since there's not only less of a chance of him being sniped out, but because he can be given a small warband that can still be effective (such as Rangers) since not only does he cost significantly less than a Captain, but he will ensure they stick around thanks to Bodyguard, he can buff them with Heroic Accuracy, and he can make his points back by shooting his own bow. This is further helped by the fact he costs less than half the points of a Captain of Minas Tirith on a horse (and almost half the points of a Captain with a shield), leaving you more points to fill out his warband with. Just make sure to give him a horse, since if nothing else, it will randomise the shots fired at him and prevent some of them from hitting and potentially killing him.
  • Madril, Captain of Ithilien: Here is where we get silly. Madril is a cheap ranger hero with an okay stat line, but it's his "Master of Ambush" rule that really makes him great. In short, he gives you a bonus to any and all rolls for reserves, so long as he is on the board. This includes rolls that happen later in the same turn, so if you want your men to come in on your terms, he's the guy to bring.
    • Because he costs relatively little at 55 points, has 3 Might Points and has Heroic Accuracy, Madril is an ideal candidate for bringing along Citadel Guard, even if you don't care for Master of Ambush. Yes he's meant for Rangers, but the only real niche for Citadel Guard is using their Strength 3 longbows to snipe out enemy characters; Madril's Heroic Accuracy helps with this a lot, and he's a cheaper investment than Faramir. If he's providing re-rolls on In the Way tests, Madril and Citadel Guard can easily snipe out supporting or high Courage Heroes on the enemy side, especially since they wound Defence 5 on 5+, which happens to be the vast majority of support Heroes in the game. This can be game-winning too if your opponent has Shamans with Fury keeping all their Courage 2 Orcs on the field, and as soon as they're gone you can watch the enemy crumble.
    • Madril has natural synergy with Mablung, since just by standing near Mablung he'll get Stalk Unseen. If you're taking both and/or going ranger heavy then this is something to consider, being able to snipe at the enemy without worrying about return fire is pretty great, and he provides the Might for extra uses of Heroic Accuracy.
  • Damrod, Ranger of Ithilien: Damrod is a weird case. he has the absolute bog standard stat line with nothing really marking him out from the other heroes, that is until you see his laughable point cost of 25 points, i.e. one of the cheapest heroes on the Good side of the isle, and he's almost an auto-include just for allowing you to put down more models. Bring him with 6 Rangers of Gondor for a small, cheap ranged warband - perfect for smaller point games.
    • Always keep Warriors between Damrod and enemy bows. With only one Wound you don't want to take chances if your opponent gets a lucky 6, and In the Way rolls will work to protect him so that you can hopefully save his Fate Point for a more dangerous play, like running to new cover or away from pursuers.
    • Like the other ranger characters, Damrod has good synergy with Mablung, since just by standing near Mablung he'll get Stalk Unseen. This is well worth it since together they're quite cheap, and they both only have one Wound. With only one Wound they're both a prime candidate for enemy bows, even if they wound on 6's, so consider getting them as a pair if you want a solid ranger core.
  • Anborn, Ranger of Ithilien: Anborn is one of the many cheap ranger Heroes available to you, and unfortunately he's the only one who can't really pull his own weight. For his cost you could get four Rangers, which will put out a far greater amount of damage than he can on his own, and all of your other ranger Heroes can use Heroic Accuracy as well, making the need for Anborn redundant. If you get him at all it'll just be for fun, and he shouldn't be taken in serious lists.
    • If for whatever reason you do intend on taking him anyway, use him against Cavalry and save his Might Point for his To Wound roll rather than influencing whether you hit the mount or the rider. The reason why is because he'll effectively wound most Cavalry on a 5+, or the mount on a 4+, and nearly every Cavalry model in the game is made a lot weaker by killing the horse. As for the other tips, like the rest of the ranger Heroes make sure to keep him behind Warriors so he benefits from In the Way rolls (since he only has one Wound) and keep him near Mablung so he gets Stalk Unseen.
  • Mablung, Ranger of Ithilien: One of the most useful Heroes, not only does he bring a nice core of 6 Rangers, but he also grants them all Stalk Unseen, allowing you to unleash a hail of arrows at your enemy without retaliation so long as there's at least some cover, which allows you to recreate the scene where Frodo and Sam get captured in the second movie. You can almost always find a use for Mablung if you plan on taking Rangers or Heroes he affects (which are Faramir, Madril, Damrod and Anborn).
    • Note that if you wanted to sneak Rangers with spears through the woods for some reason, maybe to attack a backfield objective, you'll still benefit from the Stalk Unseen rule, even if you have Faramir in full armour and with a shield. Considering the general stats of models that typically hold backfield objectives, Mablung, Faramir and the rangers should have no problems overwhelming them while avoiding bow fire on the approach, and then possibly being able to stay on the objective afterwards while still hidden. Just make sure that Mablung stays out of the melee himself, as it makes him much easier to kill and then you lose your Stalk Unseen.
    • Make sure to always place Warriors between him and enemy bows. With only one Wound your enemy will be itching to snipe him off the field if he is even slightly exposed and In the Way tests will help out if you need to leave or sprint for cover for whatever reason.
  • Ingold: Ingold makes the generic Captain and a whole bunch of other heroes redundant, and is practically an auto-include if you were thinking of taking a standard Captain. Despite having stats on par with a generic Captain, he has one extra Might point and Resolute Fighter, which is where he really shines. All troops around him do not back away when they lose a fight, the enemy does! Although this may not seem like much, it will allow you to keep your front line in formation, which means you get to keep benefitting from Shieldwall even when your Warriors lose their Duel rolls and you don't need to do clever positioning or group engagements on enemies to get the Defence bonus when your enemy makes Strikes against you. Also if you attack over a wall and lose, congratulations, you now defend the wall! Sadly as per FAQ Ingold and Warriors benefitting from the rule still counts as trapped if they can't theoretically back away - so no pike formation without ever being trapped.
    • Because Resolute Fighter is such a great rule, consider keeping Ingold away from harder hitting enemy Heroes. He's much better alive and giving you his buff than taking a risky engagement and dying, and for that matter, save your Might Points for Heroic Defence. Heroic Strike isn't worth it with only Fight 4 (most enemy combat Heroes have Fight 5 with Heroic Strike), and the sooner you run out of Might, the easier it'll be for your opponent to kill him in combat.
    • Note that since Ingold does not have Heroic March, you'll probably be pairing him with a Captain to gain the benefit. This isn't a bad thing, but do remember that Resolute Fighter will not benefit the Captain which might put you in an unfortunate scenario if you forget and are using them as part of your Shieldwall.
  • Irolas: Denethor's lackey. He has a slightly above average stat line (he has +1 Fight and +1 Might), however he does have several very useful abilities. The first one is Heroic March, which doesn't sound like much but it does mean you can use him to get your Warriors into position without needing to rely on a Captain walking beside you to get there. The second is Heroic Defence, which is useful for keeping him alive to continuously be a Fearless bubble, since his third ability is Bodyguard. This makes him great for keeping your Warriors fighting the good fight and holding objectives, and this is further helped by his final rule; despite not being armed with a shield, Irolas may use the Shielding rule (doubling his Attacks to 4) and if he elects to use it and wins the ensuing Fight, he may make a single Strength 4 strike against one enemy model. This allows you to slowly chip away at enemy troops when he's surrounded, or to hold back and whittle down a horde on his own.
    • Never be afraid to use Heroic March to run away. If a massive Monster, a Troll Chieftain for example, comes up to your Shieldwall, Irolas can tank the hits for one round with Heroic Defence, and then run away with Heroic March and taking as many Warriors with him as possible in the process. Generally this is a much better idea than taking it on and getting slaughtered with Rend.
  • Húrin the Tall: Like Irolas, Húrin is another super-captain, although he costs more and is more of an insurance for your force than anything else. Like Irolas he's Fight 5 and has 3 Might, but whereas Irolas specializes in not getting hurt, Húrin deals more damage with his hand-and-a-half sword that has no penalty for wielding it two-handed. Get him a horse to boost his Attacks to 3 and he'll be chopping down Orcs with the best of them (especially if they're knocked over in the charge) but his true strength lies in his two special rules. The first is he becomes Fearless and gets to re-roll a D6 in a duel if he's close to King Elessar and Denethor (this isn't technically a banner, so he can get a banner re-roll for his other attack as well), and if your Leader dies, your opponent gains no credit for killing them unless they kill Húrin as well (though they still get points for wounding your Leader). Given how your leader, especially your combat focused characters are huge targets, this is a big advantage and could mean the difference between a win and a loss at the end of the game, and your opponent might divide their force to go after Húrin before they even manage to kill your Leader, which might give them a chance to run away so long as you're smart with your Heroic Moves.
    • Note that because he lacks Heroic March, you might be taking him alongside a Captain (or Irolas) so that they can use their Heroic March to get Húrin and his troop into position.
  • Cirion, Lieutenant of Amon Barad: Cirion is basically a no-name lordling who is best described as a Captain of Minas Tirith who really wants to charge Spirits. His stats and points cost are identical to the Captain (with a shield) with the exception of a Defence point since he wears armour instead of heavy armour, but in exchange he gets a point of Might, which is a decent trade, and he'd probably be a great choice if he just kept Heroic March. Unfortunately he swapped that out for Heroic Resolve and Heroic Strike, which is more of a mixed bag. To make the most of it, keep him near a Shieldwall and use Heroic Resolve to try and prevent your Warriors from being knocked over like bowling pins if they're hit by Sorcerous Blast. Hopefully you can keep it going for a few turns while your Citadel Guard try to snipe out whichever Wizard is casting the spell. Cirion is also really good if your opponent is fielding a force that uses the Blades of the Dead rule, since with the Army Bonus and a war horn from a Warrior he'll be using his Courage of 8 against their Strength 3/4, so even the King of the Dead will require 6's followed by 4+ To Wound him. If you're not up against magic powers that can cancel your Shieldwall (even Transfix can cancel it since Shieldwall is an active ability), or if you're not fighting a Spirit heavy army, or if you're not even going for a Shieldwall, then pass Cirion by for a regular Captain. You'll find more use out of their Heroic March than you will Cirion's sad attempt to fight a troll.
  • Knight of the White Tower: The first of the 'generic' heroes, and boy does he set a high standard. with 2 Attacks, Fight 5, and Defence 6, he doesn't seem all that much, until you notice the rules for using his two-handed sword, the first of which cause each wound inflicted to double to 2 wounds, making him great at taking out generic Heroes as well as some two wound named Heroes, and the second of rule causes him not to take the two-handed penalty if he rolls a 6. He's basically everything Cirion wanted to be.
    • Heavily consider combining the Knight of the White Tower with either Cavalry or Gandalf. The reason why is because they can both knock models prone, and if the Knight of the White Tower strikes at a prone model, they're basically dead unless they're literal Monsters. Regular Heroes will get shredded hard by four Attacks that cause all wounds to double, and since he only costs 60 points base and has access to Heroic Strike (making sure he'll win those Duel rolls against prone models) he can make his points back very quickly.
    • Note that the Knight of the White Tower lacks Heroic March, as well as a mount, so you'll probably field him alongside a Captain. Use them together to get him and their Warriors to where they need to be, and then put the Knight on the flank to kill stuff from the side while your Shieldwall holds.
  • King of Men: A super Captain, seriously. he's a captain with +1 Fight, +1 Defence +1 Courage, +1 Might and +1 Will, with the same options available to him and for only ten points more. He also gets access to Heroic Defence to make him even harder to kill, so all in all he's an awesome choice that makes Captains completely redundant... if it wasn't for the fact that if you take them, you cannot take named Gondor Hero models. This heavily bites, however you can still have a lot of fun with them if you want, since Kings have stats that will outclass most enemy elites while costing relatively little for what they bring to the table. An armoured King on a horse with a lance and shield for example is a Fight 5, Defence 8 Monster that'll spear through most enemy troops, and you're not listed to just one. If for whatever reason you're not taking named characters, then these guys are an easy auto-include. They do everything a Captain does but better, allowing you to march and
    • Do be aware that without Gandalf or other named characters you're going to be a little more limited in your playstyle. You can't use any of their fancy tricks, which means that you'll probably be relying on the tried and true hammer and anvil technique. The gist of it is that your Kings will have either Warriors of Minas Tirith and/or Guards of the Fountain Court to hold the enemy back, while you move either your Knight or Avenger Bolt Throwers into position (do not invest in both, only go with one or the other since they require you to hit a decent amount of models to be very effective) and then either charge into the enemy, trapping and destroying them, or use your Avenger Bolt Throwers to gun the enemy down.
    • Also note that the one thing Kings of Men lack is the Shieldwall rule. Obviously they shouldn't get it, since they'd be Defence 9 with it and that would be absurd, however it does mean you should field your Kings on the flanks of Shieldwalls rather than in the middle. This way on the off chance you're forced back you won't have to break formation to get the King out, and it will be easier to maintain the wall.
  • Captain of Minas Tirith: The base option for your Heroes, and probably the Hero you'll be taking the most often. Captains of Minas Tirith can be kitted out to be solid horse Heroes, or just really good support for the Shieldwall, going to the front of the wall (since they'll be Defence 8) to help soak up the enemy's charge and deal as much damage back as possible. It goes without saying that you always give them a shield, but whether you use them as backup for your formation or a leader for your Knights is entirely up to you. They do both roles very well and are great support for either, just don't try to mix and match. A Captain with a warband of Knights or a Captain with a warband of Warriors of Minas Tirith is ideal for example, if you try and take a little of each you'll struggle to do either role well.
    • The reason you'll likely take several Captains is because they have access to Heroic March, which will allow you to move your Warriors into position, or perhaps in your case, run away from a bad position. It's a really good ability especially if you want to buffer out your bows and Avenger Bolt Throwers with Infantry, or if you want to speed up Cavalry to pressure into the enemy's backline. Never underestimate it, used right it's a gamechanger.
    • Make sure to get a war horn on one of your Warriors. It'll make Captains Courage 6, which is great for when your force breaks. Some Evil lists might also try to drain your Courage to make the Captains unable to make charges against Terror causing unit, and this will also help with that.

Warriors[edit]

  • Warrior of Minas Tirith: your bread and butter unit. Criminally cheap Defence 6 units (so long as you buy them Shields which you should) that have the Shieldwall special rule and with plenty of options, they can easily pull their own weight and hold the line against some of the strongest enemy units. Their Fight 3 is a bit of a worry against some armies (Isengard, Elves, Corsairs) so it's important to utilise your (likely) numbers advantage whenever you can. The Shieldwall rule help keep your guys safe from ranged weapons (even crossbows only wound you on 6's) but it's always a good idea to keep some Guards of the Fountain Court to fill in gaps or Heroes on your flanks to stop your warbands from caving in. Planting your army between terrain pieces also help a lot. Don't forget to give them a banner, its re-roll is going to be invaluable, especially in Duels where you have a lower Fight value and need to roll higher than your opponent. A war horn is also a great upgrade, it makes your Warriors Courage 5 (with the Army Bonus) which is better than the Heroes of other factions, ensuring they'll stick around even if they're left on their own in case your Hero was sniped out or died in a Duel, since you shouldn't endeavour to deliberately leave them alone. Even if you just hide the war horn somewhere it's worth taking since it makes Elessar, Gandalf, Boromir and Faramir effectively Fearless. Do make sure to keep a second line of spears behind your shields, not only does it make it easier to get your Shieldwall bonus, but the extra attack will help you win the Duel roll.
    • A little note on statistical averages: it's harder to roll a 6 on two dice than it is to roll a 5+ on one. Granted the difference is less than 4%, but what this means is that if your Warriors of Minas Tirith are Trapped against Uruk-hai, they're not dead, in fact it's technically better to be Trapped with the Shieldwall bonus against Strength 4 than it is to be shoved backwards without it (especially if you're on an objective).
    • Pay attention to how you back away models. If you back away a spear and a Warrior because the they lost the Duel roll, then while the Warrior is going to take a hit on Defence 6, the next model forced back could potentially be taking the strike on Defence 7, so long as you measure carefully and back them away so they're touching both the spear and the Warrior already forced back. This will also come into play in a multiple combat, since if two Warriors are fighting against the same target and are backed up by a spear, they'll all receive the Defence bonus if they lose the Duel. Remembering this can save your Warriors if you're fighting against a Strength 4 character with a higher Fight value, or have clashing battlelines against Fight 4 enemy troops.
    • Do remember you lose your Shieldwall if a model is knocked prone. Because of this, you should make sure to take out Cavalry quickly, snipe them out with your bows even if they're only taking out the mount to remove their Knock to the Ground rule. Furthermore, make taking out models with maces a priority; if they succeed in their roll to Bash your Warriors, you'll be knocked prone and everyone around them could lose the benefit of Shieldwall.
    • Also be aware that Warriors of Minas Tirith are not usually the models that get you kills. They can hold objectives and keep enemies back with the best of them, but to rack up the body count you're going to want to invest in either Knights of Minas Tirith or Avenger Bolt Throwers. Without either of these the game will become a real grind, one you may very well lose even with your crazy high Defence (especially since Monsters will just use Rend to tear through your Warriors).
    • If you are up against an enemy siege engine, such as a catapult, don't be afraid to break formation until you've dealt with it. Certain siege engines like the catapult can knock models prone and have an area of effect with their damage, and a catapult targeting a Shieldwall can rack up points very quickly, even if you choose the furthest flanks for the rock to land on.
  • Knight of Minas Tirith: Basically a Warrior of Minas Tirith on a horse with a lance. just like the Warrior he absolutely should have a shield for Defense 6 (especially since they keep Shieldwall in case they lose their horse or dismount), and they make up one of the two very effective hammers in your force that can be relied upon to break the enemy. Despite their Strength, lances will do a number on the enemy, and they work extremely well with mounted Heroes. Kings of Men, Captains on Horses, as well as King Elessar or Boromir with his banner are all examples of roaming Deathstars that will run over other Infantry and even Cavalry they come in contact with since you'll usually wound on a 4+, and even Monsters will go down if you hit them with enough Knights, and trap them in the process. It's always recommended to field them with somebody with Heroic March since the extra movement will give you a huge lead and allow you to zip across the field to far away targets, or evade pursuit if you're being chased by a superior force.
    • The other hammer in the force capable of breaking the enemy are Avenger Bolt Throwers, and it's not recommended to invest in both. You usually won't have the points for it, and committing to one or the other is much better than trying to do two things and doing them both poorly. You will lose models despite the Defence and without extra models backing them up you will be easily picked apart/shot/Transfixed for your Knights, or be unable to kill enough with the Avenger Bolt Throwers, especially if you get a few bad rolls. Which one you want to use at the end of the day however, is up to you.
    • If you are up against an enemy siege engine, such as a catapult, don't be afraid to break formation until you've dealt with it. Certain siege engines like the catapult can knock models prone, and a Knight being knocked prone is nothing but a super expensive Warrior of Minas Tirith.
  • Ranger of Gondor: Just like Warriors of Minas Tirith, these guys are there to fill a similar slot, albeit a more shooty variety, and with lower Defence. They're not about to outshoot Elves or anything with crossbows but given the numbers you're likely to field, Rangers can dish out some pretty good damage against low-armour targets. Take some with Beregond in smaller-point games and take larger numbers with Madril in bigger-point games. Also consider Mablung, since he gives them all Stalk Unseen which will allow them to shoot from cover while taking no fire in return, which is excellent especially when you factor in their low Defence.
    • They do also have Fight 4, so if given spears they can chill behind your warriors shooting until the enemy close in, where they can boost the Fight value of the warriors in front of them. Just be aware that if you do this, it's going to be a lot harder to keep your Shieldwall when your models are forced back. This isn't much of a concern if you're up against Strength 3 armies, but it'll make a big difference against Strength 4 since they'll have a much easier time killing your Warriors.
  • Citadel Guard: Your elite archers. Yes we know, they're meant to be your elite fighters, but unfortunately they're pretty poor in that role. They're only Defence 5 with no option for a shield (so they can't benefit from Shieldwall, even if they had the rule) and Strength 3 enemies, AKA everyone except Hobbits, will be wounding them on 5+ whereas those same enemies will wound your regular Warriors and Knights on 6's. They also have no option for a lance, so they're worse on horses than their 'lesser' brethren, and while Fight 4 is nice, Shieldwalls benefit most from spears with the Shieldwall rule, or models who are Defence 7 who can plug any gaps on the flanks (like Guards of the Fountain Court with shields). That being said, the only niche they have left that they fulfill is being snipers, and though hitting on 4+ is pretty poor for an elite shooting unit, their Strength 3 shots help make up for it. They are much more efficient at killing Defence 5 and Defence 7 models than your Rangers are (they're also way more efficient than regular Warriors who can take bows), and when you combine them with somebody like Madril who can give them 3 Heroic Accuracy buffs per game, you can use them to snipe out enemy Shamans and other supporting elements, leaving Evil armies high and dry when their force breaks and their Courage tests hit. Seeing how Courage is a massive issue for most of the Evil armies, as soon as you take away their Heroes you can watch the rest of the army crumble. Even against some of the more powerful models like Mûmakil, you can take out the driver relatively easily over the course of a few turns, and after that every wound inflicted on the beast has a good chance of allowing you to control it, and if you just run it off the edge of the board you'll kill the entire model and everyone on it.
    • If you really want to take a few Citadel Guards on horses, you certainly can. Just be aware that it'll be expensive and since they'll usually be hitting on 5+ they don't make great skirmish Cavalry. They are still capable of shooting with their longbows and running models over who get too close, making them similar to Riders of Rohan with more range, but their extra cost will make you wish you had those guys instead. If you get some of them horses at all then use them defensively, keeping them back to run down enemies encroaching on your backline rather than taking the fight to the foe. It's too easy to shoot them off their horse or counter-charge them, and since they're only Defence 5, they'll be wounded by even Strength 3 on a 5+.
  • Guard of the Fountain Court: The actual Minas Tirith elite, unlike those Citadel Guard, the Guards of the Fountain Court are not meant to be used in the frontline, but rather used behind your Warriors to plug up holes, guard your flanks or block off Warriors trying to push past, but they can also be used to hold objectives far away from Heroes if they need to thanks to the Bodyguard rule. They're your reserves for when your Warriors start dying and you lose the benefit from their Shieldwall rule, so keep your Leader alive and they'll never run away. This goes well with the fact they can give their Fight 4 to other Warriors around them, which is going to be very helpful since your Warriors will lose on average to stronger opponents like Uruk-hai, and now they'll tie them.
    • Note that while they're best used as backup for regular Warriors, you can still use warbands of Guards of the Fountain Court on their own. You can even bring them as your core Warriors since they can all support each other with their Fight 5 spears and at Defence 7 they're practically immune to bow fire (along with most enemy infantry). Just be aware that they will be a little more inefficient than if they were backing up Warriors since you'll have fewer bodies on the table, and if you take too many you'll find out that they do not stand up well to Monsters (who will just use Rend) at all. It's a little harder to hold down the board with just Guards of the Fountain Court and you need to save some points for things like Knights or Avenger Bolt Throwers since the Gaurd's Strength 3 isn't going to cut it against the bigger threats.
    • Guards of the Fountain Court have great synergy with Boromir and his super banner. He gives them all Fight 5, which lets them keep up with the elites of other armies. Even most combat Heroes won't have higher Fight values than Guards of the Fountain Court backed by the banner, so get them supporting Warriors in the flanks or backing up those who will be fighting Fight 4/5 Heroes and you'll be golden.
  • Osgiliath Veteran: Outside of fluff, these guys aren't really worth it. +1 Courage is nice but you don't want to use these guys without a Hero nearby or charging Terror causing models so it's mostly redundant, and you have other Warriors with the Bodyguard rule if you want Warriors who won't run away. Bows aren't worth it at all given the Rangers of Gondor are cheaper and have a better shoot value, and if you get shields or spears, or shields and spears they're going to be even more expensive. This puts them in a bit of a spot, since Osgiliath Veterans with spears and shields cost the same as a Guard of the Fountain Court who are just flat out better, but if you really want to save that one point for some reason, you could get Osgiliath Veterans with spears and no shields backing up Veterans who do have shields. Just make sure they're within 6" of Boromir with his banner since he'll make them all Fight 5, so they'll keep up with and beat most of the elite Warriors and even draw against some combat Heroes of other factions. If you're not using them with Boromir and his banner, or Faramir in a lower point game, then give them a hard pass unless, as said above, you're taking them just for fun and don't care about a competitive list.
  • Gondor Battlecry Trebuchet: Who needs rings of power when you can launch a 90Kg stone over 300 meters? At 80 points, you get a terrifying weapon that absolutely devastate whatever it hits, and even does a fair bit of damage to things standing to close to its target. In your army it's one of two things that can be relied upon to kill Monsters (when it finally hits them) since it kills them outright, and it makes mincemeat of Cavalry since not only does it kill outright whoever it hits, it'll also knock surrounding models prone, and in the case of Cavalry, this means they lose their mounts. Overall it's a fun model that's not bad at all, but you might find it has a lot of trouble making its points back in smaller games since it'll very rarely land on the model you want it to land on.
    • For the upgrades, Engineer Captains are damn expensive, and overall not really worth it. They cost more than half the trebuchet on their own, and while two Might is great (especially since it means you'll splat a Troll on a 4+) it's easier to pay the extra 30 points and get a second trebuchet to help you hit specific targets. You'll appreciate it if you're in an artillery duel or if you're killing off all the models around the Monster you're trying to hit while knocking it prone in the process. Flaming Ammunition is a good upgrade, since there's few things that suck harder than nailing the troll you were aiming at with a lucky 6 and then rolling a 1 on your To Wound roll. Additional Crew are okay, you can get them or you can spend more on bodies around the trebuchet to protect them, the difference is that the extra crew are going to be more useful if you're in an artillery duel since shots will likely scatter onto them.
    • One or two Battlecry Trebuchets have good synergy with both Knights of Minas Tirith, and your Rangers/Citadel Guard. In the former case, the trebuchet can land on one of the models guarding what you want to charge (more often than not this is the case unless you roll a 6), which will knock others prone in the process and allowing your Knights to gain easy kills, even if they're targeting Monsters. Just make sure to save your Might Point in case you roll a 1 on your scatter and your Knights are too close. In the case of Rangers/Citadel Guard, they can shoot before the trebuchet, and any models they kill are models your opponent won't be able to scatter the rock onto. Target looser models on a formation that's spread out with your bows, and then hurl a rock at the rest for the best results.
  • Gondor Avenger Bolt Thrower: For when you want to make the Elf ranged game look weak. These giant crossbows are one of the best things on your roster, and they're one of two ways a typical Minas Tirith list manages to kill enemy models with any sort of regularity. The other one is Knights of Minas Tirith, and it's generally a good idea to not mix and match. Going full Knights or full Avenger Bolt Throwers is a better idea than trying to do both and doing each one poorly. As for the siege engines themselves, they put out a lot of high Strength shots over the course of the game, and are ideal for mowing down anything and everything on the opponent's army. The only two problems you might have with them are moving them into position, since they must always be deployed along your table edge, and with their shorter range you'll spend a long while running them up the field while relying on your Warriors of Minas Tirith or Guards of the Fountain Court to hold back the enemies. Once you are in position you might still find problems with line of sight, however this is where you want to start playing defensively. Open up your Shieldwalls like a gate so that the way forward is still blocked by control zones but the Avenger Bolt Throwers can see out, and unleash a hail of death upon the enemy. The Avenger Bolt Throwers also function better the more of them you have, three are ideal but you can go up higher depending on who or what you've got in your force; don't be afraid of the investment, and once you see them gun down a troll that used Rend to tear through your Shieldwall you'll come to appreciate them almost as much as your opponent will hate them.
    • For the upgrades, Engineer Captains cost as much as the siege engine itself, and you should always give them a pass for another Avenger Bolt Thrower. If you really wanted to be cheesy with them, then put Madril or Faramir by them so that you can use Heroic Shoot and Heroic Accuracy, depending on what you need. Heroic Shoot will let you drown the enemy's bows in a hail of bolts, killing off their chances of fighting back at range, while Heroic Accuracy will let you snipe out supporting elements or even the enemy's Leader, depending on how many of Avenger Bolt Throwers can draw line of sight to them. Swift Reload is a good upgrade, although you might not consider it worth it if you're taking several of these. Three Avenger Bolt Throwers barebones are better than two with the Swift Reload upgrade. Lastly, Additional Crew is a near mandatory upgrade for at least one or two more models on at least one of your siege engines. Your enemy is going to be trying to snipe these off the table and the extra crew are going to be lifesavers if some die.

Allies[edit]

Historical Allies[edit]

Rohan - Théoden and a band of 12-18 Riders of Rohan are a viable alternative to your Knights of Minas Tirith. Your Knights hit slightly harder on the charge thanks to Lances, and are slightly tougher, but Riders have the option to take throwing weapons, and more importantly have bows, making them more tactically flexible. Théoden himself is a cheap way of boosting his Riders to Fight 4, where to get the same for your Knights you need to pay an ass load of points for Boromir and his banner, which also disqualifies you from bringing other named heroes.

  • Admittedly Boromir is much more of a beat-stick than Théoden is, but it's still a significant chunk of your army committed to your mobile elements, whereas a fully kitted out Théoden + 18 Riders works out to be 352-380 (depending on how many throwing weapons you take), which is only ~140 points more than Boromir alone.
    • Let's imagine you have allocated 350 points for a mobile segment of your force - you basically have to decide between Théoden and 18 riders vs Boromir and 10 Knights. More of your power is concentrated into one character, but Boromir is a combat beast with a ton of might to be fair.

The Dead of Dunharrow

The Fiefdoms

Convenient Allies[edit]

Fangorn

Lothlórien

Rivendell

The Fellowship

Thranduil's Hall

The Misty Mountains

The Rangers

The Shire

The White Council

Wildmen of Druádan

Impossible Allies[edit]

Arnor

Númenor

The Kingdom of Khazad-dûm

The Wanderers in the Wild

Thorin's Company

Radagast's Alliance

Army of Thrór

Garrison of Dale

Army of Laketown

Survivors of Laketown

Iron Hills Dwarves

Erebor Reclaimed

Building your Army[edit]

Much like the other armies in the game, starting a Minas Tirith army is cheap: a box of warriors and your choice of hero ends up costing $40 and sitting at around 200 points depending on your choices, and from there your options are endless. the next steps for a generic force would be getting a few bow armed citadel guard and Guards of the Fountain Court to start diving into the more elite units, if not another box of Warriors of Minas Tirith. It's worth noting that the bow-armed Warriors from the box are not the best and while they are a decent starting point, should probably be phased out relatively quickly.

Tactics[edit]

Denethor congratulating his sons' son's victory.

Where to begin with Minas Tirith? Firstly, do not forget Shieldwall. This special rule gives you a reason to take Warriors of Minas Tirith to game other than for fluff. The D7 wall is tough to smash through for all but the luckiest of attacks and is one of the two anvils that you can create for the age-old 'hammer anvil tactic'

In all seriousness, when looking through the Minas Tirith list you will notice that you have a huge number of heroes to pick from. Although this may seem great, it is only great on paper. Minas Tirith suffers from option paralysis. That being, nearly every single hero is great in some way that can make a huge difference in almost any game, but ultimately, you will struggle to actually make your list.

The most common tactic for Gondor is the one mentioned earlier, the Hammer Anvil tactic. This is where your front line holds the enemy in place and keeps them in place while something else in your army destroys the enemies flank and then swings around to flank/rear charge your enemy, securing a hard won victory. If you are going to use this tactic, two of your troop choices shine for the frontline of your anvil. These troops are the Warriors of Minas Tirith and the Fountain Guard. Fountain Guard are slightly more expensive BUT oh boy are they worth it. Keep the Hero they are bodyguarding alive and they can charge and hold down units that cause terror while only falling to the luckiest of strikes. Even better, their fight is captain level so they will be winning the majority of fights and striking to kill. Although their strength is average, they should be able to do some damage before the hammer swings around. If you feel like being mean, bring Boromir Captain of the White Tower with the banner to lead them. Their fight goes up to elf level meaning you will be winning or drawing fights against nearly 75% of all units in this game system while Boromir can draw against a Troll. The other group of troops you can take for the anvil is Warriors of Minas Tirith. The Shieldwall special rule means that so long as they are together they are D7 but their fight is very average. To fix this, have them supported by Citidel Guard who are slightly cheaper than Fountain Court but they do have a lower defense, and no option for a shield. If you decide to take Warriors of Minas Tirith for your line, be sure to bring Ingold to lead them. His special rule means that even if you lose you're standing still (great for holding objectives) while you have to do less tricks to keep your Shieldwall for so long. Now for your hammer, unless you have allies, it will be Knights of Minas Tirith as you want to get into combat ASAP. A good leader for them is Faramir due to the number of options he has, while another choice is potentially Boromir with the banner. Making your Knights F4 means that they'll be able to effectively win most fights while Boromir will ensure that any troll or Monster on the flank is quickly dealt with.

The other tactic that can be used, depending on how many friends you feel like losing, is the 'Shooting Anvil' tactic. This being, in your 'Anvil' insert 2 or even 3 Avenger Bolt Throwers, sit back, and shoot your enemy to oblivion. Then, as the enemy gets close, pull them out of the line and set them to the side with some 'elite' troops to protect them along with a hero that cannot be ignored. Your opponent will be forced to decide between destroying the Bolt Throwers or your anvil. The Bolt Throwers should last long enough for the anvil to come to assistance or your enemy will completely ignore them and have its rear shot to bits. Three Avengers and a few troops to look after them will cost around 300 points and a hero will put it up to 380ish points, making it very worthwhile. Furthermore remember, siege engines deploy touching the board edge so you should get 3-5 turns of decent shooting out of them, averaging around 6 kills per turn. Although this may not seem like much, over 3 turns you could cause 18 odd casualties. This number, in a game system where numbers count and most armies average between 30-50 models, means you can break your enemy before they get into combat with you. This tactic, however, is not workable in games where you need to grab an objective or where troops randomly enter the board.

A point of weakness with Gondor. If you're going up against a magic heavy army, you will struggle. Many heroes of Minas Tirith only have a single point of Will, so it won't take much for your opponent to start paralyzing your heroes or knocking down your entire front line with Tremour or Sorcerous Blast. A solution to this is Pippin as he has the resistant to magic special rule, meaning that you will always be getting a single dice to resist the effects of the spell if Pippin is in range of it (It may not seem like much, but with his Elven Cloak Pippin can be good to hold an objective in terrain behind your main line in other games) Denethor is also a good source of cheap Will.

However, one of the best things about Minas Tirith is their army has a counter to nearly everything. Facing an opponent with lots of shooting? Gandalf the White and blinding light. Enemy outnumbers you? Avenger Bolt Throwers/Trebuchet. Playing a scenario where reinforcements are a thing? Madril will get them to the field. Want to go crazy with a kickass hero but you don't want your opponent to gain victory points in case you roll really badly once? Denethor is the solution. Assaulting an enemy who is defending barricades? Ingold will lead the way. The enemy army is scary? Anything with bodyguard. The only problem with this is that you cannot cater your list to every enemy army that you go up against in a tournament, but you can build the jack of all trades lists as follows: 

      1. Grab a kickass general. Aragorn, Boromir and Gandalf are fantastic choices. Each can bring a ton of troops and each of them can tear through enemy troops like there is no tomorrow (Gandalf is a slight exception to this) meaning that you will have a decent chance of winning games where hero-kill count is important. 

      2. Grab a good supporting Hero. If you want to bring more troops, grab Denethor who is cheap and can bring a bunch of men (great hero too when Boromir is brought as well) if you want to ensure that your enemy doesn't get victory points for killing your kickass hero? Denethor and/or Húrin (bringing both is a massive troll move, however) Keep Denethor back or if you have Boromir, keep him nearby and if either (or both) falls run Húrin away and laugh as your opponent realizes that they get 0 points for killing your general. Bringing Denethor however, means you will struggle to win general kill count games. Want another decent hero to lead your knights into battle? Faramir is the way to go due to the number of options he has and due to his decent stat line. 

      3. Grab Madril. Most tournaments will have a scenario where reinforcements are a thing. Madril ensures a 2/3 chance of bringing your troops in on the same board edge. Get a 1? Keep it. Get a 2? 1 might or put it down to 1. Get a 3? It's now a 4. This may seem like a waste but remember he also has Woodland Creature, so he can grab an objective and go hide where you need him too while being able to protect himself better than Pippin. Although it may be only 1 game in the tournament, that 1 game can be the difference between coming in the top 3 or the top 10 (and there is nothing better than surrounding an enemy Warband or two while the rest of the enemy army is off the board or on the other side of it) 

      4. Take a Avenger Bolt Thrower. This sniper will kill many heroes who are leading the front line while also dealing damage to enemy Monsters who will mess up your battle line. Want to lose friends? Take 2. Want to get kicked out of the gaming club/tournament? Bring 3 and ensure you have a lot of spare crewmen. 

      5. Your anvil must either be Fountain Guard or Warriors of Minas Tirith. Either one is good enough. Osgilith Veterans are only good for themed lists, although their loyal to their captain special rule is pretty good, they don't have shieldwall neither do they gain any bouns from fighting in ruins (which considering the fact that they have been fighting in a ruined city, its a surprise that they don't get any special bonus) 

      6. When deciding what others heroes to take, cater them and their warband to a specific role. Monster and hero hunting? Knight of the White Tower and some Fountain Guard (Aragon and Boromir may be fantastic, but don't think they're immune. Rend will mess them up and they are arrow/magic magnets) Strike with him, ensure the Monster is trapped and laugh as it falls. Want a character who can take on units with Blades of the Dead? Cirion. Army bonus combined with his special rule means blades of the dead is wounding on a 6. Want a hero to lead the assault on fortified positions/hold a position/shieldwall? Ingold is the way to go. Want a sacrifice hero who will draw attention and win most fights? Irolas will win most fights and will probably do a few kills and generally annoy and hold the enemy up. 

      7. Do. Not. Think. You. Can. Run. An. All. Hero. Army. List. This isn't Thorins Company where their special rules actually means that you are a 12 dwarf (and one hobbit and wizard) army. You will need troops to hold the line and fire weapons of war. Fill up your warbands to at least half their capacity and don't be afraid to max out a few warbands. If you have 100 odd points to spare, grab Damrod or Beregond. If Damrod, grab what you are lacking. If Beregond, give him a horse and some knights (or citidel guardsmen on horses) Only grab a couple of extra heroes if you are lacking in them and if you have enough bodies for the meat grinder.

If you follow this army building guide, you should have fun with it and win a few games. Remember though, if you're playing a friendly game, want to win best painted or want it to be like the movies, make a themed army list. You can easily do this and many people will enjoy playing against you. Most importantly, have fun, thats the real point of the game. Unless you play at 500 points or below and choose the Faramir's rangers legendary legion where you can field YOUR ENTIRE ARMY WITH BOWS. YES YOU CAN. Considering that you could field between 30-35 models and have some sneaky special rules related to the heroes in this legion, it is arguably the shootiest list in Middle Earth SBG. Try to have fun against that.

Tactics Pages[edit]

Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game Tactics
Forces of Good
Forces of Evil
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