The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game/Tactics/Moria

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Why Play Moria

Because Goblin are meant to be Green! One of the first armies to get miniatures (its starting show) Moria has/had one of the largest selection of units to bring in games, making it one of the most versatile armies available. At least half of the units in this army are all Monsters, from the simple cave troll, the watcher in the water, a Dragon and the Balrog himself. Of Course your main units are cheap goblin infantry with all the options of spears, shields, swords and bows giving them the advantage over their Goblin Town neighbours.

Pros

• The Balrog
• Multiple large Monsters to choose from
• Horde Army!
• Cheap units
• Large selection of Units to pick from

Cons

• Weak troops
• Most of the models cannot be found on the store website
• Most of the army bonuses (like the drum) work only on Goblins, while you are expecting your Monsters to do the job.

Army Bonus

We Cannot get out, they are coming: Any Moria Goblins involved in a fight where their opponent is trapped receive a +1 bonus to their fight value. being a horde army this should be easy to achive by surronding your opponents.

Unit Analysis

Heroes

• The Balrog: A beast in combat that costs 350 points. It's nearly indestructible, but it will rarely earn it's points back. Even at 800 points it represents nearly half of your army, and if it loses a fight, well, for that turn you have half of your army sitting on the sofa. This isn't helped by its lack of might, and you have to ensure the Balrog isn’t killed by artillery or other instant death attacks; although the Balrog only takes half damage from those devastating attacks, it is something that could be easily avoided with something very cheap like Goblins. Placing hordes of goblins around the Balrog helps you against scatter from artillery and blocking certain Heroes from harming it (such as Castellans with Morgul Blades). Besides that it has crazy stats for combat and has many abilities like its whip and a free heroic combat every turn to keep the Balrog locked in combat (but for a cunning opponent it's easy to lock him in combat with some cannon fodder). The Balrog also gives its army better magic resistance with his whopping 10 will. Goblins surrounding him are immune to courage test also, which is very useful in preventing him from being locked down with trash models.
  • If for whatever reason there are a lot of enemy models between the Balrog and its target, then place a bunch of Goblins between you and the enemy, and use Fiery Lash to yank the model you want him to hit so that they're pulled in past your own Warriors so that you can royally fuck them up. Not only does this make them vulnerable to the Balrog, but it also traps the model, which makes it nearly impossible for the Balrog to not kill them since he only needs one successful Wound to instantly kill them. If you want to be super scummy with the Balrog's Fiery Lash, you can surround the Balrog on nearly every side with Goblins except the side you want to place the model you hit on. This means you can place Goblins to the Balrog's front and side, but leave the rear alone so that whatever you hit is deposited there, giving it massive separation from its force and leaving it exposed to everything else in your army just in case the Balrog doesn't kill it.
  • Do note that with so much invested in the Balrog, and with most of your Infantry being weak, it is very easy for an opponent to reduce your army to below 25% which will usually cause the game to end, and this is the main reason for why the Balrog rarely makes its points back. There's not a great way to fix this unfortunately, you can invest in pure chaff, but then you'll typically lose every engagement that doesn't involve the Balrog and you'll still reach that game-ending point sooner than later, so just be aware of it, and feel free to hide enough Goblins in the back if you start getting to that point.

• Durbûrz, The Goblin King of Moria: The King has a decent stat line for a Goblin, 3 points of might and 2 points of will and fate gives him plenty of spending options. With Defence 6, Strength 4, Attacks 2 but only Fight value 4 he isn't terrible in a fight but don't expect him to win against some of the bigger names. For a Hero of Valor at 70 points he's a bargain to take and to use his special rule which makes his stand fast increase to a range of 12" will surely help with the Courage issue Moria goblins face.
  • Durbûrz has one of the most vital Heroic Actions for your army: Heroic Strike. Your Fight value is not doing you any favours and when you need to win engagements you'll be glad you have it, just don't think it'll make you able to fight against other named Heroes.

• Grôblog: Similar stats to Durbûrz, but with -1 in courage, fight value, will and fate points, Grôblog is better used for supporting his fellow green friends by using his crown. The Mithril crown is a special rule that allows him to roll one D6, on a 4+ all friendly goblins within 3 get +1 to their fight value, a much needed bonus since your goblins have a worse fight value than Hobbit Shirrifs. It won't help you win fights so much as it gives you even odds on not losing them, and that is a bonus well worth taking.
  • Like Durbûrz, Grôblog has one of the most vital Heroic Actions for your army: Heroic Strike. It's going to be necessary to win fights against even the weakest Warriors from most other armies, and unfortunately nobody else in your army besides these two has access to it. Heavily consider taking one of them, or maybe both, but if you have to choose then go with Durbûrz first. 12" Stand Fast is going to be better than a chance to tie your opponent when you hit your break point.

• Drûzhag, The Beastcaller: As his name implies Drushag can allow you to take Wild Wargs, Fell Wargs (there is no difference in their stats), Giant Spiders and Bat Swarms as long as they are in his warband (though the Bat Swarms thing is redundant since they can be taken in regular Warbands too), also every beast in his warband that is within 12" of him can use his Courage value instead of their own. He has two Powers Enrage beast (he's the only model in the game that gets it) and Fury which affects himself and all the beasts he can take in his warband, but nothing else. Unfortunately this means you can't just take him on his own, you need to fill out his warband to make him useful, but honestly you're probably going to do this anyway since your mobility is lacking and your Fight value is terrible. The beasts help with these issues significantly, especially Bat Swarms which cut the Fight value of enemies in half. Consider taking Drûzhag along with Grôblog, if you use Bat Swarms alongside his Fight buff, you'll find your Goblin Warriors will actually have a higher Fight value than enemy Warriors for once. Do note that if you want to bring Ashrâk in your army too save the Giant Spiders for him so that they get his buffs and have Drûzhag bring the Wargs and Bats.
  • Wild/Fell Wargs: Since these can only be taken by Drûzhag's warband, they will be mentioned here. Wargs are okay, however they are flat out better than another option you have available: Warg Marauders. Four Wild Wargs cost less than a single Warg Marauder, while having the same Attacks as the Warg and Goblins, better mobility (since they cover a significantly larger area) and they don't lose half their movement due to a single unlucky roll. Don't try using Fell/Wild Wargs as frontline troops however, they're not Cavalry, they do not knock over Infantry or gain an extra attack by charging, and they're best used to run around enemy units, either going for easier prey (like lightly armoured bows) or by running in behind models so that you more easily trap them and receive your army bonus for the Goblins in the fight.
  • Giant Spiders: Since these can only be taken by Drûzhag and Ashrâk's warbands, they will be mentioned in their entries. To start off, as previously mentioned Ashrâk can buy them a very nice upgrade, being able to re-wound all To Wound rolls, however if you don't want to bring in Ashrâk, then don't think the Giant Spiders are useless without his buff. They offer significantly higher Strength and Fight than your Goblins, and if teamed up with Bat Swarms they can outfight nearly every Infantry Hero in the game. They can also rip through everything if they're buffed by Drûzhag's Enrage Beast, and with two Wounds, they can easily survive the single hit that the spell inflicts on it. Because of this if you take Giant Spiders with Drûzhag, you want to save your Will points for Enrage Beast for them rather than your Bat Swarms or Wargs. Also be aware that Giant Spiders are incredibly vulnerable to ranged weapons, their Defence sucks, so take care of those threats immediately.

• Ashrâk: Like Drûzhag (but cheaper, coming in at 45 points less) Ashrâk gives you the option to take Giant Spiders in your Moria Army, though of course they have to be a part of his warband. The spiders also have the option to gain the Venom special rule at the cost of +2 points, which considering the cost of the arachnids already, is a decent enough investment. Giant Spiders are also one of the few models in your army who have a decent Fight value, so consider them the shock troops to your Goblin. He's also dangerous to kill, with his special rule Death-touch any unit that wounds or is wounded by Ashrâk in a fight must roll a D6, on a +4 that units is affected by the Paralyse power. Don't think this means you should run him up at Aragorn though, unless his spiders are all dead and he's used all his Will, you shouldn't be so willing to risk sacrificing Ashrâk right away. If it's in the late game however, then feel free. Aragorn or whoever is your opponent's general cannot choose to not fight, and so there's a very good chance they'll become paralysed by killing him. You're not losing much anyway, since only his Giant Spiders are affected by his Stand Fast! and Heroic Actions.
  • Do note that while Ashrâk's Fury only works on his Giant Spiders, his Shroud of Shadows power works on everyone. Feel free to use it to protect your more vital characters and bigger beasties (hilariously it works on the Balrog since there is no size limit), but don't try to channel it. Ashrâk does not have a lot of Will and unless you're desperate, there's no need to burn some trying to get your opponent's fight value halved. If you do need to do this for whatever reason, then at least cast it on a Giant Spider that you're going to charge into combat against multiple models to spread the effect around (and it will knock most combat oriented good Heroes to Fight 3, allowing your Giant Spider and all the goblins around it to have a higher Fight value for once).
  • Giant Spiders: Since these can only be taken by Drûzhag and Ashrâk's warbands, they will be mentioned in their entries. To start off, as previously mentioned Ashrâk can buy them a very nice upgrade, being able to re-wound all To Wound rolls, and with how pricy the Giant Spiders are already it's not too much of a cost to add on a little more. Now that you've done that, Giant Spiders offer significantly higher Strength and Fight than your Goblins, and if teamed up with Bat Swarms they can outfight nearly every Infantry Hero in the game. They can also rip through everything up to and including Gondor shield walls, and are one of the best linebreakers you have access to. Do be aware though that Giant Spiders die very quickly to bow fire, so make sure to hide them in the woods and use the terrain smartly before you pounce with them. Do everything you can to prevent bows from getting line of sight on them and just remember: one Giant Spider with Venom is worth five Goblin Warriors.

• Moria Goblin Captain: A cheap hero that should always carry a shield to make him more survivable; he can use Heroic march to get his goblin underlings to move faster, and this makes him practically mandatory. Your Movement is only 1" less than most armies, but in long games you're really going to feel that missing inch, and you also need the bonus movement in order to trap your opponents so that you can get your army bonus. You can't charge after Heroic Marching, but using it does help get your Goblins in position for future combats. Don't bother with the orc bow since he hits on a 5+ and it's not worth spending the Might point to improve the result. Save the Might for Heroic Marches.
  • Since you need to trap opponents to get your army bonus, you're either going to want a few Goblin Captains to help move your Goblins in position, or you're going to want Bat Swarms to fly behind enemies, or you're going to want to get Drûzhag for his Wild Wargs. The costs are pretty comparable between the groups, and what you go with is going to depend on your playstyle. Bat Swarms are far and away the easiest ones to use, the Wild Wargs have literally double your movement, but even if you do want to use those options instead of running Goblins around your enemy, you're still going to need Goblin Captains to help keep up with those two. Note that Warg Marauders aren't mentioned as trappers for your army because of their cost. A single Warg Marauder costs as much as 4 Wild Wargs, and their own issues are covered in their own entry.

• Moria Goblin Shaman: Goblin Shamans are near-mandatory, and the reason why is because they have access to Fury, and your Courage is terrible. Fury ensures you'll be sticking around when your force is broken and it allows the Goblins around him to charge Terror causing units without worry. It's also not a bad idea to try channeling it, but just make sure to keep one Will point on the Shaman at all times. If you run out the effect ends, and then all your Goblins will be reliant on the Shaman's Courage of 3 to keep them around, and unfortunately that's unlikely to happen for more than one or two turns. Try not to cast Transfix unless you're literally about to lose the game without it. The casting roll is so high, you have the bodies to spare so you normally don't care if enemy Heroes/Monsters swing back at your Goblins, and you can cut their Fight in half using Bat Swarms, which round the fight of their enemies down instead of up like Transfix does.
  • Watch the fuck out for ranged units. Goblin Shamans are only Defence 4 so even ordinary bows will be wounding them on 5's, and with only one Fate they won't be sticking around long if they're in the open. The last thing you want is for your Shaman to suddenly go down in the late game after your force is broken, so keep them tucked behind other Goblins, or hidden behind scenery if you're worried the odds of being hit are still too high. It would be wise to invest in units to harass the enemy's backfield as well, such as Drûzhag's Wild Wargs or Bat Swarms.

• Moria Blackshield Captain: These guys are more of a side-grade than an upgrade over the regular Goblin Captains. They have almost the exact same stats as a Goblin Captain with a shield (being only 5 points more), but with one point more in Courage and a two-handed weapon... which honestly isn't as good for a character you want sticking around because his Courage is relatively high in a Moria list. His Fight of 3 isn't going to help him win fights and kill things either, but there's ways to help him out. To make up for his low Fight you should make sure to fly in Bat Swarms to assist, and then you should be able to successfully trap and slaughter most enemies you'll be up against, especially if they're Dwarves.
  • Since the Blackshield Captains are better at fighting, it's worth it to take them alongside regular Goblin Captains. The regular ones can move you into position, and the Blackshield Captain can save his Might to use it in fights. This can become relatively expensive quite quickly, but you'll only notice your lack of troops if you're planning on taking Monsters bigger than a Cave Troll in your army as well. Because of this the Blackshields are best served in Goblin-heavy lists where you don't plan on taking the Cave Drakes, Dragons, the Watcher in the Water or the Balrog.

• Moria Blackshield Shaman: Blackshield Shamans are extremely different to every other Shaman in the game. They are not there to make your Warriors stick around longer, they are there to shut down enemy Heroes. Not only can they destroy Anduril and heavily neuter Aragorn, but when they make enemy Heroes unarmed they have a -1 modifier on the Duel and To Wound rolls. This leaves them vulnerable not only to your own Goblins, who struggle to win such fights, but also to two-handed weapons, especially if there are Bat Swarms nearby cutting that Hero's Fight in half. Don't think this applies to everything however, they cannot destroy Staffs of Power (only Gandalf the White, the Necromancer and the Witch-king can do that), they cannot destroy natural weapons (such as claws and teeth) and they cannot destroy the One Ring (unsurprisingly). Never try to channel the power, the hit isn't worth it since most Heroes you want to use it on are Defence 6/7 and all of them are going to have more than one Wound.
  • Tremor is the second unique power the Blackshield Shaman has access to, and it's far riskier than Shatter. With the 5+ you need to hit it's not unsurprising if you need to spend all of your will to cast it, and for that reason you're going to want to channel it if you intend to cast it at all. Don't waste it on enemy Warriors if you do get it however, aim for Heroes on mounts or enemy Monsters (ideally ones Strength 7 and higher that your own Monsters can't knock down) so that once you knock them prone your Goblins can swoop in to finish them off. Incidentally if you're up against a Ringwraith on a Fell Beast, you might want to save your Will and pour everything into casting Tremor since knocking the Ringwraith off the Fell Beast will instantly make your Blackshield Shaman his points back, and it will remove the Fell Beast from the field.

• Dragon: A more reasonably costed Monster compared to the Balrog. A plethora of special rules mean that the Dragon will be devastating to the armies of good, by causing Terror, Resisting Magic, lowering enemy Courage and knocking everything to the floor. Can be upgraded with up to two abilities that allow it to Fly, Breathe Fire, cast magic or raise its Defence for 50 points each. Fire and magic are dependent upon the Will points of the dragon and as these are in fairly limited supply its going to be situational at best, although the sheer damage of its fiery breath terrifying since it instantly kills whatever it hits. As for which upgrades you should and shouldn't get however, there's two things to keep in mind. The first is that the Dragon only has a Courage of 4, combined with Survival Instinct this means the Dragon will be taking a lot of Courage tests, and you're going to want to take a lot of Goblins around to make sure you stave off the Break Point as much as possible to minimize the amount of tests you take, and this is where the second point comes into play. The upgrades are expensive, taking two makes the Dragon cost as much as the Balrog, and you'll be left with far less Goblins as a result. This means you'll hit the Break Point sooner, but at the same time you're going to want at least one of these so that it has some sort of Gimmick to make it worthwhile, and we'll go over those here:
  • Breathe Fire: The most obvious upgrade is also the most notable, giving the Dragon an instant-kill ranged attack at Strength 10. Don't think this is a guaranteed kill since it can still be prevented by Fate, but Fate still fails on a coin flip, and you hit on a 2+ so it's still a worthwhile investment, especially if you're up against other Monsters or War Beasts. Even if the instant-kill can only take half their wounds, a half-dead Mûmak is still a half-dead Mûmak.
  • Fly: This is pretty self explanatory, you get a huge boost in movement and have practically free reign with Monstrous Charge, but it's also a more dangerous upgrade. The more you move it ahead of your army, the more you expose it to ranged fire, two-handed weapons and lances, and worst of all, siege engines. Above all else you do not want to have the Dragon suddenly get squashed by a trebuchet because you flew ahead and there are no other available targets within 6". You can mitigate how exposed the Dragon is by taking Bat Swarms (which are the only models that can keep up with them) and placing them around its base, which if nothing else will control how enemy models can charge it and cut down on the small chance that it gets wounded and needs to test Survival Instinct.
  • Tough Hide: This is also fairly self-explanatory, you become Defence 9. Despite that however this upgrade kind of sucks, it puts you 50 points before the Balrog, who already has Defence 9, on top of a lot of other rules that make it significantly better than the Dragon. Even though it might sting, give the Tough Hide upgrade a hard pass, it costs way too much, it doesn't offer enough and you'll just be wishing you had a Balrog instead of a Dragon at the end of the day.
  • Wyrmtongue The least flashy is also one of the most useful upgrades, even if it's the only one you buy. Why? Because even though you might not be using the free Will point each turn for free Fire Breath (and even free magic), the Wyrmtongue upgrade makes it significantly less likely that the Dragon runs away when it gets Wounded, allowing you to gain far more use of its Monstrous Charge, one of the few advantages the Dragon has over the Balrog. In the event that you don't need the free Will point to keep it on the table, you can put it towards Transfix or Compel to expose vulnerable targets and preventing them from getting away from the Dragon charging straight for them.
  • All of the upgrades combine well, but if you do buy two just be aware that you'll be running into the Balrog's issue: almost half your army is invested in the Dragon, and every turn it isn't able to act (either because it has to sit further back or because it loses a Duel roll somehow) it'll feel like you're falling behind. Because of this you want to kill models that can stop it in place. Any magic user with Transfix needs to go immediately, even with Resistant to Magic you don't want to risk the Dragon being frozen in place. Thankfully this is mitigated a little thanks to the fact the Dragon has Might (unlike the Balrog) so you'll lose fewer Duel rolls, but you're also going to be hitting your Break Point just as fast as the Balrog, since you won't be able to field as many models. There's not a great way to fix this unfortunately, you can invest in pure chaff, but then you'll typically lose every engagement that doesn't involve the Dragon and you'll still reach that game-ending point sooner than later, so just be aware of it, and feel free to hide enough Goblins in the back if you start getting to that point.

• Cave Drake: A decently effective choice for this army, costing 150 points. Monstrous Charge allows it to push over most models and kill Cave Trolls in one round of combat, as well as the Fell Beasts the Ringwraiths ride (which causes the Fell Beast to immediately flee) however to that end the Cave Drake is more of a Monster killer than a character muncher, despite Gaping Maw. The reason why is because the Cave Drake is vulnerable to Heroes who have access to Heroic Strike, as well as being dog-piled by models with two-handed weapons thanks to its base size. You can somewhat mitigate this with Bat Swarms, however a Hero backed up by a squad with at least some two-handed weapons can chop it down surprisingly quickly since it's very easy for it to get Trapped, so like always try to keep Goblins or Bat Swarms around it to dictate who engages it and where.
  • When using the Cave Drake it's important to figure out where to place the Nest. It's obvious to place it on objectives so that the Cave Drake won't run away from it, helping your Goblins hold down an important location since Cave Drakes still get Stand Fast! That isn't your only option however, the Cave Drake has a lot of movement and its huge base allows it to get a lot of range off the 3" radius of the Nest, which means that another ideal area for the Nest is in a location you want to lock down with the huge threat range the Cave Drake offers. Just remember to keep a few Goblins around it, nothing is worse for your Monster than a lone Cave Drake suddenly being sniped out by a siege engine because there wasn't another valid target within range.

• The Watcher in The Water: A literal kraken, it even has the keyword. This is a very unusual model, in that it does not start on the board, and instead you have to roll for it to randomly arrive, when you choose to release it of course. Note that once you start rolling it you cannot stop rolling for it in each Priority phase until it arrives. When it finally shows up, it bursts out regardless of where you place it. You don't have to put it in water, and it can burst out of solid stone if you want. When it shows up it displaces the models in the area of the battlefield it's burst out of, and this displaces models until they're 1" away from it. This can force models into terrain and even off of cliffs, so feel free to take advantage of this since models displaced in that manner will take falling damage. It cannot force them off the edge of the board however, so don't try it. Also consider the first model you want to displace, since you and your opponent will take it in turns to displace models, and you can guarantee your opponent will be far more favourable to their models than you in that regard. This special move also makes it the ultimate siege engine killer, since it can pop out, immediately wreck shop around it, and earn the majority of its points back. It also kills Cavalry really well since it can pull them into base contact with its Tentacles, and the model(s) it pulls do not gain the extra attack in the ensuing combat since they don't count as charging. It also shouldn't be a surprise that it gets a special diving attack if it's actually in water, which allows it to burst out later, but this is best used to escape a bad engagement and/or to reposition it on the other side of the board rather than to kill a very powerful model.
  • Do note that while the Watcher is pretty poor at killing War Beasts, since they can inflict automatic hits and its attacks drop when it loses half its Wounds, it can be pretty decent at killing the models in the Howdah of the War Beasts themselves. Since it never requires In the Way rolls, it can pick out specific models, pull them in base contact, and then proceed to eat them, killing off vital models in the process. This can mean you yank a Haradrim Commander off of a Mûmak or an Orc Commander off of a Great Beast, in which case the Mûmak/Great Beast will be testing for Stampede on a Courage of 2 (thanks to the Harbinger of Evil rule). Just one wound later will make it more likely than not that you'll be the one controlling the War Beast, and you can either run it away or off the table, and running it off the table will kill it completely.
  • Do try to keep the Watcher in the Water away from models with Heroic Strike. The amount of attacks it has makes it unlikely to lose duels, however nothing's worse than having it sit after your opponent gets Fight 7+ and then rolls a 6. Not only will you not do any damage, but every Wound you take brings you closer to losing half your attacks.
  • If for whatever reason you want to be super scummy with the Tentacles shooting attack, you can place a number of Goblins or Wargs around the Watcher to dictate where you place the model you're pulling. Placing Goblins to its front and side for example will cause enemy models to be deposited behind the Watcher, far away from their comrades and completely exposed to the rest of your force, practically guaranteeing their demise even if the Watcher doesn't kill them. Keep this in mind if you target multiple models with its Tentacles (since it'll come up based on the order in which you pull the models), just remember that you always place the enemy model in base contact based on the shortest possible route.

Warriors

• Moria Goblin Warrior: These little greenish guys are some of the cheapest fighters you will ever get, even when your upgrade them to have a shield, spear or Orc bow they'll still be cheaper than an Orc. Of Course they're worse in practically every way, but that won't matter because you will be bringing a lot of them, and they have their own tricks up their sleeves. Against most armies you will be outnumbering your opponent two to one or even three to one if they're bringing an elite army, and they likely won't have nearly the synergy a Moria list does. Don't fight anyone in a fair fight, or even an unfair fight, you want to fight them in a fight that's so unfair it seems everything is stacked against them, and to that end you'll need to get support for your Goblins. Drûzhag's Wild Wargs or Bat Swarms can swoop in behind enemies to trap them, the latter of which will also cut the Fight of enemies in half and allowing you to have a higher Fight than even elite Warriors and Heroes when they're pinned, and even if you're more interested in going Monster-heavy, you can support your Monsters with Goblins to boost the amount of attacks the Monster makes, practically guaranteeing you'll win their engagements. Their low Courage is also mitigated by Fury from Shamans and their low Movement is helped by Marching from Captains, so make sure to invest in both of those if you intend to go with a Goblin-heavy list.
  • Note that with their Courage so low, if you're ahead of your opponent in points and want the game to end sooner, you can run them away from your Heroes or deliberately put them in bad engagements to cause the most casualties to your own force as possible. In this regard the weakness of Goblins actually works in your favour, and it won't take much to cross the 75% casualties threshold and end the game in your favour.
  • Of the upgrades, the Shields and Spears are both good ones, but you generally don't want to get both at the same time. You'll definitely notice each point spent on them since each option makes Goblins 25% more expensive, and so it's a good idea to get some with only Shields for the front, and some with only Spears for the second battleline. If you get both for your Goblins, you'll have less bodies on the field, you'll hit your Break Point sooner, and then the enemy will be focusing on sniping out your Heroes (if they haven't already) and your Goblins will soon begin to run. A few extra Goblins really make the difference for that reason, and never get the bows. Not only do they make you more expensive but you hit on a 5+, which is pathetic and you'll be lucky to kill anything with them. Statistically bow Goblins will never make their points back over the course of a game.

• Moria Blackshield: Unlike Blackshield Captains, which you can make an argument for taking outside Dwarf matchups, regular Blackshields do not have that advantage. They cost twice as much as regular Goblins while only having +1 Defence and Courage, and that bonus is not worth it unless outside of very specific situations. As hinted at they have Hatred (Dwarfs) so they're naturally good in that matchup; you can sit one or two of them on an objective and in range of a drum so that they don't run away and are much harder to kill with ranged fire; and you can use them to replace dead Drummers for a Blackshield drum. If they're not doing any of these, then forget about taking them, they're simply not worth it.

• Moria Goblin Drum: The drums in the deep. These act as your long range Banner, anything within 18" of them get the single re-roll while in a duel, while boosting the Courage of Goblins by 1, and lowering the Courage of enemies by 1. In practically every list you can find a use for Goblin Drums, be it keeping your Warriors around longer when the Shamans are sniped out by bows, or preventing enemies from charging your Terror causing Monster, or just helping you to win fights with the re-roll. Whether or not you want them however, is up to you. It's easy to stack attacks in a Moria list to the point the re-roll benefit is negligible, you can protect your Shaman to make the Courage buff redundant, and there are other models you have that lower enemy Courage (not to mention a lot of lists have good Courage anyway) and the effects don't stack. They also cost as many as 15 Goblins with Shields, and that's a lot of bodies to be turning down. That being said, there are plenty of games you're going to be playing where there's an objective relatively close by, and there's nothing stopping you from parking the drum on it with a few spare Goblins (in case the Drummers die) to keep playing and benefitting from its effects.

• Moria Blackshield Drummers: Another drum, but with one major drawback we'll get into in a moment. They do the exact same thing as the normal drum however they're 12" instead of 18", and since one guy carries it and one guy plays it you don't suffer any penalties from moving it. In addition you get Hatred (Dwarves) and Defence 5 instead of 4 so they're harder to snipe out while also costing the same as a normal drum, and this might make them seem like a natural choice over the regular drum. Unfortunately you probably won't pick them for one simple reason: only Blackshield Goblins can replace the Drummer or Drum Bearer if they die, and if either of them die and aren't replaced then the drum cannot be played since you need both, whereas the regular drum only needs one Drummer. You can still use them even outside of Dwarf matchups, but just be aware that the cost of doing so is going to be higher than it initially seems since you'll need to buy Blackshields to accompany them instead of Goblins.

• Moria Goblin Prowler: With a fight and shooting value at 3/4+, being equipped with Two-handed axes and throwing daggers these guys can hit pretty hard at range, on the charge, and in combat. However, they are only Defence 4 and do not come with any other options to improve this so do not put them on the front line unless it's to distract from something else. Your opponent will rarely have enough firepower to shoot at your Bat Swarms, your Drummers and your Prowlers, and if they see a few exposed Prowlers here and there, they're likely to choose them over other targets they'll need to take an In the Way test for or which have more Wounds. Don't be afraid to buy a few specifically to sacrifice so your other models are targeted less, and if you want to use them for your own merits, make sure to buy Bat Swarms. These are absolutely vital for Prowlers since they swoop in behind models, trapping them, which in turn lowers their fight to below that of the Prowlers. Even Gil-Galad can lose a fight against them since Bat Swarms lower him to Fight 4 (while Prowlers become Fight 4 since he's trapped) and you can further buff them with Grôblog, boosting them to Fight 5 and allowing them to win tied dice against everything in the game except the Balrog (while also giving them a total of +2 on their To Wound rolls). Stack spears with them and Bat Swarms for truly unfair matchups against enemy models, which is exactly the kind of matchups the Prowlers enjoy.

• Bat Swarm: These are one of the most universally useful units in your army. Being bats they therefore have the Fly special rule, useful for when you need to get past your opponent's units and get to objectives or silencing archers and siege equipment, but they're also great in the front lines despite their Fight of 1. The reason why is because they cut the Fight value of enemies in half, rounded down, and they can fly behind models to trap them, allowing your Goblins to gain the +1 Fight from the army bonus and dominate the combat they're in (since the Bats also provide +2 Attacks to the Duel roll). There's really no matchup where you can't find a use for them, but do be aware though that they only have a Defence of 3, so hide them from enemy bows, or give those bows another target. Your opponent will rarely have enough bows to shoot at your Bat Swarms, your Prowlers and your Drummers, and if one of the other two is left deliberately exposed your opponent will be more likely to go for it rather than Bats, which thanks to their large amount of wounds are usually dragged down across a number of turns.

• Warg Marauder: One mount and three riders, and costing a surprising amount for what it offers, and the benefits aren't actually that great once you start comparing them to other options. To go over these, one of the Goblins on it doesn't count towards the bow limit which is nice, however your Goblins still hit on 5+ with their bows, and the ones riding the Warg don't get access to alternative gear that might help them survive once it dies since it only has one Wound. The Goblin with the shield can help keep it alive for a time, since enemy bows now hurt it on a 6+ (unless they're Dwarf or Elf) however that doesn't guarantee your opponent won't roll lucky, Marauders are still huge magnets for bow fire since they get significantly weaker if you manage to kill the goblin with the shield or the Warg itself. With that out of the way, let's go into the special rules: On the Hunt allows the Goblins riding it armed with a bow to shoot as normal even if they have made a full movement or are in combat. We already mentioned how they hit on 5+ and since it costs 30 points this is not an effective way of giving you mobile ranged units. Lethal Union is the second special rule where the Marauder gains the Terror special rule and +1 to its courage value as long as their are Goblins still mounted on the Warg, you also get one additional attack for each mounted goblin (unless they shot with theirs bows in the shooting phase). While this gives you a lot of dice to roll (ideally against Infantry you just knocked over), the Warg Marauder is still just Fight 3, they're very vulnerable to enemy fast moving units like their own Cavalry, and you have no characters who can gain mounts to keep up with these things, so once the Break Point hits you'll be testing at Courage 3 (if you're lucky). Overall, if you want fast-moving units, just get Drûzhag and pay for Wild Wargs instead, you get more bodies, more attacks, and they'll cover a wider area all while remaining cheaper than the Warg Marauder.
  • If you still want to use them anyway, probably because they're your only non-Monster unit that has a Movement greater than 5", then get some Bat Swarms to accompany them. The Bat Swarms will practically guarantee the Warg Marauder(s) win the fights they get into, and when you start to reach your Break Point, make sure to pull them back to your characters and/or dismount all but one Goblin. You do not want a Marauder suddenly running away with all of the Goblins on it, and dismounting most of them from it gives a better chance that some will stick around (and it's not like losing them is that big a loss at this point).
  • There is a possible argument to be made in using Warg Marauders alongside a Cave Drake, and the reason why is because you can set a Nest pretty far back in the field, and run the Marauders/Drake over to it near the end of the game. Thanks to its base size, the Drake has a much larger radius than you'd expect for Stand Fast! and they're the only non-flying model you have that can almost keep up with the Wargs. You can then dismount some of the Goblins to stay by the Cave Drake, and fire off the Warg Marauder at any enemies that come within its threat range, hopefully staying within the 6" Fearless bubble of the Drake. Also be aware that any list that invests like this is going to be one without much points to invest in other bigger beasties, so there'll be no Dragons, no Balrog, fewer Trolls, and so on.

• Cave Troll: At 25 points cheaper than a Mordor troll you still get a scary Monster that can do most things its big brother can can but he is slightly weaker with having Defence 6, Strength 6, Fight value 6 and Courage 3. This is still impressive, however he will get Knocked to the Ground by a Monsters like Shelob or a Cave Drake and then absolutely murdered, so keep him surrounded by Orcs so that he won't get charged. To help in this endeavor, he has access to a few different weapons, coming stock with a spear, which is one of the few ways you can give support to your Goblins and boost the Fight value in their combats, but can be upgraded to bring a troll chain as well. The chain is classed as a throwing weapon that has a range of 3" and hits at strength 5. Given its price there's little reason not to get it, and of course he can be upgraded to bring a good old hand-and-a-half hammer if you really want to make things dead. For the price you can get them for they can work in small games and then you can bring two for the bigger 700 point games.

• Dweller in The Dark: Described as a mini Balrog, a Dweller can hold is own in most fights with 3 Attacks and Fight 7, but he only has Defence 5 so he is surprisingly susceptible to Infantry. Everyone except Hobbits will wound him on a 5+, same with Elf and Dwarf bows, and while this is somewhat mitigated by the ability to regain Wounds whenever it kills an enemy model, it's not a Hero and has no Might to ensure it doesn't just roll badly and seal its doom in the process. That being said, it's still a decent enough Monster, the Dweller has a higher Fight than a Troll (and nearly every foot Hero) and so you can make him into something of an assassin. By positioning your Goblins and Bat Swarms you can ensure that the Dweller engages targets that are unable to receive backup, thanks to the fact they'll need to get passed your other troops, and he is also capable of outdueling Aragorn, especially when backed up by attacks from Goblins in the process. Just make sure to keep him away from the front line until your troops have already begun disrupting it and the Dweller will be fine.
  • Note that in the late game after your force has reached its Break Point, the Dweller in the Dark can hold down far objectives better than everything in your force except a Cave Drake with a nearby nest. At Courage 7 you'll need to roll snake-eyes for it to run, and that's not likely to happen before you or the opponent reaches 75% casualties and the game ends.

Allies

Convenient Allies

Angmar

The Serpent Horde

Far Harad

Corsairs of Umbar

Isengard

Variags of Khand

Mordor

The Eastern Kingdoms

The Nazgul of Dol Guldur

Azog's Hunters

Azog's Legion

Goblin Town

The Trolls

Smaug

Impossible Allies

Barad-dûr

Sharkey's Rogues

Building your Army

Building your Army is fairly simple. You have loads of choices. Each having it strengths and weaknesses. Here u can see a few concept's. (500 Pts & 750 Points)

1) Pure Horde with(un)named Heroes

Horde 500 Points

Warband 1 + 2 + 3, each 104 pts

1 Generic Captain + Shield 40

5 Goblins + Shield 25

5 Goblins + Spears 25

2 Goblin Prowlers 14

WB 4 190 pts

1 Shaman 45

2 Drummers with Drum 75

2 Bat-Swarms 70

Easy hordlist. On 500 Points, you will field 44 Models (!!). Batswarms to trap enemy lines and handycap enemy Heroes, Prowlers for nasty wounds on the charge or slashing the enemys down in melee with enough support. If u fight those pesky D8 Dwarfs, you´ll make them die already on a 4+ if trapped. (2Handed + Piercing-Strike + Backstabber)If stronger Heroes are incomming, let your Batswarms attack them, to half their FV, then overwhelm then with Captains, Prowlers (will go up to F4 if enemy is trapped) and then normal Goblins + Supporters. If paired against the Death of Dunnharow or anything who generates Terror, your Shaman will create a 6" auto-pass Bubble. Surprise, you will fit a lot of those goblins in those 6 inches. However, not strong against pure Bow-Lists. They can & will hurt you a lot. Feel free to exchange the captains for Durburz & Groblog. Keep in mind that those changes will immediatly tear down your model count. You don't care about the ightvalue or the defence. Just rush in melee, and let your small green friends do the work for you.

Horde 750 Points

Warband 1 151 pts

1 Durburz 70

6 Goblins + Shield 30

6 Goblins + Spears 30

3 Goblin Prowlers 21

Warband 2 pts 114 pts

1 Groblog 50

5 Goblins + Shield 25

5 Goblins + Spears 25

2 Goblin Prowlers 14

Warband 3 265 pts

1 Shaman 45

2 Drummers with Drum 75

1 Dweller in the Dark 75

2 Bat-Swarms 70

Warband 4 + 5, each 104 pts, 208pts in total

1 Generic Captain + Shield 40

5 Goblins + Shield 25

5 Goblins + Spears 25

2 Goblin Prowlers 14

Nothing shows more love then a massive horde army with 61 Models.

2) Horde/Monster Mix

3) Pure Monster

Tactics

Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game Tactics
Forces of Good	The Fellowship The Shire The Rangers Numenor Minas Tirith The Fiefdoms The Dead of Dunharrow Arnor Rohan Wildmen of Druadan Rivendell Lothlorien Fangorn The Misty Mountains The Kingdom of Khazad-Dum Wanderers in the Wild
	Thorin's Company Army of Thror Iron Hills Dwarves Erebor Reclaimed Army of Lake-Town Survivors of Lake-Town Garrison of Dale Halls of Thranduil Radagast's Alliance The White Council
Forces of Evil	Barad-Dur Angmar Mordor Moria Isengard The Easterlings Variags of Khand The Serpent Horde Far Harad Corsairs of Umbar Sharkey's Rogues
	Azog's Legion Azog's Hunters Dark Powers of Dol Guldur Dark Denizens of Mirkwood Goblin Town The Trolls Desolator of the North