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

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Why Play Rivendell

You like having knifed ears? Or maybe you like playing the aloof guys with minimal actual investement in middle earth? OR even maybe you wanna play as the guys who are kind-of-sort-of to blame for most of the bad things that happened in setting in one way or another? Or maybe even you just want to play one of the harder hitting armies in the game and don't mind the smell of eliteism (in the movies) or being all around cool guys (in the books)

Pros

• one of the hardest hitting armies in the game, let alone for the forces of good
• Multiple amazing heroes
• some of the coolest models made by GW

Cons

• low model count due to price
• beyond a few certain characters, the average defense value is low

Army Bonus

Tangado haid, leitho i phillinn: If your archers are within 6 of a hero and if they don't move, they get to reroll 1s to hit. It's a subpar faction ability, and won't come up super often, but don't forget it if you've got a Stormcaller babysitting some archers.

Unit Analysis

Elves as a whole have access an improved version of normal hand weapons: the elven blades. these not only count as either a normal weapon or a 2-handed weapon (only a normal weapon if you have a shield), but also cause you to win ties on a 3+ instead of a 4+.

Heroes

• Elrond: The two versions of Elrond got condensed down into 1. 180 points, with the usual brutal Elf Lord stats (plus the option to take Heavy Armor), Elrond comes with a few tricks. First he has an Elven ring, which allows him to reroll failed Fate rolls. He shares the Lord of the West rule with Gil-galad (and Celeborn) that allows him to reroll 1 duel and 1 wound dice, D6 Foresight points that allow you to alter priority rolls and a couple of spells (although no way to cast them for free like Wizards or Galadriel), plus a couple oddities (Rivendell Knights don't count towards your bow limit if he's there and his swords gets +1 to wound against Spirits) and Elrond is pretty beastly. Still, at 180 points, he's less powerful as a duelist than Gil-Galad, so make sure you're taking him for his special rules.

• Gil-galad: At one time he was everyone in the setting's best friend, then he got rekt by Sauron in his "give me back my rings" phase. With fight 9, a spear that acts like a lance no matter if he charged or not, the ability to go up to Defense 8 with 3 wounds, plus rerolling one duel and wound roll Gil-galad is a terrifying opponent to duel. Factor in his buff which allows high elf warriors to go up to fight 6 and a larger stand fast range, and he ALSO doubles as a great form of army multiplier. He actually costs 10 points less than Elrond in Heavy Armor, but you can't take him with Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir, Lindir or Bilbo and keep your faction bonus. He also only has 1 fate point, so be careful with him if he loses.

• Erestor: Erestor is the first 'normal' elf hero we have access to. with a standard stat line, 2 might, 2 will and 2 fate, and the ability to reroll wounds when using his dagger all for a fair (for an elf) point cost makes him a solid choice for any warband.

• Cirdan: Cirdan is an elf wizard with soley buff spells and no real way to harm anyone in a duel due to him being unarmed. with a normal stat line, all be it lacking in the close combat departement, he come with 4 will and the ability to use 1 point of will per turn for free, to make use of his spells. Great for fluffier lists, however you generally have access to better hero options.

• Elladan and Elrohir:while expensive, they are one of the most versatile option you have available to you. with Elf bows and Heavy armour for better Defence and even more great shooting, and horses and cloaks for utility there's a lot to love with these guys. Factor in their different ways to use their swords in combat, and the fact that one gets extra cranky if the other dies, they make for a solid hero choice in mid to high cost games.

• Arwen: Arwen is one of the cheapest elf heroes available, and unfortunately it shows. with a mediocer stat line, low strength, terrible defense, and only knowing Wrath of Bruinen, she should only be taken for fluff or if you need a cheap hero and don't want to bring a stormcaller

• Glorfindel, Lord of the West: an elf who basically amounts to jaime lannister, but with more sword play and significantly less incest. with 3 attacks, fight and defense 7, and 3 in all of his hero stats, Glorfindel really lives up to his name. Though expensive, if he is brought he had a high chance to earn his points back and then some.

• Gildor Inglorion: Gildor is a cheap supporting character and ONLY a supporting character. with low defense and fate, he should avoid being targeted at all cost, which he can pull because of his knowing the immobilize spell. More than any of this, however, his his high movement of 8, which he confers to fellow WOOD elf warriors for 1 ppm (he also let's you take wood elves from the Lothelorien army).

• Lindir of Rivendell: An Elf Hero with average stats (only 1 attack, but 4 will) and the ability to take Heavy Armor, Lindir's real power comes in his support. First he gives everyone within 6 Resistant to Magic and second, if he stays within 6 of Elrond, Elrond can use 1 point of Will each turn without spending from his store. Good if you're planning on taking Elrond as a caster, mediocre otherwise.

• High Elf Stormcaller: A cheap elf caster with the ability to (on a 6 on any dice while casting) not spend any of his will. All he has for spells is giving other guys Will points and being able to knock other models prone, which isn't nothing, but at least his Galadhrim counterpart has Enchant Blades. If you have a use for him, he can be good, but otherwise you're probably better off with a Captain.

• High elf Captain: Just like his human counterparts the elf captain is versitile, and will probably end up being your most brought hero as, even though elves are expensive, you'll want more than few.

Troops

• High Elf Warrior: These are your only troop available, and outside of being tanky, these are the only troops you'll need. With a high fight value and courage, and access to elf bows and elven blades your troops will hit harder than most other armies in the game. Their only flaw comes in when we notice that their highest defense is 6.

Cavalry

• Knights of Rivendell: 21 points (22 with a shield) gets you an Elf on horseback with bow and lance. Better than a lot of other army's cavalry because of that lance, making them more likely to kill something. Still, they're expensive and unless you took Elrond, they eat into your bow limit, even if all you want them for is melee. Don't go overboard, but a small number of them is a good idea.

Allies

As mentioned above, any army who has front-line troops with a higher Defense than 6 is up for fair consideration. A front line of Guards of the fountain court supported by elves with spears or elven blades is a tough nut to crack that also hits like a truck.