REINFORCEMENTS

Last month saw the release of a fresh wave of Heroes for the warring realms of Rohan and Isengard. Pausing only to grab a sword and an ill-fitting suit of armour, Mat Ward takes horse to the worn-torn Westfold to survey the new arrivals.

ou know, its been a while since we added any new combatants to the war between Rohan and Isengard, and its been great fun to revisit this pivotal part of Middle-earth. Ive taken the opportunity to provide some new rules for these heroes (and villains) for the Strategy Battle Game, as well as a new scenario. Though Im a Fallen Realms general from the bottom of my black heart to the tip of my pointy beard, I do have a soft spot for the bold defenders of Rohan, to say nothing of the subconscious sympathy I have for the scheming sorcerer Saruman. I think its all tied up in just how iconic the clash between the Horse-lords and the Legions of Isengard is from an early age I recall being captivated by the treachery of Saruman and the (resurgent) courage of King Thoden and the Riders of Rohan. Theres definitely a part of me wondering whether I should head out west to start a new army. Hmm

Grimbold of Grimslade (Man)50 points

Grimbold of Grimslade is one of Rohans foremost captains, a doughty warrior whose strong right arm and stalwart leadership has turned the course of many a battle. Grimbold and his warriors hail from the west of Rohan. Here the blood of Helm Hammerhand still flows true, and lends strength to every strike.
Grimbold F 4 S 4 D 5 A 2 W 2 C 4 M 2 W 1 F 1

Legions of Middle-earth
Grimbold can be fielded as part of a Thodens Host army.

Wargear
Grimbold wears armour and carries a great axe (two-handed weapon).

Grimbolds Helmingas
If your army includes Grimbold, any number of Warriors of Rohan can be upgraded to be Grimbolds Helmingas at a cost of +1 point per model. Helmingas have Strength 4, rather than Strength 3.

Designers Note
Grimbolds something of a first for The Lord of The Rings Strategy Battle Game hes a Hero who allows you to upgrade a chunk of basic warriors to something a little more fighty in this case, Strength 4 Helmingas! That being the case, adding Grimbold to your Rohan army can prove very effective indeed.

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omer, Knight of the Pelennor (Man).115 points
It is upon the Pelennor Fields that omer, son of omund, truly comes into his own. Driven by rage and grief, omer leads the Riders of Rohan on a valiant, perhaps reckless, charge through the lines of Mordor, carving a legend that will be remembered unto the end of the world. Not since the days of Eorl the Young have the Rohirrim triumphed over such odds or known such leadership.
omer F 5 S 4 D 7 A 3 W 3 C 5 M 3 W 3 F 3

Legions of Middle-earth
omer can be fielded as part of a Thodens Host army.

Wargear
omer wears heavy armour. He carries the sword Gthwin (hand weapon) and a shield. He can ride an armoured horse (+15 points).

Special Rules
Expert Rider. Ride for Ruin! If Thoden or owyn are included in the same army, and are slain, omer will be driven mad with desire for revenge. His Strength immediately increases to 5 and Defence is reduced to 4. Additionally, omer will always pass any Courage tests he is called upon to take, but must always move as fast as possible towards the model responsible for Thoden or owyns death (if both have been slain, omers controlling player can choose which to pursue first). Once all such responsible models have been slain, omer will move as fast as possible and charge towards the nearest visible enemy for the rest of the game.

Ride, ride to ruin and the worlds ending.

- The Return of The King

Designers Note
A new omer model presented me with a great opportunity to introduce a more experienced version of the son of omund chiefly the one that causes so much devastation upon the Pelennor Fields. Well not touch on the fact that he needed to be rescued by Aragorn its up to you to make sure that doesnt happen again!

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Thrydan Wolfsbane (Man) . . . . . 85 points
For a long time the Dunlendings have been a minor threat to Rohan. Fractious, quarrelsome and scattered, they lacked the necessary leadership to attempt a truly organised assault. The raids and pillaging continued, yes, but these were swiftly revenged by the marshals of the Riddermark and, in any case, would not see the men of Dunland returned to their ancestral lands. In recent years, however, the situation has changed somewhat. A new leader has arisen from the bloody internecine battles of the Dunlendings; Thrydan Wolfsbane, a royalblood outcast, has been enthroned anew as the first true warchief of Dunland in centuries. A giant of a man, Thrydan leads through brute force rather than deftness of tongue and blade, yet he has shown cunning enough to forge an alliance with Saruman. Whether this pact will see Thrydan victorous over the Rohirrim or discarded as a pawn in Sarumans larger game remains to be seen
omer F 4 S 5 D 5 A 2 W 2 C 4 M 3 W 2 F 2

Legions of Middle-earth
Thrydan Wolfsbane can be fielded as part of a Dunland army.

Wargear

Thrydan wears armour. He carries a great axe (two-handed weapon) and a hand axe (hand weapon). He can ride a horse (+10 points).

Special Rules
Mighty Blow. For each successful to wound roll in close combat, Thrydan inflicts 2 wounds, rather than the normal 1. Fate rolls can be made against both of these wounds as normal. Lord of Dunland. The range of Thrydans Stand Fast! is 12"/28cm, rather than the usual 6"/14cm.

Saruman has armed the wild hillmen of Dunland.

- The Two Towers

Designers Note
Thrydan is a great addition to any Dunlending army (or indeed any army that can ally with Dunland), bringing plenty of Might and a modicum of extra leadership. Nonetheless, its his Mighty Blow special rule that really makes Thrydan indispensable one chop from that axe can split an enemy captain from gullet to gizzard!

Saruman the White

The new Saruman on horseback model is a long-awaited addition to the ranks of Isengard allowing him to keep up with fastmoving Isengard warriors such as Warg Riders or manoeuvre about the battlefield lending his magic where its most needed. Mounting Saruman on horseback makes him more dangerous on the charge, as well as making him harder to kill. Perhaps most crucially of all, the horse allows him to get into range of his spells far quicker and as Saruman is one of the most powerful Wizards available in The Lord of The Rings, this can only be a good thing.

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