HEROES

In the same way that the High Elven warriors are the finest available, so are the Heroes that lead them. Let's take a closer look at how best to use them in the game.

GIL-GALAD

The last High King of the Elves, Gil-galad is an awe inspiring sight in close combat. With a Fight value that exceeds all but the Dark Lord Sauron and the Balrog, he can be relied upon to win most of the combats he ever takes part in. His Fearless ability means that you can trust him to engage terrifying foes without exception. I'm sure many of us have tried to send a Hero up against Sauron only to fail the Courage test by rolling snake-eyes at some point. Gil-galad is made of much sterner stuff.

Aeglos, Gil-galad's spear, inspires Terror in his foes. When fighting the cowardly forces of Mordor, your opponent will find it difficult to persuade his Orcs to charge you. It will be rare for Gil-galad to be surrounded and trapped. One note about the spear though: Don't be tempted to use it to fight through a friendly model. No Hero would fight from the second rank – make sure that Gil-galad is in base-to-base contact with the enemy, this way he will benefit from all 3 of his Attacks instead of just the 1 he could use by fighting through.

ELROND

Gil-galad's herald is only slightly less mighty than the King he serves. Equipped with his Elf blade, even if he uses it as a double-handed weapon he can still use his Might store to bump his dice roll to a 6 if needed. Against the tougher foes like Sauron, Elrond is the perfect choice to accompany Gil-galad. (As it should be of course!) Gil-galad can concentrate on winning the fight, and Elrond can deal the killing blow with his two-handed weapon.

GLORFINDEL

Glorfindel is rather rare amongst the existing High Elf heroes in that he can lead the army from the back of his trusty steed. His exceptional abilities in close combat are magnified when combined with the usual cavalry bonuses of Extra Attack and Knock Down. Care must be exercised though, as it is all too tempting to use the extra speed afforded by the horse to go charging off into combat all alone. If the enemy draws Glorfindel out like this then he will be swiftly surrounded and brought down. They will also attempt to shoot his horse from under him at the first opportunity. A far better way to use this mighty Elf lord is to keep him behind the main Elf lines. This will keep him shielded from harm until battle is joined. Once close combat has begun, the 10"/24cm move of the mounted Hero will allow him to redeploy quickly to shore up the battle lines where they are weakest.

The Elves steel themselves for the Orcs' charge.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Finally, it would be wise to examine how your opponents will seek to defeat your army. Understanding your weaknesses compared to your opponent's strengths is your first and most important line of defence. Let's take a look at each of the principal enemies you will face.

MORIA GOBLINS

The vast hordes of Moria Goblin armies will be relying on their weight of numbers to surround and outnumber you. If this is allowed to happen, trapped warriors and double strikes to wound will lead to your brave Elves being cut down in droves. It is therefore crucial that you hold back from close combat for as long as possible while your archers thin the numbers of the approaching swarm. Fall back each turn while keeping up a steady rate of fire in order to maximise the number of shots your archers can make.

When rolling to wound, a Strength 3 Elf bow will require a dice roll of 5 or more to kill a Moria Goblin, regardless of whether they have a shield or not. Your targeting priorities are therefore not governed by how easily you can kill your opponent, but by the order that would most benefit you tactically. I would recommend that you start by targeting the enemy archers to remove the threat of incoming fire – even Goblin bowmen achieve a few kills each game and they should not be underestimated. Next, switch to targeting the spearmen who will be impossible to wound in close combat if they are fighting through another model.

Even though they are many in number, the Moria Goblins are weak and cowardly. Once the critical 50% casualty mark is reached they will have great difficulty in keeping order in the ranks. To make the most of this, you must endeavour to target the Goblin Heroes, Shamans and Drummers as early as possible – their morale boosting effects could be your undoing. A clever opponent will not give you many clear shots at them, so you must seize any opportunities as soon as they arise.

URUK-HAI

Saruman's fighting Uruk-hai are the deadliest of your potential foes. Their higher strength and their ability to form dense formations with their pikemen allow them to bring a lot of force to bear upon your troops in close combat. They also have the strongest ranged attack in the game with their crossbows.

Do not be intimidated by the high strength of the crossbow, you still have the advantage when it comes to ranged warfare so long as you target the Uruk-hai without shields (bowmen and pikemen). An Elf targeting a Defence 5 Uruk-hai will have a 22% chance of achieving a kill. An Uruk-hai crossbowman targeting a High Elf has just under a 17% chance of getting a kill, a critical difference in odds that is in your favour. The balance is tipped even further by the fact that you can move 3"/8cm and still shoot while your enemy must remain stationary in order to fire. Astute use of terrain to launch ambushes will allow you to shoot without fear of return fire. Remember, even if your opponent screens his pikemen with a front rank of shield-armed warriors you can still attempt to target the weaker enemy in the second rank. So long as you can see part of the model it may be shot at – the model with the higher Defence in front merely counts as being "in the way". The worst that can happen is that you still hit the front Uruk-hai, but you increase your chances of getting a kill by going for the softer target behind him.

The Fighting Uruk-hai with swords.

MORDOR ORCS

The Orcs will try to overwhelm you in much the same manner as the Moria Goblins will and the same tactics can be used against them. In addition, Mordor Orcs come equipped with two-handed weapons that increase their chances of wounding. Watch out for these, especially if you see them teamed up with a normal hand weapon.

The biggest threat from Mordor Orcs however, are the Warg Riders. These swift moving cavalry units have the potential to swoop in and engage your archers while the rest of the Orc army charges forward. Even if the Warg Riders do not kill the bowmen, they can still keep them occupied, meaning you will miss out on some crucial thinning of the Orcs' numbers before close combat. With the Warg Rider's charge bonuses and the Elf archer's -1 penalty for being unarmed, any Orc commander worth his salt will make a beeline for your bowmen. The Wargs should be your priority shooting target, especially as the riders have the only Strength 3 ranged attack (their throwing spears) on the Evil side. Those throwing weapons are more likely to wound your Defence 5 troops, so this is the time for that shieldwall!

If victory should elude you, do not despair. The time of the Elves is almost over in Middle-earth, victory is only a temporary delay of the inevitable, a fleeting glory that will pass all too soon. One day the last ship will set sail for Valinor and the burden of resisting Evil will fall to the world of Men.

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