I get enormous enjoyment from playing as the Evil side. There's a certain charm in marching ranks of Evil warriors at the enemy with no care for their survival. When Mat began to write the rules and detail the background for the Haradrim, I saw a new beast raising its head. They are an Evil army composed of Men, sworn to the service of the Dark Lord, with warriors as skilled and disciplined as the defenders of the White City. It wasn't long after the first sprues of the models began to arrive that I made my move.

After careful consideration I decided that I would make a good-sized army of Harad, able to fill the requirements for most scenarios they were called to perform in. The force would also have the versatility to play in points matches and tournament style games too. With that in mind I decided that I would establish a strong theme with my force. I love the idea of an army being led to battle by political agents, soldiers duped into doing the evil bidding of shadowy lords. So I chose Rurgâz, a Hâsharin to lead my army. Not only are these Heroes brave and cunning, but they are also amongst the most skilful fighters available. I decided that I would support my Hâsharin with Ashâr, a Haradrim Chieftain on foot (largely because the model looks fantastic), and another Chieftain (Hâlric) mounted on a horse for high-speed killing potential. Even after I had added a Banner Bearer to my force, my total expenditure was only around 230 points. Not bad when you consider I have three Heroes, one of which is a deadly Hâsharin!

Hagûd's Command	Points
War Mûmak of Harad commanded by Hagûd 24 Haradrim Warriors with spears 12 Haradrim Warriors with bows Total points:	275 144 72 491
This force relies on the awesome power of the Mûmak to destroy the enemy. With no Heroes aside from the Mûmak commander, this force really is a gamble to use, however, it is a gamble that often pays off and is always entertaining to play with. By keeping the bow-armed Warriors in the howdah and the spearmen out of trouble, the Mûmak can hopefully break the enemy force, allowing the spear-armed Haradrim to emerge and mop up the terrified survivors.

The men of Harad are as adept at fighting and shooting as any other, and without the heavy armour of Minas Tirith, they are cheaper in points and thus available in larger numbers. I decided upon two boxes worth of Warriors of Harad to begin with as 24 spearmen are a good core for an army of Harad.

Cheap, dependable troops capable of fighting in two ranks, Haradrim Warriors are the mainstay of my force. By adding 24 Haradrim with bows, I have given them significant missile support - the Poisoned Arrows special rule making them even more deadly than usual. To my core force I decided to add five Haradrim Raiders with lances. These would range ahead of my army, delivering hit and run attacks on the flanks of my enemies, using their lances and bows to deadly effect.

Now, the astute amongst you will have realised this is well over 500 points, and quite a long way past the 50 model limit imposed by the Tournament rules. However, there is method behind my madness. Such a big army puts me a long way towards playing most of the scenarios in the Pelennor Fields, and gives me the diversity to tailor my army when playing points matches.

Of course, I left the best until last. My army needed a Mûmak to smash its way through the ranks of my enemies. This beast of war is such a terrifying opponent I have seen very competent generals go completely to pieces when facing one.

The Minions of Rurgâz	Points
Rurgâz (Hâsharin) Ashâr Chieftain with bow and spear Hâlric Cheiftain with lance, bow and horse 1 Haradrim Warrior with Banner 24 Haradrim Warriors with spears 5 Haradrim Raiders with lances 10 Haradrim Warriors with bows Total points:	90 51 65 30 144 60 60 500
This force has enough Warriors to excel in a war of attrition, using its numbers to overwhelm the enemy, while Rurgâz can hunt down and kill any elite Warriors or Heroes in the enemy force.

Mine is painted in the same bold livery as the rest of the force and commanded by the capable Hagûd. Its awesome presence lends an air of formidability to my army, and it's the perfect addition for scenarios and points matches. Because of its sheer bulk and impressive power, a Mûmak works as the ultimate distraction in games. It is capable of crushing the ranks of the enemy with unparalleled ease.

Up until now, my force has proven highly successful, and during the play-testing phase of The Pelennor Fields supplement, my army became a regular sight pitted against the Knights of Dol Amroth, the Rangers of Ithilien and the might of Rohan.

But there is still so much of Middle-earth to conquer, and I really want to get some more Raiders painted as their lances should prove decisive in a number of engagements. After this, I think I will look to expand my force to include contingents of Easterling Warriors and Mordor Orcs. Easterling Warriors will provide my army with a core of high Defence troops, capable of taking far more abuse than the cheaper Haradrim Spearmen. By including some Mordor Orcs, I will have the perfect excuse to field a Mordor Troll and maybe a Mordor War Catapult too.

This will create a great Pelennor Fields theme, and allow me even more tactical flexibility. Middle-earth will be mine!

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Related Links:
Mûmak Tactics | A Red Day at Pelennor Fields Scenario