SQUASHING THE ENEMY

Mûmak tactics have, to my mind, four laws. Follow these laws and you will never go far wrong. They are:

Crush the weak: Let's not beat around the bush here. Killing the weak warriors of Good is what the Mûmak does best. That's why we (us Evil players that is) are willing to pay out premium points for one. The best way to go about this is to make the most of the trample attack. The Mûmak is most deadly when it is on the move. If your enemy can bog you down and prevent you from moving, beware! Worse, once he has stopped your precious Oliphaunt, he might be able to muster enough attacks to wound it. This can send the beast raging off into a stampede, something no Evil general wants. Always aim your Mûmak at the largest concentrations of enemy warriors. It doesn't really matter if they are mounted or on foot, either way you'll likely kill them. So long as you are trampling through as many as you can, you're fulfilling Law 1. With three Strength 9 hits against each model you contact, large groups tend to become red stains beneath your Mûmak's feet. Killing anything other than Mighty Heroes of the scariest type is really a foregone conclusion. Only bad dice rolls will save them!

Mûmakil stomp forwards to crush the warriors of Good.

Beware speed bumps: Too many times I've thrown away a game with a Mûmak because I've deviated from this law, and it is so simple! Speed bumps fall into two categories: terrain and Heroes. Terrain is easy to avoid. Plan your moves carefully, ideally before the battle. Always know what you want to do in your next turn. In your mind's eye, decide where you want your lovely Oliphaunt to go, who you want it to squash, and how you will avoid scenery as you do so.

Heroes present a much deadlier threat to your glorious beastie. They have multiple Wounds and Fate. Aragorn or Imrahil, for example, are nearly impossible to kill in one fell charge. Your opponent will be willing (if they are smart) to throw such a Hero in your path. Be wary of falling for the ruse and trampling into them. Kill their weaker friends first, isolating them from support and optimising your chances of bringing down the Hero later. Since the Mûmak causes terror, the Hero might not be able to charge you anyway.

Show no mercy: Don't feel bad about crushing your own men. Life is cheap in the armies loyal to the Red Eye. This law sounds a little mean and nasty. To be honest, it is. But if you can pin a Knight of Dol Amroth in combat with a Haradrim spearman and then reduce them both to jam with a charging Mûmak, why not? This isn't to say you should make a habit of killing your own warriors for its own sake, but don't shy away from it. It can be a highly effective battle tactic. I've been known to use a Haradrim Chieftain to launch a heroic combat to keep enemies in battle long enough for the Mûmak to smoosh them all.

Keep moving: Whenever possible keep your Mûmak on the move. The Commander on the howdah has two Might points, three, if you splash out on a Mahûd. These are best spent on Heroic actions which can allow you to get the jump on an enemy. There is simply no point spending the better part of 300 points on a Mûmak to have it charged and pinned in place by a plucky Knight of Dol Amroth or an Elf. Keep that monster moving and squashing your enemies, and you're that bit closer to victory.