The beginnings of Jake's Khandish army.

Jake Landis (Games Workshop US): While writing this list, I decided to name it 'Death to Rohan' because it is an army built to counter cavalry.  Chariots are an exciting addition to The Lord of The Rings Strategy Battle Game, and I had to take a close look at them immediately after I heard about them. The benefits, as well as the shortcomings, of Chariots became pretty clear to me, and I based my strategy on that evaluation.

Though Chariots mean only a few models in my army, don't scoff at them until you see what they can do. Every unit in my army can move 10" per turn, which will help me outmanoeuvre my opponent and engage models as I see fit. Plus, the Chariots can still move a full 10" and fire their bows without penalties.

However, most of these advantages depend on me getting the drop on my opponent and charging first. Chariots are Monstrous Mounts, which makes them very effective against cavalry because your foe cannot knock you to the ground or get double wounds against you. In contrast, if you win combat on the turn you charge with a Chariot, you knock your opponent down and get double wounds against him – with a two-handed weapon. Against cavalry, this tactic is exceptionally powerful because the rider is immediately thrown from his mount, is wounded, and takes an automatic Strength 3 hit. If the earth doesn't kill him, you still get four chances to wound with that two-handed strike. In short, chances are good that you will kill your opponent if you win the combat.

I chose Warg Riders to complement my Chariots because Wargs are cheap and effective. My plan is to use them to take out the enemy units that might slow down the Chariot charge. Most of the Warg targets will likely be bowmen, siege engines, and foot troops. Why foot troops? Though Chariots are much stronger, they will be quickly overwhelmed by large numbers of infantry.

There are a few more things that I'll have to remember with this force. First, in order to get the charge, I want to keep all my models close together. That way, if my foe wins priority and he's within charge range, I can use a Might Point to make a Heroic Move and take along everyone within 6" of the hero. Second, I also want to keep the Chariots close together because the King counts as a Banner, which brings re-rolls to combats within 3" of him. Third, I need to watch out for enemy high-point heroes with loads of Might Points. They can counter my Might Points and cut down the Chariots, so I have to throw everything at these heroes right away or avoid them completely to avoid disaster. Fourth and finally, I'm going to want to use my bows and throwing spears to avoid close combat when possible to allow enough breathing room to redirect charges.

Next: Khand - Chariot Madness
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