War in Rohan- Legendary Legion First Thoughts

Welcome back everyone, with a bit of a surprise to me in that I’m talking about the Legendary Legions from War in Rohan a week before release! Quite surprisingly the latest article on WarhammerCommunity covering the book has 7 Legendary Legion pages that are able to be read (although it is somewhat blurry and a lot of squinting is involved!) and we can gather some information on how the lists will function as a result of this.

Rohan

Obviously given the title of the book Rohan gets the most Legendary Legions here, with 4 of the 7 we’ve seen covering different points in the book. The intention seems to be in making lists that are fluffy yet still viable (like all the other LL lists) and not to have super-competitive lists that are just amazing.

Theodred’s Guard

 The long-awaited Fords of Isen list, this is based around the initial conflicts of the War in Rohan, the Burning of the Westfold and Theodred’s death. This list is unique for Rohan’s many Legendary Legions in that it has a combined arms focus and isn’t locked into pure cavalry or pure infantry, and instead gives benefits to both depending on what they are doing. Theodred has to be taken as the army’s leader obviously, but otherwise there are no restrictions (including Riders of Rohan counting towards the bow limit in this list, likely to force taking Warriors to reinforce the theme). It has access to Elfhelm and Grimbold as the other named heroes both with their regular options (horse for Elfhelm, Helmingas upgrade for Grimbold’s troops) and all the generic Rohan warrior options plus Captains.

Protect the Prince- All models in the force gain Sworn Protector (Theodred) which is a nice bonus, and it also affects Theodred himself which is really great to have against armies that cause Terror.

Riders of Theodred- In effect it’s replacing the benefits of being near Theoden for Rohan Captains, Riders and Royal Guard with being near Theodred. It’s great in that it heavily pushes Theodred as the lynchpin of the army as it should and gives the army some nice bonuses in their ability while keeping it quite elegant in terms of rules text.

Fight in Ranks!- A really nice boost to foot Rohan, this lets Warriors armed with Throwing Spears use them as regular spears to support provided they didn’t throw them that turn. It’s a great way to promote a lesser-seen Rohan build and pretty good in general as it increases versatility in the army. 

All in all this is a really nice thematic list that I like a lot and has a lot of strong options. Elfhelm and Grimbold are both great budget heroes that can dish out a lot of hurt, and Theodred is a good lynchpin for the army as well with his damage output. It does have to be careful against higher tier heroes and magic, but it’s a good enough list that it isn’t just auto-losing when Azog hits the table. 

Defenders of Helm’s Deep

The movie-based LL of the Helm’s Deep siege, with Rohan and Haldir’s Galadhrim unified by the Three Hunters. This force is a purely foot-based Rohan list and as such no models have options for mounts, and options are somewhat more restricted. It can take Galadhrim models, but they can only be a maximum of 33% of the army, and Theoden has to lead the force and must wear heavy armour. The only major restriction of wargear in this list other than no horses is Aragorn, who has to take his armour but otherwise gets no other options as this is movie-based and Aragorn didn’t have Anduril yet.

Fight in Ranks!- Same as in Theodred’s list, it lets Warriors armed with Throwing Spears use them as regular spears to support provided they didn’t throw them that turn. Just as good here as it is there if you’re using it for a Theoden-focused foot Rohan, but Galadhrim spears are more useful in terms of actually supporting because then you’re getting their great fight values added as well as just extra dice.

Give Them A Volley- If any bow-armed model (including elf bow) doesn’t move they get to increase their shooting range to 30”. This is great on the named Elven heroes because they not only get extra range, they’re accurate (Legolas using his single shot) or making multiple shots so it’s just more value. It also works well with Aldor’s shooting but the elf options are usually better

Fall Back to the Keep!- Similar to the Easterling army bonus in that they get +1 courage when broken (but here only warriors), but they get a reroll to courage tests if near Theoden once broken instead of choosing when the game ends. Great fluffy rules here to represent the stubborn defence of Helm’s Deep even in the face of failure, and even though the courage bonus is only useful against Terror (because if Theoden is passing break tests Stand Fast! Kicks in, if he fails he isn’t there any more) it’s still there.

I would personally recommend having a contingent of Lothlorien elves present in the army purely for bow fire, and for this reason I would make sure every one of them has bows (the limit to elves is the same as the bow limit and they’re better shots than the Rohirrim so they’re the better option. Giving them spears is also useful so they can shoot through the front line and then add support later. Haleth is also naturally a must have for the army to get the fight bonuses, and Aragorn with this bonus becomes a complete monster even without Anduril to get the wound bonuses. 

Riders of Eomer

The relief force that comes to break the siege of Helm’s Deep, this force is another all-mounted Rohan army with relatively few options, instead making up for it by those options being useful. Eomer must lead, which makes sense given the army title, and otherwise the only options are Erkenbrand, Gandalf the White, Captains of Rohan and Riders of Rohan.

To the King!- All Rohan Cavalry models (every option but Gandalf that is) gains +1 strength on the charge provided they are within 12” of Eomer (which is fairly easy)

Look to the Sun- Once per game Gandalf can declare that all enemy models that were charged by friendly cavalry that turn are at -1 to their duel rolls, massively increasing the chances of winning fights (and then the bonus from Eomer gives bonuses to wound).

This army is pretty simple but good at it’s job of being a hard-hitting cavalry army based around 2 great heroes, and I would almost always take Gandalf above 500 points as he benefits the army in a lot of ways. Erkenbrand is also a very good option that plays into the strengths of the army, as his Redshields will mean the army is even more reliable having a banner effect while not having to pay anywhere near the points of a banner (although I would still take a regular Rider with a banner just to spread the effect around and especially to hit Eomer) and his Horn of the Hammerhand will benefit the army a lot against Terror-causing foes

Paths of the Druadan

This one represents the Rohirrim on their ride to Gondor and the skirmishing in the Druadan Forest alongside the Woses Warriors that reside there. Because of this the list must take both Theoden (who has to be the leader like the other forces he appears in) and Ghan-buri-Ghan (who must take his full warband of Woses Warriors). All Rohan models have to take horses and other than the Woses and Rohan Outriders they get all the same options as the Riders of Theoden list from Gondor at War, although the very strong bonuses of that list are replaced with different ones to reflect the different events.

The models in this list do not benefit from any of their regular army bonuses (other than Riders of Rohan not counting to bow limits) and instead gain the following.

Know All Paths- The biggest bonus of the list in my opinion, it affects how easy it is for your army to win simultaneous Heroic Moves. It effectively gives a bonus to the roll (3 or less becomes 4 or less, 4+ becomes 3+) so you can be far more reliable in your manoeuvring and make sure your own cavalry charges are successful when it has the biggest impact.

Waypoints- The player of this army gets 3 25mm markers that go anywhere on the table before deployment, and Rohan Cavalry within 6” of them ignore the negative effects of moving or charging through Difficult Terrain. It’s good to have, especially on terrain-heavy tables, but overall isn’t going to win or lose games by itself.

Kill Orc-folk- This one is simple and quite good, all models in this list reroll 1s to wound against Orcs, Uruk-Hai and Goblins. It helps reliability and it does the job when it works, but it isn’t a huge loss when the opponent doesn’t have any of them.

This army in my opinion is something that won’t be seen at tournaments or large events outside of novelty lists for a couple of reasons, but it is a really nice thematic army that does exactly what it should. It’s not as outright strong as any of the “named” Rohan lists (those being Theoden, Eomer and Theodred) and Woses Warriors aren’t exactly a popular army to begin with, but for someone who wants to play both this is definitely something to consider.

Isengard

Unlike Gondor at War the conflict in this book is largely between two sides, with Isengard making up the Evil side. As such they get 3 Legendary Legions (that we know of- one for Dunland is still possible) each for a different part of the Isengard war machine.

Ugluk’s Scouts

This Legendary Legion reflects the point in the movies and books where Pippin and Merry are taken hostage by a group of Uruk-Hai and Orcs, and the debate between them that ensues while they are supposed to be working together for Saruman (before quickly getting slaughtered by Eomer’s men). It’s a scout army and as such lacks the pikes and crossbows that Uruk-Hai Warriors bring (as well as Vrasku and Lurtz) but still has some great options in the list. Ugluk has to be the leader given the name, and only Orc heroes can lead Orc models while only Uruk heroes can lead Uruk models. It has Ugluk, Mauhur, Grishnakh and the new Snaga as named options, Uruk Scout Captains, Uruk Drummers and Orc Captains as generic heroes and Uruk Scouts and Orc Warriors as the Warrior options. All of these keep their standard options from the regular lists except for no Warg on the Orc Captain (Wargs go in the Wolves list not here!)

Their Pace Has Quickened- If Mauhur is in the army (which he should be) all Uruk Scouts can get his Marauders bonus (for move 8”) and don’t pay for it. In addition Ugluk, Uruk Drummers and Uruk Scout Captains always get the 8” movement which is in itself a great bonus and makes the army super fast.

Make Haste to Isengard- giving the army Woodland Creature, it’s just a part of the army bonus that extends to the Orcs present. It’s good to have and in an army that is already quicker than normal it comes in handy very often which is terrifying.

Animosity- Something originally seen in the Cirith Ungol list for Battle Companies, this gives all Orcs a +1 to wound if they’re in the same fight as an Uruk, and vice versa. It’s nice to have but not always going to happen, so make sure if you’re in fights you want to get kills in to pack in an Orc and an Uruk.

I’ll start first by saying this LL has the definite issue of us not knowing what Snaga does, so no one can fully judge the value of the army as a whole quite yet. That said, Mauhur and Ugluk are both excellent and make Uruks in the force very good, and with that said the Scouts are well worth taking here. Grishnakh and the Orcs are less useful but noticeably cheaper and as such have a use in both bumping up the model count and in triggering Animosity for easier wounding.

Wolves of Isengard

Isengard’s answer to the all-mounted Rohirrim, this list is purely based around Warg Riders. Every model in the list has to be mounted on a Warg (or is a Warg) but otherwise they have their standard options. Sharku gets bumped to a Hero of Valour and must be taken as the army’s leader, and the other options for heroes are Orc Captains and Shamans who gain the Isengard keyword (and the Shaman changes Fury to benefit Isengard Orcs). The only warriors they get are Warg Riders and Wild Wargs but these are both effective enough in their roles that they don’t need more (and these are what fits the theme of the army)

Leader of the Pack- Sharku always has the option of declaring Heroic Combat for free. The saving in might is great to have and should he be against weaker chaff he can potentially chew through them and push the opponent to break point quicker which is always helpful.

Ambush- In scenarios with Maelstrom deployment they can choose who wins first turn (unless the opponent also does that in which case it’s regular rolls) and they can charge the turn they deploy off the board edge, with the added rule that if they would take a Terror test and fail they still move on, but cannot charge.

Scouts- Probably the jankiest rule in the whole book, it allows d6 models to move after deployment and if able they can also shoot. They can’t end within 3” of an enemy or charge, but they can also use this movement in Maelstrom of Battle deployments or as Reinforcements to come onto the board before they would normally be allowed, each being treated as its own warband and re-rolling results that prevent them from arriving (but not ones that let the enemy place them which is important)

In such a simple list there isn’t much to say about list building other than you probably want to have a Shaman in somewhere to get around Terror. Other than that, a good mix of shields, throwing spears and bows is nice and banners are always useful, but you’ve got a cavalry force at strength 4 with access to cheap Warg fodder to grab objectives when they need to. It’s basic but it should work well enough given the bonuses, which is all you can really ask for.

Assault Upon Helm’s Deep

The attacker list for the siege, this is pretty simple in that it has no named characters and you just get Uruk Captains, Shamans, Warriors, Berserkers and Demolition Team plus the Isengard Siege Ballistae and Trolls. You have to take an Uruk Captain as your leader but that was likely to happen anyway because taking an army of Shamans leading isn’t very effective as after the first one their value diminishes.

“You do not know Pain, you do not know Fear!”- Half of the regular Isengard army bonus (the other half going to Ugluk’s Scouts) this means Isengard models don’t take break tests until 66% of the army is dead. That’s the entire list here so stops things running away more which is great

Commander of the Uruk-Hai- The Captain leading the army gets bumped to 3 attacks and 3 wounds, which is helpful when your army leader isn’t a powerhouse hero. It helps him win fights and survive if he does lose, which are both useful given his Captain stats.

The Isengard Hordes- Every hero’s max warband size is increased by 6 models, which lets you pack out a horde of Uruks a lot easier without having to buy as many heroes to lead. In a list that is geared towards taking troops this is very good to have and is a really nice bonus

Break the Walls- The siege-based rules for the army, Ballistae can reroll hits and scatter rolls they make which helps them a lot and can make them very annoying to face (but they’re still no Iron Hills Ballista) and the demolition charges in your army can roll 2 dice instead of 1 when detonated and pick the highest, meaning they will be doing as much damage as possible and making them somewhat worthwhile.

When I would build this army I would lean towards making sure I have a lot of bases covered while also keeping more of the army bonuses. This means I would take as many Uruks as I can pack in at lower levels and have crossbows for strong shooting, berserkers and pikes scattered into the rest to make up a strong fighting line. At higher levels this idea is much the same with the basic troops, but I would consider a troll or a ballista to add some bigger punch against higher tier heroes as they will cut through the army somewhat more easily given the lack of anything but Captains and Shamans.

The Army of the Dead- Middle-earth Tactica

The next of my Middle-earth army discussions focuses on an army that is from the exact same part of the books as the Grey Company, but behaves very differently both on the table and in the movies (because they completely replace the Grey Company in the movies, much to my chagrin). The Dead of Dunharrow are an elite army, but still double the model count of the Grey Company, and rely on a lot more trickery and downright dirty play to function. This discussion I will talk about both the regular Dunharrow list and the Legendary Legion for them, Return of the King. Both have their merits but I personally feel the Return of the King version is almost entirely better purely because it has more options and a better bonus, despite being locked into more expensive heroes.



Army Rules
The regular army rules are quite simple and come from the time before Heralds of the Dead were a thing, matching the other "single hero" armies. The King of the Dead gets the amazing bonus of Harbinger of Evil, which on an army that has Terror and wounds against courage is just insanely good value, and warbands of 8 or more warriors don't need a hero to lead them (one of them is chosen as the leader for deployment). It's good as a bonus, not fantastic but it is something I would make sure to always have when using these models as the Harbinger of Evil is huge.
The Return of the King bonus is similar in that the King still gets Harbinger of Evil, but it loses the warband rule to instead give some other bonuses. You must take Aragorn and the King in this list, and Aragorn gets Anduril for free, but Aragorn counts as a 6" range banner to all friendly Spirits (while not being a banner- important for scenarios that affect this) and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli can all lead warbands of Spirits in this list. No mount options and no armour for Aragorn, but otherwise the wargear options are the same as in their normal incarnations. This one is not strictly better than "Dead of Dunharrow+allied Aragorn" but it does have some major bonuses to compensate for the things you lose (banner and free Anduril plus being able to lead troops vs mount and armour on Aragorn) so in my opinion the Legendary Legion sneaks ahead.
They also have a few rules they all share with each other, namely Terror (courage check to charge them), Blades of the Dead (they wound vs Courage not Defence) and Spectral Walk (water is treated as open ground). These all combine to give them a real ghostly feel as they should and makes them pretty good in combination with their other abilities.

Models

King of the Dead- The main hero of the Army of the Dead, the King is an excellent lynchpin piece in the crew who will not go down easily. His main draw is bringing Harbinger of Evil with the army bonus so the entire army is both harder to charge and wound better, and this bonus is amazing against most Evil armies which are low courage. His Fight of 5 is respectable but not amazing, although 2 attacks at strength 4 wounding against courage means he should be wounding on 6s at absolute worst, but most often 4s or 5s with his Harbinger debuff. This is also combined with the fact he has Drain Soul so if one wound goes through the target is dead, meaning he is an excellent model to have in combats against low Fate heroes or lower Fight monsters he can instantly kill. His Might is low at 1, but for 100 points with 6 Will and 3 Fate that is by design and honestly quite fair given the rest of his kit.

Heralds of the Dead- a smaller hero option added in Gondor at War, the Heralds are really still something you take after the King because of how much the army bonus and their own rules benefit him. 70 points (75 after shield) buys you what is basically a Warrior of the Dead Captain (higher Fight, Strength, Wounds and Attacks). Although it has no extra Might, they have 2 Fate which should keep them around, and 3 Will that can be given to the King to use as Might points if they are within 3". This is huge if you're not taking Aragorn, because it lets you use potentially 4 times the Might you would have before (even more if you take extra Heralds) so you can do a lot more to affect the flow of the game. They also have Pennants of the Dead which give friendly Spirits within 3" of them Resistant to Magic, which is situational but at the same time well worth having when you need it.

Warriors of the Dead- High defence, Terror and high courage are all things that are excellent to have in any case, and the Warriors bring all 3. Defence 7 (8 after shield) means they are tough to crack and although Fight 3 is somewhat low they make up for it by having Blades of the Dead for when they do wound, albeit not with the instakill of the King. Spears are a great option on them, although the kit comes with only a few, and the banner is a mandatory option in higher point games outside of the Legendary Legion.

Riders of the Dead- Warriors of the Dead with the shield built in, but they also get a special horse that is defence 6 and a Spirit. Being effectively armoured on the horse is nice, especially when the Riders are natively defence 8, but the big thing is that they are faster than anything else in the army so are a great piece to quickly reach objectives or to flank an opponent. At 24 points they are quite steep, but their value is well worth it. The speed is slightly worse in the way that it means they might not always be in the Harbinger bubble like the rest of the army, and almost certainly away from banners, but they are more objective pieces than offence anyway IMO.

The Return of the King Added Options

Aragorn (Strider)- Same as in Grey Company, Aragorn is pretty much the key piece of this army for a few reasons. Being a 6" banner to Spirit models keeps them effective for their higher cost (while not affecting himself, Legolas or Gimli) and his Might stores help shore up the single biggest weakness of the Dead as an army- Heroic Move and March helping a ton. His hitting strength with Anduril isn't as fantastic given Blades of the Dead on everything else, but it does help a lot against higher courage models that you can't just punch through armour. The biggest weakness of Aragorn in this army is no access to armour so he is stuck at defence 5 and thus if he loses fights he is likely to get mauled quickly, but he shouldn't lose fights in most cases with his rules. The most obvious, but also the easiest, trick with Aragorn is to have Warriors of the Dead sit behind him with spears to support, because then Aragorn still gets the benefit of his banner effect and can get cheeky extra strikes through with the spears on important targets.

Legolas- The sniper here is far more valuable than in Grey Company, because Dunharrow have no native shooting without either allying in Rangers (and thus Aragorn, who can also just buy a bow). The benefit of not only having some shooting, but incredibly accurate shooting is a big boon in being able to pick out key pieces and hurt them before lines clash, which is something the Dead can't do alone. Legolas I rate far higher in this army than in Grey Company for this reason because it does so much more that isn't found anywhere else.

Gimli- My opinion on Gimli in the Return of the King list is complete opposite to him in Grey Company because of what is around him. Being a high defence melee damage hero in an army of high defence melee warriors isn't as great as in an army of glass cannons, and compared to Legolas he is really just doubling down on what the Dead already do just with the benefit of being a hero. He's useful against higher courage models, same as Aragorn, but it just isn't enough to justify him in all cases.

Example Lists

400
Aragorn (Strider)
-Anduril
Warband
2 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

King of the Dead
Warband
2 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
2 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

Not high model count, but it's about as good as it gets in 400 points IMO. At this level there will be a lot more cheap models present to bump up break points and simply because it's hard to fit lots of heroes, so your lower model count shouldn't matter too much because it will be highly effective.

500

Aragorn (Strider)
-Anduril
-Elven Cloak
Warband
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
5 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

King of the Dead
Warband
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
4 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

Basically the same list as above, but with boosted numbers. Same idea, just with more of it on the table. 

600

Aragorn (Strider)
-Anduril
-Elven Cloak
Warband
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
5 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

King of the Dead
Warband
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
4 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

Legolas
-Armour

Again building off of the last list, this just adds Legolas for shooting where needed. 

750
Three Hunters
Aragorn (Strider)
-Anduril
-Elven Cloak
Warband
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
4 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

Gimli

Legolas
-Armour
Warband
4 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

King of the Dead
Warband
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
4 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

The intention of this list is to stay themed towards the initial charge, while also being low in actual purchases. Using only a single box of Warriors plus the heroes you get a full 750 point army that looks good, is thematic and can hold up on the table. 

Riders of the Dead
Aragorn (Strider)
-Anduril
-Elven Cloak
Warband
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
4 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield
2 Riders of the Dead

King of the Dead
Warband
3 Warriors of the Dead
-Spear
-Shield
4 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield
2 Riders of the Dead

Legolas
-Armour
-Elven Cloak
Warband
4 Warriors of the Dead
-Shield

Similar list style, but replacing Gimli with 4 Riders of the Dead. This adds some speed and objective grabbing to the army, but can also give some flanking punch and linebreaking when needed as well with the strength of the cavalry. 

Life of Crime- Malifaux 3E Bandit Tactica

Hi again all! Back to Malifaux now with my all-time favourite crew, the Bandit keyword of Parker Barrows. These guys are a bunch of cutthroat outlaws who play like you'd expect, stealing anything they can get their hands on and gunning down anyone who stops them.

Keyword abilities/triggers-
Life of Crime- while not on everything in the crew, it's pretty common and very useful. When a model with this activates it can remove a scheme marker within 4" (any- friend or foe) to gain Fast. Simple, effective and all around just good if you have ways to get markers out easily (and with the bandits, you do)

Run and Gun- quite simple, they can use projectiles on Charge actions. When the crew mostly have guns, this is great because it's AP efficient and helps them move around while still being able to shoot opponents (also to get around cover or concealment)

Drop It!- the tome trigger of the crew, this forces the target to drop a scheme marker of the opponent's in base contact with themself. The trigger is useful to put Fast on your own models (because of Life of Crime) or just to mess with the placement of markers for your opponent (if you make them put a marker in a useless spot but it's within 4" of somewhere they would want a marker, that's a big win)

Gunfighter- A few models in the crew have this which lets them use their guns as melee attacks with a range of 1”. It’s good to stop things from being shut down in engagement and means the models with it can keep shooting, just at what’s closest first

A Fistful of Scrip- On Parker, Mad Dog and Sue, this lets them place a scheme marker in base contact with models they kill. It’s useful to set up schemes if models happen to be in the right place at the right time, but more often it will just be used to feed Fast to things. 

Keyword models-

Parker Barrows- The master of the crew, Parker is good at pretty much everything you want him to be good at. His defensive stats are very good for a master (mainly his 14 wounds) and he has a couple of ways to regenerate Soulstones to keep him going (and the other stone users in the crew). His front of card is pretty standard given his role as the Bandit Master, with Gunfighter, A Fistful of Scrip and Run and Gun but he also brings Expert Shot to always ignore Friendly Fire which is really nice to have, and Draw Their Attention to go into his role as a shooter that supports his crew when he does it. It means when he damages an enemy model another friendly in LoS of him can discard a card to take an Interact action, meaning in interact heavy pools it can get a lot of value out of a crew that already is capable of taking a lot of actions (you can’t score Deliver a Message off it but Plant or any scheme marker is fair game). The back of his card has a lot of text- to be expected on a master- but each of his 4 actions have worthwhile uses and will see play at some point. His Six-shooters are a somewhat low stat 5 with positives, but they get +1 for each scheme marker within 3” of the target which him and his crew will force placement of, and 2/4/5 damage is respectable with his possible 17” threat range on 1AP. The triggers are also pretty good with him having Reposition on a mask to move up to 3”, and Highway Robbery as a version of Drop It! that will always trigger provided he has the tome (it’s enemy only, after resolving so he doesn’t need to actually hit). Highway Robbery then helps set up one of his tactical actions Bandit Raid, which has 10” range and needs a 6 to push another friendly model up to 6” towards a scheme marker in its LoS and then if it is a Bandit it may take a shoot action. It can’t target the same model more than once an activation but it’s a great way to not only get threat extension but also extra shots and putting models closer to scheme markers (which then means Fast). It’s amazing on Mad Dog or Gunslingers because they both have great things that work with it (blasts on Mad Dog, Onslaught on the Gunslingers) and want to be in good positions for shooting. His other tactical action is a bonus with no flips needed, simply a 4” pulse that removes all enemy scheme markers and gives you a card or soulstone for each. It’s value just because it gives you resources super quickly and it’s absolutely free- doesn’t cost you cards and doesn’t clash for any other bonus action so when you have the opportunity it will happen. The last thing to note on his card is somewhat less common to use but still good in the right situation and that is Stick Up!, which is slightly lower range but higher stat than his guns, resisted by Wp instead of Df and has a more control focus. It’s enemy only and can’t target the same model more than once, but it deals a flat 4 damage that can be reduced by 2 for each card the enemy discards (obviously they can only discard 2). The catch is if they do discard cards you draw an equal number so it’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation for the enemy, and the ram trigger is then an irresistible theft of a soulstone provided the target can use them which is both thematic, hilarious and strong. In general I find myself using the Six-shooters more often to throw out markers and deal damage but Stick Up! Is great as well on models with especially low Wp that can spend stones (Fuhatsu for example). Don’t expect Parker himself to blow away the opponent’s crew, he isn’t Perdita or Ophelia in that regard, but do expect him to multiply your force and add a ton of value to the models you do have so you can achieve a lot more.

Doc Mitchell- as a totem he is free, and he's 4SS anyway, so he could be forgiven if he wasn't fantastic. But he is for that cost. He's just a cheap healer to follow around the vital pieces, and although his heal is short ranged it's at a good stat with an excellent trigger and as such he will be an important piece in your crew. If he dies? Sure, the totem died and took hits the others could've taken. He doesn't? He'll keep things going far longer than they should. He's also immune to poison which is situationally great

Mad Dog Brackett- Mad Dog is hands down my favourite blaster in Outcasts. The amount of damage he can do is insanely good on his own and when you start adding in what Bandits can do to tune him up that becomes incredibly scary. While he is low range for the crew, Run and Gun helps extend that to 13” threat range off a single AP, and he can not only ignore Cover himself but he can extend it to the entire crew through Blown Apart markers which comes in handy often. His own damage track is very good, and with valuable triggers on every suit (his crow to ignore armour is built in, which is often helpful) he will always be doing something of value. He has great synergies with Parker and the Emissary which I will put in their respective sections, and in general I would never play a Bandit crew without Mad Dog

Benny Wolcomb- Honestly? Don't. Benny requires you to jump through a lot of hoops to get him going in a way that is useful to a Bandit crew, and although he is a second henchman that isn't actually great in a lot of situations. Play him in Hamelin (and even there he's a maybe take) but he's not worth it in Parker

Sue- Being entirely honest Sue is a model I have grappled with on a few occasions because I know that he is good and I see the great value there, but when I put him on the table he is never quite as hot as he seems. His gun is great especially with Critical Strike built in, Walk the Line is great value to set up scoring where it needs to happen (or just to trigger Life of Crime on something else) and both of his bonus actions are very useful. The Man in Black turning off triggers entirely is probably the better of the 2 in most cases (Ring of Fire has the potential to hurt your own models while MiB is just hard enemy control) and his front of card is fairly typical for a more expensive Bandit, although he lacks Life of Crime and instead has Grit (Hurt) to draw cards when activating below half health and Hard to Kill to keep him going longer. In general he’s good, but it’s more difficult to get value out of him compared to a lot of the similarly costed models in keyword or versatile with him not having Life of Crime.

Convict Gunslingers- Gunslingers are a very un-subtle model as can be expected from the name. They’re all about shooting as much as possible whenever possible and they’re good at it. Bullet Proof stops them from being damaged as much by enemy guns, and Quick Draw means if they win a duel on a mask against projectile attacks they can hit back at 2/4/5 with a negative. They have fairly standard abilities for Bandit otherwise (Life of Crime, Gunfighter and Run and Gun) and only 2 actions on the back of the card. Their attack is decent at stat 5 with positives resisted by Df, 2/4/5 damage is respectable but the triggers are where it gets strong. Onslaught on a mask, Slow on a crow and Drop It! is a great spread to have on a model that wants to be shooting as much as possible. Chain Gang is useful because it is a move for friendlies that needs no flips and can get things out of engagement (mainly Mad Dog and Bandidos) or just to get 3” further up the table early game.

Wokou Raiders- A shared keyword model with Misaki, Wokou Raiders are a bit odd in how they work but they’re very good nonetheless. They’re a melee model with a little bit of shooting, working as a tarpit and damage dealer that still has the classic Bandit scheme marker removal you’d expect. They borrow Charge Through from Last Blossom, getting positive flips to melee damage flips on Charges which goes well with their damage track (2/4/5) and positives to attack built in with some great triggers. Drop It! is typical as a Bandit, Critical Strike is good for the extra damage should you get rams and Coordinated Attack is better in Last Blossom than Bandit given the melee preference over Bandit’s gun focus, but always good when it’s relevant. Defence 5 is pretty average for something of their cost, willpower 6 being good, but Combat Finesse and the fact opponents can never cheat melee attacks against them is a very big boost to their effectiveness. Bullet Proof is something they share with Gunslingers and Kunoichi giving them a little edge against guns as well, while they have Life of Crime to gain Fast when they activate. This synergises well with their Ever-Changing Wind which lets them move (not push) 3” when an enemy scheme marker is placed within aura 6, meaning you’ll easily be able to get in 4” to remove that marker when they activate. A New Horizon lets them place scheme markers around as a bonus action for a 4 of tomes, moving the marker 6” of its current location when the action is declared which can not only counter an opponent but also benefit Bandits if you’re spreading around Fast.

Dead Outlaws- A very similar model to Bandidos below just with slightly different stats and replacing Life of Crime with Torment from Jack Daw’s crew, which they are also in-keyword. Df4 is pretty low but they have 7 wounds and Hard to Wound to compensate, they have Gunfighter so they aren’t stuck with being engaged, and they have 2 abilities on the front of card that work better with Tormented than Bandit. Cursed Bullets means they ignore Friendly Fire when Tormented models are involved, both friendly and enemy, while Torment lets them draw cards at the end of their activation if they damage enemies with upgrades attached. It works in Bandit if opponents happen to have them but is far easier in Tormented given how that crew throws out negative upgrades onto their opponents. Their Collier Revolver is the same as most of the crew and is ok, but their triggers are far more debilitating than the rest of the crew. On a mask they give out Staggered (which plays into Jack Daw more but is still good) and on a crow they give Slow or gain +1 damage if the target is already Slow which is really good. Their other attack is At Gunpoint which at stat 6 resist Wp is a decent attack but the effects are easy to negate. It works like an obey, but the opponent has to be within 3” of one of their scheme markers and can simply discard a random card to stop them from taking the action. The triggers on it give Staggered on a mask or a built-in trigger for +1 damage when resolving the action. Outlaws themselves cannot eat markers for Fast as they lack Life of Crime, but with Covetous Cravings as a tactical action they can hand it out on a 5 provided the target is in 6” and LoS of a scheme marker which is good for spreading fast but even better at being super long ranged and non-linear scheme marker removal. Their bonus action is a 6” aura that lets them push another Tormented model in LoS 3” towards a dropped scheme marker whenever a scheme marker is dropped within range. It’s a good way to keep things moving in Tormented but will only ever happen in Bandit if you’re hiring OOK or more than one Dead Outlaw.

Bandidos- The cheapest Bandit model outside of Doc, Bandidos are primarily scheming pieces that can also do a lot while shooting. They’re not fantastic and they lack the positive flips most of the crew have, but they are still valuable enough for their points. 5s all around for stats is decent enough, Run and Gun is well worth it on them (if you’re planning on walking to a position to place a marker, you may as well charge to shoot if you can) and they have a couple of really good front of card abilities. Quick Getaway is a mask trigger on defence that lets them push 5” after resolving an attack, so every time they resist on Df and get a mask they’re moving, and Trigger Finger is even better albeit once per turn. When an enemy drops a scheme marker within aura 8 of them (so when you use Drop It!) they can take a projectile action against the model that dropped it. This combined with Life of Crime means the crew can put out tons of shooting outside of normal AP limits which is great value to have. They aren’t really tanky but they can move around well enough to score points so I rate them, and I get value out of using them in marker schemes.

Bayou Smugglers- Like Benny this is another dual-keyword model that doesn't really do much to add to Parker's skillset. It's a predominately anti-scheme based model but that's done by literally everything in-keyword, and as a melee model Wokou Raiders have a better toolkit for the most part. Attuned is really nice and their card cycle is good, but I would consider these more in Bayou crews as a Versatile model, or Outcast Zipp crews.


OOK/Versatile models-

Hodgepodge Emissary- My favourite Versatile choice for Parker, the Emissary does a lot to support the crew in relevant ways. It has a 6 inch range heal that only needs a 6 to go off and can attach the excellent Trinket upgrades at the same time, a bonus action to put up an aura of soulstone generation when models die, and the better bonus action to push a model 3” and then drop a scheme marker. This action needs no flips, and in Bandit where it triggers Life of Crime is essentially pushing a model 3 and giving it fast for no investment at all. Combine that with 3 inch auras for passive heals on models’ activations and increasing their Mv by 1 for that activation (which is great for charges), plus it having Manipulative and Hard to Kill it is well worth the 10SS investment in Parker crews for a lot of pools.

Trinket upgrades-

• Memento- Gives Companion, it’s excellent on Mad Dog. Use Parker to set up a 3AP killing spree, Bandit Raid him into range and then immediately go and slaughter.
• Pretty Floral Bonnet- Don’t Mind Me lets any model you choose be able to Interact far easier which helps Bandit crews do what they do best. It’s useful in a lot of cases and where it goes (and when) depends entirely on board state, but it’s worth doing
• Vitality Potion- Regen +1 should go on one of the more important models in the crew. Whether that’s Parker, Mad Dog (if he doesn’t get Companion), Wokou, Sue or Gunslingers is up to you but any are good choices. Parker I think is the best because it keeps him tarpitting and you’ll be healing him more often anyway. 

Hodgepodge Effigy- Same sort of role as the Emissary with its support healing and soulstone generation, but for 4SS. It’s more fragile but for 4SS still remarkably tanky, although it doesn’t have good damage (nor should it as a support model) and doesn’t have a lot of the more useful tricks of the Emissary (trinkets, A Weary Road, its auras)

Prospector-He just fits nicely with the scheme shenanigans and soulstone generation in Parker’s crew. For 6SS he’s a great addition because he slots in perfectly with the schemes Parker tends to go for (and their denial too)

Midnight Stalker- He’s a reliable melee model with Leap, easy access to Fast and can give out Adversary Bandit (absolutely lethal if it goes off). His best use is for countering and promptly murdering scheme runners, but he’s really great value in Outflank or Breakthrough as well because it plays into his entire schtick

Ashes and Dust- I’d only take Ashes into Reckoning, but that’s because he is seriously cooked there. The difficulty in killing him while you take damage back is something the opponent has to consider, and then you just smack them down with his easy access to min 4 damage. He’s a perfect Reckoning model and even just a good melee beater in general, but I would only maybe consider him OOK for Turf War, and even then I would probably just take something in-keyword or Versatile (Wokou or the Stalker)

Upgrades-
Servant of Dark Powers- It’s a good upgrade and really nice on Mad Dog for the threat extension and healing, but where it shines is on Wokou Raiders. They’re already quick and fairly tanky, adding Terrifying and healing to them makes them a real pain to remove and is well worth the cost.

Soldier for Hire- Its basically 2SS for Hard to Kill and a situational card draw. This Will Fetch A
High Price will rarely if ever happen in Bandit given their other ways to remove scheme markers (and gain soulstones) and Bounty Hunter will give some nice card draw, but Wanted Criminal gives better card draw in Parker. Skip

Wanted Criminal- This upgrade has its best synergies in Parker, but even here I don’t think it’s amazing. It enables Trigger Finger to be even better, giving you cards to cheat or get triggers, and Drop It! will mean the card draw triggers often. Expert Thief isn’t fantastic, but Swagger on any minion in the crew is worth having as well. In general, I wouldn’t take it, but it does have its uses in Parker far more than any other crew.

Deployments-
Standard- The basic one, it's neither good or bad. You'll be able to start charge shooting bottom of turn 1 with some setup which is nice, and you have the spread to split things up and dedicate resources to where they need to go.

Wedge- A more annoying Standard. I like to run things up the flanks which is far harder in Wedge and although the middle is further up the table it tends to bottleneck the crew early on which can be a death sentence on certain terrain setups

Flank- wide deployment and plenty of movement potential. Bandit likes this as a keyword because they can manoeuvre around and get into annoying positions to score

Corner- Like Flank but smaller deployment on the wings, it's not as great IMO but it still works- especially if you go for a deathball

Strategies-
Reckoning- Doable, but not the best in-faction at it. His amount of guns helps a lot, as he can shoot things off the table before they can reach him and charge backwards to keep the crew safer. Going top-heavy with a lot of the expensive models is well worth doing, I like hiring in Ashes and Dust as a melee beater as well because he is nigh on impossible to actually kill.

Plant Explosives- Bandit's best strat IMO, because they have the movement and interact potential to spread all over the table and do whatever they want to. I tend to take more minions here than other strats because of numbers spread, but it can be done with almost any Parker list relatively easily. Make use of Draw Their Attention and have Parker and Mad Dog as damage dealing diversions while the rest of the crew can sneak around.

Corrupted Idols- Not fantastic. They can do it but not well and it relies on a lot of things falling into place for them to excel at it. This is easily the worst strategy for Bandit as a keyword, and there are flat out better options in-faction, but they can manage well enough.

Turf War- Decent take here, they can move up and deal damage quickly enough to threaten the opponent's markers fairly easily. Not quite Viks level IMO, but the same style of play and they're well suited towards it.

Schemes-

Detonate Charges- This one I'm not a huge fan of taking, but hot damn Parker is such a ridiculously good counter to it. Hold him till later in the turn, waddle over into the markers and they disappear, giving you cards/soulstones and the opponent nothing. That said, an opponent who knows what Bandits do will never choose it against you because of this.

Breakthrough- You've got mobility and you've got scheme marker placement. This is one you can do, but as always I only recommend it in Flank because of greater spread and more potential to flank. 

Harness the Ley Line- Easy to score, easy to deny. Parker makes this even more apparent and it is for this reason I love Bandit into this scheme because you can play hard denial and still come out on top in terms of actual scoring. 

Search the Ruins- My favourite for Parker alongside Ley Line, for the same reasons. You can zip around the backfield and chuck markers around while you charge and it's just thematically fun while being a good choice for the crew. 

Dig Their Graves- I'm not a huge fan, mainly because the second point is silly to score, but the first point isn't all that hard. Take it if you want to, it's not impossible to score 2VP from but it isn't something I personally like taking even when the first point is fairly easy. 

Hold Up Their Forces- Decent because of Bandidos and Dead Outlaws, but those options aren't hard to take out should they be focused on. I wouldn't take it because both points are telegraphed and not entirely easy to do, but it's an option. 

Take Prisoner- Bandits don't really want to be right up in combat so this one isn't fantastic, but it's still doable. Wokou Raiders are the choice pick here because they have staying power in melee more than the rest

Power Ritual- Another one that can be done pretty easily by Bandits, but it's significantly easier in Flank or Corner and Tara is just as good if not better. 

Outflank- With the tankier options or even just a couple of cheap minions, this is pretty good for Bandit crews. It's obvious but it's not massively easy to deny at least the first point

Assassinate- One of the 14 wound masters with good access to healing and soulstone generation, Parker is a difficult one to get Assassinate. His crew have enough high-powered shooting to get it themselves, and with their reach it's hard to escape the 2nd point, so it's not a bad take. He doesn't do so well here into Leveticus, but who outside of Ten Thunders does?

Deliver a Message- First point easy, 2nd point not so much- but Bandit counters the 2nd point hard. That’s worth keeping in mind here because it could mean the difference between a win and a draw. Not as easy to get the second point as in some other Outcast crews, but it’s still a doable scheme

Claim Jump- With some of the tankier models in the crew it’s possible, but it’s far more situational and difficult than Outflank is and you’ll be fighting hard for it. The second point is almost as easy as the first with healing access, but that reflects how difficult it is relative to a lot of other Reveal schemes (and Outflank is easier in both cases with Bandits)

Vendetta- With the changes to it, Mad Dog does this like an absolute champ (Sue and Gunslingers are good options too). Anything 8 stones or above is going to get blown away for the first point, but the second point is a little bit harder but still easily doable with the Bandit tricks.

In general I love the Bandit crew, and they're by far my favourite thing to play in 3E. They're solid generalists and can achieve any scheme with some degree of confidence, but they're by no means the best option at any of them really. Once someone knows the ins and outs of the crew though they're definitely a crew you can play with great certainty in getting at least half your points and they play a very good denial game at the same time. 

GG1

Strategies

Symbols of Authority- With the reach on his crew and interacting power you can do Symbols fairly reliably. If anyone does slip past you make sure you place your Symbols in firing lanes where you have opportunities to easily shoot back and make them hurt.

Recover Evidence- For something promoting close-ranged crews Parker is actually pretty great in this. With Run and Gun he can shoot and push towards where the markers will go, and then with 

Draw Their Attention you can interact and claim Intel when you get close.

Corrupted Ley Lines- A lot of silly tricks to be had here with Parker shoving your stuff around and making them throw markers, you can have a real ball with it. It's a scheme you wouldn't expect Parker to be amazing at but he does the job well enough. 

Public Enemies- This one is fairly easy, and with your guns you can press an advantage as long as you manage to avoid engagements wherever possible. Run and Gun is your friend, charge backwards and pick off weak links

Schemes

Breakthrough, Take Prisoner, Vendetta, Assassinate, Claim Jump- Same as before, with the exception of Mad Dog into Vendetta. He’s a bit more of a liability but he is effectively how he was in the scheme before GG0 in terms of who he can target.

Hidden Martyrs- Any of your minions are good choices, but its not really a great scheme with Parker. His mostly 8+ cost models make choosing it awkward and overall I don't really like it over a lot of the other schemes. 

Sabotage- Same as how I would play Search the Ruins with this crew, so I don’t really think it needs much more explaining.

Catch and Release- Not great because your minions tend to be somewhat fragile. Bandidos using their Df trigger to get out could work but isn't reliable, and Wokou are a great option, but it isn't my first choice at all with Parker

Let Them Bleed- It’s not too difficult to take this with a Parker crew, just not a super fantastic option either because he’s still a better schemer.

Leave Your Mark- Even though it's a scheme marker based scheme, I would never take it with Parker. He can counter it easily, but it's a scheme I very much dislike and as such I wouldn't take it

Research Mission- Not super easy given the lack of special markers in keyword, but Mad Dog is great at it. Being able to get out corpse/scheme/blown apart markers just by killing a model and using his bonus can fairly easily guarantee the point and the best part is the scheme won’t be removed so he can eat it for Fast the next turn.

Spread Them Out- Another easy one for Parker, because you can get markers out fairly easily in-keyword. Get models into position and make use of Draw Their Attention to put them out when you need to, and you can even counter it fairly easily through just existing as Bandit and taking their schemes away.

Runic Binding- Parker’s crew actually do this pretty well with what they have. Wokou and Smugglers (an actually decent use for them!) to move markers around, Emissary and regular interacts to put them down and you’re set. It’s also hard to score against you because of how Bandit eat schemes to gain their own bonuses. Benny can also be of good use here to put scheme markers where they couldn’t normally go.

GG2

Strategies

Symbols of Authority, Corrupted Ley Lines- Same as in GG1, my thoughts are the same.

Turf War- Move around to get to markers, but you have the reach to touch zones you aren’t in and kill models to flip markers there as well. There are better options in Outcasts, but Parker isn’t an actively bad choice

Break the Line- I’m not sold on the idea of this for Parker, mostly because it takes a lot of resources he doesn’t necessarily want to use while other keywords (Obliteration and Mercenary in particular) are a lot better at it.

Schemes

Breakthrough, Vendetta, Assassinate, Hidden Martyrs, Research Mission, Let Them Bleed, Catch and Release, Spread Them Out- These are all very much the same as before and I wouldn't change how I play them now.

Detonate Charges, Claim Jump- They’re the same as GG0, same as my thoughts there.

Death Beds- Blown Apart is a way to do it in a really janky sense, but it doesn’t get you both points and there are far better schemes to take. I wouldn’t recommend doing it with Parker

Passing of the Grey Company- Middle-earth Tactica

Today I will discuss my favourite army in Middle-earth, something I loved when first reading the books and now on the tabletop- the Grey Company. A Legendary Legion list from Gondor at War, this list is very low on models but packs a big punch, and it's super thematic and fun. It isn't the most powerful in terms of tournament competitiveness- it's tricky to play right and I am by no means an expert player- but it definitely is rewarding when you succeed.

Army Rules
The army has much the same benefits and options as the regular Rangers list in the LotR Army Book, but with a few small changes. First, you have to take Aragorn in order to play this list, and he must take Anduril (which he gets for free). But let's be real, you were going to do this anyway and Anduril is insanely good, making Aragorn a very reliable killer. The difference in list options here is that you don't have the option of Arathorn or Dunedain and gain Legolas, Gimli, Elladan and Elrohir instead, although no one can take mount options. This means any Ranger of the North you take gets a guaranteed 2 attacks care of the army bonus (and everyone gets Woodland Creature) and all those Rangers are affected by anyone else's Stand Fast! which is helpful for when you break (you're a low model count army with low defence, you will very likely break). All in all they're good bonuses without sacrificing huge things for the army (although horses are nice)

Models

Aragorn (Strider)- The big dog of the army, you have to take him but I would always take him anyway. Aragorn is such a hugely impressive piece in how the army functions and offensively that he needs to be protected a lot, but he has what it takes to terrify an opponent and act as the lynchpin the Grey Company revolve around. His free Might every turn from Mighty Hero is a great way to start the game with some Heroic Marches to get into position quicker, and once combat starts he will easily find a place for it between most commonly declaring Move, Combat and Strike depending on board state. It also allows you to reliably out-Might other armies especially with the stacks in the rest of the army which can also determine games if used well. At defence 5 (6 with armour) he isn't the hardest to wound, but with his toolkit (Fight 6, free might, Anduril) he can quite easily win fights and then follow up with kills. Wounding anything on the game on a 4+ (or 3+ if 2-handed) is huge and makes him the most reliable killer in the army and lets him chew through heroes or monsters almost as quickly as he does cheap hordes. Bringing 3 Might, Will and Fate is also the highest count of all these stats in the army which is good to have on such an important piece. He does have the option of taking a bow or Elven Cloak which are ok (the Cloak especially because it protects him) and when you can spare points for them I would definitely do so, but armour goes on first.

Halbarad- Outside of Aragorn, this is where I start my more competitive-minded lists every time. Giving a 6" banner means he will almost always affect the entire army, and also giving them Fearless is a huge bonus against Terror armies, especially with Harbinger of Evil. The potential of failing Terror checks is hugely damaging in such a low model count army, but if you just auto-pass that's not a worry. I say this also inferring that buying the banner is worth doing every single time, because it is for the cost and is a huge force multiplier. Halbarad is obviously a huge target because of what he gives, especially in scenarios where banners need to survive, and with the lowest defensive stats of any of the named heroes in the army (Fight 5 vs everyone else at 6 means he's more likely to lose fights, and defence 5 with 1 fate is significantly more fragile than the rest) he needs to be protected at all costs. For this purpose I always make sure to screen him with other models to soak charges, and if/when he does make it into combat he tends to have a spear Ranger hanging around for extra dice.

Elladan and Elrohir (hereby referred to as "The Twins")- The next additions after Halbarad if points allow, The Twins are your second and third combat heroes after Aragorn. With raw stats that sit between Aragorn and Legolas, they have a few special rules that tune them up into being absolute machines in combat and pretty great shots as well. Access to more Elf Bows is very welcome because S3 shooting is infinitely better than S2, Heavy Armour for D6 is very much wanted for the cost (and should really always be taken- they're not marching to Pelennor without it) and Elven Cloaks are a nice, but situational upgrade (I'd take another Ranger over massing cloaks, and it goes on Legolas and Aragorn first if points fit). They aren't "quad 3s" heroes (that being Attacks, Might, Will and Fate) but with 2s in all but Might they are still pretty effective for their budget cost (80 points each base). In combat they can choose to be 2-handed at 2 attacks, 3 attacks with no other bonus or shield for 4 dice which lets them decide the tempo of battle pretty well (especially when combined with Halbarad's banner and their own Elven-made weapons) and win most combats comfortably. Adding to this they are S4 with 3 Might so they can carve up lesser-armoured foes and reliably combat heavier targets as well, albeit not at the raw power of Gimli or Aragorn but still very effective. Their last bonus is a fluffy rule for if one of them dies, giving the other one a boost to S5 (but -1 defence) and a vendetta against the model that killed his brother, forcing the remaining Twin to charge as close as possible to that model and if it gets there he is able to declare Heroic Challenges for free provided that model is a hero. Free Heroics are always good, and Challenge has the potential to lock out an enemy hero from assisting the rest of the battle while they are in combat with an angry elf that is trying its hardest to cut them down. It does become harder to manage banner range with Halbarad if this happens, but given the importance of the banner to the army it is likely Halbarad will be dead by this stage anyway so it isn't a huge issue.

Legolas- Here you have a more utility piece in a different way to Halbarad, as he is a sniper first and foremost rather than a buff piece for your own army. The way he does this is through Deadly Shot, which lets him shoot either 3 times normally (3+ or if he moves half speed 4+) or make a single shot hitting on 2+, ignoring all In The Way tests and being able to choose mount or rider if on a mounted model. Being able to pick out enemy support, banners or knock heroes off their mounts is a really nice bonus to the army, especially when things need horses to keep up or get their biggest offensive bonuses (looking at you Theoden). His shooting at S3 is high enough to threaten all mounts too so he's a great piece to have in the army, but more and more I find myself reaching for the other characters in lower points games because they're more inherently reliable to me. Once in combat he still has 2 attacks with his Elven-made daggers which is definitely respectable at Fight 6, but he is not overly better than any of the Rangers in a fight other than his higher Fight value. Where possible I like to keep him nearby the army but out of combat, preferably with an Elven Cloak and Armour upgrades, and use him to pick out key pieces in the opponent's army to boost your own chances of success.

Gimli- The other melee bruiser of the list, Gimli the dwarf is a little machine when he hits combat. D8 and Fight 6 keeps him alive very well, and he has a similar special rule to the Twins with regards to his attacks. Although he can't shield, he can use a 2-handed Master-forged axe with 2 attacks (useful to punch through high defence) or 2 axes at 3 attacks. Both are valid options, but with the other 3 attack models in the list he will most likely be going after heavy targets with his 2-handed axe to take them out of the equation while the others clear chaff. He also has Throwing Axes which are very useful on the charge, as it's another S3 ranged attack and can help him clear out more enemies when lines clash. His Will and Fate, like the Twins, isn't fantastic but for their cost is perfectly justifiable. All in all I've found Gimli will always pull his weight in a list and opponents tend to underestimate him a bit compared to some of the others.

"The Competition"- Gimli and Legolas kill count

One of the most entertaining rules in the army, and quite thematic, this gives whoever has less kills at the time of checking a slight bonus to their offence. If Legolas has less kills than Gimli (likely to be later game once Gimli is in combat) he gets +1 to his Shoot value making him 2+, although he will probably be in combat at this time so it isn't massive and 3+ is already great (or just Deadly Shot). Gimli's on the other hand is far easier to trigger given Legolas' role as a sniper, and a further +1 to his wound rolls makes him really terrifying to high-defence targets. When 6s to wound become 4+ using his 2-handed axe (or even 3+) he carves through anything he likes provided he wins fights, which realistically he can against things like Mumaks, Great Beasts, other Dwarves or Warriors of the Dead which are all lower or equal fight value. 

Rangers of the North- The troop equivalent of the army (even though they are 30 point heroes), the RotN aren't that great and serve mainly just to fill points in the Grey Company list. At their points cost 1-3 of them fill lists at different points levels when one of the more expensive characters can't be afforded, but where a 4th Ranger would fit it's better to simply take a named hero instead (120 points buys you Halbarad with Banner, Legolas or Gimli fully kitted and every one of these gives points spare). The army bonus giving an extra attack is huge because at fight 4 defence 5 they will be torn apart by any of the strength 4 armies or anything with bonuses to wound and any extra chance to win the fight is very welcome. This is also the reason spears are almost mandatory for them, as at 1 point it doesn't cut into the model count much (if at all, ever) and gives them the option of not only supporting each other, but also the big heroes. Aragorn or the Twins with support from spears become absolute blenders and terrifying for enemy troops to face.

Example Lists

Below are some lists using the thoughts I have mentioned above and the ways I play Grey Company. These tend to be the absolute lowest model counts possible but they also pack the hardest punch and have more survivability than the higher model lists in Grey Company.

400- 

400 points is the absolute minimum I would run this army, because any lower and it gets super restrictive with what you can take. There are 2 options I would suggest for this points level, both being fluff based lists that are still good

Three Hunters

Aragorn- Strider

-Anduril

-Bow

Legolas

-Armour

Gimli

Ranger of the North

This list has the Ranger in it purely to bump up a 370 point list to 400 honestly. For a themed Three Hunters list at this points level reflecting their travels from Amon Hen to Edoras, simply replace the Ranger with Elven Cloaks on everyone else- this will lead to 15 points unspent, but is still themed towards the books (alternatively, take this in Fellowship and instead of Anduril and a cloak, mount Aragorn and Legolas)

Halbarad and the Rangers

Aragorn- Strider

-Anduril

-Bow

Halbarad

-Banner of Arwen Evenstar

Ranger of the North

-Spear

Ranger of the North

-Spear

Ranger of the North

-Spear

Ranger of the North

-Spear

This list is themed after Pelennor as most of my Grey Company lists are (if the Banner is there, it's Pelennor) but focuses much more on the Rangers. It is far more fragile and risky to play, but still thematic and will look good on the table.

The Twins

Aragorn- Strider

-Anduril

-Bow

Elladan and Elrohir

-Heavy Armour

-Elf Bows

Ranger of the North

Ranger of the North

This is probably the most well-rounded of the lot despite not having the banner as it has 3 heroes who are very strong in combat and it has a lot of good shooting and movement potential. The Rangers exist purely to support where needed with extra dice and to shoot in the earlier turns of engagement, but they fill a gap so are still useful. 

500- 

Grey Company as a list starts to really come into its own at this points level as you can start to pack in a lot more of the valuable characters together and work on their synergies. This is where I begin to get a bit more static with what I take, and the combinations begin to blend together (Three Hunters or Halbarad/Twins). 

Three Hunters

Aragorn- Strider

-Anduril

-Bow

Legolas

-Armour

-Elven Cloak

Gimli

Ranger of the North

-Spear

Ranger of the North

-Spear

Ranger of the North

-Spear

Ranger of the North

-Spear

The same idea as the 400 point list, just with more Rangers to fill it out. This is where it becomes definite "Grey Company" and not "Fellowship but somewhere different" which is why 500 points is where this list begins to gain its own identity. 

Halbarad/Twins

Aragorn- Strider

-Anduril

-Bow

-Elven Cloak

Elladan and Elrohir

-Heavy Armour

-Elf Bows

-Elven Cloaks

Halbarad

-Banner of Arwen Evenstar

Ranger of the North

Lower model count, but it packs a punch which is ultimately the point of how I play Grey Company. This is the beginnings of a combat block where everything stays within range of Halbarad for the bonuses and it puts out hurt whenever it can. 

750

The last points level I will discuss and this list will not change. At 750 you can fit all of the named characters with a little bit of Ranger support, and this I feel is the place where Grey Company shines both thematically and mechanically. 

The Grey Company

Aragorn- Strider

-Anduril

Legolas

-Armour

Gimli

Elladan and Elrohir

-Heavy Armour

-Elf Bows

Halbarad

-Banner of Arwen Evenstar

Ranger of the North

-Spear

Ranger of the North

-Spear

Ranger of the North

-Spear

9 models, lots of impact. Shooting is good enough to hopefully soften up a bit before combat, but once it hits the list just dances around killing any chaff in the way. Heroes are a bit more thought, but most warriors will crumble against them.