So with an initial warband at the ready, and Guritz ready to lead (check Part 2 if you missed his addition!) , I knew I had to get on with some more Morannon Orcs. With the paint scheme I’ve used in Part 1 I knew I could relatively quickly sort another 12. I’ve mentioned before the excellent ‘Battle of Pelennor Fields’ as a starter set. The box gave me a full 36 Orcs, which is more than enough.
For my next 12 I did one or two very simple weapon swaps. I used a craft knife and simply removed the simplest joints – taking care so that they would match their new wrists! With some different shield options, it made the newest addition of troops look slightly different which was great. I now had a full horde of 24 Morannon Orcs!
I’ve mentioned before that this is a great backbone to any Morannon Army. I was originally a little hesitant on what to add next. The new ‘Gondor at War’ book looks to serve my army brilliantly, but I’m yet to know exactly what is included that is different to a normal Mordor force, though I gather the Wraiths have been dropped. Warg Riders feel like a nice addition, but I also have the Troll still from the ‘Battle of Pelennor Fields’ box set.
What is important is that I start getting some games in, and actually starting to think about what sort of army I want to field could be a great way to get my force sorted. To that end, there was really only one option…
Gothmog – Lieutenant of Mordor…
With his combat prowess but also numerous abilities to buff my normal Morannon Orcs, he makes the perfect choice for my general. Mounting him and giving him a shield makes him an even stronger option!
What this also allows me to do is start really thinking about my first army list. I’ve played LOTR games as low as 250pts before, but my ideal game size is between 400-700. With Gothmog now at the head of my fledgling horde I have the opportunity to put together a 400 point list.
| Warband 1 12/15 |
| Gothmog, Lieutenant of Sauron with Warg; Shield; |
| 6 Morannon Orc with Shield; |
| 3 Morannon Orc with Spear; |
| 3 Morannon Orc with Shield; Spear; |
| Warband 2 12/12 |
| Guritz, Master of Reserves |
| 6 Morannon Orc with Shield; |
| 6 Morannon Orc with Spear; |
This list is exactly 400pts! Helpfully it also makes use of everything I have painted so far!
Tactically I’m unsure on the warband distribution, but even numbers just feels right. I could load up Gothmog a bit more to take advantage of his buffs, but Guritz deployment rules should mean the two parties meet quickly if I want.
What would you do? Let me know in the comment section
Thanks for reading, and hopefully next time I’ll have christened the Orcs in battle
Middle-Earth Moments 