Battlehosts

I was not too impressed by the 'Battlehosts' expansion for WOTR, until a forum poster asked for comment on one of the Isengard Battlehosts, and I actually looked at it.

It is an amazing list. In fact, it replaces the xbow gunline + ambushing feral Uruk Hai list (which Jason said was 'too much', when I suggested it, then used it against me :P ) as my preferred way to run Isengard. You can run Dunlendings as the bulk of the force but not worry about the fact that they are 'rares'.

The Battlehost requires you to pay 75 pts and take Thrydan. Well, Thrydan is undercosted anyway, so we are ahead already! The base cost of the Battlehost buys you a great perk when you are within 12" of Thrydan, +1D6 attacks when you charge. This combined with the +1 str (on top of their str 4) when they charge, makes them the best value impact troops in the game.... because the Dunlending Huscarls, who will be the bulk of your force, are only 25pts a company. That's right, for the same cost as Minas Tirith Warriors, you get troops that are str 5 on the charge, with 1d6 bonus attacks.

The only other thing you are forced to take is some wildmen of dunland. At 15pts a company, they will not break the bank, and since they benifit from the same charge bonuses, actually make a great ambusher.

So as an option to later 'morph' my Angmar (with new banner bearers, of course) into Dunland I could take:

Battlehost cost (75)
Saruman (240)
In a three company unit of Uruk crossbows (105)
Thrydan (50)
Four companies of wildmen (60)
Four Companies of Dunlending Huscarls, Captain (150)
Four Companies of Dunlending Huscarls (100)
Four Companies of Dunlending Huscarls (100)
Four Companies of Dunlending Huscarls (100)

All I'd need to get would be Saruman, a box of Uruks, some crossbows to convert them with, and a box of 32 of something from Wargames Factory to be Wildmen. Some of the artwork from the old MERP books is suggestive that Celts would be good, but I think their Germanics might suit better.