Hi peeps,

After a long break yet again from the hobby, Thermo has dragged me back into it kicking and screaming.

This time im gonna finally nail down my actual force which i will game with a majority of the time ( as in the past I just grab whatever is closest to hand).

So there a few forces I really like and Army of the dead with a few forces of man really appeals to me BUT Iv not had much luch with them in the past.
So I guess my question is... Are they any good? Any tips on how to field them?

And the biggy..... Is it worth buyin any riders of the dead?

I'd say it is worth purchasing the riders now because they have given AotD war-gear. AotD is pretty hard to play competitively if your entire force is made up of them simply because you're so limited tactically.

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The riders of the dead are the best thing in the army as they now have knock to the ground and are simply devastating against orcs and evil men, if they win the combat that is.

However with only one hero available to you, and two troop types with no missile weapons you are seriously limited in what you can do. Particularly under the present war ban rules. If you are keen on them I would suggest building a fiefdoms army around them.

Cheers guys.
What is "war ban" rules?
Also with only one hero I would only be able to field 12 warriors, is that correct?
So could I not have Another mounted hero with riders of the dead in his warband?

The War Band rule is having to have a hero to field troops at a maximum of 12 per hero. Unfortunately only having one hero, and being a named hero only allowing you to field one of him, will only allow a maximum of 13 army of the dead in a purist force. The Army of the dead are now included in the "Fiefdoms" army list in the "Free Peoples" source book.

I though AotD was in The Kingdoms of Men. I bought the Free People source book about 1 month ago and The Fiefdoms aren't in it.

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Quite right NarsilReforged, I was watching the duel between Yoda and Darth Sidious whilst typing! The Rules for the AotD are in the Fiefdoms section in the "Kingdoms of Men" supplement.

Ha ha ha. I think I might need to match SW again some time. Haven't watched it for years.

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The rules are too limiting. The AotD are supposed to be among the scariest things in Middle-earth (even worse than the Sackville-Bagginses) so someone somewhere decided they needed a good nerfing. That really annoys me. They are an easy army to paint up and base so if you want an alternative force, they are a reasonable choice.

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As your main force, my worry would be that they are too limited tactically, and as such will become pretty boring in a short while.
They can, however, be made much more interesting while staying with the theme: add in some Grey Company. Rangers will give you 'cheap' spear support, F4 and some missile power. Rangers of the North allow you to spread some Might through your ranks, and teaming up a mounted RotN or Halbarad with your mounted dead guys gives you the much-needed Might there as well.

For example, where 500 points could give you:

King of the Dead
4 Riders of the Dead
4 Warriors of the Dead, shield
4 Warriors of the Dead, shield, spear

Captain of Dol Amroth (need some hero to lead them..)
2 Warriors of the Dead, shield
5 Warriors of the Dead, shield, spear
------------------------------------------------
21 figures, 4 cavalry, no bows, 9 spears, 2 Might

This could be:

King of the Dead
3 Riders of the Dead
8 Warriors of the Dead, shield

Halbarad, spear, horse
8 Rangers of Arnor, spear

Ranger of the North, spear

Ranger of the North, spear
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23 figures, 4 cavalry, 11 bows, 11 spears, 5 Might

I prefer list 2 for more might and variety although list 1 is pretty strong one for combat. I think king of the death got 1 might, but not sure...if so its 3 migh overall

This all depends on your field actions, Coenus list 1 you win wars with attriction, even S4 source armies will have troubles to deal with those WoDD, however, those ghosts are not that much skilled in combat, if they had fight 4 they would surely be a threat to any... still good guys to fight any evil source and good vs dwarves needing at most on 5+

Riders of the Dead are hugely overpriced IMHO. King of the Dead is not worth it either, now that any Fiefdoms hero can lead Dead. Warriors of the Dead are pricey, but few better for a shield wall. Could be worth it in a higher points match. Here is a 700 points example:

Forlong, Dunhir, Rumuil w/Bow, Haldir w/ Bow
16 Dead w/ Shields, 12 Wood Elves w/ spear, 7 Wood Elves bow & spear

11 Might 39 Units 700 Points Excellent killer heroes, Defense 8, Fight 5, terror, Blades of Dead. 3 great bows w/ Might. No magic or monsters at this level may not be wise... Hero heavy, with half empty war bands.

Willing to settle for Fight 4? How about:

Prince Imahil, Forlong, Capt
18 Dead with Shield, 18 Men at Arms w. Pike.

8 Might, 39 Units 700 Points Banner on your Pikes, option for 3 Attacks, Defense 8, Fight 4, Blades of Dead, Terror. Adjust for bows, if you like. Death to orcs & goblins.

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