Grey Company

[Smeagol]

I've been trying to knock off my unpainted stuff as fast as I can at the same time creating viable fighting forces. Or at the least interesting ones. The Grey Company is a force I avoided for a great many reasons, but with the warband rules they aren't that unpalatable. In fact they're not particularly dangerous except as allies, though with some tinkering I think they're still a viable if somewhat fragile force.

1 Elladan with elf bow
1 Elrohir with elf bow
11 Rangers of Arnor

1 Halbarad
12 Rangers of Arnor

6 Rangers of the North

1 King's Huntsman (Rohan allied here)

Points = 599
Models = 33
Might = 17+

The twin sons of Elrond are deadly fun. Halbarad is as a good as any Knight of men. The Rangers of the North provide lots of cheap Might and the Huntsman is an excellent sniper. The only one better is Legolas and he's twice the points. Thirty three models is not far off the average six hundred point force in terms of model count.

[BaronDeSade]

Meh, I'll bet my new Orc army could take it!

[Smeagol]

I've heard that bravado before many a defeat I have handed to your orcs.

It is a force I'm not particularly familiar with though. So it's not unreasonable to believe you can take it.

[BaronDeSade]

Orcs need bravado, because they can't exactly brag about their record.

Good to hear that my "Rationality Level" has been moved up to "not unreasonable" from "raving maniac" or whatever it was before .

Only the tabletop will tell!

[Smeagol]

Well my orcs can.

[BaronDeSade]

Let's crunch numbers, eh?

'gainst a normal Orc force, that's 33 shots @ 3+ to hit, yeilding you 22 hits. You've got mixed S2 and S3 bows, but let's be generous and assume 32% kills. 7 Orcs dead per turn! Horrible!

'gainst my veiled fist, 33 shots @ 6+ to hit, yielding you 5 hits. Less than two dead Orcs per turn. Pshaw!

Orc shooting @ rangers. 12 shots @ 5+ to hit, yielding about four hits. Probably the same rate of kills, given your crappy armor. Less than two dead men per turn. Orcs have numbers to absorb hits longer than men, and given that Orc archers are defended behind two ranks of Orcs, losses for men will fall disproportionally on human archers, eroding human archery rate much faster than Orc archery rate is eroded.

Men have range, at least!

Of course, the King's Huntsman might get a lucky shot and take out the Shadowlord. Making that Rohan sniper hit on a 6+ is good, but unluckier things have happened to me...

Summary: Grey Company shoot out with the Orcs would be at best, a coin-flip for men, as it plays to the Orc's strengths of ability to absorb hits without losing archery power.

Cheers anyhow!

BdS

[Smeagol]

The Grey Company has many strengths and weaknesses. Shooting is an option, but it is not how this force should expect to win. I choose not to take spears as I see them as a true skirmisher force rather than a lightly armoured version of a shield wall. They can't shield so I have to use them similar to how you plan to use your orcs. What they also have are three good fighting heroes and plenty of Might to power them through the critical early engagements.

The weak points you have to determine for yourself.

[Dragi]

Is The Grey Company still allowed to be an all bow army like before?

[Smeagol]

Yes. You have to have a captain for each warband of (up to) 12 Rangers of Arnor - AND - you have to have one Ranger of the North for every four Rangers of Arnor. The Rangers of the North are independant heroes and thus cannot lead warbands nor be the force leader.

[BaronDeSade]

Yes, you can bring as many bows as you like, that way, the Orcs have more wood to smash up for kindling for the great fires upon which they roast the man's-flesh!

Giving every soldier a bow is like giving every soldier a horse or a two-handed sword: it gives your army an overt strength in one area with equally-overt weaknesses in others. The Grey Company is horribly vulnerable to S4 attacks, so any army of Uruks or Morannon Orcs that can close into melee range is a deadly threat to them.

Best,

BdS