Mouth-of-Sauron wrote:
#On a side note though, i have calculated that the Black Guard are totally not worth their 12 points. I mean they differ from
Isengard uruks w/shield with only one more strenght but
cost 2 points more...???? like what the HELL!!! (basically you lose 1 point per Black-Guard) AND that strneght 5 is only useful against Rohan or other troops with defence of 3 or 5 , but usually you face troops 4 or 6, so you don´t really benefit from their "brutal" strenght...
-Although Captains are pretty good... since for 60 points you are able to field a courage 7!!! captain (field Nazgul +2 and a hornblower +1)
-And it is possible to get an Black-Guard Drummer with Isengard raiders throw Dol Guldur, which could make "Mauhur Marauders" even more faster...
But i relly don´t reccmoned the Black Guard... only the Captain... you are far better of with Morannon Orcs...
Sorry to derail this topic but I do not agree that BlackGuard are not worth their points, I always thought Strength counted for 2 points when working out costs, and I would say Strength 5 is more useful than you think. Because it covers defence 3, 5, and 7, (whereas for strength 4 theres only 4 and 6 because 8 and 2 are very rare defence values). Think about all the armies that include mainstay units with defence 3,5 and 7.
- Rohan
- Corsairs
- Wood Elves
- Scout Uruk-hai
- Galdhrim
- Mahud
- Army of the Dead
- Last Alliance (Numenor + Elves)
- Orcs
- Goblins
Most of these units will be commonly seen at defence 5, whther that be with shields or other wargear.
2 other points which are commonly left out are...
1. Fight 4: Yes it isn't much nowadays but Mordor Orcs and Morannon Orcs are stuck at Fight 3 which alows them to be killed before their high Strength is taken into account.
2. Courage 3: Yes, again it isn't much but that small increase from their Orc cousins makes a big difference, it makes passing a Courage test 50/50, and makes it equal to most races of men.
All in all, Black Guard armies look fun to build and play with, and I like the second list a bit more but there is issues with adding/taking out a drummer as previously highlighted.