Offensive Oliphaunts: Fighting With and Against Mûmakil
Offensive Oliphaunts: Fighting With and Against Mûmakil
Offensive Oliphaunts: Fighting With and Against Mûmakil
I
Mûmakil are huge monsters that make a believe I was the first member of Games Guard and Dwarves with two-handed
fearsome addition to any Evil force.Veteran Development to kill a Mûmak. Others in weapons, I charged towards the beast. Down
Mahûd Adam Troke discusses how to use the office and amongst our play-testers came their axes and, as they bellowed the
one of these awesome beasts to its full had beaten Haradrim armies containing one, warcry of their ancestors, the mighty
crushing potential, as well as how the forces but I believe I am correct in saying I killed it creature staggered and toppled to its doom,
of Good can stop the unstoppable. first. With Dáin Ironfoot, a wedge of Khazâd trumpeting fitfully as it fell.
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the howdah has two Might points, three, if everything else in the enemy force. take Courage test after Courage test! Make
you splash out on a Mahûd. These are best Haradrim Warriors are not especially well the thing’s life a misery. It’s not subtle, but it
spent on Heroic actions which can allow you armoured or armed, so kill them off as works better than most tactics.
to get the jump on an enemy. There is quickly as you can. Sometimes, in
simply no point spending the better part of tournament scenarios, this on its own can be Bodyguards and Mighty Heroes: Warriors
300 points on a Mûmak to have it charged enough to secure you victory. with the Bodyguard rule always pass
and pinned in place by a plucky Knight of Courage tests while the Hero they are
Dol Amroth or an Elf. Keep that monster Hide like a coward: It’s not brave, it’s not protecting lives, so they make the perfect
moving and squashing your enemies, and heroic and it is certainly not befitting of a candidates to slow rampaging Mûmaks.
you’re that bit closer to victory. Hero, but it does work. Find a piece of They won’t flee the beast due to a failed
difficult terrain and stay in it. Your warriors Courage test. As well as this they generally
Stampede! can waggle their tongues, beat their shields have a higher Fight value too, often as good
Mûmakil are sturdy beasts, easily capable of and cry defiance from the safety of their as the Mûmak’s. If you charge a Mighty
slaughtering far more points worth of troops cover. Mûmakil cannot enter difficult terrain Hero into the combat too, you are more
than they cost to field. But that deadly power for fear of stumbling or damaging their likely to win, and do some serious wounds
comes at a cost: Stampede. One Stampede howdah. Still, more often than not, scenarios to the beast. Imrahil with a lance will wound
can ruin everything. There are a number of call for you to move your models, so it it on a 5+, and Aragorn with Anduril on a
times that I have lost whole wedges of men doesn’t always work. While spending the 4+. Heroes of other races are just as good.
to a Mûmak that, stricken by pain, and whole game lurking in difficult terrain is a Dáin and Balin with their dreaded axes are a
moved by my cackling opponent, has little dull, and often unproductive, nobody menace to the Mûmak, Glorfindel and
crashed through my own lines. Be aware of would blame you if you used terrain to your Elrond equally so. All these Heroes can
this. One well-placed arrow can ruin all your best advantage. After all, who wants to be withstand a pounding from the beast, and so
carefully laid plans. Since it can only move squashed flat by a Mûmak? are ideal for the dangerous duty of
8"/20cm, keep it that far away from your confronting it. Wound it multiple times in
other men until the battle lines crash and you Pin it down: Stop the thing moving. This is combat and watch as the Commander fails
are at reduced risk from your opponent’s the most obvious way of reducing the his Courage rolls and the Mûmak begins to
archers. Archers, along with the already amount of damage it can do. Keep Heroes Stampede away.
mentioned mighty Heroes, are the largest with Might nearby, and if priority is lost,
threat to the animal. Close on the enemy fast declare a heroic move and get something Trebuchet: I’ve been nice until now, I really
to minimise the number of shots that come into base contact with the Mûmak to stop have. But there is one dirty trick I’ve been
your way. Also fill your howdah with bows. your men being squashed. This is a risky saving until last. If you are feeling really
Haradrim bows are excellent, thanks to their plan because the commander can issue mean this is the one for you. Include a
(incredibly tricksy) Poisoned Arrows rule. heroic moves too. However, in a world Battlecry Trebuchet and an Engineer Captain
From the top of a howdah they are both well where options are very limited, a little in your force. Target the howdah with your
protected and given a marvellous field of gamble might be your best choice. Of Trebuchet, and laugh like a hyena! Make
fire. By concentrating your own arrows on course, if you can shoot the commander first sure that your shots hit and wound thanks to
the enemy’s bowmen, you give them (made easier if he is a Mahûd, thanks to his the Captain’s Might points. The rocks hurled
something very serious to worry about and position on the Mûmak) then you can curtail by the Battlecry Trebuchet are powerful
can hopefully kill enough of them to keep this risk altogether. enough to shatter the howdah like
your Mûmak safe. matchwood, making every model on it take
Everything counts in large amounts: It’s a falling damage as they crash to the ground.
Stop that Mûmak! good expression when it comes to Mûmak Any survivors are in dire peril as the Mûmak
The Mûmak is a deadly monster, capable of killing. Inevitably there will be those games must then pass Courage tests on its paltry
crushing your best efforts if given the where staying out of a Mûmak’s way or Courage value of 2 or begin Stampeding.
chance. By now you could be forgiven for slowing it down is not enough, especially
thinking that defeat is certain if one of these when bringing the beastie down is the order But you’ll have to be lucky. Lucky and fast.
behemoths is arrayed against your army. But of the day. The Trebuchet only has a 50% chance of
it is not invincible. By picking your fights hitting, and even then you’ll need to roll on
carefully, concentrating your forces and If you are going to kill it, kill it properly. the Scatter table. The Mûmak will close on
running away when you need to, victory can Don’t make half efforts. When I slew the you quickly and you have a minimum range
be yours! Below I have listed six basic tips Mûmak I charged it with Dáin and about ten of 18"/42cm, so you will only get two or
that best highlight the ways of negating, other Dwarves. With the best will in the three turns of shooting before the Mûmak
killing or crippling the mighty Mûmak: world no monster can prevail long with that gets too close to target. This is not a friendly
many axes tearing chunks out of it. tactic, and requires use of a costly siege
1. Avoid it Everything counts, so throw it all in! The machine. But when it works, it works
2. Pin it down same is true of cavalry charges. Half a dozen brilliantly. We swears it on the precious.
3. Hide like a coward! Knights of Dol Amroth or Knights of Minas
4. Everything counts in large amounts Tirith led by a Hero can cause the Mûmak In the end, fighting a Mûmak is an
5. Bodyguards and Mighty Heroes some very serious grief. The bonus that a incredibly heroic thing to do. I’ll personally
6. Trebuchet! two-handed weapon or a lance gives you in never forget the incredible feeling of bravery
combat can really put the frighteners on a and honour as Théoden and his Rohirrim
Avoid it: Don’t worry too much. As Mûmak. It’s far easier to wound a Defence 7 gather their might and charge the lines of
frightening as a Mûmak may be, the first monster with one of these in your hands! approaching Mûmakil in The Return of the
thing to realise when taking one on is that King film. You can recapture that feeling by
you don’t have to kill it unless the scenario If you are going to shoot it, really shoot it. taking one out in the game. There are worse
you are playing demands it. Make the most Fire every available shot you have, pepper it ways to lose than sallying valiantly against a
of this by avoiding it and picking off with arrows, and cause the Commander to raging Oliphaunt!
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