We’re always on the lookout for amazing armies to showcase here on Warhammer Community, so after featuring the wonderful Minas Tirith force by the Middle-earth Team’s Lewis a few weeks back, we thought it would be great to showcase the other half of that project – his colleague Ashley’s Army of Gothmog. Over to you, Ashley.Ashley: As Lewis mentioned in his article, between us we had the idea of painting and playing through the entire story of The Lord of the Rings™ to celebrate the films’ 20th anniversary. When we reached Osgiliath, we wanted to pull out all the stops – make the board, build and paint a load of the Gondor terrain, and of course paint two full armies to represent the forces that fought over the ruined city. It really was a fantastic project!
With the Battle of Osgiliath boxed game having recently been released, I naturally started with Gothmog as my leader. After all, I couldn’t exactly do an Army of Gothmog force without the great Orc general himself! After that, it made complete sense to me to include Gothmog’s Enforcer as his right-hand Orc, and a couple of standard Orc Captains to bulk out the numbers.
Though this list is ideal for an Army of Gothmog force, it also serves as a great starting point for any Mordor army I may wish to expand it into in the future, should the call of the Dark Lord prove too strong to resist!
I’m most proud of my converted Mordor Troll. I spent a load of time converting it to make sure it was holding its massive weapon in both hands. I love the pose and feel, it makes the Troll look really imposing just as if it is about to raise up that hammer before bringing it swinging down upon a hapless Warrior of Minas Tirith with a satisfying splat. Painting it was also a lot of fun, and Troll flesh was a nice break in between the masses of Orcs!
Alas, this army has not fared as well as I’d hoped, as Lewis has picked up slightly more victories over our campaign than I have. All the games have been close though, and there have been a few where I’ve managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory. Gothmog and the Mordor Troll have been great, though there have been a few times where I’ve been taking Orcs off the table in droves – often due to Lewis’ pesky Avenger Bolt Thrower. Luckily, when it comes to Orcs there are plenty of them, and there are always more where they came from!
I think the next step will be to add a few more characters. I already have Guritz lined up, and after that I’m looking at getting a couple of heavy-hitters in the form of Goroth and Zagdûsh. This will also make my force ready for taking on the Siege of Minas Tirith and the Battle of Pelennor Fields. After that, I’m thinking of adding a Ringwraith on a Fell Beast, as if there is one thing that will give Lewis’ army pause for thought, it's a terrifying Nazgûl!
Thanks Ash. Your Orcs certainly look just like they’ve laid ruin to Osgiliath! If you want to start your own Mordor army, or build a Osgiliath themed board, why not pick up the Battle of Osgiliath boxed set, the Mordor Battlehost or one of the new Gondor terrain kits?
You can also check this exact army out in action in the Battle of Osgiliath over on Warhammer+, where it’s available as a free-to-view episode – click this link to see what the Army of Gothmog can do!