First, check out
this thread for the basics on the game, if you don't know already.
Ranged combat in
WotR isn't usually all that deadly. With archers, it is mostly strength 1 or 2 hits, so you need a lot of them to make an impact. There you run into trouble, because a big unit of archers may not be able to all see the target, and becomes a soft and juicy target itself. With artillery, a hit can be quite devastating, but you will find that you miss far more often than you hit. Also, artillery cannot be moved at all once it is deployed- not even to change facing- so the enemy can often avoid your line of fire.
Now, your description, a "solid infantry force with decent ranged support," fits just about every army in
WotR, with the possible exceptions of Angmar or beast-heavy Misty Mountains. It simply depends on how you allocate your points. I will ignore cavalry; just take for granted that every army has some- even Dwarves can take
allied cavalry.
Good Armies: The main thing Good armies get is high-quality heroes.
ROHAN is designed to be a cavalry army, it is true. You can do an infantry-heavy list, but they tend to suffer from low defense.
GONDOR is very good, lots of options. Their close combat troops can get a pretty high defense, while their archers can get pretty good shoot values. They also have artillery. Their heroes include some of the best in the game (Boromir, Aragorn).
ELVES are good at everything- they just cost a lot. You will have an elite army, but a small one. You will have to take the fight to the enemy, which is not hard to do, with elves.
DWARVES are the classic infantry/ranged support army. They have no cavalry at all. Dain is possibly the best close-combat hero the Good side has.
Evil Armies: The main thing Evil armies get is lots of monsters.
MORDOR is the standard. They have access to just about every type of troop, and almost all of it is both cheap and low-quality (but as the song says, everything counts in large amounts). On the other hand, with nine different wraiths, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to one-trick-pony heroes. Stick the Betrayer in a big unit of orc archers and watch your opponent's face as you get all those re-rolls. He's only got one trick, but what a trick it is! Gothmog is worth a look as well.
ISENGARD has better quality troops, but they cost more points. Uruks with crossbows are very nasty, but unfortunately they are also expensive. Regular Uruks are possibly the best fighters, for the points, in the whole game. They also have artillery and heavily armored trolls. An Isengard list with a solid core of Uruk-hai, filled out with cheap orcs or Dunlendings, is something I hate to see across the table. Lurtz is a close-combat monster, and Sauruman has access to
spells of ruin.
FALLEN REALMS are also fun. Easterlings are tough infantry, Haradrim get poisoned arrows, Corsairs can have crossbows, and you can have an Oliphant! Everyone loves to see a Mumak on the table, wackiness is sure to follow. The army has no artillery and is low on monsters. Still, you can build a tough and flexible army from the Fallen Realms list alone, without using allies. (
n.b.: from a collecting standpoint, both Uruks and Easterlings are a pain- they are sold 20 to a box, not 24 to a box like everything else.)
MISTY MOUNTAINS is a beastly army. Spiders, wargs, and bats are cavalry. The only real infantry you've got are goblins, and they have a pathetic 18-inch range. Cave drakes and stone giants are fun, dragons are nice, cave trolls are disappointing, and surprisingly, so are Balrogs.
ANGMAR is a spirit army. You can get some barbarians and/or orcs, but the the bulk of the army is spirits, specters, and things that go bump in the night.
I think you might want to look into Gondor or Dwarves for a Good army, and Isengard or Fallen Realms if you want an Evil army.
