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Question: can an infantry model that has a throwing spear use this as a normal spear?

I see the bit in the main rulebook noting a throwing spear is a thrown weapon with a slightly different profile, and its under the missile weapons section, however is it also a spear?

Asking as this has been just an assumption that we have made locally, but now someone has one of the expansions that notes a special formation rule allowing models with throwing spears to use them as normal spears, which would imply they are not?

before I upset (potentially) the two who run Rohan locally, and indeed before mine hit the table, its something I'd like to clear up as that expansion would imply the two weapons are totally different and share no common rules, unless that special rule is in place.

thoughts?

I'd have to go back and read that bit on the various weapons again as it's been some time since I read the ME rules, but from memory, it's always been my interpretation of that particular rule that throwing spears can't be used as regular spears. And as you mention, there's also the LL that allows them to use them as regular spears.


If the rule is a bit contentious in your group then you can always feel free to ignore or amend it as you see fit. I think it doesn't make much sense for the Rohan spears only be useful for throwing and not to be actual spears. They certainly use their spears that way in the books. But just make sure that ALL players are on board with the ruling as opposed to just those who would benefit from it.

sounds about right, there are a few local house rules we have and can see that being tagged on the end - however a few are on about seeing if as a group we can find some events to go to so worth checking.

Unless in a LL that gives you the option to use the Throwing Spear as a spear in a turn in which you haven't thrown it a Throwing Spear can't be used as a normal Spear.

It doesn't matter much for the warriors since they will most likely not rank up in melee on foot outside of the LLs in enough numbers to matter but it would make Rohan Heroes more useful when dismounted if they can hide behind other dismounted models and support from the rear with their higher stats and might without risking getting killed.

thats how I read it now, though until I saw the LL that gave that as an option is flat out never occurred to me

thinking about it though a throwing spear and a melee spear tend to be physically quite different weapons so makes perfect sense

Throwing spears are indeed not spears.

There is a point in the rulebook that says this but I don't have the page number to hand

You might find it useful to join the GBHL (great British hobbit league) on Facebook. It's a huge and very friendly community that is also frequented by the game designers who wrote the entire current edition. You'll Normally get a fast and very accurate answer there with references to pages and Faqs

Bobug wrote:
Throwing spears are indeed not spears.

There is a point in the rulebook that says this but I don't have the page number to hand

You might find it useful to join the GBHL (great British hobbit league) on Facebook. It's a huge and very friendly community that is also frequented by the game designers who wrote the entire current edition. You'll Normally get a fast and very accurate answer there with references to pages and Faqs

while that sounds good it has a problem, the "on facebook" bit, I'm not on their and have zero desire to ever be

good to know it is in the book somewhere though, will have a dig

cheers

There are two Legendary Legions that I can think of that allow throwing spears to be used as normal spears, those being Theodred's Guard and the Defenders of Helm's Deep. Otherwise, as others have already said, they are not the same and cannot be used as such.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
There are two Legendary Legions that I can think of that allow throwing spears to be used as normal spears, those being Theodred's Guard and the Defenders of Helm's Deep. Otherwise, as others have already said, they are not the same and cannot be used as such.

it was reading on one of them that made me wonder in the first place, just literally never occurred to me until I read that but it makes perfect sense once you realise it