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So, here's what I have available:

12x pikemen
24x swordsmen
24x bowmen
6x kataphrakts
Khamul
Amdur
command set (warpriest, banner bearer, captain, dragon knight)

I'm wondering about the best way to use these guys.

Yes, I know, "moar pikemen" but I don't gots 'em!

Well, the pikes and swordsmen naturally lend themselves to a shieldwall-type formation. Put the Banner behind them, that will improve the effectiveness, and yes, more pikemen will always be good as/when you can get them.

Use that as the 'anvil', and the Kataphrakts as a 'hammer', led by Amdur and Khamul. Keep them back, and use the longer movement distance to ensure you get the charge, which will act as a deterrent and punish anything that does charge.

Stick the archers on a hill and shoot stuff.

Khamul and Amdur? Are you suggesting two units of kataphrakti?

As to this shield wall, I was thinking 6 swords with 6 pikes but have seen that poo poo'd otherwere. Not sure what else to do unless one band 4 across of swords with two rows of pikes behind.

2 Kataphrakti warbands would be a very hard-hitting force, but I was more meaning just take one hero on his own and just use him in tandem with their charge (Assuming you have mounted versions of both). These guys are going to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting, so you want to maximise your potential and power concentration.

A pair of 6&6 shieldwalls is the best you're going to get with your limited number of Pikemen. The problem with it is you're not getting the full effect of the Pikes (basically using them as more expensive spears) but going with the 4-4-4 doesn't give you enough frontage to be a threat; most enemies could just move around the sides and remove the bonus entirely. Use the spare swordsmen to defend the archers or plug a gap.

Something like this:

Warband 1:
Captain

5 swords
6 pikes

Warband 2:
War Priest
6 swords
1 banner
5 pikes

Warband 3:
Amdur

6 Kataphrakti

Warband 4:
Khamul (moves off to join the above warband)

12 archers

If you've got the points and another hero, then throw in the rest of the swordsmen.

What's the best pike band given the limit is twelve? Is it 6x2 all pikes? I thought the major advantage of pikes was two pikeman can support the man in front of them.

As I edited above, I think you're best splitting the pikes into even mixes with swordsmen, as you have to deploy a whole warband together. The 2-backup bonus is nice, but with only 12 pikes you'd be compromising on frontage.

 Paradigm wrote:
as you have to deploy a whole warband together

What do you mean?

Are you thinking this?

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As far as I'm aware, the Warband rules dictate that you have to place all the models in a warband at once. As such, I'd mix them in pike+sword warbands so that you have both immediately together rather than having a row of swords as 2 warband and a row of pikes as another warband. It just cuts down on any risk of the opponent somehow being able to block you from bringing the two weapons together before/early in the game.

And yes, those setups are what I was thinking, although with the Captain in the middle of the first one, otherwise it's easier to surround/outnumber him- in the centre he's always fighting 1+pike on 1 (and possibly a spear). At the end of the line, it's too easy to redress that balance and remove his pike support (engaged Pikemen can't support).

Great advice, thanks!

I strongly recommend after you get a decent easterling force, you get some haradrims in there for range and speed.

Da Stormlord wrote:
I strongly recommend after you get a decent easterling force, you get some haradrims in there for range and speed.

That's not a bad idea, actually. One weakness of Easterling archers is you pay extra for heavy armour that they'runlikely to really make use of. For less points, the Haradrim lose the Heavy Armour, but gain the pretty awesome Poision Arrows (re-roll 1s to wound).
Raiders give a nice coubter-part to the Kataphrakts, too.

Alternatively, some Corsairs would give you cheap troops to counteract the high cost.

One of his gaming buddies has a very decent Haradrim force he can ally with

I'm trying to get back into LOTR, I still remember my tactica lol