Strategies
Early GameEarly game is simple to understand, but not always easy to execute. Your primary goals are to take down at least one of Mordor's mills, and to prevent Mordor from creeping. Using the above build order, you have a total of four peasants and Merry to do these two things with. Some people prefer to peasant spam much more, while others prefer not to peasant spam at all. By peasant spamming harder, you can prevent Mordor from creeping easier, as you are distracting and damaging their orcs, postponing their creeping and giving yourself more time to do so.
In order to have an effective early game, you must be aware of what Mordor can do. Most players will just camp their orcs near their mills, while Gollum scouts for your pathways. However, other players will choose to creep first, using eye and their three start units. Mordor can obtain a level three orc from creeping, which is extremely difficult to kill with Rohan's early game units. It can also be used to form a level three combo, while they also obtain an early economical boost. The exploitable factor is Mordor no longer has eye to defend with and may lose too many orcs to be able to defend properly. If Mordor creeps, you have a high likelyhood of taking down at least one, if not both of Mordor's mills. On the other hand; if Mordor camps his orcs near his mills to defend with, they can also use eye as a defensive power, as well as all of their orcs.
The key here is timing, position, and knowing what your units can and cannot defeat. One peasant will defeat one orc with eye, whilst two peasants will lose to two orcs with eye. Therefore, if they have two orcs and eye as well as Gollum attacking your starting units, it may be best to run to Mordor's mills and attack laborers.
Beware that orcs level very quickly with eye, and a level two orc dominates peasants. If your peasants are confronted by two orcs and eye is not used, it may be better to fight and kill the orcs before proceeding to the mill. While in the meantime your following waves follow up your initial wave.
Creeping with your second wave of peasants and Merry can be useful if you believe they cannot take down one of Mordor's mills, as they should get two warg lairs down allowing you to get faster rohirrim.
