In this box set, you’ll find all the miniatures (no less than 84!) and rules you and an opponent will need to defend the city of Minas Tirith – or take command of the forces of Evil and wage destruction and war upon the kingdom of Gondor. Included: Are you a previous player of the Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit Strategy Battle Games? What forces did you or do you play? Are you excited for this new edition? Let us know in the comments below. The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game seems to really focus on interesting story games, allowing characters access to all of the actions that you have seen in the films. The focus on highly competitive wargames is to strip down the rules to avoid ambiguity and allow for straight-forward play with the focus on competition, where as the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game needs to have all the details for water, sieges, and different levels of terrain, as that's the dynamic action we want to see from the characters to create the stories we play. The book then provides an incredible 22 new Narrative Play Scenarios. A Narrative Play Scenario in Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game is a pre-determined battle scenario for two opposing sides to take part in. What's so cool about these scenarios is just how descriptive they are. They tell you exactly how to populate terrain on the map, and which specific units are included in each scenario. Instead of saying "This is a 750 point match," the scenario lists out which specific heroes and warriors take part in the battle, even down to how many men hold swords vs. spears. The scenarios included in Defence of the North range from the first encounter between Brand, King of Dale and the Easterlings, the Siege of Erebor, the Wood Elf crossing of the Anduin, and even a scenario where the Spider Queen and her legions take on invading orcs (in this scenario, the Spider Queen's forces are listed as 'Good,' the quotation marks denoting the stretching of the term). Each of these scenarios offers an engaging challenge for both the Good and Evil side at war, and their varied goals and map setups really change up the game. Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game Dragon Emperor And Warriors storm Erebor. Image: Games Workshop Happily, the new additions fit into this lineup well despite making full use of modern advances for more dynamic poses. I was a particular fan of Faramir vaulting over ruins into action.

The Witch King on Fell Beast. This is another multi-part, multi-variant kit. The Fell Beast has two heads which help alter the look if you get two. You also have the Witch King as seen in the movies at the Battle of Pelennor Fields with a flaming sword, or a generic Nazgul. It would be quite the battle featuring more than one of these monsters but the option is there! The Battle of Pelennor Fields box is a great starting point for this new edition of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game. The forces included are a solid core that can be built out and we're really looking forward to what's next for the ME SBG. Arguably the greatest warrior that resides in Rivendell, Glorfindel’s skill and swiftness with a blade was unmatched by any Elf in the Third Age, including Lord Elrond. Even the dreaded Nazgûl recoiled from the mighty Elf lord and dared not face him openly.Sauron Defeated, the fourth volume of The History of The Lord of the Rings, contains superseded versions of the battle. Some changes of detail are apparent: e.g. Théoden slain by a projectile to the heart instead of being crushed by his horse; or when Éowyn reveals her sex, her hair has been cut short, a detail absent from the final version. J.R.R. Tolkien had also considered having Éowyn die. As the sun begins to rise upon the fields of Pelennor, the great siege of Minas Tirith is all but lost… Yet hope has not faded and help is close at hand. Through the crisp morning air, the sound of horns can be heard ringing out, signalling the arrival of King Théoden and the Riders of Rohan. With the hosts of Mordor arrayed in their thousands, Théoden gives an impassioned speech and leads his men into the fray, riding for ruin and the world’s ending! Fowler: It’s always surprising (and nice) to see Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game get support. This has been a pretty spectacular year for the game, especially considering that at this point it feels as though essentially everything is covered (save for updating resin and metal models). 2022 saw a number of Forgeworld splash releases, a sizeable FAQ, plastic Elrond, a refresh for Glorfindel, a round of army boxes, and now… a new starter box. Prepare to enter the amazing world of Middle-earth, and recreate the greatest battles and adventures from The Lord of the Rings™ and The Hobbit™. In this box set, you’ll find all the miniatures (no less than 84!) and rules you and an opponent will need to defend the city of Minas Tirith – or take command of the forces of Evil and wage destruction and war upon the kingdom of Gondor. Included:

So, should you take the plunge? Absolutely - I've got no trouble recommending this one. How we tested Battle of Osgiliath The box comes with two forces: The Forces of Good, and The Forces of Evil. The Forces of Good are made up of the Riders of Rohan and the Warriors of the Dead, and The Forces of Evil are made up of the forces of Mordor. The Forces of Good make good allies for the Battle of Pelennor Fields, however, it is worth noting the are better looked at as two smaller armies that can be made into one bigger army. If you wanted to do either army as their own force you would need to at least double that sides model count. The Forces of Evil, Mordor, however, is (almost) a true full army. If you wanted to play the game you'll need to add a few character models. With that said for a starter box this is an excellent assortment of models. I'm not aware of many starter boxes that have an almost complete army to the "standard" points value for a game.Thundercloud: I’d add the Armies of the Lord of the Rings book straight away, and then cavalry (Gondor Knights, Warg Riders) as that is the only thing really missing from the sets. You could easily add the Mordor and Minas Tirith Battlehosts, which give you a big character, cavalry and more infantry for both factions. In short, The Lord of the Rings Battle of Osgiliath doesn't change any of what makes the game work so well. This is more of an addition to the range than a revamp; it still uses the same updated rules from Battle of Pelennor Fields. Indeed, I was able to swan in after a literal decade away and get right into the swing of things with minimal effort. Players who simply wish to collect and paint the exceptional models that Games Workshop produce would do well to invest in a set like this if only for the sheer value for money. Likewise, anyone who is serious about setting themselves up with one or more armies in the world of Middle Earth Strategy Battle s will also feel that the best value can be found with Pelennor Fields . Personally, I think it’s also an excellent one versus one boxed game that doesn’t necessarily required expansion, having already far more in the box than the likes of Rune Wars or Star Wars: Legion . We announced some amazing new releases for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game this weekend, including Elrond, Master of Rivendell , and the sensational The Lord of the Rings Battle of Osgiliath boxed set . But how and when will you be able to get your hands on that box and the amazing new models and scenery inside?

The Mordor Troll! This is nice kit, you get multiple weapon options, and heads. This gives you a chance to add some decent variation on how you asemble your troll in case you have multiple Trolls in your army. COLLECT ALL 4 SCENES—This bundle includes all 4 The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Scene Boxes, with 1 Aragorn at Helm’s Deep, 1 Flight of the Witch-king, 1 The Might of Galadriel, and 1 Gandalf in Pelennor Fields Finally, there's the massive Fortress of Dol Guldur terrain box. I absolutely adore this box, which comes with a huge set of plastic sprues filled with walls, flooring, joints, and accessories needed to build your own crumbling fortress. There's a small guide to building a large structure included with the box, but this is really meant for modular construction. I love the look of this set, and can't wait to paint mine up once I've got it fully built the way I want it. This is the first time I've worked with a modular terrain set from Games Workshop, and I hope they follow this route going forward. You can choose to build one massive fortress, or at least five or six smaller outcroppings of ruins. It's an incredible set for serious terrain builders. These dreaded, looming ruins speak to ancient powers both evil and awesome. Image: Games Workshop What Are Our Final Thoughts On the Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game Spring 2022 Releases?Faramir, Gothmog, Madril, and Damrod are getting new plastic miniatures for the first time in Battle of Osgiliath (Image credit: Warhammer Community) Damrod and his Rangers ambush the Orcs. Another battle where one side has missile weapons (and in this case a hero as well, if only a minor one) and the other does not. The Orcs start in a 6” bubble in the centre of the table and the Rangers can deploy anywhere outside of that, with each Good model getting a free shot before the first turn of the game. This scenario is about learning how heroes and monsters work, and how they interact. The Mordor Troll goes in the centre of the board, Faramir and 6 Rangers are set up within 12”. The other models in the scenario (which are most of the rest of the contents of the box) are set aside and players roll a dice to bring on that many models from their force as reinforcements each turn. I've only just recently gotten into Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game, but I'm truly enamored with the system. Along with being a lifelong fan of the novels, I find the ruleset inventive and truly cinematic. These new additions each add something really special to their respective armies. For players fielding a Dale army, the new Dale releases offer ways to hone in on what makes Dale so great (namely, expert shooting and sturdy warriors). For the Easterling army, there's no model in the line quite like the Dragon Emperor on his Royal Palanquin. It speaks to the MESBG team's willingness to think outside the box and truly ideate rules around a theme. And as I just stated above, I love the new Fortress of Dol Guldur set and its modular approach to terrain building. Finally, the Defence of the North book offers an entire slate of new gameplay options for the game. All in all, I'm completely impressed by each of these new releases, and can't wait to see what comes next for Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. I mean, just look at these hearty Dale folk and that incredible mustache. What's not to love? Image: Games Workshop Should I Buy These New Releases For Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game? It’s a bit of a swingy scenario depending on dice rolls, but it’s basically a fight in the centre of the board between Faramir and a big monster. Will Faramir and his buddies surround the troll, win a fight and stab it to death, or will the troll pull Faramirs arms and legs off?

Théoden, both mounted and dismounted, have the option of helmeted and non-helmeted. We opted for helmeted in our build because no-one likes to take an unarmored blow to the head. The Witch-king can be built as either the Witch King Angmar or a Nazgul rider with a different Fell Beast head. The Scenario Book details the Witch-king in the forces for the Battle of Pelennor Fields, so we of course built that option. The Mordor Troll has several head, armament, and accessory options available. We built ours slightly different from the one listed in the Scenario's book. We still gave him the hand-and-a-half hammer, but we also gave him an Isengard Troll Shield, and rather than the torso armor, we opted for the severed heads because they add some great detail to the troll. This is the first scenario where a hero is introduced, and a good follow up to the first one, as Damrod is a minor hero and not going to heavily tip the game, but introduces Might and Heroic actions as a concept to the players. gallery size="large" ids="250203,250204,250205,250211,250210,250208,250209,250206,250207,250212,250213,250214"] Each weapon in the set has a different size… with some of them especially appropriate. Sting is 4″, which is how far Hobbits can move, while Gimli’s axe is 5″ long (the typical move for a Dwarf). Even Gandalf’s staff is 12″ long, which just so happens to be the range of most Magical Powers. The modular ruins are really the star of The Lord of the Rings Battle of Osgiliath (Image credit: Warhammer Community)While you will have to wait until Christmas to get your hands on this new starter set, we don’t want to make you wait to jump into the game. Which is why our next reveals are the perfect preludes to the Battle of Osgiliath box… Complete beginners may be put off by the price, meanwhile, but if your budget can stretch that far, there's no denying the amount of value you're getting. What's more, the onboarding is better than most board games for adults of this kind. It's as good an entry point as you're likely to get. Riders of Rohan: horse-masters beyond compare, renowned for their great skill and bravery. 4 are armed with spear and shield, 4 with bows, 2 with swords and shields, and 2 with axes and shields; That's largely because the featured campaign does such a good job of drip-feeding you the game's mechanics - you'll never bite off more than you can chew. Once you've got a handle on the basics, more elements are added until you're balancing everything the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game can throw at you. It's very well done.