Armies of Middle Earth SBG: The Fellowship of the Ring in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game

Photo Credit: NewStatesman.com

In a story known for its heroes, there is no more important collection of heroes than the Fellowship of the Ring. Every member was defined by their role in the Quest of Mount Doom, though many of them took different roads ere the Quest was completed.

In the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, the Fellowship is its own army, with a unique army bonus, iconic heroes, and powerful synergies. The list is adaptable for many points levels, though for the full-group you'll want at least 750 points (and the list is fully fleshed out at around 900). There are a ton of special rules to master, and the list demands an incredible attention to detail, but every game with the Fellowship plays out like a mini-story, making them extremely memorable.

Army Quick(ish) Hits: Strengths and Weaknesses

• Strength/Weakness: All-Hero list. Although it has several historical allies who can bring troops, the Fellowship itself is an all-hero list (topping out at just ten models in total, at 750 points). Those heroes include some of the best in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game (Gandalf the Grey, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir) and some of the weakest (Merry and Pippen in particular, though Bill is also very fragile). The power-heroes are great to have, and can pose a significant threat to any organized army they can fight piecemeal, but their small model count (and lack of a banner for big heroes) makes them vulnerable to traps against overwhelming numbers. Then there's the task of keeping an eye on the weaker members of the Fellowship, as even a single Uruk-Hai poses a real danger to the hobbits.
• Strength: Heroic Resources. As an all-hero force, the Fellowship starts with significant heroic resources. Collectively you can squeeze up to 17 Attacks, 40* Wounds/Fate Points, 20* Will, and a whopping 22* Might into the list if you take all ten members (don't forget about Bill!). Most standard armies with full warbands at the 800-1000 point range will be looking at around half that total Might (and quite a bit less Will, wounds, and Fate on their heroes), so if you pressure them to spend those resources at the same rate you're spending them (countering your Heroic Moves, counter-calling Heroic Strikes or Heroic Combats, etc.), they'll find themselves out of those resources very quickly, while you still have some to spare. You'll find you actually can pressure opponents thanks to Aragorn's Mighty Hero special rule, perhaps the best special rule in the game (and absolutely the most important special rule to a Fellowship that has a metric ton of special rules). The ability to spend one free Might point per turn (which Aragorn can spend on every Heroic Action except Channel, or to boost his own stats in combat, resist spells, etc.) is great at any point in a game: in the early game, it puts real pressure on your opponent to spend their own (finite) resources to match your own (infinite) resources; in the mid-game it means you can still perform a clutch Heroic Move, Strike, Combat, duel boost, or +1 to-wound even as your own Might store dwindles; and in the late-game it means you can control the initiative well after both sides have run out of Might. Don't underestimate Bill the Pony's Second Breakfast special rule, either (one Fellowship member per turn can recover 1 Might, Will, or Fate--their choice--on a 5+).
• Strength: Magic. Few army lists have access to real Magic (either offensive or defensive) without allying someone in. The Fellowship has access to both (of pretty good quality), thanks to Gandalf the Grey. He's not quite as potent a caster as he is in his reincarnated form, but with Blinding Light, Immobilize, Command, Strengthen Will, and Protection of the Valar, he's got great utility spells to keep the Fellowship safe from archers or monsters, while holding enemy wizards (or Ringwraiths) at bay... at least in small numbers. Against groups of enemy spellcasters, Aragorn's ability to call a free Heroic Resolve each turn can be a life-saver, especially if paired with the Hobbit's Resistant to Magic special rule (for 2 free dice to resist spells, before any Will points are spent).
• Strength: The One Ring. Seriously, it's great. 
• Strength/Weakness: Movement. As a collection of various free peoples, the Fellowship is one of the few army lists where its members move at up to five different speeds: 4" for the hobbits; 5" for Gimli; and 6" for everyone else, except Bill (who moves 8")... unless you also mount some of them (10"). A 4" maximum move for the group (if you play defensively to protect the hobbits) would make the Fellowship easy targets for even full infantry armies (to say nothing of cavalry forces). Thankfully, as long as you don't have to charge anything during the round, Aragorn can Heroic March the group around the board at a 7" clip (faster than standard infantry), using his free point of Might. Just watch out for enemy Compels/Commands, as your men/elves can be forced to move up to 4.5" away if they were affected by a Heroic March (7.5" away if they're mounted).
• Strength/Weakness: Fantastic, Integral Synergies. The Fellowship always sported a lot of synergies, which have only been buffed in the new edition. There's Frodo's connection to Sam (allowing Sam to call Heroic Combats for free each turn), Boromir's connection to Merry and Pippen (who can now spend Boromir's Might as if it's their own, if they're within 3" of Boromir), the hobbits' synergy with Bill (who the hobbits treat as a banner, and is your only source of banner rerolls in a pure list), and of course, Legolas and Gimli (whose friendly competition at the expense of your opponent results in +1 shoot value or +1 to wound, respectively). Then you have the more subtle synergies: Gandalf's ability to shield a low-Will/no-Fate Boromir from incoming spells (Protection of the Valar) or arrow fire (Blinding Light); Aragorn's ability to boost the speed of the hobbits through Heroic March; and the Fellowship's army bonus, which centers around Frodo. The degree of synergy is impressive, but as with all synergy lists, losing even one member of the Fellowship messes with those synergies, and can seriously reduce the list's effectiveness. Take away Aragorn, and the list is slow; take away Gandalf, and the list is vulnerable; take away Boromir, and your hobbits are now extremely easy to deal with; take away Frodo, and everyone is affected. Speaking of which...
• Strength: Army Bonus. The Fellowship's Army Bonus has the dual distinction of doing a lot for the force in-game, and also being incredibly themey. As long as Frodo is alive, every member of the Fellowship is Fearless, which is exactly what you need to ensure you get to charge scary Terror-causing models without spending precious Might or Will, and also to hold far-flung objectives with your hobbits (who come with elven cloaks, to boot). But the game-changer is that the Fellowship is never considered broken if Frodo is alive (or flees the table in scenarios like Reconnoitre, where models flee the table). That's major VP denial, plus no need to test for courage (not that you're worried about that with everyone also being Fearless), unless the enemy slays a two-wound, three-Fate model with Might, a Mithril coat, and the One Ring (making him immune to most magic and arrows, plus extremely difficult to charge), who happens to be bodyguarded by the most terrifying gardener in Middle Earth (plus, you know, a wizard, elf, dwarf, and two champions of men with 18* Might collectively). Yes, you can kill Frodo, but it's almost always a pain to do, and extremely difficult until after you can bring down 2-3 of the other big heroes who support him (which is a tall order in itself). 
• Strength: Psychological Warfare. There's a certain inevitability to the Fellowship, especially when they get going. First off, Aragorn is always able to spend free Might to move the fellowship faster/further than it has any right to go, and the only way you can challenge it (for most armies, at least) is by countering his free Might with real Might of your own (which gets old real fast). Then there's Gandalf shielding the Fellowship from ranged attacks with Blinding Light, while Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli (throwing axes), and the hobbits (throw stones) pelt you from afar with their own ranged attacks (and eventually Gandalf with a transfix, compel, or even a Sorcerous Blast). When you catch them, even the hobbits are decent Fighters (now that all of them have access to Might, plus a banner reroll from Bill), and of course there's enough Might to call several turns of Heroic Combats. All while Aragorn is regenerating Might (for Heroic Moves), Boromir is blowing his horn, Gandalf is transfixing your hero or monster during Aragorn's Heroic Move, your own models are trying to charge Frodo and failing their Ring tests, and while the wounds you do manage to land in the few fights you manage to win are being cycled through the Fellowship's combined 40 wounds and Fate. Eventually Sam sneaks into a fight with Aragorn, calls a free Heroic Combat because Frodo is in trouble, launching a Fight 10 Aragorn into your army leader who was charged by Boromir and transfixed by Gandalf. At which point, you just don't feel it anymore...
• Strength: Combat. For all the reasons stated above. Unless you have lots of heroes yourself, or can overwhelm them with traps and a bucket of dice, you're unlikely to overcome the Fellowship in a straight-up brawl.
  
• Strength/Weakness: Scenarios and Victory Points. In a straight-up Fight, the Fellowship is surprisingly difficult to take on. But there are certain scenarios where they'll struggle (though you probably don't want to draw them in Lords of Battle). Domination is an issue for any small all-hero force, although the Fellowship at least has infinite Heroic Marches from Aragorn and Fearless hobbits you can deploy on far-flung objectives, a mega-archer to shoot any single models your opponent leaves on a far-flung objective, and enough combat heroes (and synergies) to take out a significantly larger force on a main objective. Capture and Control can be done, depending on how the Fellowship sweeps from objective to objective. Hold Ground is tricky--Maelstrom isn't an issue (you deploy as a group) and getting to the middle/killing things once you get there isn't all that complicated either, but if you break the enemy while they have more models than you in the center, your win or loss will come down to whether the die at the end of the round rolls a "1" or a "2." Contest of Champions can be hard as well if Gandalf is matched up against a combat leader on the other side (unless you run a Fellowship variant where Gandalf isn't the hero in your highest heroic tier). And, of course, the Fellowship doesn't have any actual banners unless you bring allies (for those banner VP scenarios). Reconnoitre will be a challenge, especially against all-cavalry armies (although at least you have Gandalf, Legolas, and Aragorn if you take his bow to try to slow them down).
• Strength/Weakness: Demanding Playstyle. In some respects, the Fellowship is easy to play: you only have 7-10 models depending on your points limit, and they're all very recognizable heroes with pretty consistent playing styles. But boy do they have a ton of special rules you have to learn. Playing all-hero armies also means you have to be more thoughtful in how you place your models, since you're more susceptible to being trapped and separated. But at least you have Aragorn for a free chance at a Heroic Move if you lose priority, and combat heroes who can tie-up 2-3 models in the Move Phase and still have a pretty good chance of winning their fights.
• Strength: Low cost. Last advantage is the cost (in actual money, not points). You can get the whole Fellowship (sans Bill) in a single box set from Games Workshop, with enough points to get to almost 900 (or more if you convert up mounted versions of Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas). Plus you have the option for alternate sculpts of the Three Hunters, Gandalf, and even Frodo and Sam.

Composition of a Fellowship

• Frodo Baggins: The lynchpin of the Fellowship, essential for its army bonus (every member is Fearless, and the Fellowship cannot be Broken, while Frodo is alive and on the table). He's pretty survivable with Fight 3, Defense 6 (if you bring the Mithril coat), two Wounds, three Fate, 2 Might, and an elven-made weapon (if you bring Sting), but his real strength comes from the One Ring. Keep him off on his own, and he's immune to arrow fire and spells, and very difficult to charge by melee fighters. Pair him in a fight with Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, or Gimli, and they'll out-Fight anyone and anything in Middle Earth. Just watch out for that 1 or 2 on your Ring test... it's not great, although there are some things you can do to mitigate the loss if you're careful. The most important thing is to not forget that you roll the ring test at the start of your move phase (not at the start of Frodo's move). This is important, and actually good for you, because you'll know if you'll have control of Frodo before you move any other models. So if the enemy has control of Frodo, you can make him move Frodo first--before Aragorn calls a Heroic March (so Frodo's only moving 4"), or your combat models are engaged (hopefully). Sometimes Gandalf can fix a botch, too (either by compelling an enemy into combat with Frodo, or transfixing / blasting enemy models in combat with Frodo). Frodo's pretty resilient to damage, so don't be afraid to knock all his opponents down if he's surrounded and trapped in a fight because of a botched ring roll... especially if you think you'll get 1-3 other Fellowship members into those now-prone enemies with an upcoming Heroic Combat.
• Samwise Gamgee: Frodo's bodyguard, who can call free Heroic Combats if Frodo is fighting in another combat nearby. With Fight 3, two wounds, two Fate, and two Might, he's got a pretty good chance of scrapping and walking away. But you really want him in cheeky combats with Aragorn, Boromir, or Gimli, where his free Heroic Combat will give them another chance to lop off more orc heads. Also, he unlocks the Bill the Pony power upgrade, which is awesome.
• Gandalf the Grey: The Leader of the Company (due to his status as a Hero of Legend). Against certain lists, you won't have much of a chance without Gandalf. His spells provide so much utility (arrow/spell protection, immobilize/compel against big scary things, replenishing the Will store of your other heroes). At Fight 5 with three wounds, three (re-rollable) Fate, three Might, and an elven-made sword, he's a pretty good fighter as well (though with just one Attack, he doesn't like being surrounded). He's tough enough he may survive a single bad turn, but like all wizards, you do want to make sure he's protected at all times.
• Aragorn - Strider: The engine that makes the Fellowship go. Mighty Hero makes the Fellowship extremely responsive to how the game unfolds: you can Heroic Move, Heroic March, Heroic Resolve, Heroic Shoot, Heroic Accuracy, even Heroic Challenge--all without spending any real Might. He's another Fight 6 fighter (again with an elven-made weapon if you take Anduril) who excels in close-quarters combat, ensuring he can Heroic Combat to assist Frodo or the other hobbits if they're in a pinch.
• Legolas and Gimli: Always consider taking both of them, as their synergies are fantastic. With a Strength 3 bow at 2+ to-hit with three shots per Shoot Phase (or one auto-hit, even into combat, on a 2+), Legolas can apply constant pressure on your opponent's most valuable model, and at Fight 6 with an elven-made weapon. He's also your best defense against mounted enemy heroes, whom he can either counter-charge (if you mounted him) or auto-hit their mounts when they hit combat (backed up by 3 Might). Gimli is your tank: with fight 6, 3 attacks at +1 to-wound (or 2 attacks at +2 to-wound), Defense 8, two wounds and two Fate (plus that cheeky throwing axe if Aragorn calls a Heroic Move), Gimli is capable of holding up hordes of enemy models at little-to-no risk to himself. Individually they're great; collectively they're awesome.
• Boromir: He looks vulnerable on paper (1 Will, no Fate), but Gandalf can cover a lot of his weaknesses (Blinding Light, Strengthen Will, Protection of the Valar), and if you draw him in a straight-up brawl, good luck. The Horn of Gondor is a real problem for low-courage spam lists, and with Fight 6, three Attacks, and three Wounds (plus 6 Might and the ability to call Heroic Strike or Heroic Defense), he can tank even elite heroes. If he's in the same fight as Merry or Pippen, he may also get a banner reroll as well (if you've taken Bill). (Also, BLOW THE HORN!!!)
• Merry and Pippen: Two more deceptive-looking profiles. With Fight 3, one Attack, one Wound, and one Fate, they're easily the softest targets in the Fellowship. But don't underestimate their ability to draw Might from Boromir to boost their duel rolls, save a wound with Fate, or even to score a cheeky wound in a combat they've won. Also they throw rocks that can be boosted by Might (horses beware).
• Bill the Pony: The secret sauce. If you can engage your opponent in detail, he's great on the periphery, close enough to the action so he can give the hobbits duel rerolls, or even so a big bad like Aragorn or Boromir can end their charge on the enemy toughing his base (for a 33% chance at a juicy free point of Might before they kick off the next round of combat). If you're worried about him dying, you could just keep him 20" away from the fray in base contact with Legolas (so he can replenish his Might store over time as he's peppering the enemy with three bow shots a turn). And while he can't charge, his 40mm base is big enough that you can really get in your opponent's way if you need another control zone in a pinch; plus he can counter-attack if he's charged, and with one Attack, one Wound, and one Fate, he has a better-than-you'd-think chance at surviving an engagement or two (or even winning!).
• Smeagal*: Smeagal can only be brought if you take only Frodo and Sam from the Fellowship list. The list is obviously quite a bit underpowered at that point (no wizard, elves, men, etc.) and plays very differently, but it makes for a nice thematic drop as an objective-grabbing warband, and Smeagal is a decent Fighter in his own right (1 Might, Fight 4, Strength 4, 2 Attacks, 2 Wounds, 1 Fate, and never unarmed). Consider running the trio in the Rangers of Ithilien Legendary Legion.

For Further Reading

Thanks for checking out our summary of the Fellowship of the Ring army list in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game. If you’d like to find out more about these army lists, here are some resources we’d recommend from the TMAT team and other members of the Middle Earth SBG Community. And if you've been playing the Fellowship (or are curious about trying them out) and want to talk about them (or have a resource we should know about), please let us know in the comments!

  

More from the TMAT Team:

• The Bare Necessities, Part XVI: The Fellowship and Thorin's Company (April 2020)
• The Fellowship: The Strength of the Company, Revisited (September 2019)
• Updates The Fellowship: The Strength of the Company (July 2012)
• The Fellowship: Concerning Hobbits, Revisited (September 2019)
• Updates The Fellowship of the Ring: Concerning Hobbits (July 2012, *Pre-MESBG)
• The Fellowship's Tactical Units, Revisited (September 2019)
• Updates: Carrying the Weight of the World: The Fellowship's Tactical Units (August 2012, *Pre-MESBG)
• Battle Report: Fellowship vs. Isengard (Hold Ground) (July 2019) 
• A Pocket Full of Power Revisited (June 2019) 
• It has Come to Me - The One Ring: Thoughts on the Ring (and how it's Changed) (June 2019) 
• New Profiles, Part IX: The Free Peoples, Part II (January 2019)

Support your hobby! 

• The Fellowship of the Ring (Games Workshop)
• The Three Hunters (Games Workshop)
• Gandalf the Grey - Foot, Mounted, and Cart (Games Workshop)

Audio/Video Resources:

• VIDEO: Fellowship Army Review (STF Wargaming)
• VIDEO: Fellowship Army Review (Top Table Gaming)
• PODCAST: Episode 60: Themed List Challenge (The Green Dragon Podcast) [Fellowship discussion begins around the 58:00 mark]
• PODCASTS: Know Thine Enemy: Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, (The Green Dragon Podcast, *Pre-MESBG)
• PODCAST: Mustering an Army Episode 20: Heroes Finale (The Green Dragon Podcast, *Pre-MESBG)