Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Rohan in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

---Updated April 2024---

So I tried to think of something clever or inventive or thematic to say when introducing our faction for this week, but in the end, I couldn’t find anything better than this iconic tune (although this one is a very close second).

We’re talking, of course, about the second of the three heroic factions of men that fought at the Battle of Pelennor Fields (and other places, too, as it turns out): the Horse Lords themselves, Rohan. If you picked up the Battle of the Pelennor Fields box set when the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game was re-branded in 2018 (and didn’t sell off the model sprues for parts), odds are you have at least 12 of these guys, plus their fearless leader Theoden (more on him shortly—he’s kind of important to the army nowadays). 

The troop options in Rohan aren’t quite as diverse as what we have in Minas Tirith, but Rohan still features a plethora of iconic, powerful, and in many cases stupidly-cheap (in points, not necessarily cash) heroes to lead your riders into battle. Cavalry charges can be tricky in this game, and in some respects, Rohan is missing some core elements we’d expect to see if we want to recreate those smashing moments from Return of the King (high fight, lances, armored horses, etc.). Underestimate them at your peril…

As with Minas Tirith, I think it’s worth highlighting some of the fantastic community resources on Rohan that are especially worth checking out. James Clark from the GBHL was on Rohan early after the new edition came out, with a video on how Rohan’s changed in the new edition, and what their new rules could mean for their future. And I’d also be remiss if I didn’t direct you to Mik’s Fog of War entry on Rohan (which also features Mr. Clark) for some fantastic sample lists to get your creative juices flowing.

Now for wrath! Now for ruin! (And our thoughts, I guess?)

Photo Credit: The Fandamentals

Using/Fighting Spellcasters: Unlimited Casters, Revisited

Good morning gamers,

We come to the last post in this series – we’ve revisited a four-part discussion we did years ago on Combat Mages, Auxiliary Mages, Multi-Purpose Will Mages, and now we finally address Unlimited Mages. The original post is here. Of all the mages in the game, these types of casters have the potential for the most Will in the game (in aggregate) and are virtually the only casters who can be active at casting magic each turn for the entirety of the game. For our purposes, we’re following this taxonomy for casters:

• Multi-Purpose Will Mages: Anyone with the Will of Evil rule (or a similar rule) and has spells (who uses Will to cast magic AND stay alive…and possibly other things);
• Unlimited Mages: Anyone who gets “free Will,” has spells that can be cast, and does not fall in the previous category;
• Combat Mages: Anyone with 2+ Attacks, has spells that can be cast, and does not fall in either of the previous two categories;
• Auxiliary Mages: Catch-all for everyone else, usually limited casting with some kind of immediate/lasting benefit to the army.

Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Minas Tirith in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Warning: You are passing into the realm of Gondor…

After a brief sojourn into the Armies of the Hobbit and a long dalliance with the forces of Evil (plus a returning post from Centaur on the Rangers of the North--check that out, too, if you haven't already), we’re returning to the armies of Good with one of the most iconic armies in all of Middle-Earth: the defenders of Minas Tirith. I’ve always been drawn to heavily-armored troops (no doubt stemming from my fascination with armored knights since childhood), plus Gondor boasts the most powerful profile of my favorite hero from the books/films (Aragorn). So it has a lot aesthetically going for it. Plus, with the new additions in the new rule set, Army book, and Gondor at War supplement, they've received a power boost on the table-top, too!

I’ll preface our thoughts on Minas Tirith by saying that if you want an in-depth discussion of all this faction has to offer, I strongly recommend you check out The Green Dragon Podcast’s recent episode on revamped Minas Tirith, as well as David Clubley’s thoughts over on Blackmist’s Veni Vidi Double blog. Both are excellent (like, really, really excellent). With those ringing endorsements, if you still want to know what we think, read on. ;-)

Photo Credit: Hannibal & Kaemon

Workbench Updates

Profile discussions are fun and all, but they're even more fun when you're converting models! Here are some list building thoughts, tactical musings, and craft ideas as we try to clear our own workbenches. Maybe something will speak to you!

• Angmar (August 2019)
• Isengard (October 2019)
• Lothlorien (October 2017)
• Minas Tirith (March 2019, June 2019)
• Mordor (August 2015, October 2015, August 2019, September 2019)
• Moria (September 2019)
• Numenor (July 2019)
• Rivendell (October 2015, July 2019)

Revisiting the Rangers of the North: Army Review

Hey Reader!

It's been a while since I've written an article for TMAT, though I'm sure you've enjoyed the content from Tiberius and Rythbryt as I have. In my defense, I've got a very good reason for being out for the past several months:

This Dunedain finally found his princess!
Huge thanks to Rythbryt for his sword.

Now that I've married my forest elf and settled us in our new house (with a mostly working microwave), I'm returning to some of our past army reviews to update them with the changes made with the new Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game release.

In today's post, in line with the ranger-themed wedding pic above, I'm pleased to begin my part of the revamp series with the Rangers of the North, as the changes are pretty substantial compared to what we had under the Warbands rules. You can find the old post on our blog here.

So with no further ado, let's look at one of my favorite armies to date.

Workbench Update: Angmar

Good morning gamers,

In our last workbench update (Numenor), I said we'd be going to Mordor next and talking about what's been going on for my Mordor army that I'm building. While I can say that Mordor has seen some work on the workbench, they were quickly eclipsed by my Angmar work. So...today we visit Angmar and see what’s been cooking up to help one of the weirdest factions in the Lord of the Rings game. While I’ve had some Ringwraiths, Wild Wargs, and Orc Warriors for a while (and even acquired some Barrow-Wights), Angmar as a civ has always evaded my attentions. Today changes all that: we focus hard on getting Angmar up to snuff with some enhancements that will help them sweep over the Elves and Men that challenge them. Some weapon swaps/additions will be at work, as will some conversions – lots of fun to be had, so let’s get to it!

Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Goblin-Town in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game

Updated May 30, 2023: Thus far, we've been looking at armies with huge heroes and elite troops. Don't get me wrong--it's fun to play armies with beefy stat lines and heavy armor. But sometimes it's good to shake things up with a good ol' fashioned horde and drown your opponent in buckets and buckets of dice. 

Today, we're taking a look at the hordiest of horde armies: Goblin-Town, from the Armies of the Hobbit. Unlike the other armies we've looked at, Goblin-Town has very few profiles, and most of them (Grinnah, Goblin Captains, Gollum, and Goblin Warriors) have nearly identical statlines with just a few different characteristics between them. But don't let that fool you: playing this army demands a lot from you, and dishes a lot at your opponents.

Plus it has its own theme music!  One version is an awesome classic. The other... not so much.

Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game: Army List First Impressions

It's a glorious time to be a member of the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game community, with the re-branding of the game in 2018, and an influx of new support from Games Workshop and Forge World.

If you're just coming back to Middle Earth after years away, a lot has changed. New factions have been added, army lists have been reworked, and familiar characters have been given face lifts. If you're looking for a quick breakdown of what's changed in your long-neglected armies (and what's stayed the same), there's probably something here for you.

Using/Fight Spellcasters: Multi-Purpose Will Mages, Revisited

Good morning gamers,

Today we continue our series of revisiting old posts and updating them for the new rules set. We recently revisited discussions on Combat Mages and Auxiliary Mages. In this post, we turn our discussion towards mages who use Will both for casting magic and for fighting/staying alive/other things. As a reminder, here’s our magic taxonomy:

• Multi-Purpose Will Mages: Anyone with the Will of Evil rule (or a similar rule) and has spells (who uses Will to cast magic AND stay alive…and possibly other things);
• Unlimited Mages: Anyone who gets "free Will," has spells that can be cast, and does not fall in the previous category;
• Combat Mages: Anyone with 2+ Attacks, has spells that can be cast, and does not fall in either of the previous two categories;
• Auxiliary Mages: Catch-all for everyone else, usually limited casting with some kind of immediate/lasting benefit to the army.

Multi-Purpose Will Mages: What’s New?

While we looked at Ringwraiths in the original version of this post, the actual list of magical users who qualify is much larger. Behold, 13 profiles that fit this taxonomy:

• Tom Bombadil & Goldberry (available in the Wanderers in the Wild list)
• The Witch-King of Angmar (available to Angmar, Barad-Dur, and Mordor)
• The Tainted/Dwimmerlaik (available to Angmar and Mordor)
• The Knight of Umbar (available to the Corsairs of Umbar and Mordor)
• Khamul the Easterling (available to the Easterlings and Mordor)
• The Betrayer (available to the Serpent Horde and Mordor)
• The Dark Marshal/Shadow Lord/Undying (available to Mordor)
• Ringwraiths (available to Barad-Dur and Mordor)
• The Necromancer of Dol Guldur (available to the Dark Powers of Dol Guldur)

While most of these models are Ringwraiths, there are several different spells that are available to some of these wraiths (and how difficult it is to cast said spells varies). So let’s get into it and start cracking on their strategy. For those who are keeping score at home, we’re also updating an old post I did during Riders in Black month where I went through each Ringwraith spell and talked about how to use it. Much of what was written there is still accurate today.

Before we dive into the spells themselves, let’s take a quick stop and talk about one other preliminary topic: apportioning your Will when there’s so much it can be used for.

Tactics in Middle Earth SBG, Revisited

A lot has changed since the initial release of The Fellowship of the Ring rulebook in 2001. The core mechanics of the game have been refined over time, a host of new profiles have been added, and the game's designers continue to expand our beloved Middle Earth in miniature. Since the TMAT blog started in March 2011, we've seen four major movements in the game (Legions of Middle-Earth, the "Warband" supplements, the Hobbit Strategy Battle Game, and the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game).

Since the release of the core rule set for the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game in 2018, the TMAT team has been working to update seven years of tactical discussions and bring them into the modern era. We hope you enjoy a good discussion of tactics as much as we do!

Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Mordor in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game

Photo Credit: nerdist.com

As a follow-up to our review of the Barad-Dur army list, I figured we'd go ahead and tackle Mordor, which represents Sauron's forces during the War of the Ring at the end of the Third Age. Sauron is a disembodied puppet-master by this time, so his beefy combat profile is absent from the list, but literally every other profile in Barad-Dur finds its way over to the Mordor army list. In addition, we get eight new profiles for Ringwraiths, a bucket-load of new orc heroes, tons of 3 Might hero options, upgraded orcs, genetically modified Uruks, and even a War Beast. So if you still love slaughter and fire, and detest all things green and beautiful (at least some of the time), but prefer to direct the fate of the world from the shadows, Mordor may just be your cup of tea (or at least it's way better than maggoty bread).

(Fair warning--this is our longest army summary yet. Feel free to grab a sandwich or something. I'll wait.)

Armies of Middle Earth SBG

Are you looking to jump into the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, but unsure which force you want to invest in first? Have you ordered your models from Games Workshop, but are unsure how they'll play? Are you a returning player trying to figure out if your former favorite models are still viable? Are you a list-building savant looking for that inspirational spark?

Well, we're just players who enjoy playing the game and enjoy writing about it. So here's our long-form discussions of some of the armies of Middle Earth that we enjoy playing, updated for the new edition. We can't promise you'll leave with your needs satisfied, but at least we tried.

Armies of the Lord the Rings: Good

• The Fellowship (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (July 2019)
• The Fiefdoms (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (September 2019)
• Khazad-Dum (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (August 2023)
• Kingdom of Moria (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (September 2023)
• Lothlorien (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (March 2020)
• Minas Tirith (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (August 2019)
• Shieldwall Tactics (Making it Work) (July 2019)
• Appendix A: Alternate Shieldwall Formations (July 2019)
• Rivendell (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (February 2020)
• Rohan (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (August 2019)
• The Rangers (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (August 2022)

Armies of the Lord of the Rings: Evil

• Angmar (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (October 2020)
• Barad-Dur (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (August 2019)
• The Easterlings (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (September 2019)
• Far Harad (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (October 2019)
• Isengard (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (January 2020)
• Mordor (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (August 2019)
• Moria (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (October 2019)
• The Serpent Horde (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (September 2019)
• The Variags of Khand (Armies of the Lord of the Rings) (September 2019)
  

Armies of the Hobbit: Good

• Army of Thror (Armies of the Hobbit) (June 2023)
• Erebor Reclaimed / Iron Hills (Armies of the Hobbit) (June 2019)
• Iron Hills Dwarves (June 2019)
• Iron Hills Goat Riders (June 2019)
• Dain Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills (July 2019)
• Shieldwall Tactics (Making it Work) (July 2019)
• Appendix A: Alternate Shieldwall Formations (July 2019)
• Thranduil's Halls (Armies of the Hobbit) (July 2020)
• Survivors of Lake-Town (Armies of the Hobbit) (July 2020)

Armies of the Hobbit: Evil

• Azog's Hunters (Armies of the Hobbit) (July 2020)
• Azog's Legion (Armies of the Hobbit) (July 2020)
• Dark Powers of Dol Guldur (Armies of the Hobbit) (September 2022)
• Goblin-Town (Armies of the Hobbit) (August 2019)

Using/Fighting Spellcasters: Auxiliary Mages, Revisited

Good morning gamers,

In our last post, we revisited the subject of combat mages in MESBG – how the heroes we covered in a post a long time ago have changed and what other heroes we failed to cover before. In the older post, we lumped in a discussion on Auxiliary mages who do a few niche things to help your army because at the time, the only one I wanted to talk about was the Moria Goblin Shaman. Today, we’ll be taking an in-depth dive on Auxiliary mages across the lists and explore how to get the most out of them. As a reminder, we’re following this taxonomy for casters:

• Multi-Purpose Will Mages: Anyone with the Will of Evil rule (or a similar rule) and has spells (who uses Will to cast magic AND fight AND stay alive…and possibly other things);
• Unlimited Mages: Anyone who gets "free Will," has spells that can be cast, and does not fall in the previous category;
• Combat Mages: Anyone with 2+ Attacks, has spells that can be cast, and does not fall in either of the previous two categories;
• Auxiliary Mages: Catch-all for everyone else, usually limited casting with some kind of immediate/lasting benefit to the army.

Armies of Middle Earth SBG: Barad-Dur in the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game

Someone has to wear the black hat. In the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, the blackest of hats (or helms) is worn by Sauron and his fell forces. If you like Sauron's baddies, you have two options. Mordor recreates Sauron's forces during the War of the Ring, but doesn't feature the big bad himself. If you prefer Sauron in bodily form, you're looking at Barad-Dur, which features Sauron and his hordes at the time of the Last Alliance. If you love slaughter and fire, detest all things green and beautiful (at least some of the time), and want Evil to have a face, you’ve come to the right place.