The Ultimate Middle-Earth SBG Thread

That would honestly have been so much better - GW could have finally replaced those horrendously expensive Forge World Iron Hills Dwarves with some plastic ones released first through this box and then later on their own. It's a pity the models for old Dain and Thorin III were Forge World, because they could also have been saved to be released in plastic in the boxed game.

We could have got:
Dain Ironfoot and Thorin III in plastic
24 new plastic Iron Hills Dwarf Warriors (especially if they had customisable Spear, Mattock or Crossbow options)
6 new plastic Iron Hills Goat Riders, or a plastic version of either the Iron Hills Chariot or Ballista

vs

The Dragon-Emperor of Rhun (if he had been made in plastic)
12 Easterlings
12 of the new Black Dragons or Dragon Cult Acolytes (if they had been in plastic)
6 Kataphrakts

Something like that would honestly have looked great, I would have considered buying that, but instead they want everyone to buy into the human factions and consign all of the actual fantasy races to Forge World

 

Looking for a new project?

The wargames Atlantic late Roman legionaries boxed set, with the addition of a head from the wargames Atlantic goblins set, make convincing orcs.

Both sets used in this conversion are available in my wargames Atlantic section, with individual sprues also available separately.

 

A nice idea, though GW already have good-value plastic Mordor and Morannon Orc boxes for standard Middle-Earth Orcs, so there's not much reason why an Evil player would want to go a different route, unless for some strange reason they really didn't like the way the Orcs looked in the PJ films and prefer the Angus McBride illustrations upon which the WA Goblins are based.

 

Apparently what an AI program made from the term "Gondolin".

I fucking love it.



Also a client sent in this shot of some elves he bought from me.

 

So, these are the wargames Atlantic Romans. But I keep thinking that, with an appropriate color scheme and white tree, they could masquerade as Gondorians

 

If you're not specifically interested in replicating Gondor from the films and just want a representative of Gondorian troops from the books, then possibly.

 

Remember my guides to converting Middle Earth models that are otherwise overly-expensive and lacking in poseability if one goes via the 'official' route? Well @ChapterAquila92 has given me a lead into making some of my ideas much easier to facilitiate.

Unreleased Miniatures has been making all sorts of metal and resin models and bits for Middle-Earth-themed races and factions. Though their unit packs of three figures are still a bit too expensive to be practical for forming Warbands, their individual character figures are a lot more affordable than GW ones, plus the jewel in the crown is the range of shields and heads they make for converting Middle-Earth models.

For instance, my idea of using Galadhrim Elf Warriors as Elves of Rivendell:

Is now much easier to achieve with the packs of Rivendell Elf heads and shields they offer:



Not to mention that the icing on the cake is that the Galadhrim Elves are a bit more multipart than most of the Middle-Earth plastics, with both their heads and shields being separate from the bodies:

 

And similarly, my idea of using Fireforge's Stone Realm Dwarves as Iron Hills Dwarves:

Can be made all the more a reality by swapping the Fireforge rectangular shields that come with the Stone Realm kits for these metal Iron Hills-style ones:

Plus offering a pack of two Goats:

So that if the Fireforge Rambukk Raider riders fit, these can be used to make Goat Riders while the Fireforge Rams can be saved to serve as the steeds for a chariot proxy if you can find one.

 

That should work, given the size of the rams.

The last alliance heads and shields are nothing new. Mainly, When I was still taking 3D printing orders last year before I paused: I got a lot of requests for medbury miniatures Shields and heads.

 

Not long ago I heard from the owner of my newest local FLGS that Middle-Earth will allegedly be getting a new Edition (presumably some time after the upcoming Arnor scenario book). To be honest I don't see why that would be necessary (unless it's another revised edition that simply collating all the FAQs released over the past couple of years together) as of course a lot of people say it's the most balanced it's ever been, but one thing I would like to see is a change in army selection rules.

I know I've mentioned it before, but for the benefit of those who weren't around at the time of the thread's early posts, the one thing I really do not like about the SBG in its current state is the 'Warband' method of army selection, where you have to take a number of heroes plus Warriors alongside them, and that you can have heroes without Warriors but not Warriors without Heroes. This format first appeared in February 2012, in an attempt I believe to introduce more restrictions for competitive play (as part of a set of five Lord of the Rings Sourcebooks specifically designed for more competitive play than the previous sets of Sourcebooks), but I really think it did this the wrong way, principally because it reeks of GW wanting to push more hero models.

However I've not thought of an alternative until now.

I've lately been reading up all I can on the long-lost version of the SBG called War of the Ring. Released in April 2009, it essentially embodied a separate version of the SBG into a rank-and-flank wargame inspired in part by Warhammer Fantasy while also basing a lot of its mechanics on the SBG. I only ever got to play it once at my nearest Games Workshop, but it was a lot of fun. Sadly it seemed to lose steam and vanish by late 2011/early 2012 down to balance issues and it competing with Warhammer Fantasy and requiring more models than the latter to play, but I still keep thinking about it and wanting to have another go at it. I've even found a revised version of it called War in Arda, pioneered on the One Ring forum, that adds in rules for all the Hobbit units and factions and reduces the number of models required to have a good game of it.

One of the things I like a lot about War of the Ring is its army selection rules, based around Warriors rather than Heroes as it should be:

• Formations of Warriors are divided into Common (run of the mill troops), Rare (elites) and Legendary (special formations headed by special characters, probably the inspiration of Legendary Legions in the current version of the SBG).
• Your army can contain any number of Common formations, but no more than half your points can be spent on Rare formations.
• Your army can also contain any number of Heroes and Legendary formations, so long as each Hero or Legendary formation is only taken once (can't have multiple versions of the same character running around... looking at you Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes).

It's probably a pipe dream as the current Middle-Earth team are as obsessed with the Warband format as they are with pushing the four main factions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy over every other army, but if there were to be a new edition, I'd love to see the Warband format scrapped and replaced with the War of the Ring version as follows:

• All Warrior types are divided into Common or Rare
• Your army can take any number of Common Warrior models or Heroes (so long as each hero is only taken once)
• Up to half your points (or models perhaps, as per Bow Limit) can be spent on Rare Warrior models
• Keep the existing rules for Bow Limit and Legendary Legions (whatever the existing rules for Legendary Legions are, @Imrahil it'd be great if you could confirm).

Simple but an effective way of stopping armies from being filled with elites, and stopping players from being forced to buy and convert a load of Heroes.

If they did this it'd really encourage me to get back into the SBG.

 

Some interesting new model reveals for Arnor and Angmar have surfaced in the past day...

Warriors of Carn Dum, i.e. Rhudaur:






I never thought GW would go so far as to make some of these... I like the stag antler helmets, and I certainly admit that Slaine-esque Drune models are in short supply... though these still are a bit too close to the generic barbarian archetype, and thus the Dunlending Wildmen, for my liking. But these are Forge World anyway so if I want some of these I can source models from a plastic kit more to my liking.

Aldrac, Warlord of Carn Dum:


Same as above... a great model for fans of Slaine and Drunes, but still too much of a Conan feel to him for my liking entirely.

Fraecht, Vassal of the Witch-King:


I do like this chap a bit more, not least for his creepier feel, the generous application of crow feathers and bones, and because he, along with Aldrac, form a twisted reflection of Arvedui and Malbeth. But again he'll be Forge World, boo.

Aranarth, First Chieftain of the Dunedain:


Good to see Arvedui's son get a model, and good to see Arnor have another hero... it certainly needs them while the 'Warband' army list selection format continues to exist and suck...

The Shadow of Rhudaur, a Barrow-Wight hero:



A new model for Burhdur (why, given it'll be Forge World and no less expensive than the metal original?):


Hill Trolls to accompany their Chieftain (a much more necessary release - again Forge World and expensive, but you could easily source third-party Cave Troll models and drape them in Green Stuff clothing):


And Werewolves:


Not particularly fond of these, principally because they continue to follow the naff hyena look of the Lord of the Rings Wargs rather than the superior more wolfy Hobbit Wargs - we can see where GW's favouritism lies once again. But Mantic make some far better Monstrous Infantry-size Werewolves that will look far better and probably cost less.

Anyway, some interesting stuff here, particularly for Angmar... they've done a good job at adding a load of new and different stuff to separate it from Mordor, Isengard and Azog's Legion.

 

They've also announced the Rise of Angmar book that will contain the rules for those models (with probably the blandest cover image yet):


Plus a new Edition of the game:
https://www.warhammer-community.com...iddle-earth-strategy-battle-game-coming-soon/

It does make me wonder why, but the one thing that would make me seriously consider diving into it is if they rework army selection and finally get rid of the horrible 'Warband' format - a pipe dream as I mentioned before, given the development team and a lot of the playerbase for the current version of the game are perfectly fine with it, but I can live in hope for a means by which I can finally fix the mess that my own Middle-Earth collection is in, as it is currently comprised of a hotch-potch of rulesets and models from different factions. For many years I've largely ignored its plight in favour of my Fantasy, 40K and SPQR collections, but a polished new edition of the game with a sensible set of army selection rules would certainly persuade me to change that.

Also, they've not-so-subtly teased that GW are going to make models for the upcoming War of the Rohirrim animation. I thought this was going to be another Amazon abomination but not so, it's a New Line Cinema development that's going to maintain faith toward PJ's visions. I do rather wish it was live-action instead, as more people would take it seriously then, but it's a nice touch to have Miranda Otto reprise her role as Eowyn for the purpose of narratrix. More importantly, it stands as an inclination of where GW's loyalties lie... fully and entirely with New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson, and not in the least with Amazon's attempts to defile Middle-Earth, which is a very good thing. There is at least some sanity left in GW HQ it seems.

 

I've not played ME:SBG, but that warband format you mentioned definitely seems like a put off. But when even a friend who is absolutely done with Gee-Dubs agrees that the ruleset is one of the best that they've ever released, I can't imagine that they'll drop it. Though the idea of the book giving an alternate ruleset for less hero-centric gameplay would be nice. But with the release of the Old World, it's going to hit the same problem as War of the Ring rules, GeeDubs will end up competing against itself. Again.

Now, some of those new models? I want. Even if I never actually play ME:SBG, I like some of those models enough that I will quite happily have a few for alternative purposes. Aranarth in particular I can imagine integrating into my proxy Empire Army for the Old World. Make him a captain. Fraecht I can turn into a wizard. And if I ever start an Undead army, that barrow-wight is on the list.

 

I wasn't aware of Carn Dum and their people, but the models look decent, not that I will buy any of them anytime soon. The wizard looks fine and will be able to be used as stand in for other factions as well.

I like the new Dunedain and Barrow Wight heroes. They look pretty good.
The extra trolls make for some great diversity in an all troll army

Not a real fan of the werewolves.

I was happy woth the MESBG rules set as it is, but seeing the releases over the last couple of years bundled in one book is something good.

Hope not much will change gameplay-wise

Grrr, !mrahil

 

Were werewolves a thing in the Silmarilion? Because I do not remember werewolves being a thing in LotR. I suppose an argument could be made for werebears considering what's-his-face in The Hobbit, but otherwise...

 

Yeah, I honestly don't know why people keep saying the SBG is the best GW ruleset ever when I loathe the 'Warband' format so much, and I know very well it's just a pipe-dream that they might drop it. Perhaps it's simply because I first got into the SBG before February 2012, at a time when the game was more designed for narrative play and any army configuration was legal so long as you had at least one Hero as your leader... and as soon as February 2012 and the first sourcebooks detailing the 'Warband' format came out, I found that I had to buy a load more (expensive) hero models just to make my army legal, and since then my interest in the SBG just petered out. I still picked up Escape from Goblin Town and a few other Hobbit models as I liked the films so much, and played a few games at my nearest GW, but other than that I just let the Warhammers take over a lot more of my spending and time, and have been a salty sod where the SBG is concerned ever since

With regards to an alternative, note in one of my previous posts on this page that I've suggested not to bring back War of the Ring as a whole (though it was a great idea, it's not economical due to the nature of plastic kits having 8-10 models of each different weapon option with no options to kit all models out with one option, and as you mentioned it will compete with Fantasy again), but simply bring back War of the Ring's army selection system and fold it into the few sensible restrictions that currently exist in the SBG - I'd like to think this produces a whole lot more of a flexible selection system than the 'Warband' format, allows for both Hero-oriented and Warrior-oriented forces and still includes enough restrictions to stop players cheesing particular builds:

• At least one Hero (you have to have one as your Leader after all)
• Any number of Heroes and Legendary Legions per army, but only one of each individual character/Legion
• Warriors are divided into 'Common' and 'Rare' - 'Common' Warriors are core troops and can be taken in any number, while 'Rare' Warriors are elites and only up to half your points can be spent on them (which will also stop players doing dick moves like fielding a Mumak in small 400-500 point games, which I've had before in the few games I've played against random people using the 'Warband' format and as far as I'm aware is still legal)
• Bow Limit as per standard SBG rules

I'm sure they are somewhere in the mythos, either the Silmarillion or elsewhere, because they are mentioned in Tolkien bestiaries. I don't remember them in the Hobbit (though of course there are the Beornings, Beorn chief among them, which already have models). They just play a relatively small, obscure part in lore.

 

Here's a post from a little while ago giving some teasers on what's coming in the new Edition of the SBG:
https://www.warhammer-community.com...edition-of-middle-earth-strategy-battle-game/

A lot of it is decent actually... the new Intelligence stat makes sense, removing Special Strikes I think is a good thing (as thematic as they were, I always forgot about them and they added an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to combat) and Legendary Legion-style army lists seems to be taking the game back to pre-Feb 2012 in terms of having a lot more smaller lists, with multiple different lists for different eras of the same faction, rather than a few larger ones, which I think is a smart move with all the recent new models expanding niche factions such as Dunlendings, LoTR Erebor and most recently Angmar and Arnor. Fight values being spread out over a wider range is a good thing and will reduce the regularity of tied Fight results. Three army list books to collect rather than two is a bit of a pain, but again I can see why it's being done with all the expanded factions, and the Legendary Legion-style army lists makes that much easier to facilitate. No mention of the shite Warband format going though, boo. I'll still keep an eye out on how the revised ruleset plays, and it'd be a good opportunity to return to the game, but whether I will pick it up, I don't know yet.

 

Remember when I mentioned North Star released some plastic Orc Infantry for Oathmark, that I thought would work well as Mordor Uruks?

Well, now they're about to release a set of Orc Heavy Infantry, which look even better as Mordor Uruks - not only are they all the better-armoured than their 'ordinary' cousins, but they also have the golden option of two-handed weapons, which Mordor Uruks are especially known for being able to take:



These lads will look great alongside GW's Mordor and Morannon Orcs, or, if you want to fully go with the Oathmark range which are a lot more customisable, Oathmark Goblins will work well as Mordor Orcs, and the aforementioned Oathmark Orcs could work better as Morannon Orcs, certainly in terms of options available in their box set.

 

Well, I've found a Middle Earth profile creator that allows you to create your own Hero and Warrior profiles and save them in a card format:
https://websim.ai/c/LOu1LxKee1tHeBAgW

Let the tide of fan-made units begin

 

The first two of my fan-made cards - for Cardolan Militia as a lighter infantry unit for Arnor, and Hillmen of Rhudaur as a light human unit that can serve either in Arnor or in Angmar armies, to reflect that troubled province's divided loyalties: