Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game by Games Workshop

Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game Archive

Mines of Moria Boxed Set

For years Tolkien fans clamored for a tabletop wargame based on The Lord of the Rings. I.C.E. finally released a game and Harlequin Miniatures produced figures for it. Sadly, the game was short lived. However, with the release of the new movies in the early 00s there was a renewed interest. Games Workshop obtained the license to make a Lord of the Rings miniatures game. They created a great game system, and backed it up with loads of stunning miniatures. All of the characters from the movie are present, as well as some of the more obscure minions from the books. Most of the major characters have several different versions, each one depicting them as they appear in a particular scene. For example, Merry the Hobbit is available as Meridoc the Knight or Merry of the Shire.

Getting started with the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game can be somewhat confusing even for seasoned Games Workshop players, as there are many supplemental books. The best place to begin is with the Mines of Moria starter box which includes the entire fellowship, a horde of goblins, a troll, scenery, and the complete set of rules. The starter set includes several scenarios that you can play with the miniatures that are included.

After purchasing the starter set, there are two ways to proceed. You can purchase journey books that let you recreate scenarios from Tolkien's books. The three journey books are called The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. The second way to proceed is to create your own army. To do this you should purchase the Legions of Middle Earth supplement. There are also a myriad of supplements that prodivde details about the armies of specific regions, such as Mordor. The following pages provide some basic information about many of the books.
The Return of the King

A Shadow in the East

Fall of the Necromancer

Gondor in Flames

Khazad-Dum

The Ruin of Arnor

New players are faced with the choice of which army to play. The following page describes the playing style of many of the armies.
Choosing an Army

As with most game systems, not all armies are created equal. In the case of LOTR The Grey Company allied with the Dwarves is quite superior to most other armies. However, if you powergame, you will find that you have a pyrric victory, as it is not challenging to play if you always win. So have some fun, and explore the world of Middle Earth.

The Free Peoples

Champions of Good
The Fellowship

The Eagles

The Wanderers in the Wild

The Wizards

The Wildmen of Druadan

Gondor
The Tower of Ecthelion

Minas Tirith

The Rangers of Ithilien

The Dead of Dunharrow

The Fiefdoms

The Army of the High King

Rohan
Theoden's Host

The Host of the Hammerhand

The Riders of Eorl

The Dwarf Holds
Durin's Folk

Erebor

Khazad-Dum

The Woodland Realms
Lothlorien

Thrandiuls Halls

Fanghorn

The Elven Havens
Rivendell

Eregion

The Grey Havens

The Northern Kingdoms
Arnor

The Grey Company

The Shire

The Forces of Evil

Goblins
Moria

The Dwellers Below

Spirits
Angmar

Dol Guldur

Saruman's Forces
Isengard Raiders

The White Hand

Sharkey's Rogues

Dunland
Dunland

Sauron's Forces
Baradur

Cirith Ungol

Minas Morgul

The Black Gate

Monsters

Nazgul

The East
The Easterlings

Variags of Khand

Khandish Mercenaries

Harad
Harad

The Serpent Horde

Far Harad

The Corsairs
The Corsair Fleets

Umbar

Sauron the Necromancer
Castellans	Barrow Wight
Ringwraiths
Orcs
Khandish King
Khandish Chariot
Khandish Horsemen
Khandish Warriors
Marsh Spectres
Rohan
Wildmen of Druadan
Gwahir

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