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One of my friends broke out the old Battle Company rules. I had such a blast, although a few questions were raised. We were wondering if we upgraded to The Hobbit rules if the whole system would still work? Also as we're noobs again, we noticed that armour was... Amazing. Dwarfs and Gondorians were running around with impunity. Are we missing the obvious tactics here?

Battle Companies is a great supplement to the game, one of my favourite ways to play.

Updating to Hobbit rules should be fine, as you still play in the same way, so I can't see any areas where it would affect the BC rules. Obviously you'll have to ignore the Warband rules, but other than that I can't see an issue.

High-Defence units are tough to put down, but there are a few good ways to even the fight. Lighter troops tend to have the advantage of numbers, so try and pick your fights two on one. Two-Handed weapons or Lances are great for getting wounds through, so once you can buy options, those might be worth investing in. Just make sure you pair a 2-handed guy with a Hand Weapon guy so the -1 Fight roll isn't so much of an issue.

Failing that, fight fire with fire and throw in some Uruks or Easterlings.

We were just starting out and throwing lots together, noticing that Elves were struggling due to low numbers, and Orcs got picked off so quick they lacked numbers when they got into combat. Guess we'll try again and try to outnumber.

Low numbers is a problem with elves, especially in low-point games like this, so you really want to be using bows to try and even the odds. High Elves can buy heavy armour to mitigate some of the risk, although they do get expensive.

Orcs need to make use of cover where possible, even if it's other models, and generally work best in pairs or threes rather than going solo if possible.

If you're new to the game, then don't worry, as you get more used to it the strengths and weaknesses of each force will become more apparent.

Was there ever a compendium released that had all the point values? We have a vague recollection of one and would rather that than buying sourcebooks.

There's a few ways of doing this. If you just want the LOTR era stuff (ie nothing specifically from the Hobbit movies, although there's still plenty of dwarf/goblin stuff) then the old hardback Big Blue Book rulebook has points in for most things.

GW did have a PDF of all the Hobbit stuff on their site, but I don;t know if that's still there what with the site changing.

Hey thanks for bringing this to light, this looks like a really interesting, awesome way of playing LoTR (Especially since my brother plays as Rohirrim and I play as Uruks, and eventually plan to field Dunlendings as well)

I remember playing it years and years ago. I had friends who were GW staff and that's how they conned everyone into wargames. A box of troops and a blister or two for special units and you're done. Of course now you need two boxes and finecast is involved, but when your max model count is 15 to 25 a side it's still cheap.

It was the same friend who discovered the updated rules on The One Ring. It's awesome, though sad that some armies like Khand are hard to do now.

Playing battle companies is great, as it really adds character and meaning to the game, and it's far more practical. You don't need that big a board, and a box and blister will generally get you everything you need. The games are over fast (although the book-keeping can take a while) without being constrained, and I think with a smaller scope, every decision matters more.

Have you got a link to the updated rules? I'm still using the original ones.

We found the updated rules here. http://www.one-ring.co.uk/kb.php?a=259

Awesome, cheers man.

Only thing we wish there was is a Woses company but easily made up.

Hey,

Just letting yall know, if you haven't checked one-ring, that the Battle Company rules update is currently being worked on by myself and a few others. Should be here soon enough, we are changing a few things and adding some cool stuff!

Regards,
DK
(Wild)

Great, let us know when it's done! I was very impressed with the last version, so if this is even better we're in a for a treat!

If you want to see the Battle Companies in action check out the GBHL Podcast YouTube channel. One of the series they did was the new Battle Companies and they are planning on doing a second season. They also do great other videos and batreps so be sure to check them out if you haven't already. The more support they get the better as they do an awesome job!

Status Update on Battle-Companies: The New Version!

DaK here,

We "from under the hill" are right now in the process of reviewing and refining all the updated Battle Company entries and experimenting with flavorful special rules. I am really excited for the new update to be released and I hope all of you are as well.

Please be patient as work has been slow with the holidays, but I personally am getting back into the ring in this new year so it won't be too long!

Regards,
DK (Wild)