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Made in us
Inspiring Icon Bearer





Colorado Springs, CO

Didn't see a dedicated thread for this although there are a couple of threads popping up for the Warbands that are already out.

The November 2017 issue of White Dwarf has a small spread about the upcoming Battle Company expansion. Essentially, this is a reprint of the Battle Companies rules that were published in White Dwarf back in the day (not going to lie, I didn't know that was ever a thing).

Worth a note that the November White Dwarf also has two battle company data sheets in it- Erebor & Dale and Gundabad. Each one includes composition for the Battle Company, advancement for models in the group, options, reinforcements and a Warband specific hero upgrade. Pretty cool little rules sheets.

The new book is an 80-page hardback. It includes the rules, 22 different pre-made battle companies (presumably from both The Hobbit and LotR), 12 scenarios and a battle company campaign- "The Quest to Fornost". The campaign is 5 linked scenarios starting at Lake Town and ending in Arnor. I think we can also expect the White Dwarf staff to do their own campaign as it mentions they're presenting another campaign that mirrors the one in the book but focuses on the evil side.

Edit: Book is out and I’m changing the thread title to reflect this.

I'd be interested to hear how folks who may have played back in the day and what they thought of it. I'll be snagging the book anyway. I may even try to run a small campaign out of my local shop.

For completeness sake, here are links to the current Warbands on preorder or released:

Gundabad:
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Gundabad-Orc-Warband-2017

Lake Town Militia:
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Lake-Town-Militia-Warband-2017

Lake Town Guard:
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Lake-Town-Guard-Warband-2017

Forgeworld Iron Hills Battle Company:
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-US/Iron-Hills-Battle-Company-2017


Other thread with Warband pre-orders:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/740322.page



Edit: thanks Doug! Trying to keep it correct!

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2017/12/20 19:45:06


One of them filthy casuals... 
   
Made in us
Haughty Harad Serpent Rider





Richmond, VA

Battle Companies.

There was an hour long interview with Adam Troke on Warhammer TV and they covered Battle Companies extensively.

It is also the very first product that is being released with the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game branding.

Available to order by December.

The warbands up for order are certainly usable, but you are confusing terminology. Normal armies in LOTR/Hobbit SBG are made up of Warbands of up to 12 warriors. That's why those products are called Warbands.
[Thumb - battlecompanies.jpg]


"...and special thanks to Judgedoug!" - Alessio Cavatore "Now you've gone too far Doug! ... Too far... " - Rick Priestley "I've decided that I'd rather not have you as a member of TMP." - Editor, The Miniatures Page "I'd rather put my testicles through a mangle than spend any time gaming with you." - Richard, TooFatLardies "We need a Doug Craig in every store." - Warlord Games "Thank you for being here, Judge Doug!" - Adam Troke 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

Is that interview available anywhere?

   
Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut






On the twitch archive I imagine. You'd need to be a subscriber however I believe.
   
Made in gb
Mekboy Hammerin' Somethin'





Dorset, England

It's a brill idea and I like how they have set it in some lesser used locations in middle earth that I am particularly fond of.

I'll be curious to read more about it in upcoming WD issues before I make a decision whether to invest or not.
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






Can anyone clue me in as to how these "Battle Companies" rules differ from the standard SBG?
   
Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut






Basically it's a progression campaign. So you start off with seven or so guys and as you play that gain experience which can get the model different abilities or points of might, will etc or promote them into hero's in their own right. The warband can also grow over the course of a campaign, so more troops or elite troops may join like mounted troops or heavier armour etc. It's a kind of it's own version of Necromunda or Mordheim.
   
Made in us
Haughty Harad Serpent Rider





Richmond, VA

Yup, more granularity. Equipment too. It's neat.

"...and special thanks to Judgedoug!" - Alessio Cavatore "Now you've gone too far Doug! ... Too far... " - Rick Priestley "I've decided that I'd rather not have you as a member of TMP." - Editor, The Miniatures Page "I'd rather put my testicles through a mangle than spend any time gaming with you." - Richard, TooFatLardies "We need a Doug Craig in every store." - Warlord Games "Thank you for being here, Judge Doug!" - Adam Troke 
   
Made in us
Sadistic Inquisitorial Excruciator




USA

 judgedoug wrote:
Battle Companies.

There was an hour long interview with Adam Troke on Warhammer TV and they covered Battle Companies extensively.

It is also the very first product that is being released with the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game branding.

Available to order by December.

The warbands up for order are certainly usable, but you are confusing terminology. Normal armies in LOTR/Hobbit SBG are made up of Warbands of up to 12 warriors. That's why those products are called Warbands.


I didn't get a chance to see the interview (I'm not a subscriber), and the White Dwarf article is a bit vague. Did Adam Troke happen to mention if this is a complete game or not? Do I just need this book to play or do I need it and the core rules? Or worse yet, the Battle Companies book, The core rules, and all the Sourcebooks?

I know this is pretty particular, but my buddy and I are looking at playing some LOTR stuff, but we really don't have time for large scale stuff. All things considered BC seems perfect for (we are also huge fans of campaign systems). But we really aren't interested if we have to buy $200 dollars of books before we even look at minis. If the book contains the relevant unit entries, and all you need is the BC book and the core rules, that's pretty reasonable, but we will probably steer clear if we need all the sourcebooks and The Hobbit books.

Thanks Judgedoug for any help in advance!

 
   
Made in us
Haughty Harad Serpent Rider





Richmond, VA


I'm not a subscriber either! Just means you can't comment

Battle Companies is a campaign and experience system for SBG. You still need the core rules.

Here's the deal. 6th edition comes out next year. "Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game". So getting the current edition The Hobbit Strategy Battle Game is risky as it'll be replaced. Thankfully the core rules have not changed since 2001, mainly just rules finesse and whatnot.

So yep, you'd need the SBG rules. The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey is the current edition. It can be had cheaply on ebay, as I know the hardcover is stupidly expensive from GW. All you need for the core rules is the softcover book. (though to be honest the Hobbit starter box is a fantastic deal with models and terrain and has the softcover rulebook)

You would need the army books for the stats. If you guys are just sticking with LOTR then the 5 army books are cheap and full of everything you'll ever need.The cool thing is the army books have lots of info, so the Kingdoms of Men book for instance has Gondor, Rohan, Arnor, etc.

BUT! If you're not a stickler for the current rules, the Lord of the Rings big blue hardcover book is last edition's rules plus several core troops and heroes for armies. SO if you were looking to dip your toe in before you buy, get the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game big blue hardcover book for 4th edition rules with some unit stats.


Proper way: Hobbit SBG rulebook, army books for relevant factioins
Cheap way: old LOTR SBG rulebook to "try" but you will need to eventually replace it.

"...and special thanks to Judgedoug!" - Alessio Cavatore "Now you've gone too far Doug! ... Too far... " - Rick Priestley "I've decided that I'd rather not have you as a member of TMP." - Editor, The Miniatures Page "I'd rather put my testicles through a mangle than spend any time gaming with you." - Richard, TooFatLardies "We need a Doug Craig in every store." - Warlord Games "Thank you for being here, Judge Doug!" - Adam Troke 
   
Made in us
Sadistic Inquisitorial Excruciator




USA

Huh, I had no idea about that. Guess I'll be watching more Warhammer TV, haha.

Good to know about the 6th edition coming out next year, I definitely wouldn't want to spend $90 bucks on a rulebook that will be out of next year (and that also doesn't even have all The Hobbit profiles in it....).

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Hopefully I can track down a cheap version of The Hobbit rules or the old blue book (This is the one I had back when I played LOTR). Hopefully the Middle-Earth SBG 6th edition will be a compiled rulebook with stat blocks like the 4th edition, but that doesn't seem like a very GW way to do things (though they have generally gotten much better in the last few years).

 
   
Made in us
Inspiring Icon Bearer





Colorado Springs, CO

Another warband preorder is up: armored Mirkwood elves!

https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Mirkwood-Armoured-Elves-Warband-2017

One of them filthy casuals... 
   
Made in lt
Longtime Dakkanaut






So, pre order is next week. Anyone got it in their trade pads? Or is it going to be webstore exclusive?

EDIT:
Just got an answer. Webstore exclusive only. So for those who don't have a local GW shop nearby, it would definitely be cheaper to grab it from FW.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/11/28 13:23:41


   
Made in us
Clousseau




I am ... cautiously optimistic.

I'm not a great fan of the Hobbit... but LOTR was one of the best games that GW ever put out imo.

If the new edition can bring back some of that whfb style classic wargaming, I'm totally all in again.

I'll pick this book up to start getting back into middle earth once again.
   
Made in de
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





I played Battle companies quite a lot over the years, there were lovely modifications and additions from the community with loads of equipment and scenarios. 40K Kill Team was a bad joke compared to that. I'm rather curious what this expansion brings/ if it builds up on the old system that was only released via WD and downloads if I recall correctly.
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

 auticus wrote:
that whfb style classic wargaming
Wait what do you mean?

Are you maybe thinking of War of the Ring?

   
Made in us
Clousseau




War of the Ring definitely needs an update.
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

SBG isn't really like WHFB, however - not sure what comparison you are drawing.

   
Made in us
Clousseau




Compared to Age of Sigmar, its closer to a classic wargame and that appears to be the choices available. (I'm referring to war of the ring)

Hobbit/LOTR are skirmish games I realize and am aware.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/11/29 17:57:08


 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

Ah okay - just to be clear Battle Companies is like a campaign system for a skirmish game.

   
Made in us
Clousseau




Yeah I saw that. Its a good way to build into the game and then maybe branch off to the War of the Ring later.

Even as a skirmish game its miles more engaging than AOS is (which is also basically a skirmish game)
   
Made in us
Haughty Harad Serpent Rider





Richmond, VA

 CragHack wrote:
So, pre order is next week. Anyone got it in their trade pads? Or is it going to be webstore exclusive?

EDIT:
Just got an answer. Webstore exclusive only. So for those who don't have a local GW shop nearby, it would definitely be cheaper to grab it from FW.


It's GW published, so you can order it from GW site, not just from FW.
GW site = free shipping thresholds and it's like it's almost designed for you to buy the book and a box of plastic infantry to get to the free shipping threshold...

"...and special thanks to Judgedoug!" - Alessio Cavatore "Now you've gone too far Doug! ... Too far... " - Rick Priestley "I've decided that I'd rather not have you as a member of TMP." - Editor, The Miniatures Page "I'd rather put my testicles through a mangle than spend any time gaming with you." - Richard, TooFatLardies "We need a Doug Craig in every store." - Warlord Games "Thank you for being here, Judge Doug!" - Adam Troke 
   
Made in gb
Major





Battle Companies was always my Favorite way to play LOTR. I've pre-ordered.

"And if we've learnt anything over the past 1000 mile retreat it's that Russian agriculture is in dire need of mechanisation!" 
   
Made in lt
Longtime Dakkanaut






Pre ordered too Looking at how many things were out of stock in the webstore yesterday - heck, I was about to buy those discounted Gundabad orcs and mess with FW upgrades - maybe this whole thing did not go unoticed

   
Made in de
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





 auticus wrote:
Yeah I saw that. Its a good way to build into the game and then maybe branch off to the War of the Ring later.

Even as a skirmish game its miles more engaging than AOS is (which is also basically a skirmish game)


WOTR was killed mostly by cutting the plastic boxes in half and selling them for nearly the same price, sadly. But if you have enough money, go for it. WOTR was a good system, GW simply made the same mistake that kept me from ever playing WHFB: magic was too strong. GW unfortunately never released an update to solve the few problems it had.
   
Made in us
Haughty Harad Serpent Rider





Richmond, VA

Sgt. Cortez wrote:
 auticus wrote:
Yeah I saw that. Its a good way to build into the game and then maybe branch off to the War of the Ring later.

Even as a skirmish game its miles more engaging than AOS is (which is also basically a skirmish game)


WOTR was killed mostly by cutting the plastic boxes in half and selling them for nearly the same price, sadly. But if you have enough money, go for it. WOTR was a good system, GW simply made the same mistake that kept me from ever playing WHFB: magic was too strong. GW unfortunately never released an update to solve the few problems it had.


Sure, it was pre-emptively "killed" by a price increase years before it came out, but it's release got us a dozen new plastic kits Matt Ward has already stated the game was not designed for competitive play, and more along the lines of allowing players to field their massive collections that they already had. The great thing is that the ruleset did not vanish, so can still be played by anyone (though the system is pretty poor, having to shoehorn the stat lines into a different game engine entirely. The shooting rules in particular are really bad)

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/12/05 14:59:07


"...and special thanks to Judgedoug!" - Alessio Cavatore "Now you've gone too far Doug! ... Too far... " - Rick Priestley "I've decided that I'd rather not have you as a member of TMP." - Editor, The Miniatures Page "I'd rather put my testicles through a mangle than spend any time gaming with you." - Richard, TooFatLardies "We need a Doug Craig in every store." - Warlord Games "Thank you for being here, Judge Doug!" - Adam Troke 
   
Made in us
Clousseau




It seems the community is split on the quality of war of the rings rules.

Half seem to love it and claim them to be some of the best rules gw wrote.

The other half says that the WOTR rules are bad.
   
Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut






The rules aren't bad per se, the biggest issue was that they were easily broken. Magic combos being the biggest culprit. If you were playing against people who had some restraint, they were perfectly fine.

In my opinion the biggest thing that killed it was the culture shock of moving from a reasonably small skirmish game with maybe two dozen or so models on each side to a mass ranked game needing 100+ models on the low side. The re-boxing obviously didn't help nor did the various elite units being in blisters of 3 or 4 and needing 12 for just a single company.
   
Made in us
Clousseau




Yeah I can see that. As far as combos breaking the game and needing player restraint, that describes pretty much every GW system ever lol.

   
Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut






Don't get me wrong, I liked the game. Still do actually. But I do think at it's core, it was a weird attempt to try and get the WHF crowds attention and vice versa for the LotR crowd. It just never quite gelled between the two properly.
   
 
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