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Will the rules just be released in English?

Also this looks promising, but the focus seems to have shifted to matched play.

But the spell that makes targeting with spells impossible, is not my jam. Make it hard to do, like give 2 or 3 free D6 against each enemy spell, but don´t make them impossible. Like the spell that makes ranged attacks only hit on a 6. This is as unbalanced as the auto-hit from Legolas, the worst special rule in the whole game.

I want to see the ally matrix. Hopefully it isn't too restrictive. For example, I would hope the Fellowship can ally with pretty much any Good army since, as the viewpoint characters, pretty much every Good army we see has had one of the Fellowship help them at some point.

 TheWaspinator wrote:
I want to see the ally matrix. Hopefully it isn't too restrictive. For example, I would hope the Fellowship can ally with pretty much any Good army since, as the viewpoint characters, pretty much every Good army we see has had one of the Fellowship help them at some point.

It isn't so much to deny you list building, but to add some granularity. Historic Alliances, for example keep their army-buffs as if they were still pure armies.

Almost anything Good is still at least legal, with anything else good.

Middle-earth release date and pricing.

Does that mean the army book follows later, or is it not a complete list?

 Slinky wrote:
Does that mean the army book follows later, or is it not a complete list?

These are individual order items and aren't related to the bundle deal that has been mentioned that stores could get for launch (with army books and infantry and monster and cavalry sets etc)

I wonder how much the rules have changed with this new release.

We all played War of the Ring until GW discountinued it, and others have sworn that the standard game was even better.

I was surprised at how much i enjoyed painting the models. They aren't as "busy" in detail as the other two major game systems.

 Shrapnelsmile wrote:
I wonder how much the rules have changed with this new release.
.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/1140/685977.page#10115568

Not necessarily an exhaustive summary.

Faeit has the UK prices. The box set is £90. That's a great price.
The box would cost about £210 if bought individually.
I am very tempted.

Yeah, I did the sums based on leaked info a little while back. Add on a discount from a third party seller and it looks like really good value, especially for me off the back of AT being such a let down price wise.

Even if you’re just a little interested in MESBG, this starter is well worth it.

As Azreal said, AT being such an audacious price for such a mediocre force (all my opinion, mind, I know people disagree) REALLY drives this home as a must-buy great value.

Yeah, I'm a lot more interested in the new Kill Team and in this LOTR relaunch then I am AT. Which is a shame, because I like big robots. But I think the upscaling and lack of troops makes that game a tough sell when your core figures are $100 each.

 Azreal13 wrote:

 Shrapnelsmile wrote:
I wonder how much the rules have changed with this new release.
.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/1140/685977.page#10115568

Not necessarily an exhaustive summary.

Thank you Azreal. This looks good.

This re-launch is sure picking me interest in this game, but none in town plays it. Can anyone tell me around how expensive it is to get in?
Is it akin to warhammer? If it's cheaper I might convince some people to give a shot.

 GuardStrider wrote:
This re-launch is sure picking me interest in this game, but none in town plays it. Can anyone tell me around how expensive it is to get in?
Is it akin to warhammer? If it's cheaper I might convince some people to give a shot.

Significantly cheaper unless you are collecting a Forge world only army (which is Iron Hills Dwarves right now).

 judgedoug wrote:

 GuardStrider wrote:
This re-launch is sure picking me interest in this game, but none in town plays it. Can anyone tell me around how expensive it is to get in?
Is it akin to warhammer? If it's cheaper I might convince some people to give a shot.

Significantly cheaper unless you are collecting a Forge world only army (which is Iron Hills Dwarves right now).

Nice I know that it must depend from army to army, but on average on a a small-average size match (like 1000pts in AoS or 40k) how many models and what investment am I expected to do?

From what I've seen this game reminds me a lot in terms of scope with SAGA, except you put an hero in the unit instead of using battleboards.

 GuardStrider wrote:

 judgedoug wrote:

 GuardStrider wrote:
This re-launch is sure picking me interest in this game, but none in town plays it. Can anyone tell me around how expensive it is to get in?
Is it akin to warhammer? If it's cheaper I might convince some people to give a shot.

Significantly cheaper unless you are collecting a Forge world only army (which is Iron Hills Dwarves right now).

Nice I know that it must depend from army to army, but on average on a a small-average size match (like 1000pts in AoS or 40k) how many models and what investment am I expected to do?

From what I've seen this game reminds me a lot in terms of scope with SAGA, except you put an hero in the unit instead of using battleboards.

That's a very good analogy. 20 to 40 figures for a smaller-average sized match with a few heroes and maybe a monster if you're playing a baddie. Goblins are cheaper than orcs are cheaper than skilled men are cheaper than uruk-hai are cheaper than elves.

My understanding of the game as it developed is that you can play pretty effectively with a few boxes of infanatry, a box of cavalry, and some heroes, and even that might be overkill for some armies.

I remember costing out a gondor army, and you could build something playable for under $100, but getting fully optimized could get spendy fast.

 judgedoug wrote:

 GuardStrider wrote:
This re-launch is sure picking me interest in this game, but none in town plays it. Can anyone tell me around how expensive it is to get in?
Is it akin to warhammer? If it's cheaper I might convince some people to give a shot.

Significantly cheaper unless you are collecting a Forge world only army (which is Iron Hills Dwarves right now).

Honestly, Doug is right that a non-FW army will run you an absolute fraction of a 40k army cost-wise, but even Iron Hills from FW still costs less than a 40k list. I just bought 800pts worth of Iron Hills and it still came in under $300.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/08/21/20th-aug-designers-notes-middle-earthgw-homepage-post-2fw-homepage-post-2/

Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game – Designers’ Notes

The new edition of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is up for pre-order this weekend, and represents the culmination of many long months and years of hard work to create the best version of the game to date. In this first installment, wise Istari Adam Troke reveals an overview of what the new edition has to offer:

Adam Troke: It’s fair to say that this latest edition of the Strategy Battle Game has been seventeen years in the making. From the ground-breaking first edition that accompanied The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring™ to now, the game has had a long and winding path.

This new edition heralds a rebirth of sorts, with the game reborn under the long-deserved moniker The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game. At last the amazing characters and events from The Lord of the Rings™ and The Hobbit™ live together side by side in the main rules manual, and a raft of expansions that deal with one topic or another are planned into the distant future. It’s fair to say that creating this new edition has been a labour of love – and we are confident that it represents the best edition of the game so far.

WITH HELP FROM THE HOBBITS

The first thing to note with the new edition of the Strategy Battle Game is how familiar it is. If you have played any (or, like me, all) of the previous editions you will find yourself surrounded by rules and principles that have stood the test of time. With that said, there are many minor changes throughout the edition. In writing the rules, Jay Clare (the true mastermind behind the rule changes in this edition) has thoroughly combed through every single principle – leaning heavily on the constructive feedback of a truly engaged and enthusiastic community.

Both Jay and I play enthusiastically in our free time – and experience from hundreds of games at events across the globe have gone into our work. Organisations such as the incredible Great British Hobbit League (and sister leagues from Canada, the United States, Australia and beyond) have proved fertile ground for changes and improvements and at some of the grandest events in the world, we have rubbed shoulders with you – the community.

Events large and small, such as Ardacon International, Nova Open and the European Team Championship have given us the chance to see how a wide spread of people play the game… and it’s all helped to inform the new rules. If we forget to say it elsewhere – thanks for engaging with us.

UNLEASH THE NAZGUL

A small shout-out must also go to an elite group of hobbyists who have loaned us their time and loyalty during the rules-writing process. From across the world, these players have reviewed, playtested and contributed their time to making this game better. It’s probably best for them to remain un-named… but these are heroes of the hobby, make no mistake. Our work is better for their efforts.

THE WORLD IS CHANGING

So, with all that said, plenty of things have evolved in the rules – and while these changes will be the subject of a series of articles over the coming days and weeks, we’ll lay down some of the bigger adjustments here.

Greater game balance: We’ve scrutinised some of the rules and tactics that were used to often crushing effect. We’ve diminished the role of Magical Powers, so that epic heroes and awesome monsters can’t be neutralised quite so easily. We’ve tweaked Special Strikes so every weapon is a little more favourable (and added a points cost for players who want to tweak their wargear). Changes like these are what we’d call micro-adjustments – small individually but with a genuinely macro impact when combined together.

Encouraging thematic play: More than anything, this is the game of recreating battles and adventures from the fantastic stories of The Lord of the Rings™ and The Hobbit™, and as such we want players to feel that thematic play is rewarded. Historically, the best armies were often cunningly-wrought, but aesthetically unsatisfying. Preferring carrot over stick, we’ve provided incentives for truly themed Matched Play forces with unique bonuses for themed armies.

Total, comprehensive review: We’ve examined absolutely every profile in the entire Strategy Battle Game. A herculean task that Jay embraced with the enthusiasm of a Hobbit at an all-you-can-eat buffet, this involved breaking down the statlines, special rules and points values of every single model and putting them back together again. Some of them remain unchanged (Warriors of Rohan) and some have changed dramatically (The Balrog). The result? Well, firstly, we’re happy they feel ‘right’ to us. Secondly though, these present new tactical and gaming challenges for your, the player – we’re really excited to see how you unpick the rules, create powerful combinations and spot brilliant new ways to get the best from your models.

THREE WAYS TO PLAY

Narrative: In many ways, the Strategy Battle Game has been ahead of the times for a while now. Narrative Play, through intricate and involved scenarios, has always been the bedrock of the game. When we write new rules, it is always with Narrative Play in mind first and foremost and we are proud to say this hasn’t changed. The Armies of The Lord of the Rings™ expansion has 11 Narrative Scenarios within it, and the Armies of The Hobbit™ has 11 too. In the future, we’ll be writing even more – returning to the adventures we all know and love, and hopefully creating more.

Matched: Of course, the second limb of the Strategy Battle Game is Matched Play. When it was first released back in 2001, there was no Matched Play version of the game, but over time it has evolved into a popular and enjoyable aspect of the hobby. Indeed, many consider the competitive aspect of the game to be its hidden strength. We have playtested the new rules, profiles and army lists extensively to ensure they all work within a Matched Play environment – and we’re excited to see what the wonderful established tournaments around the world do with the Matched Play rules. From the Grand Tournaments at Warhammer World and Warhammer Fest to Ardacon, Nova Open and beyond, thrilling contests of tactics and skill await.

Open: Open play is where your imagination can run wild in your games. Of course, with the Strategy Battle Game, these opportunities are perhaps more obvious than ever. What if Saruman had used his wisdom to defy Sauron? What if the Fellowship had included different members? All these questions and more are yours to answer.

With all this said, we are confident that The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game represents the best edition of our game yet, and we hope you enjoy playing with it as much as we did writing it.

Thanks, Adam! Well, if that somehow didn’t whet your appetite for what is to come, then fear not – second breakfast is on its way tomorrow in the form of Jay Clare’s overview on the changes to the Warrior and Hero profiles in the game. The mighty Battle of Pelennor Fields boxed set spearheads the new edition that is available to pre-order from this Saturday.

 GuardStrider wrote:


From what I've seen this game reminds me a lot in terms of scope with SAGA, except you put an hero in the unit instead of using battleboards.

Though the scope is similar, the scale is different as there are no units in SBG. There is also a great difference in the impact heroes have between the games. But kudos on identifying the similarities between the early medieval period and Tolkien’s LotR era. You were not alone. You can find my SAGA rules for LotR here:

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/745759.page

Here are older and also playtested rules for LotR armies in SAGA from Frank Becker (the site is German, but the battleboards are in English): https://www.tabletopwelt.de/index.php?/topic/138908-saga-herr-der-ringe-links/

New article up

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/08/22/21st-big-rules-changes-profiles-middle-earthgw-homepage-post-2fw-homepage-post-2/

I like what I'm reading. The Balrog especially seems terrifying now. And not before time.

The more I read about the game the more I want to play it!

I'm very happy with both AoS and Warhammer40k but reading about something as simple as having Elrond with or without armour... man. I have missed that depth in gameplay. I hope LOTR satifies that urge.

 Galas wrote:
The more I read about the game the more I want to play it!

I'm very happy with both AoS and Warhammer40k but reading about something as simple as having Elrond with or without armour... man. I have missed that depth in gameplay. I hope LOTR satifies that urge.

It absolutely will, when you are deciding on your warriors being equipped with shield, spear, two-handed weapon, bow, maybe a banner or warhorn...

Next article up:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/08/23/23rd-aug-middle-earth-strategy-battle-game-big-rules-changes-heroic-actionsfw-homepage-post-3gw-homepage-post-3/

This time about Heroic actions. The new ones are interesting, particularly challenge. If Might is still capped at 3 however, it's going to be a real challenge to decide what to use it on. Especially if it can still be used to modify dice rolls.

Next article up

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/08/24/aug23-middle-earth-building-your-force-middle-earthgw-homepage-post-3fw-homepage-post-3/

Allies matrix looks interesting, as does the different Hero tiers.

These changes are all fantastic. They're really putting the shine on the best ruleset GW has ever released!

Allies matrix looks pretty restrictive, but then they are trying to encourage historical alliances rather than WAAC-style wombo combos of models. Looks like actually taking Thorin's company pretty much penalizes you, unless they are really, really beefy on the tabletop. Having not seen how any of The Hobbit stuff is statwise, I don't know.