We recently announced The Treachery of Gollum – the next journal for this edition of the Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game. With its release right around the corner, we caught up with Jay, one of the writers behind this journal, to discover what Middle-earth™ fans can expect to find within its pages.
Jay: The tale of Sméagol is a tragic one. A being not unlike a Hobbit, Sméagol stumbled across the One Ring by accident, only for it to ensnare his mind and consume him. Though it granted Sméagol an unnatural long life, it also twisted him beyond recognition to the point he forgot his own name, driving him to dwell beneath the Misty Mountains. And it was there he resided, now known as Gollum, until a chance encounter with Bilbo Baggins saw the Ring abandon him.
With his Precious lost, Gollum set out to find ‘Baggins’; a journey which took many years and saw him come to meet Frodo Baggins, now bearing the Ring himself. It was through the kindness of Frodo that Gollum was spared from Sting, and glimpses of Sméagol came though for the first time in 500 years. Yet even in the back of Sméagol’s mind, Gollum dwelt, waiting for the right opportunity to strike and regain his Precious – an opportunity that would present itself when Gollum led Frodo into the tunnels above Cirith Ungol…
This Middle-earth journal follows Gollum’s story through The Lord of the Rings™: Motion Picture Trilogy, allowing you to play through a number of iconic scenes from the movies with your collection of Citadel miniatures. There are nine Narrative Scenarios, featuring either Gollum or Shelob, or even both!
The Taming of Sméagol pits Gollum against Frodo and Sam in a quick-fire Scenario where Gollum must try and wrest the Ring from the two sleeping Hobbits. The Dead Marshes sees Sméagol attempting to lead Frodo and Sam safely across the stinking bog, and away from the Spectres that dwell within the marsh – all whilst a Nazgûl circles above. Escape Through the Sewers sees Frodo, Sam, and Sméagol attempting to sneak out of Osgiliath through the sewers beneath the city as the battle rages above.
My personal favourite Scenarios are The Paths of Cirith Ungol and Shelob’s Lair. Both of these use a fully custom Shelob’s Lair made up of tessellating 1'x1' tiles, which one player must try and traverse to get through unscathed – either as a band of Orcs or as Frodo Baggins. However, the player controlling Shelob has complete control of the game! At the start, only one tile is revealed, with Shelob hidden within her lair and moving secretly throughout the game. As the opposing player moves through the tunnels, more of them become revealed, twisting and winding their way towards the exit – though if you’re unlucky you may also unveil a number of Web Markers, or worse, Shelob herself!
It’s a fantastic Scenario filled with dread for one player, as they never quite know when Shelob is going to appear from the darkness, and it’s perhaps one of my favourite I’ve ever written!
There is also a linked campaign system allowing players to play through each of the Scenarios in turn, where the result of one Scenario will impact another one. This really adds to the fun, as it’s not just about winning the current Scenario, but also about how you are going to be affected in the future should you win or lose.
Alongside the Narrative Scenarios, there are a number of ’Eavy Metal painting guides to show you how to paint your own Gollum and Shelob, with easy to follow steps.
There are also a wealth of hobby guides showing you how to create the terrain featured within this journal, with step-by-step tutorials for the Dead Marshes, the sewers of Osgiliath, and even the aforementioned tessellating Shelob’s Lair!
Cheers, Jay! The new journal for the Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game, The Treachery of Gollum™, will be available to pre-order on Saturday, alongside the monstrous Shelob and the ever-covetous Smeagol.
