The latest Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game FAQ and Errata are here! We caught up with the Middle-earth team to get the inside scoop on the most recent clarifications and changes.
Danny: Now that the game has been with the community for a while, we’ve continued in a similar vein to the last FAQ by answering the most commonly asked questions and updating any rules that require further clarification. We’ve also taken a good look at the armies and profiles that are performing rather well in the competitive scene, checking to see what, if anything, needs to be done to rein them in. These changes have only been made after significant consideration, and we have deliberately taken a light-touch approach, rather than making widespread changes. We will be observing the impact of these changes closely to ensure that they have the desired effect and that you, the community, are enjoying the fresh challenge they bring.
Now, let’s have a look at what’s changed!
Rules Clarifications
We have answered a number of questions sent in by the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game community to put an end to some confusion regularly cropping up at events or gaming weekends.
There are answers for the most common questions in the FAQ inbox such as ‘Can a banner be passed to a model that was involved in the same Combat as the model equipped with the banner? (no), and ‘Can a Monster choose to make a Brutal Power Attack if there is no possibility of making Strikes?’ (also no).
We also answered some of the less common questions, including: ’How many Heavy Objects can a Monster model or a model with the Burly special rule carry at one time?’ (one), and ‘If a model charges a War Beast and is subsequently slain, or otherwise removed from Combat, before the War Beast Activates, do they count towards the total Strength needed to prevent the War Beast from Trampling?’ (no).
Errata
We have also taken the opportunity to correct some errors that crept into publications, and to add an additional line here and there to give greater context or clarity. This includes updating a number of special rules to take effect even when a model is not yet on the battlefield, such as Fly and Swift Movement.
Given they are far too busy following the directions of their masters or rampaging across the battlefield, we’ve confirmed that War Beasts cannot pick up Light or Heavy objects. With Monsters in mind, we’ve also made a minor change to the Hurl Brutal Power Attack, making it clear that Cavalry models whose rider and/or Mount have a Strength of 6 or higher will not be Knocked Flying when struck by a hurled model.
Prince Imrahil has received a points reduction, as he wasn’t quite measuring up to other Hero models with a similar points cost. The hope is that the reduced points cost will see the Prince of Dol Amroth riding into battle far more often. Conversely, Gwaihir has seen a points increase as when we compared him to other Monster models with a similar profile and special rules, he was by far the cheapest. Whilst this increase does have a minor impact on armies like Radagast’s Alliance and The Eagles, the hope is that this change will be felt most keenly by Men of the West – who will now need to decide which is more important to them between a larger model count or Gwaihir.
Whilst we all know that Legolas is amongst the deadliest archers in Middle-earth, he has proven to be a little too efficient at felling his enemies both from a distance and up close. For now, we’ve amended his Deadly Shot special rule to encourage him to tackle his enemies alone in order to make the most out of his special rule, but we’re going to be keeping a close eye on the son of Thranduil over the coming months to ensure this change has the desired impact.
Whilst reviewing the army lists within Armies of Middle-earth following a plethora of messages from the community, it seemed that building a satisfying Fords of Isen army was proving to be an unreasonable challenge, so we’ve updated the army special rules to allow up to 50% of the army to be armed with throwing spears, rather than the usual 33% in an effort to smooth out that process.
Crebain have proven to be a frustrating foe to deal with, especially when fielded in large numbers, so they have taken a hit to their survivability with a reduction to both their Defence and Wounds. This should give players an easier time when cutting through the great flocks of Crebain that have been mobbing the top tables at competitive events.
Mordor Orcs have been added to a host of Evil army lists, such as the Army of Gothmog and The Black Gate. As they were present in these forces in the films, we wanted to take the opportunity to allow players to include them alongside their existing armies.
Fans have been crying out for the inclusion of a War Mûmak of Harad within the Usurpers of Edoras army list, and I am happy to report that the will of the people has been heard! However, the inclusion of the mighty Southron War Beast comes at the expense of being able to include Freca in the army, as the lord of the West March had been slain by Helm long before the Mûmakil’s thundering footfalls were felt by the people of Edoras.
Lastly, with the new Hill Tribes Command set arriving imminently, we have updated the profiles for both the Hill Tribesmen and Wild Men of Dunland to include the options for a banner and a war horn, both of which are included in the new box.
To see what else has changed, check out the new FAQ below!
We hope these clarifications and updates will make your Middle-earth gaming experience even more enjoyable. Remember, if you have any questions, then feel free to send them to middle-earthfaq@gwplc.com where our rules team will be able to see them and potentially include them in future updates. We’ll catch you for the next designer’s commentary, early next year.
Thanks, Danny! With the latest rules changes in place, we’re ready for Burning of the Westfold to go on pre-order this weekend.
