The latest designer’s commentary is here! We caught up with the Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game team to find out more about the latest round of clarifications and errata being introduced this month.
Rules Clarifications
We’ve answered a number of questions sent in by you, the Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game community, hoping to resolve some queries that have cropped up at events, gaming weekends, and club nights.
There are answers for the more common questions, such as ‘Can a model Make Way into a Control Zone?’ (yes) and ‘If a Monster wins a Duel Roll whilst Prone, can they still use Brutal Power Attacks?’ (no).
We’ve also taken a look at some of the more niche situations that have thrown up important questions, such as ‘If a model that is benefitting from the Shieldwall special rule is knocked Prone due to a Cavalry Charge, will they still benefit from the Shieldwall special rule for the duration of that Combat?’ and ‘When Gwaihir uses the Piercing Cry special rule, does it affect the models that are within 6" of him when he declares the use of this rule, or the models within 6" of him when they activate?’.
The Matched Play Guide
As the Matched Play Guide has now been in the hands of the community for a little while, a few questions have arisen from those of you who have been attending Matched Play events, gaming weekends, and club nights – so we’ve addressed the most common of them, and are keeping a vigilant watch on the FAQ inbox for any others that might crop up.
In this FAQ, we’ve covered questions such as ‘In scenarios that award Victory Points for killing the most expensive model, what happens if the most expensive model was part of a pair or a group, such as Shank & Wrot, Orc Scavengers?’ and ‘In the Reconnoitre scenario, if a Hero with the Dominant (X) special rule escapes the board, we know it counts as X number of models for the purpose of working out how many individual models have escaped the board, but does it also count as X Hero models for the purpose of Victory Points?’.
Errata
We’ve also taken the opportunity to correct some errors, and to add an additional line here and there to give greater context or clarity.
Speaking of Matched Play, we've made some amendments to the ‘Escort the Wounded’ scenario to ensure it can be played in the way it was always intended to be.
Both the Army of the White Hand and the Depths of Moria have thrown up some issues in Matched Play games, so we have seized the opportunity to make some small adjustments to make their presence on the table more enjoyable for all players and bring them more in line with other top lists.
For the Army of the White Hand, Saruman can no longer Conjure Lightning upon his enemies if Gríma is lurking near the target, forcing you to choose between deploying Gríma in the most advantageous position and Saruman’s ability to call down bolts of lightning.
Meanwhile, the Drums in the Deep special rule for the Depths of Moria has been adjusted to a once per game effect, turning it from an oppressive, game-long dirge into a decisive tool that must be timed just right in order to get the most out of it.
There has been a notable change to the Army of Thrór, as the forces loyal to the King Under the Mountain may now arm up to 50% of their Warrior models with throwing weapons, rather than the usual 33%, meaning their ranks can now be more densely populated with Grim Hammers.
Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game FAQ
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We hope these clarifications will make your Middle-earth gaming experiences even smoother. 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. We’ll catch you for the next designer’s commentary in August.
