The Battle of Five Armies

THE SHORT VERSION

Rick Priestley introduces a self-contained ten-millimetre game built around the final battle in The Hobbit. Coloured, clip-together regiments and supplied terrain make the box playable before painting, while a ninety-six-page manual and optional metal figures allow the system to represent other conflicts from the book.

Ordered movement lets heroes attempt repeated manoeuvres at increasing risk, and combat can produce breakthroughs within a single turn. The historical battle’s ford, mountain spurs, Goblin arrivals and later interventions by Thorin, Eagles and Beorn turn command decisions and reinforcement timing into the central drama, distinct from the larger-model skirmish game.

Back to the original

Find this article in White Dwarf 303, pp. 112–116.

This substantive Specialist Games introduction is omitted from the main contents listing but occupies printed pages 112–116.

This is an original summary. Refer to your magazine for the complete article, rules, images and painting steps.