CommunityWD 386 · pp. 2–7
Andy Hall introduces the Strategy Battle Game through the stories and alternative outcomes it lets players explore, from saving Boromir to pitching unlikely opponents against each other. He explains how individual warriors, exceptional Heroes and their reserves of Might recreate Tolkien’s adventures, then describes routes into collecting through the Mines of Moria set, the Journey books and the new army sourcebooks. The emphasis is on choosing a story and growing models and terrain around it rather than beginning with a large army.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
CommunityWD 386 · p. 23
The news roundup highlights The Jericho Reach for the Deathwatch roleplaying game, including its three war zones and the opportunities for missions into Tyranid-infested territory. It also announces the high-definition release of the Ultramarines film and points readers towards work in Games Workshop retail, combining licensed 40K developments with hobby community notices.
Warhammer 40,000DeathwatchDeathwatch
Battle reportWD 386 · pp. 24–31
Andy Hall’s Fellowship races Andrew Kenrick’s Moria force towards a central ruin in Hold Ground, with random arrivals separating the opposing warbands. The Watcher in the Water appears behind the Hobbits and draws the Fellowship’s powerful fighters away from the objective: Aragorn and Legolas wound it badly, but it still kills Merry, Legolas and Sam. Gandalf, Boromir and Gimli bring down the Cave Troll, yet the Goblin Captain’s Heroic Move and Aragorn’s exhausted Might leave the Fellowship broken. Moria wins twelve victory points to three, illustrating how scenario positioning can outweigh a handful of heroic combat successes.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle GameThe Fellowship