Hey guys, new to the boards, but I am an active member on countless other forums, and I was looking to get into LOTR.

So I was wondering, what is the best way to start? I want to be an evil player, and I like the idea of a shield and spear kind of list.

Can anyone help me with an army choice? I would like not only to be able to take damage, but also dish it back, while being able to handle myself in the magic phase.

Any suggestions?

Hey Sam'

There's no better way to start than by picking up a box of troops and getting stuck in , much like other game systems. You've come into it with a firm idea of your playing styles which is good. There are very experienced players here (I'm more of a collector/painter) but it sounds to me like you might get on fairly well with Isengard. They have more or less the hardest basic troop type in the game and can really give and take a beating. Magic is not their strong point I don't think, Saruman is an OK Wizard and the Shaman is also servicable. Grima Wormtongue can really aggrivate your opponent by sapping might points so he is very handy.

I haven't got any gaming experience at all with Harad, Easterling or Khandish army so I don't know how they perform. But i don't think you'll get on with orcs or goblins unless you create take very heavy units like trolls etc in your army. Again I haven't played either of those things.

There are some good tacticas in the Tomes of Wisdom section and I'm sure a gamer here will be able to help you more . I got into SBG for the models but the rules have grown on me, they feel more dynamic and elegant than the other GW systems (apart from BFG which is my all time fave.)

Whatever you choose, have fun and welcome to the forum !

Eorling.

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"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - Thorin Oakenshield.

Saruman is probably one of the best magic users in the game. He would be in the top 5 I'd say. Isengards basic troop Uruk-hai would probably beat most of mankinds elite troops.Uruk hai also have great wargear like pikes and crossbows. A good army to start off with and I hope you enjoy the game

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Compulsorily acquired? You know what this means don't you, they're acquiring it compulsorily. - Darryl Kerrigan

Isengard all the way I'd say(Strong,fast,heavy) but I got a question for you,I know that your topic title says SBG but I'm wondering if your thinking about WotR as well?I prefer SBG over WotR but then again i'm broke and don't like painting dozens of models to play(I try to NEVER play with unpainted,it drives me nuts)

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Newbs of the world,unite!!


Click my link,you know you wanna: http://blackreaper93.blogspot.com/

I would agree if you're new to the game, Isengard is one of the more forgiving Evil forces to play. Uruk hai are above average in everything (though they cost more). Warg riders get a good hero to lead them with Sharku. There is a good selection of mid-level heroes to pick from. If you want magic (in addition to or instead of a Shaman or Saruman) you can always ally in a Ringwraith, either a generic one (which are almost ridiculously cheap) or one of the named.

That said, I do enjoy playing other forces more just for the flavour. Some favourites (on the Evil side):
- goblins + spiders + wargs + bats + Druhzag and/or Spider Queen
- Mahud (foot and mounted) with Corsairs or Mordor or Khand allies.
- goblins + bats + troll + Durburz
- Angmar with Burdurz + Shade + a pile of orcs

I just play with friends, not tournaments, so I'm usually going for story/aesthetic rather than trying to be ultra-competitive.

Hmmm I think I'll go with isengard. would it be a good idea to also ally in some mordor orcs? Just to add some support in combats?

Yes I take Orc spearman for supporting Uruks. Cheap way for an extra attack. You don't even need to ally them as Isengard already has access to orcs so they dont require their own captain. Uruk-hai can be picked up quite cheaply on ebay too which is a bonus. Mounted Saruman is one of the deadliest minis I play with. Nip out 5 inches, do a spell then back 5 inches to cover.

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You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great.

Well I wrote a list with Uruk-hai and orcs. Thinking I should probably add in some wargs though...

Saruman [170]

Lurtz, Uruk-hai Captain [60]

Grima Wormtongue [25]

Uruk-hai Warriors (15) w/ Shields [150]

Uruk-hai Warriors (10) w/ Pikes [100]

Orc Warriors (30) w/ Bows [180]

Orc Warriuors (10) w/ Spears [60]

745

Ok,well your waaaaaay past your bow limit but why not trade em for some uruk X-Bows? But other than that it seems pretty good,the best armies are the ones with an actual army,lol

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Newbs of the world,unite!!


Click my link,you know you wanna: http://blackreaper93.blogspot.com/

What do you mean bow limit?

I believe that only a third of your troops can be armed with bows. Though it may be more specific, I can't remember the exact rule. It does make sense or otherwise SBG would turn into an arrow fest.

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"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - Thorin Oakenshield.

Lurtz, Uruk-hai captain [60]

Sharku w/ Shield [60]

Uruk-hai Scouts (8) w/ Shields, bows [80]

Uruk-hai Warriors (10) w/ Shields [100]

Uruk-hai Warriors (20) w/ Pikes [200]

Uruk-hai Warriors (10) w/ Crossbows [110]

Warg Rider (10) w/ Shields, orc bows [140]

750

Better?

it's looks pretty solid but I dont play with Urukai.
If it wee me though Id swap out some of the pikes for either orc spearman or a few more Urukai with shields.

IMO there are to many crossbows. Models with bows do one of 3 things.
.Move their full movement.
.Dont move at all they shoot
.Move half their maximum movement and shoot

Urukai crossbows cant move half their movement and shoot, meaning if you want to fire you have to stay put or just move up with the army and not shoot at all. So it depends on what kind of tactics you want to use. Are you going to be a defensive player with the oppenent crashing into your wall of pikes (doesn't always work) or are you going to be more mobile, using your urukai's toughness to take the fight to your oponent. You can even do a bit of both, like I said it it depends on what you want to do.

Legions of middle earth book is a good edition if you want to figure out point values and build up your army although it's not needed.

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You shall not pass!

Crossbows still count as bows in terms of model count/bow limit, so the force would still not be considered tournament legal. Basically, for every warrior in your force that has a bow/crossbow, then you must include two warriors who do not have a bow/crossbow.

The One Rulebook was not very clear on this and brushes over it on page 74/75. The matter was cleared up though in FAQ and was printed on page six of Legions of Middle Earth.

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You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great.

Maybe you should include a banner? It would be handy in fights. Looks like a good list otherwise .

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"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - Thorin Oakenshield.

Built this list again, bow ratio is right I think, and I included Grima worntongue on horse to ride up with my wargs, preventing any possible heroic moves or charges etc.

EDIT: Thought I should actually post the list

Saruman [170]

Lurtz, Uruk-hai Captain [60]

Grima Wormtongue w/ Horse [35]

Uruk-hai Scouts (10) w/ Bows [90]

Uruk-hai Warriors (14) w/ Shields [140]

Uruk-hai Warriors (10) w/ Pikes [100]

Warg Riders (10) w./ Shields, 1x Banner [155]

750

I think that looks pretty solid for a friendly 750 point match.Like some of the guys said earlier though,it all depends on your playing style and tactics

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Newbs of the world,unite!!


Click my link,you know you wanna: http://blackreaper93.blogspot.com/

okay, so here's a Q for you guys, how is it that you penetrate a dwarven Shield Wall?

A cavalry charge perhaps? You'd need the extra attacks to get over the high defence. Either that or Beserkers, lots of Beserkers.

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"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - Thorin Oakenshield.

I'd either flank it, or punch through it with some elites.

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"There are few left in Middle Earth like Aragorn, son of Arathorn." - Gandalf, Many Meetings