LOTR SBG Source books.

IM A ENT!!! · **Posted:** Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:28 am

Gday all,

ive just gone to my local GW about 2 hours ago and wanted to get a Fallen realms source book, as i couldn't find them on the website, which concerned me, then my fears become real as the manager told me they are out of production....

The bad news is ive just started a new uruk hai investment, spending a bit on ebay, maybe i should have waited to by the minis after i got my hands on their rules?

The good news is, the manager "reckons"/"speculates" that they are updating and a re releasing the books... We will see. Im kind of hoping for either that or a new release of wotr with a hobbit theme, because i don't want to feel like ive wasted my time and money with buying orcs bearing the white hand.

if you know anything, please make a comment.

cheers lads n ladies.

Draugluin · **Posted:** Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:29 am

Rumormills have been saying that they're going back into production for another run.

Lord of Winterfell · **Posted:** Wed Feb 25, 2015 8:32 am

Hopefully they'll release a 'one ring to rule them all' type of rulebook.

:boromir

legion · **Joined:** Fri Dec 27, 2013 6:58 pm **Posts:** 205

It is most likely that they will re-release the books since the current confirmed license ends in 2017. Makes no sense to stop selling them now.

For now, if you just need the stats, they are free to download on http://www.dchobbitleague.com/sbg-tools.html
It is on the Fallen Realms reference sheets

They just have no points costs but it does leave a blank space where you can write them in as you find them out.

IM A ENT!!! · **Posted:** Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:44 am

Ok thanks guys, this is all new news to me but one of my lotr gaming mates informed me today that its actually old news and they have been OOP in aus for at least 12 months.

cheers again.

Jobu · **Posted:** Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:50 am

You can also use lonelyknight's excel based army construction tool. I have all the sourcebooks but use the excel sheet because it is so easy to use and is kept up to date. Unlike some others that one would pay for.

RotnyVana · **Joined:** Thu Jul 11, 2013 12:46 pm **Posts:** 20

The sourcebooks are going to be reprinted, at least in the United States. I would not be shocked by a new 'One Rulebook' however.

Harfoot · **Posted:** Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:40 pm

i can't see how they can release the source books when most of the models are no longer availble to buy?

streetline · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:29 am

I can't see how they can sell the models when you can't get the rules for them...!

Doesn't bode well.

Harfoot · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2015 8:24 pm

Chicken and Egg i guess

Sithious · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2015 10:52 pm

There are sites to get the book downloaded to pdf... do a search for it.
I think they will make the books digital download, perhaps a short production run maybe.
They will not put all the stats in one book ever, as I have mentioned in another thread, I have all the stats in one binder (photocopied from a friend, the cheapest way) and it is monstrous and heavy... they would have to micro print the stats and still charge more than they do for the rule book (and the rules would still have to be separate).
It is more cost effective and gamer friendly to have the source books as it is affordable, don't have to buy stats you don't need, and is light tomes.

Michaelc · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2014 4:59 pm **Posts:** 58

Sithious wrote:

There are sites to get the book downloaded to pdf... do a search for it.
I think they will make the books digital download, perhaps a short production run maybe.
They will not put all the stats in one book ever, as I have mentioned in another thread, I have all the stats in one binder (photocopied from a friend, the cheapest way) and it is monstrous and heavy... they would have to micro print the stats and still charge more than they do for the rule book (and the rules would still have to be separate).
It is more cost effective and gamer friendly to have the source books as it is affordable, don't have to buy stats you don't need, and is light tomes.

While I think Digital download is the route they *should* go, and agree that short production runs of the existing books are likely, I disagree completely with your assessment that a functional replacement for the "One Book" is impractical.

Photocopying GW publications as is and encasing the results in plastic (IIR your other post correctly) is in no way representative of the size, weight, and cost of properly collecting and reformatting the profiles and rules into a single publication.

In particular, having spent a decade in the publishing industry, I find it sad that GW has brainwashed you into believing the words "cost effective" and "affordable" belong anywhere near the 5 sourcebooks.

GW just released a "FREE" 32 page supplement of NEW content. That should tell you something about the ACTUAL production costs of the 48 page supplements that involved little more than 95% copy/paste content that they're charging $33 CDN for.

Give me the original InDesign files for the rulebook and sourcebooks and within a week I'll have a 300 page print ready file of just the rules and profiles by a) cutting out the filler (Kingdoms of Men for example being 48 pages, the profiles themselves only taking up approximately 24 pages) b) eliminate duplication c) reformat the profiles to eliminate the space wasted in the current layout for models like Damrod who have no options or special rules yet still take up the same space on the page.

Better yet for terms of cost and portability let me scale the font to 75% (ie the same size as MoM or EFGT) and go perfect bound on a lighter weight paper and I'll give it to you either a 150 page A5 book, or a more heavily illustrated 240 page A4 book (about the size and weight of WD300(how much did THAT cost [rolleyes])) PLUS an 8 page A4 handy reference card with all the statlines for every model in the game all for the price of ONE of the LotRs supplements and still make a PROFIT.

Of course GW won't do that because they don't want the WHFB and 40k players to know how much they're overpaying for their books either.

Sithious · **Posted:** Fri Feb 27, 2015 6:18 pm

I would be all for a book that cropped the space. I could even do without the pictures of each character, they can just do an army splash page as the intro to each faction and show everyone. Gamers only need the stats and special rules.
As for impractical, I am talking GW's version of reality, not actual reality. I understand it could be a lighter tome, but based on past tomes it is hard to predict that GW would go smaller and more efficient when they have set a trend going the opposite of that. The one Rule book was 240 pages and only 41 pages are stats. Currently there are way more stats then at that time. To be a true one rule book it would need all the rules, all the stats, all the scenario's, and it would not hurt to have some story scenario's as well and not just the points match tournament ones. the other consideration is what you eluded to, the price they charge (not the cost). Many of us would consider a new One rule book as 90% repeat content (hopefully all the FAQ info is put into active place) but as an all in one it would most likely be in the $100 range for GW. This is why I said it is better to have 5 separate books still available, because someone only needing free peoples stats isn't out of pocket a ton of money to buy what they don't need (plus cheap hobbit rulebooks are easy to get and most hobbit profiles are free).

At least my version is easy to pull all profiles I need to put in a travel book and is water proof, never need to carry more than I actually need for a game.

LOTR SBG Source books.

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