I'm relatively new to the game and have picked up a couple of small starter forces.

What interests me however, is why people find the forces they picked fun to play. No doubt different armies offer different options and experiences.

So which army do you gravitate to and why?

Hi, I am new to the game as well. For me, not knowing anything about LOTR, I went only based on model design. In particular I wanted any army that would stand out and that I would enjoy to build and to paint. Something out of the ordinary in ascetic design. Something that could be painted in many colors and you knew instantly, this was something you haven't seen before. That happened in the form of Easternlings/Harad. Though I am also working on a dwarf army, I really far better enjoy every aspect of the Easterlings/Harad. There is a wide versitlity on how to play/paint these forces and the units are completely different then the typical plate/chainmail armour. Though I am finding out why Easternlings are particually difficult to master, I still find it very enjoyable.

Hi @Staks - your question in an interesting one, and one that I'm sure many, many other people here could expound on various reasons. Here's a few of my thoughts...

Elves - Rivendell, Lothlorien, Thranduil's Halls - they all appeal to me and to many others. The iconic heroes in these lists drew me to the Elves initially, as you are talking about characters from the books and movies such as Glorfindel, Elrond, Galadriel, Haldir, Legolas, Thrnaduil, Tauriel, and it goes on and on. Then after diving into the Elven factions, you will find other interesting and appealing models that are also quite effective in the game - Wood Elf Sentinels, Guards of the Galadhrim Court, Rivendell Knights, Mirkwood Rangers, and there are many more.

Isengard - Collecting the models of Isengard are fitting if you like to hit things with a blunt object. Bezerkers, Ferals, Uruk Warrriors, Crossbows, etc., they're all great - just point them in the right direction and let them do what they do best. Plus, many of the heroes and warriors from this list harken right back to some of the most memorable scenes from the movies including the Ambush at Amon Hen and the Battle of Helms Deep. And don't forget Saruman and Grima !

Rohan - If you have interest in a wide array of mounted heroes and warriors, then Rohan is for you. Yes, you'll have to paint a lot of horses in addition to the models themselves, but your reward can be well worth it. As for your heroes, you can choose from Eomer, Erkenbrand, Theoden, Eowyn, Theodred, Gamling and many more, and in addition to the famous Riders of Rohan, you can also collect and paint the powerful Sons of Eorl, the loyal Rohan Royal Guard, and the aesthically impressive Rohan Outriders.

Mordor - There are orcs, and more orcs, and even more orcs. But there is also an almost unlimited array of additional choices in this list. Powerful Mordor Trolls and Troll Chieftains, infamous characters such as Shagrat, Gorbag, Grisnak, and the Mouth of Sauron, monstrous creatures like Shelob and the Great Beast of Gorgoroth, and don't forget about the Nazrul, whether named or unnamed, on foot, or mounted on horses, or perhaps at their mostly deadly when they are mounted on monstrous Fell Beasts.

I go could on and on and talk about the plucky Hobbits from the Shire, or the powerful and sturdy Dwarves from the Durin's Folk list or the newer Dwarves from Erebor and Thorin's Complany, and again it goes on and on...

My advice, browse Games Workshop LOTR and Hobbit pages and see what models jump out at you. And as I tell everyone starting off, start small and build slowly. There are dozens of us - or more - that will tell you we got too excited starting off and bought WAY too much, and we still have backlogs of hundreds of models sitting in our closets or in cabinets waiting for their turn on the painting table.

Buy a war band or two, assemble them up neatly, prime them up nice, and then take your time and paint them and enjoy the process. Then once they're completed, look over the catalog of models again, and choose another 10-12 to start working on...

Good luck !

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T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor, I met a girl so fair..
But Gollum, and the evil one crept up and slipped away with her..

I find loyalty to a force important, both from a thematic and aesthetic perspective. An army that 'feels right' is really critical to me. Watchers of Karna with a shade thrown in and other power units cobbled together is not my cup of tea, it doesn't make sense if it's just thrown in. A converted shade that has been made to look like evil ancient numenorean spirits as part of a Minas Morgul army, with spectres, Morgul knights, barrow wights and morannons however would make sense to me. Although these are power units, their presence in the city of sorcery would make snse to me and therefore I would not look at that as unthematic despite having cherry picked elites.

Neither would I look down on a force of Numenorean models proxied for Arnorians or even citadel guard profiles. I don't believe the current rules for numenor units reflect their description in the books and therefore am happy at them being represented this way. Given that, I would therefore not be unhappy with seeing an Eregion - Gondor alliance, while I would be unhappy seeing a shore and Gondor alliance (unless you converted up the gondorians to count as Bree militia but perhaps Laketown/Dale would be better for that).

It's the spirit of the game, the look of the force and the fun of the battles. A tournament wood elf list running and shooting might be effective but less fun for your opponent than a force that will eventually meet them in combat. I enjoy customising a force and making it mine, my take on the world of middle earth and my snapshot of the forces. I also like seeing less common things, like I'd feel wrong having a Gondorian force without rangers or warriors of Minas Tirith despite their being potentially better options as these guys make up the bulk of their armies. It's having a good battle against your mates, if that means the odd blue on blue so be it but I absolutely love fighting traditional foes against one another. Easterlings invading the north, Mirkwood against Gundabad and Dol Guldur, Arnor against Angmar.

The force that you catch yourself staring at the minis for is the right one, it's the one you keep coming back to and secretly hope there is a new release for them hidden around the corner. A well led and well loved army will beat a passionless power army 8/10 times in my experience (though this is anecdotal evidence so take it with a grain of salt).

Thanks for the replies. I was most interested in hearing about which style of gameplay you enjoy the most and why.

Ie, is a pure combat horde your cup of tea, as you enjoy throwing waves of cheap sacrificial troops at your enemy to wear them down with a sandpaper approach.

Or perhaps you like avoidance/ shoots lists where target prioritisation may be key on their fast units.

Or is access to movement based magic shenanigans your favourite style of play? What does this offer that you like which a full melee army doesn't offer?

From a game-play perspective I like playing small elite armies with high caliber heroes at their head. Stuff like the Noldor, Dunharrow, and Khazad-Dum fit into that pretty well. I like seeing a smaller force take on a larger wave of inferior troops. It reminds me of seeing the tide breaking against a rock. I don't like watching my men die either so it helps not to have a large number of them to start with plus it makes for very cinematic tables during a game. That is what keeps me playing the same couple of armies anyway.

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"Draw your sword with a heavy heart, but swing it with a heavy hand"