Doubles Events

Doubles events have always been a popular way to play the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game; there is just something about teaming up with a friend to do battle against another team that most hobbyists get a real kick out of. Being able to team up and use your collective gaming experience and knowledge to play a game, and no doubt have a friendly rivalry along the way about whosepart of the army can kill the most, are just some of the reasons that Doubles games will often stick in the minds of those who play them for many years.

Over the next few pages, we are going to present some additional rules for playing Doubles events, as well as six brand new Scenarios specially written for Doubles games for Tournament Organisers to use at their events. Each Scenario is balanced in the same way as the standard Matched Play Scenarios so that they can be used in Doubles tournaments, and will provide a new fun twist on playing Doubles games.

When running a Doubles event, it will follow the same format as a standard tournament with the exception that the event will use the Doubles Scenarios presented over the next few pages rather than the Scenario Pool system.

THE ARMY

A Doubles army will always comprise two forces, each controlled by a different player. Each force must be built to the same points limit, so that each force has half of the overall points. The two forces may not share leftover points with their partner.

For example: Jay and Rob are playing as a team, each with a 400 point force. Although Jay only spends 395 of his points, he may not give his spare 5 points to Rob and so Rob can still only spend 400 points as well.

A force must be from a single Army List, and so may not contain any models from a different Army List. However, one force may be from a different Army List to the other.

Bow Limit is calculated for each force individually, not across the whole army.

The rules for Allies will still apply in Doubles events, so if the two forces are from the same Army List, or are Historical Allies, then they will keep their respective Army Bonuses.

At the beginning of each game, before rolling for deployment zones, both players in a team roll-off (re-rolling any ties) with the force belonging to the player that scored highest becoming the Primary Force, and the other becoming the Secondary Force.

LEGENDARY LEGIONS

If players wish then they may elect to play using a Legendary Legion. In this situation both players must bring a separate force from the same Legendary Legion, following all the usual restrictions. If, however, a Legendary Legion requires certain Hero models to be taken as part of the force, then only one player will be able to bring that Hero (there is only one of them after all!). Restrictions for a Legendary Legion are applied across the whole army; however, each force must contain its own separate warbands.

For example: Jay and Rob have decided to use the Return of the King Legendary Legion. Jay chooses to have Aragorn in his list, whilst Rob takes the King of the Dead. This way, as a team they have fulfilled the criteria for the Legendary Legion (having to take Aragorn and the King of the Dead) even though each individual force may not.

If a Legendary Legion states that a specific Hero is always the army leader, then whichever force the model is in will automatically be the Primary Force for each game — there is no need to roll.

THE LEADER

The leader of the Primary Force is considered to be the leader of the entire army for the duration of that game.

BREAKING

For Doubles games, the Break Point is worked out across the entire army rather than each individual force.