Matched Play

to an equal points limit, before unleashing them upon each other in an epic clash to influence the very fate of Middle- earth. Matched Play games are another fun way of playing the Strategy Battle Game, and allow you to use the armies andmodels you like the most to create a balanced army and test your skill, generalship and tactical ability upon the tabletop.In Matched Play games, you and your opponent gather your forces together to create an army from your collection, up Perhaps the greatest strength of Matched Play games is that they are ideally suited for pick-up-and-play games at home, your local gaming club or even on your lunch break at school (or work if you are really lucky!). They are also perfect for running tournaments and gaming weekends, as everyone will have created an Army to the same points limit allowing for a series of balanced and engaging games with everyone on a level playing field. All you need for a Matched Play Game is an agreed points limit, some terrain and, of course, an opponent. In this section, we present all of the rules for creating your Army for a Matched Play game.

POINTS VALUES

Every model is given a points value as part of its profile. A model's points value is how we measure its effectiveness on the battlefield and how formidable it is in a fight. A lowly Moria Goblin costs a mere 4 points, whilst the mighty Dragon Smaug costs a whopping 700! All of these values reflect the overall power and usefulness of the model in a game; some characters may be expensive because of the amount of enemies they can cut down, whilst others may cost more because of how they impact and aid their allies during the course of the game. By adding together the points values of all the models in your Army, you will be able to work out the total points value of your Army. Knowing the points value of your Army is a handy way of determining its effectiveness and makes sure you have an even contest. If you have enough Hobbits, it is possible to overwhelm even the mightiest of foes!

SIZE OF GAME

When playing a Matched Play game, you and your opponent will first need to agree upon a points limit - this is the maximum number of points you can spend on your Army. So, if you were to decide on a points limit of 700, then each player would be able to spend up to 700 points on models for their Army. In reality, most Armies will be just shy of the points limit; many 700 point Armies may actually be the likes of 698 or 699 points instead. This is perfectly fine as the points limit hasn't been exceeded, and in a friendly game you may be willing to let an opponent be a couple of points over to ease things along. However, in the likes of a tournament or gaming weekend, you must make sure that you do not exceed the limit at all - so at a 700 point event, a 701 point Army would need to be tweaked to be below the limit. Points Values

WHAT POINTS LIMIT?

The size of game you wish to play will probably come down to how much time you and your opponent have to play your game in - nothing is more irritating than having to abandon an exciting game before reaching a satisfying conclusion because you have run out of time. If you are looking for a small-scale, quick game that can be played over the likes of a lunchtime or when you are tight on time, then a game of no more than 400 points per side is ideal. This will give both sides a couple of lower ranked Hero models, and a few Warrior models to use for their Army, or a single major Hero leading a Warband. These games will usually take no longer than an hour. Most games will typically be around the 600-1,000 point mark, as this gives both sides plenty of points to play with and create an interesting Army. Often at these points levels you will be able to field more interesting Hero models, and some of the larger models in your collection that you may not have been able to do otherwise. Such games usually take between one and a half and two and a half hours, which makes them ideal for the likes of tournaments and gaming weekends. If you are looking for a truly epic clash, you can play games at significantly larger points levels - usually starting at around the 1,250 point mark. Such large games allow for players to field huge and impressive armies using their entire collection. These kinds of games will often take multiple hours or even a whole day or weekend, and are perfect for getting your whole gaming club or group of friends together and play games with multiple players, or even armies, on each side.

BUILDING A MATCHED PLAY ARMY

Now that you have decided your points limit, you will need to build your Army. The rules for building an Army are simple, and we will cover them all here.

SELECTING AN ARMY LIST

Every model in the Strategy Battle Game can be placed into one (or more) Army Lists. An Army List is designed to represent a specific faction in Middle-earth, or an alliance of different characters and races. There are many Army Lists available, allowing you to recreate almost every fighting force seen within the films on the tabletop. Each Army List will present you with a list of the various Hero and Warrior models that you can take within that Army List, as well as specific rules you need to be aware of when putting together that Army - some may have to include certain Hero models, for example. There will also be a section of special rules for that Army List, which they will benefit from when you play a game with them. The Army Lists are designed to be played as single lists, and there should be an Army List to represent almost any force presented within the films - though more may be presented in the future. You cannot take Warbands from different Army Lists in the same Army in a Matched Play game. Building a Matched Play Army

WARBANDS

Once you have selected your Army List, you can now start building an Army. An Army is comprised of a series of Warbands. Each Warband is led by a Hero, and then can include a number of Warrior models to follow them. Some Hero models can lead more Warrior models than others, depending on their Heroic Tier, which is explained shortly. All models in your Army must be included in a Warband, though there is no limit to the number of Warbands your Army can include.

THE CAPTAIN

When making a Warband, the first thing you must select is a Hero to lead the Warband, known as the Warband's Captain. This Hero can be given any of the wargear options from their profile, for the listed points cost. This may include anything from relatively standard equipment such as a shield, to the likes of a Mount, or even more specialised and unique wargear. If the Hero doesn't have something as an option in its profile, then it cannot take it. Sometimes Hero models may be bought as a pair, or more (such as Sigrid & Tilda). Where this is the case, it will tell you in their profile whether they must be included in the same Warband, whether they can each have their own Warband, or even if they must be included in another Hero model's Warband.

FOLLOWERS

Once you have chosen your Warband's Captain, you can then add a number of Warrior models from the same Army List to their Warband - these are called Followers. Some Army Lists may have rules that limit which Warrior models can be part of certain Hero model's Warbands; where this is the case, it will be clearly stated in the rules for that Army List. Otherwise, any Warrior from the Army List can be included in the Warband of any Hero from the same Army List. A Captain does not have to include the maximum number of Followers in their Warband, and can include none if they wish. Only Warrior models can be Followers; Hero models must form their own Warbands and cannot be included in the Warbands of other Hero models unless explicitly stated otherwise. Followers can select wargear as options from their profile in the same manner as Hero models. The points cost for these options is presented in the profile for the Warrior models.

BOW LIMIT AND THROWING WEAPON LIMIT

Some types of Missile Weapon are restricted as keeping an army supplied with an abundance of arrows, throwing daggers and other such items is a hard task at best. Because of this, there is a limit on the number of bows and throwing weapons you can include in your Army. An Army can only have one third of its Warrior models equipped with any type of bow or crossbow - simply put, one in three Warrior models can carry a bow. This only applies to Warrior models, and so Hero models are ignored entirely when working out how many models in your Army can have a bow - a third of your remaining models can have a bow. This is also true for throwing weapons, and so an Army can only have one third of its Warrior models equipped with any type of throwing weapon or throwing spear - simply put, one in three Warrior models can carry a throwing weapon. This only applies to Warrior models, and so Hero models are ignored entirely when working out how many models in your Army can have a throwing weapon - a third of your remaining models can have a throwing weapon. These two limits are independent of each other, and so an Army could have one third of its Warrior models armed with a bow, and a different third of the Army armed with throwing weapons - so long as there is never more than a third of either. For example: The bow limit of an Army with 34 Warrior models is 12 (34 divided by 3, rounded up). So an Army with 34 Warrior models could have 12 models with bows, and 12 different models with throwing weapons.

SIEGE ENGINES

Some Army Lists contain Siege Engine models in them. A Siege Engine forms its own Warband with the Siege Veteran as the Warband's Captain. A Siege Veteran is classed as a Minor Hero, however, their Warband will only ever include the Siege Engine and the crew, and may not have other Followers. An Army may only include one Siege Engine for each Hero with a Heroic Tier of Hero of Fortitude or higher.

THE GENERAL

Once you have selected all of the Warbands for your Army, you will need to choose which of your Hero models will lead your Army - this is your General, and they will gain the General keyword. Your General will automatically be the Hero in your Army with the highest Heroic Tier. If multiple Hero models in your Army are tied for the highest Heroic Tier, then you may choose which of them will be your General. You must always have a General - you cannot choose not to. Some Army Lists may state that a specific Hero must be your General. Where this is the case, that Hero must be your General, even if they don't have the highest Heroic Tier in your Army. There may be some rare situations where a Hero with the highest Heroic Tier cannot be your General. Where this is the case, it will be stated either in the special rules for that model or Army List. Additionally, your General gains the Dominant (3) special rule (unless they already have a better Dominant value). What about Allies? In previous versions of the Strategy Battle Game, players were able to ally factions together to form the alliances we see in the films. However, in this edition this is no longer the case and Army Lists cannot ally with each other. This is because the Army Lists presented should cover all of the factions and alliances we see in the films, allowing players to simply pick the Army List for the scenes they wish to represent. It also stops factions allying together and then using characters together that never fought alongside one another due to timelines or specific events, even though their factions did. In your own games at home, players are more than welcome to create alliances of their own if they wish, though not for organised play events such as tournaments.

HEROIC TIERS

Simply put, some heroes in Middle-earth are greater than others, and as such command much greater respect and loyalty from those around them. Aragron, for example, would inspire many more warriors to follow him than Damrod would. This is represented in the Strategy Battle Game by Heroic Tiers. In each Army List, Hero models will be broken down into one of five Heroic Tiers, depending on their rank and prowess on the battlefield. It's worth noting that if a Hero is a certain Heroic Tier in one Army List, this doesn't mean they will automatically be the same Heroic Tier in other Army Lists they can be part of. A Hero model's Heroic Tier represents their importance to that particular Army, not in the grand scheme of Middle-earth. For example, the Master of Lake-town is incredibly important to Lake-town as he is their leader, whilst the likes of Gamling or Tauriel are lower down the ranks in their own Army Lists. Even though both Gamling and Tauriel are almost undeniably greater heroes than the Master of Lake-town, his status within his Army List will mean he has a higher Heroic Tier than either Gamling or Tauriel. Below are the different Heroic Tiers, which outline how many Followers they can take in their Warband, and any other rules that are associated with Heroic Tiers. HERO OF LEGEND Kings, rulers, lords and truly formidable fighters, Heroes of Legend are those who have had the greatest impact on Middle-earth, for good or evil, and can command great swathes of followers when they march into battle. Heroes of Legend may have up to 18 Followers in their Warband. Additionally, if a Hero of Legend is your General, then they gain the Last Stand special rule. Last Stand - The first time a Hero with this special rule takes a Courage Test as a result of being part of a Broken Army, they will automatically pass the Courage Test. HERO OF VALOUR Heroes of Valour may not be at the forefront of their kingdom or at the head of their army; however, they are still mighty enough to sway the course of Middle-earth in their own way - one way or the other. Heroes of Valour may have up to 15 Followers in their Warband. HERO OF FORTITUDE Tasked with commanding a portion of a much larger army, Heroes of Fortitude can usually be described as captains, chieftains or similar. Yet although they may not be destined for true greatness, they are still more than capable of proving their worth in the heat of battle. Heroes of Fortitude may have up to 12 Followers in their Warband. MINOR HERO Some within the armies of Middle-earth do not command great portions of an army, either through their inexperience, cowardly nature or position within their army's structure. Minor Heroes may have up to 6 Followers in their Warband. INDEPENDENT HERO Some heroes are simply incapable of leading warriors into battle - either through a complete lack of martial prowess, inability to communicate with those around them or simply that they are far too deadly for anyone to risk following them into the fray. Independent Heroes may never have Followers in their Warband. However, they may be included in the Warband of another Hero as one of their Followers, even though they would not normally be able to.

MATCHED PLAY GAMES

All Matched Play games are designed to be fought between two Armies of equal points value. However, there is nothing stopping you and an opponent from having different points values in your own games if you wish; sometimes a desperate and hopeless defence can be just as fulfilling an experience as a battle where both sides have an equal chance of winning - it's certainly just as exciting! Every Matched Play Scenario will have all the information you will need to play that game, including how to lay out the board and place Objective Markers (if applicable), how to deploy the Armies, any special rules associated with the Scenario and, most importantly, what the objective is for both sides and how to score Victory Points.

LAYOUT

The layout section of each Scenario will tell you about any notable features of the battlefield, such as key pieces of terrain used as objectives, or the placement of Objective Markers. The rest of the battlefield is up to you, and will allow you to create battlefields themed around different locations in Middle-earth. We would always recommend a minimum of 33% of the board to be covered in terrain so there are plenty of interesting aspects for models to fight around. The quickest (and fairest) way to set up a battlefield is for one person to set up the terrain and then the other player to automatically win the roll-off to decide which deployment zone they want. Alternatively, you and your opponent can alternate placing terrain features (which can range from trees and walls, to entire forests and buildings) until you are both happy that there is enough terrain to make for an interesting game. Whichever method you choose, you should do whatever you can to ensure the battlefield evokes the imagery of Middle- earth, and also presents an interesting and challenging strategic situation for both players.

STARTING POSITIONS

The starting positions will tell you where the deployment zones are for the Scenario; which is where you will deploy your Armies before the start of the game. Some Scenarios may not have deployment zones, and instead require all or part of an Army to enter the board as Reinforcements. Models must always be deployed wholly within the stated deployment zone, unless otherwise specified.

INITIAL PRIORITY

This is where the Scenario tells you which side has Priority on the first turn. This will almost always be determined by a roll-off.

OBJECTIVES

Matched Play Scenarios use Victory Points to determine the winner and loser of a battle. Both sides will score Victory Points based on certain achievements they can accomplish during the course of the game, such as capturing key areas of the battlefield, killing specific targets (such as the General), causing the enemy Army to be Broken, and so on. When the game ends, the side with the most Victory Points is the winner. If both sides have the same number of Victory Points, the game is a draw.

OBJECTIVE MARKERS

Many Matched Play Scenarios require the use of Objective Markers to represent things on the battlefield. Objective Markers are always represented by a 25mm marker, and are treated as Open Ground. Models can Move freely over Objective Markers; however, Infantry and Cavalry models may never end their Move overlapping an Objective Marker. Infantry and Cavalry models may also not Back Away or Make Way so that they are overlapping an Objective Marker. Objective Markers can never be placed in a position where models cannot get into base contact with them. Objects such as a Siege Engine, Heavy Object, or other such items can never be placed so that they are overlapping an Objective Marker.

SPECIAL RULES

The final section of a Matched Play Scenario will contain any special rules that are associated with that Scenario. Many of these special rules will be common to multiple Scenarios, and the Middle-earth Matched Play Guide will have all of these listed in a separate section for easy reference. This Rules Manual contains a selection of the Matched Play Scenarios found in the Matched Play Guide, and as such their special rules are presented within the Scenario as well. However, they are still considered to be the same Scenario as the one printed in the Matched Play Guide. Matched Play Games

MATCHED PLAY PRINCIPLES

Matched Play Scenarios are designed to pit players against each other in a battle of wits and generalship to see who will emerge victorious. This can throw up some seemingly strange situations, so we have included some important principles that will apply in the Matched Play Scenarios. Some may apply only to Scenarios with certain special rules or victory conditions, but most will apply to all Scenarios in some way. Below is a list of Matched Play Principles to remember: In Scenarios that award Victory Points for killing the enemy General, you will still gain these Victory Points if the General is removed as a casualty in any way, such as fleeing the board or a Hero model with the Will of Evil special rule being reduced to 0 Will Points. In Scenarios that require models to hold Objective Markers, models that can temporarily switch sides will always count as scoring for their original owning player. In Scenarios where you score Victory Points for wounding the General or a specific Hero, if the Hero in question has been wounded and then subsequently healed, Victory Points will still be scored as if they had been wounded. In Scenarios where you score Victory Points should a particular Hero have spent Fate Points (or having a particular Hero not have spent any Fate Points), then should they spend a Fate Point and then regain it in some manner, then it will still count as being spent. If a model has a special rule that comes into play when in range of an Objective Marker, then the range will be dependent on how close to an Objective Marker the model needs to be in order to count as scoring for the purpose of Victory Points. If an Army suffers enough casualties that at the start of the next turn they would be considered Broken, but the game ends before the next turn can start, they will still count as being Broken for the purpose of scoring Victory Points. In Scenarios where models can exit the board, only part of the model's base needs to exit the board to allow them to move off the board. When deploying models within 6" of their Warband's Captain, they must still be within 6" of the Warband's Captain's base if they deploy on an Elevated Position. When playing on a 6'x4' board (typically in 1,000 point games), players must choose one of the long board edges as their board edge as shown in the maps. When playing on a 4'x4' board, players may choose any board edge as their board edge as they are all the same length.

SUDDEN DEATH

In addition to the victory conditions presented in the Scenario, if one player's Army is completely wiped out then their opponent will automatically win. In this rare situation, both players will still receive the Victory Points they would normally have at that point in time. This may create some odd situations where the player who was wiped out actually has more Victory Points than their opponent; however, regardless of this, the other player will still win even though they have fewer Victory Points. If a player still has models left to enter the board due to the rules of the Scenario (such as those that use the Maelstrom of Battle special rule) then this does not result in sudden death. However, if a player only has models yet to arrive due to a special rule associated with those models or the Army List they are part of, then this will count as sudden death.

GOOD VS GOOD & EVIL VS EVIL

The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is designed to be played as Good vs Evil, and this is where we find the game to be most balanced. However, there may be occasions where you may find you and your opponent both playing as either Good or Evil. In these situations, you will need to decide which of you is 'Good' and which of you is 'Evil' for the purpose of any roll-offs. This can also lead to a fun discussion about which Army is 'more Good' or 'more Evil', which doesn't impact the game but can be very entertaining! In such games, there is a chance that the same characters feature on both sides. It is important to note that if a character has a special rule that triggers off a specific friendly model (such as a character that is able to re-roll a dice whilst within range of a specific character), that these rules will only come into effect from the friendly character, and that the enemy version will not inadvertently provide benefits to the characters from the other Army. For example: Samwise Gamgee may declare a free Heroic Combat if Frodo Baggins is Engaged in Combat and within 6" of him. If both players have Frodo and Sam in their Army, then the Sam from one army cannot declare this free Heroic Combat if only the enemy Frodo is in range - the Frodo from their own Army must be in range to provide the benefit. Matched Play Principles

MULTIPLAYER GAMES

Matched Play

SCENARIOS

Though the Matched Play Scenarios are designed to be fought between two opposing Armies, this doesn't mean you are limited to just two players! If you have several players who want to join in, simply divide into two teams - one Good and one Evil - and decide amongst yourselves how you wish to split control of your Armies. If you are playing at home and have multiple Army Lists per side, then simply roll off or decide amongst yourselves which player's General is the General for the entire side for the purpose of Victory Points. Of course, this works best when a team is composed entirely With your Army Lists chosen, your Warbands selected, and your General determined, you are ready to begin your Matched Play game. All that is left to do is to determine the Scenario you are going to play. All Matched Play Scenarios are specially formulated to give both players an equal chance of winning. You can either agree with your opponent which Scenario you are going to play, or you can roll on the chart below to determine for you. of Good or Evil models. However, sometimes this just isn't possible and you'll have to come up with a suitable explanation as to why the Good and Evil Armies are fighting alongside one another. Note that in these situations, only Good models can benefit from the Heroic Actions, Stand Fast and banners of Good models, and only Evil models can benefit from the Heroic Actions, Stand Fast and banners of Evil models.

D6

1 2 3 4 5 6 Scenario Domination To the Death! Hold Ground Destroy the Supplies Reconnoitre Fog of War Each Scenario contains all of the information you will need to set up and start playing, and will be broken down into the following sections: Armies, Layout, Starting Positions, Initial Priority, Objectives and Special Rules (if there are any for that Scenario). The six Scenarios presented here give a balanced mix of different styles of Scenario, giving you a chance to try out multiple different ways of playing the Strategy Battle Game. Each Scenario has its own victory conditions, and each will have a maximum of 20 Victory Points available in it. If you are looking to expand your Matched Play experience, then the Middle-earth Matched Play Guide is the ideal companion. It contains a further 18 Matched Play Scenarios (for a total of 24) that each change the way you play the game. It also has six specially designed doubles Scenarios - perfect for fighting side-by-side with a friend!