The Rules

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE

The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is designed to be exactly that - a game. One played between players who seek to have a good time rolling dice, moving miniatures and recreating the epic tales of The Lord of the Rings™ and The Hobbit™. As such, players are expected to show good sportsmanship and fair play at all times; we are all here to enjoy ourselves, after all!

In a game filled with so many unique and exciting characters, there may be situations which arise during your games that may not seem to be fully covered by the rules presented in this Rules Manual. For example, you may not be able to find the exact place where a rule is to work out your situation, or there is a disagreement between the players on the interpretation of the rules.

Because wasting time arguing is not fun for either player (and, more importantly, is eating into the time that you could be using to have an awesome game instead), often it is good practice to interpret the rule in a way that suits both players equally at that point in time. This game is designed to be played in a generous spirit, in a manner befitting the gentlest and noblest of Hobbits, and you’ll find that if you keep that spirit of kindness and fair play in mind, you can resolve almost every instance of disagreement.

If you find that you and your opponent still cannot agree upon the application of the rules, or another situation, simply roll a dice to see whose interpretation you will use for the rest of the game - on a 1-3, the Evil player gets to decide, on a 4-6, the Good player gets to decide. Then you can put the disagreement behind you and return to the much more important matter of the battle at hand. Once the game is over, you can continue the discussion (preferably over a mug of tea and a seed cake) and arrive at a consensus for future games.

CODE OF CONDUCT

The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is designed to be played in a manner that old Mr. Bilbo would be proud of; one where fair play, good humour and showing respect for one another are paramount. As such, we have provided a series of important principles that we expect all players of the Strategy Battle Game to uphold at all times. After all, the most important thing is that everyone involved has a thoroughly enjoyable time during the course of the game!

CARDINAL RULES

• Always be polite and respectful to your opponent at all times.
• Always tell the truth and never cheat.

IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES

• Make a respectful gesture to your opponent before the game begins, such as wishing them good luck, offering a handshake, etc.
• Avoid using language that your opponent or those around you may find offensive.
• Arrive on time for your game with all of the things you need to play.
• Ask your opponent’s permission if you wish to use any unpainted or substitute models during your game. In Matched Play games, players must have all of their models fully painted and use the correct miniatures and base sizes.
• Offer your opponent the chance to examine your Army List before the game begins.
• If your opponent has any questions or queries about your Army List, you should answer them truthfully and ensure your opponent understands the answer.
• Discuss the terrain before the game begins to ensure each player has all the information regarding the terrain before starting.
• Measure moves and distances carefully and accurately. You should also allow your opponent the opportunity to check any distances before you move any models if they wish.
• When rolling dice, make sure they are clearly visible to all players and allow your opponent to examine the rolls before picking up the dice.
• Always ask your opponent’s permission before touching their models.
• Remind your opponent about any rules they may have forgotten to use or they have used incorrectly, especially when doing so is to your opponent’s benefit rather than your own.
• Never deliberately manipulate the amount of time a game takes in order to gain an advantage, either by playing overly quickly or by wasting time.
• Try not to distract an opponent when they are trying to concentrate, and always ensure you respect their personal space.
• Never complain about your own bad luck or your opponent’s good luck.
• Always be humble in victory and graceful in defeat.
• Never fix the outcome of a game for any reason.

BASIC PRINCIPLES

In the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, there are a few important principles and terms which are worth explaining before you get started.

GOOD VS EVIL

Every hero, warrior, creature or other being in Middle-earth can be categorised as either fighting for valourous and noble intentions, or bowing to the implacable will of the Dark Lord and waging war with cruel and twisted malice in his name. We distinguish this difference by referring to them as either Good or Evil.

During your games you will command either the forces of Good or Evil, and each side will be represented by a number of models that are controlled by one or more players. There must always be at least one player per side, so for larger games it’s a good idea to split the numbers evenly so there are roughly the same number of players per side.

Although players can pitch two Good Armies or two Evil Armies against one another, it is worth bearing in mind that the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is designed to be played as Good vs Evil. As such, we would always recommend that players stick to this principle where possible, and be aware that should they decide to play games of Good vs Good or Evil vs Evil then this may throw up more odd situations than usual.

FRIENDLY AND ENEMY

Many models will have special rules that will refer to friendly or enemy models. A friendly model is any model in the same Army as the model using the special rule. An enemy model is any model in the opposing Army to the model using the special rule.

TURNS

The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is split into a number of turns. During a turn, each player will get to move, shoot with and fight with their models as they try to accomplish the objectives of the scenario they are playing. Some games will last for a set number of turns, whilst others may last until a certain situation arises or a specific condition has been met. In either case this will be made clear.

ROLLING DICE

During a game, the dice rolls you make will determine the outcome of your models’ actions. This can be anything from seeing whether or not a model successfully hits another with a Shooting Attack, whether they are courageous enough to charge into battle against a terrifying enemy, or even whether fate has decided to step in to save them from certain death. In this game we use ordinary six-sided dice when rolling dice.

‘COCKED’ DICE

Many games are played on exciting, three-dimensional boards covered with detailed terrain. Because of this it may often mean that the dice will not land flat on the surface of the board, or may even roll off the board completely. If this happens, then the dice is said to be ‘cocked’ and should be rolled again. It is also good practice to decide with your opponent before the game starts what counts as a ‘cocked’ dice so that both players are adhering to the same standards during the game.

If you are playing on an exceptionally lumpy or textured surface, it is a good idea to use a dice tray to roll your dice in to prevent as many ‘cocked’ dice as possible throughout the game.

Re-rolling a ‘cocked’ dice does not count as a re-roll as described later.

D6, D3, 2D6

Throughout this Rules Manual you will see a few abbreviations that are used to explain which dice are rolled and how to apply the result. It is worth explaining these here.

If a rule says to roll a D6, this means an ordinary six-sided dice where the number rolled is the result.

If a rule says to roll a D3, this means to roll a six-sided dice and halve the number shown (rounding up). So, a roll of 1-2 would be a result of 1, a roll of 3-4 would be a result of 2, and a roll of 5-6 would be a result of 3. This will always give a result of either 1, 2 or 3, hence the expression D3.

Finally, if a rule says to roll 2D6, this means to roll two six-sided dice and add the numbers together - this will give a result of between 2 and 12.

DICE MODIFIERS

Sometimes a rule may apply a modifier to a particular dice roll either to benefit or penalise a certain situation (such as a +1 or -1 modifier). For example, Goblins are particularly skilled at climbing up surfaces, and so receive a +1 modifier to any Climb Test they take.

In any situation, a modifier to a dice roll will change the result of that roll - so a dice roll of a 4 with a +1 modifier on it would be a 5. Some players find it easier to actually change the dice rolls themselves to help show this. Regardless of the number of modifiers applied to a roll, the result of a single dice roll cannot be modified to lower than 1 or higher than 6 - they are the limits of any dice roll.

RE-ROLLS

Some rules will allow for a dice to be re-rolled. In these situations the second result will always stand, even if it is worse than the first. If a rule allows for a model to re-roll multiple dice, then they must re-roll all of these together - they cannot re-roll some, see the result and then re-roll the rest.

If a model is able to re-roll dice from multiple special rules, then they may resolve the result of one special rule before declaring whether to re-roll for another.

However, once a specific dice has been re-rolled once, it cannot be re-rolled again under any circumstances, regardless of the number of special rules that might give another re-roll. The only exception to this is if the dice is deemed to be ‘cocked’.

If a roll requires a second dice to be rolled if the first roll scores a certain result (such as To Wound Rolls that require a 6+/4+, 6+/5+ or 6+/6+), then any rules that allow a model to re-roll will allow either or both of these rolls to be re-rolled - so long as each individual roll isn’t re-rolled more than once.

NATURAL ROLLS

Some special rules will state that they require a roll of a ‘natural X’, where X is the number on a D6. What this means is that the score on the dice must be equal to the value of X without being modified in any way (such as having Might used to increase it). Re-rolls are not considered to be a modifier as they don’t modify the score on the actual dice. So, if a dice is re-rolled, then the score on the re-roll is still considered to be a natural roll.

CHARACTERISTICS

During the course of a game there may be instances where a model’s characteristics may be increased or decreased. Certain characteristics can only ever be improved to a specific maximum or reduced to a certain minimum. These are all explained fully on page 7.

Characteristics that are represented by a target number work slightly differently. When these characteristics are improved, the number in front of the plus sign will go down making the roll easier.

If a rule tells you to halve a characteristic for whatever reason, characteristics are always rounded up.

LINE OF SIGHT

At many points during the course of a game, you will need to work out if a particular model can see a target - this is called Line of Sight. The best way to do this is to get down to the ‘model’s eye view’ and see if you can see the target - this is the model’s Line of Sight. If, for whatever reason, you cannot get down to the model’s eye view, trace a 1mm straight line between the model’s head and its target using a tape measure instead. A model’s Line of Sight is worked out from the head of the model, and a model is always assumed to have a 360° Line of Sight.

Whilst in reality our models are static, we imagine they are much more dynamic, swirling through the maelstrom of battle to slay their foes. Because of this we don’t penalise a model for the wargear they are carrying or a dynamic pose they happen to be in. As a result, a model only has Line of Sight to another model if it can see any part of the model’s head, body, arms or legs. If a model can only see the likes of banners, weapons, wings, tails or other wargear, then they do not have Line of Sight. A model always has Line of Sight to itself.

Some models have terrain modelled onto the base. In these instances, the terrain is never considered to block Line of Sight to the model or to other models. If you are unsure whether a model has Line of Sight to a target, it is good practice to ask your opponent for their opinion and agree together - and don’t forget to play in a generous spirit!

Should a player place their models on a taller base (or convert them so that they are lower down than the original model), this additional height is not taken into account when working out Line of Sight to or from the model - use their ‘true height’ instead. Essentially, a model can never gain an advantage (or disadvantage) by being modelled to be higher or lower than they should be.

MEASURING

Throughout a game you will often need to measure distances, and all distances are measured in inches. Players are always allowed to measure any distance at any time, as often as they wish.

To measure between models, always measure between the two closest parts of the base - ignore any overlapping elements such as wings, tails or weapons.

WITHIN AND WHOLLY WITHIN

Some rules will require models to be ‘within’ or ‘wholly within’ something else in order to apply an effect. Though they may seem the same, there is an important difference between the two.

A model is said to be within range of something if any part of its base is within the stated range. A model is said to be wholly within range of something if every part of its base is within the stated range - if any part of the model’s base is outside the given range, then it is not wholly within.

A model is always wholly within range of itself.

KEYWORDS

Every model in the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game has a number of keywords in its profile. These are broken into three sections: Race, Faction and Unit Type.

Race keywords denote the race of the model in question, such as Man, Elf or Orc.

Faction keywords denote the faction or allegiance of the model, such as Gondor, Rohan or Mordor. Some models may have multiple Faction keywords.

Unit Type keywords show what kind of unit the model is, such as Infantry, Cavalry or Monster. Models will almost always have multiple Unit Type keywords and many of them will also have additional rules associated with them, such as the Hero keyword. Unit Types are explained fully on page 62.

Some rules will contain words or phrases in bold; these will show which models are affected by the rule in question. For example, a model may have a special rule that affects ‘all Rohan models’, in which case the special rule will apply to all models with the Rohan keyword.

Some rules may list more than one keyword in them. When this is the case, a model must have all of the keywords listed in order to be affected. For example, if a special rule affects ‘all Rohan Cavalry models’, then a model must have both the Rohan keyword and the Cavalry keyword in order to be affected.

It is important to note that for models made up of more than one part, such as Cavalry models which are made up of a rider and a mount, then each will have their own set of keywords and will not share those of the other part of the model, unless otherwise stated. As such, there will often be instances when a special rule may affect part of a model but not the other part. For example, if a rule affects Man models then it will affect the rider of a Cavalry model if they have the Man keyword, but will not affect the Mount as they do not have the Man keyword.

MODELS AND BASES

Every profile is represented in-game by a model, and each model is mounted on a base allowing it to be easily moved around the battlefield during the course of a game. The size of the base represents the amount of space that character takes up, which will vary from model to model. Each profile will state the size of base the model must be placed on for a game, with the size given in millimetres. A Cavalry model will have their base size listed for the rider, but when mounted, they will use the base size of the Mount, which will be listed in the profile for that Mount - either found in the Cavalry section or in the model’s profile.

Bases cannot overlap each other during the course of a game and cannot be piled on top of one another. If a model’s base is touching something else, whether this is terrain or another model’s base, then it is said to be in base contact with it.

When measuring from one model to another (or to a point on the battlefield), always measure from the closest edge of the model’s base.

WHAT IS A MODEL?

A model is anything on its own base, such as any Infantry, Monster, Chariot, etc. Whilst a Cavalry model contains two parts - the rider and the Mount - it will still count as a single model. However, should it subsequently become separated and the Mount stays on the board, they will both then count as individual models.

DIRECTLY TOWARDS/AWAY

Some abilities, Magical Powers or special rules will make a model move directly towards or directly away from another model. When this occurs, draw an imaginary line through the centre of the base of the model causing the ability and through the centre of the base of the affected model. This is the direction in which the affected model must move, either towards or away from the model causing the effect, depending on what the rule states.

CHOOSING MODELS/OBJECTIVES

Sometimes, a rule associated with a particular model or scenario will tell a player to choose or select something. This could be another model, an Objective Marker, a piece of terrain or anything else. This is always done after both sides have deployed. In these instances, a player must tell their opponent what has been chosen as part of the special rule. The only exceptions to this are if the rule specifically tells a player to secretly choose something, in which case this should be written down on a piece of paper and placed next to the board, only to be revealed at the end of the game.