In the latest instalment of The Road Goes Ever On and On, Middle-earth rules writer Jay Clare returns to discuss another upcoming release for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, and it’s a big one! The next supplement, Defence of the North, is not far away, and with it comes the fabled Dragon Emperor of Rhûn! Over to Jay…
Jay: The Dragon Emperor is the greatest of the Easterlings – a legendary Rhûnish warrior shrouded in mystery who rules with an iron fist. There are many great stories about his exploits, and his people are utterly devoted to his rule.
It was under the command of the Dragon Emperor that Amdûr founded the Order of the Black Dragons, an elite warrior cult dedicated to their liege’s will on the battlefield. When Sauron commanded the Easterlings to march upon Erebor, the Dragon Emperor himself led a mighty host from atop his Royal Palanquin – a truly awesome sight to behold.
The Dragon Emperor of Rhûn finally provides the Easterlings with a Hero of Legend to lead them into battle – and a stunning one at that! Let’s take a quick look at how he plays.
As the leader of a warrior culture, the Dragon Emperor is an exceptional fighter in his own right. With a Fight value of 6, 3 Attacks, 3 Might, access to Heroic Strike, and an Elven weapon in the form of the Emperor’s Glaive (said once to have belonged to an Elven lord slain by the Dragon Emperor), he can go toe-to-toe with the very best Heroes.
His Emperor of the Easterlings special rule means that friendly Easterling models can benefit from his Stand Fast! regardless of range – and yes, that includes Easterling Heroes.
He is carried into battle on his Royal Palanquin, a completely new type of wargear which brings with it a number of special rules which we will give a taste of to keep you going for now!
The Royal Palanquin is carried into battle by six Black Dragons, Easterling Warriors who have a Fight value and Courage of 4. While it is the Dragon Emperor’s mount, it does not function like Cavalry. It works more like an Infantry model, albeit one with a Defence of 6 and 6 Wounds (one for each Black Dragon carrying it)!
Shooting attacks that target the Dragon Emperor will need to make an In The Way test, hitting the Emperor only on 5+. And if he wins a Duel roll, after he has made his Strikes, the Royal Palanquin may also make Strikes equal to the number of Wounds it has remaining. This means that the model can dish out up to nine Strikes after winning a combat – three from him at Strength 4, and up to six Strength-3 hits from his porters.
The Royal Palanquin is an awesome sight, and those in its presence fight all the harder with their Emperor watching over them. It counts as a banner with a range of 12”, and friendly Easterling Warrior models within 6” of it will gain a bonus of +1 to their Fight value.
The long-awaited Defence of the North supplement is nearly upon us, and it includes a whole host of Narrative Scenarios, new profiles, and Legendary Legions for gamers to get their teeth stuck into. There are 22 Narrative Scenarios playing through the Easterlings’ assault upon Erebor and Dale, the Orc-led attacks on Lothlórien and Mirkwood, and an appendix focusing on the events of The Hobbit™.
There are new profiles for many Heroes and other units, while six new Legendary Legions also feature, including the Host of the Dragon Emperor, which outlines the Dragon Emperor’s forces that assaulted Erebor. Black Dragons in particular will be a regular feature of this list, especially when they attain Fight value 5 near the Royal Palanquin.
Thanks, Jay! The Defence of the North supplement, the Dragon Emperor of Rhûn, and the Black Dragons will be available to pre-order soon. If you fancy getting a head start on your own Easterling army, why not pick up some Easterling Warriors or Rutabi and Brórgîr in the meantime?