February is here, and for fans of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game that can only mean one thing – the next batch of FAQs have landed. We caught up with rules writers Jay Clare and Dan Entwisle to talk us through some of the more notable changes that you’ll find in February’s update.
Jay: Ever since we switched to releasing updates twice a year (in February and August), fans of the Strategy Battle Game have been eagerly awaiting to see what has changed since our last update six months ago. With gaming events back on the agenda, Dan and I have taken this opportunity to make a few small tweaks and to clarify a number of things within the various Designer’s Commentaries, and we thought we would spend a bit of time talking about some of the more significant changes within this update.
The Vanquishers of the Necromancer
Perhaps the most significant changes in this update are to the Vanquishers of the Necromancer Legendary Legion. The force represents the scene in which the White Council comes to Dol Guldur to rescue Gandalf from the clutches of the Necromancer.
However, many players were deciding to omit Gandalf from their list at lower points values, which didn’t exactly feel right considering the Grey Wizard is the reason for them being there in the first place. As a result, we have decided to make Gandalf mandatory in this Legendary Legion.
We also noticed that the Vanquishers of the Necromancer, with their ability to cast Magical Powers whilst Engaged, were proving particularly troublesome for forces that relied on combat.
As a result, we have tweaked this rule slightly – it still allows the Vanquishers to cast Magical Powers whilst in combat, but prevents them from casting the Wrath of Bruinen, Nature’s Wrath, or Sorcerous Blast Magical Powers. This should still allow them to showcase their impressive magical abilities whilst giving their opponents a fighting chance in combat.
Dragon Knights
Dan: With recent releases bolstering the Easterling forces, it’s no surprise that these heavily armoured warriors are becoming increasingly popular. One of these releases was the Dragon Cult Acolytes, Easterlings in the middle of their training to become fully fledged warriors of the Dragon Cults.
However, it was noticed that these warriors couldn’t actually be led into battle by Dragon Knights – the leaders of the cult. To resolve this oversight, we’ve made a small tweak to the Dragon Knights to allow them to lead their protégés into battle.
Galadriel™, Lady of Light
Jay:Galadriel is one of the most powerful beings in Middle-earth, and the profile representing her unleashing her full potential is suitably representative of her awesome power. Over the past few years, we have noticed more and more players taking Galadriel, Lady of Light in their lists, and this is increasingly true for armies that add her in as part of an Alliance of Convenience.
When Galadriel unleashes her full power like this, she doesn’t remain in complete control of herself, and it makes sense that she’d need her White Council allies to keep her in check. As a result, we have made Galadriel, Lady of Light a Hero of Fortitude, meaning that Convenient Allies will need to also have another member of the White Council present in order to take Galadriel as well.
Foresight of the Eldar
Dan: Elrond possesses the gift of foresight, which manifests in-game with his ability to alter Priority rolls by spending Foresight Points. This ability was used especially effectively in scenarios that use the Maelstrom of Battle special rule, in order to allow Elrond’s army to always come on second and gain an advantage in positioning.
Almost all special rules require the model using them to be on the battlefield to do so, with Elrond being one of the few exceptions. Considering just how good this ability is in combination with Maelstrom of Battle, we felt it fair to require Elrond be on the battlefield in order to use his Foresight Points and to bring this ability in line with most others in the game.
Jay: We’re confident that these clarifications, and the others included in this month’s Errata and Designer’s Commentary, will make for even better experiences for fans of the Strategy Battle Game. We’ll see you for our next update in August 2022!
Cheers, Jay and Dan! Head on over to the FAQs page now to download the free PDF updates for your Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game publication of choice.