August has arrived, 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 the rules writers, Jay Clare and Dan Entwisle, to talk us through some of the more notable changes that you will find in August’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 fresh changes. In recent months, gaming events have been in full swing and the Middle-earth team has been keeping a close eye on the results – and on popular and successful armies. We have also seen how popular the Defence of the North supplement has proven to be with players.
We’ve taken this opportunity to make a few small tweaks and to clarify a number of things within the various Designer’s Commentaries, so we thought we’d spend a bit of time talking about some of the more significant changes within this update.
Will of Evil
Jay: Perhaps the most significant changes in this update are to the Will of Evil special rule. The rule itself is designed to show the Nazgûls’ power waning over the course of the battle, as the Dark Lord’s ability to sustain them decreases the more magic they use. In game, they run out of Will points, and get removed as a casualty as they dissipate. This is meant to showcase that a Ringwraith may need to use its final ounce of power to try to do their master’s bidding.
However, we have noticed that a number of players have been using this special rule to gain an advantage, by using a Ringwraith’s last Will point in order to purposefully remove it as a casualty and force the game to end as soon as they take the lead. Not only does this create an unfortunate situation where a player using a Ringwraith can win a game without engaging with their opponent (particularly with the Black Riders Legendary Legion), but it also goes against the spirit of the game.
Although this rule has been around for a long time, we felt that now was the time to tweak it. A model with the Will of Evil special rule can no longer use their last point of Will to cast a Magical Power.
Isengard™ Assault Ballista
Dan: Siege Engines have seen a resurgence in the current edition, and none more so than the Isengard Assault Ballista – particularly in the Assault Upon Helm’s Deep Legendary Legion. These massive weapons of war are designed to shoot huge bolts long distances, so being able to shoot at enemy models that are particularly close, or even in base contact, felt a bit odd.
As a result, we have changed the range of the Isengard Assault Ballista to 6”- 48”, giving it a minimum range and providing opposition armies with some important counterplay.
The Dragon Emperor of Rhûn™
Jay: Defence of the North introduced perhaps the most unusual profile in recent years to the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game – the Dragon Emperor of Rhûn. His rules are unique enough to throw up the occasional odd situation, and while the rules do clarify almost all of these, it doesn’t hurt to confirm many of these rulings to make things crystal clear.
As a result, we have made a number of clarifications, such as how the Dragon Emperor interacts with certain Magical Powers and special rules.
Gûlavhar, the Terror of Arnor™
Dan: Gûlavhar has been a common sight at gaming events over the past year, terrorising many a top table. His Strength of Body, Strength of Will special rule is an unusual one – his Courage and Attacks value are equal to his remaining Wounds, so as he becomes hurt he becomes less of a threat and more likely to flee.
One question that has come up a few times is how this rule interacts with other effects that alter a model’s Courage. We have clarified that Gûlavhar will still be affected by effects that temporarily affect a model’s Courage (such as a war horn or Harbinger of Evil), but not by those with permanent effects (such as Drain Courage).
Jay: We are confident that these clarifications, and the others included in this month’s Errata and Designer’s Commentary, will make for even better experiences. We’ll see you for our next update in February 2023!
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.
