I'm planning on getting started with the SBG and WoTR soon, once all my figures are painted up ("soon" in this context could be 2012, but I live in hope of getting them finished).

I want to focus on Minas Morgul v. Gondor, with a few bits and pieces from the Misty Mountains (goblins, orcs, trolls, wolfriders, trolls, and a few elves and dwarves). I will get the Mines of Moria set soon, so that should cover one part of what I want to do. What other books should I buy to get the information on characters and units that I'm going to need?

I'm reluctant to wander into the local GW shop with a credit card, loads of enthusiasm and no clue. That's a short cut to divorce that I could do without.

Thanks for your help.

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Sometimes you CAN be the only one in step...

For War of the Ring all you really need to start is the War of the Ring book as it has all the rules and all the armylists in it. I don't play SBG so can't be of any help there I'm afraid. You don't need to get the Battlehosts book but might be a nice addition once you're familiar with how things play.

...and I don't play WotR, so...

If you get the Mines of Moria set you'll have your goblins, a troll and all the rules, but only a few selected profiles. All the profiles you'll need for goblins, trolls and dwarves are in the Khazad-dum sourcebook, though some new goblin and dwarf models have recently been released, and the stats are available in the previous issue of White Dwarf.

All the profiles you'll need for Gondor are in the Gondor in Flames sourcebook, while Minas Morgul requires the Mordor sourcebook. Elves are a different matter, depends what kind you want.

For Gondor models, you can't go wrong getting a box of WoMT, KoMT, a command blister, and Faramir. I suggest him because he's a solid mid-range hero, capable but not too expensive. For Mordor there are a few more choices, but for just starting out, a box of Orcs and a box of warg riders is good for warriors. To lead your riders I'd suggest Sharku...though he's technically part of Isengard's list, he can be allied in. A command blister is handy, along with named mid-range heroes like Gorbag. Evil also benefits from having a Shaman, and a ringwraith (even a generic one) can be pretty handy.

That's enough to start with to learn the game, at least with SBG. With WotR you might need a couple more warrior boxes on each side.

You might want to think a bit about what kind of game style you prefer. WotR uses trays and allows you to field huge armies (which of course cost a lot and take a lot of time to build), though terrain becomes more limiting. It's a very different style of play from SBG which allows you to move single models around much more varied terrain, but tends to bog down at around 1000 points. IMHO, WotR is too abstract, and SBG is more personal and story-driven, but that's a matter of taste.

If you pick one over the other you can save money...you either won't need the WotR book, or you won't need the SBG sourcebooks. Hope that helps...

Thanks guys, that looks pretty comprehensive.

I've got a load of my old Ral Partha figures, supplemented by some newer ones. So, for Gondor:
6 x KoMT; 24 x WoMT, 16 more spearmen, 8 more sword + shield, 10 foot knights of Dol Amroth, 6 mounted KoDA

Rohan: 24 RoR, Eomer, Theoden, Gandalf (all mounted), 3 x Rohan Royal Guard

16 High Elves, 16 dwarves of various kind.

Minas Morgul/other evil bods:
64 x orcs with spear and shield, 24 Uruks half sword and shield half 2HW, 32 Goblins, 32 orc bows, 16 Uruk bows, 6 Morgul horse, 16 Easterlings with axes, 8 Variags, 1 Mumak, 2 Southron cavalry, 4 Variag horse archers, 6 wolves, 6 wolf riders, one GBFO spider, 4 cave/stone trolls, 3 GW trolls (Olog-hai) including one with drums, and 4 Nazgul, one on horseback, one on a 1979 'Fell Beast' which looks pretty puny these days.

I want to look at the SBG to get my lad interested in playing structured games. I think the WoTR will appeal to my love of massed armies, but I'll try the SBG first.

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Sometimes you CAN be the only one in step...

I should have mentioned Legions of Middle Earth for SBG. This contains army lists and alliance rules, model limits at certain point costs, bow limits, and quite a few good scenarios. The only problem with it is it's very out of date wrt point costs and army configurations, so you need the sourcebook for the region you're interested in to be up to date. If cash isn't too much of an object it's worth the purchase IMHO, even for just the scenarios alone. Once you've played "to the death" many times, a scenario makes for a nice break and forces a change of tactics.

Otherwise:
Alliances: you can't ally with just anyone, allowed allies are listed in the relevant army list. All allies must be able to ally with each other, and each contingent must be led by a hero.
Model limits: 50 at 500 points; 75 at 1000; 100 at 1500+.
Bow limits: 33% for almost everyone. Each allied contingent must also conform to this rule. Grey Company is the only army that can go 100% bows, but there are restrictions, details are in the Ruin of Arnor sourcebook.