Hello all,

In the recent days i've been thinking about getting into the lord of the rings: Strategy battle game. I saw some videos on youtube, read around on this forum and looked at some models, and really got me interested. The opportunity to relive those epic moments, playing them in a game, draws my attention.

I have played a bit of Warhammer 40k (not much, but a few games and i've read the rulebook from start-finish). However, it didn't work out for me, mainly coz i had a hard time getting "attached" to my models, but i find that lotr removes that barrier since you already know the story and some of the models. The other reason was the time investment. I felt like a game of warhammer took AGES, even 500 points. I was constantly looking up what type of wargear did he have, what did the wargear do and so on. I felt like i was spending more time spraying through the codex than actually playing the game (and i want to PLAY the game). So i was hoping that LOTR was maybe a but more friendly on those aspects, maybe less complicated on the rules side?

How long should i be able to invest in it? i don't have that much spare time, but i do have the weekends off usually, which gives me a few hours here on there. That means i can usually not invest 5 hours in a row, but more like 2 hours here and 3 hours there. Will that work for me?

Now, the golden question thats been asked a million times: How do i get started? i know it has been asked a lot of times, but i feel like it might be a little different now. I saw the Mines of Moria box in a hobby shop nearby, and was thinking of getting it, but i then saw that there is a release of "The Hobbit" comming up. So, if the Mines of Moria useless now? i dont wanna buy a set of miniatures and a rulebook that gets outdated tomorrow. If i should invest in this, i wanna be "up to date". However, i really do like the scenes from Moria.

So, what should i do here to get started? i also like the mines of moria set, as it enables 2 players to get into it. I live in Denmark, in a small city with NO support for this game, so i'm gonna have to hopefully convince my girlfriend or brothers to get into it, and if i bought a set for 2 players we could play without asking them to invest time and money in it at first.

Also, on a side-note here: Is the game well played and supported? i know warhammer 40k is widely known and played, is LOTR to? i mean, as far as i can tell this forum is going strong and GW is releasing a whole array of new models (i know it's coz of the release of The Hobbit movie and they wanna earn a quick buck, but before that they were releasing new models for the LOTR SBG as well, as far as i can read).

So, in short: Whats it about, how much time to invest, the learning curve, and getting started. I think that sums up what i spend 10 minutes writing xD
Also, in the "getting started matter" i also wanna get started painting it wont be a first priority, but eventually i wanna paint so i might as well get my hands on the needed stuff at the same time as i get my models.

Thanks a lot on advance! Hope to hear from you, and if i am convinced to start playing, i hope i can get someone else on the wagon too, so i am not forced to play by myself, in a dark abandoned cellar, with no lights except the dimmed light of a dying candle. I would quickly be burnt and accused of sorcery and witchcraft by the local townsfolk. xD

ps. sorry for the english spelling, i'm danish

Hello mate and welcome to the OR forums!
The hobbit has been released. As far as I know the game is divided into two diffirent settings.The hobbit sbg and the Lotr sbg. The rules for all the models are the same as far as we now. The most recent version of the rules is the one with the hobbit starter set. the book alone is 65 euro and its a bit pricy(to me at least).

All that im gonna say now are what I would do if i were you.
i would buy the mines of moria set. in that set there is also a rulebook so you can learn the game. also i would check the armies/minis that interest me(for the site,if they arent included in the book) and i would start gathering/painting the ones i like. The moria set will give you the fellowship and some goblins(i thing a troll too) so its a nice start to practice playing. I should point out that the rules provided in the mines of moria set might differ with the most recent ones. So you might need to buy a new rulebook if you want to play with the most recent rules. But unless you are going to play on a tournament then the mines of moria rules are fine and will give you a nice start.

Thats my opinion. It is gonna cost you about 70-100 euros for all that..

I paint only on weekends. For about 2-3 hours on each day. The process is slow but remember that this is not a competition its a hobby. I paint one hero and/or 5-10 warriors each month on average. Some others might do more or less.

I prefer playing that painting so most of my minis are unpainted.

I hope these all helped you a bit Welcome again and have a nice stay!
John

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éala éarendel engla beorhtast, ofer middangeard monnum sended

Welcome to the one ring

I have not played 40 k so I cant compare really but I can answer some of your other questions.
many people started by buying the bgime monthly magazine,
sadly it has stopped some years ago, but there are many magazines for sale on ebay.
the advantage of the magazine is that the rules are axplayned piece by piece and step by step also hte magazines give lots of experience, inspiration tips on paiting and terrain making.
that is one way to start

you can spend as mutch time on the hobby as you want, im still at school so only the weekends give enough time to really do something.
but having a paint set ready at all times is a nice thing as you can hop on your chair and start doing one part of a model, a robe or something.
this will take barely a minute. but you can make it longer by doing it on several minis.

if you still dont have time to paint lots of minis or just dont like painting large armies you can let them get painted by other companies, this will cost some money but you will have an army paited and ready to go.

hope this cleared some things up for you. and here on the one ring were always ready to help a (to be) fellow wargamer.

martijn

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"tonight you will taste man flesh!"
saruman the white

Thanks a lot guys, that really cleared some stuff for me

I am actually currently leaning towards the Mines Of Moria set. but i'm still not sure about the whole hobbit thing. Are you saying it is 2 different games? will the LOTR SBG then go out of production? Can you play with the miniatures from Mines of Moria together with the Hobbit ones, or is it just completely separated?

As kingsman so kindly suggested, the mines of moria would provide both the fellowshop and goblins + the cave troll that fiercely spears Frodo

I really like the set, but i dont wanna get something outdated (don't mind that the rules differ a little, i'm guessing the core concepts remain the same). and if i invest time and money into that set i wanna be able to expand both armies (good and evil), and see them grow.

Also, can you get some decent games out of that set, or will you tire from it after an hour?

Thanks again! oh, on a side-note: How long will games take? still thinking on the mines of moria set

id pick up the set if i was you, the models will be good and the rules probably wont change much from the mines of moria ones. the set is also very good way of getting into the gaming side of thins, pretty fun scenarios.

its still unsure whether the hobbit and lotr sbg wil be one or seperate

LOTR SBG probably is the same game and wont go out of production, it's just models from, well... LOTR. There will be some additional rules released with The Hobbit Dec 1st. To be sure you should wait until then with buying something

I think games from the starterset are great, you get to play recognizable scenario's from the film with awesome characters.

The scenario's don't take that long, about one hour. Normally, the more models you play with the longer it takes, so battles with huge armies take a long time.

I wouldn't do that, you'll be getting outdated rules with that set and still have to buy the 65 euro The Hobbit rulebook (if you ever want to play with newer models).

The Hobbit set is the same as MoM just with different models and with updated rules, also the Fellowship characters in MoM are nowhere near the quality of Thorin and Co.

But in the end it depends on what models you like best

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Operation future in full swing.

So you are suggesting i should wait to the hobbit release and buy the starter there, that contains the dwarves + goblins?

I'm still a little fuzzy here but i have concluded that i WILL start this, so all i need is the starting point, and still unsure wether to get the mines of moria, or the hobbit starter set. Still also not sure about wether they can be used together, or you have to collect a "hobbit" army and a "lotr" army?

Maybe those questions cant be answered before dec. 1? just thought that GW would shed some light on that matter?

// EDIT - kinsman

I think i misunderstood it so, what you're saying is that the hobbit starter is the same os MoM just with different models? but lets say i got MoM AND the hobbit starter, can they play together?

The models are different, and the scenarios listed in the respective rulebooks may differ, but the game is essentially the same. A few new rules have been added with the Hobbit, that's all.

Ruleswise, the sets will play together, but personally, I wouldn't buy both sets, because they both contain a shedload of goblins—even though they are different sculpts, you probably don't need so many goblins!

Once you have acquired some set of rules, Ebay is definitely worth checking: metal LOTR models can be pricey, especially the rarer ones, but you can still find good deals on plastic models like riders of rohan, warriors of minas tirith or mordor orcs etc (usually in sets of 4 or 10 or 12 or whatever), which can enable you to play different themed battles.

Remember, with SBG (either the Hobbit or LOTR), you don't need millions of models: just 10-30 models per side can make for fun narrative battles.

I would also remind you that you don't need to be limited by the rulebook, especially if you're playing mainly with friends/your girlfriend. You can make up your own scenarios, add in extra things like special objectives, whatever you like. Check out people's LOTR battle reports and blogs to see how various people play the game.

Have fun with it!

I see, thanks a lot

Well i definately got some answers, and it pushed me to getting into this but still just torn between the starting sets.

Maybe some pros / cons by listing them against each other so i can see which one would be the smartest buy. But maybe since the rules are updated for the hobbit set, that would be the wise choice as a starting point? but just really like the scenes in the mines of moria

Exactly.





Visit the games-workshop website to get a good look at the models

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Operation future in full swing.

and an updated rulebook

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'Though my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior'
-John Newton

Yeah, I should have said updated content and new models to avoid further confusion

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Operation future in full swing.

Ah right, thanks so, from what i've gathered it is best to start with the hobbit set, so i can get the updated rules, and then from there start collecting whatever army i would like to have, right?

from what i've gathered that seems like the smartest move?

That's indeed the smartes thing to do.

As for a comparison: as far as Lotr sbg is concerned, it plays, imo, more relaxed than 40k + you don't need as many models, which is good for your budget.

In addition, I dare you to watch the new film and not buy the starter set

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We must forgive our enemies...
But not before they are hanged

Alright, thanks a lot for the help everyone i've decided to buy the hobbit starter set when it arrives, and then see where it goes from there. Maybe i'll open up a new post with what to do next, but that set should keep me busy for a while.

Just one more question though, how is the learning curve and game complexity? what i disliked about 40k was the fact that just making the army took forever coz you needed to set up and note down every single piece of wargear, and each unit could have several. Also bugged me that i constantly, in every fight had to look up and read up on some specific wargear coz they all varied so much. Is it like that too here?

Thanks again, it's been a great help and convinced me to start now the question remains, can i wait till christmas?

Not really no... But it seems like a bit more wargear will be added in The Hobbit book.

Before all axes, daggers, swords, maces, longswords, sticks, rats on chinese chopsticks... Were all the same. But now, is appears that's gonna change

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We must forgive our enemies...
But not before they are hanged

Oh okay, but i guess with practice and a few games you quickly get familiar with the rules.

I just looked on the hobbit starter set on games workshop site. They don't really specifically say that it's a great starting point, whereas the MoM set does. Maybe thats because it's not released yet? But the set should include everything 2 new players need, right?

Yes, you should have everything you need for two players with the new Hobbit set...at least for the games the set can be played with, which is going to be pretty limited to goblins vs Thorin & co. But that limitation would be true of the MoM set as well.

I would say get the Hobbit set over the MoM set, since then you'll have the current rules. I say this even though personally I'm pretty sure I don't like where it's going. LotR is dead-simple and stable, and I can't foist a change of my 50+ year old fossilizing friends But my son and I might enjoy the new monster rules.

One question I haven't seen asked or answered (though I might have missed it) is what are your long-term goals with this game? The starter sets get you into the game, but if you eventually see yourself building a big Gondor or Harad army, or, like me, at least 500 points of everything then the starter sets are only the beginning. They sound like a deal because you get the rules and some figures, but if you quickly tire of the Hobbit story and those particular scenarios, then maybe a better solution is to buy only the rulebook and start the army you really want.

About weapons, yes there's a bit of outfitting required to build an army list, but it's not that onerous. Most of the options are sensible, and mostly (...er, mostly...) the models that you buy have the right equipment on them. There is a fan-made army builder spreadsheet ( here: http://lonelyknight.0fees.net ) which I assume will be updated when the Hobbit profiles are added.

It does sound like they're going to introduce new weapon features. In the older versions of LotR there was a distinction between daggers and "other", which they simplified into "hand weapons". This is what all the existing profiles have, so if your long-term goals are one of the LotR armies you won't have to worry about it until you have to face one of these new armies in the field.

Okay, i am THIS close to ordering the hobbit limited edition escape from goblintown

I wanna thank everyone for their help, it really helped me out, and thanks above for clearing some rules as well.

I just have a few more questions before i order

I wanna start painting right away as well, so what should i get?

I was thinking of getting these 2 products:
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catal ... od1820008a

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catal ... od1830004a

But i would like my goblins to be green, as thats how i see them not that white-grey thingy as depicted, so what color would be suited for that?

I noticed it's a deluxe edition above, and the only thing u get is a limited mini extra, and i'm guessing you pay a lot for that but well, maybe he'll be worth something one day, or maybe he's damn good

So what do you think? if i buy the 2 above, am i then ready to start playing and painting together with another friend?

You'll need glue (both plastic and super glue) and I would suggest a couple of the most important colors of paint, particularly if you have a pre-set color scheme in mind as you seem to have. By no means do you need to buy the glue from GW, any good super glue should suffice and if you are looking to create seemless plastic bonds then any good plastic glue will work well for that. Then you need some time and space to paint and a table and you should be good. Other things that can add to your gaming can be grass mats, though for the dungeon setting this doesn't make much sense. Goodluck and enjoy.