Hi all, my lotr hobby is very hit and miss, however I've always had the dream one day owning an army for each faction represented in the films. However I simply don't know where to start such a collection, or what purchases to start it with.

I want balanced armies of maybe 500 to 750 points of each of the film factions. How would people recommend going about this?
I keep looking for good deals on ebay of large collections, but a lot of the time the majority of stuff is poorly painted and in broken condition, and I absolutely hate stripping models!

Would it be best to choose one faction, buy stuff for that sole faction until I am happy with what I have gotten and then move on to the next faction, or to just buy as much stuff as possible all at once?

I'm really struggling with how to go about doing this, so any comments and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

My collection is all over the place as well. I try to buy all that I want/need for a given faction before moving to the next. However, with more and more minis going out of production, I'm grabbing stuff as quickly as I can.

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Respectfully,
Jonathan

Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly

Battle Companies

When I started I read a WD article which recommended picking a preferred faction and buying that faction until you are satisfied, and then switch to a new faction. Another approach, which is very movie centric, would be to buy chronologically according to the films. Last alliance, orcs, Nazgul, fellowship, moria, galadrim elves, uruks and continue until you hit RotK.

Some of the old rulebooks and White Dwarf magazines have sample armies with points beside them. These are excellent. They can be found at the DC hobbit league website for download. Also on YouTube DCHL has put out a how to buy and play for under $100 USD guide for many of the factions. They are really well done and worth checking out for advice, as they also tell you how to play the army and you can pick the one that matches your skill and play style.

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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -Will Rogers

I found myself in a similar sitatiion earlier this year. I started ordering stuff from GW and buying stuff off eBay indiscrimiatly. I picked up a lot of things I was missing, but I also ended up with duplicates I hadn't wanted and spent a lot more money than I planned.

So, I stepped back, took a deep breath, and inventoried what I actually had and what I actually needed. With that info in hand I've been more methodical in my purchasing. Focusing on one faction until I've got everything I need/want and only then moving on to another. I've now got a number of factions completed now and a plan for moving forward.

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Mike

“The Ring has awoken, it’s heard its masters call.”
– Gandalf