Is it a bad time to get involved?

Seerex · **Joined:** Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:53 am **Posts:** 49

Hello all,

I have been slowly trying to get into this game, but have found it rather hard. Not a lot of stores support it, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of people playing. Mainly it is just Warhammer and Warmachine/Hordes going on.

Is the LOTR / Hobbit game dying? I mean surely one can argue that they can run out of things to make, seeing as they are "bound" by the existing story, but that doesn't mean they can't make new variations, or a new type of orc breed or something.

Anyways, my main question is: What is the future (as far as you think) of this game? I don't wanna try and spend a lot of time getting into it, just to see that in a year you can't buy the products anymore.

Thanks
Best Regards

SonsOfHurin · **Joined:** Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:54 am **Posts:** 42

Welcome (I'm also new to the forum),

You can argue about if the game is dying or not. I think the game
has a solid player base, but it depends on where you are at. Where I live
the game is not wel suported.
But for me Lord Of the Rings is something that I grew up with and I love it.
I collect the miniatures, especially now because everything is getting out of production (does not apply for the Hobbit). I do not play the game alot, but every now and then. Just look what the game has to offer for you and if you like painting and love Lord of the Rings it is a easy descision;)

rigg1313 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 16, 2014 4:25 pm

The game is currently going through a big spike in involvement and interest and with the final Hobbit movie coming out soon there will be a huge number of new releases! However it is obviously not one of the biggest systems but its not small either.

JamesR · **Posted:** Thu Oct 16, 2014 4:31 pm

It's never a bad time to get into a game. In fact I literally just got into a "dead" game that is widely occurred but no longer produced (Star Wars Miniatures).

LOTR/The Hobbit will not be produced by GW after about 3 more years but you'll still be able to purchase most things via EBay and independent retailers. So if you're interested then yes it's worth it.If you want an excuse for yourself not to then yes that's there too lol

LordElrond · **Posted:** Thu Oct 16, 2014 4:36 pm

What country are you in?

Seerex · **Joined:** Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:53 am **Posts:** 49

Lord Elrond: I live in Denmark, and i actually don't know anyone who plays the game. It just really catch my interest, so i think it's just sad that people stick with war hammer :'(

Creaky · **Joined:** Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:26 pm **Posts:** 424

Fortunately, as a skirmish game it's fairly cheap to get a couple of small forces together. You might find that once people play a game of SBG they fall for it's many charms fairly quickly - and it's much easier to convince a friend who already wargames to play a short intro game if you roll up one day, set out about two warbands worth of troops a side on a board and challenge anyone who passes to a game. If you're close friends, bet a round of beers or a take-out or something on the outcome. And if they like it - it's cheap enough compared to the alternatives that they could afford to do both, probably.

People stick with what they know (especially if they've invested money and time into it, and money is often in very short supply. It seems to have taken all of GW's most heinous acts of evil to scare people into Privateer Press's pocket.), and sadly that makes it difficult for a game like SBG to shine - and it has the added problem that GW often seems actively disinterested in it, verging on giving the impression they can't wait to be rid of it so they can get back to space marines all day every day. It can be difficult to convince people to invest money in a commitment/cash intensive hobby like this if the manufacturer lets things like rulebooks just go oop on a whim. That's why the community is key to SBG, so if there's not one locally - BUILD ONE!

aelfwine · **Joined:** Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:23 am **Posts:** 508

It's not great, no, but its not terrible either.

The days of collecting big armies from scratch are gone. Lots of things just aren't available anymore, and prices have gotten to the point that the fairly naff older plastics costs rather a hell of a lot.

At the same time, the newer plastics are pretty good, lots of detail and character. So you can potentially make, say, a three warband Erebor dwarf army to fight Orcs with, and field a nice collection of highly individual and well characterised guys. The Escape for Goblin Town boxed set is pretty well equipped to get you going, too.

With the potential end of the GW game starting to drift into sight (around, as mentioned above, 2-3 years from now), you could start thinking about using alternative miniatures with the game...

Seerex · **Joined:** Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:53 am **Posts:** 49

Oh, are there already models that you can't purchase anymore from GWs site? Currently GW has a lot of LOTR products on their site, at least i think so? The local shops doesn't hold that much, but as far as i can tell, GW does?

And do you really think it will just come to an end in 2-3 years? I thought i read an article that Forge Worlds would take over the Lotr SBG and keep at it? I didn't think they would just completely drop it on the ground and say "Thats it!"?

rigg1313 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:58 am

Yeah a few models here and there havn't been produced for years actually, though the vast majorityr of models are still produced (or have been remade in finecast). It will over the next few years become less and less supported more than likely. It may be picked up by forge world or held by GW for another decade the future is unclear.

Creaky · **Joined:** Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:26 pm **Posts:** 424

Most armies are still very much playable and mostly (if not entirely) complete. GW let some of the poorer sellers fade away - mostly they finecasted the ones that sold well, but they never finished the range whilst they still were doing that to the metal minis. I'd rather have the minis in finecast than not at all. The bigger problem is not missing models - but that two of the five lotr sourcebooks have vanished from GW's site in the UK at least (may still be stock elsewhere). THAT speaks volumes about GW's commitment.

Whether it gets picked up by FW or someone really depends on the license fees - but even if the license fee is financially viable for them, their attitude recently has been one of rebranding and focussing on WFB and 40k. I don't expect GW to keep it around. It'd be nice (but simultaneously awful) if they kept it as an online/fw exclusive product just to prevent other companies from aquiring the rights - but their attitude towards LotR says to me that they won't. Being a largely metal range, and following the failure/poor response to finecast, they're just letting it sell off. It doesn't preclude them from converting the rest of the range to resin and sell it in smaller quantities (they should still have the moulds), but frankly I doubt it.

rigg1313 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 17, 2014 12:16 pm

Creaky wrote:

The bigger problem is not missing models - but that two of the five lotr sourcebooks have vanished from GW's site in the UK at least (may still be stock elsewhere). THAT speaks volumes about GW's commitment.

In reference to some of the sourcebooks being now unavailable, I am unsure how true it is but I have been told they haven't restocked them because they are under the "Lord of the Rings" and not "Hobbit" title. The remaining books were left until they sold out OR until the last Hobbit movie where it will all be rebranded under a combined title whether that is "Hobbit" or "Middle Earth", I guess we won't find out until December. Either we will get one new Massive combined but or a reworked "Sourcebook" system with new and old army lists.

SonsOfHurin · **Joined:** Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:54 am **Posts:** 42

Is it still word it, buying the old hard covered rulebook? Or should I wait for new releases?

aelfwine · **Joined:** Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:23 am **Posts:** 508

They may not be able to do such a rebranding, depending on how the license deal was structured. There's more Hollywood entities involved in the Hobbit (ie, MGM) and more IP issues which means things are more complicated this time around.

We don't know what will be released come December yet. We might see a Battle of the Five Armies starter kit; we just as easily might not. We might (unlikely) see a new core rulebook. It's more likely we'll just see a thin supplement. Whatever it is, it will be the cheapest option for GW (and the not cheapest option for us)

While BOFA apparently includes new creatures, which presumably means more miniatures, they may not be all that many products emerging. Fix, six new army types? I foresee something like the original Return of the King range. Just less supported.

To answer SonsofHurin's question: Chances are the Hobbit hardback rulebook will be the core rulebook until the end of the line. If you want to play now with the official rules, either get Escape from Goblin Town, or see about getting the Escape from Goblin Town rulebook cheaply off ebay, and wait till Christmas. If there is to be a new hardcover, it will be announced them.

Creaky · **Joined:** Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:26 pm **Posts:** 424

rigg1313 wrote:

In reference to some of the sourcebooks being now unavailable, I am unsure how true it is but I have been told they haven't restocked them because they are under the "Lord of the Rings" and not "Hobbit" title. The remaining books were left until they sold out OR until the last Hobbit movie where it will all be rebranded under a combined title whether that is "Hobbit" or "Middle Earth", I guess we won't find out until December. Either we will get one new Massive combined but or a reworked "Sourcebook" system with new and old army lists.

I'd love to believe that this will happen. I don't, but I'd love to. It'd be great - sorting out all the army lists into something that makes sense, adding in Uruk drummers, adding appropriate Hobbit minis into the relevant army lists (rivendell knights, etc), finecasting all the metal and missing minis... But I just don't think it's likely.

SonsOfHurin:

I think Battle of Five Armies is likely to just be a sourcebook release, so the AUJ rulebook should still apply (I think this mainly because then GW would not have AUJ profiles or scenarios unless they reprinted them, and BoFA will be a thick enough book as it is to cover what they need to). BUT - the hour grows late, and if you drop the unholy amount of money the hardback book costs now, and it gets replaced in two months, I'll feel bad for encouraging you to spend money on books rather than models. Unless you need it right now, it can't hurt to wait and see. I'd bet on it never now being replaced though, honestly.

SonsOfHurin · **Joined:** Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:54 am **Posts:** 42

Thanks for the reply! I can get it for a nice price though, so I think I will just buy it.

Dorthonion · **Posted:** Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:25 pm

Let's be really blunt: Middle-earth war gaming and RPG gaming was around long before there was a GW or any of the films. So the chances are there will still be some form of gaming going on long after GW and the rest have gone. If you've got the minis, hold on to them - the chances are someone will have rules you can use for them regardless of what GW do or don't do.

Hodush · **Posted:** Sat Oct 18, 2014 2:52 am

The hobby is not dead at all, easily a tournament per month in the UK and Australia (not familiar with US or Europe). It will continue for a few years after GW decides to stop making new miniatures, and now is definitely the best time to get back into it.

Most stores aren't carrying The Hobbit because GW has put the prices up quite high while reducing the amount of models you get and hasn't done any advertising for the game this time around, so the sales are lower.

If i recall correctly there are a couple of people from Denmark, one or 2 of which went to a tournament in the UK recently, unless I am mistaken. Try joining the GBHL group on facebook, its a good way to find people.

Seerex · **Joined:** Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:53 am **Posts:** 49

Thanks for the great replies. I was walking Down the Streets today and happened to stumble upon a shop that had some models stocked.

I couldnt resist, so i bought a pack of uruks and gondor warriors.

Now, i already own the escape from goblin town. But that set is mainly for small scenarios, right? Evil side has lots of warriors, but good doesnt. So it is kinda hard to do a point match game

so i thought i could use some gondor warriors vs uruks for point matches? But now i kinda lack the stats for these units. How Can i get Them?

Also, im considering buying the mines of Maria set. I know the rules are outdated, but i have the Hobbit rulebook so i Can just use that one. I just thought it was a great Way to get the fellowship, start an evil army and play the scenarios from that scene (i love that part of the movie). But is it ill advised? Are the models simple too outdated? Can i use Hobbit rulles and still play the scenarios in that set?

Looking forward to getting into the hobby. I am Hoping to convince må brothers to have a game with me now and Then

BTW, has anyone ever done a video explaining the rules of the game? It is quite a Big rullebook and i like to Either "learn AS i go" or watch a video where people explain it.

Sorry for the grammar, writing on an ipad

Hodush · **Posted:** Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:15 am

Firstly, yes the GBHL youtube channel did a video for new players which is worth a watch. Did anyone ever do a video on purely the rules, no, because that would be boring and it would be quicker to read.

Mines of Moria is a good set, particularly if you don't have the fellowship or terrain and is good for an introduction. The models still have the same profiles so aren't outdated at all.

I would suggest trying to build one or 2 armies at a time, so maybe Mines of Moria isn't the best idea, even though it would be quite helpful. Maybe get that then decide if you want goblins or uruk hai? I'd probably suggest goblins as once you start getting trolls etc the matches get a lot more interesting than they would be of Minas Tirith vs Isengard.

The books you can get from GW, I would hope your store carries a few of them. GW has stopped producing at the moment - we are waiting to see if they will make a new one or reprint the old ones or just leave it at that.
You can find them on ebay, and I would suggest getting onto it sooner rather than later, but have a look at the GW site first to see what is still available - they are good books.

Is it a bad time to get involved?

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