Sabretooth Games
Lord of the Rings Combat Hex Game

Those of you who went to Vapnartak, may unusually have seen me in the corner playing a game, not something I find much time to do nowadays. The figures being used were of a largish scale, and the action was fought out on a colourful printed map, overlaid with a web of hexes, and the table was covered by a veritable host of dice. Although only a handful of us took part in the tournament we all had fun, and I noted that some of those who had been watching us play then went to purchase a starter pack.

I was first made aware of this game at Phalanx 2003, and I have to admit that I was initially put off for a number of reasons. First of all the figures, well detailed and adequately painted plastics, reminded me of my old toy soldiers. This despite the fact that the models are fixed to sturdy green bases with built in plastic sliding markers indicating action points and wounds. Second, I was not keen on the "collectable" concept of the models, that you could not buy the figures that you want, but gain additional troops by purchasing booster packs and then swapping the extras for the models you need. My own experiences as a kid, and my son's obsession with Pokemon cards put me off this approach. Third I was already involved in purchasing GW LOTR models for my boy, building armies for us to play wargames together, I  did not see any reason for duplicating the effort and cost of collecting. 

Even so I bought a starter set as a stocking filler for Richard, and of course he insisted that I play the game through with him. The rules are relatively simple, though complex enough to be interesting for both older kids and adults. One problem I had initially was sorting out what are called "combat chains", where through interlocking fighting zones you calculate the number of dice to be rolled in deciding a combat. This can become very complicated when you have fighters with special abilities intermingled with a host of minions, and when it is the combat zones rather than command or influence areas that designate who is involved in a particular chain.

 The key to winning such combats is the effective placement of individual figures, so that you maximise the impact of your ordinary troops, or minions, as well as the specialist troops or characters, known as Heroes. Heroes, and some Minions, have special fighting powers, for example Legolas is a deadly marksman able to shoot at speed, Aragorn has a berserker ability which makes him fight harder the more enemies that he faces, and Hobbits can "sneak" allowing them to pass through enemy hexes and attack them from behind, pretty useful!

The range of models available is pretty comprehensive, covering most of the characters introduced in the films, though there are more to come in the future, including a Troll and Sauron. Each figure comes in a number of forms, rated from Common to Ultra Rare. This is an element of the collectability part of the game, and the rarer the model the stronger it will be and more abilities it will have. 

One of the limitations of the game is that it is confined to hex maps, and at the moment there is only one form of map available, though I understand that more will be on the market soon. Also from a purely visual point of view the two dimensional playing area is boring and I reckon can be improved be terrain pieces based on hex tiles. The size of the maps currently available limits the scope of the games that can be played, though I have recently acquired a new starter set so I can bluetack the maps together. 

This though causes another problem, in that the rules are really aimed at relatively small scale actions up to 1000 points a side, and even these can result in combat chains with large numbers (30+) of dice being rolled. I have found that when fighting larger games (and if you have the models you will want to) then you have to consider amending the published rules regarding combat chains.

That said, the games themselves can be great fun, and are a very pleasant way to fill a couple of hours with the minimum of preparation and clearing away. For me the great thing is that I have a game that I can play with my 9 year old son, and which he thoroughly enjoys, and can also take along to a club or show to challenge adult gamers, and all for a very reasonable cost, and without the need to find the time to paint the models which are ready to use on opening the box.

Starter packs are widely obtainable at shows, online, and by mail order for around £15, and I have seen them sell on E-Bay for less than a tenner. Sabretooth also have a very active website for all their products, that includes rule updates, playing tips and strategies and news of forthcoming releases, make contact at

 http://sabertoothgames.com/lotrtmg/news.jsp 

Additional figures can be bought in the booster packs, with a growing online market in rare and ultra rare models, so you can soon build up your forces. The one improvement that I really want to see soon is the introduction of mounted models, in really bugs me to have to use The Riders of Rohan as infantry.

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