Key Features All the core rules for playing games of the Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game, compiled in one book Delve into the enchanting world of Middle-earth™ through pages of lore and art Narrative, Open, and Matched Play rules as well as sample armies to get you started The Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game is the tabletop game for two or more players where you play through the events from The Lord of the Rings™ and The Hobbit™ with your collection of Citadel miniatures. Take control of your favourite heroes, villains, and armies, recreate scenes from the movies and books, and gather your forces together to do battle with your opponent in a test of wits and prowess. This 224-page hardback rules manual is a comprehensive guide to the hobby of building, painting, and playing games with your models - whether you choose the forces of Good or Evil. IntroductionThis section features an overview of the wider hobby of collecting, painting, and playing with your miniatures, from the very basics of choosing your army and the items you need in order to run games, to setting up your battlefield and understanding the rules and profiles you’ll use in-game. RulesHere, you’ll be taken through the core of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game - the actual rules that you’ll use to play: - Basic Principles: a primer on the fundamental concepts and terms used in the book, this section briefly explains a few things that the newcomer may find daunting. - Turn Sequence: each turn is divided into five phases - Priority, which determines who acts first, Movement, which covers moving your models on the tabletop, interacting with terrain and using control zones, Shoot, which covers ranged attacks, Fight, which covers close combat, and Courage, in which your models are tested to see if they stand their ground or flee in terror. - Monsters: while their basic rules are typically the same as those for other models in the game, Monster models are particularly powerful - this section covers their special rules. This includes War Beasts, huge creatures ridden into battle, crushing the foe as they march on. - Weapons and Wargear: split into four subsections - close combat, missile, equipment and armour - this section explains the variety of weapons and wargear available to your models, and the impact your choices will have on your tactical decisions. - Magical Powers: some models have the ability to cast magical powers, and this section explains targeting, casting and resisting those powers during the Move phase, with a list of every Magical Power available to cast. - Special Rules: this section collects together all of the Special Rules which can appear on model profiles, compiled for easy reference. - Advanced Rules: found in certain scenarios, these rules - covering water features, sentries, passengers and carrying objects - come in handy when recreating scenes from the history of Middle-earth. - Siege Engines: rules for fielding these immense threats, covering their movement, firing, upgrades and crew (and their ability to launch severed heads as ammunition…). - Sieges: throughout the history of Middle-earth, many sieges have taken place - here are the basic rules for creating your own sieges with your models. Narrative PlayNarrative Play games allow you to recreate your favourite battles and scenes from both the books and the films, using your collection of Citadel and Forge World models. Each scenario - found in The Armies of The Lord of the Rings™ and The Armies of The Hobbit™ - has a selection of special rules that balance them, providing an experience closely matching the scenes from the books and films. Open PlayWith no restrictions whatsoever, Open Play games have unlimited creative potential, and are perfect for beginners and veterans alike. Simply get your collections together and dream up your own scenarios - any combination of army fighting any other combination of army, on a playing field of your own devising with objectives unique to your game - the possibilities are literally endless. Matched PlayIn Matched Play games, you and your opponent gather your forces of heroes and warriors from your collection, up to an agreed points limit, before unleashing your armies for the fate of Middle-earth. This section includes advice on building an army to a points limit, determining the size of the games you want to play, Alliances, wargear limits, initial priority, objectives, and Heroic Tiers - the respect and loyalty that Heroes command. This section includes six Matched Play Scenarios, each providing a different tactical challenge. The Armies of Middle-earth™This section is an inspiring showcase of beautifully painted miniatures from across the Middle-earth range, showing you just what is possible when painting your own. Example ArmiesFour example armies showing you how the army was built, the points values it represents and the rules it can leverage.

A huge, deadly and nigh-undetectable weapon of impressive killing capacity, the XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit is a formidable display of Tau war technology. Piloted by a single, hand-picked Tau warrior, a lone Ghostkeel is capable of appearing from seemingly nowhere, unleashing a storm of incredible firepower with its fusion collider and disappearing into the mayhem and confusion of battle. This battlesuit bristles with a vast array of advanced countermeasures, making it invisible to enemy sensors - weapons simply refuse to lock-on and the few that manage to loose off a shot are baffled by a spectacular display of flares and electronic countermeasures. This multi-part plastic kit gives you everything needed to build one XV95 Ghostkeel Battlesuit. This miniature has a truly awesome array of modelling and posing options - arms, legs, head, engines and thrusters can all be set to different poses, and there are two different heads supplied - the head can be raised and the chest opened to reveal a male or female pilot! As well as this, you’ll receive two burst cannons, two fusion blasters, two flamers, a fusion collider, a cyclic ion raker and two XV5 stealth drone field projectors. Offensively and defensively, this battlesuit is armed to the teeth! 116 components are included in total, with a Citadel 105mm Oval base.

Key Features This finely-armed Rogue Trader's retinue is a void-faring kill team in a box Builds 10 Elucidian Starstriders, including Elucia Vhane, her Voidsmen, and a Canid! Add a varied coterie of unique and detailed characters to your collection Description Rogue Traders are merchants of death and explorers of the unknown, each granted powers and responsibilities beyond measure by their heirloom Warrant of Trade. Gathering hard-bitten companies of crew, mercenaries, and retainers, these bold privateers venture into hazardous warzones and uncharted space in search of profit. Elucia Vhane stands proud amongst these luminaries. The scion of a noble mercantile dynasty, she seeks to eclipse the rich history of her ancestors – or die trying. This multipart plastic kit allows you to build 10 Elucidian Starstriders, the handpicked retinue of a highborn Rogue Trader. These miniatures can be used as Elucidian Starstriders operatives in games of Kill Team, or fielded with Imperium armies in games of Warhammer 40,000. Every model in this stunning set is unique – it includes Elucia Vhane herself, along with her coterie of specialists – a Death Cult Executioner, Rejuvent Adept, and Lectro-Maester – as well as a squad of five gun-toting Voidsmen and a faithful ship's Canid. This set comprises 25 plastic components and is supplied with 10x Citadel 25mm Round Bases. These miniatures are supplied unpainted and require assembly – we recommend using Citadel Plastic Glue and Citadel Colour paints.

Not even the Space Marines are safe from the lure of Chaos. Whether they hail from the dark days of the Horus Heresy or turned traitor more recently, these baleful warriors combine their gene-given gifts with dark blessings and malefic sorceries, transformed by years of battle into fearless, superhuman reavers. Chaos Space Marines are the core of any Chaos army. Equally at home shredding opponents at range with bolter fire as they are in bloody melee, these guys can be geared up for pretty much any purpose you want on the battlefield. Combined with your choice of Marks of Chaos, Chaos Icons and deadly weaponry, they've got a place in any of your army lists. This kit builds 10 Chaos Space Marines, with your choice of weapons. The set is absolutely packed with optional extras, giving you the choice of arming every member of the squad with close-combat weapons and pistols or ranged wargear. You’ll be able to add your choice of plasma gun, flamer, meltagun, heavy bolter and missile launcher. Optional components let you build up to two Aspiring Champions, giving you the freedom to build the set as a single squad of 10 or two squads of 5. A Chaos icon, interchangeable components and optional grenades offer you even more choice, ensuring no two units need look alike. The set is even designed to be compatible with the Havocs, allowing you to mix and match heavy weapons for even more choice. This set is supplied in 144 plastic components and contains 10 x 32mm round bases.

Key Features A powerful wizard and loyal companion 3 miniatures in 2 different settings – both on foot and mounted Following his victory over the Balrog, Gandalf returned to Middle-earth to see his task completed. Stripping Saruman of his power as Lord of the Istari, Gandalf is now a more powerful Wizard than ever. During the battle for Minas Tirith, it is Gandalf who rallies Gondor’s armies, inspiring them to hold back the Orc invaders. This multipart plastic kit contains the components necessary to assemble Gandalf the White and Peregrin Took, both on foot and mounted on Shadowfax. When mounted, you have the option to remove Peregrin Took, leaving just Gandalf on Shadowfax. On foot, Gandalf wields Glamdring and his wizard’s staff, while Peregrin Took is clothed in the uniform of the Citadel Guard of Minas Tirith with his helmet in his left hand. These miniatures come as 14 components, and are supplied with 2 Citadel 25mm Round bases and a Citadel 40mm Round base.

Key Features Lead your Slaves to Darkness army with the Exalted Grand Marshal of Chaos Hack down enemies with the legendary Slayer of Kings Soar across the battlefield mounted on the monstrous Dorghar Spoken of in fearful whispers by warlords and kings, Archaon is the shadow of Chaos falling upon the Mortal Realms. Greatest of the Dark Gods’ champions, the Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse, he is the Everchosen - the doom of all. Uniting the armies of Chaos with his fist of iron, wielding the legendary daemon sword the Slayer of Kings and mounted upon the terrifying, three-headed beast Dorghar, he rides out to meet the forces of Order that seek to loosen the grip of Chaos. Archaon - the Three-Eyed King, the World Razor, the Thirsting Predator - will see to it that Sigmar’s heroes fail in their quest, and that the united hosts of Chaos will unmake the Mortal Realms in their terrible, howling glory. This kit contains all the components necessary to make one absolutely staggering, enormous, intimidating Archaon, the Everchosen. Covered in the gifts of the Dark Gods, he bears the Armour of Morkar, featuring numerous Chaos markings, inscribed with runes of warding and malice. His shield displays the symbols of the Dark Gods, and he clutches the Slayer of Kings. His vast winged mount, Dorghar, has undergone countless horrific mutations as he consumed souls from the carcasses of Archaon’s bested foes - huge wings, the faces of unfortunate Stormcast Eternals whose souls he has consumed embedded within his skin, three daemonic heads and twin tails. Eighty-five components in total are included, with a gigantic Citadel 160mm Round base.

Fireblades are the most grizzled and seasoned Fire Warriors of their cadre, whose skill at the Fire Warrior's art leads them to eschew battlesuit technology. They are excellent field leaders and their long experience has taught them exactly where to place shots to maximise damage.  The Cadre Fireblade model brings an extra dynamism and level of detail to a T'au collection. The figure is incredibly elaborate, with unique fine-panelled combat armour bearing T'au symbols. With a triumphant expression, in one hand it holds aloft a large bonding knife while in the other it grips a pulse rifle with marker light. Standing on a sculpted base displaying ruined architecture, it wears a long flowing cloak and has long hair that is bound by several clasps in a pony tail.  This plastic kit contains 9 components, one of which is a sculpted base, with which to make Cadre Fireblade.  This kit comes supplied unpainted and requires assembly - we recommend using Citadel Plastic Glue and Citadel Paints.

The Armies of The Lord of The Rings™ is an expansion for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game that enables you to recreate your favourite scenes from The Lord of the Rings™ Motion Picture Trilogy with your collection of Citadel and Forge World models. It includes all the information you need to take control of all the Heroes and armies on the tabletop – included in the 244-page hardback:- 16 army lists for the forces of Good, including a brief background, points values, characteristics, special rules and Heroic Tiers for the following: The Fellowship, The Shire, The Rangers, Númenor, Minas Tirith, The Fiefdoms, The Dead of Dunharrow, Arnor, Rohan, Wildmen of Druaden, Rivendell, Lothlórien, Fangorn, The Misty Mountains, The Kingdom of Khazad-dûm, and Wanderers in the Wild;- 11 army lists for the forces of Evil , including a brief background, points values, characteristics, special rules and Heroic Tiers for the following: Barad-dûr, Angmar, Mordor, Moria, Isengard, The Easterlings, Variags of Khand, The Serpent Horde, Far Harad, Corsairs of Umbar, and Sharkey's Rogues;- 11 Narrative Play Scenarios based on pivotal battles: The Last Alliance, The Fall of Khazad-dûm, The Fall of Arnor, Ambush at Amon Hen, Ambush at Ithilien, The Deeping Wall is Breached, Last March of the Ents, Paths of the Druadan, The Black Ships, The Battle of Pelennor Fields, and The Battle of Bywater;- A full Allies Matrix, showing which factions can work together;- Army Bonuses for every faction;- 269 profiles, providing rules for your favourite Heroes, Villains, Monsters and Warriors.

Key Features Expert, greatsword-wielding warriors who can cut through swathes of opponents 10 miniatures – enough to build two Battleline units or a single reinforced one A choice of bare heads and helmets for every miniature, and options to build a unit champion, musician, and standard-bearer Vanquishers are expert, greatsword-wielding warriors, well practised in counter-charging enemy units pinned in place by Liberators and Vindictors. The celestial greatswords they wield with preternatural skill are embedded with a shard of celestium realmstone, which these warriors meditate upon until they become one with their blades.  Vanquishers are so in tune with their weapons that they are able to receive fragmentary visions from the celestium, enhancing their martial prowess to far higher levels, allowing them to easily feint and parry enemy blows before delivering precise killing strikes.  This multipart plastic kit comprises 172 components, with which you can build 10 Vanquishers wearing sleek Thunderstrike armour and wielding mighty celestial greatswords. There are multiple build options within the kit, and each miniature can be built with helmeted or unhelmeted heads.  With this kit, there are also options to build a Vanquisher-Prime, a Vanquisher Herald who carries a war horn, and a Storm-forged Icon Bearer. This kit comes supplied with 10x 40mm Citadel Round bases. These miniatures are supplied unpainted and require assembly – we recommend using Citadel Plastic Glue and Citadel paints.