If you're a fan of the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game you may well remember that Games Workshop teased this way back in April. Well now with the release of the Quest of the Ringbearer supplement imminent they have taken the time to walk through in more detail what players can expect from this and it's a jam-packed tome.

Quest of the Ringbearer // Games Workshop

The Quest of the Ringbearer is probably a necessity for fans of the Middle-Earth game, crammed from the start with a wealth of gaming material that is all-encompassing regardless of how you choose to play your games of the Lord of the Rings on the tabletop. It's split into five sections and at its heart is the epic saga of Frodo and his companions as they attempt to stop the darkness with the destruction of the One Ring.

Quest of the Ringbearer Scenarios // Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

First off are the scenarios, twenty-eight of them to be precise. Starting off in Farmer Maggots field and charting the major events of the quest to reach Mount Doom you'll find a scenario to cover Balin’s Tomb, Amon Hen, Osgiliath, and Shelob’s Lair are all presented in Quest of the Ringbearer. Even Scenarios such as Cirith Ungol and The End of All Things, originally published in the Battle Games in Middle-earth magazine almost 20 years ago, have been reimagined to work with the current edition of the Strategy Battle Game whilst remaining faithful to the originals. Some scenarios like the Pass of Caradhras have been worked into mini-games to better represent them on the board.

Quest of the Ringbearer Campaign // Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

If you fancy making those scenarios into a linked narrative campaign the book also includes an in-depth system to all you to recreate the journey from the Shire and back again. Each scenario has its own campaign bonus, meaning that the result of one scenario will have an impact on the next. There are also rules for recovering the strength of Frodo and his allies, showcasing the toll taken upon the Fellowship by each new struggle they face. Although Legolas will still not say more than three words to Frodo regardless.

Legendary Legions // Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

If you are a fan of matched play games instead of story-driven narratives then fear not for this book is not just fluff and fun, it contains serious play as well. How serious I hear you ask? Well there are six new Legendary Legions for players to use in their matched play games. With the Black Riders allowing you to rip into your opponent with all nine Nazgûl on horseback scourging Middle-Earth and friendships as they go I'm sure.

Along with the Ring Wraiths there are lists for The Breaking of the Fellowship showcases the Fellowship following their departure from Lothlórien. Naturally, Gandalf cannot be taken, but each other member receives a gift from Galadriel which they can use in the game.

Lurtz’s Scouts is a list that focuses solely on the scouting Uruk-hai at Amon Hen, led by the fearsome Lurtz himself.

Depths of Moria is a Legendary Legion built around the terrifying presence of the Balrog and the Moria Goblins that the Fellowship are forced to flee from.

Cirith Ungol is an unusual list, made up of the Orcs and Uruk-hai that garrisoned the fortress, and makes use of their disdain for each other on the battlefield.

The Rangers of Ithilien list, which was first published in Gondor at War, gets an update to account for the two new Heroes it can now take.

Anborn and Mablung // Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Speaking of Rangers, the book will also contain new profiles for Anborn and Mablung, Faramir's companions which can be taken in the Minas Tirith list or the new Legendary Legion. Each of them is a Minor Hero and has their own bespoke special rule. Anborn is an exceptionally skilled archer who can spend a free point of Might each turn for either a To Hit, To Wound, or In The Way roll when making a shooting attack. Mablung, on the other hand, uses bird calls to locate hidden enemies as well as give nearby allies the Stalk Unseen special rule. The other two profiles represent two Wanderers in the Wild – Barliman Butterbur and Harry Goatleaf. But you may be wondering what you can do with these new heroes beyond sticking them into Matched Play games. Well, they have thought of this.

Fantasy Fellowship // Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Many moons ago White Dwarf featured a series of articles on how to put together your own band of misfits *coughs* I mean heroes, to destroy the Ring. It's back and Quest of the Ringbearer provides full rules for running your own Fantasy Fellowship campaign, including how to build your Fellowship, which scenarios to play, and how your Fellowship develops over the course of the campaign.

If you ever wanted to see how the B-team would've went about completing the mission well now is your chance, or maybe you fancy taking the time to tempt Tom out of his retirement.

The resurgence being enjoyed by the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game is great to see. I'm very fond of the focus on the narrative in this book and I think of it less as a supplement to the core rules and more of a companion volume. It's probably not required if you solely focus on Matched Play games, but even then the addition of four new profiles and six Legion lists should put it high on players lists. However, for the story fans among the players, this is almost required reading. Adapting old scenarios and rules from magazines that have probably been out of print before a lot of the current generation were born is an excellent step to helping grow the community as well, as sometimes hearing about wonderful things that you can never get your hands on may leave players feeling like Boromir at the Council of Elrond.