A diligent group of fans have been working behind the scenes on the next issue of SBG Magazine. Issue #8 sees the team exploring the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game after the release of the updated rules with all sorts of other fascinating articles included too.

One of the key features of this new issue is the awesome battle, Fog Of War, which sees a clash between an allied force of Gondorian and Rohirrim soldiers going up against Gothmog and his fearsome Orc army.

Iconic heroes clash on the battlefield and this was a great chance to not only try them out but also find out more about the updated rules. As well as the tabletop and the miniatures looking awesome (spurring me to spend about half an hour looking at the Games Workshop website) it's also a fantastic read reminding me of the battle reports of old from White Dwarf.

As well as the battle the new issue contains some great articles by the team including one on the art of losing games and enjoying yourself in the process.

As someone who always does exceptionally badly at tournaments, it's good to have a nice article exploring how to get past that and simply embrace the fun!

The team also at the new version of the game and their path through the various editions, getting stuck into matched play and tournaments, army building in the new edition and there's even an awesome painting masterclass as they show off how to paint Theoden.

I was very lucky to have been sent the issue ahead of time but you can now pre-order it ahead of the July 1st release by emailing [email protected]. As someone who loves Middle-earth, it's awesome to have a resource which is created by the fans and more importantly for fans too.

SBG is a magazine which has seen a lot of love and care poured into it. Every article is written with enthusiasm and the joy of wargaming in Middle-earth and it really shows.

Showing The Tauriel Love

As well as Issue #8 I was also sent a special issue which looked at Tauriel!

In addition to featuring an awesome battle report as Tauriel faced off against dangerous trolls there's also an article on tactics for using her in games there is also a painting masterclass on getting her to the tabletop.

My favourite addition, however, is the new unit entry for the Angry Book Fan model to use in your games. They consistently complain about the fact Tauriel wasn't in the books and use 'Sap Will' on their foes...very funny indeed!

As I mentioned above, the new issue (Issue #8) is available right now to pre-order by contacting the team via email. Make sure you do if you're enjoying your Middle-earth wargaming.

Will you be snapping it up?