SBG

Sculpting
Tips

Battle
Report

Painting
Masterclass

Issue 3
Spring 2016
A Middle-earth fanzine by the fans - for the fans

The Hill Of Sorcery

Galadriel leads the White Council to Dol Guldur in a
bid to save Gandalf and destroy The Necromancer!
 EDITORIAL
SBG
An issue of SBG is never late, it arrives
precisely when it means to....

Welcome to the third issue of SBG - we

A Middle-earth fanzine by the fans - for the fans
have been waiting to write those words for
an awfully long time! To say this issue has
Issue 3 taken us longer than expected would be a
Spring 2016 huge understatement, it has been one year
exactly since the release of Issue 2 and all in
Created and Edited by: all this issue has taken 17 months to produce.
Tom Harrison
Damian O’Byrne However, as you delve into the pages that follow you will hopefully see
exactly why it has taken so long; the work that has been committed to this
Layout & Design:
Damian O’Byrne Dol Guldur-themed issue by our contributors is, quite simply, staggering:
Shadow & Flame’s Necromancer, Steve Crowe’s converted spiders, Matt
Copy Editor: Davies’ Ringwraiths and Barry O’Neill’s custom gaming board have all
Tom Harrison combined to create a truly spectacular issue. There are not nearly enough
pages in the magazine to even begin to do justice to the work that these
Principal Photography:
Jim Muller five talented hobbyists have created and you all have our eternal thanks.

Article Contributors: Indeed, we ultimately decided that we simply did not have the space to do
James Baldwin, Ed Ball, Steve justice to all the incredible work that had been produced for this issue,
Crowe, Matt Davies, Dave
therefore we have made the big decision to move some of it into the next
Fredericks, Kev Lawrence, Barry
O’Neill issue! So if you are wondering how Barry built Dol Guldur or how Steve
converted the spiders then fear not, all will be revealed in Issue 4 of SBG,
All images reproduced with which has been completely re-conceived to form the second part of our
the kind permission of the adventure in Dol Guldur and will now be released in the Summer of 2016!
photographers:
James Baldwin, Ed Ball,
Brushstroke, James Clark, Matt Beyond the borders of Dol Guldur, Ed Ball has divulged some of his
Davies, Dave Fredericks, Bradley wisdom about the Ringwraiths in this issue’s Tactica and James Baldwin
Hutchinson, Kev Lawrence, has penned a wonderfully evocative article to help encourage anyone to
Peter Middleton, Jim Muller, take their first steps into the independent tournament scene - two great
Barry O’Neill
articles that complete what we believe to be the best issue of SBG yet.
Contact us:
SBGmagazine@gmail.com As always we don’t have the space to thank everyone who deserves it but
a special mention must go to Jim Muller for once again taking the majority
of the beautiful photographs that you see throughout the issue and to
In association with: Emma and Lily for their constant understanding and unwavering support.
Orc-Ward Battles Most of all, we want to thank you, the readers, for being patient with us
over the last year; the constant messages of support and encouragement
have been genuinely overwhelming and have ensured that the production
of this issue has remained fun during what has been quite the slog!

Nevertheless, we’ve made it through and are delighted with the results -
we hope you agree and are as excited as we are about the unexpectedly
early release of Issue 4! See you in a few months!
Enjoy the issue,
SHADOW & FLAME Damian & Tom
CONTENTS
SBG Towers 2
Tom and Damian take a look behind the scenes of the production of

14
SBG with some news snippets and fun facts about the issue

Over Hill and Under Hill 3

James Baldwin talks about why we should all step outside our hobbit
holes and take the first step on the road to adventure!
Tom’s Top 10 - Under-costed Heroes: Part 2 6
Tom returns with his final Top 10 article, this time focusing on the
top-tier Heroes in his quest to find the most cost-efficient profiles
Scenario - The Siege of Dol Guldur 10

19
Damian and Tom present a brand new scenario depicting an alternate
version of the White Council’s assault on Dol Guldur
Tactica - The Ringwraiths 14
Ed Ball divulges some of his dark wisdom about the use of some of
the less commonly seen and more tactically complex Ringwraiths
Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur 19
Tom leads The White Council and a host of elves in an epic assault on
Matt Davies’ garrison of Dol Guldur in our largest bat-rep yet!
Summoning the Nine 36
Matt Davies explains how he sculpted our stunning Ringwraiths,
inspired by their appearance in The Hobbit:The Battle of the Five Armies 36
Shadow & Flame - The Necromancer & Saruman 40
Dave Fredericks reveals how he created our incredible custom
Necromancer model and Kev Lawrence paints Saruman
Hobby BLOG 44
Discover what the SBG team and our contributors have been
working on during the production of this issue
Supporting SBG 45
We explain how you can support future issues of SBG and get your
40
hands on a physical copy of the magazine!

Even Gandalf wants to make sure he

gets a copy of SBG Issue 2! A limited
number of physical copies of Issue 1
and 2 are still available - see page 45
for how to get yours!

Thanks to Chris Young for making us

the beautiful SBG objective markers -
fine work and very much appreciated!

2016 Issue 3 SBG 1

 SBG owers
SBG SBG

Behind the scenes news snippets from SBG

Painting Pains: For the past ten years, Tom has used Humbrol’s enamel-based
paints exclusively, much to the annoyance of anybody in close proximity given the
frankly awful smell of turps (white spirit). After continued pressure, Tom decided
to pick up some Citadel paints for the first time ever in what is seen as a life
changing moment here at SBG Towers. Tom hopes his new water-based paints
will help with ‘social painting’ - although we’re now worried that we’ll have to
explain that the smell of turps was just an excuse not to sit with him...

NOVA the Moon! Be on your Guard!

Damian: The highlight of our
hobby year was surely our trip
to the NOVA Open convention
in September. Along with James
Clark and Jamie Giblin, Tom and I
were lucky enough to spend five
days in Washington DC, taking
in the sights, meeting some
great people and representing
Queen and country across a
number of events. I’m delighted
to say that Tom and I won the The box that contained Tom’s
Doubles Tournament and came Hunter Orcs (who are seen in
1st and 2nd in the Singles Grand this issue’s Battle Report) has
Tournament respectively. We’re not gone to waste, his partner
very excited to be going back Lily is now using it as a make-
this year to defend our titles shift (Devlan?) mud guard for
and reconnect with all the new her bicycle - the only orcish
friends we made in the States! mud guard in the world?

787 Hero of the Issue

Issue 3 in numbers... Photos taken for Issue 3,

133
21063 3333
from which
we selected... We want to say a huge thank-
you to Barry O’Neill’s mum
Combined points cost of the Annette. When Barry was
Words in the magazine forces in the Battle Report suddenly unable to make

499
Days between choosing it to England for the battle
Issue 3’s Dol Guldur theme report, Annette brought the
and releasing the magazine Dol Guldur scenery across

6
Number of hours Gandalf the Grey
before the bat-rep models painted
that Matt finished specifically for this
painting the Nazgûl! issue of SBG
from Ireland on the ferry and
delivered it to SBG Towers,
allowing the battle report to
go ahead and in many ways
saving the issue - thank-you!

In Brief: Damian’s wife Emma is producing some Middle-earth themed cards for sale at future GBHL events *
* Thanks to Christian Sørup Jensen for his unseen contribution to the magazine - we will be forever grateful! *
2 SBG Issue 3 2016
 Over Hill and Under Hill

Over Hill
U nder H ill
and

James Baldwin is a lifelong lover of self and ‘a change is as good as a

Tolkien who made his first forays into rest’, as they say up in Breeland!
Of course no respectable hobbit
the independent tournament scene
would say such a thing, but
in 2014 and has since won more perhaps to most hobbits I am not
‘Best Painted’ awards than anybody entirely respectable. 
else in the Great British Hobbit
League. In this article, he discusses The Tookishness in me inspired a
the adventures he had during his New Year’s resolution: not simply
to sit alone in my hobbit hole and
first year on the tournament circuit.
paint toy soldiers, but to go out
into the wider world, befriend
As I settle down with a glass of place and life beyond the borders new folk and ultimately put those
Old Wynyards (and urge you of my land is full of strange and little painted figures that I love so
to do the same), I am reminded intimidating folk. To put it another much to the purpose for which
that this story began, like so way, like many of you, I am a they were intended! In plainer
many others, with just one step somewhat introverted person language, I vowed to attend every
out of the door. It was around and, while I like visitors, I’ve The Hobbit: Strategy Battle Game
the turning of the year and I never been one for big crowds tournament I could for the period
often use that special season of people I do not know. This can of a year. This was, of course, a
as a time to reflect on the past lead me to be overly solitary.  challenging task; if you enjoy a
and plan for the future. My tale quiet, well-ordered life, where
is full of dragons and dwarves, But I think there’s a little nothing unexpected ever happens,
victories and defeats, and lasting Tookishness in all of us and the idea of undertaking a journey
friendships. But my journey it’s not hard to recognise that to distant lands filled with strange
was not to a distant mountain comfort can soon become sloth. folk may well fill you with the
(although some treasure was had It’s important to challenge one’s same sort of anxiety I felt!
along the way!) and, glamorous as
it may sound, didn’t really involve
much real danger, unless the
nightlife of Stockport or the perils
of the M1 can be counted! What
then, is my story about? Well, this
is a story for any of you who are
considering taking a journey, with
or without handkerchief, to a
tournament. 

Where was I? Ah yes, New

Year. I’m the sort of person who James’ origins in the hobby focused exclusively on the modelling
spends far too long in his hobbit aspects, so his beautifully painted models rarely graced the tabletop
hole. It’s a rather comfortable
2016 Issue 3 SBG 3
 Over Hill and Under Hill

but also that I met many others

who were on a similar journey.
I don’t think it’s uncommon for
wargamers to be the sort of
people who find meeting new
and strange folk a little unnerving;
many of us like the comfort of
our hobbit holes and only like
company when it is expected -
and invited! Yet so many people
were not just able, but eager to
befriend ‘the new guy’. 

Another thing that really stands

out among all tournament-goers
is their furious enthusiasm for the
adventure - not just the games,
but also the hobby side of things
(which is still my favourite). It’s
easy to do exactly as I had done
previously - just stick to the
collecting, painting and model-
making side of the hobby, which is
of course a solitary pastime, but
what could be better than giving
all of that effort a purpose?

The nature of a game like ours

is that there is a winner and a
loser, and in a tournament one
From an entirely respectable Baggins safe in his hobbit hole... person is crowned the ultimate
victor, so there should be stiff
“Fun before victory could be a good motto competition for such an honour.
One fear I had, before putting
for the The Hobbit: Strategy Battle Game” one foot in front of another
and finding myself at the gates
of these strange lands, was
Up until this point I had played have gone more smoothly - to a that the competitive aspect
no more than a handful of games man (and the occasional woman) of a tournament would lead
and didn’t really understand the everyone was understanding of to an awkward or unfriendly
rules very well. This, of course, the fact that I was a new player atmosphere during games. Well,
was somewhat worrying. What if and extremely helpful. again I can report that this was
I got things horribly wrong? What an unfounded fear. During my
if people thought I was stupid, At this point I am sure some of first year of tournament play I
or a burden? Would people be you are thinking “was he just had very few bad experiences.
tolerant of someone who didn’t lucky?” Well, years later I can The simple fact is that the vast
really grasp the rules, let alone honestly say that I haven’t met majority of people are there for
the tactics? Well, I can assure anyone at an event who isn’t the same reason - they want to
any of you who are wondering if willing to bend over backwards have fun! You might go so far as
you should attend a tournament to help out a new player. Indeed, to say that fun before victory
that I (and by that virtue, you) after my first venture into the could be a good motto for the
had nothing to fear. My first wilds, I can safely say that not only The Hobbit: Strategy Battle Game
tournament experience couldn’t was my experience a positive one, community. 
4 SBG Issue 3 2016

Now, I don’t want to
misrepresent things, so I should
point out that I have met a few
problematic people during my
stint on the tournament scene. I
guess the sad truth is, whatever
game you play, you will get some
of those sorts of people, but I can
honestly say they are extremely
rare and thankfully don’t turn
up that often! We are also not
talking about people who cause
any sort of problem worse than
a bad attitude and a bit of sulking,
or the dreaded millimetre thieves
that you encounter in any game
with open measured movement.  ...to a master burglar of Best Army awards who doesn’t give a hoot
Thankfully, I think it’s fair to say
that the core of the The Hobbit:
Strategy Battle Game community
are, to a man, great people who
won’t put victory before decent
behaviour. Indeed, perhaps the
most unexpected benefit of
this great journey is the many
friendships that I have formed
and I now feel as if I truly belong
to this great community. Hobbit
hole-types like myself sometimes
find it hard to make a lot of
friends, but I can honestly say that
I now feel part of a fellowship
“I can honestly say that I now feel part of a
fellowship of like-minded adventurers”
of like-minded adventurers,
many of who have crossed the
borders of The Shire from ‘gaming
acquaintances’ to true friends.
I suppose at this stage it would
be remiss of me not to bring
this full circle. Going from
someone who barricaded himself
inside his hobbit hole to paint
miniatures, to someone who
left his handkerchief at home
and took those miniatures out
Over Hill and Under Hill
if his adventures make him late for dinner! Above - winning the Best
Themed Army award (with a Paths of the Dead inspired force) at
The Seven Stones tournament with doubles partner Tom Macklen
into the wider world has had experience, skill and talent - but
an unexpected effect: I am now one thing pervades throughout:
much better at painting than I was enthusiasm! It really is a pleasure
when I began my journey! Why? to see and to play against so many
Well, as I have already mentioned, lovingly crafted armies. 
the gaming and social sides of
the hobby are very strong in So, some time on from my
the community, but the artistic, Tookish decision to attend
painting, converting and scenery- almost all of the Great British
making sides are equally strong, Hobbit League tournaments for
and that has caused me to ‘raise a year, how would I sum up my
my game’ so to speak.  journey? Well, as you may have
guessed, I don’t regret it in the
slightest and I quickly discovered
that my fears were unfounded. I’ve
met some wonderful people, had
some amazing games, seen some
beautiful armies and even had the
honour of having my armies voted
Every tournament has a painting the ‘best painted’ at an event a
competition and the winning few times. Most of all though, I’ve
entries are always of an excellent made some solid and (hopefully)
standard and I’ve been lucky lifelong friends. Not bad for a
enough to raise the odd trophy year’s work!
myself on occasion (see - I told
you there was treasure in this So it comes to the point where I
tale!). Of course, not everyone is remind you that the first step out
at the same standard, so there’s of your front door can lead you
no need to worry about the to all sorts of exciting places. And
quality of your own painting - really, that’s all it takes - just the
the community is made up of first step - and who knows where
people of all different levels of you might end up?
2016 Issue 3 SBG 5
 Tom’s Top 10 - Under-costed Heroes: Part 2

OM’S TOP 10
UNDER-COSTED HEROES PART 2
In 2015, Tom demonstrated his battlefield skills across the Atlantic
by winning the Doubles and the Singles Tournaments at the NOVA
Open in Washington DC. In past issues of SBG, Tom discussed
how some Warriors and mid-level Heroes are more cost-effective
than others. Now, in the final article in the series, Tom returns,
one last time, to evaluate the top-tier Heroes of the game.

And so we come to it at last,
the final article in my series
investigating the relationship
between a model’s profile and its
points cost. In previous issues I
have presented my Top 10 under-
costed Warriors and Heroes in
the game, but there’s room for a
little more...
Interestingly, in my last Tom’s Top
10 article, no Heroes with at least
3 Attacks and 3 Wounds made
an impression on the top spots,
which led me to the question:
is this because these Heroes
are not particularly good value,
or is it because they are priced
somewhat differently to other
Heroes? In this article I will
be attempting to delve a little
deeper into this question and also
determine which of these Heroes
brings the most to the table for
their points.
As a reminder to those who
have not yet read the first two
articles in the series (where have
you been – perhaps stuck under
a rather interesting rock?), my
method for determining a Top
10 is based on the fact that The
Hobbit: Strategy Battle Game seems
6 SBG Issue 3 2016
to use a very simple system for
determining a model’s point
value – Heroes seem to pay a
set cost (usually 5 points) for
improvements to their base stats,
additional items of equipment and
Special Rules. However, the point
values of some models are lower
than this theoretical total and
therefore appear to be under-
costed relative to other models.
So, where to start? An immediate
stumbling block is that all Heroes
with at least 3 Attacks and 3
Wounds are named and they all
have at least one Special Rule –
and rightly so! This means that,
unlike the lower-tier Heroes that
I discussed in the last issue of
SBG, there is no generic Hero
with at least 3 Attacks and 3
Wounds which can be used as
a benchmark for comparison.
Consequently, using one of these
named Heroes as a standard
with which to compare other
Heroes is not ideal, as that Hero
may be under-pointed itself. This
poses a problem: how can one
test whether or not 3 Attack, 3
Wound Heroes are pointed in a
way that is fundamentally different
to other Heroes?
Perhaps the answer lies with
those Heroes who have
‘upgraded’ profiles; that is, they
have a profile that has at least 3
Attacks and 3 Wounds in addition
Éomer and Shagrat are two
of the three Heroes who
seem to pay a 10 point
premium to upgrade to 3
Attacks and 3 Wounds –
despite their additional cost,
these ‘improved’ profiles are
seen far more regularly than
their weaker versions due
to the advantages that they
bring – namely killing ability
and survivability! 
 Tom’s Top 10 - Under-costed Heroes: Part 2

Boromir of the White Tower pays

over the odds for his ‘upgrade’ from
Boromir of Gondor, yet he is seen more
frequently on the UK tournament scene.
This is very likely down to the fact that
Boromir of the White Tower is far more
survivable because of his 3 Fate. He is
also able to take a lance and The Banner
of Minas Tirith and, crucially, he can lead
troops from the Minas Tirith list into
battle, making him a far more versatile
Hero than his ‘Fellowship’ incarnation  –
clearly, upgrades are sometimes worth
‘more’ than their theoretical points!

to a less powerful profile. There
are three examples in the current
rule set: Éomer, Shagrat and
Thranduil. Looking at these three
examples, it seems as if a 10
point premium is paid to ‘evolve’
into a 3 Attack, 3 Wound Hero.
Interestingly, Heroes only seem
to pay this 10 point premium
if they are upgrading both their
Attacks and their Wounds stats to
3; for example, Mauhúr (with his
2 Wounds) only seems to pay the
standard 5 points to upgrade to
3 Attacks when compared to an
Uruk-hai Captain – not a 10 point
premium on top of this. Similarly,
when compared to Angbor the
Fearless, Forlong the Fat does
it’s impossible to say. What I’m
trying to highlight here is that
this is a very inexact science and
that there may, in fact, be no real
method to this madness I’m trying
to shoehorn into some sort of
logical approach!
Let’s assume for a moment that
my postulated 10 point premium
is true – then the question surely
becomes: is this premium worth
it? I think the clear answer here
“Some Heroes, even if not optimal for their
points, are invaluable as leaders for your army”
is yes: on the tournament scene
in the UK, the ‘upgraded’ versions
of Shagrat and Éomer are seen
far more frequently than their
‘weaker’ versions, as they are
both more survivable and have
improved killing power. Of course,
the extra Attack and Wound
gained are not the only reason
for the improvements in these
areas, as both upgraded profiles
have an excellent Special Rule to
accompany their improved stats;

not seem to pay any additional
premium for his third Wound,
perhaps because he does not
simultaneously gain a third Attack.
However, even here there is
some inconsistency… If one
looks at the difference between
the two Legolas profiles –
Legolas Greenleaf versus Legolas
Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood
– it seems as if the 3 Attack
version of Legolas still pays a 10
point premium despite not having
a third Wound. Perhaps this is
because he has 3 Fate, or perhaps
it is just because one is more
under-costed than the other –
The Top 10
Pos. Profile name Points too cheap
1 Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm 35
2 The Golden King of Abrakhân                                    30
3    Thorin Oakenshield              25
4      Gil-galad  20
=     Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth                                =
6   Glorfindel, Lord of the West                                  15         
=  Suladân the Serpent Lord =
= Isildur =
= Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain        =  
10    Éomer, Knight of the Pelennor                     10      
=  Dáin Ironfoot, King of Erebor =                              
= Boromir of Gondor                                              =
= Shagrat, War Leader of Cirith Ungol                        =       
2016 Issue 3 SBG 7
 Tom’s Top 10 - Under-costed Heroes: Part 2
regardless, the 10 point premium
certainly seems like a small price
to pay for the upgrade.
However, discerning the more
effective of the two Thranduil
profiles is not so simple – as
powerful as the 3 Attack, 3
Wound King of the Woodland
Realm profile is, Thranduil is still
more regularly seen in his weaker
(and 40 point cheaper) form. Of
course, this does not mean that
his 3 Attack, 3 Wound profile is
non-competitive, but simply that
his weaker form is much more
useful than Éomer and Shagrat’s
weaker forms. Indeed, Thranduil
is unique amongst my three
1 Thranduil
With a mouth-watering Fight
Value of 7 and two elven
blades, Thranduil, King of the
Woodland Realm is able to cut
his way through enemy Heroes
and Warriors and is deadly
when mounted (on either a
horse or a custom Shadow
& Flame elk!). Uniquely, he
arguably becomes even better
once dismounted thanks to
his Bladelord Special Rule. The
Thranduil, King of Mirkwood
profile is also an excellent
choice, making Thranduil one of
the most versatile characters in
The Hobbit: Strategy Battle Game.
8 SBG Issue 3 2016
examples in that he actually loses
several Special Rules and abilities
when he ‘evolves’ into his more
powerful form – Nature’s Wrath,
Aura of Dismay, plus the ability to
upgrade Wood Elf Warriors to
Mirkwood Guard – all of which
are commonly considered to be
very effective in game. The fact
that the 3 Attack, 3 Wound profile
replaces these with very different
but equally effective Special Rules
means that the two Thranduil
profiles have very different roles
in an army – making them both
very viable choices dependent
on the type of force one is trying
to create. In addition, when
compared to Éomer and Shagrat,
2 The Golden King
4 Attacks coupled with the
Chop! Special Rule make The
Golden King (and his bearers!)
a highly efficient troop killer.
His throne also counts as a
banner, so Warriors will be
fighting harder when nearby.
However, his most feared
Special Rule is surely Riches
Beyond Renown which makes
him a threat to even the
greatest Heroes in Middle-
earth without ever risking
himself in combat. Even the
most courageous of Heroes
can be tempted by The Golden
King’s offers!
Thranduil’s Warriors are generally
more expensive, meaning that the
cheaper version of a Hero may
be more attractive to generals
wanting to swell their numbers.
Whilst my 10 point premium
assumption is based primarily
on only three characters with
upgraded profiles and is therefore
hardly a robust theory, it is
perfectly viable to compare those
Heroes with at least 3 Attacks
and 3 Wounds with one another,
so I did just that [see the Top 10
box-out on page 7].
The first thing to notice is that,
finally, some Evil Heroes have
3 Thorin Oakenshield
Thorin Oakenshield has the
competitive edge over his King
Under the Mountain incarnation
due to his ability to lead a
warband of Warriors. Whilst
wielding the mighty blade Orcrist,
Thorin is able to cut through
scores of orcish enemies and
is the nemesis of The Goblin
King. However, perhaps his most
valuable piece of wargear is The
Oakenshield, which raises his
Defence to 8 and even allows
him to make a single strike after
Shielding! He can also take a
barrel – but sadly, as yet, he
cannot take a wheelbarrow…
 Tom’s Top 10 - Under-costed Heroes: Part 2

joined the party – although their Special Rules can be worth

admittedly not many (see Issue 2
for my ‘original’ Top 10 Heroes –
spoilers, there are no Evil profiles
in there…). However, with The
Golden King of Abrakhân taking
the runner-up spot I suppose it’s
slightly harder for the supporters
of Sauron to complain!
Interestingly, if I was to create a
combined Top 10 under-costed
Heroes list that drew on all of
the Heroes in the game, only the
top three from this issue’s Top 10
would be under-costed enough to
make the cut. Perhaps one could
argue that this means that this
issue’s top-tier Heroes are not as
under-costed as ‘smaller’ Heroes
and therefore not an optimal
selection for an army?
“When combined with a 3 Attack, 3 Wound
Hero, Special Rules become even more
powerful and thus even better value”
much more than the ‘theoretical
cost’. This is arguably even more
complicated for the Heroes
featured in this article as their
Special Rules tend to be both
more effective and more complex;
for example, Aragorn’s Mighty
Hero and Gothmog’s Master of
Battle Special Rules would be
worth more than 5 points on a 2
Attack Hero, but when combined
One thing that makes Heroes
with a 3 Attack, 3 Wound Hero
with at least 3 Attacks and 3
they become even more powerful
Wounds even better value
and thus even better value. This
for their points is the fact
is why Heroes such as Azog
that their mounts do not
and Bolg are seemingly so over-
cost any more than those
costed – their Special Rules (I
ridden by cheaper Heroes,
am the Master and Bringer of
yet their mount’s impact in
Death respectively) are extremely
a game will be far greater as
effective and they clearly pay a
both their killing ability and
very high premium for these.
survivability will be increased
exponentially (if they are able
to take a mount of course –
sorry Celeborn…). If you ever
see one of these Heroes on a
horse, move Heaven and Earth
to remove it!

Whilst there is cause to say
that this is true purely from a
theoretical point of view, it is
certainly not cut and dry: these
Heroes, even if not optimal for
their points, are invaluable as
leaders/focal points for your army
and being under-costed when it
comes to selecting Heroes isn’t
always the be-all and end-all.
Some of the mightiest Heroes in
the game (think Aragorn, Isildur’s
Heir and Boromir of the White
Tower) are actually over-costed!
However, these Heroes can still
be pivotal as they have the ability
to comfortably make their points
back, usually thanks to their
excellent Special Rules.
As I discussed in the last issue of
SBG, pricing Heroes can quickly
become extremely tricky, as
So, to some sort of conclusion!
Trying to make sense of the
morass of calculations that need
to be considered when ranking
Heroes with at least 3 Attacks
and 3 Wounds is a devilishly tricky
and potentially fruitless exercise.
Complex Special Rules such as
those that offer free Might points
and Heroic Actions simply have
to be worth more on a 3 Attack,
3 Wound Hero. These Heroes
are bound to be able to deal
out more damage and be more
survivable and thus their Special
Rule will have a greater impact
over the course of the game.
Aragorn is the prime example of
this, known far and wide as the
master of the end-game: a free
Might point every turn is handy
at the start of the game, but is far
more useful in the dying stages
when your opponent has run out.
Of course, Aragorn is far more
likely to make it to the end-game
due to (you guessed it...) his free
Might point, but also that extra
Wound and extra Attack.
This third and final article in my
Tom’s Top 10 series has been far
and away the hardest to write,
but I still believe it has been a
useful exercise and one that I
hope sparks some discussion.
After all, it is not the destination
that counts when coming to the
end of an adventure, but the
unexpected journey that was had
along the way.
Let Tom know your thoughts at:
SBGmagazine@gmail.com
2016 Issue 3 SBG 9
 Scenario - The Siege of Dol Guldur

The Siege of Dol Guldur

In this brand new scenario, Damian and Tom present an alternate version of the Siege
of Dol Guldur that depicts the huge battle that the White Council had to fight their way
through before their epic showdown with the Nazgûl and the dreaded Necromancer.

Radagast has informed Galadriel of the return of
the Ringwraiths and confirmed her fears of the
horror that lurks inside Dol Guldur. Fearing for
Gandalf, Galadriel summons Elrond and Saruman
and leads the White Council to war. Understanding
the importance of the quest, Thranduil leads an
army from northern Mirkwood to lay siege to
the haunted fortress in an attempt to oust The
Necromancer from the Hill of Sorcery. The greatest
assembly of Heroes yet seen in the Third Age arrive
with a host of armoured elves at their back. Despite
Azog having already led a huge army of Gundabad
orcs eastwards to lay siege to the Lonely Mountain,
a strong garrison of orcs and fouler creatures
still remain to protect Dol Guldur. Time is of the
essence, for at the heart of the ruined fortress,
Gandalf and Thrain are already fighting for their
lives against the renewed power of Sauron!
10 SBG Issue 3 2016
Designers’ note: Prior to the release of The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson
described the siege of Dol Guldur as being like
Helm’s Deep but with the elves on the other side,
so it seems that the attack on Dol Guldur was
originally set to be a huge battle with vast armies
of elves and orcs on opposing sides! At some point,
Jackson obviously decided to scale the scene back
to the all-hero encounter that was included in
the final version of the films. We are well aware
that this scenario doesn’t quite match up with the
combatants and timeline in The Hobbit trilogy but,
if you’re anything like us, you’ll agree that the idea
of huge armies of elves swarming into the Hill of
Sorcery was far too cool an opportunity to pass up!
We hope you enjoy this alternate version of events
which could conceivably have happened before
Thranduil led his army to the Lonely Mountain.
 Scenario - The Siege of Dol Guldur

Good Participants Evil Participants

Gandalf the Grey The Necromancer

Thrain the Broken The Witch-king (3 Might, 20 Will, 2 Fate)
Khamûl, the Easterling
Warband 1 7 Ringwraiths (1 Might, 14 Will, 1 Fate)
Galadriel, Lady of Light Golb, Gundabad Orc General †
Radagast the Brown with Sebastian 18 Hunter Orcs*
12 Mirkwood Elves* 6 Hunter Orcs on Fell Wargs*
8 Giant Spiders
Warband 2 4 Mirkwood Spiders
Saruman the Wise 2 Bat Swarms
Elrond, Lord of the West
12 Mirkwood Elves*
† Golb’s profile can be found in SBG Issue 2
Warband 3 *It doesn’t matter what these orcs and elves
Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm are armed with, just adhere to the standard
Mirkwood Captain bow limits and use whatever models you
10 Palace Guard* have available

2016 Issue 3 SBG 11

 Scenario - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Layout
The battle takes place on a 4’ x 4’ board in the heart
of Dol Guldur so the battlefield should be covered
in ruins, rocky outcrops, dead trees and anything
else that helps to conjure up a suitably spooky
atmosphere. The northwest quarter of the board
should be relatively open, this is the courtyard table
quarter where the White Council will eventually
confront The Necromancer.
Starting Positions
Place Gandalf and Thrain within 3” of the centre
of the courtyard table quarter. Next, place The
Necromancer in the same table quarter, at least 10”
away from Gandalf and Thrain. No other models may
be deployed in the courtyard table quarter.
Next, the Evil player splits his army into three
equally sized contingents of 16 models each (if using
the suggested forces). Each contingent must contain
3 Ringwraiths.
The Good player then chooses one of his three
warbands and places all of the models in that
warband in one of the table quarters, at least 20”
from the courtyard table quarter. Next, the Evil
player deploys one of his three contingents in the
same table quarter; no Evil model can be placed
within 10” of any Good model. This is then repeated
for the remaining two table quarters until all models
are deployed.
The Evil side has Priority in the first turn.
The Good force cannot be Broken in this scenario.
The Evil force can be Broken as normal.
Good Objectives
• Break the Evil army
• Revive Gandalf
• Destroy The Necromancer
Evil Objectives
• Kill Thrain
• Destroy the White Council
(kill Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond,
Galadriel, Radagast and Thranduil)
12 SBG Issue 3 2016
Special Rules
The White Council: The power of the White
Council is greatly increased by their combined
strength. Saruman, Elrond, Galadriel, Radagast and
Thranduil begin the game with Fortify Spirit in play.
If any member of the White Council is reduced to
0 Will then Fortify Spirit no longer applies to that
Hero (although other Heroes remain unaffected). If
a member of the White Council is reduced to 0 Will
then Galadriel may cast Fortify Spirit on them again
as normal (as long as she has Will remaining).
All White Council members (excluding Gandalf)
benefit from the One of Purpose rule as normal with
the exception that they do not have to be within
6” of each other. As long as there are at least two
members left alive, they will all receive +1 to their
resist rolls wherever they are on the battlefield.
The Courtyard of The Necromancer: Gandalf,
Thrain and The Necromancer are the only models
allowed in the courtyard table quarter until the
Evil force has been Broken. They may not leave the
courtyard, nor may they cast spells or interact in
any way with other models outside the courtyard
and vice versa. Once the Evil force is Broken, any
surviving members of the White Council may
enter the courtyard. No other models may enter
the courtyard at any point with the exception of
the Ringwraiths who may be summoned by The
Necromancer (see below). All models inside the
courtyard, with the exception of Thrain, are Fearless.
Duel of The Maiar: Gandalf and The Necromancer
are locked in a bitter duel and are both drawing
upon unusual spells in an attempt to defeat their
opponent. In addition to their usual Magical Powers:
Gandalf can cast Banishment (4+/12”)
The Necromancer can cast Curse  (4+/12”)
Both of these spells can be Channelled as normal.
The battle starts after The Necromancer has
destroyed Gandalf’s staff, so Gandalf does not have
his Staff of Power in this scenario.
The Hill of Sorcery: The Necromancer has been
gathering his strength in secret and is now a potent
force. The Necromancer may expend 1 point of
Might per turn without reducing his Might store.
 Scenario - The Siege of Dol Guldur

There Is No Light, Wizard: If Gandalf is reduced to zero

Wounds, do not remove him from the table; instead, place the
model Prone (or replace him with a suitable objective marker)
in the centre of the courtyard. Once this has happened, The
Necromancer will start to drain Gandalf’s remaining life force -
this allows him to regain a Will point at the start of every turn
until Gandalf is revived (see below).

He Is Summoning His Servants: Once the Evil force is Broken

and before players roll for Priority, any remaining Ringwraiths
disappear from the battlefield and are placed in the courtyard
table quarter, at least 3” from any other model. If Gandalf has
been reduced to 0 Wounds then they each immediately regain
4 Will points as they begin to draw on his life force. In addition,
assuming Gandalf has been reduced to 0 Wounds, at the start
of each subsequent turn, each surviving Ringwraith within 6” of
him gains a point of Will until he is revived (see below).

Master of The Nine: The Necromancer may use the Will of

any Ringwraith in the courtyard as if it is his own.

Reviving Gandalf: The Good side will revive Gandalf if at least

one member of the White Council moves into base contact
with him and is not successfully Transfixed/Compelled or beaten
in combat for the rest of the turn. If Gandalf is never reduced
to zero Wounds then the Good side automatically counts as
having revived Gandalf for the purposes of their objective. Note
that if Gandalf is revived, he does not rejoin the Good army
as he is far too weak, instead, he is assumed to have escaped
to safety. However, even if revived, Gandalf still counts as being
‘killed’ for the purposes of the Evil player’s objective.

The Host of Mirkwood: Thranduil has led a great host from

Mirkwood to lay siege to the fortress. At the end of the Good
player’s Move Phase, he may roll a dice for every Good Warrior
that has died throughout the battle. On the roll of a 6, the elf
may re-enter play from the east or south board edge. Heroes
may not be brought back in this manner. Once the Evil force is
Broken, the Good player stops rolling for reinforcements.

Alternate Forces The exact make-up of

the Warriors in each
player’s army isn’t too important. If you don’t have the
exact participants listed then you could draw on different
army lists entirely. The elven army could be made up of
High Elf, Wood Elf or Galadhrim Warriors, whilst the Evil
force could be made up of Mordor Orcs and the various
troop types from the Angmar army list. Remember that
narrative scenarios should be played for fluff and fun, it
should be easy for two players to get together and create
two forces that fit the narrative from their collections.

2016 Issue 3 SBG 13

 Tactica - The Ringwraiths

TACTICA
Ed Ball has been playing the game since its inception and has won the Great British
Hobbit League twice. We asked him to take a break from his reign of terror and
share some tips about his beloved Nazgûl with one caveat: no Fell Beasts allowed!

Eagle-eyed observers may note that Ed only discusses six of The Nine in this article. He has picked six
of the more interesting Ringwraiths to examine as, in his words, “The Undying doesn’t die, The Knight of
Umbar kills stuff and The Betrayer is just a flying Spider Queen that helps you shoot stuff. ‘Nuff said.”

then would Sauron choose for Fortunately, Khamûl’s ability to

The Ringwraiths
So you want to know about The
Nine do you? Well, listen closely
General, whilst what follows isn’t
the introduction to the next
edition of the bestselling series,
‘Nazgûl for Dummies’ or ‘Black
Riders 101’, the notes below
describe how any aspiring Dark
Lord might best exercise Sauron’s
chief lieutenants (well, six of them
at least) to ensure that they cover
all the land in a second darkness.
Khamûl, the Easterling
Sauron’s second-most chieftain
is Khamûl, the Easterling. How,
or when, Khamûl slipped into
undeath is unknown; however,
what is known is that in times
past he has resided in Dol Guldur,
keeping watch over that dark
place as warden and castellan.
Despite residing at the Hill of
Sorcery, Khamûl is actually the
poorest of all Sauron’s great
sorcerers; his casting values are
generally one worse than those
of the other Ringwraiths. Why
14 SBG Issue 3 2016
him to be second in command?
Well, unusually for a Ringwraith,
adapt to any given situation (such
as when he is charged by an
Khamûl’s strengths do not lie enemy Hero before he can cast
in the natural magic of Middle- a spell) makes up for his inferior
earth, but in that of necromancy spell-casting prowess, as the
via his Essence Leech Special Rule: ability to parry a competent foe
Khamûl uses the strength and can be sufficient to ensure their
death of others to sustain himself undoing next turn!
by draining their life force at the
moment of their demise. It is by
this mockery of life that Khamûl’s
true strength becomes evident -
losing Will after a combat can be
fatal for a Ringwraith, yet Khamûl
has the ability to negate this key
weakness, which can be invaluable.
Furthermore, Khamûl is able to
boost his Strength, Fight value
or Attacks - with potentially
3 Attacks on the charge on
horseback (matching the Attacks,
if not the impact, of a charging Fell
Beast!), the ability to cut a swathe
through the enemy ranks is all
but assured. However, it is worth
noting that, because of his lack of
surety in the (more traditional)
Whilst there are no rules for
dark arts, the favoured Ringwraith
the Twilight Ringwraith models,
tactic of nullifying enemy leaders
they can still be used as normal
through Transfix is never a
wraiths for thematic purposes
guarantee for Khamûl.

Galadriel’s Channelled Fortify Spirit can scupper the Nazgûl’s traditional tactic of using Sap Will to negate
enemy spell-casters, as she will be able to roll two dice to resist each attempt (with a +2 bonus if she is
in range of another White Council member!). Then when it’s her turn, the Banishment begins...
The Shadow Lord
The Prince of Darkness himself!
The Shadow Lord is very similar
to unnamed Ringwraiths in terms
of stats, the one exception being
that he is the only wraith to have
a lowly Courage of 5, which can
be more significant than you
might think.
So what makes this otherwise
unimpressive Ringwraith such a
potentially vital addition to your
army? The Darkness! “Just listen
to the rhythm of my heart…” No.
Wait. Sorry. The Pall of Darkness
- the Evil equivalent of Blinding
Light. All shooting attacks only hit
models within 6” of The Shadow
Lord on the roll of a 6. The area
shrouded in darkness is large
enough to enclose a vast number
of your minions, meaning that The
Shadow Lord is often seen leading
horde armies. This combination
can be game winning, especially
against forces that rely on their
archery to reduce your superior
numbers before the lines clash.
With the enemy’s shooting
advantage negated, your own
army can engage these enemy
forces with your significantly
greater numbers intact, which
only bodes well for the next few
turns of slaughter.
Of course, your army may still
struggle to get the better of the
greatest enemy leaders even if
they do arrive in larger numbers.
Welcome The Shadow Lord stage
left - with a well-timed Transfix or
Compel, not only do you prevent
such Heroes from creating orc
sushi, but said Hero will be unable
to effectively defend themselves
against the massed blades of even
the lowliest servants of evil.
“Middle-earth has known mightier things than
wraiths destroyed by a single perfectly placed arrow”
The Tainted
This unholy spirit is without
doubt the weakest of The Nine;
irrespective of his low Will
pool, The Tainted’s 1 Fate point
means he will be banished 33%
of the time after taking a single
wound (or worse if he’s spent
his single Might point) - the only
named wraith with this seemingly
Tactica - The Ringwraiths
crippling handicap. So, in short this
wraith is bad and shouldn’t take
to the field of battle ever, right?
Wrong!
Although ostensibly over-
costed relative to an unnamed
Ringwraith, The Tainted makes
up for this via his Special Rules.
Seeping Decay is only a minor
perk given your own folk may
also succumb to that foul aura
(although admittedly life is cheap
under Sauron’s masterfully
malevolent gaze) but the
Miasmatic Presence The Tainted
emanates can be game winning!
This is a two-pronged rule:
the first part stops (all) nearby
Warriors from using a Hero’s
Stand Fast!, which alongside
Harbinger of Evil can be lethal. Of
course, this is something which
can only be taken advantage of in
the late-game and does require
some thought for the safety of
your own army as your own rank
and file could end up fleeing!
2016 Issue 3 SBG 15
 Tactica - The Ringwraiths
However, it is the second facet
of the Miasmatic Presence Special
Rule that has the potential to be
a death knell to your enemies:
preventing all Warriors from
taking part in Heroic Moves
is something that can unravel
your opponent’s plans most
expediently; again, careful planning
is required to use this Special
Rule effectively, as it also affects
your own ranks.
All of this means that The Tainted
needs to be where the fighting is
thickest, but well supported by
other Heroes (such as Mordor
Orc Shamans whose Fury will
protect your own Warriors) to
ensure that he can survive to the
latter stages of the battle.
Of course, Middle-earth has
known mightier things than
wraiths destroyed by a single
perfectly placed arrow, so above
all else, keep The Tainted hidden
behind your lines!
The Witch-king is a worrying sight to armies that include Gandalf, Saruman or Radagast - after he has
sapped their Will, he can then cast Your Staff is Broken, removing their ability to cast spells entirely!
16 SBG Issue 3 2016
The Dark Marshall
In the fell wastes of the southern
reaches of Middle-earth, it is fear
and oppression that are used to
keep the servants of evil in check.
Amongst Sauron’s armies, it is The
Dark Marshall who is best known
to Rule Through Fear: all whom
this sadistic king commands
fight without hesitation and with
devotion to the cause.
All friendly Warriors within 6”
of The Dark Marshall count as
being within range of a banner,
meaning that you want him in the
thick of the action, amongst the
masses! This bonus of counting as
a banner with such a large area
of effect (an area increased even
further when mounted) would
otherwise cost in excess of 100
“The Witch-king is a potent threat to anyone
who does not have Fate on their side”
points, so it could be said that The
Dark Marshall is one of the most
under-costed Heroes in the game!
Although The Dark Marshall has
2 fewer Will points than unnamed
Ringwraiths, there is no impact on
his spell-casting values, so, when
the time is right, this spirit can
join the fray with a well-placed
Transfix to deliver the telling blow
to any unfortunate soul who
stands in his way.
Finally, The Dark Marshall is the
only wraith that brings a natural
Fight value of 6 to the field of
battle (a boon that is sometimes
overlooked), meaning he can go
toe-to-toe with most Heroes,
although he will still need the help
of his pitiless underlings to deliver
the deathblow.

The Dwimmerlaik
Of all The Nine, least is known
about the one men call The
Dwimmerlaik, a strange and
twisted spirit who is far from
a mighty hero [Copy Ed - quite
literally in fact, as he has no Might!]
but whose Sap Fortitude ability
ever strikes fear and doubt in the
minds of the enemy. This Special
Rule has the ability to double
the required expenditure of any
enemy Hero’s valuable Might, Will
and Fate a staggering 50% of the
time (or more if the dice gods
abandon your enemy!).
Sap Fortitude only affects Heroes
within 12” of The Dwimmerlaik,
so this lingering soul will benefit
from effective placement on the
battlefield - this should have a far
greater impact on the enemy’s
A Fell Beast dramatically increases a Ringwraith’s potential damage
output, transforming their role on the battlefield. Théoden’s lack of
Will makes him especially vulnerable to an attack from the skies!
Might stores than the lack of The
Dwimmerlaik’s has on your own.
What is more, if a Hero cannot
afford to pay the additional cost
required, their action is cancelled
and the Might, Will or Fate already
committed is lost, making it easy
to see why this infestation of evil
is so feared by opponents.
And the drawbacks to such
malevolence? Well, it’s all in the
hands of Fate - with no Might to
steer Fate’s course, a single arrow
can easily slay The Dwimmerlaik
from afar, so keep him well hidden
behind the orcish hordes who
accompany him! From there,
you can use The Dwimmerlaik’s
healthy supply of Will to heap
further misery on your opponent,
preying on their stretched
reserves of Will and ultimately
ensuring their downfall.
Tactica - The Ringwraiths
The Witch-king
Feared amongst the wise and
second only to the Dark Lord
himself is The Witch-king of
Angmar. As the Black Captain
of the Nine, The Witch-king has
exclusive access to two of the
Úlairi’s deadliest tools in the form
of a Morgul Blade and the Crown of
Morgul. A Morgul Blade is capable
of sapping the very life force of
the mightiest lord (or even the
Desolator of the North!) with but
a single touch.
This weapon can be made even
more effective through the
addition of the Crown of Morgul,
which fills The Witch-king with
abhorrent power, increasing his
Attacks to 3. This allows him to
deal a flurry of blows that usually
results in the slaughter of all
who are unfortunate enough to
stand against him. When both
these tools are used together, The
Witch-king is a potent threat to
anyone who does not have Fate
on their side (especially when
mounted on a horse), so attempt
to whittle down the Fate of a
key multi-Wound enemy using
your expendable minions, before
sending in The Witch-king to
deliver the fatal blow.
The only drawback of this
combination is the expense: the
total cost of a Morgul Blade, horse
and Crown of Morgul is equal to
that of a Fell Beast - which of
course is even mightier! [Copy Ed
- is that perhaps because Fell Beasts
are under-costed? Maybe we should
save that discussion for another
article…]
Like all wraiths, The Witch-king
is a powerful sorcerer, yet it is
his unique ability to shatter the
spirit of the Istari through Your
2016 Issue 3 SBG 17
 Tactica - The Ringwraiths

Staff is Broken that really sets him
apart from the rest. Followed
by a successful Sap Will or two,
this spell can take even the most
powerful of wizards out of the
game without having to actually
kill them, which can turn the tide
of battle decisively in your favour.
However, what makes the Witch-
king perhaps Sauron’s most
valuable servant is his ability to
take to the field in a garb that
best suits the needs of his cruel
master. From attending the field
as a mere waif of his true self
(representing his weaker form on
the borders of the Shire), through
to brazenly wreaking havoc as a
vestige of war upon the battlefield
(representing his appearance
on a Fell Beast at the Battle of
Pelennor Fields), the Witch-king
is able to fit into any of the Black
Hand’s myriad armies. Thanks to
his ability to start the game with
customisable Might, Will, Fate,
Attacks (via the Crown of Morgul)
and mounts, it is up to you to
determine what role he will play.
So, is there a downside to
this truly versatile Hero? Well,
beware mimicking The Witch-
king by becoming arrogant or
overconfident, as even when

Categoraiths under the Crown of Morgul, The

Witch-king is still vulnerable with
only 1 Wound - perhaps a man
Aggressors - Wraiths that take the fight to the enemy single-
could kill him after all…
handedly: Khamûl, The Easterling & The Knight of Umbar
Supporters - Wraiths best utilised with an army around them, The Age of Men Is Over...
letting the minions to do the bulk of the work with the help of
their support: The Dark Marshall & The Betrayer And thus General, my advice
comes to an end. Of course, all
Controllers - Wraiths that slink around at the back of an army, the subtleties above are amplified
their mere presence a constant threat and annoyance to the exponentially (and magnificently!)
enemy: The Tainted, The Dwimmerlaik & The Shadow Lord should you choose to come at
All-Rounders - Wraiths that can do all of the above to your enemies atop those dread
reasonable levels, but can be found lacking in more extreme Fell Beasts - there is then little
situations: The Undying & The Witch-king of Angmar that your enemy can do, save to
trust to luck and, with kindled
hope, pray their hiding places
don’t become their graves…

The Nazgûl are powerful individually but their strength grows exponentially when they are together. For
an in-depth look at how Matt Davies created these incredible Ringwraith sculpts, turn to page 36.

18 SBG Issue 3 2016

 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur

BATTLE
A
REPORT
Battle Report thirteen months in the making! It’s finally time to test out
our new scenario as Tom leads the White Council to war against Matt
Davies’ army of The Necromancer, all played out over Barry O’Neill’s
spectacular Dol Guldur board. Will the White Council prevail? Only time will tell!
bound to creep through. I will try to neutralise the

The Siege of Dol Guldur
Tom: It’s been almost two years
since I last sat down to write my
pre-game thoughts for an SBG
Battle Report and, whilst I can
remember being excited then, this
time it’s on a completely different
level - the amazing terrain and
custom miniatures look incredible so I’m itching to
get stuck in! I have the honour of leading the White
Council into battle and, with such a powerful array
of Heroes, surely I will stroll to victory?
 
Of course I won’t! The Nine have the potential to
ruin everything for my Heroes via a barrage of Sap
Wills and Transfixes; even though the White Council
start the game with Fortify Spirit in play, something is
Ringwraiths’ magical threat by quickly engaging them
in combat - this should ensure that my Heroes are
strong enough to take on The Necromancer when
they eventually reach the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, I’m hoping that Gandalf can
survive as long as possible and drain some of The
Necromancer’s precious Will away. Thrain will
surely die swiftly but there is a very slim chance he
can pass his Shattered Spirit test on a double and
ruin Sauron’s day. Once the White Council arrive,
I will look to revive Gandalf as soon as possible by
charging straight at the Ringwraiths - very much in
keeping with the epic moments seen in The Hobbit:
The Battle of the Five Armies. If all goes to plan, Elrond
and Thranduil will fight the Ringwraiths in combat
whilst Saruman and Galadriel can hopefully engage
in a magical battle with The Necromancer himself.
Leave Sauron to me! 

The White Council lead a host of 34 elves in their quest to save Gandalf and destroy The Necromancer!

2016 Issue 3 SBG 19

 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur

Matt: Having spent the last
nine months sculpting the
Ringwraiths, I was thrilled to
get the opportunity to lead
my creations into battle across
Barry O’Neill’s amazing Dol
Guldur board. I begin the
game with ten spell-casters
and a staggering 155 Will
points! However, whilst this may seem like an almost
unlimited resource, I will have to restrain myself to
ensure that my Ringwraiths make it to the courtyard
with enough Will to take on the White Council.
Having sculpted the Nazgûl to carry the weapons
that they use in the films, I have also made the
decision to always Special Strike with them in
combat, hopefully allowing their unique weaponry
to create some iconic moments. I’m particularly
interested to see how the ability to Bash and
Piercing Strike changes the Ringwraiths’ utility
during the battle and I can’t wait to see how each
of them perform. Just as the time has come for my
wraiths to awaken for battle, so the time has come
for the White Council to meet their doom!

Nonetheless, I will need to invest some Will points

Naming The Nine Ascenario
quick glance at the
participants
on page 11 reveals that, alongside The Witch-
into an attempt to subdue Thranduil and Elrond, at
king and Khamûl, Matt’s force contains seven
least one of whom will need to be taken out before
unnamed Ringwraiths. Our primary intention
they enter the courtyard if I am to stand any chance
was to make the scenario cinematic and we had
of victory. Conversely, I will need an inordinate
no desire to include the named wraiths with
amount of luck for my spells to get past Saruman’s
their multitude of Special Rules (just think what
magical defences; instead, I’ll attempt to engage the
an effect the Dwimmerlaik’s Sap Fortitude would
White Wizard in combat to limit his damage output.
have on this battle!). However, we were very
Steve Crowe’s fantastic spiders should help here
aware of how hard it would be to keep track
and I hope to use their large movement and ability
of seven unnamed Ringwraiths throughout the
to scale surfaces to sneak up on Tom’s army and
battle so we assigned each of Matt’s sculpts
hopefully kill a powerful wizard or two in combat.
one of the named Ringwraiths’ titles (for more
insight into our choices, turn to page 39).
In the courtyard, I need The Necromancer to
This allowed us to keep track of each wraith
dispatch Gandalf and Thrain as quickly as possible,
throughout the game as well as giving each
since this will give me the best chance of surviving
model a little more character and identity than
once the White Council arrive. Hopefully, by the
simply calling them ‘Ringwraith 4’ etc. However,
time the Nazgûl have been summoned back into the
whilst we may call them The Betrayer, The
courtyard, their magical assault will have severely
Undying, The Tainted etc., they are unnamed
reduced Tom’s Will supplies - giving me a great
Ringwraiths for the purposes of their rules.
opportunity to overcome his Heroes in combat.

The Witch-king leads the defence of Dol Guldur, accompanied by the other Ringwraiths and a host of
orcs, spiders and bats. If the defence fails then The Necromancer himself will be forced to enter the fray!

20 SBG Issue 3 2016

 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur

Deployment

Deployment:
The army of the
White Council arrives
from all sides: Elrond and
Saruman in the southwest quarter,
Galadriel and Radagast in the southeast and
Thranduil in the northeast (inset). Meanwhile, in
the courtyard, Gandalf and Thrain fight for their lives
against The Necromancer himself! The board is set...

The Forgotten Spells We have

tried to
Turn 1
record the events of each turn in as
Matt made his intentions for the battle clear by sending his
much detail as possible throughout the
forces surging forwards and using the Ringwraiths to target
Battle Report. However, during the game
Tom’s Heroes with an opening magical barrage of four Sap
we had up to fifteen Heroes casting and
Wills. The White Council’s Fortify Spirit and One of Purpose
resisting spells each turn and it would
Special Rules prevented the worst of this gambit, although
be impossible to recount everything
Thranduil had to use an extra Will point and Elrond both a
without taking up the entire issue. As
Will point and a Might point to resist the spells. 
such, we have omitted several occasions
where either a Hero’s casting roll failed
In retaliation, Galadriel led three Mirkwood Elves into
or the target of the spell resisted.
combat with a Hunter Orc, whilst Radagast and a Mirkwood
These events are easy to remove from
Elf charged a Hunter Orc on Fell Warg. Both Hunter Orcs
the narrative as they have little effect
fell in quick succession and the Fell Warg mount failed its
on the wider battle beyond the loss
Courage Test and fled the battlefield.
of a few Will points from the various
Ringwraiths. Therefore, if you find
To their left, Saruman cast Sorcerous Blast on a Hunter Orc
yourself wondering why a spell-caster is
on the bridge above him, sending the orc flying off the edge
absent from the narrative in any given
to its death four stories below. Elsewhere, two Giant Spiders
turn, it’s probably because their spell
killed a Palace Guard and a Mirkwood Elf, whilst a Mirkwood
was either unsuccessful or resisted.
Elf killed a Hunter Orc as the fighting began in earnest.
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 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur

Turn 2
With Good winning Priority, Tom pushed his forces
forward allowing Thranduil to enter the fray. The Elf
King started well, killing a Hunter Orc and wounding a
Mirkwood Spider.

High above the battlefield, Elrond sprinted along the

bridge connecting the southern board edge to the
courtyard, effortlessly jumping the broken section and
charging into a Hunter Orc. Spotting the danger, Matt
targeted Elrond with Sap Wills from The Shadow Lord
and The Undying and Tom had to use Elrond’s final two
Might points and another Will point to resist! Despite
this, the Elf Lord easily overcame the orc who opposed
him, sending his body tumbling from the bridge and
leaving Elrond with an unimpeded path to The Tainted!

Despite the elven Heroes’ progress, across the

Tom checks to see if Galadriel has Line of
battlefield the fighting went the way of Evil, with three
Sight to The Dark Marshall in an attempt to
Palace Guard and three Mirkwood Elves falling for the
destroy the Ringwraith with Banishment!
loss of only two spiders and a Hunter Orc on Fell Warg.

Saruman blasts a Hunter Orc from the bridge above, allowing Elrond to cut a clear path to The Tainted!

22 SBG Issue 3 2016


Turn 3
For the second turn in a row, Good won Priority
but, sensing a chance to get the jump on Thranduil,
The Dark Marshall called a Heroic Move which
was immediately countered by the King of
Mirkwood. Unfortunately for Tom, Evil won the
roll-off and The Witch-king successfully cast Sap Will
on Thranduil on the roll of a 6! Thanks to the One
of Purpose rule, Tom needed to roll a 5+ to resist
but groaned as he could only manage a 4 - letting
the spell through would leave Thranduil extremely
vulnerable to being Transfixed. However, since Matt
had no remaining wraiths to target Thranduil this
turn, Tom decided to save his Might to help in the
coming fights rather than use it to resist the spell.
Thranduil was then charged by two Giant Spiders
and a Bat Swarm but, despite rolling six dice and
having the higher Fight value, Matt only rolled a 5
highest and was punished by Tom who duly rolled
a 6 to win the Fight. Seizing the initiative, Thranduil
inflicted three wounds on the Bat Swarm and,
fearing having the Elf King’s Fight value halved again,
Tom used a Might point to inflict a fourth wound
and kill the Bat Swarm in a single turn!
Saruman finds himself attacked by a Bat Swarm!
Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Nearby, things were going from bad to worse for
Thranduil’s bodyguard, with another four Palace
Guard falling to the denizens of Dol Guldur.
Spotting a chance to remove a Ringwraith early in
the battle, Galadriel cast Banishment on The Betrayer
who failed to resist but, thankfully for Matt, passed
his Fate roll. The Betrayer retaliated by Transfixing
the Mirkwood Captain before rushing up to support
the Hunter Orc fighting him [Ed - See the box-out on
page 24], winning the ensuing Fight and wounding
the elf. However, two spiders and a Hunter Orc fell
to the onslaught of Galadriel and Radagast, freeing
the way for the White Council to plunge deeper
into the fortress.
Sensing that Elrond was becoming vulnerable,
Khamûl, The Undying, The Tainted and The Shadow
Lord all cast Sap Will on the Elf Lord but, much to
Matt’s frustration, Elrond resisted them all. Even
this early in the game, Matt’s constant two-dice Sap
Wills were making a dent in the Will stores of the
Ringwraiths - they couldn’t keep up this level of
spell-casting for too long…
Thranduil fights for his life in the fortress depths!
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 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur

The Spears of the Nazgûl
Matt’s incredible reproduction of the Ringwraiths from The Hobbit:
The Battle of the Five Armies generated an interesting question
during the game. Matt had followed the WETA designs as closely
as possible meaning that both The Betrayer and The Shadow Lord
had spears. This allowed Matt’s Ringwraiths to support friendly
models in combat and raised the question of whether or not they
would lose a Will point as they had “been in a Fight”. Ultimately we
decided that, as supporting models are not traditionally thought of
as being ‘in’ the Fight (they can be shot at, maintain their Control
Zones, can’t be struck etc.), the Ringwraiths should not lose a point
of Will for fighting in this manner. This also opened up a devious
way for Matt to benefit from the Nazgûl’s Fight value of 5 in Duels
with the elves whilst keeping his Ringwraiths relatively safe.

Turn 4 two Mirkwood Elves, won the Fight and

With Evil winning Priority, Tom called a Heroic Move with
Galadriel, hoping that she would be able to cast Fortify Spirit
on the weakened Thranduil; however, Matt countered with a
Heroic Move from Golb and cackled with glee as he won the
roll-off again. Much to Tom’s annoyance, Galadriel was quickly
charged and, without the protection of Fortify Spirit, Thranduil
was Transfixed by The Dwimmerlaik, before 2 Giant Spiders, a
Hunter Orc and The Witch-king himself all charged the Elf Lord!
The ensuing combat saw Matt easily win the Fight but, despite
rolling fourteen dice needing 5s To Wound, Matt only managed
to inflict three wounds and Tom was able to save one of these
by using two Fate points. Thranduil had somehow escaped with
1 Wound and 1 Fate remaining! Matt howled in frustration at
the missed opportunity to rid himself of the White Council’s
finest warrior. Tom was still celebrating his good luck when the
Bat Swarm in the southwest corner charged into Saruman and
managed to inflict two wounds on the
Head of the Istari! To make matters
worse, Tom rolled two 1s for his first
two Fate points before eventually
passing his third, leaving Saruman with
just 2 Wounds and 0 Fate!
For the second turn running, Khamûl,
The Undying, The Tainted and The
Shadow Lord all cast Sap Will on Elrond
but he again resisted them all! That
was eight spells in a row that Elrond
had resisted - Matt was fuming! Seeing
Elrond bearing down on him, The
Tainted fled down the tower staircase
with the Elf Lord in hot pursuit.
Matt’s fury at his wraiths’ casting
abilities was not helped when The
Betrayer failed to Transfix the Mirkwood
Captain and The Knight of Umbar
rolled a double 1 in an attempt to
cast Sap Will on Galadriel - they would
answer to Sauron tonight… Once again,
Matt charged a Hunter Orc into the
Mirkwood Captain with The Betrayer
supporting, but this time the elf gained
the upper hand and slaughtered the orc,
leaving a clear path to the Ringwraith!

Elsewhere, another Palace Guard and

three Mirkwood Elves fell to the poison
of the spiders, but Tom was receiving a
few reinforcements every turn and the
numbers of the elves were beginning to
tell as they killed a Hunter Orc on Fell
Matt and Tom explore every inch of Barry’s awesome terrain
Warg and another three spiders.
24 SBG Issue 3 2016

Galadriel and the Mirkwood Captain charge The Betrayer as The
Knight of Umbar flees from the fury of Radagast and the elves!
Turn 5
Good won back Priority and The Witch-king called a
Heroic Move, which was immediately countered by
the Mirkwood Captain, again in the hope of allowing
Galadriel to cast Fortify Spirit on Thranduil. Both
players held their breath as the dice for the roll-off
bounced across the table and Tom was relieved to
see it go his way this time. Tom started by charging
the Mirkwood Captain into The Betrayer and then
made the foolish mistake of saying ‘anything but a
1’ as Galadriel attempted to cast Fortify Spirit on
Thranduil - nobody was surprised to see the dice
land on 1! With a frustrated sigh Tom had to use
one of Galadriel’s Might points to ensure that the
spell succeeded and give Thranduil renewed hope
against the spell-casting of the wraiths. Galadriel
then joined the Mirkwood Captain in charging The
Betrayer and the wraith was struck down in combat
- the first of The Nine had been banished!
In retaliation, Matt took a gamble with The Dark
Marshall (who was running low on Will) by casting
Sap Will on Galadriel using one dice, which paid off
spectacularly when Tom, in a strange tactical misstep,
decided to roll a double 1 for his Fortify Spirit roll!
However, Galadriel only lost two points of Will,
much to Tom’s relief.
The Witch-king was able to cast Transfix on
Thranduil on the roll of a 6 and, despite once again
benefiting from Fortify Spirit, Thranduil could only
roll a 4 highest, leaving him in dire trouble as he was
Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Thranduil’s elves are ambushed
by the garrison of Dol Guldur!
quickly surrounded by The Witch-king, a Hunter Orc
and a Giant Spider. Matt managed to roll the 6 he
needed to win the Fight and The Witch-king himself
stepped forward and thrust his blade into the King
of Mirkwood’s heart - the first member of the
White Council had fallen on the same turn as the
first Ringwraith! Across the rest of the battlefield,
a Giant Spider and a Hunter Orc were killed, but
the Evil forces were buoyed on by the success of
The Witch-king as a Palace Guard and two more
Mirkwood Elves fell beneath their vicious blades.
Turn 6
With Evil winning Priority, the Mirkwood Captain
called a Heroic Move in an attempt to trap and kill
The Knight of Umbar with Galadriel and Radagast.
The Ringwraith was forced to counter with a Heroic
Move of his own and Matt breathed a sigh of relief
as the roll-off went his way, allowing The Knight of
Umbar to flee from the fury of the Elf Queen. 
Galadriel cast a contemptuous one dice Banishment
at the Dark Marshall on the roll of a 6, but the
wraith used three Will points to successfully resist
the attack. Tom gnashed his teeth in frustration -
whilst The Dark Marshall was now down to only
2 Will, taking out another Ringwraith before the
showdown in the courtyard would have been a
huge bonus. Accompanied by three Mirkwood
Elves, Galadriel then charged into a Giant Spider
and called a Heroic Combat, she easily killed the
beast and then charged into The Knight of Umbar -
2016 Issue 3 SBG 25
 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur

inspired by their queen, all three elves passed their Courage

Tests and also charged the wraith. In the ensuing combat, the
elves won the Fight with ease, but were unable to wound
the trapped Ringwraith - Tom couldn’t believe it!

Sensing that the elven army was getting the upper hand,
Khamûl, The Shadow Lord, The Tainted and The Undying all
darted back around the southwest tower, fleeing from the
wrath of Elrond and Saruman in order to preserve their Will.

On the far west of the board, Tom’s bad luck from Turn 4
repeated itself as Saruman and two Mirkwood Elves were
beaten by a charging Hunter Orc on Fell Warg and knocked
down! Tom looked on in horror as Matt rolled To Wound
with four dice needing 5s against Saruman, but in a lucky
escape, the White Wizard took no damage.

Across the battlefield, things continued to go the way of Evil:

a Palace Guard and two Mirkwood Elves died and Radagast
lost his Fight against a Giant Spider and had to expend a Fate Tom is not at all impressed by this orc’s
point. Much to Tom’s frustration, the Evil force was just one unexpected success against Saruman
model away from being Broken, so the White Council still
couldn’t enter the courtyard and attempt to save Gandalf.

Turn 7
Evil won Priority and Matt immediately charged Elrond with
a Hunter Orc on Fell Warg to prevent him from charging
The Tainted; Saruman subsequently Immobilised the orc and
Elrond easily dispatched the Hunter Orc and his mount.

Knowing that The Knight of Umbar was surrounded with

little chance of surviving, Matt chose to cast Sap Will on
Galadriel with two of the wraith’s remaining three Will
points in a last ditch attempt to weaken the she-elf before
charging in but, sadly for Matt, Galadriel resisted the spell.
Things weren’t going all Tom’s way though as Radagast was
charged and trapped by two Hunter Orcs on Fell Wargs, a
Giant Spider and a Hunter Orc. Luckily for the wizard, three
nearby elves were able to counter-charge, leaving Radagast
fighting only one Giant Spider - this proved fortunate, as the
wizard lost the Fight and took a wound.

However, the biggest event of the turn was Galadriel beating

The Knight of Umbar in combat as, whilst she didn’t inflict a
wound, the Fight drew the wraith’s last Will point! With that,
the fell spirit vanished from the field of battle, preventing
a second wraith from returning to his master in the
courtyard and breaking the Evil army in one fell swoop! The
The Tainted,The Shadow Lord and The
White Council had broken through Dol Guldur’s defences
Undying flee down a crumbling tower
and could now enter the courtyard and challenge The
from the wrath of Elrond and Saruman!
Necromancer, but were they too late to save Gandalf?
26 SBG Issue 3 2016

The Duel of the Maiar
Meanwhile, as the White Council were cutting their
way through the garrison of Dol Guldur, Gandalf
and Thrain were fighting for their lives against The
Necromancer. Matt began the duel by using The
Necromancer’s free Might point to cast Channelled
Sap Will on Gandalf on the roll of a 6. Tom looked
nervous as he opted to resist with two Will points
but let out a whoop of delight as he also rolled a 6!
In the next turn, Thrain failed his Shattered Spirit test
and remained frozen in terror for the turn. Matt
cast Sap Will on Gandalf who failed to resist, leaving
the wizard with 0 Will remaining. The Necromancer
then charged into combat with Gandalf, won the
Fight (although both Matt and Tom used a point of
Might on their Duel rolls) and caused a wound on
The Grey Pilgrim, only for the wizard to prevent it
using his first Fate point.
Turn 3 started with Thrain cowering behind Gandalf
after the dwarf failed his Shattered Spirit test yet
again. The Necromancer cast Curse as he charged
Gandalf, reducing the wizard to 1 Fate. Gandalf won
the ensuing Duel but, much to Tom’s frustration,
failed to wound the formless horror.
Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Tom roared in delight at the start of Turn 4 as
Thrain passed his Shattered Spirit test on a double
4, meaning the dwarf gained +2 to his Fight value,
Strength, Attacks and Courage! In an attempt to
capitalise on Thrain’s enraged state, Tom charged
both the dwarf and Gandalf into The Necromancer,
sending Matt into a cold sweat. However, The
Necromancer did not share Matt’s fears and showed
his disdain for Thrain’s increased statline by rolling
a 6 to win the Fight before killing the dwarf with a
single touch thanks to his Drain Soul Special Rule.
In Turn 5, The Necromancer cast Curse as he
charged into Gandalf and the wizard’s final Fate
point was stolen away. The Necromancer won the
ensuing Fight and, again thanks to his Drain Soul
ability, struck down The Grey Pilgrim with a single
blow. Gandalf and Thrain had fallen after five turns
but had put up a strong fight - The Necromancer
was left with just 12 Will points but would now
regain a point of Will every turn until the White
Council revived Gandalf. The clock was ticking...
2016 Issue 3 SBG 27
 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Turn 8
Realising that the Evil force was faltering, the seven
remaining Ringwraiths vanished from the table,
reappearing in the courtyard where they each
immediately regained 4 Will points by drawing on
Gandalf’s failing life force. Seeing their masters
retreat, ten of the fifteen remaining Evil models fled
the board following failed Courage Tests.
With Good winning Priority, Saruman, Elrond and
Galadriel all entered the courtyard to face the might
of The Necromancer and the Ringwraiths, whilst
Radagast rushed forwards, hoping to join them next
28 SBG Issue 3 2016
turn. Galadriel cast Banishment on Khamûl who
failed to resist and had to use his final point of both
Fate and Might to survive! Urged on by their master,
five of the Ringwraiths retaliated by attempting
to cast Black Dart on Elrond but, much to Matt’s
annoyance, they all failed.
Finally, The Dwimmerlaik charged into combat with
Saruman and both Matt and Tom decided to fight
with their two-handed weapons. Saruman won the
Duel and caused a wound which Matt was relieved
to see saved by The Dwimmerlaik’s only Fate point.

Turn 9
Evil won Priority and, after fighting off spells from
The Witch-king and The Necromancer, Elrond finally
failed a resist roll as The Shadow Lord successfully
cast Sap Will, removing Elrond’s last Will point and,
more importantly, the effect of Fortify Spirit. Elrond
was now helpless in the face of magical attacks and
The Tainted took full advantage by casting Black
Dart, which cost the Elf Lord a Fate point. In an
attempt to protect her kinsman from future attacks,
Galadriel cast Fortify Spirit on Elrond, then charged
the Dark Marshall but, whilst the Elf Queen won the
Fight, she could not wound the wraith.
Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Outside the courtyard, Matt’s last remaining Hunter
Orc on Fell Warg charged Radagast to pin him in
place for another turn, or so he thought… Tom
surrounded the orc with three Mirkwood Elves and
called a Heroic Combat with Radagast. The wizard
killed the orc and charged into the courtyard,
straight into Khamûl! Radagast used a point of Might
to win the ensuing Fight and Khamûl failed his final
Fate roll and was killed! Tom’s sheer, unadulterated
glee in the face of this unexpected and unlikely turn
of events was only matched by Matt’s shock and
disgust. Had the odds just swung in Tom’s favour?
2016 Issue 3 SBG 29
 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Turn 10
As Good won back Priority, Matt called a Heroic
Move with The Tainted; Tom was running low on
Might but countered with Saruman and, luckily for
the White Council, he won the roll-off. Saruman
began by Sorcerous Blasting The Undying through The
Tainted, knocking them both to the floor, before
charging into The Dwimmerlaik. In the ensuing Duel,
The Dwimmerlaik bested Saruman but, despite
fighting two-handed, the wraith could not wound
the wizard who was now back up to 3 Wounds
thanks to a timely Renew from Radagast.
Elrond took advantage of Saruman’s Sorcerous Blast
by charging the two Prone wraiths, yet it wouldn’t
be easy for the Elf Lord as he was then surrounded
by The Shadow Lord and The Witch-king, who called
a Heroic Strike! Elrond maintained his Fight value
advantage thanks to his Champion of the Free Peoples
Special Rule, yet to Tom’s dismay could only manage
a 2 highest in the Fight! The Ringwraiths attacked in
force, leaving Elrond with 2 Wounds and 0 Fate!
The Necromancer cast a Channelled Chill Soul
against Galadriel but she bravely resisted the
spell. However, the effort had clearly weakened
the Elf Queen as she failed to cast Banishment on
The Undying and then failed to damage The Dark
Marshall after winning her Fight against the wraith.
The Necromancer sends his remaining servants
to attack Saruman, Elrond and Galadriel as he
continues to draw on Gandalf’s failing life force
30 SBG Issue 3 2016
Turn 11
Tom won Priority and Matt called a Heroic Move
with The Dwimmerlaik; again Saruman countered
but this time the roll-off went to Evil. Seizing the
initiative, The Witch-king, The Dwimmerlaik and
The Necromancer all surrounded Elrond and The
Shadow Lord managed to successfully Transfix the
Lord of Rivendell. Matt didn’t know it at the time,
but this would be the last successful spell he would
cast in the battle!
In an attempt to help Elrond, Galadriel used
her free point of Will to cast Banishment on The
Dwimmerlaik and Tom roared with delight as he
rolled a 6. The Dwimmerlaik had 11 Will points
left but no Fate or Might, leaving Matt with an
agonising decision: how many Will points should
he use to resist? He eventually chose to use 6 Will,
but this backfired as he only rolled a 5 highest and
The Dwimmerlaik vanished from the table! Having
destroyed her third Ringwraith, Galadriel moved
into base contact with Gandalf, hoping to revive him. 
The Dark Marshall and The Shadow Lord charged
Radagast, whilst The Undying and The Tainted
charged Saruman and the power of the Ringwraiths
overcame both wizards. The Dark Marshall had
Piercing Struck and swung his huge axe into
Radagast, wounding the wizard and forcing him to
Radagast is late to arrive but immediately makes
his presence felt by charging straight into Khamûl
and killing the foul spirit in the resulting combat!
 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur

use both of his remaining Fate points. The Undying and The Tainted had
both fought two-handed against Saruman and The Undying opted to Bash
the wizard, knocking him to the ground before the Piercing Striking axe of
The Tainted inflicted two wounds on the Head of the White Council!

Yet, hope was not lost for Tom as Gandalf was revived by Galadriel, fulfilling
the second of his three objectives; this meant that Matt’s Ringwraiths would
no longer receive a free Will point every turn - they would have to get the
job done with their existing Will stores! However, Tom’s joy was short-lived
as The Necromancer and The Witch-king won their Duel against Elrond and
the Necromancer’s Drain Soul ability instantly killed The Lord of the West! 

Turn 12
Evil won Priority and Saruman called his third consecutive Heroic Move,
but The Necromancer countered and Matt won the roll-off once again.
Matt was determined to stop Galadriel casting Banishment, so he charged
The Necromancer and The Witch-king into the Elf Queen. Galadriel won
the ensuing Fight but failed to wound either of the evil spirits.

The Undying and The Tainted charged the Prone Saruman who only rolled a
2 in the Duel! However, Matt’s joy turned to despair as his wraiths rolled a
1 and a 2 and the roll-off went to Tom, allowing Saruman to stand up - Matt
had missed a huge opportunity to rid himself of the powerful wizard.

Things went from bad to worse for Matt as The Dark Marshall and the Matt debates how many
Shadow Lord charged Radagast; this time The Dark Marshall’s Piercing of The Dwimmerlaik’s
Strike left him exposed and the wizard was able to win the Fight and kill 11 Will to use to resist
the vulnerable wraith in a single blow! Just four Ringwraiths now remained Banishment. He chose 6...
to oppose the White Council - was victory slipping from Matt’s grasp?

Galadriel attempts to revive the stricken Gandalf as Elrond rushes into combat with The Necromancer!

2016 Issue 3 SBG 31

 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Turn 13
With Good winning Priority, The Necromancer used
his free Might point to call a Heroic Move, forcing
Radagast to use the White Council’s last Might
point to counter. However, Evil won the roll-off for
the third turn in a row and The Necromancer and
The Shadow Lord charged into Radagast, cancelling
his Heroic Move. Matt was no longer attempting
to cast any spells - with only fifteen Will points left
between the remaining Evil models, every last one
was precious!
The Witch-king charged Galadriel and Tom could
only watch as Matt won the ensuing Fight and
inflicted a wound on the Lady of Light, which she
prevented by using her first two Fate points.
The Undying and The Tainted charged Saruman, The
Tainted Piercing Striking with his huge two-handed
axe. Matt was sure Saruman was doomed when Tom
rolled a 3 but yet again Matt could only match his
roll! The roll-off went to Good, causing The Tainted’s
Defence to drop to 6, and Saruman smashed him to
the ground - one failed Fate roll later and another
wraith had fallen! However, no sooner had Tom
started celebrating the fall of another Ringwraith
than The Shadow Lord and The Necromancer won
their Fight against Radagast and the wraith thrust his
spear into the wizard’s chest - killing him instantly!
Radagast valiantly charges into The Necromancer in a desperate attempt to avenge the fallen Elrond!
32 SBG Issue 3 2016
Turn 14
The game was swinging dramatically back and forth
and looked to be back in Matt’s favour. However,
The Necromancer was now down to 1 Will point
and would have to start to draw on the Will of his
remaining servants to survive…
Good won Priority and Matt declined to call a
Heroic Move so that The Necromancer could keep
his free Might point for the coming combats. Seeing
Galadriel surrounded on all sides, Saruman rushed
to her aid and Immobilised The Necromancer on
the roll of a 6 which Matt accepted rather than
risk a resist roll as he now had only ten Will points
remaining on the board! Saruman then charged both
The Undying and The Shadow Lord, whilst Galadriel
charged The Witch-king and inflicted a wound,
forcing Matt to use a Fate point to keep the Lord of
the Nazgûl on the table!
Despite his earlier heroic efforts, Saruman lost his
Duel with the Ringwraiths and, for the second turn
in a row, The Shadow Lord’s spear found its mark
and finally killed the Head of the Istari! However,
fighting in the Duel drew The Undying’s last point of
Will and he vanished from the table with a scream.
Galadriel was now standing alone against The
Necromancer, The Witch-king and The Shadow Lord,
but they only had 6 Will points between them!

Turn 15
Good won Priority and, terrified of Galadriel’s
Banishment spell, The Necromancer used his free
Might point to call a Heroic Move which allowed
all three Evil models to charge into Galadriel and
trap her. The onslaught of the Ringwraiths and their
master was too much for Galadriel and The Shadow
Lord and The Necromancer inflicted three wounds!
Both players held their breath as Tom rolled
Galadriel’s final Fate point before his roar of delight
let us know she had survived!
After giving up their Will points for fighting
Galadriel, The Witch-king and The Shadow Lord
had one and two Will points remaining respectively.
The Necromancer only had one Will point and so
would have to use a point of Will from one of his
Ringwraiths to stay alive.
Matt had two options: he could reduce his three
models to one Will each, meaning they would
almost certainly all die next turn but he would still
be able to trap Galadriel, or he could sacrifice The
Witch-king, giving The Necromancer a chance of
surviving another turn but reducing his chances
of killing Galadriel. After agonising for a long time,
Matt chose to sacrifice The Witch-king to keep The
Necromancer alive and his chief servant vanished in
a cloud of smoke.  little chance of survival in the wars to come...
One light, alone in the darkness - Galadriel stands alone against The Necromancer, The Shadow Lord and The
Witch-king, whilst Tom tries to make the dice roll over with the power of his mind - entirely unsuccessfully!
Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Turn 16
Seizing Priority, The Necromancer and The Shadow
Lord both charged Galadriel and won the Fight,
despite Tom having an extra dice in the Duel. After
the Shadow Lord failed to wound the Elf Queen,
Matt picked up his dice for The Necromancer’s
strike, needing just a 3+ to win the game! The room
was silent as the critical dice bounced for what
seemed like an age before finally settling on a 1! Tom
leapt in delight but Matt smiled grimly and used both
The Necromancer’s free Might point and the last
Might point from his store to bump the roll to a 3
and kill Galadriel! Tom slumped in despair as the last
member of the White Council fell dead on the table.
However, the game wasn’t quite finished yet…
The Shadow Lord expended a Will point for
being in a Fight, meaning that both he and The
Necromancer now had 1 Will point remaining - but
The Necromancer also had to give up a Will point
for being in the Fight. Without a second thought,
The Necromancer stole his last remaining servant’s
final Will point and The Shadow Lord vanished with
a scream - The Necromancer was left alone on
the table, victorious with 1 Will point remaining!
The Necromancer had been weakened but he had
survived and, with the death of Saruman, Galadriel,
Elrond, Thranduil and Radagast, Middle-earth stood
2016 Issue 3 SBG 33
 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur
Tom: Well that couldn’t
have been any closer could
it?! What a fantastic way
to end the battle. One Will
point. One Will point. If only
Matt had thrown one more
dice at a spell earlier in the
game… Still, hats off to Matt
for playing a great game, his
victory was well deserved
and let’s face it, given the
fantastic sculpts he brought
to the table, was it ever in
doubt that he was the true
master of Dol Guldur?!  only by one single point of
There were so many moments in that game that
I could pick out as being stand-out highlights, yet
it was the small pleasures that really made this
battle report so special: running elves through
dark passages, round crumbling staircases and over
vertigo-inducing bridges. Playing over such beautiful
terrain easily made this the most rewarding battle
I’ve ever played in and I must say a huge thank-you
to Barry for the wonderful scenery.
Of course, a special mention should go to Galadriel
who almost single-handedly dealt with the
Ringwraiths. Given how terrifyingly powerful she
is in the film I must say I’m glad that she turned it
on in-game too! She truly was an awesome force
throughout the battle, both through her magical
Banishments and in combat. She also revived Gandalf
(just like the film!) and at that point I really thought
I could go on to win the game, but alas it just wasn’t
to be.
Matt used a staggering 207 Will points over the course of the Battle
Where There’s A Will There’s A Way! Report - surely a new record for The Hobbit: Strategy Battle Game?
34 SBG Issue 3 2016
Saruman was perhaps rather lucky to make it to the
courtyard alive after some nerve-racking combats
against the dark denizens of Dol Guldur (it’s funny
how bats and spiders were more dangerous to
the Head of the White Council than The Nine!),
although once in the courtyard he put up a good
fight whilst outnumbered. Incredibly, Elrond didn’t
manage to kill a single Ringwraith, but the sight
of three of the Nazgûl fleeing from the Lord of
Rivendell more than made up for this! Radagast was
perhaps my unsung Hero - he came from under
the radar to have a fantastic turn, rushing into the
courtyard to Galadriel’s aid following a successful
Heroic Combat and killing Khamûl in one swift
movement!
Overall it was a fantastically tense yet enjoyable
battle that had so many exciting twists and turns
right until the very final roll of the game. Finally, I
must say a huge thank-you to Matt for making it
such a great game to be a part of.
“One Will point...
ONE WILL POINT”
Tom
Matt: What an unbelievable
game - victory is mine… but
Will! I think that battle will
stick with me for years and
has to be the most fun I’ve
ever experienced in a game
of The Hobbit: Strategy Battle
Game. I can’t stress what a
joy it was to play on such
an immersive board with so
many great models and I want
to thank Tom for being such a
good opponent and creating
so many cinematic moments.
I’m pleased to say I achieved many of the goals I
had planned - I was able to use the terrain to great
effect, sending The Necromancer’s minions through
tunnels, over walkways and up walls to trap many
of Tom’s Warriors and Heroes. The culmination of
these tactics was surely when Thranduil was waylaid
by spiders and bats and eventually fell to the ghostly
blade of The Witch-king.
 Battle Report - The Siege of Dol Guldur

h
I stayed true to my pre-game pledge to always
apless You might be
wondering why you
Special Strike with the Ringwraiths, no matter
the situation and I’m so glad that I did. My most
ero didn’t read much
about what Golb
effective use of this was in Turn 11, when The
Undying Bashed Saruman to the ground before The
was doing during the Tainted’s two-handed Piercing Strike caused two
Battle Report. Well, wounds - fantastic stuff! On the other hand, The
that’s because his Dark Marshall’s Piercing Strike lowered his Defence
main contribution sufficiently to allow Radagast to destroy him - ah
was to lose six Fights well, you can’t win them all! The Special Strikes
to the same Shielding made every combat a lot cooler and really evoked
Palace Guard and the scene in the film where the Nazgûl charged the
not claim a single kill White Council from all sides, only this time they
throughout the game. were victorious…just!
Perhaps a reshuffle of
the ranks is in order
for the armies of Dol “I think that battle will
Guldur... stick with me for years”
Matt
I was particularly pleased when, in a rather
unexpected twist, The Necromancer killed Thrain The custom scenario’s Special Rules made the game
on the same turn that the Dwarf Lord found his so much fun and I could name so many exciting
courage, before advancing on Gandalf and killing the moments from this truly spectacular game that
wizard in the following turn. This efficient work from made us both feel like we were there in the film. The
The Necromancer enabled me to regain precisely power of Sauron rises again from the fortress of
enough Will to take on the White Council in the Dol Guldur and the future looks bleak for the free
courtyard once they had breached my defences. peoples of Middle-earth!

orcs of the match The unsung heroes of Matt’s force were two
Hunter Orcs at the top of the northeastern
tower. Over the course of five turns they killed five Mirkwood Elves, sending their bodies tumbling down
into the spider-infested pits below and preventing Tom from spreading his army throughout the fortress

2016 Issue 3 SBG 35

 Summoning The Nine

SUMMONING THE NINE We asked Matt Davies (who goes by the name GenerationShift online) if he
could convert The Hobbit-era Ringwraiths for us; however, as you will see, the
end results were far closer to nine custom sculpts - we did not complain...
Matt: I was first approached by Tom and Damian back in February 2015 to convert
the Nazgûl as they appear in The Hobbit trilogy. This was a fantastic challenge that I
was honoured to undertake and I was excited to stretch my skills and make some
truly iconic models. Having recently finished a heavily converted Champion of Erebor
Bombur with horn and display base, I was eager (if not a little daunted) to get stuck
into this new project. After all, it was only nine conversions. Oh boy…

base models Whilst I could have started my

conversions with the existing
Ringwraith models, their appearance in The Hobbit trilogy is
completely removed from their aesthetic in The Lord of the Rings, so
instead I scoured the entire Games Workshop range, searching for
dynamic poses that had the potential to be great conversions. I kept
a keen eye open for models with flowing cloaks, armour is relatively
easy to change and sculpt but it’s often the cloak that creates a truly
dynamic model. Somewhat ironically, I ended up choosing some of
1
the most detailed miniatures in the range, only to then cut and file all
of the detail away! The before and after shots of the Betrayer (1) and
the Shadow Lord (2) show the extent to which the original detail had
to be transformed.

the ...six? Once I had selected suitable base models, I

2
amassed as many images of the Ringwraiths
as possible - this involved watching the scene from the film over
and over again [Ed - not exactly a hardship then…]. At this point I
was surprised to discover that WETA had only produced six unique
designs for the Ringwraiths! The remaining three Ringwraiths were
actually duplicates with different weapons, so I was forced to go in
search of new inspiration.

My first port of call was the WETA Chronicles books; these contain
lots of sketches and weapon designs for Ringwraith concepts that
ultimately never made it to the screen. I chose the two concepts
whose aesthetic diverged most significantly from the six on-screen 3
Ringwraiths to create The Dwimmerlaik (4) and The Tainted (5). The
final wraith proved problematic, as the remaining concepts looked
too similar or failed to spark my interest, so I was left with no other
option than to come up with the design for The Knight of Umbar
myself. It’s always challenging coming up with designs that feel as if
they belong in Tolkien’s universe but, after letting ‘cool factor’ guide
me, I feel I achieved a realistic and dynamic model (3). Ironically, I
think that only having six designs to go on worked out for the best
because the last three turned out to be some of my favourite models.
4 5
36 SBG Issue 3 2016
 Summoning The Nine

armatures Inposes,
order to achieve my desired
I had to re-sculpt most materials The observant
among you
of the arms from scratch. This required a lot of wire-work
to create each of the ‘skeletons’. It was quite a challenge to
prevent the proportions from looking slightly simian, but
after reducing the length of the arms and experimenting
with the joints, I felt I gained accurate proportions for these
menacing figures. Since I couldn’t find a suitable model for
The Tainted, I sculpted him from scratch using a complete
armature; I think he looks incredibly intimidating and I am
very happy with the result, especially the billowing cloak.
may have noticed slight variations in the
colour of the sculpts seen throughout the
photographs, ranging from a dark green
to a beige/yellow - this is because I vary
the sculpting medium depending on the
desired result. Kneadatite (Green Stuff) is
the staple material of most sculptors as it’s
very versatile; however, I also use a mix of
Milliput (the yellow bits) to create some
of the finer details. Green Stuff has a high
resistance when sculpting so surrounding
details can be deformed throughout
a cure - I use this to my advantage to
sculpt flowing robes caught in the wind.
Conversely, a mix of Milliput and Green
Stuff provides the perfect resistance to the
sculpting tool to help create finer details.

poses Choosing the pose is one of the most difficult parts of any conversion - a weak pose can
cause you to very quickly lose motivation during a project. I tried to recreate the poses
from the films or the WETA Chronicles books, but when I struggled with a pose I often ended up taking a
photo of myself to provide me with some inspiration for the armature! In the photographs above you can
see several of the options that were explored for The Witch-king before I settled on his final stance.

weapons Weaponry and scale go hand in

hand (forgive the pun) - the size
of a weapon can quickly shift a model from ‘true’ scale
to ‘heroic’ scale, so it was important to keep in line with
the scale of The Hobbit: Strategy Battle Game, whilst still
incorporating some of the rather outlandish designs from
the films. The Witch-king’s swords, Khamûl’s mace, and The
Shadow Lord and The Betrayer’s spears were salvaged and
adapted from existing models, but many of the nasty looking
axes and other weapons had to be created using plasticard.
Working with plasticard requires a very sharp knife as
you have to be able to precisely shave the material down
to an edge. The more shapely the blade, the more difficult
the weapon is to sculpt (well, this stage isn’t sculpting, it’s
carving!). The Tainted’s axe and The Undying’s mace (far left,
top and bottom) were created by cutting round a stencilled
design to create equal blades. These were then stuck onto
copper rod before the final details were sculpted over the
plasticard with putty. Both of these weapons had to be
trimmed down because I had overestimated their size!
2016 Issue 3 SBG 37
 Summoning The Nine

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8
layers “Patience my love, patience…” I won’t lie to you, sculpting takes a lot of patience and I
can’t stress enough how much you have to take your time. Miniatures should be sculpted
in the same way that a warrior would apply his armour: one layer at a time - if you try to sculpt all of the
layers in one go you can end up with a complete mess. The first layer I sculpted was often cloth, followed
by chain mail, then plate armour and finally the cloak. Above you can see the stage-by-stage progression of
how I converted a Mirkwood Elf into The Undying. I initially intended to incorporate more of the original
model but by the time I had finished, all that was left was the feet! Each layer had to cure before moving
onto the next one, so even when I was pressed for time I was forced to wait. I often found that the heads
were easier to sculpt separately to the main body before then joining them at a later stage (see below right
for work-in-progress shots of The Shadow Lord, The Witch-king, Khamûl and The Knight of Umbar).

SBG: On the next page you can see the Nazgûl

in their fully painted glory along with the identity
of their base model.We’ve also given a brief insight
into how and why we decided which sculpt would
represent each of the named wraiths

GenerationShift
The nine completed Ringwraiths made for quite an Resin bases
impressive sight. All in all, the project took me nine Miniature sculpting
months to complete and was equal parts challenging,
Painting
frustrating and exciting, only finally being completed just
a few hours before I had to drive the models to Tom
www.facebook.com/Generationshift92
and Damian and lead them to war in the battle report!
Overall, I’m very happy with the finished sculpts and think www.youtube.com/user/GenerationShift92
that they accurately portray the designs from the films.
38 SBG Issue 3 2016
Khamûl, the Easterling
(Easterling War Priest) - A very
simple decision as the Easterling
aesthetic in the film makes it clear
which design is depicting Khamûl
The Dark Marshall (Knight
of the White Tower) - Matt put his
foot down on this one: “I want
the guy with the huge axe to be
The Dark Marshall” - fair enough!
The Tainted (no base model) -
Affectionately dubbed ‘Kylo Ren’,
this sculpt’s helmet has echoes of
a gas mask - evoking the Seeping
Decay of this noxious wraith
The Shadow Lord (Mirkwood
Elf with elven glaive) - The flowing
robes and minimal armour gave
this wraith a darker appearance,
nicely evoking his Pall of Darkness
The Undying (Mirkwood Elf
with elven blade) - As the oldest of
the wraiths, the slightly antiquated
armour and helmet made this
imposing sculpt an ideal choice
The Knight of Umbar
(Captain of Minas Tirith) - Matt
armed this wraith with a curved,
pirate-esque blade, making him an
ideal choice for a king of Umbar
The Betrayer (Mirkwood Elf
with elven blade) - The Haradrim
aesthetic meant that there was
never any doubt about which
wraith this sculpt would represent
The Dwimmerlaik (Mirkwood
Elf with elven glaive) - This model’s
huge sword made it a perfect fit
for the only named Ringwraith
armed with a two-handed weapon
The Witch-king (Aragorn,
King Elessar) - Just as with Khamûl,
this was an obvious choice as
the Lord of the Nazgûl is clearly
identifiable in The Hobbit trilogy
2016 Issue 3 SBG 39
 Shadow & Flame - The Necromancer

THE NECROMANCER After Dave described

Issue 2’s Azog conversion
as ‘relatively simple’, we
decided he obviously
needed a bigger challenge
so we tasked him with
sculpting a Necromancer
to lead the forces of Dol
Guldur to war!

Dave: For the last issue of SBG, Damian and

Tom set me a fairly easy task with a simple Azog
conversion, but things got a little more complex
this time round when they asked me to sculpt
Sauron as he appears in The Hobbit trilogy. The
design brief was a bit hazy: “it should be a cross
between how The Necromancer appears in The
Desolation of Smaug and how he appears in The
Battle of the Five Armies - it should have a central
body to give him a bit of form, but with the
arms and legs reaching out and becoming smoky
tendrils.” Right...
 
I figured that the easiest thing to do would be
to copy the armoured version of Sauron’s body
and head as seen in The Fellowship of the Ring,
then try to come up with something that might
look a little smoky and it was then that my day-
job as a firefighter gave me some unexpected
inspiration. During training drills, we sometimes
put long ribbons in front of a fan to indicate smoke
direction and, without any other ideas, I decided that I
would start by adding ribbons to the Sauron-like body
to see how it would look. To make these, I used plastic
bag ties (the kind with a thin metal core) and attached
them to the Sauron torso before puttying over the top.
 
Before going any further, I thought I’d check in with
Damian and Tom to see if this was anything like what
they had envisioned and, whilst the basic shape of the
model was spot on, the guys wanted the tendrils to
be rounder and the body to be less obviously like the
Sauron we see in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Dave’s first pass at The Necromancer used an armature of bag ties [Ed - now that’s inventive!] to form
ribbon-esque tendrils and bore far more resemblance to Sauron’s depiction in The Fellowship of the Ring

40 SBG Issue 3 2016

 Shadow & Flame - The Necromancer

Now armed with a better idea of what the guys

were after, I removed the helm spikes and cut
the head off to rework it. Once I had got the
new head ‘SBG-approved’ (1), I moved onto the
body, which I re-skinned and shaped into a slightly
amorphous humanoid shape. Then it was a case 1
2
of adding the tendrils - this time, rather than
use plastic bag ties, I used wires to form a stable
armature. For each tendril, I drilled a hole into the
body and inserted a wire into it, before encasing it
with putty by attaching a flat strip along its entire
length (2). I then folded this strip around the wire
before smoothing the join out with a rubber clay
shaper (3-4). It was then simply a task of adding 3 4
more tendrils until it felt ‘right’, with the bulk of
them originating from The Necromancer’s back.

At this point I was concerned that it just looked

like a blank figure who had fallen into a pit of
snakes! I decided to disguise where all the tendrils
were sprouting from by adding some thinner
bridge pieces on the back of the model, which
also helped to bulk out the core of the model (5).
Finally, I attached the head and added the tips of
the tendrils to bring each one to a point (6). 5 6
With The Necromancer I then moved onto the fiery glow on the tentacles
complete, Dave turned which was first marked out with a 50:50 mix of
to his partner in crime Doombull Brown and medium. The next stage used a
for painting. Here, Kev 50:50 mix of Evil Sunz Scarlet and medium, which was
reveals how he created applied by brushing the paint towards the body of the
the fiery effects on The model so that the colour was strongest at the body
Necromancer’s body. (where I wanted the heat source to be). I left some
Doombull Brown from the previous stage showing
Kev: I painted the at the points furthest away from the model’s body
fiery skin cracks by where the heat source is cooler. While this stage was
base-coating them still wet, I applied consecutive highlights of Troll Slayer
with Evil Sunz Scarlet Orange, Fire Dragon Bright and Flash Gitz Yellow,
before highlighting each a 50:50 mix of paint and medium.  
each crack several
times, always leaving a As each previous layer was
little of the previous still wet, the colours could
colour showing be pushed into each other
along the edges. The and blended together to
highlight stages were, form smooth transitions,
in order: an 80:20 mix from dark red furthest away
of Troll Slayer Orange from the body, through to
and medium, an 80:20 yellow closest to the body.
mix of Fire Dragon For a final flourish, a touch
Bright and medium, of White Scar can be added
pure Flash Gitz Yellow, to the Flash Gitz Yellow
and a final highlight of and medium mix where the
White Scar. tentacles meet the body.  
2016 Issue 3 SBG 41
 "They Speak of a Necromancer
living in Dol Guldur, a sorcerer
who can summon the dead”
Whilst painting The
Necromancer, we
asked Kev if there
was “any chance you
could make a display
base? It doesn’t have
to be the same size as
The Necromancer’s
base - it can just be
whatever size you
want.” We knew that
Kev would push the
limits of what exactly
constitutes a ‘display
base’ but our jaws still
dropped when
he started to
send us work
in progress
pics of this
incredible
piece. Display
base? We think
gaming table would
be nearer the
mark!

42 SBG Issue 3 2016

 Shadow & Flame - Saruman

Not content with just creating the fabulous display base for

SARUMAN The Necromancer, Kev also painted this gorgeous Saruman

model, a fitting tribute to the late, great, Sir Christopher Lee.

1 2
1. From a black 2. Glaze the underside of
undercoat, paint the the deepest folds of the
robes with Karak Stone robes with a 80:20 mix
and apply a wash of of water and Doombull
Agrax Earthshade. Glaze Brown. Next, highlight the
the areas surrounding robes with an 80:20 mix
the darkest recesses of of Karak Stone and water,
the robes with an 80:20 before applying a second
mix of water and Balor highlight of a 50:50 mix
Brown, making sure to of Ushabti Bone and
knock any excess paint water. Paint the face with
off the brush before Ratskin Flesh, followed
touching the model to by a wash of Reikland
avoid pooling. Fleshshade.
3 4
3. Paint two white dots 4. Paint the hair and
in each eye socket and beard Administratum
highlight the face with Grey before applying a
Ratskin Flesh, followed wash of 50:50 Nuln Oil
by Bestigor Flesh, leaving and water. Once dry, use
a line underneath Administratum Grey to
each eye to represent highlight the hair and
bags and outline the beard. Apply a tiny amount
eyebrows in Dawnstone. of diluted Abaddon Black
Highlight the eyebrows to the beard just under
with Abaddon Black the lip. Highlight the boots
nearest the nose and with Steel Legion Drab.
Administratum Grey on Paint the hands with
the outer edges. Ratskin Flesh.

5. Wash the hands with

Reikland Fleshshade and
highlight the hair and belt
with White Scar. Highlight
the robes with a mix of
Ushabti Bone, Pallid Wych
Flesh and water. Paint the
metal ring on the staff in
Runefang Steel and use
White Scar for the globe
at the tip. 5

Shadow & Flame is a collaboration between avid Middle-earth

enthusiasts Kev Lawrence (Shadow) and Dave Fredericks
(Flame). They have been refining their respective crafts
since 2001, providing the highest quality custom paint jobs,
conversions and scratch sculpts for all of your wargaming needs.
Shadow has painted on commission for three years, during which
time he has painted hundreds of miniatures for clients, while
Flame’s conversion experience and commission services go back
ten years, with his first scratch sculpts dating back to 2007.

2016 Issue 3 SBG 43

 HOBBY BLOG
A brief look into what the SBG team have been up to during the production of this issue

Damian: I spent much of last year painting the White

Council and Mirkwood army that features in this issue’s
bat-rep. Next up I’m really looking forward to getting
stuck into the fantastic Champions of Erebor models.
That said, the Mirkwood Knights that I said were ‘up
next’ in my last Hobby BLOG are still in exactly the same
state now, so who knows what I’ll manage to get done?

Tom: Having worked on the forces of evil for so long

(orcses, thousands of orcses), I’m now looking forward
to splashing some colour on the survivors of Lake-town.
I’m hoping that the bases (courtesy of GenerationShift)
give the feeling that the models are fighting within the
ruins of Dale. This may also give me an excuse to paint
Bilbo in his blue coat or even another Gandalf!

Barry: After 13 months immersed in Dol Guldur, I

needed a break from terrain building! However my major
problem when starting a new army is that there’s too
much choice (see right). I’ve decided to start working
on a full Corsair army including some of my first ever
conversions. Terrain-wise, I’ve another project in progress
that will hopefully be used at an event in the future.

Matt: After spending so long on the Nazgûl sculpts, it’s

great to get back to some of my own projects. Over the
next few months I hope to start making YouTube videos
again, expand my GenerationShift base range with an oval
scenic base, start painting a long awaited Easterling army
and, just in case I’ve not had my fill of the Nazgûl, I’ve got
a full set of foot and mounted Ringwraiths to paint.

Dave: 2016 will see the release of not one but two new
Tree Giants (Ash and Fir) from Shadow & Flame which
will go out for casting just as soon as I finish sculpting the
Fir model. I’m getting through my backlog of sculpting
commissions slowly. Unfortunately I can’t talk about
some of the cool stuff I’m working on for future SBG
issues but rest assured these boys are keeping me busy!

Kev: It’s safe to say that I’ve painted quite a bit since
my last Hobby BLOG way back in Issue 1! At the moment
I’m working on Palace Guard, Thranduil, a Balrog and I’m
in the middle of a huge Gundabad Orc commission of
96 models! Also, with Golden Demon 2016 coming up,
Shadow & Flame has been busy trying to get something
ready for the ‘Duel’ category, so watch this space...
44 SBG Issue 3 2016
 SUPPORTING SBG
If you’ve enjoyed this issue, then read on to discover how you can ensure that there are more in the future!

Dear Readers,
The primary aim of SBG is to create an attractive
and informative hobby resource for fans of The
Hobbit: Strategy Battle Game. It is produced in our
own time and is, first and foremost, a non-profit
fanzine by the fans, for the fans. If you are reading
this, then you will be doing so in one of two ways.
The majority of you will be reading the free PDF
which is available online. Our pledge is that, as long
as we are producing SBG, it will be available for free
to anyone who wants it; we are not a business, we
are not trying to make money out of this, and we
will never charge a penny for the PDF download.
However, whilst we won’t ever charge for SBG, we
would like to give readers a way of contributing
towards the running costs of the magazine. So, once
you have finished reading the issue, if you feel that
you would like to contribute, then we would invite
you to make a donation via our PayPal account:
SBGmagazine@gmail.com
As this is a donation, please ensure that you use the
Send money to friends and family option.
We would simply ask you to donate whatever you
feel that the magazine is worth. Any contributions
would be welcome and they will help to ensure that
future issues are even better!
However, the original vision for SBG was to place
a physical magazine in the hands of gamers.Viewing
SBG on a computer screen or tablet should provide
a satisfactory reading experience but there is
something wonderfully comforting about turning
the pages of a physical copy. Sitting in your favourite
spot and thumbing through the pages of a glossy
magazine is an experience that is utterly lost when
viewing content on a digital screen.
Our hope is that the majority of our readers will
want to read SBG in the intended format and start
to build a collection of physical issues. Of course,
the major hurdle in this step is that we cannot
give away physical copies due to the high cost of
producing a relatively short print run. However,
anyone in the UK who donates £10 or more via
PayPal will receive a full colour, A4 physical copy of
SBG. Please include the address to which you would
like us to send the magazine and we will get it out
to you as soon as possible. Unfortunately, due to
the increased postage costs, those with an address
within Europe will need to make a donation of £13
or more, whilst those outside of Europe will have to
donate £15 or more to receive a physical copy. We
hope that you have enjoyed this issue and would like
to make a modest donation, therefore enabling us to
produce SBG for a long time to come.
Thank-you,
Damian & Tom

SBG ISSUE 4 AVAILABLE NOW!

In Issue 4 of SBG we continue our journey into the
darkest corners of Dol Guldur with a brand new Battle
Report that picks£2
Donate up where this issue’s left off! We
also include an exciting mini-scenario where Gandalf
or more
exploresfor
theyour
dungeons and offer up some exciting new
rules forchance
playingtogames within The Hill of Sorcery!
winBarry
Elsewhere, this O’Neill has written an in-depth article
about howgreat
heprize,
built his stunning board and Matt Davies
courtesy
explains how he created the ghostly paint-job on his
of Slayer
custom Ringwraiths with only three colours!
Gaming
All this and much more - contact us now for your copy!

2016 Issue 3 SBG 45

COMING IN ISSUE 4!