Rings of Power SBG?

'For even the very wise cannot see all ends.'

Unless you've been living under a rock (or maybe in Gollum's cave) for the last few months you'll probably be aware of the fact that Amazon are releasing a new TV show set in Middle Earth, titled Rings of Power. Set in the 2nd Age, the show will presumably chart the story of the forging of the Rings of Power, the destruction of Numenor, the rise of Sauron and ultimately his downfall during the War of the Last Alliance. 

I ummed and ahhed for a long time about whether or not I wanted to feature anything about this new series on the blog. From the very first previews it has proved to be highly controversial and divisive among the Lord of the Rings fandom and I didn't want to find myself stuck in the middle of a storm.

 

So instead of entering the wider debate on the merits of the show, I wanted to look specifically on what impact it could have on Middle Earth SBG. From what we've been told, Games Workshop has not got a licence to produce anything from the series, so that means Rings of Power will have no impact on ME:SBG, right? Well that's not how I see it. Firstly, (assuming the show is a success) having Middle Earth on our TV screens is going to create a new wave of interest in Middle Earth and Tolkien as a whole, and some of that is quite probably going to lead to a growth in interest in the game. This is one reason why I think the new starter box and Battlehost boxes that GW announced recently are good and are coming at an ideal time to capitalise and grow the community. 

But secondly, and really to reason I wanted to write this article, is that just because Games Workshop aren't making models and armies based on Rings of Power doesn't mean that you can't create an army based upon the series. This is a creative hobby at its core and there's nothing compelling you to stick to the box art. The imagery shown so far has by and large been stunning and, in my opinion, would make for an excellent starting point for various SBG projects. 

I already know that since the first images of the orcs was revealed in June I've been questioning the colour scheme for the Mordor army I'm (very) slowly building.* How about a Dwarf army led by Durin IV, or the Numenrion cavalry shown in the trailers, or even Galadriel's Northern Army? As I've said numerous times now on the blog, inspiration doesn't just have to come from the imagery of Peter Jackson's trilogies and any of these (and probably many more as we see more of the show than what's been revealed so far) could make for great, unique thematic armies that would fit right into the Middle Earth setting. 

It's not even just limited to armies. The scenery that we've seen so far is incredible and ripe for terrain building to create some truly immersive boards. Who wouldn't want to play a game in the Halls of Khazad-Dum at its height, through the fields and villages of the Southlands, or upon the Isle of Numenor? Again there's countless ideas out there and all it takes is one spark of inspiration to create something immense. 

Whatever people think of the storyline and how well it fits with Tolkien lore, there promises to by plenty of inspiring scenes to get some creative juices flowing, and I look forward to seeing what, if anything, the community can do.

*It's purple and yellow, I probably should have been questioning it far before now.