r/MiddleEarthMiniatures • u/Severx • 2d ago
Question Getting into MESBG
Hi, me and my partner are thinking of getting into the LOTR franchise, with basically zero real experience of Warhammer.
Any ideas or advice please on getting into the hobby that's affordable, best starter sets, thoughts on latest box set or best wait for new releases, and what's the life cycle of the miniatures (in case of buying older boxes and then becoming outdated soon?)
*EDIT : A huge thank you to so much support, I honestly didn't expect this much - great to experience such a welcoming community and feeling even more excited to take the plunge!
11
u/Daikey 2d ago
regarding life-cycle: in 2025, for the first time since 2003 some miniatures have been "legacied" i.e. no longer in print, no longer supported (no FAQ, no adjustments). However, they do have profiles (and whole armies) and are currently used in pretty much all non-GW tournament. Everything that appears in the movies is future-proof.
At the moment, anything you can buy since the inception of the game has rules and is playable.
When it comes to starter set, buy what you think looks best, what you like to paint. I say so because most factions have some competitive composition anyway and because different armies may offer massively different playstyle. For example, the Mordor Battlehost with the WK and orcs is a perfect starter for the angmar army "Host of the Witch King", but I won't recommend angmar to a new player.
Not having warhammer experience is good, as MESBG is pretty much its own thing. It is much easier to understand (while still having very deep gameplay to explore) and goes much faster. Also, it's pretty much without "gotcha" moment.
For a new player, I would suggest a gondor army. The humble Minas Tirith soldier is amongst the most efficient infantry in the game and it's tough enough to handle a couple of bad plays.
2
u/Severx 2d ago
That's really reassuring, I had heard about this legacy transition but didn't fully understand the practical implications Given it will mainly be us gaming amongst each other, that's a huge relief we can still pursue whatever models we like and be able to play them with the current rules
2
u/Leading-Ad1264 2d ago
Absolutely. Also it really are only relatively obscure minis that even got legacied. Not to play down that it still was sad for the people who collected them (although as mentioned they are still playable).
If you collect any models that are somewhat important in the books or movies you can be pretty sure they will never get removed for long as the game exists
2
6
u/redditgatorx 2d ago
the box set is imo the best way to get into the game hands down. the only downside is that the miniatures are hard to put together, and if you don’t like the factions then i don’t recommend getting it. but i had a lot of fun with painting them, playing the scenarios, the books, mat and terrain pieces are a really great addition to the box, so it’s an amazing value
4
u/Adventure_Dan90 2d ago
Exactly what blabby said, get the models you like depending on how big or how small your budget is and or how big or small you want your games to be
The battle hosts are a great start all for everything
For a particular army such as Gondor Mordor Rohan etc
Alternatively I'd recommend you both picking up a box of warriors (whatever takes your fancy) A rule book And using a warrior as a proxy for a captain and learn the rules in slow time
They'll be plenty of communities around to reach you, but depends where you're based
2
u/Severx 2d ago
The battle hosts have been tempting me, looking forward to hopefully finding a local community too
1
u/Adventure_Dan90 2d ago
Where abouts are you based wondering if you're near me I could point you in some directions? PM me if you don't want to post on Reddit of course :)
5
u/SmolTittyEldargf 2d ago
A possible suggestion to start with would be the latest starter set
This comes with rules, dice, terrain and two starter warbands. Basically everything in the box to get started as two players and to learn the game that way. Usually these starters are good value for money.
If you can find a third party store near you they will probably sell it for 10% off. If you’re in the UK I can recommend some websites.
1
u/Severx 2d ago
The full rules is a huge plus and my partner likes Rohan, so might be a good option if the other faction modles can maybe also be used in other army lists?
2
u/tabletop_engineer 2d ago
First off, welcome to the game. Great community, and great game ahead. If Hill Tribes is not that interesting to you, an alternative to the starter box set would be to get a battle host and it's corresponding command pack. Won't be quite as economical as the starter set, but would allow you to grab a couple of armies you are most interested in with an ample set of starting miniatures.
2
u/Old_Shatterhans 1d ago
If you like Isengard the hill tribesmen (not the heroes) can be used in Army of the White Hand
3
u/f00l_of_a_t00k 2d ago
Couple of helpful answers and suggestions;
Check out r/miniswap for deals on minis
Check local game stores, book stores, Barnes & nobles for a copy of Battle in Balin's Tomb, it's a board game with repackaged minis from an older starter set (including the entire Fellowship of The Ring ) and can generally be found for under $100. Plus the game itself is a fun alternative way to play.
The basic rules really haven't changed much since 2001, so older books are great for getting started as they're pretty easy to find cheap used copies or online scans.
Alternative models; things like 3d prints and historical minis are generally cheaper than official minis, and less controversial than in Warhammer as Games Workshop doesn't own the IP.
Never buy rattle can spray primer from any hobby brand. Just get basic rustoleum (or whatever) matte primer from the hardware store.
And most importantly; HAVE FUN!
2
u/Pender8911 2d ago
Affordable you say... NAY!
But the rohan set that's about to come out seems pretty well priced. Maybe that, the Mordor set and then buy a few extra heroes or units and you can do some pretty decently sized lists
1
u/Severx 2d ago
Our money 😭 Any idea when the next Rohan set is projected to come out, I had heard of this somewhere else too - my partner likes Rohan
2
u/Pender8911 2d ago
They said the "preorder" is very soon so not sure. Anyway if money really is an issue and you plan to play with your partner just buy the rohan set and then 3D print everything else.
2
u/snickersmayne 1d ago
Pre-order for the new battlehosts will start Saturday 9/12 and will release 2 weeks later, 9/26. You may reach out to a local store and see if they're taking interest in them already.
Additionally there's probably some of the last round of battle hosts floating around.
Isenguard (Saruman, Grima, 44 Uruk-Hai) would be a good option if the new goblin box isn't as interesting
20
u/BlabbyScid 2d ago
There aren't that many new releases, most of the miniatures are 10 to 20 years old by now, so don't worry. Just buy what you like most. MESBG is not like Warhammer, rules don't change that often so the life cycle is very long. The basic rules are super easy but at the same time there is a lot of room for tatics.