Among the final, and for me the most entertaining, set of releases for Shadow and Flame are the spellcasters. With the diligent Radagast, the twisted Moria Goblin and Uruk-hai Shamans, the carefree Tom Bombadil and Goldberry and the insidious Barrow-wights, the range of magic users available to a player has increased dramatically. To mark this boon, let's take a look at the main spellcasters in the game, starting with the Free Peoples…

Ultimately, there is a spellcaster to match every taste, whether you are Good or Evil. Just choose with care for the task you have in mind. A Barrow-wight can deal with enemy Heroes with ease, but will die to troops. Saruman can deal with Heroes and warriors alike with moderate skill while Radagast is the bane of cavalry. The choice is yours.

GANDALF THE GREY

Probably the most famous of all the spellcasters, and possibly the most renowned individual in all of Middle-earth, Gandalf the Grey is one of the most versatile Heroes available to the Good player. With an awesome range of six spells, a free point of Will each turn and a fairly solid statline, Gandalf is always a good choice to give support to a beleaguered force. Like most magic users in Middle-earth, Gandalf doesn't have many blatantly pyrotechnical spells, preferring to work on the fragile wills and psyches of his opponents - though by no means does this make them any less effective. Immobilise and Command can quite happily pin opponents in place, either to buy time or to make them more vulnerable to being hacked down by a well-timed blow from a Good warrior. With a Defence of 5, Gandalf is fairly resilient for an unarmoured old man, a state that is only enhanced by his two defensive auras: Terrifying Aura, and Last Light. One keeps him safe from being charged, while the other drastically reduces the chance of him being hit by arrows. Admittedly, as it casts a brilliant white radiance, Last Light definitely does not fit into the 'subtle' group, but then neither does the regular favourite, and mainstay of Gandalf's repertoire, Sorcerous Blast. While Sorcerous Blast has its finer points, it is relatively difficult to cast (needing a 5+) so use it sparingly. It's always tempting to send magical blast after blast into the enemy lines but this can drain Gandalf's Will like there is no tomorrow, so the voice of caution should be heeded. Last, but not least, is Strengthen Will - always useful when confronted with tricksy enemy spellcasters, particularly ones with Sap Will. Ultimately, Gandalf the Grey is an excellent support character, well-suited to protecting your warriors, disrupting the enemy, or clobbering opposing troops depending on your mood and the tactical situation.

GANDALF THE WHITE

The next iteration of Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White is more of the same but at a higher power level. Nearly all of his spells are a pip easier to cast, and some have additional effects (Ultimate Sorcerous Blast is Strength 6, rather than the Strength 5 of Sorcerous Blast). Added to the mélange of magical powers is Your Staff is Broken! - not of great use, but enough to keep Saruman at a distance should he be lurking on the same battlefield. Finally, with Strength 5 and Defence 6, Gandalf is tougher than ever, able to take and hand out a fair amount of hurt. With access to both Shadowfax and an Elven cloak Gandalf the White is literally stronger, faster and more difficult to hit than before. The only downside is that at 200 points he is a bit of an indulgence in small games and still quite expensive in large ones. That said, if you want a cornerstone for your force that you can absolutely rely on, this is he!

RADAGAST THE BROWN

Marching out of the pages of Shadow & Flame, Radagast is another of the wizards from the West sent to battle Sauron. Though commonly believed to be the weakest of the wizards, Radagast is no mean opponent and certainly not to be trifled with. Radagast brings the always useful Immobilise to the battle, but more tellingly the excellent Renew, and the daunting Aura of Dismay. Renew is one of the simplest but potentially one of the most useful spells in the game, allowing Radagast to heal Wounds wherever there is need (although it won't bring anyone back from the dead). More tactically useful, Aura of Dismay is slightly unusual, making a good chunk of your force cause Terror for a turn - it's only useful if you get priority, but there's always the option of heroic movement if you don't. Radagast's mastery of beasts means that he is an anti-cavalry Hero without peer. Panic Steed is easy to cast and can really wreak havoc amongst enemy cavalry. Even better, his Terrifying Aura forces cavalry to test on the Courage value of both rider and mount to successfully charge him. The combination of these two can often turn Radagast into a breakwater in the quadrupedal tide of Warg Riders, with the Evil player preferring to tangle with almost anyone else than risk the wrath of Radagast. In the meantime, his innate ability to move through terrain without penalty and with his raven providing line of sight to anywhere on the battlefield, Radagast can swiftly get to where he needs to be in time to do whatever it is he needs to do. Essentially, Radagast is a defensive tour de force, his own Terrifying Aura and Aura of Dismay can keep the numbers on your side in a fight, Renew heals wounded friends, while Panic Steed can keep cavalry at a distance. All this for 150 points! Oh, and he counts as wearing an Elven cloak too.

TOM BOMBADIL AND GOLDBERRY

Unsurprisingly, Tom and Goldberry are a bit odd. Given their unwillingness to leave the Old Forest, they'll normally only be seen in scenario play - and then rarely enough - something that many Evil players will breathe a sigh of relief over. Why? Perhaps it's because both Tom and Goldberry can instantly heal all the Wounds, Might, Fate and Will of a single friendly model each turn? Maybe because they can never be wounded or even struck in combat? Or perhaps it is because they are immune to spells and ignore terrain effects? It may even be because of that pesky ability that means all Good models within 6"/14cm of them automatically pass Courage tests. Whatever it is, Tom Bombadil and Goldberry make their mark wherever they go.

Next: Wizards of Darkness.