This manual, the second The Lord of The Rings supplement, goes back to examine some of the events of The Return of The King in greater depth – specifically the sieges. As with Shadow & Flame this manual is split into two sections. The first, the Siege of Gondor, takes you through the siege rules stage by stage as it narrates the events leading up to the siege of Minas Tirith. For those of you who own a copy of the The Two Towers rules manual, you'll notice that a fair section of the siege rules are very similar to what you've seen before. By and large, the existing siege system has stood the test of time very well and there really didn't seem to be a need to make changes for the sake of it. Instead, I've tweaked and built upon the existing system, expanding the scope to include such things as siege engines and siege towers, broadening the scale of what is already a robust and versatile rules system.

Each of the scenarios has been specifically designed to show a slightly different way of playing siege games. While you can play them with their historical participants, they'll stand up just as well if you use alternate troops. For example, if you want to play a siege which involves an escalade you can simply play a points match for Act One – First Assault on Cair Andros, or if you want to have your defenders charge out to meet the attackers in a sortie you can play a points match for Act Three – The Rammas. The possibilities are almost endless! All six of the Siege of Gondor scenarios can be played as stand-alone games, but also contain rules for binding the individual pieces into a campaign.

Alongside the new rules and scenarios are, of course, new combatants. It is here that you'll find rules for all the new miniatures for the Siege of Gondor. Although this manual is focused on sieges, I've tried to make sure that there's something in here for everyone. As well as the introduction of siege engines (all of which can be customised and used in 'normal' skirmishes as well as sieges) there are new Warriors and Heroes for Good and Evil – notably a new version of Boromir, from before he fell under the Ring's influence, and Gothmog, the Lieutenant of Minas Morgul.

When you've done defending Gondor from the ravages of Sauron (or crushing the White City beneath your iron-shod foot), whether as a series of individual missions or the built-in linked campaign, the second part of the manual revisits Helm's Deep as Saruman launches his war on Rohan. As well as revised rules for Uruk-hai besiegers, including the Demolition Teams and Siege Assault Machines, this section of the manual has two of the largest scenarios I have written yet. Be warned! These scenarios are not for the faint-hearted and, while they do not quite have 10,000 Uruk-hai in them, they are big scenarios that will take a fair old time to play. They may seem a little unwieldy at first but as they relive one of my favourite film moments, I just had to build them in a suitably grand scale.

One of the most enjoyable things about The Lord of The Rings for me is the depth of even its smallest storylines, and I've tried to keep the narrative flowing throughout this manual. Ultimately, if I've managed to infect you with even half my enthusiasm for the underlying tales, then it's been worth the effort.

Related Articles:
What Is Shadow & Flame | What Is The Battle of Pelennor Fields
What Is The Fellowship of The Ring
What Is The Two Towers | What Is The Return of The King

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The Siege of Gondor