The beacons are lit and Rohan will answer in a new box set for Warhammer's Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, and it's remaking 20 year-old models in time for War of the Rohirrim.
Unveiled on Hobbit Day (September 22, AKA the birthday of a certain Bilbo Baggins), 'War of the Rohirrim - Battle of Edoras' seems to contain everything you need to play the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game. It's weighed down by a full rules manual for the game's new edition, scenery, a playmat, accessories, a scenario book, and 56 models in total – enough for two armies. Because this is based on the upcoming War of the Rohirrim movie, it shouldn't come as a surprise that those miniatures depict the Rohan Horse Lords and barbarian Hill Tribesmen.
What caught my eye was the brand-new Warriors of Rohan. These are brand-new sculpts paying homage to miniatures from 2002, and they do a remarkably good job of keeping that oughts spirit whilst showing off the last two decades' advances. I was always fond of the Rohirrim that appeared in the classic Two Towers box set anyway, but I'm impressed at how well these replacements honor what came before. If you already have a Rohan army, these won't look out of place.
There isn't a price or release date for this box set yet, but seeing as the last one – Battle of Osgiliath – dropped in December a couple years ago, I suspect the same may be true here. Apropos of nothing, that's when the War of the Rohirrim anime is releasing as well…
If you're new to all this and want to make the leap from the best board games to wargaming, the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is a good shout. It's very straightforward to run and doesn't lose itself in the crunchy rules you'll find across Warhammer 40K or Age of Sigmar. Plus, it's backed up by two decades-worth of gorgeous models based on both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, so you've got no shortage of options.
Happily, both the Rohirrim and Hill Tribesmen can be used for the War of the Rohirrim era or the later Lord of the Rings time-period; the latter can be stand-ins for the Wildmen of Dunland who served Saruman. Seeing as the original models for them are a pain to get hold of and are showing their age these days, that's no bad thing.
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