Following the initial reveal of the first miniature inspired by upcoming anime movie The Lord of the RIngs: The War of the Rohirrim, Games Workshop's Warhammer Community newsletter has revealed the first starter set for the upcoming latest edition of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game. This new box set, which will be the basis of the game's newest edition is titled The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – Battle of Edoras and will allow fans to recreate the battles between Rohan and the Dunlendings featured in anime adaptation of material in the appendices of the Lord of the Rings books.
This new set features the previously revealed Wulf model as the leader of the Dunlending army, along with several newly unveiled characters from War of the Rohirrim. Notably the set includes the first two Rohan-aligned characters from Games Workshop's range of miniatures inspired by the movie. The recent announcement gives us our first look at the two princes of Rohan, Haleth and Háma. The Battle of Edoras set also features updatde versions of the classic Warriors of Rohan models from previous editions of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game.
The reveal trailer for the Battle of Edoras box set from Games Workshop can be viewed below:
Introducing a new edition of the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
Compared to Games Workshop's flagship games Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar, the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game product line as been fairly quiet since the release of the Peter Jackson Hobbit Trilogy in the 2010s. However, Games Workshop is making the most of the release of War of the Rohirrim to launch an all-new, updated edition of the game. The Battle of Edoras set will introduce both longtime fans and newcomers to the hobby.
The Battle of Edoras reveal also includes a full list of everything contained in the box set:
• 176-page Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game Rules Manual, updated to the latest edition
• 48-page Scenarios and Profiles booklet
•12 six-sided dice
• Range ruler for in-game measurements
• Three-foot square, double-sided game mat
• Two Rohan House models and minor scenery pieces
• Quick Reference Guide
• Haleth, Prince of Rohan miniatures; on foot and mounted
• Háma, Prince of Rohan miniatures; on foot and mounted
• 24 Warriors of Rohan miniatures
• Wulf, leader of the Dunlendings miniatures; on foot and mounted
• General Targg miniatures; on foot and mounted
• 24 Hill Tribesmen miniatures
The Lord of the RIngs: The War of the Rohirrim comes to theaters this December
Games Workshop has not yet announced a release date for the Battle of Edoras box set, but it will likely release around the same time as War of the Rohirrim hits theatres. The scheduled release date for the Middle-earth anime adaptation is December 11, 2024 internationally and December 13, 2024 in North America.
Set about 200 years before the more well-known events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, War of the Rohirrim tells the story of the conflict between King of Rohan Helm Hammerhand and the invading Dunlendings led by Wulf. The upcoming anime movie is directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Blade Runner: Black Lotus) and is the first new entry in the Warner Bros./New Line Middle-earth universe since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014.
Warner Bros. Pictures provides the following summary:
"Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg— a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.Warner Bros. Pictures
With Kamiyama at the helm, the original feature is being produced by Oscar winner Philippa Boyens, from the screenwriting team behind “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” Trilogies, alongside Jason DeMarco and Joseph Chou, who, in addition to their many separate animation projects, collaborated on the “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” series. The executive producers are Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, Sam Register, Carolyn Blackwood and Toby Emmerich. The screenplay is by Jeffrey Addiss & Will Matthews and Phoebe Gittins & Arty Papageorgiou, story by Addiss & Matthews and Boyens, based on characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The team of creative collaborators returning from “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy also includes Oscar winners Alan Lee and Richard Taylor, along with esteemed Tolkien illustrator John Howe."
Keep following us here on Anime Away for new on all the latest major upcoming anime releases for the rest of 2024 and beyond, including new details about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim as we get closer to its December debut.