A different scale would be just crazy. I'm looking forward to new wood elves, Bolg's army and bodyguard, the Dwarves of the Iron Hills, and Laketown and/or Dale. Spiders might be fun, but they'd have to have pretty weak profiles.

My source advised, that the decision had been made not to change the scale. At his point, I don't care much.I am not a fan of plastic or resin miniatures. No metal, no sale. As far as the rumor goes it is not baseless.A lot of people do not like the scale of the LOTR line. Some people felt that a scale change would increase sales more than it would anger current collectors.I have pointed out over and over that GW under values their long time customers. We can hope they don't change their minds again.

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They'd get nothing at all from my if it was a scale change. The only reason our group went over to WotR is the models were the same so I could use my existing collection. Our group is barely hanging onto LotR GW at all right now and we used to have 8 VERY active purchasers. None of us would start over anything LotR from GW in a different scale. We'd just stick to what we have and maybe adapt any new rules to use the current models ( it's not called "scale" for nothing ).

If they do stick to the current scale I'm sure they will get a good amount of purchases from several of us.

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Scale change or not I'm going to buy a Bilbo at very least.

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It is interesting that Legions was mentioned. This could go two ways, we are all assuming that they will release a new rulebook with LoME inside/built in. Well, what if GW have decided to rename SBG to Legions of Middle Earth to help differentiate WoTR from SBG. Just changing LoTR SBG to LoME would be a better way to distinguish the two game systems and hopefully get new people involved, or get some people excited because the rules cover more than just the story of The Lord of The Rings.
We are also assuming that GW will not fundamentally change anything about the game. Looking at the new UK GT specifics there seems to be a shift towards objectives inside objectives, but that may just be to try and get people away from tie games and non-"standard" lists.

Who knows, but I expect GW to throw some kind of change into a new rulebook/reboot.

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richmondwarmancers we play Lord of The Rings, Battlefleet Gothic, Infinity, some board games, and really whatever tickles our fancy..

At the moment, SBG and WoTR both sit under the banner of Lord of The Rings. But that doesn't work too well with the release of The Hobbit.

I can't see GW spending resources in splintering the "Lord of the Rings" brand further by making The Hobbit a third strand. Maybe we'll see a rebrand the main umbrella as something like Battle Games in Middle Earth or Legions of Middle Earth (or maybe even just Middle Earth) and then have the skirmish and mass battles sit under there.

We could then have rulebooks with the main rules and army lists for each plus journey books that span both systems.

Your idea totally makes sense--even if it is a prequel, The Hobbit is not The Lord of the Rings; there is a naming and branding issue here. Will they unite the two under a Middle-earth title, will they simply indifferently label Hobbit releases as LotR, or will The Hobbit have its own naming? I think, like you, that they will likely just put them all under the same name.

Browsing some other GW-related forums, it seems to me that a large amount of Warhammer and Warhammer 40000 players do not like LotR. I think these faithful gamers to their respective systems are reasonable for not liking LotR--we complain that LotR doesn't get enough attention from GW, but every attention it does get is attention being taken away from their games--GW's "true" games, and that is especially true for when LotR SBG was first released and introduced. WHFB and 40K players felt and continue to feel robbed. I was browsing a forum the other day that was suggesting that a group of WHFB and 40K players make their own magazine to replace White Dwarf, and one of the bullets for doing so read, "We don't care about LotR." Ouch. That was an important enough complaint to go alongside all the universal issues everyone has with WD! I say all that, in combination with the news that GW is going to have a better handle on things this time around, to suggest that GW will likely try to keep LotR and the Hobbit under one name, in order not to fracture the increasingly smaller LotR base, and to not tick off the 40k and Warhammer fans who don't much care for any attention that GW gives to LotR.

Right now I've decided to stop buying things from Games Workshop until the Hobbit comes out. When it does I will definitely want at least a figure or a box of figures to paint--I'm hoping there's a "13 dwarves plus Bilbo plus Gandalf" boxed set, and some chance to get an awesome display plinth like the BGiME Balin's Tomb base. I've at this point stopped gaming. I never had enough miniatures--or money to buy the miniatures--to fully play through any of the LotR journey books. The Hobbit is a much smaller adventure, and I feel like maybe, just maybe, I would buy the miniatures to play through a journey book, if they were to release one, and, to save money, just play the Battle of Five Armies as per their Warmaster iteration.

And, on a different scale--if they were to make The Hobbit, say, 54mm, I expect it would be more of spin-off, Specialist Game version of LotR SBG, maybe an RPG like Inquisitor. It would likely only have support for as long as the movies were popular. Each mini would be super, super expensive, and I would likely just get one and paint it up for display.

The models i want to see are

Wardens of the key
plastic dol amroth on foot
Finecast dragon
stone giant
I would love to see but dont expect, plastic citadel guard and tower guard, although they realy arent much chop in WOTR

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I have my issues with GW but in the end, secretly, I am a GW fanatic.

I doubt the Wardens of the Keys or Dol Amroth Foot Knights will be released with the Hobbit stuff. Could be though, never know.

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And I would expect a plastic dragon, similar in size to the Mumak.

At least, I hope so.

I think there are just as many people who are annoyed at 40k than people who are annoyed at lotr.

Just read all the postings for this topic, brilliant, i thinking they could release bigger scale for the simpler reason The Hobbit has less Characters than LOTR, so GW will have to make more money on a more limited release, LOTR was released over 3 years, The Hobbit 2.

The first film would suit SBG rules, the second film would suit WOTR rules with the battle of the 5 armies. so knowing GW they would adapt both rule systems fo fit 54mm figures.

Also as all the heroes are Dwarves, a Hobbit and Goblins, a larger scale would look better, remember GW only care about future sales and new customers (mainly young teenage boys) not more mature current collectors like a majority of us here.

Whatever they do produce, i can not wait and will end up buying it, simply because i love it, love the painting, love the gaming, and love reading the forums!

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Harfoots-The first of the Hobbit people to cross over the Misty Mountains and enter Eriador.

I don't see a change to 54mm scale. The first reason being the cost, assuming Sauron is around the size of a man in 54mm scale it means that we'd be looking at around £25 per single model on foot. The second reason being Smaug, how big and expensive would he be at 54mm scale.

I guess it could be possible to make The Hobbit/SBG in 54mm scale and then The Hobbit/WoTR in 28mm scale. I really hope we do keep a consistent 28mm scale though for everything.

With the release of WoTR GW did realise that it needed to be compatible with existing models, so at least we have prior experience.

It could be that they are working on revamping the Battle of Five armies stuff. Metal blisters are a beeyatch to acquire.

Different scale, but it is also a different game and also is set during the Hobbit.

A different scale for the skirmish game would be disastrous though. Just look at Fantasy Flight Games attempt at revamping Warzone. Auto fail no matter how good the game was due to lack of backwards compatibility with existing ranges.

ok then. some releases.
sounds good
not sure about the different scale, mainly because i really do not want a new rulebook for a new scaled new game. but i am thankfull about these new releases

Ugh, I don't even want to think about some Warhammer Fantasy style heroic scale miniatures as part of the appeal of the lotr range for me has always been the realistic proportions. And I really want a mini of Stephen Fry as Master of Laketown!

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If they're smart, GW will keep the scale the same, introduce the definitive/vital Hobbit pieces (Thorin & Co., Beorn, Laketown Men, & possibly Iron Hills Dwarves) followed gradually by the less definitive models that we really want to see (such as Smaug and a proper Bat Swarm,) and group the whole Middle Earth line under the tag Battle For Middle Earth.


That said, how many times have people around here ripped their hair out over the frustratingly crazy choices GW has made concerning the line?

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I would not want a change of scale and I wuld also object to a change of style - the best of the LotR minis have been those that most closely correspond to the versions in the movies - realistic proportions, swords and axes that could be swung as opposed to industrial scale tree felling implements.

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Seeing as "legions was mentioned", and several of the FAQ's say "we will correct this when we reprint Legions of Middle-Earth", we can at least expect a reprint.

Curtis and I heard from Bluewater that there are:
lot of new models on the way. Smaug, of course, sounds like people have seen him and it's beautiful
More goblins
Sounds like they're withdrawing all the old figures - by which, I guess they're revising some and reboxing everything.
Scale is absolutely, definitely the same: "we would never make our old figures obsolete"
LOTR & WOTR combined in one book. PLus a totally new book for the new range.
I'm sure there's lots more information will leak out soon.

Bluewater clear everything old out and introduce a new, bigger LOTR/WOTR table in Jan, so given that Wayland are remaindering the old boxes, my guess is some of it, at least, will be launched in Jan.
Cheers, Paul, aka the Troll-father