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Warriors of Middle-Earth expands the role of many of the minor powers described in J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, which up until now had been represented only through various event cards.  Rules for the Ents, the Dead Men of Dunharrow, the Great Eagles, the Corsairs of Umbar, the Wild Hillmen, and the Giant Spiders are all included in the expansion set. 

Each group is represented by their own plastic figures, and new game mechanics built around the new “Faction Dice” and “Faction Events” are introduced to control the new units.

As an expansion, Warriors of Middle-Earth requires the War of the Ring 2nd Edition base game in order to play.  The expansion features artwork from renowned Tolkien illustrator John Howe.  MSRP has not been announced.

The first expansion, Lords of Middle-Earth was released in 2012 (see “‘Lords of Middle Earth’”).  Last year, Ares released a second big box wargame set in Middle-Earth, based on the climactic ending of The Hobbit (see “First Look at the Box Art For ‘The Battle of The Five Armies’”), which received nominations for both the Golden Geek and the Origins Awards.