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For a beginner, the most difficult aspect of picking up The Lord of the RingsTM Tradable Miniatures Game can be the Special Abilities (SA’s). Movement, Combat and Archery are simple concepts that most individuals have experience with elsewhere; however it is Special Abilities that really make the game interesting and strategic. You can read over the Special Abilities list and learn what each one does and when it is activated, but just by reading it do you gain an understanding of how to use it on the field of battle? Most probably not.
Below are some notes on how to better understand and effectively use the SA’s. These are intended to help beginners to the game get a better grasp of strategy and game play without having to play an inordinate amount of games to do it. Some SA’s require more thought than others and have more uses in the game. Some are simple to comprehend and use while others have uses that don’t automatically seem obvious. Experienced gamers will get little benefit from these rudimentary overviews and may even know of other tactics that can be used with a particular SA.
Shooting
Arrow Flurry - This Special Ability allows a figure to double the number of dice rolled when making a shooting attack. You may also assign Damage dice any way you want on any enemy figure in LOS. This could effectively wound and/or kill several different enemy figures. You may not add in any elevation bonuses however to get another extra die. Since this SA is usually expensive, it can be self-defeating if the rolls don’t pan out as well as you like. Saving the AP’s to convert Glancing Blows might be more worth it and allow more hits over the entirety of the game.
Crack Shot - This Special Ability allows a figure to both move and shoot (or vice versa) in the Action Phase. It is very similar to Fast Strike except that it covers archery attacks instead of melee attacks. A player could use this to move into range of a particular enemy figure and then shoot or conversely, could shoot and then move backwards out of range or movement of an enemy. Used effectively, this SA can keep valuable archer figures safe from harm for a significant amount of time.
Deadly Shot - This Special Ability allows a figure to roll 2 Damage dice for each hit made by a shooting attack instead of 1. This can be a potent SA as each hit has the chance to take out a minion. Whereas some SA’s should not be used when compared to the AP cost in any particular situation, this SA should always be used as long as there is AP to pay for it. Rolling an extra die for each hit is the same as hitting twice and that is always worth it. Strategically, there isn’t much thought that needs to be put into this one, just use it when your archer scores a hit.
Expert Marksman - This Special Ability keeps all other models (friend or foe) from blocking LOS. This means that if Frodo is sitting behind a barrier of powerful Hero’s with high Toughness, then you can still choose to target him. If an enemy figure is totally surrounded by your own forces you could choose to target him as well, and if killed it would allow your figures to move freely without having to worry about any Free Attacks that would come from Disengaging. Use this SA to target high priority targets and finish off wounded ones that have been shuffled to the rear to get out of combat.
Shot Caller - This Special Ability allows a figure to designate one opposing figure each turn as a target. During that turn all friendly archers that shoot at the chosen figure get +1 shot. This is most effective in armies that have cheap archers as it magnifies their abilities well beyond what they cost in terms of points. Note that the figure with this SA need only pick an opponents figure that is in his Line of Sight (LOS). He need not be in be in archery range, so you could pick an enemy figure on the other side of the board if need be.
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