Available Nations and Playing Game Style
This is a list of the main advantages and disadvantages of choosing one or another nation in the main scenario of the Lord of the Rings: the Strategy Game. Each nation has its own game style, its advantages and disadvantages. Using them well could lead you to the victory.
Free people
The Woodmen:
- Starting Place: Mirkwood
- Economy: Bad economy
- Characters: Average, but periodically they get the support of Radagast
- Armies: Weak
- Magic: Low knowledge
- Game style: Survival
- Advantages:
- Good resources
- Skin-changing ability for some characters
- A good coordination with Elves and Northmen can win the Mirkood area
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent at war in Mirkwood and the Great River
- Average potential
- Difficulty: Hard
The Northmen of Rhovanion:
- Starting Place: Rhovanion
- Economy: Good economy
- Characters: Average
- Armies: Average
- Magic: Low knowledge
- Game style: Economic support of allies
- Advantages:
- Gold surplus
- Good resources
- Not in the center of the war
- A good coordination with Elves and Northmen can win the Mirkood area
- Disadvantages:
- Attacked from the North (Witch King) and the South / Mirkwood (Dragon Lord)
- Average potential
- Difficulty: Average
Rohan:
- Starting Place: Rohan
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Good commanders
- Armies: Good
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Horses surplus
- Good cavalry armies
- Good commanders
- Great potential
- Disadvantages:
- Leads the negotiations with 2 neutral nations (Dunlendings and White Wizard)
- Could be hard if surrounding neutral nations go Dark
- Must support Gondor
- Difficulty: Hard - Average
The Lost Realm of Arnor:
- Starting Place: Eriador
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average - Weak
- Magic: Average
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters (Aragorn, Elladan, Elrohir - sons of Elrond)
- Far from war
- Some fortified centers
- Disadvantages:
- Weak armies or armies with low levels of weapon / armour
- Difficulty: Easy - Average
The Wood Realm (Silvan Elves)
- Starting Place: Mirkwood
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Good (Thranduil, Legolas...)
- Armies: Average - Weak
- Magic: Good
- Game style: Support
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Some hidden pop.centers
- Good level of army weapons/armour
- Disadvantages:
- Low number of troops
- Close to war in Mirkwood
- Difficulty: Average
North Gondor:
- Starting Place: North gondor
- Economy: Good
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Good
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Large and well-provided armies
- Good economy
- Big fortified pop. centers
- Good cities infrastructure (fortifications)
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent aim of almost all enemies
- Must coordinate with allies to survive
- Difficulty: Hard
South Gondor:
- Starting Place: South Gondor
- Economy: Good
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Good
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic (Navies)
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Large navies
- Good cavalry units
- Good cities infrastructure (fortifications, ports)
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent at war
- Must cope with surrounding neutrals
- Must coordinate well with North Gondor
- Difficulty: Easy - Average
Dwarves:
- Starting Place: Dispersed (Blue, Grey Mountains...)
- Economy: Good
- Characters: Average
- Armies: Average - good
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Surplus to gold obtained in Dwarven mines
- Well-supplied armies (mithril)
- Far from war
- Disadvantages:
- Low movement
- Dispersed
- Difficulty: Average
Sinda Elves:
- Starting Place: Grey Havens & Valley of Imladris
- Economy: Good
- Characters: Very good
- Armies: Good
- Magic: Good
- Game style: Militaristic & Character support
- Advantages:
- Good characters (Galadriel, Celeborn...)
- Several high-level artifacts
- Well-provided units
- Some hidden pop. centers
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent at war at Mirkwood and The Great River
- Difficulty: Average
Noldo Elves:
- Starting Place: Grey Havens & Valley of Imladris
- Economy: Good
- Characters: Very good
- Armies: Good but low numbers
- Magic: Good
- Game style: Character & Economic support
- Advantages:
- Good characters (Elrond, Cirdan, Arwen, Glorfindel...)
- Several high-level artifacts
- Well-provided units
- Average army
- Far from war
- Some hidden pop. centers
- Disadvantages:
- Low number of troops
- Difficulty: Easy
Dark servants
The Witch King (Murazor, the 1st Nazgul):
- Starting Place: Angmar & Minas Morgul
- Economy: Average-Low
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average
- Magic: Good
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Start with some magic artifacts
- Has pop. centers outside Mordor
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent at war
- Bad provided and trained troops
- Direct confrontation with Gondor and Dunadan Rangers
- Difficulty: Hard
The Black Easterling (Khamul, the 2nd Nazgul)
- Starting Place: Mirkwood
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average
- Magic: Average
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Good resources
- Has pop. centers outside Mordor
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent at war
- Bad provided and trained troops
- Direct confrontation with Woodmen, Elves and possibly Rohan
- Difficulty: Hard
The Dark Marshal (Dendra-Dwar, the 3rd Nazgul)
- Starting Place: Dagorlad
- Economy: Average-Low
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average-Good
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Average armies with some mounted troops
- Some pop. centers outside mordor
- Disadvantages:
- Close to war
- Bad provided and trained troops
- Must negotiate actively with surrounding Rhun Easterlings
- Difficulty: Average - Hard
The Black Assassin (Ji Indur, the 4th Nazgul)
- Starting Place: Mountains of Shadow (Ephel Duath)
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average-Good
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Average armies with some mounted troops
- Disadvantages:
- Close to war
- Bad provided and trained troops
- Inside of Mordor
- Difficulty: Average - Hard
The Gloom of Nurn (Akhorahil, the 5th Nazgul)
- Starting Place: Nurn
- Economy: Average-Good
- Characters: Mainly mages
- Armies: Low
- Magic: Very good
- Game style: Magic support
- Advantages:
- Good mages
- Good resources
- Several magic artifacts
- Access to lost spells
- Disadvantages:
- Small armies
- Bad provided and trained troops
- Must negotiate actively with Khand Easterlings
- Difficulty: Easy
The Black Threat (Hoarmurath, the 6th Nazgul)
- Starting Place: North Ithilien - Isenmouth
- Economy: Bad
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Several armies
- Good characters
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent at war
- Bad provided and trained troops
- Direct confrontation with Gondor
- Bad economy
- Difficulty: Hard
The Dark Messanger (Adunaphel, the 7th Nazgul)
- Starting Place: Poros & Near Harad
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Low
- Magic: Average
- Game style: Diplomatic
- Advantages:
- Pop. centers outside Mordor
- Good characters (emissaries and agents)
- Disadvantages:
- Small armies
- Bad provided and trained troops
- Must be in constant negotiations with neutrals (Corsairs, Harad, Khand Easterlings)
- Its survival depend on the negotiations with Neutral Nations
- Difficulty: Average - Hard
The Unclean (Ren, 8th Nazgul)
- Starting Place: Cirith Ungol
- Economy: Low
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average
- Magic: Average
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Average armies
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent at war
- Bad economy
- Direct confrontation with Gondor
- Difficulty: Hard
The Horseman (Uvatha, 9th Nazgul)
- Starting Place: Rhun, Rhovanion & Khand
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average (mainly mounted)
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Mounted troops
- Disadvantages:
- Permanent at war and surrounded by Free Peoples
- Bad economy
- Must be in constant negotiations with Khand & Rhun Easterlings
- Direct confrontation with Northmen, Dwarves and Elves
- Difficulty: Hard
The Lieutenants of Sauron (Gothmog & the Mouth of Sauron)
- Starting Place: Gorgoroth
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Very good
- Armies: Average - Good
- Magic: Good
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters
- Good armies
- Several magic artifacts
- Not directly exposed to Free People's attack
- Disadvantages:
- Bad economy
- Inside Mordor
- Controls Mt. Doom and must protect it
- Difficulty: Hard
Neutral nations
The Corsairs:
- Starting Place: Umbar
- Economy: Good
- Characters: Average
- Armies: Good (navy)
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic (sea attack) / Diplomatic
- Advantages:
- Good fleet
- Good economy
- Isolated from war
- Start not aligned
- Disadvantages:
- Close to Dark Servants but at 1-turn distance of South Gondor fleet
- Must be in constant negotiations with neutral neighbors (Khand, Harad)
- Difficulty: Easy
Rhun Easterlings:
- Starting Place: Rhun & Rhovanion
- Economy: Average - Good
- Characters: Average
- Armies: Average - Good (mounted)
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good mounted armies
- Not bad economy
- Start not aligned
- Disadvantages:
- Dispersed
- Surrounded by both Free People and Dark Servants
- Difficulty: Average
Dunlendings:
- Starting Place: Dunland
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Average - Low
- Armies: Average - Low (mainly men-at-arms)
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good position in map
- Bonus to stealth
- Start not aligned
- Disadvantages:
- Surrounded only by FP
- Must be in constant negotiations with the White Hand
- Difficulty: Easy
The White Hand:
- Starting Place: Gap of Rohan / Dunland / Misty Mountains
- Economy: Low
- Characters: Good
- Armies: Average
- Magic: Good
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good characters (Saruman, Wormtongue, Bill Ferny...)
- Magic artifacts (Palantir of Orthanc...) and lost spells
- Starts not aligned
- Disadvantages:
- Surrounded mostly by FP
- Must be in constant negotiations with the Dunlendings
- Movement partially blocked by Rohan
- Difficulty: Average
Khand Easterlings:
- Starting Place: Khand
- Economy: Average-Good
- Characters: Average
- Armies: Average-Good
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good resources and economy
- Good army size
- Start not aligned
- Disadvantages:
- Surrounded by Dark Servants
- Must be in constant negotiations with the neighbor neutrals (Harad, Corsairs, Rhun Easterlings)
- Difficulty: Average
Harad:
- Starting Place: Near Harad
- Economy: Average
- Characters: Average
- Armies: Average-Good
- Magic: Low
- Game style: Militaristic
- Advantages:
- Good mounted units (Mumakils)
- Starts with a navy
- Average economy
- Disadvantages:
- After choosing an alignment, will be permanently at war
- Direct confrontation with Gondor or Dark Servants
- Must be in constant negotiations with neutral neighbors (Khand, Harad)
- Difficulty: Average
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