Tehanu already wished PJ a very Kiwi Happy Birthday, but now it’s time for us to give him a big wet sloppy North American kiss for his big day! Happy Birthday PJ!

Adam writes: Being such a huge fan of your site, I thought I’d send you some infomation on a convention on November 28th in England called Memorabilia. It is at the NEC and there are 2 LOTR guests so far, they are: Craig Parker (Haldir) and Mark Ferguson (Gil-Galad). [memorabilia.com]

The world’s leading strategy battle-games company Games Workshop is gearing up for the November launch of its newest game. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the third in the series of table-top battle strategy games based on New Line Cinema’s highly acclaimed movie trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Carefully designed to mirror the excitement and thrills of the greatly anticipated third film that hits the big screen in December 2003, The Return of the King game will carry the adventures in Middle-earth onwards with new rules and heroes for players to use in their games. [More]

GAMES WORKSHOP RELEASING NEW GAME…

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING!

The world’s leading strategy battle-games company Games Workshop is gearing up for the November launch of its newest game. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the third in the series of table-top battle strategy games based on New Line Cinema’s highly acclaimed movie trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Carefully designed to mirror the excitement and thrills of the greatly anticipated third film that hits the big screen in December 2003, The Return of the King game will carry the adventures in Middle-earth onwards with new rules and heroes for players to use in their games.

The Battle of Helm’s Deep is Over – The Battle for Middle-earth has begun!

Following on the releases of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers games, The Return of the King mirrors the events of the forthcoming film of the same name. It will take players through the key events of the movie such as the fighting at Minas Tirith, the battle at the Black Gates of Mordor, and the culmination of Frodo’s quest to destroy the Ring. Just as the film raises the action to new heights, the action in the game also rises with the inclusion of new rules, warriors, and scenarios.

The Return of the King adds greater depth and detail to the previous games with 12 new scenarios that allows players to re-create the events of the third film. The 176-page, full color rulebook also includes a comprehensive forces section that gives players all the information you need to field warriors from any of the films. From older characters such as Isuldur to newer ones like the Mouth of Sauron, from the noble High Elves to the brutish Mordor Trolls and the horrific Shelob, players will now be able to draw on an incredible variety of characters, warriors, and monsters for their armies. New rules also cover using banners and musicians in games as well as special combat tactics such as firing massed volleys at the enemy. The rulebook also includes The War of the Ring, a special section presenting an additional 5 scenarios covering the great battles raging throughout Middle-earth plus a new character to use in them.

Exciting New Miniatures for the Game

Over the coming year, Games Workshop will be releasing many fantastic new models to support the game. From Aragorn the King to the twisted Gorbag, from the Knights of Gondor to the Mordor Uruk-hai – players will see a wide variety of new miniatures adding extra depth to their armies. New warriors such as the Eastlerlings, monstrous characters such as Shelob, and heroes such as Denethor will be arriving to bolster forces on both sides.

The new game itself will come with great new plastic models, including 24 plastic Mordor Orcs and 24 Warriors of Minas Tirith, each force armed with a variety of weapons. Players also get new plastic scenery, evocative of the unique appearance of Middle-earth as seen in the motion pictures. Future issues of Games Workshop’s monthly hobby magazine White Dwarf will feature painting and modeling advice along with new scenarios and gaming material to further expand the game.

Ongoing Support for The Return of the King

Support for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Strategy Battle Game will continue through 2004 with new models and rules. Following in March will be The Siege of Gondor, the second of Games Workshop’s supplements for The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game (the first being the recent Shadow & Flame). This 64-page book will augment the rules with sieges, war machines, and more reflecting the kind of large-scale battles seen in The Return of the King. Players will also get war machines for the forces of Gondor and Mordor to augment their armies, plus new characters and key locations of combats. The Siege of Gondor promises to be an invaluable supplement for gamers looking to expand their armies beyond small skirmishes and into larger scale battles. Future supplements are already in work to provide even more for players as well, drawing also on the literary works in the same manner as Shadow and Flame.

And Continued Support for The Lord of the Rings!

Though this film brings the epic trilogy to a conclusion, these releases are only the latest for The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game! Coming months will be seeing even more via White Dwarf magazine and new supplements, taking the action even farther in scope. Players can be assured that they can look for many years to come of miniature gaming in Middle-earth!

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King tabletop battlegame will be released November 7th. It has a suggested retail price of $40.00 (released on November 3rd in Canada and sells for $60.00 Canadian).

Ianthe writes: The current issue of Interweave Press’ Handwoven magazine features a cover story on Stansborough Fibers and the special elven cloak fabric they created. There’s also supposed to be an accompanying cloak pattern. I’d send along more details, but I haven’t gotten my issue yet. [More]

Word of warning…most people don’t understand Elvish, so be careful when Trick or Treating tonight! [More]