Question for GW LotR Players

[Mr. White]

So, I'm just now getting into the game with the Fellowship of the Ring and Mines of Moria box sets.

I understand the current iteration of the rules is with The Hobbit game. However, I also believe there is some new rulebook, maybe called 'Middle Earth Strategy Game', that is coming later this year.

My question is...does anyone have any idea how encompassing this Middle Earth Strategy Game book will be? Do I need to get the existing blue books for the factions now or will they be in this new rulebook?

Thanks!

[Coenus Scaldingus]

Although the exact way the new books will be published isn't entirely clear yet, and wasn't even known to the Middle-earth team a year ago or so, it is confirmed the LotR-era profiles in the five blue sourcebooks will be updated in due course as well. Whether there will be a book with updated core rules and all the profiles, one book with rules and one with profiles, or just the rulebook first and supplements later, updating profiles along the way, isn't quite clear - I think the last option is the most recent idea, although it may also be that profiles are updated before the supplements are released. The team have shed some light on various projects they are keen on to kick off the revised LotR era (either Last Alliance or Pelennor Fields), but also mentioned working on updated profiles that aren't in either of those (e.g. Gorbag, Balrog), pointing to conflicting strategies.

In short, they will be updated, but we don't currently know when or how. Should only be a few months before solid info becomes available though, hopefully.