Nations & Playing Game Style in LOTR: The Strategy Game (Free People) news

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

1. Starting Place: Mirkwood
2. Economy: Bad economy
3. Characters: Average, but periodically they get the support of Radagast
4. Armies: Weak
5. Magic: Low knowledge
6. Game style: Survival
7. Advantages:
   • Good resources
   • Skin-changing ability for some characters
   • A good coordination with Elves and Northmen can win the Mirkood area
8. Disadvantages:
   • Permanent at war in Mirkwood and the Great River
   • Average potential
9. Difficulty: Hard

1. Starting Place: Rhovanion
2. Economy: Good economy
3. Characters: Average
4. Armies: Average
5. Magic: Low knowledge
6. Game style: Economic support of allies
7. Advantages:
   • Gold surplus
   • Good resources
   • Not in the center of the war
   • A good coordination with Elves and Northmen can win the Mirkood area
8. Disadvantages:
   • Attacked from the North (Witch King) and the South / Mirkwood (Dragon Lord)
   • Average potential
9. Difficulty: Average

1. Starting Place: Rohan
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Good commanders
4. Armies: Good
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Horses surplus
   • Good cavalry armies
   • Good commanders
   • Great potential
8. Disadvantages:
   • Leads the negotiations with 2 neutral nations (Dunlendings and White Wizard)
   • Could be hard if surrounding neutral nations go Dark
   • Must support Gondor
9. Difficulty: Hard - Average

1. Starting Place: Eriador
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average - Weak
5. Magic: Average
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters (Aragorn, Elladan, Elrohir - sons of Elrond)
   • Far from war
   • Some fortified centers
8. Disadvantages:
   • Weak armies or armies with low levels of weapon / armour
9. Difficulty: Easy - Average

1. Starting Place: Mirkwood
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Good (Thranduil, Legolas...)
4. Armies: Average - Weak
5. Magic: Good
6. Game style: Support
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Some hidden pop.centers
   • Good level of army weapons/armour
8. Disadvantages:
   • Low number of troops
   • Close to war in Mirkwood
9. Difficulty: Average

1. Starting Place: North gondor
2. Economy: Good
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Good
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Large and well-provided armies
   • Good economy
   • Big fortified pop. centers
   • Good cities infrastructure (fortifications)
8. Disadvantages:
   • Permanent aim of almost all enemies
   • Must coordinate with allies to survive
9. Difficulty: Hard

1. Starting Place: South Gondor
2. Economy: Good
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Good
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic (Navies)
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Large navies
   • Good cavalry units
   • Good cities infrastructure (fortifications, ports)
8. Disadvantages:
   • Permanent at war
   • Must cope with surrounding neutrals
   • Must coordinate well with North Gondor
9. Difficulty: Easy - Average

1. Starting Place: Dispersed (Blue, Grey Mountains...)
2. Economy: Good
3. Characters: Average
4. Armies: Average - good
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Surplus to gold obtained in Dwarven mines
   • Well-supplied armies (mithril)
   • Far from war
8. Disadvantages:
   • Low movement
   • Dispersed
9. Difficulty: Average

1. Starting Place: Grey Havens & Valley of Imladris
2. Economy: Good
3. Characters: Very good
4. Armies: Good
5. Magic: Good
6. Game style: Militaristic & Character support
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters (Galadriel, Celeborn...)
   • Several high-level artifacts
   • Well-provided units
   • Some hidden pop. centers
8. Disadvantages:
   • Permanent at war at Mirkwood and The Great River
9. Difficulty: Average

1. Starting Place: Grey Havens & Valley of Imladris
2. Economy: Good
3. Characters: Very good
4. Armies: Good but low numbers
5. Magic: Good
6. Game style: Character & Economic support
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters (Elrond, Cirdan, Arwen, Glorfindel...)
   • Several high-level artifacts
   • Well-provided units
   • Average army
   • Far from war
   • Some hidden pop. centers
8. Disadvantages:
   • Low number of troops
9. Difficulty: Easy

Dark servants

1. Starting Place: Angmar & Minas Morgul
2. Economy: Average-Low
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average
5. Magic: Good
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Start with some magic artifacts
   • Has pop. centers outside Mordor
8. Disadvantages:
   • Permanent at war
   • Bad provided and trained troops
   • Direct confrontation with Gondor and Dunadan Rangers
9. Difficulty: Hard

1. Starting Place: Mirkwood
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average
5. Magic: Average
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Good resources
   • Has pop. centers outside Mordor
8. Disadvantages:
   • Permanent at war
   • Bad provided and trained troops
   • Direct confrontation with Woodmen, Elves and possibly Rohan
9. Difficulty: Hard

1. Starting Place: Dagorlad
2. Economy: Average-Low
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average-Good
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Average armies with some mounted troops
   • Some pop. centers outside mordor
8. Disadvantages:
   • Close to war
   • Bad provided and trained troops
   • Must negotiate actively with surrounding Rhun Easterlings
9. Difficulty: Average - Hard

1. Starting Place: Mountains of Shadow (Ephel Duath)
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average-Good
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Average armies with some mounted troops
8. Disadvantages:
   • Close to war
   • Bad provided and trained troops
   • Inside of Mordor
9. Difficulty: Average - Hard

1. Starting Place: Nurn
2. Economy: Average-Good
3. Characters: Mainly mages
4. Armies: Low
5. Magic: Very good
6. Game style: Magic support
7. Advantages:
   • Good mages
   • Good resources
   • Several magic artifacts
   • Access to lost spells
8. Disadvantages:
   • Small armies
   • Bad provided and trained troops
   • Must negotiate actively with Khand Easterlings
9. Difficulty: Easy

1. Starting Place: North Ithilien - Isenmouth
2. Economy: Bad
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Several armies
   • Good characters
8. Disadvantages:
   • Permanent at war
   • Bad provided and trained troops
   • Direct confrontation with Gondor
   • Bad economy
9. Difficulty: Hard

1. Starting Place: Poros & Near Harad
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Low
5. Magic: Average
6. Game style: Diplomatic
7. Advantages:
   • Pop. centers outside Mordor
   • Good characters (emissaries and agents)
8. 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
9. Difficulty: Average - Hard

1. Starting Place: Cirith Ungol
2. Economy: Low
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average
5. Magic: Average
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Average armies
8. Disadvantages:
   • Permanent at war
   • Bad economy
   • Direct confrontation with Gondor
9. Difficulty: Hard

1. Starting Place: Rhun, Rhovanion & Khand
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average (mainly mounted)
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Mounted troops
8. 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
9. Difficulty: Hard

1. Starting Place: Gorgoroth
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Very good
4. Armies: Average - Good
5. Magic: Good
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters
   • Good armies
   • Several magic artifacts
   • Not directly exposed to Free People's attack
8. Disadvantages:
   • Bad economy
   • Inside Mordor
   • Controls Mt. Doom and must protect it
9. Difficulty: Hard

Neutral nations

1. Starting Place: Umbar
2. Economy: Good
3. Characters: Average
4. Armies: Good (navy)
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic (sea attack) / Diplomatic
7. Advantages:
   • Good fleet
   • Good economy
   • Isolated from war
   • Start not aligned
8. Disadvantages:
   • Close to Dark Servants but at 1-turn distance of South Gondor fleet
   • Must be in constant negotiations with neutral neighbors (Khand, Harad)
9. Difficulty: Easy

1. Starting Place: Rhun & Rhovanion
2. Economy: Average - Good
3. Characters: Average
4. Armies: Average - Good (mounted)
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good mounted armies
   • Not bad economy
   • Start not aligned
8. Disadvantages:
   • Dispersed
   • Surrounded by both Free People and Dark Servants
9. Difficulty: Average

1. Starting Place: Dunland
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Average - Low
4. Armies: Average - Low (mainly men-at-arms)
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good position in map
   • Bonus to stealth
   • Start not aligned
8. Disadvantages:
   • Surrounded only by FP
   • Must be in constant negotiations with the White Hand
9. Difficulty: Easy

1. Starting Place: Gap of Rohan / Dunland / Misty Mountains
2. Economy: Low
3. Characters: Good
4. Armies: Average
5. Magic: Good
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good characters (Saruman, Wormtongue, Bill Ferny...)
   • Magic artifacts (Palantir of Orthanc...) and lost spells
   • Starts not aligned
8. Disadvantages:
   • Surrounded mostly by FP
   • Must be in constant negotiations with the Dunlendings
   • Movement partially blocked by Rohan
9. Difficulty: Average

1. Starting Place: Khand
2. Economy: Average-Good
3. Characters: Average
4. Armies: Average-Good
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good resources and economy
   • Good army size
   • Start not aligned
8. Disadvantages:
   • Surrounded by Dark Servants
   • Must be in constant negotiations with the neighbor neutrals (Harad, Corsairs, Rhun Easterlings)
9. Difficulty: Average

1. Starting Place: Near Harad
2. Economy: Average
3. Characters: Average
4. Armies: Average-Good
5. Magic: Low
6. Game style: Militaristic
7. Advantages:
   • Good mounted units (Mumakils)
   • Starts with a navy
   • Average economy
8. 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)
9. Difficulty: Average