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If there’s one thing that wargamers can all agree on, it’s that Games Workshop is expensive. We have written about this many times from many different angles, including Why is Warhammer So Expensive?; Neurodivergence, Impulse Control, and Wargame Sales; the Games Workshop Half-Annual Report; and, of course, our two articles on which is the best value of Start Collecting/Combat Patrol Boxes: one for Age of Sigmar and one for Warhammer 40k.
But there’s something that’s been hiding in plain sight all along which is, by far, the best value for getting into a Games Workshop game. It comes with the complete rule book. It comes with not only two armies, but two FULL armies, with special units that are expensive on their own. It is one of Games Workshop’s best games. And yet it is overlooked so much that it’s a crime.
I’m talking, of course, about the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game starter set, the Battle for Pellenor Fields.
Let’s take a look at everything that comes in this box, and let’s start to tally up how much value is crammed into this thing–because it’s staggering.
The Battle of the Pellenor Fields, if you don’t recognize the name, is the battle that takes place in Return of the King on the plain in front of Minas Tirith. It’s where the armies of Orcs besiege the city, where their war machines start to assault the walls and break down the gate. It’s where the Charge of the Rohirrim happens, which is my favorite sequence in any of the Peter Jackson movies, bar none. As a matter of fact, let’s look at it now.
And of course it’s the battle with the Mumakil–the Oliphaunts–and the armies of the dead.
So what does the box come with?
First, the good guys:
We have Theoden, King of Rohan, on foot and on horseback. This model, if purchased alone through Games Workshop, would cost $35.
Then we have 12 Warriors of Rohan on Foot. A normal box on Games Workshop’s site has 24 for $45, so we’ll call it $22.50.
Next come 12 Riders of Rohan, and this is where things start to get expensive. These come in a box of 6, at $42 each, so the twelve here would be $84.
Finally, we can’t forget the army of the dead, the Dead of Dunharrow, 20 of which cost $45.
What about the bad guys?
The Witch King of Angmar on Fell Beast is $65 alone.
A Mordor Troll (you can’t separately buy the exact one from the box, but all the other trolls cost $45).
36 Morannon Orcs. These come in a box of 24 for $45, so 36 of them would be $66.50.
Now, let’s move on the last big ticket item: the rulebook. The book that comes in Battle of Pellenor Fields starter set is not an abbreviated version of the rule, or a paperback, but the full hardback 208 page Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game Rules Manual. Retail, this costs $60.
Crunching the numbers and…
This box is worth, paying full retail for the units individually, $423. And how much is it? $170. That’s right. $170. That’s $253 off the price, for a 249% value.
But wait–it gets better. Because you can purchase this box from Amazon right now for $144 (Buy from Amazon here). And if you’re in the UK you can get it for £89.25–which is the equivalent of $117 USD! (Buy from Element Games here)
That’s a 363% value, which is bonkers.
The Battle of Pellenor Fields, from the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, is hands down the best value that you are going to get from Games Workshop. It’s really stunning. I bought it once, sold most of the models, but I’m looking at getting into the game again and… getting this starter seems to be the stupidly obvious choice. Unless you have your heart really set on a certain army, if you just want to get your feet wet this can’t be beat.