Games Workshop maintains lots of different product lines. There’s Warhammer 40,000, of course, but also its many spinoffs like Necromunda, Kill Team, and Legions Imperialis just to name a few. With all those little figures clamoring for attention, it can be hard for every product line to get its turn in the spotlight. That’s especially true for Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, which rarely gets more than a few big releases each year.
With the release of Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim in theaters this past weekend, it was finally time for Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game to strut its stuff. But would you believe the big new $220 starter set actually went out the door without the film’s leading lady inside the box? It’s a weird maneuver for a company that’s made big strides the past five years toward increasing representation at the table.
The new starter set, available in stores now, is titled The War of the Rohirrim – Battle of Edoras. While a bit pricey compared to similar sets, it comes complete with a rulebook and all the related ephemera needed to play the game, such as a paper mat and little whippy-stick plastic range rulers. In short, it’s a proper starter set – just the thing to get eager new players for the holidays. It even includes some really nice terrain, in the form of a pair of screen-accurate little thatched Rohirrim houses, and, of course, scores of warriors on foot and on horseback (56 in total).
But what it doesn’t come with is the movie’s main character, Héra.
Héra will be available as an add-on. She’s being sold in a format that reflects her introduction in the film, a miniature titled Héra, The Bride of Death. She’s also being sold as a two-miniature set depicting her from later on in the movie, a pair of figures titled Héra, Daughter of Helm. But you’ll need to spend more money – in the neighborhood of $30 to $40 each – to get these miniatures.
Her brothers, Haleth and Háma, are in the box. So is Héra’s childhood friend and would-be suitor, Wulf, as well as the warlord, General Targg. But absolutely no women are in there, which is particularly strange considering it’s a movie that centers around… two women.
Just this month Games Workshop was inducted into the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, thanks in part to a reported global market capitalization of nearly $6 billion. Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game was first released in 2001, and its success in the marketplace no doubt helped the company turn a financial corner on the way to being the juggernaut it is today. But the Middle-earth line in particular often feels like a bit of an afterthought.
Admittedly, the subtitle of the set accurately reflects the action that it portrays – the battle for Edoras, which did not include Héra as a major leader of its combatants. But perhaps a slightly different framework could have allowed the film’s central heroine to participate from the get go. It’s an especially galling move that with female characters taking center stage on the screen, Games Workshop was unable to actually include them properly in the related retail product’s marquee release.
Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game: The War of the Rohirrim – Battle for Edoras was previewed using a retail copy provided by Games Workshop. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
