S4E18 - August 2025 FAQ Review

Eliott from Gollum's Gamers joins the podcast this week to break down the top winning lists from the largest MESBG tournament in the world, ArdaCon!Time Stamps:00:00 Introduction07:01 ArdaCon Masters11:30 10th Place18:06 9th Place23:33 8th Place28:13 7th Place31:59 6th Place36:56 5th Place40:57 4th Place43:31 3rd Place46:24 2nd Place50:55 1st Place55:31 Final ThoughtsOur Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_Our Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music: Redline Musician: EnjoyMusic Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

Today we review and rate some army lists submitted by our patrons, armies they have yet to try out!Our Links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/ More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_ Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro00:53 Realms of Men07:32 Buhrdur's Horde13:30 Garrison of Ithilien20:21 Moria26:11 Lothlorien35:15 Grand Army of the SouthOur Sponsors: Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush Credits: Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It's FAQ season in MESBG, and as usual we are here to break down all of the rules clarifications and errata this time round. Our Links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/ More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_ Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 01:08 Matched Play Guide01:22 Armies of the Hobbit03:52 Armies of the Lord of the Rings10:56 Armies of Middle-earth14:49 Rules ManualOur Sponsors: Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush Credits: Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Following our Good tier list, we now break down all the armies of Evil! Join us as we rank all 47 armies.More Ranking Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQH5qcVcOHkfDoCWI5d_oxSTTime Stamps:00:00 Introduction01:01 Barad-dur03:10 The Black Riders09:35 Wraiths on Wings15:27 Army of Gothmog18:33 Legions of Mordor22:01 Minas Morgul25:07 Cirith Ungol27:31 The Black Gate31:27 Army of the White Hand33:00 Ugluk's Scouts34:11 Wolves of Isengard36:15 Lurtz's Scouts38:23 Assault Upon Helm's Deep42:11 Muster of Isengard44:52 Usurpers of Edoras47:49 Besiegers of the Hornburg53:56 Depths of Moria56:07 Harad01:00:35 Corsair Fleets01:03:52 Army of Gundabad01:07:27 Goblin-Town01:12:08 Pits of Dol Guldur01:15:57 Rise of the Necromancer01:18:15 Azog's Hunters01:21:46 The Three Trolls01:24:07 Moria01:26:39 Desolator of the North01:27:43 Army of the Great Eye01:30:13 Sharkey's Rogues01:34:39 Umbar01:38:11 Host of the Witch-King01:40:18 Shadows of Angmar01:43:42 Buhrdur's Horde01:47:50 Army of Carn Dum01:49:14 Wolf Pack of Angmar01:51:52 The Serpent Horde01:56:13 The Easterlings01:58:01 Dragons of the North02:01:10 Host of the Dragon Emperor02:05:35 Grand Army of the South02:08:56 Fell Beings of Mirkwood02:10:29 Far Harad02:12:36 Variags of Khand02:13:59 Army of Dunland02:15:39 Ravagers of the Shire02:17:37 Assault on Lothlorien02:19:15 The Spider Queen's Brood02:23:10 Final Thoughts & AdjustmentsPatreon Promotion: We have a new Patreon promotion to announce! After a month of joining, all patrons will receive a set of our new custom Baron Into the West dice (while supplies last)!Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/Our Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music: Redline Musician: EnjoyMusic Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

With the recent release of Armies of Middle-earth and the Legacy profiles, we break down and rank all the Good armies in the game! More Ranking Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQH5qcVcOHkfDoCWI5d_oxST Time Stamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:13 The Fellowship03:05 Road to Rivendell04:19 The Shire07:23 Breaking of the Fellowship09:44 Kingdom of Rohan12:15 Road to Helm's Deep14:50 Defenders of Helm's Deep17:00 Ride Out20:20 Riders of Eomer22:00 Riders of Theoden24:53 Army of Edoras29:03 Defenders of the Hornburg30:27 Minas Tirith33:02 Garrison of Ithilien 34:55 Reclaimation of Osgiliath36:16 Atop the Walls38:44 Return of the King41:26 Defenders of the Pelennor42:39 Men of the West44:41 Lindon47:24 Numenor52:00 Rivendell54:22 The Last Alliance 57:47 Lothlorien58:53 Fangorn01:02:15 The Eagles01:05:12 Realms of Men01:07:03 Thorin’s Company01:08:04 Army of Thror01:11:33 The Iron Hills01:14:33 Erebor Reclaimed01:16:49 Army of Lake-town01:18:33 Survivors of Lake-town01:22:26 Garrison of Dale01:24:29 Erebor & Dale01:26:20 Halls of Thranduil 01:27:57 Rangers of Mirkwood01:30:50 Battle of the Five Armies01:32:16 Assault on Ravenhill01:33:55 Radagast’s Alliance01:35:15 The White Council01:37:22 Battle of Bywater01:40:38 Arathorn’s Stand01:44:10 The Grey Company01:45:49 The Beornings01:46:58 Fords of Isen01:49:25 Paths of the Druadan01:53:39 The Fiefdoms 01:55:46 The Grief of Eomer01:58:36 Army of Dale02:00:03 Arnor02:01:21 Battle of Fornost02:03:00 Kingdom of Khazad-Dum02:04:38 Army of Erebor02:08:41 Defenders of Erebor02:11:14 Battle of Greenfields02:13:30 Fields of Celebrant02:18:23 Reclamation of Moria02:20:25 Expedition to the East02:23:14 Final Thoughts & AdjustmentsPatreon Promotion: We have a new Patreon promotion to announce! After a month of joining, all patrons will receive a set of our new custom Baron Into the West dice (while supplies last)! Our Links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/ Our Sponsors: Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WEST Mithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrush Credits: Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music: Redline Musician: EnjoyMusic Site: https://enjoymusic.ai

We discuss how the Legacy documents released by GW will fit into the MESBG scene and also do a full review of all the profiles and armies!Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_Time Stamps:00:00 Introduction00:38 Discussion on Legacies07:01 Forces of Good Profiles27:19 Forces of Good Armies34:48 Forces of Evil Profiles1:14:38 Forces of Evil ArmiesOur Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music:Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music: RedlineMusician: EnjoyMusicSite: https://enjoymusic.ai

With the release of all the new profiles and armies in Armies of Middle-earth, we look to see which armies are currently the most powerful!More Ranking Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQH5qcVcOHkfDoCWI5d_oxSTTime Stamps:00:00 Introduction02:23 Current Armies Runners Up05:12 Current Armies 4th Pick06:28 Current Armies 3rd Pick07:56 Current Armies 2nd Pick10:49 Current Armies 1st Pick12:34 New Armies Runners Up17:16 New Armies 3rd Pick19:54 New Armies 2nd Pick23:31 New Armies 1st PickPatreon Promotion: We have a new Patreon promotion to announce! After a month of joining, all patrons will receive a set of our new custom Baron Into the West dice (while supplies last)!Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/Our Sponsors: Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music: RedlineMusician: EnjoyMusicSite: https://enjoymusic.ai

It's finally here! With the announcement of Armies of Middle-earth and the Matched Play Guide on the horizon, we break down the preview articles released this week.Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_Time Stamps:00:00 Introduction01:41 Armies of Middle-earth & Matched Play Guide04:20 Prince Imrahil07:35 Khazad Guard11:23 Tom Bombadil & Goldberry13:24 Dragon19:03 Black Dragon WarriorOur Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music:Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Music: RedlineMusician: EnjoyMusicSite: https://enjoymusic.ai

We invite Jake onto the show to talk about his recent travels in Europe, and his experience and success in the MESBG tournaments abroad.Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWestFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/More Open Topic Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQEbY6i8_wCaxxMH9ULExZ6_Time Stamps:00:00 Intro00:59 NA vs Europe12:12 City of Kings: Terrain20:19 City of Kings: Custom Scenarios21:49 Level of Play33:30 Final ThoughtsOur Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Joined by Mitchell of The Durin Show podcast, we dive into the top armies of AdeptiCon this year. Time Stamps:00:00 Introduction04:27 10th Place09:58 9th Place13:49 8th Place16:42 7th Place20:26 6th Place23:20 5th Place26:51 4th Place30:35 3rd Place35:35 2nd Place40:59 1st Place45:48 Final ThoughtsPatreon Promotion: We have a new Patreon promotion to announce! After a month of joining, all patrons will receive a set of our new custom Baron Into the West dice (while supplies last)!Our Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IntotheWest  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITWpod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intothewestpodcast/  More Ranking Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AjD8eksrQH5qcVcOHkfDoCWI5d_oxST  Our Sponsors:Baron of Dice With dice for all wargaming systems, including MESBG, go check them out! Link: https://baronofdice.com/?ref=WEST 5% off Promo Code: WESTMithril Brush, An online painting competition dedicated to Middle-earth. For more information on how you can enter or support this competition, visit https://www.patreon.com/TheMithrilBrush & https://www.instagram.com/mithrilbrushCredits:Music: Tavern Loop One by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/