ATTACKING WITH ARMIES

An Army is allowed to attack an enemy Army during the Action Resolution phase by using an Army or a Character Action die result, or by playing an Event card that allows an Army to attack.

Only Armies belonging to a Nation “At War” on the Political Track can start a battle.

A player can use an Army Action die result, or a Character Action die result (if the Army contains at least one Leader or Character), for the following purposes:

— To attack an enemy Army in an adjacent region.

— To initiate a siege or a sortie against an enemy Army in the same region.

Note that, unlike when used merely for movement, an Army Action die result can only activate a single Army for the purpose of attacking.

An Army using a Character Action die result to make an attack must contain at least one Leader or Character.

Note: When a battle is initiated, attacking units do not actually move into the region they are attacking, but instead stay in their present region for the duration of the attack. Only if the battle is over and won, the attacker may move his attacking units into the embattled region

Splitting an Attacking Army

It is not mandatory for all figures composing an Army chosen to attack to participate in the battle.

When a player is about to attack, he can split the Army into two, dividing the figures contained in the region into an attacking Army and into a second Army, called the rearguard, that will not take part in the upcoming battle.

Each of the two newly-created Armies must contain at least one Army unit, while Leaders, Companions, or Minions can be distributed among the two Armies as the player sees fit.

Note: If the player is using a Character Action die result to attack, the newly-created attacking Army must contain at least one Leader or one Character.

The Army chosen as the rearguard does not affect the battle in any way, it cannot be targeted by Combat card effects, its figures cannot be chosen as casualties, and it cannot advance into the contested region if the battle is won.

If the attacking Army includes one or more figures belonging to Nations not “At War,” then it is mandatory to split the Army (leaving with the rearguard any figure which is not “At War”).

Note that all defending figures (units, Leaders and Characters) are always considered to be part of the battle.

Combat Strength and Leadership

Attacking and defending Army units, Leaders, and Characters all participate in determining the Combat Strength and Leadership of the Armies involved in battle.

— The Combat Strength of an Army is equal to the total number of its Army units (Regular and Elite units). Combat Strength determines the number of dice rolled in the Combat roll, up to a maximum of five dice. This means that units in excess of five do not add to the number of dice rolled by an Army, but an Army with more than five units is usually able to retain its full Combat Strength for a longer period.

Example: An Army containing three Regular units and one Elite unit has a Combat Strength of 4. Alternately, an Army of six Regular units and two Elite units has a Combat Strength of 8, but will still only roll the maximum of five dice.

— The Leadership of an Army is equal to the number of Leaders (or Nazgûl), plus the Leadership ratings of all participating Characters (as shown on each Character card). Leadership determines the maximum number of dice that may be rolled in the Leader re-roll, up to a maximum of five dice.

Often, Combat cards and Character special abilities modify the Combat Strength and Leadership rating of an Army involved in battle. In either case, the maximum of five dice can never be exceeded, regardless of modifiers.