Middle-Earth: Strategy Battle Game – Mordor Orcs

Mordor Orcs are the classic, iconic enemy of Middle Earth. They embody meanness, selfishness, evilness. They are strong and relentless foes. They are legion and capable of making even hearty Heroes quiver. So, why not add them to your army list? In this review, we will go over the model design, customisability, and their prowess when used in game. Plus, an interesting reason why you might want to order a box of them soon…

Unboxing

This boxset of orcs has been around for about 20 years so they are somewhat classic models. They are well cast, with a variety of dynamic poses for added interest. The faces are all fearsome and detailed, meaning they are easy to paint well. The plastic used to cast them seems stronger than in ‘the old days’.

Get your plastic glue ready as a few arms need assembling onto the body. A metal scraping tool is useful for smoothing down the ridges left from the moulding process.

Customisability

These models are not as customisable as some model kits. Only two weapons are interchangeable between two models. But, if you are a crafty modeller, you will be able to cut and change weapons, add shields or tie bow strings.

When it comes to painting your models, these are among the best choice of them all. The clever posing of the models means it is easy to get your paintbrush in. And best of all, orcs are a rag-tag, scruffy bunch. So it doesn’t matter how well you paint them or if you make a mistake, as it will fit their rough character! Of all the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game miniatures, these are the easiest to paint. And the most forgiving.

Using Mordor Orcs In-Game

If you have watched the Lord of the Rings films or read the books, you will know that orcs are fierce. But not entirely brave nor skilled. This is reflected in their stats. Compared against all the models in the game, Mordor Orcs in-game are extremely average!

• They have a fight value of 3. That’s average
• Shoot value of 5+ (roll 5 or more on a 6-sided dice to hit your target). That’s sort of bad.
• Strength 3 and Defence 4. That’s average
• Courage 2. That’s extremely below average!

To pass a courage test, you must roll 2 6-sided dice. The values of the dice plus you model’s Courage value are added together and must equal 10 or more.

As this is such a poor value, your army cannot always be relied upon to stay and fight. They may bail on you at crucial moments. Nasty orcs!

However, the benefit of Mordor Orcs is that you can have a great deal of them on the battlefield. They are legion after all, as they like to keep reminding you in the films. They cost less points to field than the tougher Morannon Orcs. This means you will almost always outnumber your opponent. Many also carry spears meaning they are able to support another fighting model. Your opponent will be rolling one dice to win the fight whereas you will most often be rolling two dice. The odds of winning are in your favour!

With the right hero, these orcs are devastating. Lead by a Hero like Gothmog means they gain significant advantages. Especially when fighting their mortal enemies; Men! The time of the orc has indeed come!

Final Thoughts

These models are nice and easy to assemble and paint.

They are classic additions to any battlefield. They make for wonderful basic troops which are easy to use in-game. For 24 models, they are a very reasonable price.

And an interesting reason to pick them up soon is because of the new orc design. Featuring in Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series. Picking up this boxed set now is a great opportunity to be inspired by this new design and colour scheme when painting your next orcs.

Overall, these orcs are great additions for re-enacting many of the events from the Lord of the Rings. They are great fun to either play or fight against. What do you think? Will you try them out?

That concludes our thoughts on Mordor Orcs. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy Mordor Orcs today click here!

I wish you a good game!