Battle of the Five Armies (1975)

First Edition (1975, Lore / JMJ Enterprises)

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The contents are: A Plain Manila Envelope with "The Battle of The FIVE Armies" and a drawing of a giant EAGLE with a MOUNTAIN printed upon it. A copyright symbol with "by Larry Smith" and further down is "A LORE Product Div. of JMJ Enterprises" is also printed on the envelope front.
The game components consist of: a beige Mapsheet-19 inches by 25 inches with 2 color graphics-BROWN mostly with some BLUE; GRID co-ordinates along the edges; 146-counters-BLACK printing on WHITE for "GOOD" units and WHITE on BLACK for "EVIL" forces. The counters have some descriptive print to distinguish them such as Dw(arves), Gob(lins), Warg, Men, Elves, Eagle, plus some individuals-G(andalf), Beorn, Bard, Dain, Thorin and the Elf King. A 6-sided and 10-sided DICE are needed but not provided and Players must also provide their own TURN record.
The RULES booklet is 5-1/2 inches by 8 inches and has the Reinforcement Schedule, Optional Rules, Scenarios Set-up, the Terrain Effects Chart, Army Morale Chart, ADDENDUM for "Under the Mountain" effects, Combat Results Table, Missile Effects Chart, and Morale Stack Chart.

2nd (1976) & 3rd (1977) Editions - TSR

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This is the TSR remake of the earlier game and is a VAST improvement over THAT, with a 3rd BOXED edition of THIS game being produced in 1977. This game has a PLASTIC zip-"baggie" for it's contents, with 2 smaller zip-"baggies" for the game counters. Players provide a 6-sided & 10-sided DICE as well as a Turn Record Track. There is a small Errata sheet included denoting Corrections, Omissions, and with Additions to Missile Fire and Combat.
The contents of the game include: a Mapsheet 17 inches by 23 inches; one hex-row LESS than the FIRST game; Light GREEN overall; BLACK features and Olde English Printing; BLUE water features; YELLOW Hillsides; Light-BROWN Rocks; BROWN Slopes, Dark-BROWN Mountain/Ridge; WHITE-Outposts, Paths, and Dale enclosure; and a PINK-Title/Credits. There is also a "dotted-line" delineating the area of "under the Mountain".
There are 163-game counters (99 "Evil", 63 "Good", & SMAUG) and represent the biggest improvement over the first game. They are at least 3 times thicker, and are BLACK Print of the following colors: Dwarves-RED, Elves-GREEN, Men-Light BLUE, Eagles-TAN, Beorn-OLIVE, Bard-BLUE, Gandalf-GRAY, Elf King-Dark GREEN, Thorin & Dain-Brown, Goblins & Goblin King Bolg-ORANGE, Worgs-WHITE and SMAUG the Dragon-Dark RED. Each unit has a glossy silhouette
"bust" and/or weapon printing (except the Eagles and SMAUG which have their full bodies) and COMBAT factors/Numerals.
NEW additions include Worg-Riders, HIDDEN movement, denoted Elves/Men ARCHERs-(optional rules), SMAUG the Dragon counter, and more detailed MORALE rules. The RULES booklet is 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches and includes a TSR Product Releases Page, as well as UNIT pictures at the top of the Terrain Effects Chart, with the Combat Results Table & Missile Effects Chart on the back page.

Magazine References:

Campaign Article Index:

• Number 81, September-October 1977
  • Fury in the West / Boxcars / Die-cut Unit Counters / War of the Ring: The Game of Middle Earth / Dauntless / Unit Counter Sorting Trays / The African Campaign / Battle of the Five Armies / Dungoeon Geomorphs III / Suspicion / Monster & Treasure Assortment / Outdoor Geomorphs / Star Fleet Battle Manual - "Thumbnail Analysis" (Review), Don Lowry