“I think that I now understand what he is up to. He is plotting to become a Power. He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment. And now it is clear that he is a black traitor. He has taken up with foul folk, with the Orcs. … Worse than that: he has been doing something to them; something dangerous. For these Isengard orcs are more like wicked Men. It is a mark of evil things that came in the Great Darkness that they cannot abide the Sun; but Saruman’s Orcs can endure it, even if they hate it. I wonder what he has done? Are they Men he has ruined, or has he blended the races of Orcs and Men? That would be a black evil!” - Saruman’s plans
Campaign Features
Forest of Fangorn
Begin the destruction of the Fangorn Forest to obtain enough resources to begin the breeding of a true Uruk-hai army. Cleanse the Ents and watch the forest be destroyed in multiple stages
Conquest of Rohan (V3)
Carve out a passage for your armies to be unleashed on the Westfold and unlock Sharku, an infamous warg rider to lead your raids
Scouring of the Shire
Take control of the Shire by force or coercion and see the Bree-land and the Shire change forever
The One Ring
Send out your spies and servants to find The One Ring and bring the Nazgul to your side, unlock powerful units and become Saruman of Many Colours
In the years building up to all out war, Saruman operated a vicious and brutal training regime for those Dunlendings who could trace their lineage back to ancient Gondorians. Of the countless young men he forced this training regime upon, only a handful survived but with Saruman's cunning, knowledge and his grim determination to counter the Black Tower, he has turned these men into soulless killing machines. The outcome was the creation of one of the greatest mortal fighting forces on the face of Arda: The Guard of the Hand. Wielding mighty crossbows of evil design they keep the enemy at bay wit a hail of armour piercing bolts. Should the foolish enemy engage these men in melee then may Mandos guide their souls well for few who face down the terrible maces of the Guard live to tell the tale. If the battle goes ill for the armies of Isengard then rest assured that the Guard of the Hand will be the last to fall.
"We are the fighting Uruk-hai! We are the servants of Saruman the Wise, the White Hand: the Hand that gives us man-flesh to eat." Products of a fallen Istari's ambition and lust for power, these creatures are as beastly and frightening as orcs yet strong and disciplined as any soldier of men. Standing in an ordered line wearing plate armour and bearing large iron shields, the Uruk-hai can withstand the worst that the enemy can throw at them while their cruel angled blades wielded with savage fury will cut down all who oppose the White Hand. Bred only for war and trained to protect their general at all costs, these perfected soldier orcs are the mad wizard's best chance of realizing his ambition to rule Middle-earth.
The strongest and most brutal of the Uruk-hai stock are hand picked by Saruman to become Berserkers. All the inhibitions that allow other Uruks to remain disciplined in battle despite their savage nature are removed as these Uruks' aggressive nature is unleashed to its fullest potential, transforming them into a whirlwind of violence. In this uncontrolled and rabid state they are set loose upon the enemy to wreak havoc with their two-handed cleavers in an orgy of blood and gore. While fighting, Berserkers completely lose themselves to their blood lust and enter a trance-like state feeling no fear, pain, or fatigue. Indeed, even after sustaining fatal wounds, many have been reported to continue fighting until their body literally shut down. In the midst of carnage and unbridled chaos Berserkers hear only one voice, the voice of Saruman.
For how long has the White Wizard been plotting to make a play for power, few among the Wise can answer. Yet his treachery must indeed stretch far back, for amongst his dark hosts have been espied grim, lynx-eyed warriors who appear to be the result of the union of the men of Dunland and the orcs of the mountains. The White Wizard has need of elite companies of warriors for his growing forces, and these great axe wielding Orc-men are amongst his most trusted followers. Well-equipped and fierce in battle, these brutal warriors are capable line-breakers who can be depended upon to shatter the shield walls of the enemies of the White Hand.
For some time now there have been tales of sightings of companies of grim, tall, lynx-eyed warriors serving under the banner of the White Hand. Only the White Wizard knows the origin of these new companies, though whispers and rumours name them half-orcs or goblin-men. Standing taller than an orc and able to hold a disciplined line, these spear armed warriors serve an important role in the hosts of the White Hand. Proudly adorned with the symbol of their master, these half-orcs are well attired for war, wearing coats of mail, mask-like helms and carrying sturdy shields.
Upon getting the ring, Saruman's power grew exponentially; as did his desire for domination. Fearing that the entire world may now turn against him, he began to start work on a more dependable and unyielding force of warriors and from his many tests and experiments, the Nazg-hai were born. Wishing to shred his final ties to the yolk of the Valar, he named his new breed in the Black Speech; "Warriors of the Ring" or more literally "Ring Folk". The Nazg-hai are the successful combination of the savagery of his Berserkers with the slightly cleverer mainline Uruk-hai and the result is a heavy armour wearing, battle loving monster of war. The process to create these supreme warriors is long and arduous and as such they are few and far between but no less powerful.
Dunlendings hand picked by Saruman to guard Isengard have a mixed heritage as they can trace a part of their bloodline to the old Gondorian garrison that watched over the fortress in the early Third Age. During the Great Plague of 1636 Gondor's hold on the Gap of Rohan (not yet known as such during that time) weakened and the hereditary chieftains of Isengard intermingled with the local Dunlendings until Gondor's influence in the region completely disappeared. After a prolonged conflict with the Rohirrim Dunlendings were eventually driven out of Isengard by King Frealaf of Rohan. Now that Saruman has become the new master of Orthanc he has opened the gates of Isengard to Dunlending loyalists once more. These men have a vested interest in preserving their new position as Guardians of Orthanc since their service to Saruman affords them greater rewards, status and safety within the walls. Unlike their less organized fellow tribesmen they train to fight as heavy infantry in defensive close order. Their thick armour is provided by Isengard's forges and shows some Gondorian influence in its design. These Dunlending custodians of Isengard are tough men who add another layer to Isengard's already almost impenetrable defences.
Dunlendings hand picked by Saruman to guard Isengard have a mixed heritage as they can trace a part of their bloodline to the old Gondorian garrison that watched over the fortress in the early Third Age. During the Great Plague of 1636 Gondor's hold on the Gap of Rohan (not yet known as such during that time) weakened and the hereditary chieftains of Isengard intermingled with the local Dunlendings until Gondor's influence in the region completely disappeared. After a prolonged conflict with the Rohirrim Dunlendings were eventually driven out of Isengard by King Frealaf of Rohan. Now that Saruman has become the new master of Orthanc he has opened the gates of Isengard to Dunlending loyalists once more. These men have a vested interest in preserving their new position as Guardians of Orthanc since their service to Saruman affords them greater rewards, status and safety within the walls. To support the strong solid lines of the Guards, Saruman has taken some of their number and equipped them with his most devious crossbow designs. These men man the outer wall of Orthanc and keep watch over the mysterious forest of Fangorn; ready to pepper the Ents with a flurry of sharpened, armour piercing, bolts.
While the Uruk-hai are capable of higher orders of organized warfare Reavers emphasize typical orcish aggression and brutality. Brandishing bardiche type axes Reavers are able to utilize their enhanced strength to produce powerful swings capable of severing bodily extremities in one clean strike. Even cases of completely cleaving poorly armoured opponents in half are not nearly as uncommon as Isengard's enemies would like them to be. Armour usually does little to alleviate great damage to the torso though the victim may at least be "fortunate" enough to remain in one piece literally speaking. To achieve these great feats of dismemberment the Reavers need to remain fairly mobile and flexible so with the exception of shin guards and some upper arm protection the Reavers' own limbs are exposed to allow for easier and faster movement. Hard leather with some iron plates covers the torso and waist but the weapon requirements deprive them of shield protection. However the increased mobility and the axes' pole arm design make the Reavers ideal companions for the Raiders on their forays especially against the Rohirrim as long axes are well suited to taking down even heavy cavalry provided they don't take the brunt of the charge. All in all the Reavers are an excellent "hammer" for as long as there are other troops present to take the role of the "anvil".
Taken from the ranks of raiders, these Uruks often accompany their sword wielding brethren during raiding missions or are garrisoned at frontier outposts of Saruman's domain, where they look out for potential attacks and ward off smaller groups of intruders. Their bows are nothing fancy but they are very sturdy, allowing the Uruks to use their strength to draw the bowstring farther than most without sacrificing rate of fire. This can result in especially powerful and damaging shots, provided they hit the target.
The combination of Saruman's cross-breeding experiments and mechanical aptitude has given rise to the terrifying Uruk Crossbowmen. These dark-skinned monstrosities wield powerful crossbows that, once loaded, are easy to aim and fire and can easily penetrate all but the strongest armour. This enables them to take out high value targets while their natural resilience and thick plate armour allow them to do so under sustained attack as the Uruk army advances on enemy positions.
"We are the fighting Uruk-hai! We are the servants of Saruman the Wise, the White Hand: the Hand that gives us man-flesh to eat." Products of a fallen Istari's ambition and lust for power, these creatures are as beastly and frightening as orcs yet strong and disciplined as any soldier of men. Standing in an ordered line wearing plate armour and bearing large iron shields, the Uruk-hai can withstand the worst that the enemy can throw at them while their cruel angled blades wielded with savage fury will cut down all who oppose the White Hand. Bred only for war, these perfected soldier orcs are the mad wizard's best chance of realizing his ambition to rule Middle-earth.
Saruman's immediate goal, the conquest of Rohan, brings him into conflict with the finest cavalry force in Middle-earth. With this in mind many of his fighting Uruk-hai are outfitted with immensely long two-handed pikes. The resulting spear wall, several ranks deep, maintained by heavily armoured Uruks leaves no hope for any potential cavalry charge, and even other infantry will be hard pressed to withstand the cleaver-like blades of the Uruks' pikes. However, the formation severely lacks flexibility and the long pikes deprive their holders of shields, requiring the presence of supporting infantry to secure the flanks and counteract any missile troops.
These Uruks travel in smaller bands and often operate behind enemy lines striking at exposed and sensitive targets. Saruman's craft has bestowed them with great stamina allowing them to run for miles without rest, especially when not encumbered by heavy armour. Their combination of strength and mobility makes them suitable for several different roles as scouts, raiders, or even "bounty hunters," as their endurance makes them relentless trackers. Their equipment and general composition is less than ideal for large head-on engagements, although an Uruk's strength and savagery should never be underestimated.
Warg Riders are one of the rare examples of cavalry where the mount is more dangerous than the rider. Wargs, intelligent demonic wolves, have a long standing relationship with orcs and now they both serve the Dark Power, riding into battle together to bring terror to the free peoples of Middle-earth. Not as fast as a horse in full gallop, Warg mounts nevertheless possess many advantages. They are much more dexterous and sure-footed and can traverse forests and difficult terrain with ease. Also, as predatory beasts, Wargs are formidable foes even without their riders. Their snarling visage instils paralysing fear into the Wargs' enemies just before they sink their large dripping fangs into the victim's flesh. All but the most battle conditioned horses fear them and Wargs consider them nothing more than food. The Wargs' weaknesses lie in their fear of fire and relatively bulky frame that makes them easy targets for arrows and spears.
These artillery pieces resemble giant crossbows on a simple wheeled carriage. They can hurl javelins with great accuracy, and the power of these machines means that their bolts can pierce any armour.
Constructed of wood and capable of flinging stones large enough to crush a man's head, the catapult is a common sight on the battlefields of Middle-earth.
