A massive game of Lord of the Rings. The Battle for Helm's Deep! | Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

[@jessiefroese5591]

Editing this game was a dream come true. Grew up with the movies and the strategy battle game. Hope everyone has fun watching it 😊

[@chrislee7169]

You did such an amazing job, Jessie! Thanks so much for doing it!

[@jessiefroese5591]

@@chrislee7169dude you were an absolute joy to watch for so many hours 😊

[@DCVM93]

Heroic effort from all involved!

[@diegeticfridge9167]

THIS WAS INCREDIBLE!!!! It was so cinematic and the little sword and arrow effects added so much to the game!!!! Hope to see you continue editing these masterpieces!!!

[@GamePie31]

Great Job!

[@rileyjessup2414]

Gandalf: "Look to my coming on the movement phase of the 12th turn, at the roll of 5 look to the that corner of the table over there"

[@Bobby-k2q]

😅

[@356z]

This comment is under appreciated lol

[@fernandomartin6805]

You made my day. Take my upvote, you filthy bastard.

[@gingerbaker_toad696]

Eomer, but were are you?

[@THEOUTCASTSCREATIVE]

LOL that cracked me up

[@hunterdallager3559]

“Dude we should run this bomb into Gandalf”Best quote I heard the whole video

[@AnwarNuseibeh]

Haha yeah and we were all secretly hoping it would explode. Epic!

[@KazeKoichi]

So lore friendly

[@FlukeyM]

AMAZING GAME! On a separate note, I love Nick and his enthusiasm, but if I ever hear him say Ara-gone again I may explode 😂

[@andrewlopezmp3]

It’s such a common error. Like, how do they not hear the “orn” in 10 hours of film. Or see it every time they read it 😭😭

[@NearlyH3adlessNick]

As an Australian, I find this very offensive!! People should know we don't pronounce our "R's", so we should be able to pronounce it Ara-gone if we want to!! [ I'm pretty sure this doesn't excuse this Nick, but it sure excuses me ;)]

[@jordinagel1184]

@@andrewlopezmp3 or how some of them keep saying “calvary” instead of “cavalry”… Also, good on Eragon for making it into an actually good film franchise somehow!

[@andrewlopezmp3]

@@jordinagel1184 I know!! Calvary is where Jesus was crucified 🤦‍♂️

[@NickSibz]

Them giving Gimli a box at 13:41 is iconic. This was amazing.

[@ConquestCreations]

This is incredible guys! I am so happy to see more creators covering Middle Earth SBG. Games like this is what Wargaming exists for!

[@zanticauxilium]

Your battle reports are better tho

[@VikingMakery]

"I want to know what happens when you pull Aragorn's arms off. Call him Armagone." Such a great line.

[@mrblack5145]

Just wanna say, this is the 3rd search option for "Battle of Helm's Deep" on YT and I hope everyone involved enjoyed this as much as we did watching it.

[@sgtangle695]

Man "dice tell stories" has never been more true. You guys have knocked it out of the park with these special events this year, congratulations guys.

[@729060]

I'm seriously impressed with how many movie moments they managed to hit here. Hope we get more Middle Earth on the channel, I love 40k but I think ME has the best rules and game flow of all the GW products.

[@dutchhondarebel]

Yeah, Warhammer has the issue of having 40 years of rules and changes stacked on top of each other. Pretty much all other Battlegames have the luxury of taking all the good bits of Warhammer and streamlining it.

[@bilbobagend8155]

@@dutchhondarebel It's actually the opposite. 40K's core rules are gutted and remade every few editions. MESBG uses the same core mechanics it's used since 2001. That doesn't stop MESBG from being a better game overall, though. 40K is stuck in a rut where they have to create unique rules for an insane amount of models, while also buffing (and then later debuffing) new model releases to get competitive players to buy the newest models as they come out.

[@HeyQuadro]

this was such a fun video. From Nick and Steve constantly saying "Aragon" instead of "Aragorn", to the Rohan soldiers heroically jumping across the gap to defend the wall, it was just a total rollercoaster!

[@BoaPython]

The Rohan Soldiers jumping the gap was AWESOME

[@chicospencer]

You guys excel in what most of other battle reports fail: 1. Great camera work! Often it's just painful to watch battle reports due shaky camera, plus your dramatic camera angles and FXs add such a nice flavor 2. Good editing and humor makes really enjoyable to watch (which is a challenge for such a long battle like this) 3. Explaining the rules is very useful for beginners More Middle-earth content, please!

[@Dragon_Fyre]

The lighting effects and fast pace are great as well.

[@karlwhite8294]

Many of the rules were wrong, but still well done.

[@chrisrains6470]

All of my favorite KZbin war gamers screw their respective games up constantly, and it just does not matter! What matters is the enjoyment they get from playing the game in the enjoyment we get from observing. All of my favorite KZbin wargamer get full marks for that and in the end, I don’t even care if they are constantly messing rules up or mispronouncing names.

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

Aragorn: "GONDOR CALLS FOR AID!" Nick: "FOR THE GREATER GOOD!... Er... um... I mean... Tau vs Uruk-Hai?

[@ElderRudra]

I have the biggest smile possible right now, not only was it cinematic (Theoden's Charge) fun, and excellently edited it made me want to watch the trilogy again!

[@adamcharman8726]

The nominative determinism of having Christopher Lee controlling the Uruk Hai is beautiful

[@chrislee7169]

I asked for the honor to represent the legend. 🫡

[@JoelJoel321]

Ikr and it wasn't even acknowledged!

[@rryannn1]

LOTR minis were the perfect gateway mini for our generation. Selling them at places like Barnes & Noble made miniature wargaming much more accessible. I also started with LOTR, played 40k for a decade+ (almost 2 now) and have gotten back into LOTR as a painting project now that I have more $$$ to spend than I did as a 14 yo. Great video, actually watched it with my kids who loved it.

[@Glorfindel_117]

It warms my heart seeing more MESBG. This is the only wargame I play, but I havent played for about 3 years now. I got into it a little while after it came out, and it's been such a cherished part of my life, so thanks for doing this. It's clear a TON of production, time, and money went into this one video.

[@deathlytree434]

Omg the double 6s jump was INSANEEE i love it i love this one so much

[@Mr.Bubbles42]

Sometimes you have to risk it all

[@amadeussund7433]

As a person that’s never played the game but love the content, i really love the chaos of the rules being spewed out. Like at 15:40 when he needs two dice it’s like “ok guess thems the rules”

[@BarcelPL]

Damn, I remember my (long-gone) local game store put a game excatly like this, about 15 years ago. Each store visitor would participate, commading a single squad. That was a sight to behold. I sometimes wonder what happened to the terrain of that game - it was massive, like 1,5 x 2m.

[@jasonmallory1166]

It's Aragorn, ARAGORN, ARAGORN!!!!!!! Still a great video, can't wait for more.

[@tolkienaboutgames]

So excited to see more Middle Earth on this channel!

[@GeoffreyBronson]

When I was a kid and first introduced to Warhammer, I was immediately attracted to MESBG but felt that because the movies were coming out at the time, when the movies end the game will go away. Over 20 years later, I'm so glad that the game is not only still around but still drawing players! This was a great video, everything I hoped to see as a kid.

[@lemonjuce]

R.I.P. Bernard Hill - Théoden, King of Rohan. "He was strong in life. His spirit will find the way to the halls of his fathers."

[@TheBluBrawler]

Great watch, I could see every thing happening like watching a movie, my favourite bit was the two rohirrhim jumping the gap

[@Paintinmyeye]

Take a shot every time they say "Deepening" instead of "Deeping"

[@MrMicah52]

And Eragon instead of Aragorn lol

[@KarpetBurn]

​@@MrMicah52I think that's just their accents

[@Eriatha]

My liver can't handle that.

[@ChefRaekwon420]

"Isenguard" troll in there as well lol

[@rantymcrant-pants9536]

Well, this comment explains why my son is now dead from alcohol poisoning...

[@LittlePeoplePainter]

Amazing game and editing! Super epic! As were Steve’s reactions and facial expressions 🤣

[@Parthuran]

What I wouldn't give to see you guys play through all the major battles of middle earth! The editing skills, the minis, everything would just be so well done

[@michaelscaplis]

Nick + Steve, my favorite combo. Epic battle gentlemen on beautifull scenery! That looked like a lot of fun.

[@SamusSelf-Destruct]

This was amazing to watch. Every time they said "Aragorn" it sounded like they were saying "Eragon" and I was like, "wrong series, but I would love an Eragon miniatures game."

[@RyanNicholas33]

@@SamusSelf-Destruct it sounded like they were saying Eragon because they were 😅 I still enjoyed the video.

[@christopherrutterford5829]

Probably one of the best tabletop rules set, played by the best channel on youtube. More lotr please, dont let this be a one and done. Oh and more of Stephen as well, absouletly love seeing him.

[@SaulMDGaming]

Turn 5 after the wall explosion and Gimli standing there facing down the army... why was my heart pounding?!?!?! Loved watching this! Thank you!

[@cooljoe500]

This is the hobby at its peak for me.

[@darylltkd8961]

Seeing the notification for this yesterday just made me rewatch the whole trilogy. Thanks PlayOn team!

[@andrewtyler6075]

Orc response to first blood: "Oh my God! They killed Kenny! Bastards!"

[@Mdhneo007]

Truly the greatest table top game imo. So happy to have started playing last year and already have a closet full of these beautiful minis reenacting movies and what if battles. Battles like this are an inspiration for the community and the apex of what we love doing with this game. Thanks for making and posting this video.

[@antmanthegnome]

This was incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever felt excitement like this watching a bat rep before. More Middle Earth epic bat reps, please.

[@TDavies2175]

I remember Steve making his Helms Deep model back in ~2004. He ran an exhibition game at our local wargaming event and it was incredible. Great to see he's gone so far @VanguardTactics - amazing work!

[@ChewiePainting]

so good to see you in this video Max

[@SendReinforcements]

Man I remember buying a whole bunch of Rohirrim and Uruks from Barnes & Noble as a kid, doing a terrible job painting them, and fighting my own made up battles using blankets and books to make terrain (I believe this was a tip in the LOTR book that was also sold then. Never actually played a real game with dice, just my imagination. Kid me would probably have LOVED to play a battle on a board like this at a scale like this! At least I get to watch you guys and live vicariously though you guys!

[@chrisrains6470]

From time to time I like to reflect on what the kidney would say to the adult me right now . Your inner kid would kick your adult self in the nuts and say, bro you have a car you’ve got tons of money. We are leaving now. We are coming home with toys! Now every time my inner kid says that I just grabbed the keys and the wallet and follow, lol.

[@chrisrains6470]

Kidney = kid in me…

[@jonathanlibby2671]

I cannot tell you how happy watching this made me! I love the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game so much that seeing you guys put it to screen is an absolute treat! If you have the time, please, oh please, do more Middle Earth content!

[@RabtasticPaints]

Your first MESBG video was what got me into the game, so seeing this is just glorious.

[@lootgoblin8705]

The models in this video probably cost more than my car.

[@Dhsfilmz]

Any episodes with nick and Steve are the most fun and exciting episodes

[@DeepFriedwater1]

Christopher Lee playing the Uruk-Hai. Fitting.

[@PlayOnTabletop]

Couldn't have it any other way

[@257joker]

I am 30, never once seen nor played tabletop...I am heavily intrigued and shall be searching for more of these kinds of videos

[@chrisrains6470]

Dude, just take the dive! Go to a hobby store on the weekend and they’re guaranteed will be people tabletop gaming. Ask them what the minimum that you need to get in is or if any of them would let you run half of their army. Then you need to destroy all of your credit cards and give your money to someone more responsible than you because you will be hooked for good!

[@257joker]

@@chrisrains6470 hahaha all the more reason to live vicariously xD

[@Followeroftheway1886]

​@@chrisrains6470what does hobby store mean?

[@xensoblu059]

Best video yet!!! Next up: The battle of Pelennor fields

[@wouthendriksen2259]

This is what zorpazorp dreams off. Everything finished and in one video lol. Great stuff

[@danlynch3885]

I genuinely think this is one of the best bat. reps you've done. I've never even played MESBG and I enjoyed it so damn much.

[@ck1011Original]

I remember when I was a kid and playing lotr tabletop as the movies were coming out. It was a white dwarf or one of the rulebooks, but i remember a helms deep game being played by GW. Super awesome to hear the players had a similar experience and to see the battle in video and bigger than ever.

[@JohnnyH5]

Absolutely brilliant Batrep guys, well done. What an ending... Makes me want to dig through my cupboard of shame to get my Isengard out.

[@wildweasel1986]

Just today I stumbled over this gem! Epic! Had been hoping for more middle earth after the brilliant Battle of Osgiliath video in '22!

[@dubart5918]

Perfect timing. Just got back from multiple really long plane rides where I rewatched ALL the lotr and hobbit movies.

[@yanakaizzz9335]

Guys this was such a treat to watch! I fondly recall reading the GW battle report and re-enacting scenes from the film in the playground or in the back yard. Such great times! Also big shout out to the sportsmanship in this game. We know how hard it is to put on a brave face when none of the rolls are going your way. Great game and well played all!

[@Citrishark]

I appreciate them having Gimli standing on a box. "Shall I describe it to you or would you like me to find you a box?" ~Legolas

[@PlayOnTabletop]

Glad someone caught that :)

[@gensdupays]

That was awesome ! I wish we could have more episodes of those epic Lord of the Ring battles !!

[@isaacpianokid2844]

39:45 Theoden just killed the King of Gondor, lol😆

[@batpixi_]

This is a reminder that this battle was near impossible for Rohan to win. Glad to see the alternative to the movie outcome .

[@JasonTan-63887]

I’d love the Battle of Helmsdeep sound track but this is already a fantastic watch.

[@Dragon_Fyre]

Play On was always amazing entertainment but they have truly stepped up their game this year to an all-new level. ❤

[@giordanapucarelli2252]

Chris is so funny! loved this one guys!

[@justinmarsh9802]

Man yall make me wanna pull out my old Galadrim models and finish painting them. I've got their command squad, Haldir on foot and horse, legolas on foot and horse, and probably 30-40 elves on foot with assorted weapons (shield & spear, shield & sword, bows, etc) and I think 24 calvary. LOTR was how I got into warhammer minis as a kid, I started in 6th edition with GK and Blood Angels. I think I'll strip some of my old minis and repaint them to see how far I've come when it comes to painting minis. Thanks for such an awesome BR!! Forth Eorlingas!!

[@wylde_hunter]

This whole battle was a wargamer's dream. Very well done to everyone involved.

[@MiltiadesTheYounger00748]

I like the art concept of the walls of Helm's Deep, without a doubt if one artist sell this figures many fans here buy the items for start to made our collection.

[@grahambovis8166]

This game contains tonnes of nostalgia reminding me of so many happy memories from when I first started playing the game as a child. Not to mention the fun I had watching with such great hosts, especially with your guest from vanguard tactics. I can’t wait to see more MESBG on the channel :)

[@popegoodvibes6360]

This is the best kind of battle report, well balanced and thematic scenario and best of all the hosts are entertaining and their enthusiasm was infectious. Good battle!

[@cedriczwerg6030]

you got me during the intro, when i saw gimli standing on the box. what an amazing video!

[@kaihumml1872]

Nuking Gandalf into orbit with that bomb was a hilarios way to win. Awesome board and fantastic and funny game to watch.

[@macrognsqd]

I love the energy all 4 of these guys bring!!!

[@ejl1221]

Thanks!

[@slavic_fox98]

Battle for Helms Deep was my favorite movie scene as a little kid!!

[@derekpashko3444]

Seen the majority of your game reports! This one is special! Great job Play On! 👏

[@braverzero3709]

This was so fun to watch, and great to see Steven in a good mood for a change! (Lol) and my first exposure to this game. Very suddenly interested!! Great video guys.

[@Thingymabob1000]

What a happy turn of events. A fantastic battle from my favorite movie franchise, done by my favorite TTWG channel, and it dropped on my birthday. What's not to love?

[@PlayOnTabletop]

Happy birthday!

[@Thingymabob1000]

@@PlayOnTabletop Thank you! And thank you for all the amazing content all of you produce over at Play On!

[@NatmanForever]

What a great video! So glad I found this channel. Although, as a massive LOTR fan, it was painful to keep hearing “Aragon” instead of “Aragorn” over and over again.

[@crastinativeapollo1231]

@@NatmanForever same lol, so painful

[@lukagarma674]

This is one of the best presented, FUN batreps I have ever seen. I was tenuous on whether to start playing MESBG in the coming months. This vid seals the deal. Fantastic work, you fellas obviously had a blast (insensitive to the wall joke)!

[@jorinevers2912]

This was so awesome. So many epic moments, just like the movies. Great to see you guys make more content for Middle Earth, can't wait till the next battle report!

[@kaz9357]

Great report. I love MESBG and love Play On. While definitely a heavily scripted game, I'm glad you played into the cinematic experience and scenarios you can play with this game. Really hope to see more competitive matches in the future.

[@christopherpeery7436]

This shall go down in history as one of the great battles of our time

[@Narutokun11]

This was an amazing game! Epic moments on both sides and you couldn't ask for a more cinematic and hilarious finish than this.

[@KillaK0w]

39:44 a glimpse into the timeline where Theoden casually teamkills Aragorn on his way out the gate

[@twistedphoenix]

MESBG is GW's best game HANDS DOWN. love to see it get the love!

[@schneiderdark9132]

Omg you guys should ask zorpa zorp to join one day for the gondor siege !!

[@ethanmitchell7479]

OMG pls do more massive battles and LOTR stuff it’s amazing

[@Ryan_Dye-r]

That battle set up is incredibly awesome! So many figurines!

[@Hario360]

❤ Christopher Lee controlling the armies of Isengard is so appropriate.

[@zerocoolaow5122]

32:20 Rohan long jumps ftw 😂😂😂

[@jaylonreidhead157]

This was awesome. 10/10 awesomeness. Between the models, the table, and the amazing editing, it was a blast to watch!

[@Miranda_Ghost]

Love seeing MESBG on PlayOn! That board was amazing. I'm looking forward to the next one - and thanks!

[@wasjosh]

Poor little Gimli, he didn’t need no box to stand on to look over the ramparts! You did him dirty.

[@elijahstewart3377]

This is a work of art! Easily my favorite thing I've seen on this channel, and that is saying alot!

[@drewfahrion1881]

GW's LOTR miniature game is what brought me into the hobby too! Awesome video.

[@TiagoRamosVideos]

The best Battle Report that I have ever seen 👏

[@housecaldwell]

This is just amazing work on all levels. Well done and thanks for bringing me back to childhood for a while!

[@daimyofett733]

Fitting that the guy coincidentally named "Christopher Lee" is commanding the army of Isengaurd 😂

[@chrislee7169]

None can contend with the will of meeee!

[@perreyalsdam7994]

This was a blast of a game. Fantastic model of Helms Deep, insane amount of models in action. Very well edited and lit. Really cool special rules, although bit powerful, which really spiced up this game. And most important of all, all about having fun. Well done guys, well done.

[@9_Lives]

Man these guys are just chilling. Looks like a cool way to spend a day, it’s good they explained the rules I would not know what’s going on haha.

[@Magnus_Mundus]

Amazing game and amazing guests!!! Honestly, this one brings back my enthusiasm for tabletop wargaming again right now 😍

[@SandiegoDFS]

Love this channel but this was the best one I’ve seen. Such great sportsmanship and having so much fun

[@luketill2796]

Your battle reports on the lord of the rings are second to none I hope we see more on these epic battles