Middle-earth Wargaming: The 28mm Army Guide
There are hobbies, and then there's setting a full Rohan cavalry charge on the table while somebody hums the soundtrack. Middle-earth wargaming is having a golden moment: more players than ever, spectacular independent sculpts, and prices that finally let you build your dream army without refinancing the house. This guide covers everything you need to get started: which army to choose, how 28mm scale works here, what's compatible with what, what an army really costs, and how to paint it before the next age of the world.
The scale: 28mm — and why it matters more here
Middle-earth miniatures are played at 28mm, with one important nuance: this universe's tradition is realistic proportion (what the hobby calls "true scale"), with slimmer, more human figures than the exaggerated hands-and-heads look of "heroic" fantasy minis. A warrior of Gondor isn't built like a wardrobe — he's a soldier, and the sculpt shows it.
Can you mix? Yes, with a little judgment: different manufacturers in the realistic style blend invisibly; next to chunky 32mm heroic minis the contrast shows if they stand shoulder to shoulder in the same unit. The practical rule: mix across armies, not inside the same troop.
Base sizes: the Middle-earth standard
| Figure type | Round base | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry and heroes on foot | 25mm | warriors, archers, captains |
| Cavalry and mid-size beasts | 40mm | riders of Rohan, wargs |
| Monsters and great creatures | 60mm | trolls, eagles, ents |
Those three sizes cover practically the whole range. If a sculpt arrives on something else, rebasing takes one minute and a drop of glue.
Compatibility: one scale, many rulebooks
The question we get most at the workshop: "will these minis work with my game?" Short answer: yes. Our Middle-earth miniatures are sculpted at 28mm in realistic proportion on standard bases, which makes them compatible with the most-played Middle-earth skirmish game and with any ruleset at that scale — from the big commercial systems to the community's free rulebooks. The miniature doesn't know which game you're playing: if scale and base match, it works.
How these games actually play
If you've never pushed minis in this universe, here's the shape of it: Middle-earth rulesets are scenario-driven skirmish games. You don't just line up and grind — you escort a messenger off the board, hold a ford, hunt an enemy hero. Heroes matter enormously (a great captain can carry a battle line on his shoulders, exactly like in the books), and armies that take heavy casualties start testing their nerve, so a game swings on morale as much as on dice. Most games run 60-90 minutes, and the small model count per side means every figure you paint sees the table. It's the rare corner of the hobby where a finished, painted, playable force is a realistic weekend-hobbyist goal — not a two-year mortgage.
Choosing your army: the Free Peoples
The most important decision, and the most fun one. On the side of the light:
- Gondor — disciplined infantry at its finest: tall shields, silver and black, walls of spears. The most complete army for learning the game, and our biggest collection.
- Rohan — the horse-lords. If you want cavalry charges that win games (and photos), these are your people.
- Rivendell and Lothlórien — elven elites: few figures, sky-high stats, sculpts that are a joy to paint.
- Númenor — the Last Alliance: gilded plate and Second Age glory.
- The Lonely Mountain — dwarves: an unbreakable battle line and portrait-worthy beards.
- Ents and the folk of Mirkwood — for those who want friendly monsters and ambushes among the trees.
- Starting with the characters themselves? The Fellowship, complete and ready to escort the ring-bearer.
Choosing your army: the Shadow
Let's be honest: the bad guys are cool, and here they're very cool:
- Mordor — orc hordes and trolls: crushing numbers and zero remorse.
- Isengard — the industrial war machine: disciplined uruks, pikes and blasting powder.
- Angmar — the witch-realm: undead, wraiths and the cavalry of fear.
- Rhûn — the men of the East: lacquered armor, foreign discipline and a look nobody else has on the table.
- The Nazgûl — the Nine. No joke: one well-played wraith terrorizes half the board.
The whole universe, in one place, in our Middle-earth collection.
How many miniatures you need (and what it really costs)
Middle-earth skirmish games scale beautifully: you start with a small warband and grow it game by game. Realistic numbers at our resin prices:
| Format | Miniatures | Typical composition | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter warband | 12-20 | 1 hero + 2 units of warriors | €50-80 |
| Standard army | 30-50 | 2-3 heroes + infantry + cavalry | €120-200 |
| Tournament / collection army | 60+ | all of the above + a monster or centerpiece | from €250 |
Workshop advice: start with one people's starter warband and play it five or six times before expanding. You'll learn what you actually lack (spoiler: it's almost always more archers), and you'll have painted a finishable project — the best fuel this hobby knows.
Painting Middle-earth: muted palettes, cinematic results
This universe's look is historical and restrained — no neon armor anywhere. For the painter, that's a gift: simple schemes look straight off the screen:
- Gondor: aged silver + black + the white tree. One black wash over the chainmail does half the unit for you.
- Rohan: moss greens, leathers and straw blond. Variety rules: no two riders should match.
- Elves: golds and midnight blues (Rivendell) or autumn golds (Lothlórien). Two highlights on the cloaks and you're done.
- Mordor and Isengard: rusted iron, filthy hides, off-white for the painted hand. The fastest scheme in the hobby: dark primer, metallic drybrush, brown wash, finished.
- Consistent basing: brown earth + yellowed static grass unifies an entire army even if you painted it across three different months.
New to the brush? We have a step-by-step guide to painting resin miniatures.
Middle-earth on your table: terrain counts too
A Rohan army on a flat green mat is half the experience. Three pieces of 28mm terrain transform the game: a stone ruin (watchtower, objective and shelter in one), a forest of three or four based trees (elven ambushes guaranteed), and a modest hill to break lines of sight. Add a battle mat and the table already looks like a film still. And because everything here is 28mm terrain, whatever you build for Middle-earth doubles for your fantasy RPG nights and any other skirmish game on your shelf — terrain is the most reusable money in the hobby. We keep growing the terrain and bits collection — the printers never sleep.
Rookie mistakes (we've made every one of them)
- Starting three armies at once. You'll end up with three half-painted warbands and none of them playable. One people, one warband, finished.
- Buying the monster before the troops. The troll is glorious, but without twenty painted warriors there's no game to field it in.
- Ignoring archers. In Middle-earth skirmish games, missile fire matters more than it looks. Add bows from day one.
- Waiting until "everything is painted" to play. Play in grey, paint as you go. Nothing motivates a paint session like a unit that already won you a game.
- Three different basing styles. Pick one basing recipe on day one and repeat it — that's what turns a pile of minis into an army.
Our Middle-earth range
At Drakholm we print one of the largest Middle-earth resin ranges in Europe: over 350 references across every collection you've seen above, all independent sculpts under license. Everything is printed on demand in high-definition 16K resin at our workshop in Spain and shipped worldwide — with calibrated flex to survive real table use, support-free and ready to prime. Single heroes from €9, units at fair prices — because a 50-figure army shouldn't cost as much as a vacation.
Start with the Middle-earth collection and pick your side.
Frequently asked questions
What scale are Middle-earth miniatures?
28mm in realistic ("true scale") proportion — slimmer than heroic fantasy minis. Standard bases: 25mm for infantry, 40mm for cavalry, 60mm for monsters.
Are they compatible with my skirmish game?
Yes: sculpted at 28mm on standard bases, they work with the most-played Middle-earth skirmish game and with any ruleset at that scale, including the community's free ones.
Which army should I start with?
Gondor for the full infantry experience, Rohan if cavalry is your thing, Mordor if you prefer numbers and trolls. The right answer is whichever army makes you want to paint.
How much does a Middle-earth army cost?
A starter warband (12-20 resin miniatures) runs €50-80; a standard 30-50 figure army, €120-200. Start small and grow game by game.
Resin or metal for Middle-earth miniatures?
Modern 16K resin captures more detail than classic metal, weighs far less (your backpack will thank you), doesn't chip on the edges with handling, and costs less. With calibrated flex, it stands up to real play.
Middle-earth and the names of its places and characters belong to their respective rights holders. Drakholm is not affiliated with any of them — this was written by people who know the appendices by heart.