So just started playing TATW...

[Zakkeh]

So I've pretty much just finished mucking around in custom battles with TATW and I wondered if anyone could help me out with a good faction to start playing iwth.

My main problem is, I like to start small and turtle my way up, striking out a little every now and then (Scotland ftw! =P) As far as i can see, the only really small guys are Isengard, decent I guess but i don't really like the position, and Dale, again a bad position in my opinion. The High Elves look pretty fun, but they're so separated from each other...I wouldn't know which side to focus on >.<

I pretty much just want some idea of why you play the faction you play. Do you play them for RP reasons? Unit Roster? Position?

Thanks for helping me out =D
Zakkeh

[Point Blank]

Try High Elves, pretty safe.

[moizzz]

isengard is the closest to scotland imo. nice strong units(berserkers are faceroll ) and they look awesome. the location is rather easy unless vh/vh since rohan will attack u nonstop. i havent tried anything below vhvh though so i cant say anything about lower difficulty. if you want a easy and really fun faction to start out with, go for mordor. lots of units and lots of combat with gondor. allies protecting from all sides. once you get trolls everything will get even more fun.
anyways, im waiting for eriador since their location, background and style is me. ugly/sucky units atm though ^^
orcs of misty mountains are also lots of fun
pick from what you think looks best in your opinion and their style(fx rohan uses cavalry a lot, elves = archers etc)

[Hermes Trismegistos]

At the beginning, when I didn't know much about the mod, it was mostly RP reasons, so i chose Gondor and didn't regret it: I really like the lore and the feeling of being in the first and decisive line of defence against Mordor and to rebuild the glory of the old empire, that's a great faction feeling. Position was a smaller aspect for me, because I didn't really know yet how it turned out in the game, but as I said the rather strong empire while still right at the action seemed promising for me for a first game. Unit roster didn't really play a role for me since I didn't look at it before, I wanted to be surprised (OK the general promise of heavily armoured troops didn't hurt).

But since then I've tried every faction and I like all of them in their way.

[Zakkeh]

Gondor looks massive. I'm an ok TW player, but I'm not so brilliant at managing a massive empire, especially from turn 1. I always forget one guy...

Orcs of the misty mountains are just way too spread out for my kind of play, I can see myself getting stuck in a few mini wars with each little stronghold and getting wiped out pretty fast >.<

Rohan, same problem as Gondor, just way too big.

Mordor does seem pretty balanced...Almost too big, but it's mostly in one area

Thanks everyone for the ideas =)

[Concrete]

Play as HE, your lands near the coast are your safe turtling income zone, your lands near the Misty Mountains are where you concentrate your military strength.

[Point Blank]

Gondor can be very hard, not recommended to start with.

[Hermes Trismegistos]

I was not trying to say he should start with Gondor, I was answering his question: "What faction do you play and for what reasons?"

If i look at what he wrote about what he would prefer (turtling etc.) I would recommend either Isengard for a bit harder or High Elves for a bit easier game.

[IrishBlood]

if you like starting off small thern dale is definatly for you! you have plenty of room to expand into rhun and if your feeling lucky (like i did) and attack morder from both front and rear! also dales units are just savge!

[Alex-ander]

I would say play the HE. Your coastal city's are safe and if you get an alliance with the Dwarves you can turtle away to your hearts content. Your other city near the misty mountains is not as safe but neither of your probable early enemies the OOTMM or Isangard will be hard to beat.

[Zakkeh]

Started with isengard, round turn 12 atm. Eriador has just declared war, which was handy since I had no idea who I was thinking of tackling, so sending Ugluk? up there to start conquering a few places. Damn I love those wargs! They're a mess, but they rip through the enemy pretty fast..

Dale looked interesting, very focused on archers and infantry (Something I like), just seemed like taking Rhun would be hard, especially after hearing about their general units which almost can't die xD

[gluteus maximus aurelius]

Isengard is a pretty good faction to start off with, they've got pretty good units (though a teensy bit expensive) and are solid enough to deal with everyone around you. Eriador will be a walkover with you're superior heavy inf and Rohan's inf will easily be turned over, while their cav isn't all it's made out to be. You're only real problems will come against either the elves or Mordor

[Hermes Trismegistos]

A problem with focusing on Eriador could be that probably Rohan will declare war sooner or later pretty soon, too and then Isengard itself can be pretty exposed. So just keep that in mind and don't weaken your capitol too much...

And these nearly unkillable Rhun bodyguards are mainly in RR/RC I think, though in vanilla they still will have an advantage due to you not having cavalry generals.

[Zakkeh]

Yeah, Eriador so far ahs been a walk in the palk. Decimated a full stack of theirs with barely 10 of my units. Rohan is massing at the border, so I'm sending my men back home, just in case. I've got Uruk reavers and Archers producing en mass at Isengard, but I can't do that for long, it's so expensive! So I might vhave to bring the fight to Rohan.

And I just downloaded RR/RC xD So I might skip Dale until I'm ready for some unkillable generals. hard enough chasing down Eriador ones when my wargs keep running off elsewhere =(

Thanks everyone for the tips =)

[Hero of the West]

Dale is perfect for your playstyle.. you just need to focus against rhun first.. and start defencive.. later on you strike at them.. silvan elves and dwarfs are not difficult to be allied to which is perfect.. I played dale this way and i know own mordor rhun and parts of OOMM

[Concrete]

Oh, you're asking who we play as.
Mainly Rhun, just because the roster is balanced... AND LOOK AT HOW PRETTY THE UNITS ARE!

[BlackViper]

Play harad and just sell all your settlements that would be the most easy thing to do
Just keep Umbar and start some raids on Gondor every now and then. I started a campaign where I gave the east to Rhun and the northen cities to Mordor. I have a pretty good navy and a small raiding force and I'm trying to beat the garrison script and pillage and plunder my way arround the coastal cities of Gondor

[desean]

apart from giving regions to anyone... LOL. Harad is actually very easy and also a nice faction to turtle up, just rush to harondor region (about 4 settlements), sence gondor will be busy with mordor they wont even bother you, you can actually try to make peace and make trade rights with them, they will be desperate enough to accept it.
So as I was saying, just rush Harondor, mordor will take Ithilien region pretty fast, if your fast enough you migh be able to take south ithilien or even middle ithilien, that contains a castle and its an expendid zone to defend from mordor in case you ever go to war with them, apart from that just place some troops in the small islands near Belfalas to prevent any gondorian armies to invade your lands, and thats it, easy as cake a fully defendable faction with only 3 possible attack zones

have fun.

by the way, you might also consider trying to take khand also for perfect defence from the east, but beware, Rhun wont like it

[el Cid]

you might also consider trying to take khand also for perfect defence from the east, but beware, Rhun wont like it

Now this is what got me into trouble in my campaigns.

If you are new to TA:TW you should imo start with HE, very safe.

[2Scribble]

If you like knock-'em-out-drag-'em-down fights with soldiers that are like living brick walls than the Dwarves are the one's for you. I played the Silvan Elves but reached an impasse after wiping out the OOTMM; Rohan was dead, Gondor had been subjugated to a mere remnant and Dale was shadow of its former self - the other evil factions were picking at the High Elves and the Dwarves so it was really just me against Mordor: which dominated most of the map - however, being a strategist, I kept Mordor in line... but discovered that I couldn't beat it back anymore than it could beat me back - sort of locked in a stalemate; weird huh?

Then I played the Dwarves... so far I have all by wiped out the OOTMM, kept Isengard in its place (with plans to subjugate it soon) and am now one of the most technologically advanced empires as well as the richest. The Dwarves units are awesome at defense - just form a wall of them and watch their archers and soldiers crumble (especially if you have Balista or Catapults) send a horde of your soldiers to wipe out the enemy and while their distracted, work another detachment of crossbowmen or Dale Horsemen around the enemies rear and BOOM! Instant vicegrip ^_^

Epic