Help. Tolkien First Age

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

Hi.  Any help would be appreciated.

I have bought MEG to get back to ancients wargaming (abandoned about 25 years ago) and to do some Middle earth gaming.
My main interest is the First Age.  I have seen the list for Lord of the Rings.
I don't like the movie aesthetics, so I am trying to go with something closer to the books.  Unfortunately there is little to go on and educated guesses are needed.

I don't picture Orcs as fielding large units of archers.  Most archers will either be skirmishers or mixed in with their war bands.
I see I could do one of several things.
1. Have a rear rank of archers and melee troops in the front ranks.
2. Use Integral Shooters (limiting them to firing when being charged)
3. Shoot and Charge (limiting then to firing when they charge)
4. In the glossary there is the term Charge Only.  This states firing can be done when charging or being charged.  This term is not in the Special Characteristics list and I can't find it on the drop down box in the army builder.


I am undecided whether I have trolls as per the Lord of the Rings list, or make them Elephants.

Thanks in advance.
I will doubtless have other questions coming.

[LawrenceG]

"Charge Only" is in the "Shooting Skill" drop-down in the army builder.

IIRC the most well known incidents of orcs shooting people are when they couldn't charge or didn't want to. That suggests "shoot and charge" or "charge only" would not be appropriate. If you assume shooting is not their preferred mode of combat, then giving non-skirmish orcs an optional "unskilled bow" in addition to their melee weapon might be the way to go.

[Baz baziah]

Hi,
Have you had a look at these lists and explanations of his reasons fir making them so?

http://lukeuedasarson.com/MiddleEarthintro.html

I know it's for DBM but Luke Ueda-Sarsons work is very detailed and well worth a read. It's quite easy to transpose the DBM troop types to MEG and I have somewhere my own conversion of them from several years ago.

Have a look and let me know if they were useful?

Jim