I'm new to the game and I've got three of the new army sourcebooks and the one rulebook. All of the old sourcebooks look very cool, though I realize the profiles and other game information are largely outdated at this point. Is there any information in these books worth pursuing? Then there's the journeybooks, which I'm not sure about. I've never made terrain before but I'm interested in doing it - would these help?

Your thoughts and recommendations are appreciated.

There are scenario's and assorted painting/modeling guides in them. If you can get your hands on one just to leaf through it first before deciding if its worth purchasing id advise that first. Otherwise, if its a good bargain that is the only other way I would put out for em.

If you are interested in making your own scenery, there is the tutorial book from Games Workshop.
And the BGIME magazines are full of guides on how to make your own scenery.

I know that the older books (for example Siege of Gondor and Shadow in the East) have nice guides.

Oh wow, I had no idea there was GW magazine dedicated to Lord of the Rings. Is it still in production/available, or is it dead?

I'm relatively new to the game too, but for what it's worth I think the Journeybooks are good. If I want to run a game for my non-gaming mates then I would either use the Mines of Moria 'getting started' booklet or select a scenario from a Journeybook (with some proxies or alternate forces, I have no uruk-hai, but I do have plenty of goblins, for example). I'd do this beacause those friends won't be familiar with the workings of a table-top wargame, but are familiar with the characters and some of the key scenes from the movies.
I ran a mate (a total gaming noob) through the 'Balin's Tomb' scenario from the MoM booklet a couple of weeks ago and now he's working his way through a LoTR starter paint set and plans to get the Dweller to go with his goblins and fight my Rohan guys. My WHFB and 40K buddies will get the same treatment with some of the scenarios from the Journeybooks.....I need to grow SBG at my club.
The Fellowship Journeybook has a nice guide on how to build weathertop, if you fancy a scenery challenge.

I've found the journey books useful for the variety of generic terrain...stuff I use over and over again. Also, the Battle at the Fords scenario in the Two Towers is one of my favourites. The only reason to buy the other books is the pictures, although some of them, like Shadow in the East, have useful terrain stuff.

Dead, though you can sometime find them on ebay.

the journeybooks basically replay the LOTR story and include terrain modeling tips, painting articles and profiles as well as narrative scenarios.
The sourcebooks are roughly the same yet they are not to do with the lotr story but a certain group eg. dwarves or moria etc. they have really good scenarios in them but would have not much use for profiles for you as you have the updated versions...if you are collecting say the white council or wood elves it may be worth buying the fall of the necromancer sourcebook on ebay as them and the other old books are going for small amounts atm due to the new releases.
I'm yet to get any of the new sourcebooks though so im not too sure what they are like...

Sorry for the soft plug of my website, but you can find some info on the Journey Books at the links below. You'll find a brief description of the scenarios, the heroes and warriors who's stats are included, the painting guides and the terrain projects. Although nothing more than if you just thumbed through the book in the shop.

The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King

Also a pretty comprehensive index of the Battle Games in Middle-earth magazine can be found here although it is still a work in progress but it may help you decided which ones to hunt down on Ebay



Hope you find it useful....

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My Lotr Hobby Site

On the Painting Bench: Bifur, Bofur & Bombour
Terrain Build Project: Goblin Town Walkways

I've already found your site TTH, and it is super useful! Now if only you had the articles themselves available Thanks for running such an amazing LOTR SBG resource.

I agree with what the others say about the journey books. I've found the FotR book very useful.

Some of the old source books have interesting narrative campaigns (linked scenarios) if you are into that kind of gaming. The Battle of Pelennor Fields and Fall of the Necromancer are the best ones in my opinion in that regard.

If you are interested in BGiME, check our own Battle Game Magazines section and the sticky topics there. You'll find Azog's handy spreadsheet of the magazine contents there.

-- Pasi

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http://pasiminis.blogspot.com/

Journeybooks and old sourcebooks. Definitely, if you plan to do terrains and storyline scenarios. They even contain painting guides as well. The scenaiors are actually enjoyable and simple to play.