I got this game for Christmas 2009 and I still haven't played it, 'cause I think there's something wrong with my blue dice.

All 6 of my blue dice have 5 different symbols. They have a double symbol for Character side by side. The second Character symbol is placed on the side where every 10 of my red dice have a symbol for Army. I wanna know if my blue dice are a manufacturer's fault or not. And if not, how am I supposed to move my army then?

Can you guys help me out, 'cause I sure like to play this game.

Thank you.

Your dice are fine. You move armies with the side that depicts both Army AND Muster icons. You choose which icon you want to use.

Check the FAQ:

http://www.warofthering.eu/mainfaq.htm#dice

Thank you for your answer.

I already read about side with the army and muster symbols but, correct me if I'm wrong, this means that the Shadow Army has a double chance per die to move armies.

Also, it's not mentioned in the rulebook that the Army symbol is only found on the red dice and that the blue dice have a double symbol for Character. That's why I thought my blue dice were a manufacturer's fault.

Sure the Shadow have more Army symbols. The dice are not meant to be identical between both sides. The shadow dice are more War-ish which I think is very thematic! On the other hand the Free Peoples have more Character symbols (which they need) AND don't forget the Will of the West which is a huge bonus for the Free Peoples.

But yeah, the rules should mention it. And they do in Collector's Edition's rules which you can download here if you want (they are better written and are 99% compatible with the original game).

Hipsu said:

In some ways, while I'm not a 100% tolkien expert, the way I often view things in Middle Earth is that the Shadow forces tend to be more aggressive, more based on hordes of armies, but not necessarily based on cohesive leadership. Thus, they get more army moves, less character moves. They don't depend on Leaders.

The Free People, on the other hand, are more peaceful; while they can muster themselves up on occasion, it's the leaders (both the famous ones like the Companions, and the lesser ones like Eomer and Faramir) that drive the people to action - thus the Character actions (which let you move armies with leaders) are more prominent (well, and the Characters moving with the fellowship too, of course)

The ability to move armies for the shadow player is essential, being that the whole point of the story is the eminent threat of the shadow moving through out the land. The free people were only trying to stall the shadow and distract them from there actual plan to destroy the ring.

This fact portrayed in the dice makes the mechanic integral to the theme of the books.

As a war game goes asymmetrical winning conditions and abilities is pretty standard and, Awesome!