The Kingdom of Gondor

''We are Gondor! Our lands stretch from Mordor to the Western Sea, our fiefs remain unstricken by any machinations of the Dark Lord and vivid is the light of Minas Tirith, the Tower of Guard that shines brightly in us all. The flame of Númenor still burns in our hearts when we see the White City, and pride still blooms in those that march to the defence of the West. Our blood keeps other lands safe from the depredations of Mordor, and, with its full weight fixed upon us, we hold our lines and know our wars are not for nothing, yet, ever still, we bleed.''

''In our lands we more than hold on to the greatly disputed areas east of the old city of Osgiliath, perhaps more ruin than city itself now, but a matter of pride in our hearts. North of Osgiliath lies the garrison at Cair Andros, the fine island that divides the great Anduin River before it flows with such silvery strength down past Pelargir to the sea and leads us from thence to Linhir, which coastline strikes through the Southern Fiefs: Lebennin, Lamedon, the Principality of Dol Amroth in Belfalas, from whence come our levies in time of need.''

''Much has been lost of our Kingdom, much that once was, and we weep for it. No blossom upon the White Tree, where the Fountain Court keeps its watch, and the Stewards have fought without relent, to retain what was once the flower of the Kings of Númenor. The blood runs thin amongst our people - only in few lives the legacy of Númenor, and middle-man is weaker than ever. I am sorry, Lord, for my fears ever grow, yet I hold on to your grace for what will be. The line of Kings may have failed, but we have Stewards of great wisdom and of iron will.''

''Secret despair feeds our dreams, yet we do not count it during the waking hours - for the light keeps the cowardice of the Orc from our walls and the White City shines still, even as it slowly crumbles. Its defences are undermanned, but indeed we still have much faith in the strength of man and stone. Strong walls and brazen gates are our defence, even if our forces fail, and surely the Red Arrow and the beacons - both or either will bring the old alliance with the Horse Lords of Rohan to a tumult, and they will ride to our aid. With the forces of the Southern Fiefs, the mainstay of our army and Rohan's bright riders, how can we truly let go of our hope, for it is what sustains us in these bleak times.''

''I whisper as if all were lost already, my Lord, but it is not so. With our Captains lies the fate of many, and such Captains of Men we have! The eyes of the White Tower - the Tower of Ecthelion - are never blind to what Sauron is planning. In contested Ithilien our Rangers, fired with the blood of old, with the skill nigh of the Dúnedain themselves, defend our borders and keep the thrice-damned Southrons at bay, whilst our victories shiver the very gates of Mordor itself.''

''The Poisons of that land, the foulness in the Dark, all are kept contained by our Lords. Yet still we wait for the old times, for the Tree to flower and the trumpets to announce that the King has returned! Turn to the Swan Princes for hope, for they still run true, and in Dol Amroth we see echoes of the past. Fair blood in their line, even whispered to be mixed within by the beauty of the elves. A single glance will show the truth of their nobility, and marriage prserves the old lines in both the Swan Princes and the great Stewards that sit and await a King once more. Hope remains amongst the common people, and there is much of import that can still be done.''

''Do we simply defend what is ours? Do we simply dig in and hold? Or would the Steward that you could be take Gondor forwards again? Do you hear the clash of arms, dream of shivered shield and cloven helm, to see the blood of orcs staining Mordor's blackened heart and the sun shining red upon the field of valour? The Port of Umbar fell to us before now, and it may be that Harad can not only be pushed back, but broken, sundered, that the Black Ships could joyfully burn, or be smashed at see by a fleet such as we could raise in the great ports of Pelargir, Limbir and Dol Amorth.''

''All is not lost, and we are mightier than many think or even many know yet. My heart swells to see our strident grace Lord, and the men drink with cheer at the sight of the Steward of Gondor! Could we break the lines of Mordor, crush the advances of the Southrons and burn Umbar? We could do more than that with hope, the steel of our hearts and the leadership of a great man. In old walked Dúnedain; giants among men, but that does not mean our backs are less straight, that our hearts are less courageous, and that we are doomed by the failing of simple blood. Take us to our destiny, Steward of Gondor lead us to WAR!!''

Starting Situation
Gondor has many natural defences against her enemies: the Anduin protects from the hordes of Mordor, Khand, Harad and the Ar-Ardunaim, whilst the Ered Nimrais gives cover from the nations of Enedwaith. She is also the largest nation in Middle-Earth and the potential of her economic strength is certainly comforting. Gondor begins at war with Mordor, Harad, and the Ar-Adûnâim. Gondor is allied to Dol Amroth and Rohan at the start of the game. Isengard is likely to declare war upon you if they are doing well against Rohan, and Khand is likely to declare war early in the game; however, the Blue Wizard script may cause them to change sides to join you instead.

Early Game
Mordor dominates Gondor's entire campaign and in the opening days of the War of the Ring are no different. There are few independent holds in these embattled lands and Mordor will arrive to the ruins of Osgiliath within a few years. Gondor must mobilize her enormous strength quickly and strike fast before Sauron can bring Harad, Khand and his own hordes to full production. All hope is not lost however for Prince Adrahil commands many battalions of elite warriors from Dol Amroth and he has been tasked with holding the mouths of the Anduin.

Military Overview
Gondor is a nation of heavy infantry and skilled armourers, and even its lowest tier warriors boast well-made armour and arms. The famous White Tree is emblazoned on fine plate mail and the sight of a fully equipped Gondorian army arrayed on the field will give pause to any would be foe. The cavalry of Gondor is few and far between however and is not the favoured method of combat for the Númenórean descendants.

Gondor plays as a heavy infantry faction - the majority of it's natural roster are heavily armoured infantry. Gondor has decent ranged units in the form of Ithilien Rangers. It's biggest weakness is probably cavalry and anti-cavalry units. They only have two cavalry options that are not limited in recruitment, and neither are strong. It has stronger cavalry options available, but they are heavily limited in recruitment area and numbers.

Special Features

 * Fiefdom Recruitment
 * Fornost, Osgiliath & Bridge of Tharbad Rebuilding

Rare Units

 * Minas Ithil Guardians (Minas Morgul)
 * Trebuchet (all Regions)
 * Naval Nation

Tips and Difficulty
The true difficulty of Gondor comes from the multi front war. Personally I find that this campaign can either be a cake walk or a real challenge depending on how you play it. If you are seeking a real challenge I would suggest that you turtle in the early game until around the barracks event, that way all the enemies around you have had a real chance to consolidate their realms and organise their forces. Alternatively you could rush Mordor, as whilst they have lots of stacks early on, if you can hem them in at Minas Morgul and the Black Gate they can be easily neutered. Beware of Enedwaith in the west however, as I've found that as soon as you border them they will declare war, due to the fact that they have no other foes and can bring their whole force to bare on your weak underbelly. It is advised to ally with Enedwaith, as Gondor has few forces in the west, and fighting in the East, South, and West will likely end your campaign quickly.

Make sure that coastal holdings such as Pelargir are well protected, as corsair raids from the Ar-Adûnaim are constant as long as they hold Umbar. Another, more recommended approach would be to rush Umbar and take it as soon as you are able to. You can then either sell it off to a different faction or you can try holding it yourself, just make sure the Ar-Adûnaim can't take it back, otherwise the raids will continue. Dol Amroth should be able to hold of the Harad and Khand for a time, but prepare to intervene if things go south. Even if Enedwaith is not an issue, a far greater threat is found from Isengard if either Rohan or the formentioned faction is taken out. Prepare for war against both the Uruk-hai and the Wildmen of Dunland as it is highly probable that they will come after you eventually. Mordor will take time and funds to defeat, you will need plenty if other factions decide to join in.

Economy-wise, make sure to build mines in Ethring and Calenhad immediately upon starting the campaign as they are exceptionally good and will provide you with a lot more funds making the fight against Mordor easier. Move your capital to Tarnost in order to reduce corruption by a good amount and build meeting halls in settlements that don't have any so your governors and garrisons can get free upkeep. There will also be some rebels in your lands, most of them you can ignore but there's one stack west of Lond Galen you should take care of ASAP with what you have available, otherwise the devastation it causes can get out of hand quickly. Put units that don't get free upkeep in nearby forts, unless you have other uses for them. Build mason's halls to save money in future construction, especially in Ethring and Calenhad before you get the second tier of mines.

Pre-Barracks Event Units

 * Territorial Guardsmen
 * Gondor Militia
 * Gondor Archer Militia
 * Gondor Cavalry Militia
 * Lamedon Clansmen
 * Lebennin Marines
 * Anfalas Pikemen
 * Dol Amroth Squires
 * Ithilien Rangers
 * Blackroot Vale Archers
 * Ballista
 * Gondor Bodyguard (General Unit)

Post-Barracks Event Units

 * Gondor Infantry
 * Gondor Spearmen
 * Gondor Archers
 * Gondor Cavalry
 * Citadel Guard
 * Lossarnach Axemen
 * Pinnath Gelin Cavalry
 * Sea-ward Lancers
 * Catapult
 * Trebuchet

Elite Units

 * Wardens of the White Tower
 * Guards of Osgiliath
 * Fountain Guard
 * Minas Ithil Guardians
 * Knights of the Silver Swan
 * Tharbad Royal Guard
 * Sons of Numenor
 * Talon Knights