The Desolation of Rhûn 1 ("Desolation of Smaug" gaming-book expectations)

Given that Games Workshop has recently released the Desolation of Smaug expansion book for the main rules manual, I have no idea what special abilities this thing is going to give to the Easterlings....

...I am expecting new enemies, settings and greenlights though... like for example, I am expecting:

1. Rules for Warriors and Captains of Dale, who my men (the Easterlings) bare unequaled animosity towards
2. Rules for Lake-Town Guards (including captains)
3. Rules for Bard the Bowman, including:
1. encouragement by Games Workshop to use him to represent King Brand of Dale for the Return of the King-era scenario "Battle of Dale"
4. Lessons for me as to why not to send any of my men to take Tauriel head-on
5. Rules for "Master of Lake-Town" and for his assistant
6. Terms for gaming in Dale and Lake-town
7. Full profile for the film's version of Sauron the Necromancer (I don't expect the stat line to be any different than the old GW-speculated version's stat line from 2006's "Fall of the Necromancer")
8. Guide to gaming in Dol Guldur (which is managed by my faction's leader [Khamûl] during the era of the LotR trilogy)
9. RULES FOR SIEGE TOWERS (If they're not in this expansion they'd better be in the inevitable There and Back Again one!!!)
10. A profile for Bard's son Bain, including:
1. Games Workshop's greenlight for people to use him to represent Bard II in the "Battle of Dale" event of RotK

This book may not give the Easterling army any special new abilities like the Unexpected Journey rules manual did via new rules unique to certain troop types (Monster, Hero, etc.), but I still have ideas what may be included and what the potential abilities do for my troops, including:

1. Rules for new spells and modifications to known ones, including:
1. A set of new-rules-manual style rules for Bladewrath, as would allow War Priests to do something far more metal with that particular spell
2. A re-write of the nature of Bladewrath, upgrading it to a spell that has all same-race models from the same culture (for example Easterling and Khandish are two different cultures) within 6" rolling To Wound at Strength 6 (Channeling leading to a Rend attack tacked onto the allies' To Wound rolls)
3. Gaming format versions of the various spells not seen on-screen until December 13 2013 when Desolation of Smaug came out.
2. Rules for Halberds, from declaring them to be Elven Blades that use Piercing Strike or Bash instead of using Feint (as would make sense for the Easterlings utilizing the halberd as their favorite weapon) to declaring them to be able to be used as spears or as pikes depending on the shaft length (meaning Bolg would be able to contribute an attack to a fight and help one of his fellow Gundabad Orcs win a fight, but I don't care about Orcs or about Gundabad. They are whiny run-away wimps that will NOT fight to the death like the Easterlings will)
3. Rules for skin-changers like Beorn, as in how to make them change skins, and whether the stat line is any different, and what models to use to represent the alternative form
4. Distinct rules for different kinds of arrow and blade upgrades, including:
1. Rules for Morgul Poison as used in Khamûl's blade and in that Gundabad Orc's arrow (see the Desolation of Smaug film to learn what Orc & what arrow, you'll be glad you did)
2. Rules for Snake & Scorpion Venom as used by the Haradrim
3. Rules for Great Plague Diseases as used by the Easterlings of the 19th Century of the Third Age against all of Middle-earth's northwest-continent, both as weapon upgrades and as stand-alone weapons. This kwap will be lovely for me to infect all the new Mirkwood Elf characters with, except for Tauriel, cuz I wanna keep her healtheh for non-combatant reezinnz <3
4. Rules for different kinds of Bane enchantments, though different from those of the War of the Ring game.
5. Rules for "Mithril Make" that are only available for members of the Durin's Folk, Thorin's Company, Army of Thror, and Dale & Lake-town army lists.
5. Rules for different hiding in Difficult Terrain, mostly for hiding in plant-matter such as forests (like among trees)

So as an Easterling general, I have several expectations for the Desolation of Smaug expansion book when I get it this upcoming Christmas.

That's what I have for now,

~KP