It's a
Troll of Cirith Gorgor shadow! I love these
I would add at least 1 Grond.
Ships of Great Draught is a possession and keeps those pesky Ithilien Blades off your back.
Covetous Uruk is a baby Troll. Add some more cultures (
Scaffolding,
Ceremonial Armor) to boost
Gate of Mordor.
Expanded's learning curve on Gemp does seem to have jumped off a cliff over the past 10 years, much more so than earlier formats. It took me forever to get used to it, but I hadn't even done WOTR before. You mention dislike of the Hunters, any idea why nobody plays WOTR standard? Was it played in the past? It ought to be the next logical step after Movie...
So the freeps needs some time to build up I'm guessing. Maybe swap Sam for a Merry and
WoBaS? Not sure which Merry.
Loyal Companion, perhaps? Or
FtS?
Halfling Leaf can help early survival (Perhaps replacing
Make a Run for it). Splashing a
Fladrif could be nice.
Prized Lagan makes Fierce minions easier.
Is it strength that's the problem with the Hobbits? Wounding? Or loss of stuff?