@harlequin and everybody
You don't really need cheating to win this game, it's so easy.
Exploiting the bug regarding non-active units is totally unnecessary.
Instead of cheating i recommend the following:
Send Eomer to collect the Dwarven Ring, the Silver Orb, and the Dwarven Hammer, and go mobilize Dain and Thranduil.
In the meantime send Faramir to meet up with Aragorn before he goes to Rivendell. He can collect the Ancient Sword south of Ost-In-Edhil and maybe also the two healing potions in the two villages east of Isengard and near to the ocean.
In the meatime you send Frodo to Tuckborough where you get him drink the black potion to fight better and then to Buckland to meet up with Merry. After that they go to the end of the forest road where someone collects the Gnarled Staff which is not an object of mobilization, it is a weapon used most effectively by Gandalf. (the Ents are mobilized by Gandalf going to Derndingle, no need for any objects). After getting the Staff they go to Tom Bombadil's House where they take an Elven Blade and then right east of there (place called Barrow Downs) collect another Elven Blade. So at this point all the hobbits have a weapon. There are wights near that area so some skirmishes are expected. After that when there are no Nazguls there go to Bree and meet up with Aragorn. After that there are many things you can do and you have plenty of time since the war starts usually only around mid-February. You can go collect the objects south of Mount Gram (you can drink the black potion with Aragorn to be a better warrior) and then go to west of Annuminas to collect the sceptre. From there you can go to Forlond to take another black flask which you should not drink at this moment, you better give it later to some better warrior, the hobbits are weak anyway. Then you can go to Belegost to collect a Mithrin Mail and then to collect the blue potions in Gray Havens, north of White Towers, and Michel Delving. Take attention that only one piece of a type of object can be carried by a person, if you take e.g. a second blue potion with someone you'll lose the second one.
So now you should have Dain and Thranduil mobilized. You can merge them under Dain and send there anywhere you like. Important to remember that when you reach Rivendell there are weeks passing so they will instantly be there where you have sent them when you reach Rivendell. This is also valid to Faramir and Eomer. So if you don't plan on using Gollum who is mobilized at Hollin Gate you can send Dain to Goblin Town to massacre the orcs there and to secure a safe path for Gandalf. You can also send Dain directly to Minas Tirith. This is all up to you.
You should send Eomer and Faramir to Edoras before you reach Rivendell so they'll be instantly there. It'S important though that before this you meet Aragorn and take the sceptre and the Red Arrow from him if you have these collected. You'll need these for mobilizing Rohan and Gondor, although Rohan can also be mobilized by Gandalf going to Edoras, with the Arrow you can do it a bit earlier. Gondor is mobilized by the sceptre or by Saruman's attack on Rohan.
So you move to Rivendell. Try not to waste the potions before that time since all surviving members will be healed there. You should better withdraw wounded members in battle. And you should let Elrond kill the Nazguls at Ford of Bruinen. After the Fellowship is formed you have two main options. You can go through Goblin Town, in this case it is useful to clear the town first with Dain. Alternatively you can move through Moria, this will mobilize Gollum, but you can't join Gollum as long as Gandalf is in the group. In any case you should go to Lorien for Frodo to collect the Elven Cloak (this helps in evasion) and a potion. The Rope i don't know what it is for. After this you should move to Derndingle to have the ents and huorns move to Isengard and Hornburg.
In the meantime you can mobilize Theoden with the Red Arrow which Faramir has taken from Aragorn earlier. Eomer can drop the hammer and take the sceptre from Faramir and ride to Minas Tirith to mobilize Gondor (Eomer is faster than Faramir). Faramir can bring the hammer up to Derndingle or Lorien or inbetween and meet up with Gandalf. The hammer should be used by Gimli to full effect. You can let the rangers follow Gandalf for total security but if you have all these weapons and potions it should be no problem for the Fellowship in wandering alone and you can use the rangers for charging in big battles very well since they have many hitpoints. Charging means much of the enemy hits will be diverted to the charging units. This is useful if you have a big army of weak units like infantry and cavalry and you'd like to keep them alive you charge with strong units like rangers, tower guards, men-at-arms etc. The other units on engage will still inflict the same damage but hits taken will be more diverted to charging units.
After the mobilization of Rohan you should get Dernhelm join the fellowhip and unite all the cavalry in Edoras. You can unite all of Gondor's units in Minas Tirith after their mobilization. Rohan's riders can go down to Minas Tirith as well since the huorns can defend Hornburg from all of Saruman's attacks (they are IMO much overpowered). Gondor's and Rohan's forces combined are more than enough to defend Minas Tirith from any attacks but you can send Dain there also to take part in the fun. In case some enemy units would passing by the city you can send the cavalry after them. Lorien is easily defended by the elves there. You should NOT ever join the same type of units like infantry with infantry or as in this case elves with elves because some of them will be lost this way, this is a bug. You can join the elves under Celeborn later when she is mobilized though or you can leave some wounded hobbit there for this task when you're passing there with the Fellowship. In the North you should send all available units to Thranduil's Palace to defend it. It will be a tought match without Dain and Thranduil but most of the time they can make it.
From this point you do what you fancy.
What i wrote here is just one way to play the game. There are many alternative ways. This is pretty easy though.
There are basically 4 ways to win the game:
1.) Sneak up to Mount Doom
You best go with Gollum for this. Gollum is very good at evasion. You can sometimes evade 10000 orcs with Gollum. You have good chances to evade the 5000 at Mount Doom.
This is not too interesting but you can save most lives with this option.
2.) Kill the garrison of Mount Doom
You can go there with an army (Dain's dwarves and elves or Rohan's riders will do it), kill the garrison and throw the ring to the lava.
3.) Wait until the garrison of Mount Doom is moved
At some place later during the course of the war the garrison will be moved to attack Gondor. You can then go there with any units having the Ring and you win.
4.) Lay siege to Barad Dur
This is the most interesting option but this will cost the most lives.
You have to be conservative with your units for this option to be viable.
During the defense of Minas Tirith you should always charge with the toughest units (like tower guards, knights, men-at-arms, rangers, dwarves, etc) to have the most infantry and cavalry alive for the siege. You can maybe also leave Minas Tirith for it's fate and go with all you have right to Barad Dur but this is cruel
Don't forget to join also the elves of Lorien and the survivors in the north.
Also it's probably a bug that the leaders of bigger groups get almost always be killed so it's useful to withdraw them.
Good luck!
