CJ's "More will come" Legions: Haldir's Patrol

Haldir’s Patrol

 

Fantasy Fellowships Part V: The Way into Mordor

This part will focus on the journey of the Ringbearer and his loyal companion from the Dead Marshes through the pass of Cirith Ungol as they follow their guide into Mordor, getting so close to their goal.

CJ

Scenario 14- The Dead Marshes

Participants- Bilbo, Dori and Smeagol

Evil- Ringwraith on Fellbeast and 6x Dead Marsh Spectres

The trio starts wading their way through the marshes unaware that some spectres are slowly wandering towards them. They creep their way towards the edge of the marsh when they’re spotted. But Dori quickly defeats the spirit.

Another spectre lures Smeagol into a marsh with it’s fell light but he doesn’t fall in. Dori kills this one and heroic combats into the third. But has to use both his last might and will to charge it before bringing it down too.

They worry as they see a Ringwraith flying nearby. Luckily, it turns in the air and flies completely away from them (3x 2-3 rolls on sentry in a row). They seize their chance and escape the marshes.

Kills

Bilbo- 0

Dori- 3

Bravest- Dori

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Bilbo and Dori are fully replenished at the Rangers’ hideout.

Scenario 15- Osgiliath

Participants- Faramir, Madril, Damrod, Mablung, Anborn, Bilbo, Dori, Smeagol, 13x Minas Tirith warriors, 12x Rangers of Gondor and 6x Osgiliath veterans

Evil- Ringwraith on Fellbeast,3x Orc captains and 37 orc warriors

The trio have been to the black gate before Smeagol tells them of an alternate path. Trusting him, Bilbo follows with Dori into Ithilien, where they are captured by the Rangers and taken to Osgiliath. While there and pleading for Faramir to release them to continue their quest, a large assault begins.

The orcs pile into the ruins while Faramir and some veterans escort Bilbo, Dori and Smeagol round the rear past the fountain. The orcs hit the Gondor frontline, and many are killed. A captain heroic combats into Mablung but fails to win the fight. Bilbo is running when a familiar shriek is heard, a Nazgul has arrived on a fellbeast and it’s scream causes many Gondorians to freeze in terror. A lone warrior engages it but is quickly slain and the beast flies from him onto the watchtower, where Anborn is shooting. He is picked up and thrown from the balcony, where his body breaks on the street below.

The Ringwraith’s arrival throws Gondor’s west flank into disarray and they are surrounded and killed. Mablung is defeated by a Captain and left wounded on the floor. Mordor claims the western building.

In the centre, another captain faces Damrod and despite the heroic defence he had been leading until this point, the captain is too much and Damrod is slain.

Bilbo and his guard rush towards the East but find a group of orcs in the building preventing his escape. Dori looks dazed and wanders from behind the building into the open, where he is attacked by four orcs. They see the Nazgul closing in and realise that he has been compelled, Dori luckily wins the fight. Faramir, the Ringwraith and two orc captains call heroic combats. Faramir goes first and charges in to assist an ally. A captain nearby rushes Bilbo, but the plucky Hobbit fights back and scores a wound on him. The other captain uses it to clear up the remnants of the Western flank. The last heroic combat is from the Ringwraith, who kills the Gondorian before him and slams his fellbeast into Dori, who is knocked flat by six strikes and out of the fight.

Dori’s avenger comes in form of Smeagol, who takes a fate from the Ringwraith with some veterans and the next turn slays his fellbeast. The Ringwraith stands against them until he is eventually exhausted of willpower and pops. While the captain beside them is surrounded and killed by Faramir’s men.

The central building is the key to victory for good now as Bilbo rushes for his escape and large groups of men and orcs fight viciously inside. Faramir, arrives on it’s eastern opening and with his men, break the rear guard to get in. But Madril is finally overwhelmed at the other entrance and beaten down by an orc captain.

As Bilbo escapes, the orcs are narrowly defeated as they have only 8 in the important building to 10 men, they call off the attack and retreat.

Kills

Bilbo- 2

Dori- 0

Bravest- Bilbo

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Bilbo is fully replenished.

Dori- 1m, 1 wound

Scenario 16- Shelob's Lair

Participants- Bilbo and Dori

Evil- Shelob and Smeagol

In the pass, Bilbo senses something stalking him, while alone. He breaks into a panicked sprint and Shelob charges out from behind a rock. Bilbo seeing Dori coming, realises that he’s too far away and bravely charges the spider. It rears up to attack and Bilbo jabs Sting into one of its eyes. Shelob shrieks and flees immediately. Dori is simply stunned at its quick resolution and chases after Smeagol, ready to dish out some punishment for treachery. When he gives up after losing the speedy creature, he sees Bilbo unconscious and being hauled up towards Cirith Ungol by a band of Orcs.

Kills

Bilbo- 1

Dori- 0

Bravest- Bilbo

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Bilbo and Dori are both fully replenished.

Scenario 17- Cirith Ungol

Participants- (Dori), Shagrat and 15x Mordor Uruk-hai

Evil- Gorbag and 24x Orc warriors

Dori creeps towards the gates of Cirith Ungol to rescue Bilbo as fighting breaks out within. Gorbag and Shagrat call heroic moves, with the orc moving first. He snatches the Mithril shirt and runs but Shagrat catches up and promptly hits him hard with two wounds, the orc using both his might and fate to save himself.

Down below, the orcs and uruks tear each other to pieces. The orcs clear the uruks from the outer walls, but some uruks hold both sets of stairs to the tower. At the base of which, Shagrat deals the killing blow to Gorbag and takes the shiny shirt.

Dori narrowly dodges an orc arrow and then slays two uruk warriors, before rushing up the stairs. He rushes past the orcs, killing most of the surviving uruks as Shagrat holds out at the base of the tower. Dori gets up the tower and frees Bilbo, as Shagrat makes a desperate escape with his prize.

Kills

Dori- 3

Bravest- Dori

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Dori is fully replenished.

Scenario 18- The Plateau of Gorgoroth

Participants- Bilbo and Dori

Evil- Orc captain, Orc taskmaster and 24x orc warriors

Bilbo and Dori are closing in on the endgame of their mission, but little do they know that a battalion of orcs is marching straight at them. They realise nearly too late and hide behind a rock. The orcs come incredibly close to spotting them (rolled a 5). The pair march through the orcs with some very close calls to being caught as the taskmaster calls a halt just as they’re passing. They finally escape on turn 9, with not much time to spare.

Kills

Bilbo- 0

Dori- 0

Bravest- Dori

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Both hobbits are fully replenished for the finale.

Sam

Scenario 14- The Dead Marshes

Participants- Smeagol, Lotho and 'Bilbo' (Bilbo using Smeagol's profile)

Evil- Ringwraith on Fellbeast and 6x Dead Marshes Spectres

Smeagol and Lotho are joined by Old Bilbo, who promises to assist them in their quest. Smeagol leads them to the dead marshes, which they attempt to navigate as a shortcut to Mordor. They are quickly spotted by a spectre and Bilbo is lured into the marsh, falling in. Another spectre sees this and is alerted. Lotho rushes over and pulls Bilbo out before he drowns.

Smeagol is the next to fall to the lure of the spectres but is also rescued by Lotho as a third spots them. Bilbo calls a heroic move, and they push on, hiding in a bush to avoid the nearby Ringwraith on it’s fellbeast from spotting them. The Ringwraith, luckily, flies away. Smeagol is then lured in and charged but awoken by Bilbo. A fourth spectre sights them, Bilbo takes on two and kills one. Before being pulled under again and is rescued by Smeagol. Disastrously, a fifth spectre spots them and they are being targeted by four at once now.

Lotho manages to shove two spectres back over two turns and Bilbo is pulled under but not seen again. Smeagol manages to kill two spectres in two turns and things look hopeful again as they’re only three turns away from escape. But tragedy strikes as Lotho is cornered and injured, and the Ringwraith, that was across the other side of the board, rolls 6 on its sentry rolls…three times in a row and is suddenly upon them and alerted! It then gets priority and charges Smeagol with two spectres. They win and cause a total of seven wounds. The Fellbeast picks up Smeagol and tears him to pieces! The Ringbearer is slain!

Kills

Smeagol- 2

Lotho- 0

Bravest- Lotho    Fool- Smeagol

EVIL WIN

Carried stats

Smeagol is cornered and slain. The Ring falls from his hands into some nearby reeds, where it is later found by Bilbo, who promises to finish the quest. He is the new Ringbearer.

Lotho is fully replenished at the Rangers’ hideout.

Scenario 15- Osgiliath

Participants- Faramir, Madril, Damrod, Mablung, Anborn, Old Bilbo, Lotho, 'Smeagol', 13x Minas Tirith warriors, 12x Rangers of Gondor and 6x Osgiliath veterans

Evil- Ringwraith on Fellbeast,3x Orc captains and 37 orc warriors

Smeagol will be representing Bilbo’s internal desire for the Ring. Portrayed, in his mind at least, in Gollum’s form.

As the Rangers reinforce the Osgiliath garrison in the face of an orc attack, Faramir leads Bilbo and Lotho through the streets. The Rangers all fire at the assaulting orcs and fail to kill anything. The turn after the orcs hit and Damrod is quickly beaten down by the orcs. The defenders push back and wound a captain in return, but Mablung is defeated by a captain and killed.

An Orc threatens to rush Bilbo, so Lotho calls a heroic move and they rush him out of reach. A handful of brave Gondorians hold the Western flank, where Damrod lies unconscious, from the orcish onslaught. It is then a loud ear-piercing shriek is heard and a cry of ‘NAZGUUUUL!’ follows. The Ringwraith flies in over the Western fighting and quickly charges Bilbo. Two Osgiliath Veterans charge in to aid him. Faramir calls a heroic combat along with Madril, which is contested by the Ringwraith. Evil goes first and Bilbo is hurled, slamming into several allies and going down to 1w, 1f. Lotho is hit by him and knocked out of the fight. Faramir’s opponent is killed and so he can’t do his heroic. Madril, meanwhile, wins his fight but fails to kill.

The Nazgul begins the next turn with a loud scream, shaking the defenders to their core. Faramir nevertheless, charges the Ringwraith and calls a strike. He gets up to fight 10 with a furious warcry, but is slammed by the Fellbeast’s tail and thrown into a crowd saving himself with fate. All around him, the orcs overwhelm defenders and many Gondorians are slain.

Bilbo calls a heroic move, attempting to get away from the beast as Faramir charges it again, using his last might for another heroic strike and being brought down to 1w, 0f when he again goes up to fight and loses. The following turn an orc captain charges and beats him down as the Ringwraith swoops down upon Bilbo and slams him into some ruins, knocking him unconscious for several hours. The defenders manage to narrowly repel the attack but lost many in doing so.

Kills

Bilbo- 0

Lotho- 0

Bravest- Lotho    Fool- Bilbo

EVIL WIN

Carried stats

Lotho is fully replenished.

Bilbo- 0m, 1 fate, 1 wound 

Scenario 16- Shelob's Lair

Participants- Old Bilbo and Lotho

Evil- Shelob and Smeagol

Shelob quietly closes in as Bilbo struggles internally (Smeagol attacks) fighting his intense want for the precious, no wounds are dealt but then the spider hits and immediately paralyses him. Lotho steps up and manages to bribe the spider with a dead rabbit not to attack him as Bilbo gives in to the Ring and succumbs but is luckily paralysed (Gollum beats him up).

Lotho uses his might to heroic move and claim Sting. Then distracts Shelob from another charge and counter charges, dealing a wound on the spider. But it passes its courage test and slams Lotho into a wall. Before she can finish him, orcs spook her and she flees. Gorbag and some troops find Bilbo and take him to Cirith Ungol. Lotho follows in a daze.

Kills

Bilbo- 0

Lotho- 0

Bravest- Lotho    Fool- Bilbo

EVIL WIN

Carried stats

Bilbo- 0m, 1f, 1 wound and Lotho- 0m, 2 will, 0f

Scenario 17- Cirith Ungol

Participants- (Lotho), Shagrat and 15x Mordor Uruk-hai

Evil- Gorbag and 24x Orc warriors

Lotho approaches the gates of Cirith Ungol beginning his attempt to rescue Bilbo as a mutiny breaks out inside. Shagrat and Gorbag both call heroic moves to try and seize the ‘Shiny Shirt’, Shagrat is too fast and he snatches it, Gorbag chases. The Uruks and Orcs scrap killing a few of each other.

Shagrat and Gorbag again call heroic moves and again Shagrat takes it, pouncing on Gorbag and surrounding him with Uruks. The orc calls a heroic strike, while Shagrat chances going without, Gorbag gets up to Fight 9 and feints. But Shagrat’s gamble pays off as the orc rolls a 3 highest, he then uses the might he saved to guarantee Gorbag’s demise as he picks him up, smashes him against a wall and then tosses his limp body over the ramparts. The Uruks rally at this and many orcs are killed.

The orcs gain priority and manage to corner a few Uruks, while giving chase to Shagrat, Lotho is sent to tie up and kill one…but he rolls double 2 and is thumped unconscious by the Uruk, unexpectedly ending the game. The Uruks hold the Mithril coat and under Shagrat’s dominance tear the orcs apart but fail to spot Lotho as Bilbo is forgotten in the mayhem. Once he awakes, Lotho quietly makes his way up the tower and saves the Ringbearer.

Kills

Lotho- 0

Bravest- Lotho

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Lotho is fully replenished.

Scenario 18- The Plateau of Gorgoroth

Participants- Bilbo and Lotho

Evil- Orc captain, Orc taskmaster and 24x orc warriors

Now getting close to their objective and disguised in Orc armour, Bilbo and Lotho make their way across the Plateau of Gorgoroth…but then they see an orc battalion coming straight at them. They creep behind a rock quickly, out of sight, but they’ll have to rush past. As they prepare to run in front, the Taskmaster calls an unexpected halt to the march and the Hobbits feel their hearts in their mouths but luckily no suspicion is aroused. Then the captain calls a heroic move, and the battalion is suddenly all around them. They manage to slip out the back and with some luck that they are long overdue, manage to get outside of spotting range behind them and slip away in Turn 8.

Kills

Bilbo- 0

Dori- 0

Bravest- Bilbo

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Both hobbits are fully replenished for the finale.

Will

Scenario 14- The Dead Marshes

Participants- Frodo, Pippin and Smeagol

Evil- Ringwraith on Fellbeast and 6x Dead Marshes Spectres

The Hobbits follow Smeagol who leads them through the Dead Marshes. Little do they know that Spectres lurk within. They walk their way through until spotted by two Spectres in a bottleneck, they all charge one and Frodo calls a Heroic combat. Smeagol deals the killing blow and they push on. They spot a Fellbeast miles away starting to fly in their direction.

Smeagol takes on the two Spectres that now pursue them and receives two wounds, saved by his fate. The next turn he charges, passing his courage with his might and kills one. The Fellbeast is suddenly right beside them and spots Frodo and Pippin, who get the final priority and escape.

Kills

Frodo- 0

Pippin- 0

Bravest- Frodo

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Frodo and Pippin are fully replenished at the Rangers' hideout.

Scenario 15- Osgiliath

Participants- Faramir, Madril, Damrod, Mablung, Anborn, Frodo, Pippin, Smeagol, 13x Minas Tirith warriors, 12x Rangers of Gondor and 6x Osgiliath veterans

Evil- Ringwraith on Fellbeast,3x Orc captains and 37 orc warriors

The group is lead by the Rangers, now led by Madril in Faramir’s absence, he calls a heroic march as the orcs attack, desperate to protect the Ringbearer. The Gondorians hold the line and many orcs are slain, the buildings become warzones in minutes. Anborn starts sniping and taking out orcs. Smeagol leaves the group and joins the fighting, strangling a 2h orc.

There’s a deafening shriek as the Ringwraith arrives, Mablung throws himself at it but the Fellbeast picks him up and shakes him to death. It uses it to heroic combat and land upon a watchtower, spotting Frodo.      He and Pippin rush towards the alley that is too narrow for the Fellbeast but is quickly a logjam of orcs at the end. The Ringwraith swoops down, compelling a Minas Tirith warrior aside and lands in combat with Frodo. Frodo thinks fast and calls a heroic defence, as a result he only takes a single wound from the furious assault.

Back in the buildings, Anborn joins the defence of a captain, he fates a wound in the fighting as an orc rushes round the corner and catches him off guard. Smeagol is attacked by an orc captain and beaten harshly, he scampers off in blind panic. The Minas Tirith captain then leaps in and slays that captain, they now control the central building. Alongside this, the lone orc in another building is slain after the captain outside is surrounded by rangers and stabbed.

Back in the alleyway, Frodo calls a heroic combat and rushes towards the escape as the Ringwraith barges to get closer. As he is about to get away, however, a lone orc arrives in the narrow escape route and the fellbeast lands before them. Several Minas Tirith warriors and rangers are slain and orcs pour back into the alley. Pippin is defeated in combat and hit hard to the floor. Not long later, the Ringwraith attacks Madril and hurls him through multiple people, including Frodo, but only an orc is killed. Madril survives on 1w, 0f, the Ringwraith has exhausted its will and flees. Madril stands and slays the last captain, after multiple more turns of fighting, good gets the upper hand and Frodo escapes Osgiliath with the injured Pippin and Smeagol.

Kills

Frodo- 2

Pippin- 0

Bravest- Frodo

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Pippin is fully restored.

Frodo- 1m, 1 wound

Scenario 16- Shelob's Lair

Participants- Frodo and Pippin

Evil- Shelob and Smeagol

The hobbits are split up as Gollum causes tensions to rise. While separated, Frodo comes face to face with the massive arachnid, Shelob. She rushes towards him and Frodo throws a stone at her but misses. She slams into him and Frodo is knocked flying, the Ring flies into a dark corner as he lies unconscious.

Meanwhile, Pippin is heading back but is set upon by Smeagol, who manages to grab Pippin but fails to wound. The next turn, Pippin slashes and injures his foe. They wrestle and fight for another three turns until Gollum clubs him over the head and starts to rush over to Frodo but is spooked by the arrival of orcs. Shelob also flees as one of their archers fires at her. They find Frodo and drag him away. Pippin starts to give chase, finding the Ring as he goes, and follows them to Cirith Ungol.

Kills

Frodo- 0

Pippin- 0

Bravest- Pippin    Fool- Frodo

EVIL WIN

Carried stats

Pippin is fully restored.

Frodo- 1m, 0f, 1 wound

Scenario 17- Cirith Ungol

Participants- (Pippin), Shagrat and 15x Mordor Uruk-hai

Evil- Gorbag and 24x Orc warriors

With Frodo up inside the tower of Cirith Ungol, it doesn’t take long before they find his mithril coat and fighting breaks out over it. Gorbag leaps forward and snatches it, before running round the corner. Shagrat and an uruk slay an orc and use a heroic combat to give chase. The orcs and uruks rip into each other all around the fortress. Gorbag calls another heroic move to escape Shagrat and leaps over the edge of the wall, closely followed by his pursuer. While Gorbag takes two wounds but survives on fate, Shagrat lands almost perfectly, before standing and slaying the orc. He now has the shiny shirt!

Pippin rushes into the gates and promptly ends up facing two uruks, which he pushes back, but fails to kill either. An uruk faces four orc spears and manages to kill one, before being overwhelmed and letting them rush up the opposite stairs. The outer walls are cleared of uruks allowing the archers free rein. They shoot an uruk out of combat in thanks. But then follow up by shooting two of Shagrat’s opponents dead in a row.

Suddenly, after a turn of brutal fighting, only Shagrat and two uruks remain against 12 orcs. Both those uruks end up being shot by the archers and Shagrat cuts his way through the horde, having another shot by the archers for him. And before long, only a single orc remains (besides the four archers). The orc gets priority and bravely charges Shagrat, but something unexpected happens and a small hobbit in Gondorian armour also charges, trapping him against the wall. Shagrat is completely thrown by the arrival of this creature and subsequently loses the combat, before taking 5 wounds!! (3 from Pippin)! And collapses dead, killed by the unlikeliest of creatures. The orc snatches the shiny shirt and flees, as Pippin rushes past to go save Mr Frodo.

Kills

Pippin- 2

Bravest- Pippin

EVIL WIN

Carried stats

Pippin is fully replenished.

Scenario 18- The Plateau of Gorgoroth

Participants- Frodo and Pippin

Evil- Orc captain, Orc taskmaster and 24x orc warriors

As the Hobbits make their way across the plains of Gorgoroth, they freeze on hearing the clanking of armour. Realising that there is an orc contingent marching, they try to hide but have no luck and are forced to have a roll of the dice. Their hearts are in their mouths as the orcs halt at the command of the taskmaster and Pippin lets out a yelp as he stubs a toe, very nearly giving them away (6 rolled onto a 4). As they move just getting out of sight, an orc looking back again almost spots them (5), but luck is on their side and they slip away (Turn 9).

Kills

Bilbo-

Dori- 

Bravest- Bilbo

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Pippin is fully replenished.

Frodo- 2f

Our Ringbearers have now all passed into the Black Land and approach the final stretch, now we'll turn our attention back to the rest of the Fellowships as they play their parts during this period in defending the White City in 'Battle of the Pelennor'.

Fantasy Fellowships Part IV: The Defence of Helm's Deep

 The three hunters of each Fellowship have endured the attack at Amon Hen losing members to the fury of the Uruk-hai, pursued the escaping scouts to save their friends and assisted the King of Rohan on the road to Helm's Deep. Now, he must ask yet more of them, as an Uruk army of 10,000 approaches, Rohan will need every fighter they can get. 

CJ

Scenario 11- The Deeping Wall is Breached

Participants- Bard, Arathorn, Dwalin, Haldir, 12x Galadhrim warriors and 12x Rohirrim warriors

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains, 8x Berserkers and 20x Uruk-hai Warriors

Gandalf has sent an uruk army to Helm’s Deep out of jealousy over Saruman being chosen for the quest. The Uruk army assaults the walls and the good forces are holding well. Until they spot, too late, the evil Gandalf’s true plan! An eruption of fire blows apart the Deeping Wall.

Dwalin recovers quickly and leaps into the breach, quickly followed by Arathorn, who jumps onto an Uruk shield and rides it down the stairs, killing 3 Uruk pikes with his bow, kicking the shield into a fourth and then sweeping the head off a 5^th at the bottom.

Bard joins the fight closely followed by the elves and pushes back an Uruk captain and joining Dwalin in the breach. The captain is attacked by multiple enemies and kills a Rohan warrior and elf. Arathorn and Haldir kill off the Uruks that are behind.

Some Uruks arrive on the walls and start killing the Rohirrim archers and spears. The Captain in the water is finally brought down as he is surrounded by elves. Another captain rushes down the stairs and shoves Arathorn off his feet, causing a wound. But, he quickly gets back up and plunges his sword into the captain as Dwalin cleaves the third. A wave of Uruks jump from the stairs into the courtyard and overwhelm it, but the heroes are ok and they haven’t quite killed enough to gain an advantage. But too many for good to continue to hold. (4-2 VPs) Haldir survives.

Kills

Bard- 12

Arathorn- 8

Dwalin- 13

Bravest- Arathorn     

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Bard- 2m, Arathorn- 1m, 1wound and Dwalin- 1m

Scenario 12- Ride Out

Participants- Bard, Arathorn, Theoden, Gamling and 4x Rohan Royal Guard

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains and 20x Uruk-hai Warriors

The forces of good fall back to the Keep and there, the three hunters talk Theoden into one final charge. Dwalin goes to sound the horn as the others mount their horses and charge through the doors. As they rush off the causeway, Bard fires his bow and kills an Uruk shield, they then hit the Uruk-hai full tilt. The Uruk frontline is shredded and Theoden kills a captain, but a Royal Guard is slain.

Bard has his horse killed, but good get another heroic move, stopping him being piled. Theoden kills a second captain as Bard stabs the last. Arathorn rides over and cuts down the final uruk.

Kills

Bard- 5

Arathorn- 6

Bravest- Arathorn     Fool- Bard

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Bard- 1m and Arathorn- 2m

Scenario 13- Eomer's Return

Participants- Saruman, Eomer, Erkenbrand and 24x Riders of Rohan

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains and 30x Uruk-hai Warriors

The defenders look up the hill and see a blinding white figure, Saruman in his whiter than white robes has arrived with Eomer and Erkenbrand. Eomer calls ‘To the King’ and they charge down the hill. The sunrise times perfectly to blind the Uruks as they charge, though Saruman fluffs his first spell on snake eyes, a captain is wounded and two uruks are killed by throwing spears.

All good heroes call heroic combats, Erkenbrand fails to kill both his opponents but Eomer kills several as does Saruman. Eomer then kills a captain. The Uruks respond by winning the heroic move off and kill several riders as well as dismounting the whitest wizard. They then cause a wound on him too and he takes a second from the fall off his horse.

The riders charge again and kill the other two captains, shattering the Uruk army and causing a mass rout. Helm’s Deep is saved.

Kills

Saruman- 2

Fool- Saruman

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Saruman is fully replenished at Minas Tirith.

Sam

Scenario 11- The Deeping Wall is Breached

Participants- Theodred, Haldir, Dain, Galadhrim Captain, 12x Galadhrim warriors and 12x Rohirrim warriors

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains, 8x Berserkers and 20x Uruk-hai Warriors

Gandalf’s army of uruk-hai arrives at Helm’s Deep, but not before Haldir’s people have sent Orophin with reinforcements. The uruks launch their assault on the walls, but the defenders hold. That is until Gandalf’s secret weapon, a detonation charge is used in the culvert. The defenders recover from the explosion, just in time to see uruks pouring into the breach.

Dain throws himself at the invaders and quickly hammers two dead. The Rohirrim on the walls recover and throw their spears and fire their bows, killing the pikes assisting against Dain. Theodred hits the uruks next and attacks the captain, causing a single wound with his elven dagger while Haldir kills a berserker coming up the stairs.

Dain continues to much through uruks in the breach, killing three berserkers at once, as Theodred, now joined by elves, attacks the captain again. An elf spear manages to slay it. Haldir jumps onto an uruk shield and slides down the stairs, firing his bow but failing to kill and reaches the fighting in time to assist with heroic moves. Dain hammers another captain to death in the water.

Orophin rushes down the stairs hacking down uruks as he goes. Disaster strikes however as Haldir is unexpectedly knocked down into the water by uruks. Followed by, Orophin losing a fight and being forced to spend both might and his fate to survive. Good is suddenly mightless and gaps are appearing in their defences.

Dain is not relenting despite the odds and kills another three uruks at once. Theodred duels with the third captain and lands a wound with the elven dagger but fate saves the captain before it kills him outright. Despite the surge of uruks that push forward with priority in the last turn, good manages to hold the courtyard with good numbers (6-1VPs). They hear the King calling for them to pull back however as the walls are now being overwhelmed.

Kills

Theodred- 2

Haldir- 1

Dain- 20

Bravest- Dain      Fool- Haldir

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Dain is fully replenished

Theodred- 2m and Haldir- 1m, 1 wound

Scenario 12- Ride Out

Participants- Theodred, Haldir, Theoden, Gamling and 4x Rohan Royal Guard

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains and 20x Uruk-hai Warriors

The Uruk-hai brace for the incoming charge as Theoden leads the charge down the causeway. Haldir looses a couple of shots and kills a shield. He fires again, killing a pike as the charge hits the Uruk frontline. Theoden and Theodred call heroic combats. First, the King kills both and moves on to a captain, he loses but takes no wounds. Theodred kills both of his opponents and charges another captain, killing it.  Two Royal Guard are slain.

The next turn, both sides call heroic moves and the Uruks take it. Theodred is surrounded, Haldir and another Royal Guard charge to assist him. Theoden calls a heroic combat and Gamling calls a heroic defence. Theoden loses again but manages to use his fate to save Snowmane. Gamling loses his horse. Theodred is outmatched and trapped, he is pulled from his horse and beaten on the floor while Haldir loses his horse.

The next turn, evil wins another heroic move off and Gamling is quickly laid low. Haldir survives on his fate. The turn after good is out of might and evil rushes them all again. Haldir loses his third of his three fights but doesn’t take a wound. Theoden is defeated along with his last two Royal Guard. Haldir now hopelessly surrounded by just under half of the Uruk-hai once again rolls a three highest and is quickly knocked to the floor, Haldir lashes out as he goes down, slaying an Uruk.

Just as the charge looks like it’s about to be snuffed out with the deaths of all the heroes, a white figure at the top of the hill draws everyone’s attention…

Kills

Theodred- 3

Haldir- 3

Bravest- Theodred      Fool- Haldir

EVIL WIN

Carried stats

Theodred- 0m, 0f, 1 wound and Haldir- 0m, 0f, 1 wound

Scenario 13- Eomer's Return

Participants- Saruman, Eomer, Erkenbrand and 24x Riders of Rohan

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains and 30x Uruk-hai Warriors

Eomer rides up beside Saruman and sees Theoden’s desperate charge falling apart at the bottom of the causeway. With a cry of ‘TO THE KING!’ he, his riders and the white wizard charge downhill at the Uruk hordes. Saruman blasts a captain into a pike, knocking them both over and charging the next turn, having another blast resisted by another captain. The Sun rises behind them and blinds the Uruk-hai. In the confusion both Eomer and Erkenbrand slay a captain each, while Saruman fails to wound his own.

The Rohirrim get another charge and Saruman blasts a pike into another, killing one. The Uruks form up this time and many horses are killed along with a rider. Saruman is among the dismounted.  As the Uruk-hai prepare to overwhelm the Rohirrim, a second wave of riders piles in. The evil army takes massive casualties as Erkenbrand leads the charge and kills several pikes. Eomer gallops over to Saruman and beheads the third captain, leaving the Uruks leaderless. Saruman finds his combat ability and manages to cut down two Uruks at once. The now shattered invading army breaks and flees the field before the relief force. Helm’s Deep is saved.

Kills

Saruman- 4

Bravest- Saruman

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Saruman is fully replenished at Minas Tirith.

Will

Scenario 11- The Deeping Wall is Breached

Participants- Boromir, Faramir, Irolas, Haldir, 12x Galadhrim warriors and 12x Rohirrim warriors

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains, 8x Berserkers and 20x Uruk-hai Warriors

The defending elves and Gondorians hold the Deeping wall well under the experienced command of Boromir, until a loud explosion blows a gaping hole in the wall. Irolas, who escaped the blast, sees hordes of Uruk-hai pouring in towards the stunned Boromir, who is just getting his feet. The Guard of the Citadel leaps into battle.

Irolas quickly loses the heroic move off and is enveloped by the Uruks. What they didn’t see coming was Faramir skating down the stairs firing his bow rapidly, taking out three pikes on Irolas and kicking the shield that he rode into a fourth. Unfortunately, eight more uruks pour in and Haldir shoots one. Irolas calls a heroic defence, then wins the fight. But another eight arrive and suddenly the breach is flooded with Uruks. Haldir and the Rohan throwing spears manage to kill a few more but Faramir is charged and outnumbered by a captain and five uruks but wins and kills two. Boromir reaches the fight and takes a wound.

As the Uruk-hai push their way out of the water and into the rushing elves, a familiar face appears in the breach…Lurtz, weakened from the wounds Hurin gave him (Captain), he has still come to lead the siege. Faramir is beaten down at the base of the stairs by another captain. Lurtz sees the opportunity and orders a full-on charge at the defenders. While a berserker wounds Haldir, Lurtz takes an arrow from one of the defending Rohirrim upon the walls. Boromir manages to slay one of the captains.

Haldir, weakened from the wound he sustained, retreats up the stairs to the walls and pushes an Uruk from them as Good’s right flank is destroyed and Uruks pour out of the pool into the courtyard. Lurtz rushes Irolas and lands a wound upon him. Theoden’s voice can be heard calling for Boromir to get his men out of there, as while they have kept their numbers up, the courtyard is overrun and Faramir is being dragged away from the fight. They held as long as they needed to (4-3 VPs) but Haldir is lost in the retreat.

Kills

Boromir- 5

Faramir- 6

Irolas- 0

Bravest- Faramir

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Faramir is fully replenished.

Boromir- 3m, 2 wounds and Irolas- 1m

Scenario 12- Ride Out

Participants- Boromir, Faramir, Theoden, Gamling and 4x Rohan Royal Guard

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains and 20x Uruk-hai Warriors

Boromir manages to convince Theoden to perform one last charge into the enemy on horseback. The King leads the small retinue out and down the causeway. The Uruks form a pike wall before them.

Theoden kills two instantly as the Gondorian brothers rush the leaders. Faramir kills a captain while Boromir cuts down another and finally brings about the end of the dreaded Lurtz, avenging Hurin, by cutting him down mid gallop. With their leaders gone the rest of the Uruks quickly fold before the fury of the combined might of Gondor and Rohan.

Kills

Boromir- 7

Faramir- 5

Bravest- Boromir

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Boromir is fully replenished.

Faramir- 2m

Scenario 13- Eomer's Return

Participants- Gandalf, Eomer, Erkenbrand and 24x Riders of Rohan

Evil- 3x Uruk-hai Captains and 30x Uruk-hai Warriors

The sally forth has their morale sent into overdrive as they look up the hill and see Gandalf there beside Eomer, Erkenbrand and a large Eored of riders. Gandalf casts terrifying aura and they charge downhill. The Sun rises just as they charge. Several riders and Uruks are killed and a captain is heavily wounded by Erkenbrand while Eomer slays another and Gandalf wounds the last. The Rohirrim continue their momentum and Erkenbrand slays the second captain while Eomer finishes the last. Gandalf cuts down two then blasts a shield. Shadowfax is downed but the damage is done and the invading army is scattered. Helms Deep is saved.

Kills

Gandalf- 3

Bravest- Gandalf

GOOD WIN

Carried stats

Gandalf is fully replenished at Minas Tirith.

The Battle for Helm's Deep is over, the battle for Middle Earth is about to begin. Our next part will focus on the Ringbearer and his companion in 'The Way into Mordor'.

CJ's "More will come" Legions: The Reclamation of Osgiliath

The Reclamation of Osgiliath

Participants:

Boromir Captain of the White Tower (Banner, Horse, Shield)

Faramir (Ahorse, Horse, Bow, Heavy Armour, Lance, Shield)

Madril

Knight of the White Tower

Captain of Minas Tirith (Horse, Bow, Lance, Shield)

Warrior of Minas Tirith (Options)

Knight of Minas Tirith (Options)

Ranger of Gondor (Spear)

Osgiliath Veteran (Options)

 

Additional rules:

Boromir and Faramir must be taken, Boromir is the Leader, and must have the Banner of Minas Tirith.

Special rules:

Street fighters

Osgiliath Veterans in this list do not roll in the ways for fighting over a barrier or through a doorway. They do not roll to go prone if retreating down stairs.

Additionally, they do not treat rocky ground as difficult terrain, and cannot be trapped against terrain- enemy models must back away instead!

Osgiliath must be retaken

Boromir, Faramir, and Osgiliath Veterans gain +1 Strength on the charge. If Faramir moves as part of a Heroic move called by Boromir, he also counts as having called a Heroic Move. This happens immediately, and Faramir may call With Me!

For Gondor! For Gondor! For Gondor!

Boromir’s Stand Fast! Is increased to 12” and affects friendly Hero models. Friendly models count as having line of sight to Boromir if they can see the Banner of Minas Tirith.

The Horn of Gondor

If Boromir uses the horn of Gondor in a Duel, it counts as a Warhorn until the end of the following turn. Additionally, friendly models do not require line of sight to be affected by the Stand Fast! Or Heroic Actions of Boromir until the end of the following turn.

Designer’s Commentary:

As an antithesis to the defensive Gondor Legion from last time, here’s one which is storming the city of Osgiliath to reclaim it…For Gondor! There isn’t much source material to go off here- Boromir discusses the reclaiming during the council of Elrond in the FOTR book, and there are some token references during the ROTK book. From the films, we don’t even get to see the battle, just the celebratory aftermath. But the history that is known is that the Witch-King lead an army of Mordor into the city, and captured it on both sides of the river Anduin. During the retreat, the men of Gondor destroyed the bridges connecting the East half of the city to the West. Shortly afterwards, a force lead by Boromir and Faramir forced the orcs back across the river. And there they were held, until a fleet of boats were constructed in secret by the Enemy and the forces of Mordor retaliated, forcing Faramir and his garrison to flee back to Minas Tirith whilst pursued by the Fell Beasts.

This presents an entirely Gondor affair, and a defining campaign for the brothers Boromir and Faramir. So, in writing this Legion, it seemed clear this would be one of those with a restricted participants list in exchange for some thematic bonuses. It is not clear whether many of the named Heroes including Anborn, Mablung, Damrod, Hurin, Ingold, or any of the Fiefdoms were present based on the information that we have, so to keep the Legion simple the only other Heroes included are Madril (you can JUST spot him in the film!), the standard Captain of Minas Tirith and the Knight of the White Tower, one of which had trained Boromir and Faramir in sword play. With the fountain court guard and citadel guard remaining at their posts in the White City, the options are based on those we see in the film: Warriors of Minas Tirith, and Rangers of Gondor. We can also assume that Knights of Minas Tirith may have been involved. But the real focus of this list is on that characterful but often overlooked profile: Osgiliath Veterans.

Arguably, you could suggest that Osg Vets are meant to represent those who survived the campaign that this Legion represents. This interpretation extends that a little to suggest that these are survivors of the first assault that drove the assigned Osgiliath garrison back to Minas Tirith before the reclamation took place. As a result, these warriors know the layout of the city, have experience in street battles, and are those most motivated to reclaim their home from the enemy. This little backstory inspires most of the thematic special rules for this Legion:

“Street fighters” is a concept I’ve always wanted to see implemented somewhere in the game, but that would only really make sense to those who live in stone, cramped urban areas. Osgiliath presents a perfect opportunity, as a ruined city with many storeys, archways and doors for cover, and rubble terrain. So to represent the experience that would be relatively unique in Middle-Earth, Osgiliath Veterans do not roll to fall if retreating down stairs, and do not roll in-the-ways when striking against enemy models defending a barrier or on a raised platform. This allows the models to aggressively drive the enemy out from terrain cover.

To further illustrate adapting a fighting style to an urban environment, a little rule about not being trapped against terrain ties loosely to Ingold’s ability and makes it harder for an opponent to use their home terrain against them. It also allows a unit of them to fill an entire street side to side without being concerned about getting isolated and pinned against a wall. To complete the familiarity with fighting in rubble and ruin, they are not slowed by rocky terrain.

This aggressive style of driving enemy models out of terrain features is complimented by allowing Bozza, Fazza, and Veterans to increase their Strength on the charge. This gives Gondor troops a little bit of entirely needed killing potential, compensates a little for the compulsory Banner blocking Boromir from using a Lance, and makes Faramir just a tiny bit scary from Horseback with Lance! To represent the brotherly connection, and increase the threat range of a successful Heroic Move, Faramir is allowed to effectively extend the bubble of a Heroic Move called by Boromir, allowing more crucial charges for Gondor!

Boromir is rightly the focus of the final rules- they say he almost defeated the enemy single-handedly! Extending his Stand Fast! and affecting his captains of Gondor seemed an obvious little symbolic bonus, but I also wanted to give attention to his unique pieces of Wargear. In real battles, Banners and Warhorns can be used as rallying points, and to signal advances and retreats. In the streets and ruins of Osgiliath, there’s a decent chance that having the direct line of sight to your Leader to partake in Heroic Moves and Stand Fast!s won’t be possible. So to symbolise the fact that Gondor are essentially the only trained militia with experience of years of current warfare to call upon, the Banner and Warhorn can be used as signals to help direct troops even with only partial or non-existent lines of sight. Giving this Legion a permanent free Warhorn would have been a tad overkill and it’s not what Boromir’s dedicated job is on the battlefield like a usual hornblower. So, by making it situational where it only counts as such when he uses it in combat as he normally would, it also encourages the aggressive, advancing playstyle- he can either charge into two enemies to use it, or call a Heroic Combat against one to reach another two and use it then.

Overall, this Legion wants Gondor to play in a slightly different way. Rangers of Ithilien and the main Gondor list can use Siege Engines and strong shooting to pull enemies into a high Defence line. This one encourages the liberating a city attacking mindset. But in homage to traditional Gondor values, there is a big killy Hero expected to do a decent amount of the heavy lifting! With Boromir and Faramir as your starting point, and Faramir able to piggyback Boromir’s HMoves, this Legion plays to the unique Might profile of Boromir. Madril is also a cheap 3-Might option who can bring the handy Heroic March, as well as saving you Might points in Scenarios that require rolls to deploy. So, after a while, you should still have Might where your opponent doesn’t, and that should allow plenty of charges with S4, F5 Gondor soldiers to finish the job, and your opponents may think twice about hiding from your ranged threats in terrain where your soldiers have a fighting advantage. 

The drawbacks include having a restricted selection of Gondor models (including no Bodyguard), being a relatively bubble-focussed Legion, and the “Leaders Tax” means that this Legion may not be easy to write a list for at low points without sacrificing numbers or tactical options. At say 600+pts, it’s one of those armies that could probably beat up a lot of other armies, but perhaps not achieve all the objectives for the Scenario. As much as Madril helps with random deployment Scenarios, he’s also a weaker liability Hero for the Specials Pool. There is also a weakness to Monsters especially, and the main Heroes have only the 3 Will each to deal with Magic. Which, in fairness, is generally true of the Gondor playstyle anyway. I think I’d have a lot of fun with this thematic Legion, and I hope it gets made for real someday.