The defence of the ruins of Cair Andros

The year is 3017 of the Third Age of this world...

A sense of foreboding lies over the realm of Gondor, as if some great event is about to take place... Long has Gondor dwelt in the shadow of Mordor, its visceral threat evidenced by dark clouds over that cursed land, punctuated by flashes of flame as Mount Doom rumbles restlessly in its long slumber...

Ever have the borders of Gondor been tested, whether by foul orcs from Mordor itself, or the varied races of evil men of the East, in thrall to Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor.

On this fair summer morn, Faramir is north east of the great city of Minas Tirith, checking the northern borders with his company of rangers, around the ruined outskirts of Cair Andros. The small garrison here guards the norther crossings of the great river Anduin, which lie in direct course to the Gates of the Black Land, the Morannon...

It is not only Faramir, who is in the north that day, but Boromir, his brother, also has just arrived from Minas Tirith. Travelling with a company of the Tower Guard, he is inspecting the borders of Gondor, looking for weakness...

The meeting of the brothers is a joyous time, but their merriment is short lived as Faramir's ranger scouts bring in news from further north. Dust clouds herald the approach of a host of men on foot and horse, led by a great man borne in horse drawn chariot. The wainriders have come, once again!

-----o0o-----

Our second game at the KWC, saw Andrew and myself enjoying another game of LOTR/Hobbit. 

Andrew had wanted to bring his Eastern Realms force featuring Easterlings of Rhûn and Khandish troops led by a Khandish Chieftain in chariot. This would give me a good chance to try out my fledgling Gondor force that I have recently competed over the last month or so.

We decided to keep the points at 600 for the army size, as we have found this is a big enough size to include some decent monsters or heroes, without being too large that we cant get conclusion in a comfortable evenings playing time.

As I arrived at the club, Andrew had the table set up ready to play, having arrived earlier... a couple of dice throws later and we were playing 'Lords of Battle' and I won the first dice to choose sides and start deploying...

Lords of Battle is basically a kill fest where you score points for all the kills you achieve and points for wounds inflicted upon and fate points used up, by enemy heroes... Once one side breaks (down to 50%) you roll a die... on a 1-2 game ends, otherwise play on ... and check again next turn and so on...

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Deployment:

Andrew had set the board up with his Gothic ruins set, depicting the outskirts of a ruined settlement.

I had Boromir, leading a warband of WoMT (Warriors of Minas Tirith), Faramir leading a mixed warband of WoMT and Rangers and a Captain of MT leading a warband of WoMT. An all infantry force, with strong armour for the most part backed by a few rangers.

Spying Andrews force I could see a mixed formation; solid heavily armoured Easterling foot troops and kataphract cavalry, in addition to lighter armoured Khandish foot and light bow armed hosremen. ( I love the look of these troops they have a real Mongol horde look about them, and I have started acquiring some to compliment for Mordor forces.) At their head was a very grand looking Khandish Chieftain riding his war chariot. Super job on this by Andrew - nice to see the extra effort to add reigns and even the addition of severed Gondorian heads!

As usual we deployed in alternating warband fashion, and I was wary of being caught in the open too much against the cavalry and chariot. So I deployed Faramir's warband first, holding the central ruin, with covering archer positions to the fore and flank. Andrew placed his Easterling foot centrally which I countered with Boromir's warband, centrally positioned. Andrew placed his Khandish foot reinforcing the Easterling foot, against which I placed my last infantry warband on my far left flank, led by my Captain. Finally Andrew placed his cavalry and chariot on my right flank, looking possibly to sweep through the weaker flank held by my rangers...

Battlefield deployment

"The board is set... the pieces are moving..." ... great line by Gandalf!

The brothers hold the Gondorian centre

Rangers hold the Gondorian right as the Rhûnic cavalry look to turn the flank.

-----o0o-----

Battle is joined!

I won priority for the first turn and charged forward with most of my troops, whilst the rangers continued to hold the ruin on my right flank.

The Khandish cavalry went up the flank as expected...

...but the Easterling kataphracts led by the Khandish chariot, swung in towards the centre and the end of the Gondorian line...

Initial bow fire from the rangers killed one Khandish horseman and unhorsed another. Two shots at the chariot instead hit the kataphract but failed to penetrate the armour.

The early part of the fighting showed the difference between the heavier armoured Gondorians and the lighter armoured Khandish foot troops. The Easterlings and Gondorians being a match for each other, in the centre, but Boromir made a slight difference here, though was making hard work of it...

Sensing the risk to his right flank, the Khandish warlord continued towards that flank escorted by two kataphracts...

The Khandish light horse galloped in towards the ruins the rangers were holding, bows twanging, trying to flush them out...

Battle was fierce all along the main battleline. Faramir had joined the fray against the kataphracts attacking the end of the Gondorian line. Boromir still tried to push through the Easterling centre, trying to get towards their captain.

The Khandish chariot rumbled into position now to reinforce the faltering Khandish flank, now just waiting for a gap to charge into...

The rangers feel the pressure as the Khandish light horse approach, they can wait for another round of shooting before they will have to retire...

The strong Gondorian armour continues to hold out against the Khandish foot...

The rangers pull back just in time as two warriors rush to help the now faltering Gondorian right, one ranger is too slow to react and caught...

Battle rages and the Khandish chariot rider makes his presence felt crashing into the Gondorian soldiery... as Boromir finally gets to the Easterling captain. Meanwhile the Khandish chieftain on foot finds himself surrounded for the second time...

Boromir fights on, urging his line to hold... Faramir at the flank battles on with the kataphracts...

The Khandish foot troops have been sorely beaten by the Gondorian foot, but now the gaps in their ranks are terribly exploited by the charging chariot and Easterling kataphracts, and brave Gondorian soldiers begin to fall...

The Gondorians continue to hold, with pressure on all sides now, but they keep battling and evil men of the East continue to fall...

A ranger has fallen in the ruins but the other light horsemen are fought off, and Faramir has felled the kataphract he was engaged with...

The Khandish chariot mounted chieftain continues to batter his way forward into the Gondorian line knocking men over like bowling pins... Boromir is too far away to help, being engaged still in the centre with the Easterling captain... The Gondorian captain will have to hold as best he can...

The battle rages on in the ruins...

Boromir battles on with the Easterling captain... the line thins as other troops pull back to help other positions...

 ...trying to hold the Easterlings, whilst greater numbers try to deal to the Khandish troops...

The chariot crashes on into several Gondorians... and the Khandish Chieftain on foot battles on having survived being surrounded twice!

The rangers see to one of the horsemen, but are beaten back by the other, the line against the Easterlings holds as more Khandish troops fall, but the chariot is unstoppable... felling the Captain of Minas Tirith!

The final Khandish light horseman is surrounded in the ruins and pulled from his horse, ending the pressure on the Gondorian right flank..

The khandish Chariot crashes on its trail on destruction, the Gondorian left now sorely tested and looking to crumble...

Boromir is still engaged with the Easterling captain...

... as Faramir fights off the last Kataphract on the Gondorian right... finally cutting him down from his horse...

The battle rages on... the flank ruin is secure and the rangers can now look to move to reinforce the centre... and Faramir can start to try and turn the Easterling flank... The remnants of the Gondorian left, having dealt with the Khandish foot troops, now look to withdraw to the centre... away from the chariot threat...

...if they can lure the chariot that way, Boromir may be able to deal with it, that is our slim hope...

A brave Gondorian trooper charges the stalled chariot, impeding its charging movement, Faramir is starting to turn the Easterling line, but a kataphract moves up to threaten this bold move...

Can Gondor hold on...

The brave Gondorian who charged the chariot is dispatched, but Boromir has finally managed to fell the Easterling Captain in the centre.

And at that point the fateful chance cube comes to rest, showing battle is over this day... dusk has come and both sides withdraw...

Boromir stands holding the centre, with his brother Faramir close at hand...

The two Khandish war chieftains have crushed the Gondorian left...

You have fought well this day little brother!

-----o0o-----

And so ends our battle, a most enjoyable and brutal game. The casualties shown below...

The final victory point tally shows a slim victory to Gondor with final scores for casualties inflicted, and wounds suffered and fate points used up, by heroes as, 28 - 22, in Gondors favour. At the end, both sides were broken.

A thrilling game and we look forward to our next installment.

Andrew wants to bring his beautifully converted Dol Amroth army so I will be fielding the varied foul troops Mordor has to deploy....

Join us in a fortnights time for the next thrilling encounter!

The search for Thrain... The Hobbit - Battle Report

It was a dark and stormy night, lightning flashed across the sky... and that was just the weather in Wellington!

Conditions were not much better in the blighted northern regions of Middle-Earth, an icy blast blew down from the north across the fells, bordering the ancient realm of Angmar of old...

Yet here it was that Thorin and a company of stout hearted dwarves from Ered Luin, found themselves, tracking a rumour that Thrain, Thorin's father, had been seen wandering the wilds, in his deranged state...

The northward march of the dwarven company had not gone unnoticed... evil hearted creatures, ever ready to serve the dark powers, had observed their passing, and a murder of crows had been seen overhead of their march...

So it was that as Thorin's company reached the ruins of an ancient settlement, evil forces were lying in wait.

Bhurdur, a great troll chieftain of the northern wastes, on learning of the approaching dwarven column, had gathered his warband around him. He would make sure Thorin would rue the day he dared march north to Angmar!

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In an effort to raise local awareness and interest in the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit skirmish game, I made contact with the good folks down at the Wellington Warlords, to see if there was much local interest for the game. A positive response was forth coming and Andrew Van Olphen, kindly offered to make the trek north from Wellington to Kapiti, on a week night, to help show the game with me at the local club, Kapiti Wargames Club...

To keep the theme topical with the current Hobbit movies hitting the cinema, Andrew decided to bring a company of dwarves, lead by Thorin, in a 'pre-Hobbit' setting... I would play an evil force, and the themed idea of the search for Thrain would work well. Knowing Thorin would be marching from Ered Luin, evil forces of the north would be logical to call into play and so I decided to take an Angmar force.

We decided to play a 600pt game. Big enough for some varied troop choices, and playable to conclusion in an evening, at a leisurely place, where we'd be chatting about the game with onlookers as we played.

Andrew brought two warbands of doughty dwarven warriors including Khazad guard, Iron guard and warriors led by Thorin and a dwarf captain. Their raven crested banner fluttering alongside them in the breeze... Another dwarf captain led a warband of dwarven rangers.

Andrew also brought some wonderful Galeforce9 gothic ruins that would look perfect as ruins of Angmar...

For my Angmar force, I wanted to try out again, the new Monster brutal power attacks of the Hobbit rules, and decided to bring a pair of cave trolls, lead by Bhurdur; a Cave troll hero. so it would be monstrous brute strength in play, rather than the assorted spooks of Angmar...

Dwarves are notoriously hard as nails, so high strength and/or two-handed weapons would be needed to crack them open! So I took a bunch of orcs with two-handed weapons backed up by plenty of spear support. The new Hobbit rules have amended supporting spears, allowing them to support any allied model.

To lead part of my orc rabble I also took an Orc Shaman, mounted on a warg, the idea being to cast Fury, to bolster my weak orc courage and negate some casualties. An orc banner bearer would encourage all forward. To give my force some mobility, I also included some warg riders led by an orc captain.

To keep things simple we decided to play a straight up scrap and chose 'To the Death' as a scenario. I won the initial roll off, chose sides and started deploying...

Deployment:

Players alternate warband deployment, and I positioned Bhurdur and his trolls and orcs centrally up front to start.

Andrew countered with a dwarf warband angled back centrally. My Shaman and his orcs then went down behind the trolls to support their progress.

Andrew placed Thorin's warband off on his right flank.

 I positioned my warg riders on my right flank, which Andrew countered with his Rangers...

To war!

I won the roll off for initial priority, and started my advance... The Warg riders saw the dwarf rangers ahead of them in the open and charged forward... hoping for an easy victory over the lesser armoured dwarves...

The trolls began their rumble forward, backed up by the Shamans warband, who cast a Channelled Fury! That would mean any orc casualties would be negated on a roll of 5+.

Andrew stoically advanced his dwarves forward, the central dwarves meeting the trolls head on. Thorin's warband advanced from the flank but were still too far away to attack. Dwarven shooting stung the hide of the hammer wielding troll on the end of the line, causing 2 wounds!

Then combat ensued... The troll at the end of the line picked up a dwarf and hurled him along the length of the dwarf engaged battleline causing mayhem, but only one casualty. However this disarray allowed the rest of the evil line to batter the prone dwarves...

The warg riders and rangers proved to be a match for each other, and they fought on over the course of the battle, the dwarf armour keeping them in the game and the warg rider cavalry charges countering somewhat the outnumbering dwarves...

Thorin's warband soon got into the fray but the line of orc axemen backed by spears held... keeping the dwarves at bay, while the trolls continued to batter the central dwarf warband... having enjoyed a game of dwarf skittles, the trolls then started seeing what would happen if you got hold of a dwarf's arms and legs and pulled... Rending dwarves became the order of the day...

Towards the end of the game, Thorin started to make his presence felt and used heroic combats to break his way round the end of the orc line, trying to get to the orc Shaman, and take him out of the game...

The warg riders and rangers had just about fought each other to stand still, with neither really getting the upper hand, over the other...

In the centre the trolls continued to bowl, rend  and pummel the dwarves... it was brutal!

As the time grew short, the battle drew to a close. Thorin had won past the end of the orc line and reached his target charging into the orc shaman... but in doing so he had used up his reserves of Might, and the Orc shaman, though losing the fight was able to survive and break away.

The last turn would probably decide it... Evil won priority and there were no Might points left to challenge this... The remaining warg riders charged the remnants of the rangers, and finally got the upper hand, felling several dwarves on the flank... In the centre, Bhurdur decided it was time to go mano-a-mano with Thorin, and the way was cleared for a charge. The flank orc line continued to hold and reduce the dwarf attackers, and the central trolls looked to deal to the remaining central dwarf warband; their banner and a lone dwarf stood there...

The trolls and orcs surrounded them and their end was grisly, though songs will be sung in dwarven halls at the valor they showed that fateful day! The raven banner sadly lost on the bleak battlefield...

Bhurdur crashed into Thorin, and more orcs piled in to Thorin's flank, and he was sorely tested. With no might left to either side, the greater number of evil warriors backed up by their banner held sway and Thorin was bested, the great troll reaching down, lifting Thorin off his feet to pull him apart, but at the last moment his grip slipped (Fate intervened!), and he fell back to the ground, though in a severely beaten state...

Thorin survived, just, with one wound remaining...

-----o0o---- 

And that ended our demonstration game...

We had both had a lot of fun, and enjoyed the 'cinematic' gameplay the new Hobbit rules allow, and despite being on the receiving end of three brutish trolls, Andrew battled on gamely throughout.

The orcs had lost a large part of their force, the Shamans Channelled Fury had failed to save any souls, but the orcs force remained unbroken at the end. Their foul banner still flew in the stiff breeze, and their monstrous leader Bhurdur remained unharmed..

The dwarves had suffered a heavy toll, their numbers at the end falling below break point, their Raven banner was lost, and their leader Thorin grievously wounded.

Songs of valor and bravery would ever recount this day in dwarven halls, and the name of Bhurdur would be added to the tomes of the dwarves, a grudge would most certainly be kept and revenge one day rightly sought!

We totted up the victory points all this meant, and a score of 8-0 was held in favour of the forces of evil.

But rest assured, the dwarves will have their revenge one day!

-----o0o-----

I'd like to thank Andrew again who braved horrible weather for a drive out for an evenings game and for bringing a wonderfully painted army to display, and some great terrain to set the scene. Andrew also brought more of his painted armies to show off including some wonderful customised Dol Amroth troops, and some great Easterlings. I am certainly looking forward to some more games with Andrew.

Also thanks to Kapiti Wargames Club for hosting us, and making us welcome. Lets hope we might have rekindled a little interest in the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit game, in the local area. We'll certainly be happy to play there again...