BGiME #7: Repel the Marauders! Part 2

This scenario was run a second time two weeks ago. A friend and I play miniature wargames every Tuesday night at a FLGS and I thought it time to brush the dust off my Lord of the Rings SBG models and get caught up with this blog. I’ve proposed that the first game night of each month be dedicated to the SBG and Dave readily agreed. That should keep me up to date on my painting, building, and working my way through this series.

While the models used in this game are the same as the previous one, you’ll notice the terrain has enjoyed a slight upgrade. The buildings are my Rohan-style houses I built a few months back. We’ll cover those more in a future discussion about "Battle Games in Middle-earth."

The Warriors of Rohan rush to man the walls around their village.

The Uruk-hai slowly advance across the Riddermark.

The scent of man-flesh hangs heavy in the air, driving the servants of the White Hand forward!

A high view of the battle about to commence.

"They are upon us, men!"

The Uruk-hai have scaled the fences!

Battle rages along the length of the walls.

Rohan holds back some of the Uruk-hai, but for how long?

Pikeman surge forward to push back the Men of Rohan.

The battle reaches a fevered pitch!

Rohan begins to falter.

Two Uruk-hai engage a single Warrior of Rohan.

The melee swirls around the verge of the village as Rohan is overwhelmed.

The last Man of Rohan perishes under Uruk-hai numbers.

The battle begins anew!

The Servants of the White Hand spread their forces about the village boundary.

Archers conceal themselves behind the rocks.

An early hole in Rohan's defenses is discovered!

A solitary Uruk-hai holds his own...briefly.

The hole is closed and the Uruk-hai are pushed back!

As Rohan begins to fail, I discover I didn't take more photos.

Rohan lost both matches this time around. In retrospect, I'm to blame. I failed to refresh myself with this issue of BGiME and was using the rules for Courage and broken forces, something that hadn't been introduced to the readers of the magazine yet. So instead of Rohan being able to fight to the last man without issue, I was having them make Courage tests to remain on the field after they had been "broken" (lost more than 50% of their force). That might have made a difference in the battles.

Even without the Courage rules in play, this scenario is a tough one for Rohan. The Uruk-hai are one of the meanest forces in the original SBG. They are heavily armored, have high Fight score, and are strong, making them tough opponents. Without cavalry to back them up or similarly armored or better fighters on Rohan's side, the odds were stacked against the forces of Good. It will be interesting to see how Rohan fares in a few issues when they gain Heroes to help them and horses to ride. Stay tuned for that in upcoming posts.

Next up: making walls and fences.

BGiME #7: Repel the Marauders! Part 1

A horde of Uruk-hai bears down upon a Rohan settlement. Can its brave defenders hold them off long enough for the rest of the village to flee? That is the premise of this scenario, designed to recreate one of the many minor skirmishes that occurred in Rohan leading up to the Battle of Helm’s Deep. It also puts the newly-learned rules for defending barriers to good use. How does Rohan fare against the Uruk-hai? Let’s find out:

I’ve played through this scenario four times at two different occasions. Once was a couple of years back when I was organizing a short-lived SBG group, and the second was just a couple weeks ago. These images are from the first pair of games:

The start of the battle. Uruk-hai are positioned behind the hill, while Rohan holds the wall.

The Uruk-hai advance!

"They can't hit me if they can't see me!"

The heavy Uruk-hai armor shrugs off Rohan's arrows as they clamber over the hill.

"Hold the wall, men!"

"I smell man-flesh!"

The battle is joined. Rohan holds for now, but the Uruk-hai seek to climb and unprotected fence.

"These crossbows are pretty sweet!"

A view from the ruins.

Uruk-hai breech!

"Fight for your lives!"

"I can pick those men off from here. I don't mind if I shoot a few friendlies if I miss. I'm Evil, after all!"

I'm going on hazy memory here, but I believe Rohan won one battle and lost the other. This is a tough fight for Good. The Uruk-hai have stronger armor and a higher Fight value. Only the walls keep this from being an utter cake-walk for Evil. Once the Uruk-hai breech the walls, Good has a rough time holding them off. I think Good only won because the players running Evil in that game made some inexperienced decisions, allowing my partner and I to capitalize on their mistakes and squeeze out a win.

The second and more recent play of this scenario will be covered in the next post.

BGiME #7: Painting Warriors of Rohan

This issue gives us our first Good warriors from the Third Age, a force that features prominently in both The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Packaged with this issue when it was released as 12 Warriors of Rohan. These dozen models provide a solid core to build a Rohan army around and will be further augmented with warriors and heroes in future issues.

I took a few liberties with the painting instructions included in this issue. I wanted a deeper green for the Rohan cloaks and engaged in some minor highlighting and detailing. The results are what you see below.

I painted these before I started shading the bases. Previously, I textured them with sand, but I've discovered that adding a brown wash or Earthshade really improves the final result. Overall, however, these models are pretty good and are more than adequate for tabletop standard. 

Next up: Rohan vs. the Uruk-hai!

Battle Games in Middle-earth #7 Overview

After an overlong quiescence, it’s time to get back to working my way through the Battle Games in Middle-earth series. We pick things up with issue #7 and the introduction to the forces of Rohan.

The issue’s “Guide to Middle-earth” introduces us to the Rohirrim and the situation in Rohan. Given the clash between Rohan and Isengard is both one of the major battles of the War of the Ring and the main focus of an entire movie, it’s sensible to focus on the fight between Rohan and the Uruk-hai early in the Battle Games in Middle-earth series. Both Rohan and Isengard will see larger coverage in the issues ahead. The two pages following this issue’s “Guide” offer a sneak preview of future issues’ topics—including rules for various weapons, special fighting rules for Heroes, cavalry, a battle report of an actual game, new painting techniques, instructions for modelling trees and buildings, and look at the upcoming models to be included in these issues. Boromir, an Uruk-hai Captain, and Riders of Rohan are all headed our way!

“Playing the Game” covers rules for defending barriers, which will come in handy when Rohan decides to hold Helm’s Deep against Saruman. In short, any model standing on one side of a crossable obstacle, be it a wall, a ditch, a fence, or so forth, has a great advantage over any other model trying to cross it. The defending model is never moved back 1” if it loses a Fight roll, and it can Fight against multiple models in one-on-one battles if it’s holding the barrier. Models trying to strike a defender have to make in-the-way rolls if they win the Fight, meaning that each roll to wound has a 50% chance of hitting the barrier rather than the defender. In all cases, the best way to deal with a model defending a barrier is to send someone over it at an unprotected point and attack the defender from behind. This not only has a better chance of wounding the model, it might also move him away from the obstacle, allowing allied models to cross over.

Up next is this issue’s “Battle Game” section. The scenario is “Repel the Marauders!” and as can be imagined, it puts the rules for defending barricades to the test. The scenario pits a group of Rohan warriors against marauding Uruk-hai intent of killing defenseless Rohan villagers. The Rohirrim warriors must hold the walls and fences surrounding the village from the merciless servants of the White Hand long enough for the villagers to flee. 

The “Painting Workshop” provides the reader with a guide on how to paint this issue’s included models: 12 Warriors of Rohan. These models balance out the Uruk-hai we received back in issue #4 and, like the Uruk-hai, will serve as the core of a growing Good force for the reader’s collection of minis. Given the Warriors uniform color and limited palette, getting these guys ready for the gaming table should be a cinch. 

The issue closes out as always with the “Modelling Workshop” section. It should come as no surprise that walls and fences are the topic of this issue’s workshop. Instructions are provided for creating stone walls and wooden fences. A total of four of each will be needed for the “Repel the Marauders!” scenario, but with balsa wood and thick card as the main materials, making them will be both easy and cheap.

The final page of this issue takes a look ahead at the next installment of BGiME. We’ve got a Legolas model coming our way, making our collection of Fellowship minis a third of the way finished, rules for ranged weapons such as crossbows and throwing axes, a scenario where Legolas fights Moria goblins to rescue Frodo, and instructions for creating trees and forests on your tabletop. If you like elves, this sounds like the issue for you!

BGiME #6: “Defend the Ruins!”

Looking back over the previous entries, I see I never posted the actual play—or as they call it over at Spillforeningen the Fellowship STF, “the post-battle bat-rep breakdown”—of issue #6's Battle Game. There’s been a lot of water under the Brandywine Bridge since we played this, but I have pictures and a faint memory of what went on. This battle sees Aragorn facing off against a group of Uruk-hai who are trying to find a secret entrance into Helm’s Deep. If Aragorn can hold them off for ten rounds, Good automatically wins. If the Uruk-hai find the secret entrance before then, the number of Saruman’s servants who enter the tunnel dictate whether Good or Evil triumphs, or it’s a draw.

We played this one a few times, as it was a short scenario. I recall one battle saw the Uruk-hai gang up on Aragorn and take him down, while another had Aragorn running willie-nillie, cutting down the Uruk-hai before they could locate the entrance. It proved to be a balanced, if not especially long battle game.

The field of battle. Aragorn stands alone against five Uruk-hai!

The Uruk-hai advance and Aragon chooses his first opponent.

An Uruk-hai stalks the ruins, seeking the hidden entrance into Helm's Deep.

Aragorn rushes to stop his enemies from searching the ruins.

Get 'em! Three Uruk-hai face off against Strider.

"You'll not get past me, filth!"

That rounds out coverage of issue #6 of Battle Games in Middle-earth. We’ll pick up with issue #7 in a day or two. Thanks for stopping by!

Back Again

It’s been just over a year since I last visited The Forsaken Inn and kept up my journey through Middle-earth. I’ll skip the details as they’re the usual ones that prevent regular blogging and it’s not as if this little corner of the ether possesses a large following. This is largely a place for personal reflection and creativity, as well as an on-going chronicle of my painting efforts. If you’re reading this, thank you for your patience.

The end of my long absence coincides with several recent developments in the world of Middle-earth gaming. Warhammer Fest last month brought exciting announcements regarding miniature wargaming in Middle-earth. As reported last year, the Strategy Battle Game is returning as the Middle-Earth SBG in Spring/Summer of 2018. Meanwhile, a steady stream of new models is trickling out from Forge World, and articles related to The Hobbit SBG are turning up in the revised White Dwarf magazine. If you’re a fan of the game, both of those happenings verge on the miraculous!

Games Workshop also announced that Battle Company rules are coming out in late 2017, which is something I’m looking forward to. The role-player in me enjoys the concept of the Battle Company campaign, wherein a small band of models gains experience and improves over the course of several battles. I’ve not actually played a Battle Company campaign, mind you, but the premise intrigues me.

Business is booming for Middle-earth in the tabletop RPG world as well. The Adventures in Middle-Earth line by Cubicle 7, which I reported on back in March of last year, was released during my absence from the Forsaken Inn. Created for use with the 5E rules of Dungeons & Dragons, AiME is truly impressive. I’ve read the player’s book and came away with high praise for what C7 has used 5E to their advantage, and the Loremaster’s book is sitting on my shelf waiting for some free time to show up in my life. Wilderland Adventures, the AiME adaption of The One Ring adventure book, Tales from Wilderland, is currently out (although I’ve not purchased it…yet), and the journey supplement, The Road Goes Ever On has been announced. I’m looking forward to that book with keen interest, as I’m sure there will be some interesting things to steal for my occasional 5E game.

The One Ring also had a slew of releases in the last year. Journeys and Maps, Erebor the Lonely Mountain, and The Adventurers Companion are all available for purchase, and the Bree supplement is up for pre-order. Forthcoming releases include Oaths of the Riddermark and The Laughter of Dragons, adventure anthologies set in Rohan and the Erebor regions respectively.

As if that isn’t enough Middle-earth gaming at the ready, The Lord of the Rings Online MMO is currently celebrating their ten-year anniversary. I’ve dabbled in it before, but now I’m playing somewhat regularly with friends I know from the RPG convention scene and social media. Although real life often gets in the way of our weekly game, the chance to explore Middle-earth whenever I have time and an internet connection pleases me greatly.

Speaking of conventions and role-playing, there’s an effort underway to have a Tolkien-themed room at North Texas RPG Convention for 2018. I’ve volunteered to run a session of either The One Ring or Adventures in Middle-Earth, as well as two sessions of the Middle-Earth SBG, which I’m hoping will be out by then. If not, I’ll run LotR/Hobbit rules and try to get people excited for the game. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a member of the Great Britain Hobbit League Facebook page, North America is woefully underpopulated with Middle-earth miniature gamers.

Middle-earth happenings aren’t solely confined to the game realm, however. Just a few weeks ago, what is likely to be the last of Tolkien’s works edited by Christopher Tolkien, saw release. Beren and Lúthien is the second of what J.R.R. Tolkien considered the three most important stories from the First Age (these being the tale of Túrin Turambar, as recounted in The Children of Húrin, the story of Beren and Lúthien, and the Fall of Gondolin). Like The Children of Húrin, the book contains art by Alan Lee, making it just a visually beautiful as it is literarily, and it, too, sits on my shelf awaiting free time in my life so that I might escape into its tale.

As one might imagine, it was this explosion of Middle-earth escapism that got me thinking about this blog again. While my attempt to develop a regular Lord of the Rings SBG group eventually unraveled, I am playing miniature wargames with a friend on a (mostly) weekly basis. While we’ve largely been playing X-Wing and Muskets & Tomahawks, I think he might be down with the idea of doing a once-a-month game of the SBG. If so, it will give me impetus to continue my quest of working my way through the entire Battle Games in Middle-Earth series. It’s time to take up the brush and crafting tools and get back to work on building my personal, small scale, Middle-earth. Hopefully, you’ll rejoin me on the quest!

BGiME #6: Making Ruins

I’ve said it before, but constructing terrain—especially ancient and/or mysterious structures from the distant past—is one of my favorite aspects of the miniature wargaming hobby. As such, issue #6’s terrain-making chapter is my favorite one so far. The process of making more advanced ruins is presented in this issue. The techniques are simple and the results are terrific.

The “Defend the Ruins!” scenario found in this issue requires six pieces of terrain. Although any of the terrain from previous “Modelling Workshop” chapters would serve, I wanted to conjure up images of the early centuries of the Third Age and perhaps lingering relics from the Second Age of Middle-Earth in my games. So an even half-dozen ruins it must be!

The ruins are made largely with thick cardboard cut into the appropriate shapes with a craft knife, then mounted on base of thin card. Spackle is applied to give the pieces texture and, once dry, each ruin is then painted and flocked. I did these six in about a week of intermittent work, but could have easily cranked them out in a weekend if I had need to.

These are the ruins in the early stages of construction. Masking tape is applied to the cardboard edges to conceal the corrugation and create the appearance of solid stone. Each entire piece is next slathered in spackling compound. I went a little heavy in places, resulting in “frosted cake” consistency that is a bit too thick, but they still look fine for the tabletop. I finally sprinkled “sprue rubble” and a few rocks I picked up while walking to add some more details to each piece.

Once the spackling compound dried, I applied a basecoat of black spray paint for coverage.

Each of the ruins was drybrushed with a dark gray paint, followed by another drybrushing of a lighter gray, then one last layer of drybrushed off-white to pick out the final highlights. The borders of each ruin was painted a chocolate brown and a layer of grass flock was applied to finish off the ruins.

Overall, I’m tremendously satisfied with the results. The cost was negligible, making them was quick, and the technique to craft them was simple. I can easily see myself using the same method to make more elaborate ruins for a city-centric miniatures wargame. With a little snow effect flocking, similar ruins would make a great addition to a Frostgrave gaming table. Next up, we’ll see how they look on the tabletop when we play through “Defend the Ruins!”