BGiME #8: Raid on Lothlorien

As mentioned in this issue’s overview, the battle scenario for BGiME #8 sees Frodo and Legolas facing off against two bands of Moria goblins, trapped in between fleeing raiders from Lothlorien and hunters looking for revenge. The encounter occurs in the eaves of Lothlorien: half of the board is covered in trees, with the last 6” of it being dense forest and therefore difficult terrain.

Frodo must escape deep into Lothlorien to evade the goblins and win a victory for Good. The Moria goblins, however, need only slay the Ringbearer to achieve victory. Although the forces of Evil greatly outnumber those of Good (nine goblins including a Goblin captain vs. only Frodo and Legolas), the Elf Prince’s three attacks during the Shoot phase and Frodo’s mithril coat might buy them enough time to escape. Or at least, that’s the theory.

In practice, things turned out pretty bleak for Good. We played the session a good four or five time with three people present, swapping sides after each bout so that everyone got a chance to try out their tactics for either side. In the end, Good only managed to achieve victory once. I employed the gambit of keeping as much cover between Frodo and the goblin archers—including using Legolas as a meat shield—while the elf’s arrows thinned the fence of goblins standing between the Ringbearer and the escape edge of the board.

After playing through eight of the BGiME scenarios, Evil seems to have an advantage most time. I believe this might change once we start using some of the more advanced rules. But as it stands, Evil often wins on either numbers or Defense scores in many of the bouts. This one was no exception.

Goblins advance of the Ringbearer and the Woodland Prince.

The Moria Goblin Captain draws a bead on Legolas.

Legolas tries to winnow down the goblins' numbers as they close on Frodo.

Good is locked in combat and cannot escape!

We'll try again. Maybe if we go this way...

"Not so fast, Blondie! Eat arrows!"

Once again, Good is overwhelmed numbers and unable to flee.

Frodo takes a goblin sword in the back!

"Ok, boys. Let's get 'em one more time!"

Legolas eyes the goblin archers off camera as Moria sword goblins approach.

All alone in the eaves of Lothlorien. Can Good ever triumph?

BGiME #5: “The Hunt of the Uruk-hai”

I’ve slowly been building a network of local gamers interested in playing the SBG, beating the bushes and trying the drive these outcasts back into the daylight. We’ve managed to meet twice now in the last six weeks, playing some on the scenarios from Battle Games to introduce players to the game. We average two scenarios a meeting, playing each one twice to allow players the opportunity to experience the battles as both Good and Evil.

“The Hunt of the Uruk-hai” was the second scenario we played at our last meeting. As such, I was flying high on endorphins from our first two matches (re-plays of “Elven Attack” from issue #4) and failed to take as many pictures as I’d hoped. It’s always a sure sign the game is going well when you forget about everything but what’s happening on the tabletop. Please excuse the scant pictures documenting the scenario.

“Hunt” features Aragorn and Frodo facing off against Lurtz and four Uruk-hai warriors, representing the events at Amon Hen in the climax of The Fellowship of the Ring. Aragorn and Frodo are separated from the rest of the Fellowship and need to get the Ringbearer to safety in order to win. The Uruk-hai must capture or kill the hobbit and bring the One Ring back to Saruman.

 I started as the Good forces and, being hindered by Frodo’s 4” move each round, cautiously worked my way towards a hedgerow near my edge of the board. Aragon carries a bow with greater range and Strength than Lurtz, and I wanted to use the hedge row as both cover for the ranger and as a sight barrier for Frodo. Lurtz and his crew advanced and Aragon shot, but the heavy Uruk-hai armor protected the orcs from his arrows.

I worked my way down the edge of the hedgerow on the subsequent turn, keeping Frodo nearby but out of sight. The Uruks closed in, matching my movement on the opposite side of the hedge. A lucky shot from Lurtz inflicted a wound on Aragorn the following round, but I had the forces of Evil in my sights. One the very next turn, Aragorn managed to charge three of the Uruk-hai, allowing Frodo to make a wide run towards the right edge of the board. My plan was to keep him “running down the sidelines” where the terrain was clearer so as to not reduce his already pathetic movement rate. Aragorn took out one of the Uruk-hai as Lurtz closed in on the ranger. But one of the orcs chased after Frodo, managing to charge him and keep him from fleeing.

The next two turns saw a pitched melee, but both Frodo and Aragorn managed to hold their own. The Ranger lopped off a few more Uruk-hai heads before Lurtz was forced to charge in and support his warriors. A poor tactical decision by Evil freed up Frodo to run further towards the safety. However, it was Aragorn’s sword that won the day, dispatching the last of the Uruk-hai and their commander before Frodo reached the opposite end of the board. Chalk up a win for Good!

We swapped sides after the first game, allowing me to take on the mantle of Evil commander. My plan was to let Lurtz hang back and employ his bow as much as possible while his underlings moved in to slow down Aragorn and his cursed hobbit friend.

Beginning gambits

 My Uruk-hai advanced in a line, moving swiftly to cover ground while Aragorn and Frodo crept towards the center of the board at the Ringbearer’s slow movement rate. Lurtz rattled off an arrow whenever terrain allowed a clear shot. A lucky strike managed to pierce Frodo’s mithril coat, inflicting a wound, bringing the forces of Evil halfway to victory!

The Uruk-hai advance!

With a blow struck, Good played very cautiously, allowing me to close the distance as well as getting themselves pinned in the corner of the playing field. A small hill in that vicinity was considered difficult terrain for this scenario, meaning Frodo was limited to a mere 2” of movement if he dared ascend it and use its rocky outcropping for cover. I dispatched one Uruk-hai to chase down the halfling while the rest charged Aragorn, pooling their numbers to have a chance versus his 3 attacks and high Fighting score.

Frodo ascended the hill, much to my delight, and my Uruk-hai warrior ran him down. The noose closed around Aragorn as Lurtz, sensing it was time for the commander to join the fray, rushed towards the battle. The dice were rolled…and my Uruk-hai were sent back, one falling slain by the ranger. Frodo’s hobbit luck and mithril coat saved him from a lethal blow and he retreated back down the hill.

Battle on and below the hill

From there, the battle was joined as all the remaining forces of Evil encroached upon Frodo and Aragon and I smelled victory was near. But, as things are wont to do in these games, the tide turned when a series of lucky rolls by the Goodies dispatched more of my Uruks, leaving just Lurtz to take the halfling alive. The mighty Uruk-hai commander tried to charge the Ringbearer, but the priority roll deemed that Good would go first and Aragon stopped Lurtz cold. The dice rolled one last time and, as in the movie, Saruman’s champion was cut down by the heir of Arnor and Gondor. Good had triumphed once more!

Despite Good’s two wins, the scenario was a fun one, a quick little match to whet the appetite for battles yet to come. I feel I had a strong strategy when playing as Evil, but the dice turned against me at a critical time. I look forward to replaying this one again someday and see if I can do better.

Next up, a look at my finished game board as we close out our look at Battles in Middle-Earth #5.

BGiME #3 “Pursuit of the Ringwraiths” Battle Report

With some freshly-painted Frodos in my collection, it was time to try out the "Pursuit of the Ringwraiths" scenario presented in BGiME #3. I put the call out and two of my The One Ring players answered, meeting prior to our Sunday night TOR game. We had enough time to run the scenario twice.

Game #1 saw me playing Frodo and Aragorn, while Tom and Dave took command of the Ringwraiths. All I had to do was get Frodo off the board to achieve a victory for Good, but I had to contest with the debilitating power of the Ring. Each turn I had to roll 1d6 and if the result was a "6," Frodo could not take any action during the Move phase as he struggled with the Ring. With a slow movement rate, I knew even one lost turn could prove devastating...and it did. Aragorn rushed to Frodo's aid from the opposite side of the board, but Frodo was forced to contend with the Ring's power on the second turn, allowing the Nazgul to swoop down upon him. Facing off against three Ringwraiths quickly spelled Frodo's doom and the Ring fell into Sauron's hands soon after the flight from Bree. Middle-Earth was doomed.

Starting positions. Aragorn is a long way away!

And just like that, it's over.

Game #2 was a much better scenario. Tom and I took control of the Ringwraiths while Dave commanded Frodo and Aragorn. This game could have gone either way in the final few rounds, but a poor tactical decision lost the game for one side.

Pursued by Nazgul, Frodo flees into the Wild

"Stupid short hobbit feet!" The Ringwraiths close in on Frodo

"Hold on, Frodo! I'm on my way!!!"

A close-up on the detailing I did on my Ringwraiths. I'm pleased how they turned out.

Frodo faces three Nazgul as Aragorn fends off the Witch-king.

Frodo flees the battle as Aragorn tries to cover his escape! Alas, two Nazgul pursue.

A Ringwraith is slain by Aragorn as Frodo makes for safety!

The Ringwraith cannot slay Strider, but he cannot keep them all in check.

Frodo continues his flight as Aragorn tries to keep the Nazgul from pursuing.

The Ringwraiths move in from both sides to trap the Ringbearer.

What?! Frodo, you're going the wrong way!

The Ringbearer falls.

The forces of Good came really close to winning this one, but Frodo, trying to run around a Ringwraith, got forced back the way he came, moving him away from the victory line. When Aragorn got bottled up in melee, the rest of the Nazgul managed to surround Frodo and swiftly brought him down, ensuring Evil once again regained the Ring.

As I mentioned in the overview of this issue, this scenario was a tough one for the forces of Good. Outnumbered, outrun, and facing strong enemies, the Ring's influence easily turned the tide of battle when it asserted itself early in the first game. In the second game, Strider's interference and use of control zones to block the Nargul allowed Frodo to gain some distance, but a single misstep was all it took for Evil to catch up and put Frodo down. Despite back-to-back wins, this is an interesting scenario and I'll likely play it again.

BGiME #3: Painting Frodo(s)

I knew when this crazy project began that I wouldn’t always have the model included with each issue in my own collection to paint as per the instructions given in Battle Games in Middle-Earth magazine. There would have to be substitutions made, especially—as I initially believed—when it came to the Fellowship. The models included in the various BGiME issues come from the original Fellowship of the Ring boxed set, which is something I didn’t own at the time I embarked on this weird journey. My intent was to substitute my plastic Fellowship models from the Mines of Moria starter set. 

Original Fellowship of the Ring set from Games Workshop (2001)

Happenstance and good friends intervened on my behalf, however. In a three-month period, I had not one, but two complete sets of metal Fellowship minis fall into my lap, presenting me with a bevy of Frodos to choose from. I had already painted my Mines of Moria plastic Frodo according to the instructions included in issue #3, leaving me with the option of doing one of the metal models in the same way and remaining true to the magazine’s choice of models or giving them both a more advanced detailing. I chose the latter, intending to keep one set and present the other as a gift to someone I know who shares my love for the Professor’s work (Shh! That’s a secret!). So, rather than one painted Frodo, I find myself with three. Allow me to present them to you:

Frodo #1: Mines of Moria plastic miniature (painted using technique described in BGiME #3)

Frodo #2: Fellowship of the Ring metal model (I used a wash to detail the facial features a bit more)

Frodo #3: Fellowship of the Ring metal model (no wash used)

The Fellowship of Frodos (Do you call a group of hobbits a “pipe of hobbits?”)

I think I’m most partial to the washed version but only a fraction more so than the unwashed version. I’m happy with the lot of them and look forward to placing them in dire straits many times in the future.

Battle Games in Middle-Earth #3 Overview

Gen Con is over, my backlog of projects has been slain, and my future projects have been carefully scheduled to allow a steady stream of work that still allows me some time for recreational activities. In short, it’s time to get back to Middle-Earth and the miniatures that represent it!

Issue #3 of Battle Games in Middle-Earth contains a few firsts for the series, all of which we’ll explore it a moment. It marks, in my opinion, the first step into both the SBG as a whole and into the advanced stages of the miniature wargaming hobby. If you’ve purchased issues #1 and #2 and found your appetited whetted, issue #3 is the first real course of the delightful meal that awaits you.

Issue #3 starts off as usual with the “Guide to Middle-Earth” chapter. In this issue, we are introduced to Frodo the Ringbearer and his flight from the Nazgûl, plus the role Strider the Ranger plays in escorting Frodo and his fellow hobbits to safety. We get a single page summary of the scenario to come postulating a situation where Frodo becomes separated from the rest with the Ringwraiths closing in. There is also a brief introduction to the rest of the issue’s contents. In short, the “Guide” doesn’t provide much concrete information about Tolkien’s creation, making it the least useful of the chapters within the issue. Here’s hoping this isn’t the beginning of a trend.

We next move on to “Playing the Game.” Now that the reader knows the basic rules, it’s time to start building upon this knowledge. Issue #3 features more information on the first two phases of the game turn: Priority and Move.

Priority is the shortest section. There’s really not much more you can say about “roll two dice and see who goes first that round.” There is a brief mention that, in rare scenarios, Good does not always begin the game with Priority, such as in the case of an ambush scenario. Further information is promised in later issues.

The Move Phase gets the most attention. The basic game rules presented a stripped down set of movement rules, but issue #3 begins the process of explaining the exceptions, clarifications, and special rules to these basics. For instance, models with ranged attacks can no longer move their full distance and fire. Those models wishing to attack during the Shoot phase are limited to half their movement or less. The concept of difficult terrain (any terrain that would slow down the model) is introduced along with the “difficult terrain counts as twice the actual distance” rule. 

We also meet the idea of visibility, wherein models cannot charge enemies they cannot see due to distance, terrain or other circumstances. The standard “model’s point of view” (wherein the player crouches down to eye-level of his miniature and sees what he can see) is described as a means to determine visibility in the case of terrain and obstacles. 

One last new rule is presented and it is an important one: control zone. Each model not currently in combat “controls” an area in a 1” radius around him. This means no enemy figure can move through this control zone unless it charges the figure controlling the space and engages him in combat. This represents the fact that an enemy can’t simply stand near a hostile foe and not expect to get drawn into a fight. It also makes it possible for a skirmish line of troops to defend a doorway, barricade, or similar obstruction in a somewhat realistic manner. As with most wargame rules, there are exceptions to the control zone and these are given brief coverage as well.

The next chapter gives us our gaming scenario for the issue: “Pursuit of the Ringwraiths.” This is a difficult one, folks, and is sure to test the skill and luck of the Good player. The basis of the scenario is the possibility that Frodo gets separated from the rest of his companions shortly after their flight from Bree and he must either escape the Nazgûl alone or be rescued by Strider. If the Ringwraiths capture him, all hope for the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth is dashed in a single master stoke by the Enemy. 

The deck is stacked against the side of Good in “Pursuit of the Ringwraiths.” Not only does Frodo suffer from a slower movement rate than his pursuers, but each round before the Move Phase, the Good player must roll a die. On a result of a “6,” the Ring thwarts Frodo’s attempts to flee and the model cannot move that turn, allowing the Ringwraiths to close in or preventing Frodo from reaching safety. Aragorn also starts a fair distance from Frodo, leaving the poor hobbit potentially facing up to five Ringwraiths at once with little hope of wounding them. This is going to be interesting to play out on the game table.

We briefly pause between chapters to examine the cardstock insert containing fold-out models for use in the included and later scenarios. The insert in issue #3 contains five Ringwraiths including the Witch-King (to be used in this issue’s scenario), Saruman, Lurtz with bow, Armoured Moria Goblin Captain, two Mordor Orcs, an Uruk-hai Warrior and an Uruk-hai Bowman. Our collection of models, plastic, metal, and cardstock, is growing nicely!

The “Painting Workshop” provides information on detailing this issue’s model: a metal Frodo miniature from the Fellowship of the Ring boxed set. A pot of red (“Blood Red” in Citadel’s range) paint is included as well. This will be our first metal miniature and what better place to start that with the Ringbearer himself?! 

This chapter provides tips on more advanced painting techniques that will serve the reader well going forward. The basics of mixing paint to achieve different color tones (such as the green of Frodo’s cloak or the light brown of his pack and waistcoat) are introduced. We also cover basing. Whereas the Moria Goblin and Last Alliance models had bases painted green, issue #3 discusses coating Frodo’s base with PVA glue and dipping it into green flock to give it a grassy appearance. Most serious wargamers use some sort of basing for their models to help add detail and/or tie their armies together, so it’s a helpful tip for the starting wargame hobbyist. 

Finishing off the issue is my always-favorite “Modelling Workshop” which gives the reader his or her first real terrain building project. The simple ruin in issue #2 were a nice introduction, but here we have a piece that will see prolonged use on the game table: the hedgerow. With rules for visibility and difficult terrain presented in this issue, the hedgerow project is a nice touch, one that puts those rules to immediate use. With just a few easily- and cheaply-acquired materials, the reader can have a pair or more of hedgerows assembled in a day or two, ready to add detail to his gaming table. As one of my goals is to eventually run “The Scouring of the Shire” campaign, having a good collection of hedgerows is important and I can’t wait to get some cranked out!

The magazine’s back cover heralds more plastic troops on the way as we are presented with pictures of issue #4’s cover (featuring a fearsome-looking Uruk-hai) and a sprue of ten Uruk-hai troops. Looks like Saruman’s forces are coming to visit next! We better get Frodo painted, build some hedgerows to slow them down, and practice our tactics against some Ringwraiths in anticipation of issue #4’s arrival.