A Tale of an Angry Troll ...

 

After a break, Nick and I returned to MESBG. I was eager to play again and wanted to try something new. I designed a Carn Dum list using two recently rebased ogres I had painted some considerable time in the past. Both were Reaper Miniatures and represent Hill Trolls very nicely. 

The game was 700 points and it was Minas Tirith with the Mad Dad in command with his less famous son, Faramir, and also Ingold and Irolas. That's right, a veritable who's who of the White Tower. Faramir was mounted and commanded knights as he was inspired by the result of similar actions in the books/movies. 

Carn Dum consisted of Aldrac - who had been a total dud in the only other battle I had fielded him - with three orc captains. They commanded around 43 orcs with a single banner, no bows, 2 Hill Trolls and 5 warg riders. 

(Now, perhaps someone working in continuity could explain how Carn Dum had time traveled to the era of the War of the Ring??? I can't. Best not to think about it. I'm sure a similar Orcish stronghold had similar abilities and army roster somewhere in Eriador late in the Third Age.)

We battled around a pond, that wasn't too deep - probably ruined by climate change as a certain Maia had been producing more than his fair share of carbon emissions of late. 

Elsewhere, scattered houses and fences created a few choke points my orcs were keen to avoid. Tin cans are hard enough to kill as it is, without a fence to further inflate their defences. 

It would be 'assassination' so we could line up right to the half way. It was also dark meaning Minas Tirith's citadel guard bowmen would be very deadly ... and my poor diminutive trolls were only D6. Nick could select orc captains aplenty to assassinate but I had a few tough choices. In the end, I chose the worse one ... Ingold. I thought the others might not engage in the fray. 

I lined my forces as far up the board as possible. I hoped to simply crash directly into the Minas Tirith line. I'd deployed a small force over on my far left to close down that side of the board to Faramir and his knights, who could flank me. I also had my right flank refused, Theban style. This was mainly to try and play a few shenanigans in deployment. In any case, my plans worked when I got initiative. A lucky break as I was concerned Nick might fall back with his forces - and his bowfire could kill a troll (especially at +1 to wound due to the darkness from the sceanrio.)

Splashing through the shallow water, the orc line parted to allow a Hill Troll to barrel forward. He was not alone as Aldrac was just to his left - he did a twinkle toed charge along the pond's edge. Orcs, slowed by the water, held back but did reach a position to guard the trolls right. Elsewhere we moved up quickly. Faramir considered which way to commit his knights. I held my warg riders in reserve as I had no confidence in their ability to fight Gondorian knights.

Over on my right, my refused force hurried up and I sent two of my warg riders in a wide arc to, eventually, threaten the Gondorian flank. 

And then the troll happened. With the +1 FV on the charge - thanks Carn Dum - the troll impacted the line surging from the pond water and swinging his bulbous club with frightful menace. Four citadel guard were instantly mashed to paste. Any contribution from Aldrac just paled against that effort. 

Another win for evil in initiative saw evil orcs viciously charge right across the line. No subtly, no finesse ... just savagery. The orcs won most of the fights (thanks again to the +1 FV on the charge) but really didn't kill anyone. Aldrac and the troll maybe popped another two or three. 

Faramir had sent some knights frontally but led another couple around the side. An orc captain expended might, won the roll off, then used a heroic move to catch the cavalry before they could charge. This delayed the second troll from engaging - he was just within the 6" zone of the 'With me!' call - but it blunted the knights effect. One or two knights fell or lost their horses. I did manage to tie up Faramir with a single spear armed orc who promptly won his combat ... but, of course, did not wound.

NOTE: This seems to be developing a theme where my armies in MESBG detest and target all animal life ... birds, wolves or horses. And I'm not sure why???

My right flank force was delaying but it did prevent Ingold from fully committing his line to overwhelm the exposed end of my centre battleline. 

This image simply shows the continued destruction wrought by the troll. He stood besmattered with gore, breathing heavily but elated. He had single handedly smashed the Gondorian centre and his kill count was probably around 10 by mid game. Aldrac had chipped in here or there but managed to fluff his duel roll enough times to make his combat appear rather inconsistent. 

The Carn Dum banner flapped in the breeze and the evil warriors reveled in the 6" extended range of its influence. Now I had an inkling of what playing with Boromir felt like ... bloody easy! That range just covers almost everyone. And it was paying off. Thus far, Gondor's losses were climbing fast while Carn Dum had lost but four orcs! On the far left, an orc captain would fall, easily slain by a Gondorian knight, but that was only a small hiccup in the flow of the game. 

My right arrived and now battle was joined across the line. Here Ingold held out and made me instantly recall why he, and his command, are so damned hard to kill. What was I thinking making him my assassination target ... big mistake! Even my two handed weapon orcs could not make headway. 

The left was shattered and skirmishes occurred between one Gondorian and several Orcs. A consistent drip of casualties were driving the game toward a conclusion. The rampant troll slowed but was throwing and barging his way inexorably toward the Gondor banner and Big Daddy Denethor who had been forced to enter the fray. When he slew an Orc, Nick remarked Denethor could boast in taking one quarter of his armies slain enemies - he was about right. 

(So much for his madness ... it didn't effect him once!)

Aldrac finally completed a deed worthy of song and monstered Irolas with crushing blows leaving him a bloodied corpse, rent with many deep wounds. 

The second troll was also engaged but nowhere near as effective. With several knights lying dead, the Orcs and Wargs riders simply surrounded their foes to hack them down. This doom befell Faramir too who once inhabited that blank space in the wheat field before the trolls upraised club. The infuriated troll relentlessly bludgeoned Faramir inflicting 5 wounds without the assistance of any other Orc that surrounded the hero ... each still had their doubled 'trapped' attacks unrolled and irrelevant.

Little by little even Ingold's command was whittled away. Orcs first flanked, then attacked from the rear. Warg riders threatened the banner and Denethor before throwing themselves into the rear of Gondor's remaining shieldwall. But, nary a blow could bite Ingold's steely defences ...

This crebain eye-view shows the battlefiled in two distinct groups with a small hold out of silver in each area surrounded by the evil swarms from that chill northern hold ... Carn Dum. Any remaining Rohan civilians, huddled in the homes, would have run screaming at this point while a few defenders remained to soak up the attention of the vicious Orcs. 

The left side ... Denethor stood strong but now the troll was only an inch away. The other troll was also within a narrow margin. One Orc captain had won several duels and Aldrac can just be seen at the far right edge of the picture. It was looking grim indeed. 

Not much better was the other side. Orcs were on all sides of Ingold's men but 6 still stood with their captain. Gondor was broken and a roll of 1 or 2 would end then game ... and like that, on the first roll, it did! Neither side had managed to even touch their assassination target or assassin. It was a narrow points victory to Carn Dum (4-1 ... i think) but the game had not been close. 

So looking back ... what happened? Initiative went with Carn Dum at several key moments allowing the troll to embark on a hideous blood-curdling rampage and the Gondorian knights to be engaged flat footed and quite outnumbered. The centrally located troll was hideous and I was left to ponder if I had used the second troll effectively. Perhaps yes as he did kill a knight and Faramir ... not idle boasts. 

With different initiative what would have happened? The citadel guard could have pulled back and some knights could have flanked my force ... but how long could the trolls be held back? Shooting could have easily killed the trolls in another scenario but assassination really helped my cause. If Gondor had managed to kill even one troll here ... results could have been very different. A major factor was the high speed the centrally located Hill Troll killed around 10-11 enemy in around the first 3-4 turns of the game (that may be slightly exaggerated but I call it like I see it!) 

But, ... there's one other factor. Trolls run cold, colder and, very rarely, hot. This was perhaps the most 'hot' game altering performance I've ever seen from a troll and it will take a long time before it happens again, I'm sure. The stars aligned for the two brutes this eve and their wrath was destructively awesome to behold ... 

Icelandic Saga - Battle at the Ford of Loki's Tears

For this game, I returned to Iceland and the saga of Finnbogi and Kolbein. In the first battle, both rising heroes promised the local gothi they could rid the land of a monstrous, brutal bear. In this both failed, but Finnbogi's cousin, Grettir, did severe one claw. Due to this, they suffered less while Kolbein was lampooned at the scorn pole and, with broken pride, he decided to flee Iceland. Egil, his brave younger cousin roused his step-brother, Hrolf, to oppise Finnbogi. Hrolf was a promising choice after killing a grown man while only 12 in a wrestling match. 

With questions of honour unanswered, both warbands marched out. They met at the Ford of Loki's Tears - named so due to the sacred spring nearby. The victor would establish a vital step toward being acknowledged as the hero of the valley and the blessings of the spring's seer. 

Egil decided to mass his forces to assault the left ford while Finnbogi split his troops evenly. Between them the stream flowed deep and quick, its icy temperature enough to chill a man to the bone. 

Finnbogi pressed up, sending his cousin, Grettir, to the right. 

Egil ordered Hrolf toward this ford with a small force of some of his best armed warriors. They were accompanied by two berserkers. 

Atop the sacred pool shrine, the mad seer cackled and sprouted prophecies of red ruin and feasting for the crow, the wolf and the ravenous worm. 

On the left, Egil rushed the ford with most of his men. Somewhat taken aback, Finnbogi halted at the edge, prepared to outlast this force allowing Grettir to overwhelm the smaller force. 

Egil shouted for his forces to attack. He sent some lightly armoured men to wade through the swift stream and outflank his enemy. Finnbogi ordered his troops to lock shields. 

Hrolf made it to the other ford just as Grettir's men were crossing. Two men swam the river despite the cold, showing their eagerness to engage with their foe. One, a berserk, shouted threats at his opposing foes. 

Battle was joined with a loud clatter of weapons on shields. One of Grettir's troops was washed away. The berserkers clashed with blood thirsty screams and a whirl of steel. Both Grettir and Hrolf stayed behind their troops to bolster the line. 

Two of Egil's men were washed away in the current. His men, enthused and confident in their numbers, battered the opposing shield wall. Spears lashed out and axes hewed at their foemen. 

The stout mail of Hrolf's troops held strong against the repeated blows of their more numerous enemy. 

Egil managed to push his opponents back and they splashed across the ford. The additional troops harried the edges of Finnbogi's men. 

The plan of Finnbogi was working. Grettir forced the smaller force of Hrolf to retreat from the ford. Hrolf's men battled fiercely, losing fewer men and their berserk had triumphed in his fight against two similar enemies. His violent input would become a key factor soon. 

Finnbogi was continually pushed back. Both lines thinned but Egil's men could afford the higher butcher's bill. Here and there, two warriors battled one with predictable results - the tide was turning. 

Grettir and Hrolf now battled desperately. Any advantage of numbers was lost. Blood washed downstream staining the waters red. Again, the seer howled and cackled. The berserk's blade and axe bit deep - his visage besmirched in gore. 

Many had fallen at the left ford. Finnbogi's troops were forced well back and Egil's men whooped and cheered confident of an impending victory. Both leaders had stained their swords in the blood of the enemy. Steam from still warm corpses mingled the vapour rising from the surface of the icy river, slowly heated by the sun. 

Finnbogi's remaining men fell back desperately fending back blows with thoughts only of escape rather than trying to wound their foes. Finnbogi realised he could 'live to fight another day' and ordered a general retreat. Egil's raven banner fluttered in victory but the ground was strewn with many wounded, and some mortally stricken men. Egil had the bragging rights this day. 

Grettir also decided to fall back. One brave warrior held the ford, sorely pressed by the rampaging berserk, while Grettir escaped. He would meet later with Finnbogi and raise more troops. 

The tactics of Finnbogi seemed to be working, especially at the right ford. They pushed across the ford but could not fell the smaller amount of quality troops that Hrolf marshaled against them. Fate suddenly turned against Grettir and, in a few turns, his men fell like leaves. The berserker was a pure force of nature, felling 4-5 of his enemy. The high defence of Hrolf's picked men, and this praiseworthy berserk effort, turned the battle against Grettir and Finnbogi. On the left, both sides lost troops fairly evenly. Simply put, Egil had more men here to win the day. But the heroes on both sides were not wounded. On this day, they seemed content to be 'drawn among heartless hinds' and not risk more deadly battle with their rivals. 

Thus far, neither Finnbogi or Egil could not claim the undisputed title of hero of the valley. Although this was a more decisive encounter, many had fallen on both sides. The rift between the groups now widen considerably with oaths of revenge being sworn in the aftermath. Many more would fall to sore harm and even dark death before this feud would be settled. 

And there still remained the question of a certain violent bear ... 

MESBG Dunland assaults isolated Arnor

This week the focus was on a narrative game. I'd been yearning to move away from one-off scenarios into something more story driven for a little while. Also, my listening this week consisted of the 'Generals and Napoleon' podcast with its many battle discussions. My mind lingered on Marshal Ney and his rear guard actions, so this is what I tried to recreate in MESBG. 

One warband of Arnor had been isolated after a foray into enemy territory to search for a legendary artefact ... weapons from Eregion. Dunland hill tribes had noted their presence and responded to this incursion into their sphere of influence. Thrydan commanded a warband to run them down. The Arnor captain took shelter in a ruined fort as the day waned. He had led his soldiers to the edge of the Tryn Gorthad. Thrydan cajoled then threatened his superstitious hillmen to enter this haunted area. For now, his authority held, but as night drew closer, he knew his warriors would probably flee. He had but a little fading time to slaughter his foes and take whatever was in their possession. 

The game revolved around the centre of the table, marked with a ... well, ... a marker ... above. The Dunnish would have 12 turns before nightfall to kill the Arnor soldiers. At the end of 12 turns, whoever contested the centre point with the most men would gain VPs. Arnor had 600 points while Dunland had 700. The Arnor reserves would be delayed, arriving no earlier than turn 3 or 4 - at latest Turn 6. 

The Dunnish ran toward their foes from the corners and centre of their table edge. They used some of their plentiful might stores (12) to heroic march. 

Two Arnorian rangers in the ruin loosed their bows slaying one hillmen but this only goaded the others to move forward more precipitously. 

The Arnorians held the gap in the front of the ruin with stout shields. They prodded at their foes with sharp spear points to drive them back. The Captain readied himself behind the line. Much would rest on his marital prowess and tactical skill this day. 

Another group of hillmen moved around to the right of the ruin looking for egress to harm their foes. A flock of crebain flew up onto the wall. From here it could land behind the lines perhaps trapping a soldier, engaging the captain or attacking the less armoured rangers. 

Then, a clear piercing horn sounded! Malbeth, perhaps guided by his mystic vision, arrived leading a force of soldiers including two more rangers and, importantly, two knights on swift steeds. The hillmen were not expecting this eventuality. What had their shamen been doing? He had clearly neglected to 'roll the bones.' 

Meanwhile, the Arnor warriors still held the ruin. They had surrounded the crebain flock and would hack it apart alleviating one threat. But, there were other cries and squawks nearby. The presence of these evil creatures, with their known affiliations to dark powers, made the brave soldiers of Arnor feel uneasy. To whom would they transmit their foul intelligence? What evil would it bring to pass?

Malbeth had urged his warriors forward to rescue the embattled forces but he had halted when he saw the size of the threatening force before him. To charge heedless of danger would only lead to his doom as well as sealing the fate of the Captain's force. Malbeth halted ... perhaps to gaze possible eventualities.

In order to preserve his dwindling command, the Captain ordered his soldiers to fall back and man an embankment. At this time, the second crebain flock swooped down to block any thought of retreat. The Captain moved quickly to prevent this threat from growing and, with an axe in each hand, cut apart the evil birds. 

One forlorn Arnor soldier was left off the embankment and he boldly fended away his foes relying greatly upon his shield. Against the odds, he beat back his attackers. 

Finally, in Turn 6, Arvedui, the last king of Arnor, arrived onto the field. He had with him 8 soldiers, 4 rangers and 3 knights. He had only a few moments to decide where to send his forces. 

Back on the right, Malbeth continued to hold. Behind the line, Thrydan marshaled his forces with a mix of threats and encouragement. He knew time was growing short and he was eager to dispatch this force - teaching the northern kingdom not to trespass on his land. 

The knights would bravely charge into this mass, hoping to thin their ranks and ride back but fortune was not with them. Although Arvedui and Malbeth could manipulate the initiative with their gifts of foresight, Dunland held a considerable advantage in might allowing them to grab hold of the battle tide. After their charge, the knights could not extricate themselves from the swirling melee. Their charge had failed to slay any foemen however, the knights would soon prove to be highly valuable in an unlooked for manner. 

Frida of Dunland urged her troops into the action. They were bolstered by the Dunland banner but the Arnorians locked shields together (yes, I know they don't have the shieldwall rule but I'm trying to establish a dramatic narrative here!) and held off their foes. A gradual trickle of hillmen began to fall, pierced by the bright spears of Numenor's heirs.  

Thrydan bellowed at his warriors and they ran on baying for the blood of their enemies. The Arnorian soldiers held firm, again striking down a foe or two with each combat. A hillman chieftain increased the threat as did Gorolf - yes, reader, he of the undiminishing force field. 

Dunland now struck blow after blow and the Arnorian soldiers fell. The crebain were gone so the Captain waded in stem this procession of losses. The forlorn soldier also still stood and had edged his way up onto the embankment. The day was darkening but heroes arose to stand like a bulwark. 

Arvedui ordered his knights to the aid of Malbeth ... he would run to the centre. 

Aredui's relieving force arrived on the right. To their surprise, Malbeth's troops had taken little loss. The knights had held back Gorolf and many hillmen through their solid defence. They were aided by the keen perceptions of Malbeth would seemed to prognosticate each enemy blow with unnerving precision allowing many warriors to avoid dark death at the final moment. The hillmen could only gnash their teeth in response to each twist of fate. 

The Dunland numbers began to thin. Thrydan used all his persuasion to make their blows more deadly. Bright spears of the north replied and the hillmen poured in more warriors to overwhelm the Arnorian right. The knights still held the line, their larger bases blocked the hillmen's ability to overwhelm their less numerous foes. 

With a clear, resounding cry, Arvedui arrived and encouraged his men to surge down toward the objective. The sun had parted the clouds late in the day and recent momentum had favoured Arnor with many hillmen falling. However, the many 'minor' Dunnish heroes were not bowed and fought on. Soon they would enjoy the fickle turns of fate. 

Dunland were now very thin on their left. Arvedui's knights now charged and, for so long outnumbered, the Arnor soldiers now held the advantage striking the hillmen with multiple blows. This filled their hearts with courage, victory seemed with their grasp as the morale of the hillmen must surely soon be tested.  

The Arnorian banner waved on the hillside and both Arvedui and the captain fought bravely. At first, Arnor held the ascendancy, Frida relied on her fate to save her life and the Oathmaker stood exposed to multiple cuts which could have dealth him death. But Thrydan had chosen this exact moment to turn the tide of battle with his furious charge. His powerful axe blows felled warriors like brushwood. This seemed to bolster the tribesmen who cut down the enemies. The tides of chance once more had shifted. 

Malbeth drove his soldiers to quickly cut down the remainder of the Dunland left. Malbeth's prescience had saved many warriors and perhaps won the day. Soon the sun would fall and the superstitious hearts of the hillmen would quail. Amid all this, Gorolf, of the impenetrable force shield, stood his ground unshaken. A Dunnish chieftain slew a knight who had threatened the rear but his momentum was slowed by a ranger who fought solidly. 

Then, a lone crebain stole a key lithograph creating a gap in my pictorial tale ... 

Dunland, led by Thrydan had scythed through the soldiers of Arnor in the centre. The Captain had succumbed to the blows of Frida. Arvedui knew he must confront the fearsome hillman leader if there was any hope. He had but few warriors to contest the objective although several factors were on his side. The sun was about to dip below the horizon and the Dunnish forces had reached their break point meaning their courage would be tested. He rallied whatever warriors remained and charged back into the churning maelstrom of battle. 

And then the unexpected happened. The courage of Thrydan failed and he rode wildly from the field. Afterward, men said he had glimpsed a wight or banshee confronting him with a vision of his own wyrd. In his absence, Arvedui won the day for the northern kingdom. Frida and the Oathmaker remained strong but the momentum had shifted once more, and this time finally. The battle was over as darkness crept across the land. The superstitious tribesmen fell back while Arvedui ordered his soldiers to build fires to drive away the fell spirits of this place. 

Any keen minded MESBG player could tell you right now there was a mistake in the final paragraph. With the Oathmaker nearby, Thrydan should not have made a courage test. We got that wrong but it was thematic in the final review. The scenario had worked well, much better than I had thought. It was tense, fun and, i think, looked great. The gods of wargames should have been appeased. 

The biggest surprise was that MESBG worked with a 100 point difference between the armies. The terrain and additional rules supported this well. To me this shows the MESBG rules are thoughtful and robust which continues to surprise that I can make such comments about a GW rule set. 

I'll sign off there. Arnor and Dunland seem well matched lists that, although anachronistic in Tolkien's world, do produce a good game. It's been a long battle report, which I had to rewrite more than once, due to my failure to update, resulting in the loss of half the report.

Now I just need to think up what will happen next in the narrative ...