With a shrinking sense of enthusiasm, I played the Riddles in the Dark II tournament for MESBG. It was held locally and was a 500 (or 550) pt day with 4 intended games. I took Mordor ... almost Black Gate. The rules concerning army lists were a bit confusing with making up your own heroes - and lists too really as it turned out. Just think of a list, and a thinly veiled reason, and take it along.
14 people played the day. Game 1 was against an all hero list ... the type of thing I just don't like in wargames. The game lasted an hour and much to everyone's surprise ... I won. I won't lie - the game just wasn't fun with my opponent making up a shit-stack of rules for his 4 figures to explain why he could dominate the game and I couldn't. Anyway, while he stomped the shit out of my army, I ran enough orcs at the objectives and well ... Sucked in hero-hammer dude, I won!
These images are all game 1. Just try to spot the opposing army .. its fucking hard when you only deploy 4 figures and they're all heroes. Just fuck straight off is my message for such tools!
The game just wasn't fun as my opponent used boundless stores of might to totally control all priorities and heroic moves. Even if I won a roll, I then lost initiative due to some rule that he created for his over powered hero army. My only action of any note was my general killing just one of his models in the final turn of the game. This game illustrated that MESBG could be just no fun at all.
Game 2 was a Mordor grudge match. This was my favourite game ... and another lucky win. Why was this the best? Because I played against someone who took a fucking army and not heroes! My opponent was also very nice and knowledgeable - while I was rules careless and hung over. I got smashed with my army being 'quartered; which is MESBG speak for routed or broken in every other wargame ever written. This game showed the true limitations of trolls in MESBG. Not enough attack dice to win roll offs and too easy to simple tie up with one model.
My aim for the day was to try and work out how to use trolls. What did I discover? Trolls are shit.
The base size is too big and the wounds and attacks are too few. But, my opponents wined all day about trolls being super scary ... as they chopped my Mordor troll up. However, their baseless trepidation prevented a serious threat to 'Vark the Insertor' my leader. He saved this game by repeatedly throwing enemies at the opposing general until he died. Got me the win as my opponent didn't press the victory conditions. That's twice now a more knowledgeable opponent didn't press the objectives. They were just mesmerised with killing my troops.
MESBG is a very odd wargame that involves getting a positive benefit from your army being routed at the right time. Who could invent such bullshit? Only Games Workshop.
But fun does lie within this game. The clash of battle lines (as I experienced in Game 2) really scratehes a medieval itch. Game 2 was tactical and felt fun as it appeared I actually had a chance to win.
And then Game 3 came along ...
Why the fuck would you put a river across the centre that was incredibly difficult to cross and only had two narrow fords? Answer = you want the small elite, missile heavy armies to win. And guess what ... thats what happened in my game and ALL DAY!
I used every might point I had to rush the ford and get across.
But I was up against another hero heavy force. I got to the ford then lost a shit stack of priorities then lost even more movement phases to someone who was pissing might out of every orifice.
The smaller army formed a ring around the ford and just hacked the shit out of my army as it limped across piecemeal ... And my opponent talked about how threatening my trolls were as he won every fight and killed my whole army (except Vark the Insertor) for only 2-3 models lost.
The designer of this terrain board can take a lot of credit for victory. I think I would have lost anyway, but playing a game when I felt like a strap-on (for the 2nd time today) with no player agency did not enamor me to MESBG.
But, somehow I walked away still enthused. My opponents were all nice guys - two of which just loved to create elite armies that robbed their opponents of the ability to take a turn - and were helpful throughout the games. I still like MESBG. Despite being quartered in every game (I lost about 25 models out of 29 in all games) I won two games. I spent the least of characters out of all players.
What does the day tell me? MESBG is about heroes and Trolls are shit.
I was very much hoping for different lessons ... but I'm not done yet with MESBG.
