MESBG Battle Report - On the field of Pelannor ...

On the field of Pelannor, alongside the barrows of kings whose names are lost to the past, two mighty armies met. A brazen host had issued forth from Minas Morgul, lead by the Witch King himself, and these were bravely met by the host of Gondor - led by the indomitable Gandalf. 

This was a 700 points MESBG match using a scenario borrowed from first edition 'Lion Rampant.' Four supply markers were left on the field and it was the job of Minas Tirith to prevent their destruction by Mordor. The orcs like nothing better than wanton destruction and they were eager for the task. 

Minas Morgul consisted of around 40 Mordor orcs. There was the WK and two orc captains. The orcs were supported by double banners, three spectres and a drummer. And 1 troll. 

'Atop the wall's Gondor list contained Gandalf, Irolas, around 10 citadel guard (half bows and half spear), two knights and the rest tin cans. Oh, and ... a trebuchet! 

The Witch King pee'd a little within his cloak at the sight of Gandalf (and his Banish spell) while the Orcs soiled their pantaloons thinking about bloody big rocks being thrown.

And a rock was thrown in the first turn that made the Mordor player (me) struggle to contain my shite. It smashed directly into an Orc line killing 5 orcs, knocking 4 others flat and robbing one Orc Captain of a fate point and a wound. Any more like that and the Orcs will be unable to fight!

The Orcs were ordered forward at top speed which was hastened by the drummer. Before the game, I was convinced I should have changed the drummer for 5 more Orcs but it would prove to be a sage inclusion due to the trebuchet. The spectres struggled to keep up. A few orcs were left behind to light the supplies ablaze. 

One crate was instantly set afire but the other proved too moist to spark. A roll of 9+ was needed for 1-2 figures or more than 3 models could set alight on a roll of 8. 

Gandalf led the forces of Gondor forward to surround one supply crate. It was almost impossible to stop the two crates near the defenders deployment to fall but the two closer ones could be protected. This would involve splitting the forces of good. Usually, not a problem, but with this list, troops were a little thinner on the ground. Gandalf and the trebuchet were both sizeable points investments. 

Above shows the impressively military line of the citadel guard. Irolas lurks behind ready to buff the men (sounds suspicious when written like that. You know ... what happens in the tower, stays in the tower!) 

Their bow fire was also proving deadly. In one round three orcs with shields were shot away. The WK was torn between ordering a forward rush - to limit possible trebuchet rocks - and face the bow fire OR shelter from bows and face the bloody big stones. He chose to drive is orcs forward!

Aided by the drummer, the orcs soon reached their destination on the right. A melee started with good initially able to pour more troops into the fray than evil. Several casualties were sustained - the losses for evil were quickly approaching 15 dead while no Gondorians had fallen. 

At this point, the sorcery from both sides affected photography. Two key moments occurred. Gandalf shifted across the table toward the troll and to counter or kill the Witch King. Also, the Witch King - who had ridden out of the trebuchet arc - used a compel (requiring a might point to pass) to draw a citadel guard forward out of the line. This allowed the troll to charge the trooper, barge, then thunder into the battle line before him. 

Now at the line - and no longer threatened by missiles - the troll did what he does best (which - up until tonight - meant fluff all his dice rolls and die like dog.) By the end of the game he had squashed around 8 citadel guard. With more orcs approaching from the rear - including a banner - the troll's situation was also looking pretty good. 

On the Mordor right, the absence of Gandalf was keenly felt. Here two orc captains led the forces of evil. Despite losing 3-4 priorities in this vital middle section of the game, the might points of the captains allowed evil to dominate - uncontested. Orcs surged around the warriors of Minas Tirith and here the 'Blades of the Dead' special rule proved devastating. Needing only a four to wound, any combat won by the orcs was quickly converted. Men fell like the leaves in autumn. 

The tide of battle had turned. The orcs now took almost no casualties while the death toll of men mounted quickly. Evil, up until now, had lost around 13 orcs to missiles, from now until the end of the game, they only lost around 4 in combat. 'Blades of the Dead', double banner and 'might where it's right' proved a deadly combination. (F'ing troll finally pulling his weight was a big help, too!)

Back on the Mordor left, The troll and orcs took a steady toll on the citadel guard. 

So Gandalf stepped in ... Just before this happened, the old wizard had used a might point to channel a Banish spell against the Witch King. In response, the WK used three will to stave off that blast of power. Then hate gripped him and a poor decision was made - replying with a channeled transfix. This was easily brushed aside by the istari. What a silly response from me. I lamented my decision not to enchant the blades of the troll, making him a more fearsome weapon, or some similar trick to weaken Irolas. 

Gandalf and Irolas attacked the troll. Gandalf used heroic strike but only equalled the FV of the troll. The subsequent duel roll was also a draw and was only decided when a 50/50 roll went to evil. The troll fended away his attackers but only barely. Confronted with a mass of fate points on the heroes, the troll decided to throw back his attackers and slam powerful blows into the citadel guard. 

The path to victory was now clear ... kill everyone except Gandalf and Irolas. 

This was happening very nicely on the Mordor right. The might of the captains allows orcs to 'wrap and trap' the warriors of good. Their banner fell and the dead lay thickly upon the ground. Keen eyed observers from the White Tower gasped at the bloodshed. The orcs were emboldened by their growing advantage and seemed heedless of the few rays of sunlight that pierced the murk issuing from Mordor. 

The above lithograph illustrates the situation well. Very few guards remain. Orcs run rampant hacking and killing. The troll - to both players surprise - is still alive. (I was jubilant with his performance as in the past 12+ games he had done nothing whatsoever. Now, he was proving a hero! I swore to Sauron I would an erect a plinth form the bones of men for the troll to mount.) 

Gandalf had not managed to strike down the troll after trying for more than 3 turns. Even transfixed, the troll shrugged off the attacks. Sure, the good heroes remained, but their command was gutted. 

Back to the right, and the soldiers of Minas Tirith were no more. Even those pictured were soon to die. The orcs stood about with their zippo's trying to spark the third crate. This did not happen, as good was soon quartered, but we didn't add up the victory points. On objectives, it was a draw. But, good was quartered and Minas Morgul were not yet broken. Evil had two banners to none. On points, it would not have been a major victory (my orcs failed their roll to get 8+ and light the third crate at the last turn) but on the table it was clear. Minas Morgul has cleared the path for assault across the Pelannor. 

Well, it was a very short game for 700 points, lasting about two hours. But, both players had fun. It was an interesting match up, with a missile heavy force meeting a melee force. The drummer had ended up helping a great deal. The trebuchet's single strike was bowel-loosening but it only happened once. The fire from the citadel guard had an impact but, probably the most important factor, was 'blades of the dead.' This is simply devastating. It scythes through armoured troops with utter disdain for their points cost. It turns mere Mordor orcs into brutal weapons. Added to this, the troll did sterling work breaking the line then holding on against Gandalf. Ultimately, magic had a limited impact, save the 'compel' from the WK to hasten the troll reaching the enemy line. The spectres - with their terror buffs to orcs - also had little impact but this was mainly due to being somewhat out of position - due to the faster move of the orcs (drummer) - but also as the orcs were doing much of the charging. This raised the last key element - not having any might to challenge the heroic moves called by the orc captains. This allowed evil to dictate the combats on the right, even though they successively lost priority. It was in this location most of the Minas Tirith warrior died. 

Time for the Witch King to bring up all legions. The time of the orc has come and the siege of the White Tower can begin ... well, probably not any of those things as only 40 blokes fought another 40 ... hardly Middle Earth shaking stuff - but a great skirmish wargame nonetheless and both players agreed it was a night well invested into the mystic, yet mediocre, art of wargames. 

MESBG Battle Report - The Black Gate opens again?

 

This week's game was MESBG with a 700 point match between Minas Tirith - led by Denethor and Faramir - against the Black Gate. We decided to try 'The Fugitive' scenario from Lion Rampant - but this time reversing the order. Good would be searching for the escapee while evil would try to prevent this. 

There were 5 pieces of terrain placed centrally that might hold the fugitive. Good searched two to no avail then - as shown above - moved to the central objective. But, alas, the fugitive had hidden himself well and no amount of searching resulted in success. 

Minas Tirith had deployed their best troops for the occasion. A line of Citadel Guard with longbow supported with Fountain Court Guard. I drove my Orcs away from the centre of the table in fear of their fire. The above Minas Tirith force was led by Irolas. 

(Note Irolas way off in the distance in the above image.)

In the early game, the Lure of the Ring had made Irolas' will quaver and he was delayed in his advance. Also, the mind of Denethor was in turmoil. This gave the forces of evil hope that they might erode the defenders with mental attacks, but as the game wore on, this was not to occur again. 

In the centre and right, the Troll general and the Mouth of Sauron pushed the bulk of their Morannon Orcs forward. I tried to keep my Troll central for maximum effectiveness and to ensure he had the support required. I have learnt, through frequent rebuffs, Trolls need support in MESBG. 

With but two woods left to check, Faramir spurred his knights toward the wood on the left. Here, I had managed to place 10-12 Morannons led by a Morannon captain. They felt the brunt of the knights' charge. Faramir boosts the FV of knights in a charge and, flushed with aggression, they charged forth. Unfortunately, this may have been a little early as this masked the Minas Tirith bow fire and the knights were unable to fully engage with their full numbers. 

In the centre, the Troll pushed forward as fast as possible. Here you can see, his banner an Orcish supports. 

A Elvish drone captured this aerial snap. Evil is pushing a group of 10 Morannons over from the centre toward the cavalry melee on the left. At the top, a very large group of Minas Tirith warriors stops advancing as the Troll nears. At this point, I had no confidence in my Troll - after many failures - but did have a new plan on his use. 

The large evil force on the right stood before one of the remaining terrain features which could possibly hold the fugitive. However, this soon became clear was total overkill. I would soon advance with these troops toward the large mass on warriors at the top of the above image. Also, I sent a few toward the struggle forming in the centre and left. Gosh, my kingdom for an orc drummer right now ... 

Meanwhile, the cavalry charge was being resolved. While evil was consistently losing priorities, I was still hopeful as I had managed to lap around the side of the cavalry. This would lead to a couple of early cavalry loses and evil holding the first charge. A long combat would ensue here. 

A small screen, left as a speed bump for the Troll, was soon reached. The troll hurled these aside and thrust itself into the heart of the enemy warriors. Here it would concentrate on cracking heads ... but not being greedy. If 2-3 could be killed each turn - that was enough. My new plan was in effect. 

Now, after several turns of melee, the cavalry had won out against the Morannons. It took some time but evil could not win a priority and suffered the consequence of repeated cavalry charges. At this period of the game, momentum had totally swung to favour good. The Morannon captain slowed Faramir - above he stands almost alone - and his tactical use of might forced Faramir to counter spend draining his stores. (If only evil could have won one of the 50/50 rolls ... sigh!) The clouds and reek of Mordor had parted as a breeze from the west revealed the sun and caused the evil hearted Orcs to quail. 

The non-poetic version was ... we lost all the priorities and all the duel rolls. Good troops killed about 12-14 Orcs for few losses themselves. After a strong start by evil, good has stamped its authority on the game. 

The lines of evil were considerably thinned. The Fountain Court Guard had entered the fray and the victorious cavalry now lapped around the sides of the evil forces. 

Above, the troll is just bursting into view leaving a bloody trail on carnage behind. He made a direct advance toward one Minas Tirith banner, pounding it into the turf without mercy. 

Indeed, the heart of the evil player (me) also quailed and I believed all was lost and hope drained from me. But, the troll had been doing his best ever work. He had smashed through the large block of Minas Tirith warriors, claiming around 9-10 kills, then advanced on the rear of good's line. The Mouth of Sauron, after some lacklustre sorcery, also charged accounting for 4 or so warriors. With occasional kills by Morannons, the good losses were mounting. Evil had been on the receiving end throughout the bulk of the game but was somehow clinging on. 

To Faramir's disappointment, the fugitive was not found in the wood on the left. This left only one location, but this was on the other side of the remaining forces of evil. However, both armies, now bloodied in the extreme, had reached breaking point. Failing courage rolls, around 3 Orcs ran, but most were within the leadership range of their two remaining leaders. The Mouth of Sauron held them in place. 

Good also lost several troops driving them too toward being quartered. As Denethor still lived the guard passed automatically and Faramir gained additional abilities. This certainly made things look even bleaker for evil. 

The battle was now extremely clumped ... bodies piled around the feet of combatants whose shields were dented and swords bent. Warriors battled with daggers and fangs in desperation to slay their hated foes ... 

It was indeed a confused combat now. But something unsettled that breeze from the west. The gloom from the Black Gate closed over once more filling the hearts of evil with a new resolve. A sudden surge of brutal ferocity led to several duel victories and the notched scimitars found chinks in the armour of Men. The Mouth gibbered grotesque prophecies of doom and the Orcs responded. 

I'm not entirely sure what was the exact end. I like to think it was my Troll Chieftain. His efforts to imbue, or threaten, the remaining Orcs from fleeing were disrupted by a single Minas Tirith guardsman. In rage, the troll plucked up this soldier and threw him violently into another, killing both. This finally tipped the scales and Minas Tirith reached its breaking point. Faramir, Denethor, Irolas and the last few warriors limped from the field. Evil was hardly in any place to pursue. 

My troll general could only below in rage as his opponents withdrew ... 

It was an extremely bloody conflict with around 30 dead on each side. Almost all heroes survived, except my Morannon captain (who is just about the shittest hero of all time killing absolutely fuck all in every game - although he did survive about 4 turns against Faramir tonight!) 

Evil was fortunate that the fugitive had not been found. Good had been fortunate in most other ways holding an ascendancy in many priorities throughout the game, striking down the foe with lethal regularity and winning many decisive contested heroic move rolls. However, something that was hidden was revealed for the first time. The Morannon Orcs finally began to win some duel rolls and their strength of 4 proved very effective - enabling Orcs to kill enemies on the roll of 5 while Minas Tirith usually needed a 6. Tonight, they proved they are not quite the over-priced scum that both players were quickly assuming them to be. Finally, good were not fortunate at all with their shooting. I don't think the Citadel Guard shot anything all night!

Although, tonight also showed Minas Tirith type forces are definitely stronger with Boromir around. Its not just his tower of might points ... its his banner. Winning on tied duel rolls really removes the +1 FV benefit that the Morannons gain against Men (and pay for in their point value.) I felt like a had a chance without the banner as when its around I often don't even bother rolling duel rolls. Without Boromir, they just didn't seem to have the same bite. In reflection, I wondered if Denethor and Irolas should have done a little more fighting? But then, this may have bought them closer to the Troll - and I'd back the Troll Chieftain (Vark the Insertor) against them in a duel ... any day. 

Having said all that, next time I face Boromir ... its simple ... he must die. And die early ... but how?

Overall, I was pretty happy with my tactics (only one really stupid heroic combat call) and especially with the use of my troll. Vark ended up inserting about 10-12 enemy troops in an all time high for him. Elsewhere, the Morannons proved they weren't a total joke. My respect for the Black Gate list - although it is extremely one dimensional - grew a bit tonight. (I'd love to be able to afford a 2nd banner but that would lessen my model count ... and atm I value bodies on the battlefield more - but I need to the other options a try.) Actually guarding my banner was also done well ... it is vital beyond belief to this force. 

Oh, and it was also nice not having my entire army killed ... again.