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War of the Rings Battle Report
Battle # 1: How Have the Mighty Fallen
August 18, 2011

Forces of Good:
Shrap: The Dwarf Holds
Cole: Gondor

Forces of Evil:
Scott: Angmar
Fox: Elves (Corrupted)

This paired match took place on a 4 x 6 board at the Crazy Squirrel Game Store. Terrain was mutually agreed upon by the players prior to the Priority Roll.
Optional rules for Multi-Player games (WoTR RB p. 261) were not used during this battle.

Battle Scenario:
The High Ground (p. 77)
A large hill was placed in the center of the field and named Defensible Terrain with a 4+ Defense Bonus, and a capacity of four companies. Both parties agreed, in this case, twice normal movement was also required to both ascend and descend the hill, and charge bonuses were nullified.
Several large forest terrain areas encapsulated the remainder of the battlefield. These were labeled difficult terrain.
Deployment:
With this being our first official battle, our group bypassed the several intriguing deployment options in the rule book, instead simply opting to place our units on our chosen side of the battlefield as close to the table edge as possible.

The wet grass warmed to the ray of sun at dawn. A thousand steadfast boots, men of Gondor and proud Dwarves, soon ground the moist blades into trodden dirt. A hill lay a hundred of yards away, with all eyes upon the tall sloping rock. Massed beyond, spears forming a horizon of pain, were hundreds of Elves who have fallen to the seductive lies of Sauron. Galadriel, once loyal to the rays of light and hope, appeared amongst a rank of troops – laughing maniacally, power drunk and full of hatred.

Men surveyed and confirmed the elves present: 3 companies of the High elf cohort, 2 companies of High elf regiments, 3 companies of Haldir's elves, Galadriel, Gil Galad, and Haldir, all corrupted.

Dwarves spit in defiance, swearing through their beards, and the young archers of gondor grasped their quivers tight for reassurance. The terror of unearthly Elvish blood could be felt even at this distance.

Numbers described the power of Gondor this day, for a nearly uncountable array of young men with bows and some with swords stood ready to march and claim that hill. Aragorn, proud and strong, was rumored to be on the field, hidden with rangers and hopefully appearing when needed most.
Gondor Cavalry were noticeably absent.

Dwarves with short bows stood center of their side, some with pipes filled with strong Shire weed to improve accuracy, as their wives would jest in happier times. To the left, the mighty Gimli led three companies of warriors with Two Handed Weapons directly across from the emerging arcane spirits beyond. Near the hill, bound and determined, A Dwarf Warrior Kinband with axes and shields moved to support their Gondor allies.

Slowly emerging from the forest, an unspeakable evil arrived to blight the dawn. Barely visible ghostlike beings, Fallen Kings from an age long past, arrived along with more terrifying large creatures. To the right of the Elves, suddenly appearing on the battlefield, a hundred undead spirits, weapons at the ready, began to swiftly take place near the woodland cover. To further the fear, ghostly cavalry appeared on the field, seeming to materialize from the mists above the grass, only to reveal the most profane manifestations of dark sorcery.
A Carn Dum warband, led by a terrifying Ring Wraith, stood dead center – the heart of the dark forces, the brutish and fearsome men screaming in rage before the first foot advanced.

Along the ranks of the proud Gondor soldiers, Captain ordered men to hold their ground at the terrifying visage. The normal mirth prior to battle, for the Dwarves, had suddenly ceased.

With the waive of the Ringwraith’s cloaked hand, the Forces of evil surged forward.
To Be Continued …..

Continued ...

Part II:

Turn One:
Priority Turn one went to the Evil forces, who seized the opportunity to move first.

During the Movement phase the twisted Elves surged forward, and in one instance with a At the Double! Move arrived at the base of the hill, nearly attaining the high ground. Now a whopping defense 9, the gondor troops had their work cut out for them – to prevent those troops from arriving next turn, while suffering through the rest of the army’s forces.
Note: A Heroic Move option, which triples your movement for one point of Might, would have seized the main objective immediately. Might is valuable, however, and Fox chose to refrain from that option.
Gondor troops readied nearby, and were suddenly caught within the confines of a mighty spell by the Elf Hero. Visions of woe invaded the minds of the young and old alike, filling them with despair. Along with a negative courage penalty, the courage test was failed with a difference of two. Cole flinched as two of his archers immediately were removed, incapacitated with grief.
Dwarves rushed forward with shields readied to save the hill. Opposite from them, Gimli made a surprising turn to the West when nearing the forest. He and his troops, two handed weapons sharpened to a sickening degree, had spotted the emerging misty forms of the Court of the Dead King. This is an Epic Formation in the game, meaning among other limitations that you may only field one of their title. In addition, they are placed on their own special base (beautifully crafted by Scott) and cannot take other troops with them. Normally, heroes are simply placed in Formations to grant them powers in War of the Rings. In this instance, all the power lies within themselves.
One Epic, or rare formation, may be fielded for every common, thus giving generals immense creative opportunity with their army lists yet always ensuring that grunt troops and soldiers are never absent.
Swarms of Army of the Dead, three full companies, advance to the eastern dark woods while Mordor Ballista fire rained down upon Dwarf Archers, dropping one casualty.
Dwarves are immensely tough opponents.
Turn Two: Priority Good. Evil; chosen to move first.
Transfix was cast by the Wring Wraith, leading the savage barbarians forward toward the Dwarves with axe and shield. Using a point of might, the secondary Gondor hero Boromir (who’s chosen Fates shall remain unnamed due to poor notes and an even poorer memory!) canceled the dangerous spell.
With an additional point of might expended, EPIC RAMPAGE sent troops slamming into one another, screams of pain mingling with splindered bones and shattered shields. Elves now atop the objective immediately began to fall to Dwarf and Gondor bow fire, which was promptly returned, sending Gondor archers scattering for safety and off the field.
Dwarves on both sides of the horizon now lay dead as the frightening Mordor ballista found it’s path among Glmli’s men. With the Court of the Dead kings nearby, however, the Dwarves made a surprising move during he shooting phase:
They picked up their leader, hands clasped together, and hurled him over 5 inches into the enemy spirits. Automatically causing D3 wounds, he slayed one outright – then ran back to his troops as they waved him forward to safety!
This special ability (my favorite in the game – who doesn’t enjoy a good dwarf toss) can be used once per turn.
Pale of Night, a troublesome and annoying condition of darkness for shooting units was cast upon the Gondor archers. With their shoot value reduced, their subsequent additional dice per company were turned into negative penalties. Few arrows fell toward Galadriel’s forces, and even fewer elves died as a result. This was slung by the powerful in magic Ring Wraith.

Superior tactics and the Dwarf’s lack of magic dominated the Eastern Front.

Turn 3: priority Evil: opted to go first.
This is a rarity in War of the Rings to not allow your opponent to go first, as it often sets up charges with them moving forward toward goals of the battle. In this case, however, the Evil side was so magic heavy that they utilized the ability to sling spells first during the end of the movement phase (which is always the case – magic is dished out fast in this game!)
Various carnage ensued, faster than my notes could document, as half a cavalry company of ghostly riders was decimated, and Gimli’s unit was subsequently disordered from a failed test after being affected by the Court of the Dead kings.
The Barbarians also suffered some confusion as they took casualties, but within 12” of the Shade they were soon bolstered back to a functioning level.
A blessing of Valor spell from the Gondor leaders failed to spark, and Enfeeble from the Wring Wraith sapped strength from the once strong dwarf infantry.
The every troublesome Mordor Ballista inflicted horrendous hits upon Gimli’s unit with a stellar roll of a “6”, yet their tough exterior prevents many casualties.
NOTE: There are no “saves” in WoTR – there is no such time for such silliness. But the chart requiring deaths to occur is superior in design to 40K and fantasy, as sometimes a roll of a “6” is required followed bya 4+ , etc. Pounds of 6’s do not guarantee easy victory in this system.

The elusive hero for Gondor, the mighty ranger Aaragorn, made his appearance at last, not yet using a FATE (yet another powerful option for your forces, but not required in your list), instead opting for 2 Might Points to use execute Epic Journey. Appearing behind enemy lines, the reminder of the Elves soon found themselves in a terrible predicament! With some broken and retreating from prior wounds, a small company of the enigmatic troops found themselves cornered.
With the Dwarf achers weakend by spells, they could not effectively aim at the hill and the Elf opponents. A literal horde of Gondor swordsmen, however, charged the side. With superior defense they did little damage, but now the Elves had considerable trouble in their hands.
Dwarf infantry at the Doubled! Forward to greet the barbarians head on. With such a move, shooting is not allowed, but it was head to head combat they were after. This they indeed received, as a charge by the Barbarians was easily lined up and excecuted.
Gimli once again was hurled into the Dead Kings, who were now in a position to charge their enemies. With a sudden blow he dropped yet another, and then proceeded to awkwardly jog back to his unit, laughing with glee at the easy hit.

Maneuverability is important in this game, the utmost in fact. Gimli, knowing the charge would be difficult for a random distance with the Court, opted to move back before being tossed. Indeed this was a wise move, as their charge failed due to need a 3+ on the die. Stalled due to confusion, they soon found themselves facing the attack back from the Dwarves, who also rolled low but Gimli used a Point of Might to bump the roll from a failing “2” to a “3.” Coupled with the standard bonus for Infantry, they were able to reach at receive the bonus die for charging.
Fighting amongst the spectral beings was deadly for both sides, as the three companies of Dwarves dwindled to two and yet another king fell. That particular unit has INDOMITABLE, however, which means they stand until the last man. Normally, once a formation is reduced to 4 troops out of the last 8, they scatter to the winds, opting to fight another day. This applies to cavalry as well – when only one remains in play.
Units must always Charge to engage enemies in this system; after combat is resolved, each side backs up one inch to catch their breath. A strong point of the game, as Fox pointed out in this discussion, because we do not have an hour of locked up,dull combat ahead of us.
Turn Four: Priority – not recalled. This was the most intense round perhaps. Note taking was set aside, Fox’s girlfriend watched in fascination along with several Crazy Squirrel customers as the battle raged into grand scale.
Significant event: Galadriel, now evil lady of Lothlorien administered Epic Renewal, using a Might Point to bring back 2 valuable Elf troops to the melee near the objective.
Moving on to Turn 5:
Priority – Evil. Good forced to move first.
The dwares with axe and shield, holding a frightening 8 defense, decimated a number of the actually quite powerful barbarians. Losing a tray, they were forced to make a courage test and subsequently failed. The wraith, however, having none of that, allowed them to hold their ground.
Gimli, killing the Court of the Kings (literally dead now!) in turn 4 managed to get a charge on the Shade, a ghastly yet not overpowered creature at the rear of the battlefield. This lurking menace soon received a final hilarious Dwarf Toss from Gimli, who promptly struck him a surprise blow, shattering his left arm into uselessness! The shade, suffering a wound on the Hard to Kill Table, found himself backing up with a new found respect.
The battle raged atop the hill, with the Elves deciding the high ground was too painful a hold, as they promptly and suddenly charged of the side of the mountain into the unsuspecting and a bit too comfortable Gondor soldiers. The results, needless to say, were unpleasant, and with ALL ELVES causing terror in this game, they broke immediatley.
With carnage, spilled blood and soaking the sacred fields of Middle Earth, this game was called a Draw due to our FLGS closing a bit early.
My knowledge of the game, and again poor note taking excluded important details of this battle. I am moving on to report # 2 now, as our match the subsequent week proved even more cinematic!
There are no photos from this first game.
Monty Haul Moment: Fox used several Tua and Kroot as stand in for his elves, removing them first as casualties. We didn’t let him forget that during the evening. If only we had pictures of such an anomaly.
Until next time, raise your banners high.