Mat Ward

Mat: Although I've said it before about The Lord of The Rings scenarios; don't skimp on the terrain. While playtesting this scenario, we found that the game was far more dynamic and enjoyable with a large amount of ruins and rubble in the centre of the table. Such a wealth of defendable obstacles and difficult terrain really helped evoke the idea of a running battle between the Orcs and Men.

The early game in this scenario belongs to the Orcs. With the Warriors of Gondor outnumbered and leaderless at the start of the game you can really hit them hard, using your Captain's Might to hammer through any defences that may be set up. The main thorn in your flesh is the presence of Faramir's Rangers who can both outshoot and outfight you. The best thing to do is to ignore them for as long as you can – there are enough Warriors of Gondor trapped within the ruins to break the Good force without dealing with those irritating Rangers.

Correspondingly, the forces of Good have a difficult start. The key to successfully surviving until help arrives lies with using the terrain. Defended obstacles are your friend and can help to improve your odds and give the Rangers time to arrive. How you use Faramir's group will almost certainly depend on where the bulk of the Orc threat lies: if the Orcs are crowded near Faramir's entry point, you can charge in and kill them the hard way, otherwise you can pepper them with arrows. Damrod's group is pretty much the same except you can bring them on wherever they're most needed, which can really get you out of a tight spot!

En route to Osgiliath, the Men of Gondor find themselves under attack from all sides.

DESCRIPTION

A column of Gondor soldiery is marching back to Minas Tirith, unaware that two Orc forces are converging on it from the north and the south. Fortunately, the northern advance has been discovered by a patrol of Rangers led by Faramir, son of Denethor.

Faramir has come south in an attempt to warn the column, while leaving his chief lieutenant, Damrod, to delay the northern Orcs. Slowed by Orc scouts, Faramir arrives too late to warn the column and finds the battle underway with many of the Men of Gondor slain. Meanwhile, the shrunken northern Orc force appears on the battlefield, with the remains of Damrod's Rangers in hot pursuit...

PARTICIPANTS

The Good side consists of 8 Warriors of Gondor with spears and shields, 8 Warriors of Gondor with bows, and 8 Warriors of Gondor with hand weapons and shields.

In addition, to represent the surviving Rangers of Gondor, the Good side also has both Faramir, Damrod, and 12 Rangers of Gondor armed with bows and hand weapons.

If you are playing this scenario as part of the mini-campaign covered in previous issues, use the Rangers and Heroes that have survived the other scenarios instead (for example: if Faramir was slain in 'Faramir's Escape' he cannot take part in this battle).

In the southern force of Orcs, the Evil side has 1 Orc Captain (on foot), 10 Orcs with hand weapons and shields, 10 Orcs with spears, 5 Orcs with two-handed weapons, and 5 Orcs with bows.

In addition, to represent the survivors of the northern force, the Evil side has a further 10 Orcs with hand weapons and shields, 5 Warg Riders with bows, and 1 Orc Captain riding a Warg. If you are playing this scenario as part of the mini-campaign covered in previous issues, use the Orcs, Warg Riders, and Heroes that have survived the other scenarios instead.

POINTS MATCH

If you want to play this game with other forces, choose at least 400 points of troops for each side.

LAYOUT

Scenario map - click to enlarge.

The scenario is played on a board 48"/120cm by 72"/180cm. In the centre of the board are several ruined buildings, around which the Gondor column has taken refuge (see map). A small wood is located along one of the short table edges. A tall hill (2-4" high is ideal) should be located along one of the long board edges (but no closer than 12"/28cm to the ruins) to represent where Faramir and his Rangers arrive. The remainder of the board is covered with occasional trees, rocky outcrops, and hills.

STARTING POSITIONS

The Good player deploys his Warriors of Gondor within 6"/14cm of the centre of the board. He then deploys Faramir's force on the tall hill (if using the standard forces for this scenario then this is Faramir and half the Rangers of Gondor, otherwise it is whatever survived 'Faramir's Escape').

The Evil player then deploys his southern force of Orcs anywhere within 6"/14cm of the Warriors of Gondor. He may then deploy the north force within 6"/14cm of the wooded short table edge.

OBJECTIVES

Whichever side breaks the opposing side first will win.

SPECIAL RULES

Damrod. After his attack on the Orc force, Damrod has led his surviving men south to link up with Faramir. To represent Damrod's late arrival on the battlefield, each turn after the first, the Good player may roll a D6 after he has finished moving his other models. On the roll of 4+, Damrod and his Rangers arrive and may move on from a table edge of the Good player's choice.

Related Articles:
Creating Your Own Scenarios
Faramir's Escape | Damrod's Gambit

Online Store:
Faramir & Damrod | Faramir's Rangers of Gondor | Mordor Orcs | Warg Riders