DESCRIPTION

This is a scenario to re-enact Gwaihir's dramatic rescue of Gandalf from the clutches of Saruman. Gandalf is exhausted and powerless, but still refuses to join with the corrupt Saruman. Perched atop the Tower of Orthanc, he sends out a plea for help. The great eagle Gwaihir responds, and flies towards Orthanc to rescue the beleaguered wizard.

PARTICIPANTS

On the Good side is Gandalf and Gwaihir.
On the Evil side is Saruman, 24 Orcs with bows and 4 Orc Captains with bows.

POINTS MATCH

To introduce more variety, the Evil side can pick different troops rather than Orcs. The Evil force must always include Saruman. In addition to him, the Evil force can be made up of Evil Heroes (maximum four) and warriors with a maximum total value of 350 points. All models that can have bows must be equipped with them.

LAYOUT

The game is played on a 72"/168cm x 48"/112cm table. In one corner, within 6"/14cm of the two table edges is the Tower of Orthanc. The rest of the board is covered in all manner of rocks, pits and anything that looks Orcy and nasty!

STARTING POSITIONS

Both Saruman and Gandalf are placed on the top of the Tower of Orthanc. Gwaihir is placed in the opposite corner from the tower, no further than 3"/7cm away from the table edges. Divide the board into four quarters - in each quarter the Evil player must place six Orcs and a single Captain, although they may be deployed anywhere within that table quarter.

OBJECTIVES

The Good side wins if Gwaihir rescues Gandalf by flying off the table through the same table corner from which he started the game. If Gwaihir or Gandalf are killed, the Evil side wins.

Gwaihir races to rescue Gandalf.

SPECIAL RULES

To pick up Gandalf, Gwaihir must end his movement touching the tower. From that moment, Gandalf is born aloft by Gwaihir. In his exhausted and wounded state, Gandalf is incapable of doing much, and so cannot move and cannot cast spells. He has no points of Might, and doesn't have his staff (and so does not get his free point of Will each turn). However, he still has 3 points of Fate and 3 points of Will. Gandalf may use his Will to resist Saruman's spells as normal, even though he cannot cast spells himself.

Saruman cannot do anything until Gwaihir has picked up Gandalf. Up to that moment he is unaware of the Eagle's approach, being too busy trying to 'persuade' his 'old friend' to join his cause. From that point on he may move (though only around the top of the tower) and may cast spells as normal. Saruman has his full complement of Will, Fate and Might points.

USING MAGICAL POWERS AGAINST MOUNTED MODELS

If a model employs a magical power (such as Immobilise, for example) against a mounted model, the rider is always the target of the spell, since we assume he is in control of his own steed’s movement. If the rider is affected, then the steed is affected as well (the entire model is immobilised in the case of the above magical power). Of course, if the rider has any Will available and wishes to use it, he gets a chance to resist the spell normally. If the steed happens to be a Hero as well (a very rare occasion) and has any points of Might or Will, they can be used by the rider when he is attempting to resist the spell.

The exception to this rule is the Sorcerous Blast power. In this case, if the power is not resisted, both the steed and the rider are moved back D6"/2D6 cm, both suffer a Strength 5 hit, the rider is automatically thrown and both the rider and his steed are knocked to the ground.

Cavalry models in the path of a model that has been blasted away by a Sorcerous Blast (or fighting it in close combat) suffer a similar fate. Both the steed and the rider are moved aside, both suffer a Strength 3 hit, the rider is automatically thrown and both the rider and his steed are knocked to the ground. Nasty!

GWAIHIR'S Q&A

Q: What happens if Gwaihir is flying and is hit by a Sorcerous Blast? And what if he’s carrying a rider at the time?
A: The same results described for a mounted model hit by a Sorcerous Blast apply, except that the eagle and its rider are not knocked to the ground. If Gwaihir is carrying a rider, the rider is automatically thrown and plummets to his death, but if he can use a point of Fate and successfully makes the roll, he is caught in mid air by the Eagle and suffers no additional damage. Note that Gwaihir is allowed to use his point of Might to modify the Hero ’s Fate roll.

Q: What happens if Gwaihir is killed while flying and carrying a rider?
A: As described in the rulebook, the rider plummets to the ground and automatically loses all his wounds. He can use points of Fate as normal to reduce the damage, in which case we assume that the Eagle makes a heroic crash landing with its last strength.

Q: Can I target Gwaihir while he is flying if my model’s line of sight to the Eagle is obstructed by a rock?
A: Terrain and models do not block the line of sight of models attempting to shoot at Gwaihir while he is flying, as the Eagle is assumed to be far higher than any model or piece of scenery. Ignore anything that stands between Gwaihir and the model shooting at him.

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Other Isengard Scenarios:
Ambush at Amon Hen | The Butchers of Isengard | War of Saruman
A New Power is Rising | The Wrath of Rohan