INTRODUCTION
The Two Towers introduces a number of new elements to The Lord of The Rings, one of the most exciting being the Riders of Rohan. Of course, in order to use the massed ranks of cavalry in The Two Towers there are a number of important additions to The Lord of The Rings Strategy Battle Game, one of which is the rules for using cavalry in your games.

In The Fellowship of The Ring, the action ends with the members of the Fellowship breaking up and going their separate ways. As The Two Towers begins, Merry and Pippin, the irrepressible Hobbits, have been captured by the Fighting Uruk-hai, and are being taken across the Plains of Rohan to Isengard into the clutches of Saruman. As the Uruk-hai flee they are joined by a detachment of Mordor Orcs sent by Sauron who is keen to find out just what Saruman is planning. Although the Evil force is being hunted down by Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, it is the Riders of Rohan led by Éomer who find the evil ones first, skulking on the edge of the forest of Fangorn. The resulting battle is a tense struggle where the Uruk-hai and Orcs are determined to escape with their captives to the relative safety of Fangorn, whilst the Riders of Rohan are determined to exterminate every last enemy, unaware that Merry and Pippin are trapped in the thick of the action...

The Wrath of Rohan - Click to enlarge.

DESCRIPTION
In this battle, Merry and Pippin have been captured by a band of Uruk-hai who are taking them to their master Saruman for interrogation. The Uruk-hai have been joined by a group of smaller Mordor Orcs – quarrelsome servants of Sauron. Together they have reached the edge of the Fangorn forest where their camp has been surrounded by Riders of Rohan. The Riders prepare to attack and destroy the evil creatures. The Evil player must try to break out with his captives before he is destroyed, whilst the Good player must attempt to destroy the Evil warriors before they retreat into the forest.

PARTICIPANTS
On the Good side are Merry, Pippin, Éomer and a Captain of Rohan with eight Riders of Rohan and eight Riders of Rohan with throwing spears.

On the Evil side are Grishnákh and Uglúk (he is a normal Uruk-hai Captain equipped with armour, shield and sword), ten Uruk-hai with sword and shield, five Orcs with sword and shield and five Orcs with bows.

POINTS MATCH
If you want to play this game with different forces choose an equal points value for each side of at least 500 points per side. No more than a third (33%) of either side may be armed with shooting weapons.

LAYOUT
The battle takes place at the edge of the forest of Fangorn. One side of the table is the forest itself. The Orc camp is set up no closer than 30"/70cm from the forest's edge. There are a few scattered trees and patches of difficult terrain, becoming greater in number closer to the forest.

STARTING POSITIONS
The Evil side's models are deployed first in the area around their camp, as shown on the map. The Riders of Rohan are set up along the edge opposite Fangorn Forest on a line no closer than 12"/28cm to the Orc camp as shown on the map.

Merry and Pippin are placed in the centre of the Orc camp where they are being held prisoner. Each Hobbit must be placed next to a nominated Orc or Uruk-hai 'guard', as noted in the special rules.

The Riders begin along a short table edge, while the Uruk-hai begin encamped at the centre.

OBJECTIVES
The Evil side wins if it can get either Merry or Pippin off the board on the forest side. Any Uruk-hai or Orc casualties sustained are not important – all that matters is getting the prisoners back to Isengard or Mordor.

If both Hobbits are slain before they reach Fangorn, the Evil side loses – it needs to keep at least one Hobbit alive for interrogation.

The Good side wins if both Merry and Pippin reach the safety of Fangorn Forest by moving off the board on the forest side, unaccompanied by Orc or Uruk-hai guards. The Good side also wins if it destroys all the Orcs and Uruk-hai before the Evil side achieves its own victory conditions. Any Orcs or Uruk-hai that leave the table are considered casualties and so count towards a Good victory.

Éomer leads the Rohirrim in a valiant charge against the Uruk-hai of Isengard.

SPECIAL RULES
Hobbit Prisoners – At the start of the game Merry and Pippin are prisoners in the Orc camp. The Evil player must assign one Orc or Uruk-hai 'guard' to be placed next to each Hobbit so that they touch (alternatively, you may use the Uruk-hai models carrying Merry and Pippin if you own them). A Hobbit cannot be moved by the Good player so long as the assigned guard is touching its Hobbit. Instead, the prisoner is moved by the Evil player along with the guard and at the guard's own speed. Hobbit prisoners have no 'control zone' and so don't prevent other Evil models moving nearby. If the guard is engaged in combat, move the Hobbit aside to allow the Rohirrim to move in.

A Hobbit prisoner may not fight unless attacked by his own guard. This isn't likely to happen. as the Evil side needs to keep the Hobbits alive to win… but you know what these evil types are like so don't be too sure!

A Hobbit may not be passed from one guard to another. Each Hobbit remains with the original nominated guard until one of them is slain. This means the Evil player must develop a strategy to protect the guards – he cannot rely on simply passing the Hobbits from one to the other.

The Hobbit is automatically freed if his Orc or Uruk-hai guard is killed. Once free, the Hobbit moves and fights exactly like any other model on the Good side. A Hobbit can be recaptured. Any Uruk-hai or Orc that defeats a Hobbit in a fight that involves no other Good models will recapture him automatically. The Uruk-hai/Orc strikes no blows but takes the Hobbit prisoner instead, becoming his new guard.

The Rohirrim are not aware of the Hobbits' presence, so the Good side can shoot at a guard if the player wishes. However, any hits will be randomised as if Merry or Pippin were in combat with their guard, so this represents a very risky and rather desperate tactic for the Good side.

Hobbit Wargear – The Hobbits are captives and so have no wargear at all in this scenario. If they succeed in escaping their guards, they fight with daggers which we imagine they have picked up from the debris of battle.

Related Articles:
Defence of The Westfold | The Butchers of Isengard