A SCENARIO FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS
BY ROSS WATSON
As seen in The Return of The King film, Minas Morgul is the home of the Witch-king, from where he marshals his forces for Sauron's final attack against Gondor. The history of Minas Morgul and the city of Minas Ithil, as it was once called, is discussed in the Siege of Gondor book.
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Men of Gondor struggle to hold off the Witch-king's forces at the base of the Tower of the Rising Moon. |
Minas Ithil was once a proud city, standing watch over Mordor and also serving as the home of a palantir. Early in the Third Age, Gondor’s forces became thinly spread in an attempt to assist the beleaguered realm of Arnor against the attacks of the Witch-king. Soon, the garrison at Minas Ithil was reduced, making the city vulnerable.
The Witch-king gathered an army and, along with the other Nazgûl, launched a major assault against Minas Ithil. The Witch-king's goal was not simple conquest – he was also to seize the palantir from the Tower of the Rising Moon for his dark lord, Sauron.
After a siege that lasted for 2 years, the Witch-king managed to breach the defences and conquer the city. The city came to be known as Minas Morgul, a place of darkness and death, and the once-beautiful Tower of the Rising Moon became corrupted into the Tower of Sorcery.
This scenario represents the last stubborn defenders of Minas Ithil struggling to defend the Tower of the Rising Moon from the cold grasp of the Witch-king. Although the Men of Gondor are doomed, they still have the blood of Númenor in their veins, so they seek to sell their lives as dearly as possible.
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The Witch-king and his Orc Captain move in for the kill. |
The Free Peoples. Consist of Minas Ithil's reduced garrison, including a Captain of Gondor with heavy armour and shield, 10 Warriors of Gondor, 6 Warriors of Gondor with bows, 6 Warriors of Gondor with spears, 6 Warriors of Gondor with shields, 4 Citadel Guard, 3 Citadel Guard with longbows, and 3 Citadel Guard with spears.
The Forces of Darkness. Consist of the Witch-king, an Orc Captain, 9 Orc Warriors, 9 Orc Warriors with spears, and 8 Orc Warriors with bows.
POINTS MATCH
If you want to play this game with other forces, choose 330 points of troops for both sides. For larger scale battles using all nine Nazgûl, the forces on both sides should begin roughly equal to 1,300 points and scale up from there.
LAYOUT
You will need an area that is at least 48"/120 cm square. The whole area represents the battered centre of Minas Ithil surrounding the Tower of the Rising Moon. Due to the aftermath of the Witch-king's siege, rubble is blocking all but two entrances to the area.
The Tower of the Rising Moon occupies the centre of the battlefield and should be at least 8"/20 cm in diameter. The ground near the tower is littered with fallen masonry and makeshift barricades placed by the defenders to provide cover and defensive barriers. The map gives an example of how you might set this situation up. The rules for fighting over barriers can be found in the Strategy Battle Game rulebook. It is highly recommended that the Defender takes advantage of the defensive barricades.
STARTING POSITIONS
The Good player deploys his force anywhere on the board, but no further than 8"/20 cm from the Tower of the Rising Moon.
The Evil player deploys his force within 3"/8 cm of the two entrances (each of which is 6"/15 cm wide). The Evil player may split his force however he wishes between the two entrances.
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The last defender of Minas Ithil faces his doom. |
The Good side wins if it can make a stand worthy of Gondor and kill the Witch-king OR if it can slay the Orc Captain and 15 Orcs. If the Good side kills at least 10 Orcs and the Orc Captain before it is wiped out, the game is a draw. The Evil side wins if the Good side accomplished neither of these objectives.
SPECIAL RULES
Last Stand. The Men of Gondor face almost certain death in the form of the Witch-king and his army. The Defenders are resolved to fight to the last no matter the odds. No Good models need to take Courage tests.
Relentless Assault. The forces of the Witch-king are too strong to be stopped. For every Orc that falls, more are waiting to enter the fray. When an Orc is slain, the Evil player may put it aside to be used as part of his reinforcements. At the end of each of the Evil player's Move phases, he may roll a D6 for each model currently set aside as a reinforcement. On a roll of a 4+, that model may be brought onto the battlefield as a reinforcement, moving in from any of the entrances. Reinforcements may not charge on the turn they enter the battle.
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Related Articles:
Ambush on the Road to Rivendell | A
Red Day at Pelennor Fields | Last
Alliance Scenarios
Gaming in Mordor | Mordor
Tactics
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