FORCES OF EVIL POST-GAME CONCLUSIONS

Ty Finocchiaro

Ty: The deployment of Ensnared Frodo + crushing Tentacle left little for me to decide. I placed them behind a rock and as far away from the Fellowship as possible to avoid arrows. The rules for set up become a bit ambiguous in it's wording when it comes to the remaining Tentacles, but we agreed that it made sense to have them all start somewhere within the pool. So, they were forced to be placed at the far end of the table.

I figured the game would involve me crushing Frodo early on, as the rest of the Fellowship turned tail for the table in an attempt at a scenario "win." However, it looks like Bryan is indeed an honourable fool with a heart of gold. So, he set out to rescue Frodo against all the odds... and lost.

Legolas did make this difficult goal seem attainable as he managed to shoot Frodo out of the Tentacle's grasp on the very first try. This archery merely stalled my attempts, as I snatched Frodo up the following turn and began the squeezing, which didn't go so well. Frodo proved to be very resistant to my Evil intentions as I rolled plenty of 1s and 2s. No matter — there will plenty of crushing turns ahead, and at the time there were other juicy targets to nab!

Bryan bravely committed the Fellowship to the pool and began battling the Tentacles. The results were none too favorable for him. The high Fight skill of my Tentacles enabled me to win a few tied combats, and — surprisingly — Gandalf and Boromir were silenced in a single deadly round of combat, though Frodo managed to hang in there.

With things looking bad, Bryan wasn't thinking clear. Instead of sending in Legolas or Sam as invaluable models to tie up the Tentacles, they ran for the exit. Bryan really wanted to get them off the table unscathed so he could roll for their depleted characteristic points. In my opinion, this line of thought cost him dearly. Without a few extra hands, Aragorn and Gimli had no chance of ever reaching Frodo. Heroic moves, priority... Nothing would aid them, as there were simply too many Tentacles to face. Heck, I had so many of them that I even sent two over land in attempt to crush the cowardly bow-totin' Legolas. In the end, Bryan could only sit back and watch as the screaming Frodo was dragged under the waters of the pool for an Evil victory.

The after-game rolls were equally disastrous for Bryan. As I had won the scenario, I could force a single re-roll. I used it when Bryan rolled a 1 and a 4 for Frodo's Wound recovery. Bryan picked up the 4... and dropped a 2. Frodo was out of Might points, and Aragorn's healing could not revive the Hobbit, so, it's the end of the road for Frodo. Hopefully, the Mithril Shirt that Frodo's wearin' won't give my beloved Watcher indigestion.

This situation left us with the question of who carries The Ring. The campaign rules take this sad possibility into account and allow you to pass The Ring onto to another member of the Fellowship. In this case, Bryan chose Gandalf. The consequences are dire for the new Ringbearer. Every time the model wishes to move or do anything, it must take a Courage test. If this roll fails, that's it: game over — Sauron wins as The Ring consumes the bearer, and they run off to Mordor. Gandalf is a smart choice, as he has a high Courage value and tons of Will points to boost any dismal rolls. However, Gandalf can't stick around forever... next up, Balin's Tomb. I really hope to give the shattered Fellowship a sound beating at the hands of some irate Goblins along with the Cave Troll.

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