Rangers of Shadow Deep - The Broken Stairs

After a quick bite to eat (potato wedges, as Mark and the others were keen to get started), I settled in for the next instalment of the Rangers of Shadow Deep campaign.

We were up to mission 3, scenario 1: The Broken Stairs. Basically the table was at a 60 degree incline, and the warband would have to descend the winding staircase slowly, because if you made a second move (i.e. run) you'd have to pass a climb test. Again if you missed it: if you made a second move you'd have to pass a climb test. Pass a climb test. Problem is that we only had 10 turns to make it and the whole time we'd be swarmed by giant flies. There were three fly holes that they would spawn from (that could be destroyed with fire), along with one tantalising chest off the path. Tantalising. Off the path.

This time I'll be playing Magog - a knight with a crossbow and sword (I may be wrong - it's been a busy week), while Jono T would control Caitweazel the sorceress. Dave T and Mark R would also be controlling their respective characters.

Things started off well enough, but Jono decided to start off the path. Way off the path. I was getting a sense of déjà vu.

As the random event cards were drawn, it became clear that burning the fly holes (that were off the path), wasn't worth the effort as a lot of the cards allowed the flies to restart particular fly holes. So we just went ahead and (easily) killed the flies that were in our way. Sometimes, when they swarmed, did they become more than a nuisance.

Then I realised I was ahead of schedule in making it off the table and had a chance of getting to the chest as well.

I got greedy and went off the path.

I failed my climb test and fell over. Jono (who had managed to see the folly of his ways and got on the path halfway down), had been pretty good with his tests. He got greedy too near the end (or was he role playing?) and his companion who left the path for the chest, fell 6" down the slope and thereby made it off the table in time.

But we made it. A simple scenario, but while you think you have options, you really don't due to the tight turn limit. Looking forward to the next game.

A Song of Ice and Fire and Rangers of Shadow Deep Introduction Games

After a few months hiatus I was back at the League and Mark had his beautifully painted A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) miniatures from Cool Mini or Not (CMON) that he was itching to get out on the table. He provided both sides and we spent the morning playing a brutal game (I got slaughtered to a man!).

First impressions? The mechanics are elegant, the miniatures beautiful, and just like the background there's an element of strategy happening off the battlefield that I like (the constant command decision pressure of deciding to move a unit and risk my opponent seizing an area of the tactics board which is also needed or vice versa). I can't see myself getting into the game (way too many projects!), but if you like Game of Thrones and all that then this is pretty good at recreating the world. Although it's marketed to some degree as a boardgame, it's very much a wargame.

The afternoon session had me stepping into Jack's character for a Rangers of Shadow Deep game, run by Mark with Dave T, his son Jonathan and Bruce. I was flying blind for most of it, but picked up the basic elements pretty quickly. There were three rooms our band had to fight through, the knolls giving us a hard time. I controlled a Wizard, Caitweazel (I assume a variation of Catweazle) and an unnamed red shirt companion.

I had to leave just as the third room was entered, so got the update from Mark. Both Bruce and David's characters fell in the final room (mercifully surviving their injuries when rolled for later) as did all of the remaining companions. This left Mark's Ranger and Caitweazel (played by Jonathan) to struggle through, which they did, if only just thanks to some lucky shots with Mark's crossbow. A staircase was found at the end, so the scenario was won but possibly with a deficit in the next scenario.

Lost Battle of Barad Duin Between Elves and Orcs

[Note - this post was published in May 2021 after I came across the photos from May 2015 in my phone. I had no background in my emails, etc of what the scenario was, but after talking to Bruce he found his notes.]

Bruce and I got out our Lord of the Rings miniatures to play a large scenario of Games Workshop's War of the Ring rules. He fielded his trusty elves, I the orcs and trolls of Mordor (with some of Bruce's orcs).

As this game was played when the League of Ancient meetings were still held at the German Club Tivoli on Dandenong Road I decided to name the battle in honour of that time. Dandenong is likely to mean "high" or "lofty" in the language of the indigenous Boon wurrung and Woiwurrung people of the Kulin nation, and translating "Lofty River" into Tolkien's Sindarin language I came with the appropriately sounding 'Lost Battle of Barad Duin' for this encounter. The ruined tower could also fit that name as being a "water keep".

We played using a modified Hold the Line scenario (from the third edition of the Flames of War WWII rules).

The details of the scenario were:

1. Game length is eight turns.
2. There are three objectives. Winner is the side that controls 2+ at the end (objectives are a ruined tower, wooded hill and bridge).
3. Elves deploy first, occupying two of the objectives (ruined tower and wooded hill), which are defensible terrain.
4. Third objective (bridge) is just outside of the orc force deployment zone.
5. Half of the elf force is in reserve. From turn one, the elf player must throw 4+ on a D6 to receive reserves (1 formation per successful throw). Elf players adds 1D6 each turn for the reserves roll.
6. Apart from any formations that may deploy in ambush as part of their description, the elf player may have half of their formations deployed in ambush. 
7. Elf ambushers must be outside of 24 inches if in open, outside of eight if in cover. 
8. Orcs deploy entire force.
9. Throw as usual for initiative.

Terrain was as per the War of the Ring rulebook, except for the stream and road. The stream did not slow formations crossing but prevented the ability to double move when crossing, and formations had to be adjacent to it at start of their turn to be able to cross it. The road allowed formations to double move, even if they did not have a captain/hero, but they must have been on the road for their entire move and be in column.

This game represented a small skirmish to defend the borders of Lothlorien from an orc incursion. Those elf formations were not as flimsy as they look. One was led by Galadriel. Also, there were a lot of them (the first photo doesn't have all the formations in reserve and in ambush).

From what I can remember I charged forward, Bruce tried to stem the tide, but five trolls are hard to stop. Eventually he did though and the elves were able to win the day, in particular when an ent strolled in and killed the last troll holding the tower.

Talking to Bruce six years later he also isn't sure how I lost but is it a quirk of the rules that Monsters can't hold objectives (but they can obviously clear them).

Bruce - I will happily go for a rematch any day. With less trolls too.

Mara (Tibetan Demons)

I received some of the Garden of Kama's Mara miniatures. They're Tibetan (Buddhist) demons, inspired by this image:

They are about 40mm tall and I put them on 40mm bases. Lovely detail sculpted by Andrew May.

I painted these with a lot of washes and used white and gold to touch them up. No idea what I'll use them for - but they paint up really well and the detail on them is very good.
 

They're available from the same company that produces the Tékumel Project range of 28mm miniatures. The complete set sells for CAD30 including separate heads and hands. Tékumel Club discounts apply even though they are part of the part of the Garden of Kama range and so not strictly Tékumel: https://lohwand.blogspot.com/p/the-garden-of-kama.html.

Ordering is a little complicated, but as stated you can get a discount on them through the Tékumel Club: http://thetekumelclub.blogspot.com/p/tekumel-club.html.

Definitely would like to see more in this style for a setting almost completely ignored.

Siege of Lothlorien - War of the Ring AAR

I have been playing a little bit of War of the Ring (Games Workshop's take on massed battles in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe) lately. It's a nice elegant system, all contained in one rulebook (though there is one extra army book with more specialised army lists). I like it as it flows nicely and I get to use most of my LotR miniatures (blue chip investments). The only modification needed (as with many GW games) is to limit the use of characters. A common modification in our circle is to have one character for each full 1000 points in play. Size wise 1000 - 2000 points gives you a good game in a couple of hours.

Bruce K, Brad H and I played a 1500 point game at the July League of Ancients wargaming club meet (I commanded the forces of Mordor). The following armies were used:

Elf and Dwarf Army
Radagast the Brown - 160 points

Wood Elves with longbow - 135 points
x3 companies (120), Longbows (15)

Wood Elves with longbow - 135 points
x3 companies (120), Longbows (15)

High Elf Archer Regiment - 300 points
x5 companies (300)

Galadhrim Knight Regiment - 250 points
x5 companies (250)

Dwarf Warrior Kinband - 120 points
x3 companies (120), Dwarf Captain (50), Shieldbearer (25)

Dwarf Warrior Kinband - 120 points
x3 companies (120), shields (free)

Dwarf Archer Kinband - 105 points
x3 companies (105)

Ent - 125 points

Easterling and Mordor Army
Khamûl the Easterling - 125 points

Easterling Kataphrakt Cohort - 205 points
x3 companies (105), Easterling Captain (50), Banner Bearer (35), Easterling Drummer (15)

Easterling Archer Cohort - 70 points
x2 companies (70)

Easterling Cohort - 325 points
x3 companies (90), Easterling Captain (50), Banner Bearer (35), Easterling Drummer (15), Dragon Knight (35), War Priest (100)

Morannon Orc Warband - 185 points
x4 companies (80), shields (20), Orc Captain (50), Banner Bearer (35)

Morannon Orc Warband - 185 points
x4 companies (80), shields (20), Orc Captain (50), Banner Bearer (35)

Warg Rider Warband - 75 points
x3 companies (60), shields (15)

Mordor Troll - 100 points

Mordor Troll - 100 points

Mordor Troll - 100 points

The battle generator in the book makes you roll for both objectives and deployment. We rolled Seize the Prize for the objectives (5 fluid counters that are seized by the units, but can be lost during the battle) and Battle for the Pass for deployment (deploying length-wise along the table).

Deployment:

Elf and Dwarves: dwarf bowmen (right flank), Wood Elves in the forest, High Elves, knights, Wood Elves, Dwarves (left flank). The Ent was in ambush (and never came out of his woods). It had nothing to do with his general forgetting about him 😛.

Easterlings and Mordor: trolls (left flank), Easterlings, Easterling archers (in a walled field), Easterling Kataphrakts, Morannon orcs (x2) (right flank).

The game was a race to the one lone objective in the middle of the table, which the elven knights rushed out to seize in turn one (see photo above). The forces of evil knew that they had to rush forwards to try and grab these objective(s) back, and to avoid the hail of arrow fire that would surely rain down on them. The plan was for a right flank punch, with the trolls set free to cause chaos on the left flank.

The elves rained a hail of arrows down on their enemy, but their low strength and high toughness of the orcs and trolls meant that there wasn't many deaths before the lines hit.



During the magic phases though, the forces of good did manage to banish Khamûl which redressed the balance to some extent.



On the left, only one troll was taken down before they reached the dwarves, who in turn died in droves.



This was all a side show to the main battle on the other side of the battle, where the fifth objective changed sides a few times and eventually was seized off a unit of orcs by the dwarves for a marginal victory by the forces of good in the last turn of the game.

We stumbled through the game a little, but considering it had been a few months (and the evil commanders have only played a few games - all this year), we were able to enjoy ourselves and not forget too many rules.

I highly recommend the game to those looking to expand from the LotR skirmish game, and also to those (with a few modifications) looking for a massed battle game for historical battles.

War of the Ring - First Time Using Magic

Originally I had organised to play War of the Ring's Siege of Lothlorien scenario, but plans sometimes fall through as Bruce was unable to make the March League of Ancients meet.

Instead Brad H and I pitted our forces of Mordor against Mark R's Misty Mountain goblins.

It was the first time I used magic and I definitely think no more than one magic-user per side and only one Epic/Legendary hero is the way to go with WotR. Like most Games Workshop games, the basic mechanics are clean and elegant, creating a fun but nevertheless rather subtle game. It is the overpowered nature of characters that can slow things down.

Bruce also recommended afterwards that only one character for each full 1000 points in your force.

Looking forward to more games in the future.