Battle Report - Middle Earth Isengard Vs the Mighty Ents #MESBG

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been a bit busy recently with things so it's been about 3 weeks since I last rocked up at Otty's shed for some game time. After some suggestions that a change in venue is forthcoming it would seem like he's started, but more on that at the end. In the mean time Liam from Blue Warp Studios is continuing his unofficial one man challenge of painting every Middle Earth faction! I mean he's also muscling in on my Dark Angel territory, but they're not the only children of the forest he's been working on - he has Ents! A couple of the characters and kitbashes and then a week or two slap-chopping and flocking them and here were are. He and Ben teamed up with the trees while Otty and I went Isengard. Don't ask me what mission, I wasn't paying attention! But half your army is within a 6" strip on one side of the centre, the other half is in the 6" strip on your board edge and vice versa. This is partway through turn 1 where I'd deployed my orc scouts and crossbows thinking Liam might split his force and not get a turn 2 charge on the Ballista - my tree-killing 'ace in the hole'. It turns out he didn't split his force, or even bother with the Ballista - just went from my scouts.

The Ballista managed to hit, avoid the inbetween and actually hit Treebeard, rather than scatter onto the other character Beechbone. Ultimately I had to use the Ballista captain's Might point to get the wound off. But then the trees just started stomping on Orcs.

The other three surged up the battlefield, thanks to Quickbeam calling a March. He's 'fast' with an 8" move but he was moving 11", with the two other trees marching 9". They'd be in my lines next turn. 

And as you can see there's a lot less there now. It didn't help that Merry and Pippin actually killed an Orc throwing stones at them. Otty is his bringing his force into the mix, but the Ballista couldn't hit a barn door after it's initial promise. W got lucky and won a duel against Treebeard, who was trapped and we started to do damage, but by using all his fate and might he was still alive on 1 wound.

Our casualties started to pile up, made even worse by the amended Demolition Charge rules. It transpires you can only set it off, if you're in range of two enemy models. Otty just couldn't position them in such a way to set it off without putting the team in danger of being charged before they could. It was mightily underwhelming, almost as bad as the Ballista. 

But we pressed on and thanks to repeatedly trapping the trees some crossbow and scout orcs managed to fell Beechbone "TIMBER!" Yes, they then neatly stacked him into a woodpile. 

A turn later and Quickbeam also succumbed. Now you may get the impression we were turning the tide. and on paper perhaps we'd made a comeback. We were 1 point behind, and if we killed Treebeard, who only had 1 wound left, we'd be 2 in front. But the Orcs were broken, the Demolition Team dead and the hail Mary, of shooting the Ballista at Treebeard, which hit, but had an 'in the way' for the Demo Charge... but hoping it would set it off - wound 4+ and explode on a 6. We wounded the charge on a 6 and got a 5 to explode! No joy.

We continued on way past sensible o'clock, but it was such a great game. Our dice were shocking. Ben's rolling was obscene. Any time he needed a 6 he got one. Every duel I had with him if he rolled first he got max 5 and my roll would be max 5, meaning he would win the duel thanks to the Ents having a higher fight value. Even when Otty did win a duel we couldn't convert. The two dead Ents were anomalies rather strategic wins. But we had so much fun, I'd say it was a blast, but that brings up bad memories of the Demo Charge. I can't see that in Otty's lists in future. 

Here's a few more pics of Liam's Ents. There are a couple more to make the full list.

And lastly, Otty has been busy extending the decking around his summer house. The gaming shed is currently  up past the bush at the back and we're walking on his grass which can be a bit messy. The shed itself is having its roof removed to reuse the wood in a larger structure, with the current shed becoming Otty and his wife's workshop. It's all going to be mighty epic in the end.

Battle Report - Middle Earth #MESBG

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been playing games again but sadly, although I've taken many pictures of the games I haven't found the time to write them up and so most of them are somewhat redundant. It also meant that when I had a game of MESBG recently I didn't take as many pics and then I was compelled to actually write it up so we'll make do. Otty is still buzzing from his Double's tournament at Warhammer World where he even got to play against Adam Troke. I played against his Moria army, with a Dweller and a Balrog the other week and it was hard going, this time I got to be the goblins and he had a large force of Rohirrim, with Théoden leading them. We were playing the Relic mission, where there are 6 objectives and if you end your turn next to them on six on a D6 it is the relic and you have to hold onto it until the game ends. However, it's a cursed item of power and you can become transfixed by it. On top of that it was maelstrom deployment - each of your army's warbands arrives randomly, or not at all, from board edges via dice roll. Otty won priority, he brought one warband on from the east, one from the west, the one from the south [the top middle] and his last warband didn't turn up. His cavalry picked up the banner objective on the left to inspect it, rolled a 6 and found the relic instantly! Which made my deployment somewhat easier. I got to deploy the Balrog force to the South, in an attempt to cut off the inevitable desperate escape the horse lords would attempt now they had my cursed banner. I also brought my Dweller on from the left, to shadow his force. I'm much less mobile so my Warg Marauder was the great grey hope... Unfortunately my last warband, led by Durbûrz, rolled a 1 to arrive, so didn't. I could have used Might points to increase the roll, but 1 or 2 points would have meant Otty getting to choose, which would be totally isolated. Using all Durbûrz's 3 Might points would have got me on north or south but that's all his resources so I left them off.

Next turn and I lose priority, we both try Heroic moves and I think I won so I managed to trap some of his force but forgot Grôblog has to move first and he was effectively surrounded by goblins so I couldn't move far enough to snag the banner, which promptly scampered off. The rest of Otty's Elfhelm warband went on to surround Grôblog. His final Warband arrived and came on in the top left corner to try and take my Balrog's force, but too far away.

My Balrog moved forward but it's only got a 6" move and the goblins 5" so it was wishful thinking. The Balrog has an 8" flaming whip attack, which killed a Royal guard but that was it. Durbûrz rolled a 2 for deployment, which meant Otty could deploy him, but I spent 2 Might to make it a 4 and bring him on from the south [top of the board]. I was hoping to scuttle between his middle warband and the one in the top right [out of shot]. Unfortunately the gap between them was 12-13" so they would be charged from either side next turn. So I moved them more towards the middle so if they did get charged it would be by only one warband, and it would pull them away from the Balrog. It worked, the next turn Theoden charged me, but also got the Warg Marauder too, which gave the banner chance to move further out of reach. Eventually my Marauder from the left caught two of the body guards but couldn't kill them.

However, the dweller caught one and Balrog caught the other which allowed the Marauder to slip between them and chase down the fleeing rider with the banner, who had not succumbed to its accursed powers so far.

Meanwhile Elflhelm decimated Grôblog and his warband was down to slim pickings at this stage.

Similarly my southern force was now caught between two of his warbands and Durbûrz was surrounded. I think I had one last chance for my Marauder to killer the rider with the relic, failed and with Otty getting the next turn's priority he would tie him up with infantry and the rider would make for the borders. A loss, but such a good game.

I'm not sure I've had a bad game of MESBG and despite some frustrations, cursed dice rolls and a loss as the dust settles it felt like such a cinematic game. Discovering the banner from the very beginning and racing it across the field as flaming demons stomped from the sides and behind was epic. Now Otty did say it wasn't a banner they found but Grôblog's Mithril crown, as he failed every chance to make his fight better for the warband around him but either way that race to escpae the board was awesome. I had some last ditch chances, some Marauder archers trying to pick him off long range and catching up with him right at the end but Moria just didn't have the pace.

Anyway, I love this game and I felt compelled to share it because the fact I can't get behind 10th edition 40k shouldn't overshadow then genuine hobby joy I'm getting from other game systems. It's disappointing I'm not getting the best out of the myriad of painted 40k figures I have, but it's a small price to pay for the pleasure and fun we're having at Otty's shed.

Not Battle Reports - Middle Earth Strategy Battle Games

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been playing games again, in fact a fair few but I haven't shared them with you because they take too long to write to so I struggle to fit them in rather than do the hobby, blog about the hobby or play the actual games. What I have here are three games of #MESBG, I'm not sure I can relay what happened but if I can convey just some of the joy I got from these games it's all that really matters. 

Otty and Ben are going to a MESBG doubles tournament at Warhammer World so Liam and I have been 'sparring' with them so they can familiarise themselves with the rules more and also help fine tune their army list.

Ben may have been absent for this game, so Otty's son subbed in. The rules have you in control of one half of the army and I had this half with a much feared dweller in the dark.

Otty's Moria Goblins had loads of Warg Marauders for speed and durability.

Liam charged forward with his Orcs, a lot faster than the Goblins I had, which I tried to use the rocks to hide behind. 

We were all trying to get the objective in the centre, behind the picket fence, which gave me an idea.

I put the Dweller in the picket, his bulk meaning no one could get into the area, unless they climbed over the fence - so I had the objective...

Or so I thought, the mission actually stated it was a 6" area and the player with the most in was the winner. I had assumed it was a 3" area and blocked off access to it. All I ended up doing was trapping my own monstrous creature who did nothing for the entire game - much to everyone's amusement. We got royally trounced thanks to this cock-up.

If I'm honest, I have no recollection of this game whatsoever, which is why these aren't battle reports.

I think I vaguely remember Otty being exceptionally lucky with his dice rolls, because I think the next time we played [Turnip28] he continued to roll hot.

But it didn't matter that I lost again, I had been having so much fun just playing and once again realising - not my figures, not my problem if I lose.

Ultimately I'm seeing my role as helping Otty get better, so if I win or lose it doesn't matter - being a good friend and having fun does!

This time we got all four of us to play, but Otty went with me and Liam partnered with Ben running Rohirrim and Gondor. I wasn't sure on the logic of this as Ben needs to get familiar with the Goblins rather than his own Gondorian warband. But they did pretty well by focusing on Otty's side of the battlefield.

It was a mission where the heroes had to rack up kills, Which meant Otty's Goblin Shaman and my Durbûrz were at something of a disadvantage to Liam's mounted Theodred.

He just seemed to slice through the Goblins and there was only one drama where Otty managed to shoot into combat, avoid numerous 'in the ways', hit Theodred's horse a couple of times and almost kill it, if not for some special rule that allowed Theodred to escape being unhorsed.

The game carried on with Otty's half getting decimated an my half out of position, struggling to join the fray, my Dweller once again doing almost nothing, again to everyone's amusement. Throw in the fact that Liam's dice were on fire - almost any time he needed a 6 it would magically appear to ensure he won a duel or kept somebody alive. Otty couldn't believe it, I was hysterically laughing. Genuinely one of the best night's gaming I'd had in ages. Doubles makes it so much better.

Not a Battle Report - Middle Earth Bolt Action

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been playing games again but this time something different. Otty loves Middle Earth, as is evident from the many games we've played in the Tolkien universe. He also is a massive WWII history buff and so is really into Bolt Action, which he loves as a games system. So, what if you could combine the two? Use the core Bolt Action rules and map various Middle Earth units and troop types to World War 2 equivalents... Well that's exactly what he's done. Once again I've left it far too long between having this amazing game and decided to record it so I have no recollection of what happened. Perhaps it'll come back to me as I go through the pictures.

What I can say, is I absolutely loved it. I've played Bolt Action 4  or 5 times I think, but this was so much fun. I mean the true WWII setting is always cinematic but this just played well and Otty's collection of figures are so cool too.

I love the mechanic of drawing order dice from a bag, randomly determining who gets to activate one [or more] units at a time. It means you have to think about the importance of who activates first and if the unit you're targeting has already moved or can you neutralise it before it gets a chance to.

Ah, some recollection! A flock of Crebain [big crows] took cover in the woods.

If I remember correctly I was really lucky early on. I think I was using the terrain effectively and this forced Otty to push forward quicker than he might have liked. I also pulled my crossbow skirmishers from my right flank to the centre. They weren't going to do anything on that side and it left his forces on my right out of position.

This meant my Troll became a massive thorn in his side. It behave similar to a tank, and causes fear in opponents, which meant every time a unit wanted to do something they had to take a fear test, which he kept failing meaning a lot of his army was impotent with fear.

My pike-orcs advanced toward the Rohirrim. Otty had made it very clear his cavalry would not survive that match up so I pressed on with confidence.

While my troll made mincemeat of the other unit of horse lords.

The Crebain had been quite good with their missile attacks [representing them diving in and pecking] - too good in fact I think Otty got the rules wrong for them [its a work in progress] and they were hitting better than they should. But, however good they were they didn't survive being charged.

In the centre of the board my forces scouting through the trees were ambushed from behind by a massed cavalry charge of reinforcements. That tipped the balance in Otty's favour and suddenly my good start was beginning to crumble.

My units in the centre were wiped out.

Rohirrim fell back to protect their artillery pieces but I got my pikes into their flanks, wiping them out.

I was bringing up my skirmishers and my Orc command unit.

This was my last body of troops left to help recover this win, luckily the Troll was still terrorising troops around it.

But Otty was hoping to attack me from behind again.

What was left in the middle continued to fight the Rohirrim

But the cavalry switched focus and charged my Ballista.

Wiping them out, which I think tipped the game in his favour. We played quite late but it was a really fun game. Considering how limited my experience of Bolt Action is and this is a 'skinned' ruleset I was absolutely stunned how quick I grasped how to play. With just a few additional rules, the ability for a commander to issue orders that allow you to draw 2 or 3 order dice [depending on their seniority] and activate a unit for each dice within 6"-12". It means if you get that chance you can suddenly take control of the game and if one commander activates another commander who draws additional dice that daisy chain has huge impact. But lets just dissect this for a moment - this game sees activating a unit ahead of your opponent as a significant advantage. Yet 40k, you activate all your units in your turn and then it's your opponents go. Maybe this is why I enjoyed it so much. Each game turn is interactive for both players, no spectating, just action and reaction. 

Regardless of the why's and wherefores I absolutely loved it. Once again it makes me worry that 40k 10th edition will not be able to compete with these games. Also, turning up to someone's house where the figures a re already there, no unboxing or packing away at the end. It cannot be dismissed just how convenient and easy that makes gaming. Whereas when 10th hits I'll be going with bags of figures and having to unpack and pack them which is a right faff!

Just some shots of the pre-game array of the armies about to face each other.