Good morning gamers,
Editor's Note: we just passed the 6 million page views mark . . . I imagine those AI models are partly to blame, but hopefully that means our articles are helping people. :-) Whoever is reading these articles, it means a lot to us!
We're revisiting a scenario from Fantasy Fellowships in our custom Helm's Deep campaign today. Despite the amazing explosions of the last scenario, the Uruk-Hai have managed to blow a hole in the wall. Can we keep them out while keeping our heroes alive?
Retreat to the Hornburg (War in Rohan, p. 32)
We're using the actual scenario participants in this scenario - and we did remember this time to boost one of the Captains to the Uber-Captain, so this should work out better than last scenario:
- Forces of Good: Mostly The Defenders of Helm's Deep
- Aragorn - Strider with armor
- Legolas Greenleaf with armor
- Gimli, Son of Gloin
- Haldir with Elf bow and heavy armor
- 4 Warriors of Rohan with shields
- 4 Warriors of Rohan with shields and throwing spears
- 4 Warriors of Rohan with bows
- 4 Galadhrim Warriors
- 4 Galadhrim Warriors with shields and spears
- 4 Galadhrim Warriors with Elf bows
- Forces of Evil: The Assault Upon Helm's Deep
- 4 Uruk-Hai Captains
- 10 Uruk-Hai Warriors with shields
- 10 Uruk-Hai Warriors with pikes
- 8 Uruk-Hai Berserkers
This scenario requires at least 10 Good models to get across the opposite game board - this will involve getting up the stairs on our board, which presents an interesting choke point situation. At least two of those models need to be heroes, so if I lose too many guys or too many heroes, the game will end early.
To help Evil out a bit, Uruk-Hai Warrior models get to come back when they die on the siege ladders - I forgot to ask Centaur to bring his ladders, so he can maneuver them along the wall if he wants. Additionally, all those S4-5 Uruk-Hai get to reroll all failed To Wound rolls . . . this is gonna HURT!
The board is a 12"x24" setup. My units set up on one side and the Uruk-Hai responded:
Turn 1: Priority Good
Aragorn begins by declaring a Heroic March for free, which helps me get a lot of movement up the board (which I really need). Isengard responds by engaging my models where they can - battle is joined on Turn 1!
In the Shoot Phase, Legolas kills the Uruk-Hai Berserker that he's fighting, but no one else - he won't be taking damage this turn at least.
In the Fight Phase, both Aragorn and Gimli declare Heroic Combats (1/3M each) and they both kill their foes and get into other combats.
Gimli manages to win his fight (2/3M) and kills a pikeman. Haldir barely manages to win his fight (2/3M!) and deals 2 wounds to the Besrseker he's fighting, but both wounds were saved! Some other models died with me losing some important Elves on the lower level . . . not good.
Kill Count: Legolas 1, Gimli 2.
Turn 2: Priority Evil
Aragorn declared a Heroic Move and Gimli managed to kill a pikeman with his throwing axe, carving further up and into the enemy ranks.
The Uruk-Hai responded and as you can see, there are Uruks coming up the ladders, trying to cut us off - I'm hopeful that my Elves can buy enough time for my Rohan models to get through!
In the Shoot Phase, Legolas shot a pikeman - he's really trying to catch up, really he is, but he just can't land more than one kill each turn!
This Fight Phase was a bit of a disaster - Legolas beat the Berserker on the ladder (1/3M), but dealt no wounds to the guy and he didn't fall. Gimli kills a guy (doin' his job), but both Aragorn and Haldir whiffed their fights and then promptly to take an ABUNDANCE of wounds and BOTH of them got killed! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Kill Count: Legolas 2, Gimli 4.
Turn 3: Priority tied, Good
So, I'm in a real pickle and I advance as best I can. I'm trying to tie people down while getting my Rohan boys up the stairs, but I lost my power piece there . . . hopefully Gimli will cut his way down the stairs?
Legolas managed to kill a Berserker in the Shoot Phase, which is a welcome help, but again, I really need him to kill more stuff . . .
The Uber-Captain calls a Heroic Combat (1/2M) and in a stunning turn of events, he dices up the Rohan guy that he fought and proceeded to charge into the last Elf in the lower level.
Gimli wins his fight against the only Uruk-Hai Captain up on the walls (3/3M) and kills him - what a relief! Additionally I beat a Berserker on the wall with three of my Elves, but the got two wounds that got saved - those saves are on fire today! On the ground . . . things are not looking good . . .
Kill Count: Legolas 3, Gimli 5.
Turn 4: Priority Good
We're in dire straights, with me trying to tie down two Captains down below and push my way to the exit. Gimli and Legolas should be able to carve through the four guys in their way, but I don't have enough guys on the wall to trigger the end condition . . . I have to free the stairwell.
Legolas helped a bit by killing a shield guy with his bow, but once again, didn't kill more than that.
There were two Heroic Combats called by the Uber-Captain (2/2M) and the remaining Captain (1/2M) - the Captain wins and kills and moves on, but the Uber-Captain loses, takes a wound, and fails his Fate save (1/1F, 1/3H).
At the end of the Fight Phase, I have lost enough guys (basically lost every fight except Gimli's) that I only have 10 models left - if anyone dies, we lose.
Kill Count: Legolas 4, Gimli 6.
Turn 5: Priority won by Evil and given to Good
Centaur was being kind by giving me some agency here - Gimli hops down the stairs to help clear out some space, while Legolas tries to clear out the last guys protecting the exit. I am left with the difficult dilemma of having to hold down the Captains with a single Warrior of Rohan with bow . . . and if he dies, I lose.
I didn't kill anyone with my shooting and the Captain called another Heroic Combat (2/2M). They win, they kill the guy, and they charge into more people.
And everything went wrong after that - Legolas lost and suffered a wound (which he saved with a Fate point (1/3F, 3/3M), Gimli killed a few guys, I lost more guys, and we lost the game. Victory for Isengard!
Kill Count: Legolas 4, Gimli 8.
Conclusion
So, losing Aragorn and Haldir was rough, but hey, it's a dice game and this was a game where choke points mattered! It always amazes me just how long Uruk-Hai can hold out if they can just roll decently and stalling me out where I wanted to be and then rolling me from below was definitely a good strategy. Honestly, I probably would have put two Captains at the end of the Uruk-Hai blunting force on the walls because they take the longest to kill and you're more likely to be facing resource-spent heroes by the time they arrive, but Centaur did what he usually does with Uruk-Hai: grind down my forces slowly but steadily. Well played to him!
Hopefully you enjoyed this and are enjoying the series we're doing! We'll be back with another scenario in two weeks, but until then, happy hobbying!
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