Good Monsters vs Haradrim - Domination

Well, after smashing my way through numerous humans, my monsters were tasked with holding several key sites while being assaulted by more of the dark clad evil men. Five objectives to hold. I have six figures. This could be interesting!

We're playing with the recently made old rules, I guess we'll get The Hobbit rules when they're not stupidly expensive (or we'll just buy them from overseas or eBay).

Check the last report for the forces we used for this game, in summary my good monster army versus a triple hasharin haradrim force.

So, fortunately, although I have only a few figures, they are TOUGH. Just a recap for some of the questions I've had:

I know eagles don't get a charge bonus, we've never played them that way. They may only have two attacks, but they have extremely high defense, fight values and three wounds each! They can fly, which means it's easy to block Radagast from attack or to attack just a couple of humans after they have moved and they can evacuate pretty easily too! I don't list each and every battle result, so if the humans win, but fail to wound I often won't mention it. This may give the impression that the eagles are doing a lot better than they actually are! When they roll a 6, though (which is pretty likely on two dice, about 30%) they win due to their high fight scores even if they're surrounded by a bazillion guys. 

Radagast is very hard to attack because he doesn't need to have line of sight to his target in order to cast a spell due to his special ability (his scouting birds). I forgot this a few times (and you'll see him get wounded as a result!) Since you can't assault someone you can't see at the beginning of your turn he spends his time hiding from view and casting heal =) Since he's on stag-back he can also stay just out of charge range of foot soldiers if he wants to come out into the open.

My whole army has terror (after Radagast casts his opening spell) and I don't list all of the failed courage tests, so this also inflates my winning power as I'm rarely attacked by as many humans as you might think.

Any other queries, please feel free to ask!

Here's the initial board setup. It's pretty quick to deploy three warbands with only six models in total =)

We actually played this game a couple weeks ago, but I've been overseas, so I'm only writing it now, hopefully my written notes will be enough to bring it all back, but it's likely to be more pictures than words I'm afraid!

The two ents started off at a treasure chest objective, who knows how useful the gold and items will be to the war effort?

Radagast deployed behind cover and within easy spell range of the others. The three eagles deployed near some supply crates.

The Harad horde were well spread across the table, with the tomb, battle ruins and well covered. He had the numbers, but since the game doesn't end until one team is down to 25% of its initial numbers those numbers won't hold right to the end.

Turn 1 - Priority Good.

Sky-wolf swiftly soars to engage the Haradrim near the ruins, assaulting the blue Hasharin, but neither side can gain the upper hand.

Radagast casts terrifying aura on himself successfully so that my entire army causes terror =) The Betrayer casts black dart at Leaf-fall (Treebeard) who fails to resist it, fortunately no wound is taken!
Barukshathur (Gwaihir) and Leaf-fall both attack, but fail to wound.

Turn 2 - Priority Good.

Radagast repositions so that he's within easier healing range of his allies.

Barukshathur wings in and takes on two spearmen and a Watcher, he wins the combat and slays the Watcher. White-beak takes on two raiders and decapitates one with a slash of a talon. 

Leaf-fall takes on two raiders and pounds them both into the ground.

The Betrayer casts transfix on Shy-bark, who is mobbed by two Watchers and two Hasharin! He takes two wounds - sap gushing from numerous cuts and slashes!

Sky-wolf is beset upon by six spearmen and a Hasharin! Yikes, fortunately his swift flying helps him evade any serious damage. I completely underestimated the walking distance and courage taking abilities of this mob of guys! Can't believe I didn't take any wounds!

Turn 3 - Priority Good (again).

Sky-wolf, the headstrong, young, giant eagle, assaults the Haradrim again and AGAIN they are amazingly courageous. Up against six spearmen and a Hasharin this time he is victorious and a spearman is eviscerated. 

White-beak is trapped versus 2 watchers, a banner bearer and The Betrayer! I attacked the banner bearer but wasn't expecting to be so swarmed in return! The giant eagle loses the fight, but evades all the blows! Until The Betrayer works his evil ways and strikes again! This time the venomous blades bite deep and the eagle takes two wounds! 

Barukshathur takes on two raiders, buffets them back with mighty swings of his wings, but fails to wound either of the nimble horsemen.

Reeling from the previous assault, Shy-bark is healed by Radagast as he retreats back towards the objective. And the healing was just in time, a Watcher of Karna assaults the ent and wounds him! (This would have killed him except for the heal!)

Leaf-fall takes on a Hasharin and two Watchers of Karna to aid his willow friend. He uses a point of might to kill a Watcher (I rolled soooooo badly, a 1 a 2 and a 3!)

Turn 4 - Priority Evil.

The Betrayer, capitalising on the previous turn casts evil magic and summons a hideous black dart that strikes into the sky and brings down White-beak!

Sky-wolf, hearing the echo of his fellow eagle's death cry, lunges forward in a killing frenzy, slaying two spearmen in a rage.

Barukshathur, the leader of the eagles in this part of the world is so distraught by his companion's death that he barely fends off the attacks of a Watcher of Karna.

Shy-bark is hard fought, surrounded by enemies, but he has true friends! Radagast heals the mighty ent. 

Treebeard calls a heroic combat, slays a Watcher of Karna, then stomps back to his willowy friend and attacks a Hasharin! He slams into the dark assassin, who would be dead instantly from the mighty blows were it not for his nimble agility and luck. Two wounds, both saved with fate!

Freed up and healed, Shy-bark backhands the Watcher of Karna who faces him - SMACK - straight into the lava pool nearby! The screams are short-lived.

Turn 5 - Priority Good (tied on 1s!).

Sky-wolf is again assaulted by evil men, four spearmen and the blue Hasharin, who continues pressing the attack. Overcome with grief for his compatriot, the brave eagle cannot bear up under the blades of the evil assassin, who uses a point of might to strike home and cause two wounds!

Leaf-fall charges in to assault the Betrayer. He wins the combat, but cannot land a telling blow against the wraith (rolling a 1 and two 2s!)

Radagast races across the lava (making his jump roll) to stop his attackers from hemming him in and heals Shy-bark. The mighty willow grabs and stomps at the Hasharin, who barely dodges one massive blow only to be caught by another, leaving him reeling and tipping right on the edge of the lava! (All his fate is gone now!)

Exposed to the sneaky bowmen, however, Radagast may have saved the ent but incoming arrows fly around him. 6s fly on the dice! Radagast is wounded three times and only his luck saves him (thank goodness for fate!)

Barukshathur, sensing the tide turning against the good, lunges forth at two more foes, bringing down a pair of Watchers of Karna in fountains of blood from claw and beak. 

Turn 6 - Priority Evil.

Sky-wolf, brave but possibly foolhardy, is brought low by the blade of the blue Hasharin, who leaps up onto a pillar, then acrobatically flips onto the mighty eagle as it flies low. From there a double slash down into the mighty neck ends the life of the noble bird.

The willow healed, Radagast turns his attention to the nearby Hasharin and attempts to immobilise him, the evil man is not so weak willed and with some might and will he fends off the wizard's powers. Behind him a charging horseman and an archer attack Barukshathur, who cannot avoid the rushing horseman and takes a wound.

It turns out that Shy-bark does not need the assistance! Stomping and smashing forward he knocks a Watcher of Karna flying into the lava and squishes a Hasharin beneath his massive feet. He then lumbers around, mighty arm flinging outward to break the arm of the Hasharin behind him (who failed three fate rolls!)

Both Leaf-fall and the Betrayer call heroic moves, the ent wins the roll-off! The ent lunges forward at the black horseman, but the dark fates are with him and he escapes uninjured (rolled a 1, 1 and 4, fate saved the wound).

Turn 7 - Priority Good.

Barukshathur immediately lunges forward at the insolent humans that wounded him last turn and slays both of them!

Radagast heals the mighty eagle before riding back to the safer hilly region. Other horsemen try to charge him, but their horses are too scared to go up against the horns of the stag Radagast rides.

The Betrayer, hissing venomously, lunges at Leaf-fall, but his evil blade cannot penetrate the thick bark. 

Shy-bark faces off against the Hasharin, but neither can land a blow that causes any damage.

Turn 8 - Priority Good.

So excited by how close the game was I forgot to take photos! Radagast immobilised the Betrayer, who is then smashed by Leaf-fall. The Betrayer was down to his last will anyway! Barukshathur kills a raider, there is no damage done in a fight between Shy-bark and three archers plus a Hasharin. Meanwhile the humans are spreading out from the lower corner to solidify their numbers. Remember, the game is won by controlling the five points!

Turn 9 - Priority Good.

Leaf-fall takes out the last banner bearer near the central objective.

Radagast immobilises the Hasharin facing the willowy ent... 

...who easily smashes the evil assassin as well as kicking a human archer into the lava pit.

Barukshathur soars up and over to the tomb, taking out one of the men guarding it. The force is almost broken. If the game ended now the evil men would win!

So at the end of Turn 9 the Haradrim are broken, but still hold the majority of the objectives! The game ends when a side is reduced to 25% so it's anybody's game!

Turn 10 - Priority Good.

Leaf-fall takes out the remaining men at the well...

Radagast immobilises an archer, then charges into battle, stag horns lowered for the charge. He bowls over two men and tramples them under hoof and smacks them hard with his staff.

Shy-bark whacks another two men into the lava pit, which has a distinctly unpleasant burnt flesh smell emanating from it now.

Barukshathur takes out another defender of the tomb area.

It's turn 11 - Priority goes to the good side. Note - I won 9 of the 11 priority rolls. Those of you who play with magic users and smaller armies will know that this is incredibly rare and incredibly useful, but probably also particularly unfair.

With his handy line-of-sight rules, Radagast immobilises then charges the last horseman, stopping him from being able to contest a domination position. This was the last of his will and might, but worth it!

Barukshathur takes out the last remaining human near his objective.

And that was it! Game over!

Tallying up the victory points made the Good side a clear winner, but on closer inspection it was actually really close. If Radagast hadn't killed that last raider we would have been tied on domination victory points!

A run through the various locations at the end of the game:

Good side owns the treasure chest.

Good side holds the tomb.

Good side holds the well (that spearman was *just* out of contention range).

Evil holds the supply crates.

And evil holds the remnants of a previous battle cache.

So there you go, if Radagast hadn't killed that last raider and if that spearman had been slightly closer to the objective it would have gone a different way!

Great game, so many really close moments that could have tipped the balance. I very nearly lost the willow ent on numerous occasions, it was only through Radagast's heals and Leaf-fall's heroic combats that I kept him alive. Radagast was down to one wound, so if he had died or the willow had died it would have been a complete walkover victory for evil. I really love Radagast's line of sight rules, so very, very useful for both attack and defence!

Looking forward to the new rules when my good side monster army will become even MORE powerful. Of course, so will my trolls, so my evil side monster army will need another workout too =)

And stay tuned for my next project which I'll try and post about later today or maybe tomorrow.