Battle Company - Defeat Druzhag!

With their main leaders resting after the previous battle, The Falcon's Honour (minus the Falcon) hear word that an evil goblin who can control beasts is terrorizing the locals and seems to be consolidating a base in some ruins nearby. Eager to prove their worth, the company sets off without The Falcon, The Fang, The Tiger or The Wolf!

I also have a new, very bright, lightbulb which I think has made the colours all a bit funny and for some reason the photos seem a little bit fuzzy, but at least we can see things!

Here is Druzhag, surrounded by evil monsters, two giant spiders and a swarm of giant bats!

And the slightly depleted Falcon's Honour battle company enters only to find that there are some goblins lurking at the top of the way up to the ruins.

The humans all charge forward!

The Haradrim are excellent horseriders and The Hawk spurs his steed up the stony steps and takes on four goblins at once! Rolling double 6s he wins the combat, knocks two to the ground and slays a goblin!

Meanwhile, "The Serpent" trades bowshot with three goblin archers who have scrambled up to the top of the ruins. He misses and their arrows scatter around, one thunking into the statue he is taking refuge behind.

Druzhag lurks around the back of the ruins, biding his time.

The Blademaster climbs up behind the goblins while The Hawk charges forward again and kills two more green goblins!

The goblins all miss their shots at The Blademaster, but The Serpent makes his shot and takes out the first of the goblin archers!

The Hawk and The Blademaster take out the last of the goblins guarding the bridge with ease! My brother rolled sixes in just about every battle of the game!

The bats swarm forward to attack The Serpent, but he beats them back!

Now the bridge is wide open and The Pincer uses his double-shot to hit the two goblin archers at long range, one of them is slain!

The Pincer takes aim and two arrows thunk into the last remaining goblin archer as the humans start to step carefully onto the rickety bridge!

Druzhag casts enrage beast on the green spider as it scurries forward, eyes glowing a menacing red! It paralyses The Hawk and takes him out, then the spider suffers a wound from the after effects of the spell (a strength 10 hit)! The orange spider scurries up The Blademaster and brings his time in this battle to an end as well!

Here you can see Druzhag lurking in the background and The Serpent riding his white horse around towards the back steps.

Druzhag then enrages the bats and they swirl up, flying over to attack the Bearer of the Sunstone and The Fox, enraged by the evil spell the bats win the fight and wound both Harad fighters! The Talon, further along the bridge, uses both of his points of might to take out the green spider.

The Serpent has now galloped around to the back of the ruins, seeing Druzhag hiding up above.

The orange spider has scurried back to keep out of bowshot of the human archers.

Druzhag uses the last of his magic power to enrage the orange spider! It scurries forward, but The Fox takes out the enraged beast with a lot of 6s! Meanwhile, the bats have charged at The Panther. The Pincer shoots into the combat, hits both the bats AND The Panther with his double shot but even with the poison arrows, no wounds are made. The Panther, an arrow now sticking out of the back of his cloak, wins his melee combat, but fails to wound any of the bats.

The Serpent dismounts and tries to climb the rocky slope, but slips back down!

The bats swarm forward over The Panther and this time take him out of the fight! Around the back of the ruins, Ibrahim rolled a one again and still fails to climb the rocky outcrop!

Druzhag is set upon now, but manages to beat back his foe, while The Pincer wounds the bats, shooting into combat again and using his lethal aim and master of poisons the bats are left with just one more wound. The Fox stabs his spear into them and the bats are no more!

Finally Ibrahim walks a little further around the base of the outcrop so he can just walk up instead of trying to climb! He arrives just in time to trap Druzhag from the rear and between the rest of them The Talon and The Fox strike the final blows to clear the evil goblin shaman from the ruins!

Druzhag and his band scurry away to maybe find somewhere else to cause mischief!

And after the battle The Talon gains the Hero Slayer special rule, The Pincer obtains the Fell Sight special rule and everybody is all healed up (except for The Sparrow who is going to miss the next match). Most importantly, The Fang's arm is healed up and he'll be able to use his bow again!

Another Watcher of Karna, impressed by The Blademaster's efforts in this battle, has joined the Company!

Battle Report - Hijack!

Druzhag the Beastcaller had seen something recently that turned his already insane thoughts all afire. A new creature, larger than any he had previously tamed. He had to have it. He had to control it. If successful there was nothing that could stop him. 

But how? It was well guarded, surrounded by a small army. A strike in the dead of night may cause enough confusion and consternation for him to take action...

A small force consisting of Druzhag and twelve goblin archers snuck through the dead of night. Accustomed to sneaking though caverns, they were silent as they moved through the sleeping forms of their foes. Druzhag's mind cast over the encampment sending rats, bats and other small creatures throughout the army, distracting guards in such a way that no alarm was raised, but slowly they dispersed from the target of his endeavour.

As he and his small band reached the foot of the monster he was to try and control, he sent a mental signal through the night. An eerie howling of wargs, a screeching of bats and chittering of rats erupted on the far side of the camp! Druzhag and his companions silently climbed ropes up, and up... and up! The sleeping figures were just stirring as goblin knives slit their throats silently and swiftly. As the guards below and throughout the camp woke sleeping figures there was screaming and the rasp of metal as swords were drawn. Off to the west lights flickered and flames leapt as some tents caught fire in the whirling melee that was erupting between man and beast. None noticed the goblins.

Druzhag clambered higher, then struck downwards forcefully with the full force of his mental compulsion. It was like no beast he had ever before tried to control! The mighty monster panicked and stampeded forward, crushing man and horse beneath it's massive feet as it howled and trumpeted off into the night, away from the fighting behind it. Another trumpeting sound echoed behind it as its mate lurched into pursuit!

Druzhag and his goblins held on for dear life as the mighty Mumak pounded off into the wasteland, quickly leaving the Haradrim encampment behind - only there was another Mumak close in pursuit and it wouldn't be long before the horsemen of the army noticed what had happened and caught up...

Just for fun, my brother and I decided to do something a little whacky with our Mumakil. The aim of the scenario is for Druzhag to escape from the center of a 4"x4" board. My brother's force of Mumak and raiders is trying to recapture the Mumak before it escapes - or at least to kill Druzhag!

Druzhag can try to control the Mumak on a 3+ (like his enrage beast spell). If successful he chooses where it goes. If unsuccessful the enraged Mumak will turn to attack whatever is closest. If nothing is in attack range a scatter die will be rolled for the direction it takes.

Druzhag has 5 will, so can get off the board quickly if successful with his casting! However, rapidly approaching raiders can tie it up in combat. The raiders respawn if they are killed (reinforcements continually streaming in). 

The Harad Mumak can send troops over in a boarding action if they get close enough (we just kind of judged a jumping distance). The aim is for them to board and make it to the top position to wrest control of the Goblin Mumak.

The Harad Mumak won't attack the Goblin one as they may already be losing one Mumak, they don't want to risk two! The Goblin one will attack whatever is closest if Druzhag doesn't have control, including the other Mumak if it is closer than a raider.

Sounds crazy!? Crazy fun!!

In the middle of a barren wasteland, the Mumak finally settles down from it's panicked stampede. The goblins pick themselves up from the Howdah wicker floor and ready their bows as they can hear the thumping of another Mumak and the pounding of hooves coming up behind them.

Turn 1 - Priority Harad. The raiders gallop forward as swiftly as they can. The Harad Mumak (red) stomps towards the Goblin Mumak (blue).

Druzhag attempts again to link his mind to that of the lumbering beast. He fails and the mental link breaks in fury as the Mumak, enraged, turns and charges into the closest thing it can find to unleash it's anger - two raiders.

Arrows fly through the air from Howdah to Howdah. One goblin falls screaming with an arrow embedded in its chest, the screaming stops suddenly with a crunch as it smashes into the stony ground. Two humans are also struck by feathered shafts, one Watcher of Karna dies instantly with an arrow through his eye socket, falling silently from the howdah with black robes fluttering through the air to land with a splatter below. Another human topples forward, an arrow through his chest to land, still barely alive just in time to see the massive foot of a Mumak descend to blot out the sky and... *crunch*.

The raiders manage to fend off the Mumak, ululating calls momentarily confusing the Mumak, who is used to hearing those sounds from friendly handlers.

Turn 2 - Priority Harad. The Harad Mumak commander urges his mount to ease alongside the goblin-infested Howdah. The bottom pannier of the blue Mumak is empty thanks to the bowshot the turn before and a Watcher of Karna sizes up the swaying gap, knowing the fall to the ground will be fatal if he misjudges. As the gap closes he sprints across it with such deft skill that his charge continues onward. Blades flashing swiftly he slices into a defending goblin and vaults up into the Howdah, sending the hapless goblin tumbling behind him!

Arrows swish through the air again, most of them get caught harmlessly in the fabric of the howdahs but one manages to pierce through fabric, flesh and heart - another Watcher of Karna dies instantly to fall inelegantly from great height and smash in a bloody, gory mess on the ground far below.

Three of the raiders overcame their terror at facing such a great beast and charged right towards the terrifyingly massive tusks. The Mumak swung its great head from side to side, tusks goring through two of the men, trunk hurling one brutally against a nearby rocky outcrop. Bone fragments and blood splatter everywhere.

Turn 3 - Priority Harad. More raiders overcome their great fear and charge at the Mumak, keeping it in place...

So that another Watcher of Karna can time his leap perfectly, landing on the goblin controlled Mumak and the swaying howdah! The first Watcher is set upon by two goblins, one from each side! Trained in the art of battle for his entire life his blades outreach the goblin daggers and he decapitates one quite neatly before pivoting to ram his other blade right through the chest of the second. Druzhag looks on in fury, but can do little more than continue trying to gain control over the massive Mumak.

Two goblins fall from arrows, the Harad archers carefully and skilfully aiming even in the maelstrom of side by side Mumak motion! One goblin lands with a splat among the raiders, who thrust their spears out to try and halt further motion. They manage to avoid the tusks and trunk, one spear catches on the sensitive trunk-tip, causing the Mumak to scream out in pain. 

Turn 4 - Priority Goblin. Perhaps due to the wound obtained on the previous turn, Druzhag again fails to merge minds with the Mumak and it ignores his attempts at control. Enraged, it charges the horsemen. A goblin arrow manages to slay another Harad archer!

Goblins swarm around the Howdah and over the Watcher, he dodges one dagger, but the swaying howdah is his undoing as a second goblin dagger catches him in the leg. As he stumbles the two goblins clamber over him and stab him repeatedly until he ceases to move. Then they stab him some more for good measure. 

The enraged Mumak's charge is devastatingly brutal and four horsemen die beneath massive stamping feet, pulverised beyond hope of recognition.

Turn 5 - Priority Goblin. Blood-lust momentarily sated, the Mumak calms enough for Druzhag to finally make contact and compel it to flee from the encroaching attackers. It is not completely under his sway, but the prompting holds and it turns away from the humans and marches onwards! The surrounding raiders wound the great beast again, but Druzhag keeps it from stampeding with dark, compulsive whispers in its head.

The Harad commander is an old hand at Mumak control and eases his mighty beast alongside the other with great skill and daring. 

Attacking now from the other side of the howdah, a Haradrim archer jumps the gap into a vacant pannier! Almost falling, he flails out in attack of a nearby goblin, misses, and slices right through a series of cables attaching the howdah to its wooden frame! The whole structure creaks and a few cracks are heard as cables snap and wood creaks... but it resettles.

On the other side, the Watcher of Karna is kept at bay by the goblin defender.

Turn 6 - Priority Harad. The Watcher of Karna leaps, spinning, into the air and lands with both swords arcing through the neck of the goblin defender. The decapitated goblin falls back into the now empty pannier as the Watcher readies himself for his next assault. 

Druzhag turns at the sound of another goblin dying and watches with horror as the skilled, black-clad human gets closer. So intent is he on controlling the Mumak and watching the melee that a swarm of arrows swishes through the air right at him! Four of the five arrows thwack harmlessly into the Howdah fabric, but one strikes him in the small of the back - right in that one spot that you just can't reach when it's itchy! Fate has deserted the evil goblin today, but victory is so close!

More raider reinforcements rush towards the battle...

The Mumak is getting close to escape!

Turn 7 - Priority Goblin. Druzhag, angered as much as the foul-tempered Mumak, urges it onwards, his mind-control successful the Mumak turns from revenge and heads away from the human attackers, sensing that escape is near!

Druzhag again narrowly misses being shot in the back as he turns to watch the plucky Watcher of Karna swiftly slay two more goblins in the blink of an eye! Their lifeless bodies are kicked over the edge and fall from sight as arrows swish around the evil goblin beastcaller.

As the goblin bodies send up small puffs of dust, raiders again try to bait it back and hamper its escape, one of them darts too closely to a massive foot and he and his horse are crushed.

The Mumakil are still side by side, with battle sounds ringing from the howdah as the other Harad boarder continues his attack, the goblin defender manages to keep the human down in the pannier.

Turn 8... this close to the edge of the board if the goblins win priority and Druzhag succeeds in his spell it will be victory for the evil beastcaller! 

Priority - Harad!

The Watcher of Karna leaps up to face Druzhag with his dual swords! One sword slashes open the fabric of the howdah, the other lances forward and cuts the legs out from under the goblin. Seconds later a swarm of bats explodes from the billowing black cloak as Druzhag's fading life releases them from his hold.

The Watcher clambers up to take the reins!

With the calming assistance of the Harad commander, both Mumakil are safely escorted back to the army encampment, with just a few minor wounds to heal. Security will be tightened in Harad camps from now on, the warg attack was beaten back easily enough but the Mumakil will be more closely guarded in the future!

Wow! What a close game, it came right down to the very last turn! It really could have gone either way at any point. A few lucky priority wins (and successful spell castings) could have had the goblins win, but some accurate archery and swashbuckling Harad humans carried the day in the end! I completely forgot that my plan was to let a goblin rappel down in front of the Mumak if I didn't cast the spell right so that the Mumak would attack the goblin and not get distracted back!

Hehe, really the game was an excuse for a couple hours of fun and a chance to take photos of two massive Mumakil at once =) I had a great time, the swashbuckling element was just hilarious!

I've finished painting all but my banner bearers of my Harad force, and took pictures of them today too, I'll get around to putting them in a post some time soon I'm sure =)

Battle Report - Lords of Battle

Hey all! It's been a while but it was worth it (for me at least) as I got another High Distinction for another of my Masters subjects, hard work with not much time for gaming. I need at least a 5-6 hour block to get over to my brother's place, set up, play a game, pack up, get home and as you can imagine, with uni and a toddler it's not easy to manage!

Still, thanks for all your comments and emails etc. I hadn't quit or anything, was just busy!

I should mention that some of the rules may have changed in the rulebooks from the very first lord of the rings game. We are using the Mines of Moria rulebook. We've modified slightly so that the wargs this time will not get any bonuses for charging (they never should as they are not cavalry - some of you need to be mindful of this) but we won't play that they get knocked over by a charging horse (though a charging horseman still gets the bonus attack). Wild wargs are not cavalry! They will cost the same number of points as always.

Today our Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game is a modified "Lords of Battle" scenario. The old version was all about your commander, obviously we now have multiple heroes per side so it's not fair to restrict them =)

1 victory point for every wound or fate point a hero causes someone to lose.

1 victory point for scoring a wound on the enemy commander

3 victory points for killing the enemy commander

1 victory point if the enemy force is broken at the end of the game.

3 victory points if you are unbroken at the end of the game.

Special rules: every time one or more of your heroes is in a fight in which an enemy hero dies, one of your heroes who was in that fight regains a lost might point.

To end the game, when one force is broken roll a die, if it's a 1 the game ends. At the end of each subsequent turn the roll needed increases by 1.

So, for some fun we decided to play with a hill-fort. The ruins of an old fortress lies on a hill in the barren wasteland near Mordor. There are strategic points throughout the area, the fortress itself has a source of clear spring water via a well. 

700 points each (though we went slightly over to 712 so I could use all my wargs!)

The Betrayer has convinced Suladan that holding the area will be of vital importance and will personally give the Serpent King a powerbase in the area. Buhrdur, Druzhag and a whole lot of evil creatures believe that this area should be human-free.

The stage is set for an intense battle within the narrow confines of the fortress walls!

The Betrayer and his cadre of archers feel the ground tremble and peer over the walls to see the heads of three trolls bearing down towards them!

Suladan and his raiders sweep around the fortress walls to ensure that the perimeter is clear...

Which, of course, it is not! A wild warg chieftain leads a band of wargs looking for horse-flesh to sate their hunger.

To battle (priority creatures)! One of Buhrdur's "pet" wargs bounds into the room full of archers to stop them from peppering his master. The Betrayer points his sword at the creature, dark, sibilant voice flowing from the dark space under his turban. The warg is transfixed and the haradrim troops swarm over it, smashing it down with their bows and slashing it's throat. 

Druzhag calls out in a gutteral, goblinoid voice and the green spider's eyes turn from their usual yellow to a bulging red as it's joints creak and power oozes from it as it is enraged by the spell. Leaping, chittering towards the Hasharin nearby it stabs and slashes with razor-sharp fangs and abdominal spike. The Hasharin is beaten back, three punctures in his cloak - somehow fate is on his side and the spider has hit concealed weapons next to the evil man's body rather than drawing any blood. (Three wounds and all were saved by fate! His luck must be continuing from the previous game!) The spider itself suffers an internal rupture, a wound caused by the spell's power in its body.

At the end of the turn there is already melee happening - we love these new rules, so fast to get into action and so much adventure with more captains and warbands.

Turn 2 (priority creatures) and Buhrdur's towering form strides into the central chamber. No fewer than five evil men strike out at the beast, but his massive sword sweeps around in a mighty arc and two men fall decapitated, too slow to duck. (One point of might and two kills for a hero, so Creatures: 2, Haradrim: 0)

Behind this fight a brown spider pops over the wall, only to be transfixed by The Betrayer! Somehow the spider still manages to avoid being slain, taking one wound from a spear in the thorax, green ichor spurting from the crack.

Outside the clashing sounds are dimmed by the walls as the two fast moving warbands near each other, growls from the wargs, thumping from the hoofs...

Druzhag has enraged the green spider again and this time it bodily smashes into the Hasharin, bearing the man to the ground and sinking it's huge fangs into his neck. Just as he dies the spider also thrashes around, tearing the human's body even further before it curls up dead - the effects of the spell rupturing more internal organs and leaving the Hasharin torn and covered with ichor.

The other two trolls fight in the corridors outside the central room. The spear wielding troll almost impales the Hasharin before it, but fate is with the man and no blood is lost as the tines of the spear pin his arm to the wall, but fail to draw blood!

The troll with the hammer finds it hard to swing the mighty weapon in the confines of the corridor and the human spears jab at its body, though the tough folds of skin are not scratched by the sharpened metal.

At the end of the turn the frenzy in the middle is about to be joined by the clash of the creatures and horse-men outside.

I took some shots before we started the turn just to show how cool the fortress was, it was really fun playing in such different terrain, though I fear it was to my advantage with the trolls being so tough. See the spiders lurking near the walls, ready to climb over! (Another advantage to me, I think, though I guess they're worth lots of points!)

And here's a low angle view, just a few trolls loom over the walls!

Turn 3 and priority goes to the Haradrim. Buhrdur again faces four men, who have bravely overcome their fears to engage him (passing courage tests) but the colossal sword flashes in a 180 degree arc of death and bisects another two men, splashing red entrails over the supporting spearmen. (Creatures: 4, Haradrim: 0)

The brown spider wins its fight against another group of four men and stings one man, the puncture wound from the massive spider tears his guts out, while slashing and biting the face from another, eight legs swarming over the poor human.

Druzhag casts his enraging spell on one of his bat swarms and follows it into assault against a spearman, the bats fly through the air, each one taking a chunk of man-flesh with it before Druzhag's sharp-tipped staff spears into the poor man's chest as he flails wildly at the bat swarm. (Creatures: 5, Haradrim: 0)

He dies screaming as does the man behind him, where a giant orange spider has leapt out from the walls of the ruins. Although the spears fend off the eight-fold attack, one tiny nick from a spider fang quickly pulses red, then purple, then green and the swift-acting poison causes the human who was bitten to scream in pain as his heart literally bursts from pumping toxic blood.

You can also see in this picture more spiders lurking...

And here's some aerial photography, perhaps taken from a passing Great Eagle?

Suladan's warband charges into the wargs! Suladan himself rears his horse back, kicking a warg in the head before he lunges down and slashes open it's jugular with his sword. (Creatures: 5, Haradrim: 1)

Nearby another of his raiders takes on the wild warg chieftain and another warg! The brave man deftly manoeuvres his steed and spears down to kill the warg while avoiding the claws of the chieftain!

The Betrayer again casts his evil magic, this time on the troll with the spear - transfixing the great monster! The nearby Hasharin unpins himself and with a backflip he swings his swords around, causing two massive wounds in the troll, blood spraying out onto the walls. (Creatures: 5, Haradrim: 3) 

The troll with the hammer is again hampered by the close confines of the walls and wins his fight, though cannot swing quickly enough to take out the faster moving humans.

The eagle's eye view shows how tightly packed the action is today!

Turn 4, priority creatures! Buhrdur has finally cleared a path to The Betrayer, but wait! The Betrayer goes for a Heroic Move, Buhrdur counters with one of his own, the tiebreaker goes to... The Betrayer thanks to his pact with the dark power of Sauron. With one flippant gesture and a muttering of black speech that makes the air turn cold he transfixes the spear wielding troll and rides away from the central room, leaving the brave haradrim there to face the angry troll!


Aforementioned angry troll uses his last few points of might to wade forward into three humans, he kicks one into the wall, shattering his spine, then sweeps the gargantuan sword (which is longer than the men are tall) through two others, the room is now covered in blood and gore. (Creatures: 8, Haradrim: 3.)

The brown spider in the room also launches into some of the men, eight legs, massive fangs and deadly stinger are almost matched by the martial prowess of the haradrim... almost - two more humans are slain by the arachnid in a messy gorefest of poison and stabbing. (So lucky, the spider won on a tie!)


The purple spider is beaten back after squeezing it's massive bulk through a window and attacking two men, one spear punctures the creature, spraying green oozing ichor across the walls.

In the corridor originally occupied by a Hasharin and his warband, the spiders are mopping up, clambering over walls to strike with lightning fast poisonous fangs and skittering legs. The orange spider takes out one human, while in the background...


Druzhag and his two accompanying bat swarms finish off the last human in the corridor, clubbing the man to death with his dwarf-skull staff while the bats swarm around, blinding the doomed spearman. (Creatures: 9, Haradrim: 3.)

The Hasharin, poisoned blade spinning, easily finishes off the transfixed troll, the massive beast toppling to the ground and shaking the rickety old walls. (Creatures: 9, Haradrim: 4.)

Suladan also called a heroic move... Charging into two wild wargs while his companions also spurred their horses on into the fray, in total four wargs are brought crashing to the ground! (Creatures: 9, Haradrim: 6.)

The hammer troll, hearing the ominous thump of his companion, finally works out how to swing the hammer in the narrow confines of the corridor and smashes a human to a bloody pulp on the rough stone ground.

The wild warg chieftain, with so many of his pack killed by the Haradrim raiders, savages one of them himself, leaping into the human and bringing him and his horse down, tearing the throat out of the man as he does so. (Creatures: 10, Haradrim: 6.)

At the end of Turn 4 the wargs have taken heavy casualties, but so have the humans in the ruins! The Haradrim have broken (Creatures: 11, Haradrim 6) but the game continues on...

Turn 5: priority to the creatures (four times out of 5!).


The Betrayer rides around the ruins to get a look at the hammer wielding troll and transfixes it, though it's tough, rock-hard skin manages to be impervious to the blades thrust at it.

Buhrdur charges across the room to slay another spearman, while the lucky bowman ducks under the colossal sword (Creatures: 12, Haradrim 6). The spiders lurk near windows this turn, waiting to pounce on the next (if there is one!)

Here's a shot that I thought was pretty cool of the yellow spider...

Suladan calls another heroic move and spurs his horse into another two wild wargs!

And shortly thereafter are two dead wargs enough to break the creature force (Creatures: 11, Haradrim 9)! Suladan rides on with his nearby banner bearer proudly waving the flag!

The wild warg chieftain pounces towards a spearman...

Is then charged by two other horsemen... but ravages through them, turning, leaping, snarling, biting and clawing until two are brought down dead (Creatures: 13, Haradrim 9)! The last of his pack falls nearby to another raider, warspear jutting from it's snarling muzzle.

At the end of turn 5 the die is cast... game over! The Creature army wins with 13 victory points to the Haradrim army's 9 points.

Gratuitous bat-shot...

And here we have a shot of the losing army. Suladan is particularly disappointed as he was about to clear out the last of the warg chieftain's pack (and probably the chieftain too!) and with the Hasharin about to strike a transfixed cave troll there were plenty of points on the next turn that could have turned the tables on the scores in an instant! Oh well (I say), what a pity =)

The winners pose proudly for the camera, having secured some loot after the battle! Buhrdur stands even taller than usual, having made up this game for his pitiful attempt last game. Druzhag (or his enrage beast spell) also did well, enraged creatures are truly scary to face! The spiders also did not disappoint this game, probably the first time I've been happy with them as their low defence means that when you lose a fight you die really quickly. This time they won fights and their multiple poisonous attacks worked a treat!

I've gotta say that although I won, I think the battlefield probably was in my favour for this match. With flyers and spiders that could just crawl over walls and trolls that were mostly only fighting a few guys at a time in the narrow corridors I think it was probably to my advantage.


Still, it was really great fun to play in such a different setting, the hill fort looked fantastic to play in, I hope the pictures do it some sort of justice. So much more fun than those games that have just three or four terrain pieces! At least, we think so!


At only five turns, this was a short, sharp, brutal battle that was over fairly quickly - again thanks to the new rules with the close deployment options. 


If you haven't played with the warband system and new scenarios on a terrain heavy board before, why not give it a try? 


Hopefully I'll get some more games in before my next semester starts, so keep your eyes out =)