After the disaster that was passing through Moria, and despite objections from Boromir and Gimli, the Fellowship now head for respite in the the Golden Wood.
However, they are pursued by Goblins seeking vengeance for those that had fallen, and as the sun goes down, Legolas hears wolves howling in the hills around them.
The hunt is on.
And so we return to the Quest of the Ringbearer at last, and a depleted Fellowship desperately trying to reach the safety of Lothlorien before they are caught and surrounded by Goblins and Wargs.
Short on Wounds along with Might and Fate points, and hampered by the slow pace of the Hobbits, I wasn't too optimistic about my chances here. Especially as Matt would have Wargs appearing each turn, sometimes ahead of me.
My one chance was to keep moving and hope that Haldir's Elves would come to my aid in time.
I opted to cluster the Fellowship for mutual support and put the Hobbits in front as I'd have to move at the pace of the slowest. I also chose to head down the centre and avoid the sides of the table for fear of suddenly arriving Wargs.
In retrospect I could have gained a little ground on the Goblins by starting on a flank as they were limited to a single crossing point on the river and the speed of the Wargs meant they covered ground quickly anyway.
The Goblins massed to cross the river, but attempts to shoot were foiled by the Fellowship getting initiative (as they always do in the first turn and moving out of range.
Therefore the Goblin Archers joined the surge of bodies crossing the river as the Fellowship moved forwards as fast as they could.
I kept Aragorn, Boromir and Gimli behind the Hobbits as a barrier; Frodo escaping was a prerequisite for victory. However, Legolas was sent ahead to get help as with any Might or Fate points and with only a single Wound to his name, he wouldn't last long in a fight.
The first Wargs appeared, but as I had initiative, they came on behind the Goblins.
Realising that the Goblins would make up ground and gaining initiative would see them reach the Fellowship much more quickly than I'd like, Boromir launched himself into the leading elements of the enemy, trusting that the Horn of Gondor could allow him to slow down the pursuit.
Gimli followed suit. His high Fight and Defence characteristics making him ideal for the role of speed bump...or so I thought...
Meanwhile, Legolas made good time and triggered the arrival of Haldir's Elves quickly and arrows began flying into the oncoming horde to limited effect.
Half the Wood Elves maintained their fire whilst Haldir led a group to support Aragorn who was using his free Might point on turns that the Goblins won initiative to Heroic Move the Hobbits to safety.
However, the speed of the Wargs and the sheer numbers involved had allowed the enemy to surge past Boromir and Gimli, who were hacking their way through and Goblins the could reach.
To complicate matters, several Wargs had appeared on the flank of the Fellowship and we're racing to intercept Legolas' escape.
Then disaster struck as a surrounded Gimli fumbled his Fight roll and was brought down in a storm of blades.
Meanwhile, the Goblins swarmed into the Wood Elves and began bringing them down. Goblins were dying, but they could afford the losses.
More Wargs arrived from the eaves of the Golden Wood (ignore the riders) and Legolas' fate was sealed as well.
The tide of evil washed over the Fellowship whilst Aragorn and the Wood Elves struggled to hold it at bay. Frodo and Sam hacked their way clear of Warg and Goblin alike, whilst Merry and Pippin bravely ran interference
However, the Hobbits' legs were too short and the Elves numbers too few to allow the Ringbearer to make a meaningful escape as even Aragorn fell to the onslaught.
Too many members of the Fellowship had fallen, and as darkness fell the Goblins cried out in victory.
Fortunately, in a edit suite in New Zealand, Peter Jackson looked at the footage of this battle and decided that the run time was already too long, and so as this scene wasn't in the books, it would end up on the cutting room floor.
(In case you weren't aware, there is actually a deleted battle scene shot for the movie which didn't even make it into the extended edition.)
More importantly, I wouldn't have to explain how the Fellowship survived this one as with everyone actually surviving the battle and Lothlorien being a rest point, I could happily move on to the next scenario with the party at full strength and all their wounds and points restored.
Which is just as well, as the next stop is Amon Hen and the breaking of the Fellowship.
that would have been a far shorter film had it played out as your version did mate. Crackin stuff
ReplyDeleteIt would have ended in Moria if we'd have been in charge.
Delete