What Can Men Do Against Such Reckless Numbers?

So, a new year and a new assault on the Lead Mountain, only this time, there's a slight problem.

More on that later.

For now, look! Men of Rohan!

Not an especially exciting start to the new year, but I'm still taking part in Arbitor Ian's Tale of Four Hobbits and these are more of my pseudo Men of the West list that currently includes Aragorn. Legolas and these five.

Mind you, that does make over 400 points out of 500 because Aragorn the King is a beefy boy.

I've gone with Men of Rohan as that's what I had lying around after my second hand purchases several years ago. I still have a few more archers from those lots as there always seemed to be more archers than were necessary...or allowed, with a 33% limit.

I've stuck with the same rather uninspiring colour palette I originally used simply to make these models fit in with the rest.

One of the reasons these models were likely out was due to damage. Both of these two required a bit of fixing up to deal with a bent sword and a broken spear.

Unfortunately, was not able to do anything about the somewhat static poses and large flat areas where the spear meets the cloak.

I have, however, done something about the lack of a banner in my Rohirrim with this very simple conversion: a hand swap, a metal spear and a Wood Elf pennant did the trick.

I have had a go at free-handing a sun motif on the banner. It's not amazing, but it's not awful either. I'm never fond of free-handing, but this is fine.

Anyway, onto the other issue.

I mentioned before Christmas that I wanted to do a recount of my unpainted miniatures as I was sure that over the last couple of years, there have almost certainly been accounting errors and I wanted to see how realistic my running total of 240 actually is.

And so I got everything out. All of it. We'll apart from some Carnevale miniatures I was undercoating and some Dropzone Commander models I forgot about, but almost all of it.

It turns out my numbers were wrong.

Quite a bit wrong.

My current total is, minus the Rohirrim I've painted, 756.

There are several reasons for this disparity:

1) I've included boardgames like Star Saga, which contains 71 minis, that I had intended to sell but have recently changed my mind about.

2) I actually counted things in my bits box which I didn't last time, and I think I've been deducting painted models from bits box from the overall total.

3) When I received the motherload from Will, there are things that were up for sale that aren't now.

4) I've counted things like Flames of War tank crew that aren't getting used unless I buy more tanks...which I won't.

5) I clearly can't count.

Despite the shock this has induced, I have actually been able to tidy things up and get a better handle on what I have. I already have plans for how to use models, and I've tacitly decided to part company with a fair chunk of it.

Let's see how we get on.

Acquired: 0

Painted: 5

Lead Mountain: 756...good grief!

We Don't Need Another Hero

I've already painted two versions of Aragorn and Legolas, so why on Earth have I done another version each?

Well, a couple of reasons really.

The first is simple, I have the models. I still have about a dozen Lord of the Rings miniatures knocking about unpainted after I lost impetus when Matt ruined everything by drowning Frodo in a swamp.

To address this issue I've joined in another 'Tale of four...' series on Arbitorian's YouTube channel, with the aim of putting together a 500 point force for the newest version of the game, culminating in an event in February.

Looking at the motley assortment of heroes I have, I've decided that the best fit would be for me to paint up a 'Men of the West' list featuring Aragorn, Legolas, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin and a handful of Men of Rohan.

I'm not sure if I'll actually go to the event for several reasons: I don't actually own the newest version of the game (and don't intend to buy it); the event is in London; and I think this list is likely to be a bit rubbish.

This is a shame because otherwise there is absolutely no reason to have second cloaked version of Legolas.

At least he's painted.

There's a slightly stronger reason for having another Aragorn as this model is the armoured Battle of Helm's Deep version of the character.

I still intend to play through the Helm's Deep scenarios in the War in Rohan book, and so he will be useful then

The astute amongst you (which is both of you) will probably be aware that this is the wrong model for Aragorn at the Black Gate in the Men of the West list.

I don't care. He's incredibly unlikely to ever be used in that context and this flimsy excuse is getting things painted, which is something I need to do as I keep buying and printing new models.

Acquired: -94

Painted: 520

Lead Mountain: 218

To me, Eorlingas!

Having let a veritable army of new miniatures through my defences at the weekend, I needed to mount a robust defence against being overwhelmed.

Who better to look to in my hour of need than the elite of Rohan, defenders of Helm's Deep and heroes of the Pelennor Fields, the Royal Guard of King Theoden.

Now, before we get carried away, I haven't painted all of the models in the picture above in the space of 24 hours.

Long term readers of the blog (both of you) with remember that Theoden, Gamling and a couple of Royal Guard have previously featured in posts and battle reports (I like to use Royal Guard as Captains of Rohan).

I have, however, painted three of them in 24 hours, which I feel is pretty good going.

All three models were bought as a gift a few years ago and have been staring at me accusingly since then.

Despite the somewhat samey pose, these models, like their sword-armed compatriots, have poseable arms, offering a degree of individuality which I think work better with spears than swords.

They found their way onto my desk when I was undercoating the Dwarfs in the previous post. I was going for a silver base to speed things up as the Dwarfs had a lot of armour on show.

This is something that was arguably more true about the Royal Guards, and so I got them done at the same time.

Once dry, I hit the whole model with a wash of Nuln Oil.

I then proceeded to match a paint scheme from several years ago, which is made easier by the fact that I have a blog detailing the process I use, I never change the paints I use and I'm quite lazy in my approach.

Flesh, beards, leather, wood, green cloaks, red shirts and gold details were picked out and then hit with a wash of Agrax Earthshade and the plumes were done with Black Templar contrast paint.

Job done.

Admittedly, three of them doesn't stem the tide of new purchases, but it's a start.

Acquired: -44

Painted: 449

Lead Mountain: 350

"Where the warg howls...

 ...there also the Orc prowls."

That little proverb comes from The Fellowship of the Ring when the Fellowship are making haste to cross the Misty Mountains whilst pursued by the howling of wolves.

It's this pursuit that is one of the factors that drives the company into the Mines of Moria and leads to Gandalf's confrontation with the Balrog.

Anyway, I've painted so Warg Riders.

I've been procrastinating on getting these six models painted for some time, and it's led to a significant hiatus in my Quest of the Ringbearer campaign, as I needed more Warhammer for the next scenario, where I'll be studiously ignoring the riders.

However, I'm fully aware that I will also be needing a crap-ton of Warg Riders when Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas reach Rohan.

I've gone for a very quick and dirty approach to these models for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I wanted to get them done, secondly I wanted them to match my existing Warg Riders and thirdly they are not especially nice miniatures. They particularly don't hold up well against the original metal sculpts.

I used much the same method as I have previously: paint colours, dowse in Agrax Earthshade. However, I did start the Wargs from a base of Basilicanum Grey contrast paint, which I haven't used before.

I have to say that it's a contrast paint I like, and I can see quite a lot of uses for in the future.

Other than that, there's not much else to say. There has been recent news that the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game is getting a new edition in the not too distant future (and perhaps a less awkward name).

This might have some tie in to the upcoming War of the Rohirrim animated film, which at least opens up a new direction for the game. Hopefully the rules won't change too much.

This does mean that I might need to scoop up some of the campaign books I've been putting off buying for a long while, specifically The Scouring of the Shire.

I'm not sure I'll invest in a new edition, as I have the rules and miniatures I need and tend to only really play Matt (and occasionally Pete) and the current rules work perfectly fine.

I shall, however, keep an open mind.

Acquired: -70
Painted: 316
Lead Mountain: 667

Fords of Isen: The Rematch

Following on quickly from events at the Fords of Isen (see the Theodred's Fate post) we returned quickly to the action. Partly this was to strike whilst the iron was hot on us remembering the rules of the game, but mainly it was because the terrain for the two games is exactly the same and it was already set up.

And so began the excitingly titled: Second Battle of the Fords of Isen.

Set Up & Deployment

The premise of the scenario is largely the same as the first, the forces of Isengard are attacking the Fords of Isen and the Rohirrim need to stop them, however, with Theodred suffering an ignominious off screen death (much like in the books and films), the focus was purely on controlling the ford: the side with most models on the ford after 10 turns would win the game.

Sensibly, the forces of Rohan begin their defence with Grimbold (represented by Gamling) leading 2 Royal Guards (replacements for elements of the list I couldn't cover) and 24 Warriors of Rohan (12 of which, those with throwing spears or axes, being Helmingas) actually holding the objective.

Opposing them was an intimidating (and somewhat stronger than last time) force led by Vrasku (as he survive and Gorulf Ironskin didn't) and an Uruk Hai Captain, consisting of: 24 Uruk-Hai Warriors (10 with pikes, 10 with shields, 4 with crossbows) and 9 Uruk-Hai Scouts (3 with just swords, 3 with shields, 3 with bows)

What's more, Saruman had dispatched his cavalry to outflank the fords and 6 Warg Riders were attacking from the north on the Rohan side of the river...

...whilst Thryden Wolfsbane and 6 Dunlending Horsemen swept up from the south in a pincer movement.

Fortunately for Grimbold, Elfhelm was once again riding to his rescue from the east, leading 13 Riders of Rohan, hoping to prevent the trap from closing and bolster the defence of the fords.

The stage was set.

Phase 1 - The Trap Is Sprung

Realising the danger Grimbold was in if the enemy cavalry got in behind him, he again split his force in two. Some were ordered to slow their advance so they could fire on the Wargs racing for the fords, whilst Elfhelm led the rest as fast as possible in the direction of the Dunlending cavalry. 

However, Thrydan Wolfsbane was no bloodthirsty Orc, and he cunningly moved his force up being sure to keep cover between his men and the Rohirrim, seeking to draw them into extending out too far.

Somewhat predictably, however, the Warg Rider raced towards what they perceived to be the vulnerable prey at the fords, straight into the line of fire of the Rohirrim's bows. However, only one of the was felled.

Meanwhile, the armoured main force pushed towards the fords and took only minimal casualties as they advanced from enemy ranged fire. However, in return, several of the Warriors of Rohan were dropped by hard-hitting crossbow bolts.

The dynamics of the fight had changed from last time.

A great roar went up as the Uruk-Hai surged towards the enemy front line, whilst simultaneously, Warg Riders fell on their rear. Desperately fighting on two fronts already, Grimbold wondered where Elfhelm was.

However, Elfhelm had been held up. Several of the Warg Riders had cunningly redirected to prevent the Rohirrim interfering at the fords.

Meanwhile, Thrydan's cunning advance, lured Elfhelm's wing into an over-extended charge (and a totally useless Heroic Move), leaving them exposed to a vicious counter charge and encirclement.

Thrydan himself led the counter attack, cutting down one foe before swinging round to charge into another. Elfhelm was hard pressed and could not send aid to Grimbold.

Phase 2: Race Against Time

With his cavalry in disarray, Elfhelm knew he had to aid Grimbold and, taking the initiative, ordered all of his men to charge wherever they could. Outnumbered Warg Riders were surrounded and cut down, enabling some Riders of Rohan to reach the fight at the fords and the Wargs that were wreaking havoc there.

Elfhelm slew the Dunlending in front of him and then led his men in a sweeping advance to encircle Thrydan, using the Dunnish Chieftain's own tactic against him.

Unable to manoeuvre, Thrydan was unhorsed and then ridden down by Elfhelm himself, robbing Saruman's cavalry of any leadership and leaving the trap in tatters.

A handful of Warg Riders still roamed free, which meant that the Riders of Rohan would soon be able to come to the aid of Grimbold at the fords.

However, Grimbold had been having a torrid time, and, despite leading the line himself, had been losing his men to the better armed an armoured Uruk-Hai, their pikes and heavy armour making a big difference.

Elfhelm's cavalry made heavy weather of chasing down the last few Warg Riders, a task made harder now that they had begun to take crossbow fire from across the river, their own bows unable to offer meaningful counter fire.

Meanwhile, Grimbold began to tire in the face of the Captains of Isengard. If the cavalry didn't come soon, the thin green line would buckle and break.

Phase 3: The Final Struggle

Despite the impact of Vrasku and his crossbows, the Riders of Rohan finally made it to the fords. However, the press of bodies meant that they couldn't charge in to help.

Unfortunately, space was soon freed up as the last of the Warriors of Rohan were cut down, leaving Grimbold isolated.

Uruk-Hai surged through the gaps they had made and barrelled into the waiting horsemen, preventing any thunderous charges to save the day.

Nonetheless, the Uruk-Hai had reckoned without the determination of Elfhelm, who thrust deep into the fight until he was side by side with Grimbold. However, after the initial charge, the advantages of the horse were spent, and in the thick of the melee, Elfhelm and Grimbold were pulled down into the water, as were many other brave Warriors or Rohan.

Nobody saw exactly what happened to these two brave captains, and it's possible they survived (almost certain, in fact, given that they are in later scenarios) but the leaderless forces of Rohan now stood little chance of defeating the forces of Isengard.

But they met them in battle, nonetheless.

As night fell, a lone Rider, turned his horse and rode towards Edoras to bring news to his ailing and grieving King that the Fords of Isen had been lost and invasion was certain. 

The Uruk-Hai celebrated, hacking and defiling the dead and clearing the road for the great host of Isengard when it came to descend upon the world of men.

Aftermath

That was a really good game, better than the first actually. It swung backwards and forwards as the different heroes made themselves felt at different points in the battle.

It definitely felt that the Isengard forces had had a significant step up in power. Mainly because they had. More heroes, better armour, better weapons and better overall troop quality all made themselves felt, but Matt's use of his heroes made the real difference.

Thrydan did enough to force Elfhelm to expend most of his Might to stop him, which mean that Vrasku and the Uruk Captain had a significant advantage over Grimbold at the points where it mattered. It also helped that the Captain was like a tank in his heavy armour and shield.

Conversely, I misused my leaders, letting them get out of position, and squandered them as resources. Only once, when he took down Thrydan, did Elfhelm really have a big impact on the outcome. Grimbold was simply chewed up in the meat grinder.

On the up side, we didn't ruin the story this time which means things will move on smoothly. We'll be leaving event in Rohan again for a bit as the next scenario occurs after the events on Amon Hen, and the Fellowship has along way to go until then.

However, I did just get the Gondor At War book for my birthday, so there's a chance that the next instalment might even be in Osgiliath if I can rope Pete of Minas Tirith into this madness.

Theodred's Fate

It's been a while since we ventured into Middle Earth, but I've still a few more things to paint before the Fellowship can enter Moria, therefore Matt and I returned to the lapsed War in Rohan campaign to fight the second scenario: The First Battle of the Fords of Isen.

Due to the limitations of my collection, the forces were not exactly as detailed in the War in Rohan campaign book. The Rohirrim were short of three Outriders, but had an extra Rider of Rohan in Elfhelm's command, whereas for the forces of Isengard, Thrydan Wolfsbane was replaced with Gorulf Ironskin and the 9 Dunlendings were substituted by 12 Wildmen of Dunland.

Also, for reference, we used alternate models for the Rohirrim heroes. Theodred is Eomer, Gamling is Grimbold of Grimslade and Elfhelm is a Royal Guard with a ridiculously long spear. 

Deployment

Having heard the news of Saruman's servants advancing into Rohan, Theodred had recklessly led a small force to hold the Fords of Isen against the invaders.

In order to support this effort, Grimbold of Grimslade was marching his Helmingas with all haste to support his prince.

This was fortunate, as Theodred was massively outnumbered and the evil servants of Isengard were swarming down to engulf his small force.

Turns 1-2

Leaving his force to block the ford, Theodred rode back to greet Grimbold's reserves and give orders to reinforce the fords and hold until whenever Elfhelm arrived.

Volleys of black-fletched arrows sang out towards the shieldwall and gaps began to appear in the line. Some of them embedded with thicker, shorter quarrels, impacting with deadly force.

Vrasku watched as his shots went true, dropping the strawheads where they stood.

The Uruk-hai crashed into the Rohirrim line, which looked like it would buckle and break until Theodred recklessly charged into support his faltering men.

Theodred heroically cut down several of the foul creatures, but as his allies were cut down or pushed back, he was in danger of advancing too far and being cut off.

Things looked desperate and it was doubtful that even the Helmingas would help to stem the tide, but at that moment, clear horns sounded in the distance.

Elfhelm had arrived...early... 

Turns 3-6

Riding down towards the river, Elfhelm divided his forces. He led the main group as fast as he could to support Prince Theodred whilst directing a smaller force to slow their horses and fire into the mass of Uruks to thin the herd.

Meanwhile, Grimbold and the Helmingas rushed in to fill the gaps in the Rohirrim line and preventing Theodred being isolated (a timely heroic move and Theodred being able to tactically charge backwards saved his bacon here).

Grimbold's commanding voice could be heard bolstering morale as the wave of Uruk-hai crashed against the Rohirrim shield wall. Urging the men to fight defensively, the men of Rohan did not slay many of their foes but had begun to push them backwards, step by step, across the river.

Riding to the rescue, Elfhelm realised his cavalry could not make an impact in the battle at the ford and slowed his advance to fire arrows into the mass of the enemy.

The press at the ford became more intense as Gorulf Ironskin struggled to get through the struggling mass of bodies to make his axes count in the fight. The Warg Riders moved to behind the ford to shield themselves from the arrows now flying thick and fast from the other side of the river.

With the enemy cavalry hiding from view, Elfhelm wheeled his cavalry to take aim at the Uruk Scouts who were making themselves a nuisance on the southern bank and had taken the horses from under two of his riders. 

The massed bows of the Rohirrim began to tell and one by one the Uruk Scouts fell. With the ranged threat from Isengard neutralised, it was all about the fight at the ford.

Turns 7-9

Grimbold was tiring (out of Might) and greater strength of the Uruk-hai was beginning to tell. Theodred was a flurry of slaughter, but he couldn't be everywhere. As once again the line began to buckle, Elfhelm rode into the ford to take command and ensure that the shield wall held.

Theodred's recklessness caused him once again to plunge into the heart of the enemy lines and he found himself surrounded and alone on the far bank.

He once again slew all about him, but another surge of the enemy cut down more of the men of Rohan, but the line held once again as Elfhelm's men thundered into to ford.

The charge of the Riders threw the Uruks back in disarray and put a ring of steel around the prince, but Gorulf Ironskin was now able to make his axes felt and Riders were hewn from their horses around him.

The defensive line Elfhelm had posted as a rear-guard were also drawn into the frothing, bloody fray as men, horse and Uruks died in the frothing waters of the fords.

Turns 10-12

Despite taking heavy losses, the Rohirrim has pushed the remaining forces of Isengard back across the river and Theodred was leading from the front.

Vrasku and Gorulf Ironskin had been given two goals: to take the fords and to slay the impetuous prince of Rohan. Control of the fords was now beyond their reach, but Theodred was still within striking distance.

Vrasku and the remaining Uruks and Wildmen threw themselves into the enemy, trying to leave Gorulf a path through to Theodred, A single Rider stood in his way and was hewn down in a furious frenzy. Ironskin's path to the prince was clear.

As the Dunlending chieftain charged into the heir to the throne of Rohan, the rest of the Rohirrim rode to his aid and aimed to finish off the last of the enemy forces. Vrasku was surrounded and trapped, but somehow managed to overcome Grimbold and several of the men of Rohan, bursting out of the ring of foes and running for the safety of the treeline.

Gorulf and Theodred clash in a battle of champions. Their skills were evenly matched and their blades were a blur of steel. Suddenly the flurry of blows stopped. Gorulf stood still, staring as blood flowed from the wound in his throat cut by Theodred's sword.

The fords had been held.

Aftermath

This was a really tense affair which the pictures don't really capture. The pushing and shoving at the ford was full of intricacies and back and forth, and certainly, early in the game the Rohirrim could easily have been cut down, but three elements seemed to turn the tide of the battle:

1. Elfhelm's cavalry arrived as early as they possibly could, wiping out the Uruk-hai's advantage almost immediately. Had they turned up on turn 9 (as was possible) things could have been very different.
2. Having more heroes was a real bonus to the Rohirrim as it meant that I was able to ignore the whims of the initiative dice for much of the battle and prevent the line from breaking and the Uruk-hai surging through the gaps.
3. Fighting defensively at the fords had the unforeseen effect of keeping Gorulf Ironskin trapped behind his own men for much of the battle. He would have cut down the Rohirrim line and although he lost to Theodred, if he'd had allies in that fight, things might have been different.

Unfortunately, Theodred surviving means that Theoden's will won't break and Grima Wormtongue will not be able to convince him to not oppose Saruman, ultimately ruining the entire plot of The Lord of the Rings.

Oh well...looks like the campaign is over...

Postscript

As the strawheads gathered around their prince and cheered their victory, Vrasku watched from the darkness of the treeline.

Theodred, the warrior who had seemed to burn like a bright flame in battle. Such a warrior would rally the men of Rohan and lead them against Saruman's forces. The muster of the horselords would run down the Uruk-hai on the plains and the White Wizard's plans would come to nothing.

Lifting his crossbow, he took careful aim at Theodred and let fly. The shot flew true and thunked into the shoulder of the crowing princeling, knocking him from his horse. Vrasku leered, the blow wouldn't kill him, but the venom he had smeared onto it would eat away at the man and lay him low in a day or two. His end would be painful, and he would never ride again.

As horses thundered up towards his hiding place, Vrasku turned and slipped into the shadows. He alone would return to Isengard to tell Saruman of what had transpired.