FAS 403, Grudge Variant

Specific Games
#1

This game was set up by Jim Sparkes and Scott Baltes. Variants include:

  • no +20 K/A
  • no Stealth
  • only 3 nations per team with A40’s

A Regional Setup Map was provided by Jim’s team:

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Jim’s Team is Blue and FP with 6 players.
Scott’s Team is Red and DS with 10 players.

Setting up the game took a long time, months in fact. We also spent several more weeks to actually submit Nation Setups. Today, we just submitted orders for turn 4.

Turn 1 saw the two FP Dwarves in Mirkwood (?) launch their starting army at Lorien. But the FP surely saw that Rhudaur/Angmar/Wastes all sent their starting cav toward them. In the south, Harondor,SMordor, and SK actually made it south over the bridge with superior forces. Of course, Umbar went to the Havens. All of the action was going to be in Mirkwood and Harad. We saw some movement in the Gap, but nothing yet in Angmar/Rhudaur.

Turn 2 must have been a shock to the FP in Harad; we wiped out their army and leveled their Mtown/castle to the ground. The FP were also dismayed to fail Threatening Umbar, see more DS reinforcements cross the bridge, and new DS cav show up on the desert road toward Umbar. At the same time, the “Dwarves in Mirkwood” (DiM from now on!) blocked out the DS cav from the northwest and succeeded in crossing the Anduin. They were blocked out of Lorien, but the Gap movement described above ended up being the Enedwaith starting cav and it skirted Fangorn to encroach on Lorien. Furthermore, FP armies showed up in Fangorn (devoid of pcs) apparently “trolling” for Ents. I wonder what kind of bait the FP use to catch an Ent? Rhudaur blocks out the anticipated NK starting cav.

Turn 3 saw more FP from the Gap moving north through Fangorn. Lorien continues to block out DiM. DiM continues to block out DS armies from the north and now east. Even more troops cross the Harad bridge. Two DS armies make it to Near Harad’s capital. And now there’s going to be some action in Rhudaur. The victorious NK starting army is now joined by two other FP armies. We’re ‘blind’ in the West.

Orders for turn 4 sent off today.

One comment, or whine if you prefer…
Apparently, the FP started with the number for RoWind. They successfully cast LAT on turn 1, sent a character on turn 2 that found the encounter, then just investigated turn 3. We’ll see how long they keep it?

Will the DS ‘roll up’ the south?
Will the DiM be able to hold on until the western FP can rescue them?
Ents don’t like fire. What happens when the DS use their napalm?

Stay tuned for the next episode of “The blind and the DiM”.
Scott

#2

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2 Likes
#3

We had a discussion last turn on whether or not DS would do a thing. You did the thing. My point was made.

I don’t see how you can chortle and brag so early in a game. But ok, i’ll throw in one comment:

I remind our gentle readers of Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare. DS made a lot of sacrifices for early “punch”. Very hare-like.

#4

Recipe for Potted Hare

Cut up the hare into joints or pieces, and set them aside on a plate; next, cut up two pounds of streaky bacon into square pieces the size of walnuts, and fry these in a stewpan; then add the pieces of hare, and fry those also with the bacon; add a handful of mushrooms, two bay-leaves, some thyme, basil and winter savory, two cloves of garlic, twenty cloves, three blades of mace, a teaspoonful of black peppercorns, a tablespoonful of salt, a pint of madeira, and a pinch of cayenne; put the lid on, and set all this to simmer very gently in the oven for an hour and a half. The hare must then be strained from its liquor; all the meat is to be removed from the bones, chopped, pounded; all the grease and bacon added and pounded again’ into a smooth pulp, and then rubbed through a wire sieve on to a dish, and afterwards put into a large kitchen-pan, to be mixed up with . the liquor from the hare. If the liquor or stock from the hare measures more than a pint, it should be boiled down to that quantity, and about four ounces of good glaze should be added. Fill some ordinary preserving pie-pans with the preparation, cover them over with common flour-and-water paste, set the pans thus far prepared in deep sautapans, or baking-sheets with a little water at the bottom; and put them to bake in an oven of moderate heat for about one hour; they must then be taken out, the meat pressed down level with a spoon; some clarified butter or lard poured over the top in sufficient quantity to cover in the meat; and as soon as they are become cold, let the pans be covered over with strong white papers moistened on one side with whites of egg; and when perfectly dry, oil the surface of the paper over with a brush, and put the potted hare in a very cool place, to be kept for use, as occasion requires.

#5

? Who’s chortling? And what was the thing we did and what was the sacrifice we made? You have me scratching my head in bewilderment. – Jeremy

#6

ah, the many mysteries of grudge matches… :slight_smile:

a. Scott
b. post-game answer
c. post-game answer

So far it’s quite a good match I think! We are all enjoying it. Hope DS team is as well.

#7

The only real mystery is why the Freeps haven’t taken advantage of our mistakes. We’ve made plenty, but maybe you’re making the same mistakes we are.
Funny, our top agents have failed EVERY assassination attempt so far, yet we’re still holding our own with inferior forces.
We loved the cartoon (above) and continue to look for topics to ‘chortle’ over. We’ve developed a method to use Ent wood as spits to roast Dorfs over a campfire. Very tasty! Come visit Mirkwood for a sample.
Scott

#8

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1 Like
#9

oh, we make mistakes. we put a whole lot of our top emmies into an attempt to take a capital, only to find that your capital army was HC and we didn’t take it out… That was a pretty big mistake because that’s a lot of pop centers we didn’t build. Nice play in/around Mirkwood. Though there does seem to be an incoming tide. At some point, efforts to protect the sandcastle will prove futile and the tide will roll over it.

re: assassinations
I’m tempted, but not tempted enough, to list some reasons why… can save that to post-game discussion and share notes.

yay chortling!

#10

The only sandcastle that has dissipated so far is at 2711! And other castles may fall soon. And don’t forget – the tide may flow in, but then it flows back out! It’s all in the timing. – Jeremy

#11

Our castles are holding, how are yours? I guess the tide is flowing out… – Jeremy

#12

Our invitation to the Freeps to join our Dwarf Roast in Mirkwood has been accepted. Even those cannibalistic Dorfs from the White Mountains have promised to show up. There will be mead and meat for everyone. We’ve developed a sauce to marinate Dwarf Steaks that make them tender and juicy.

Our servants in the north were dumbfounded by the lack of Freeps coming at them from the west. Has the NK decided to throw an Elf Roast in Arnor? If so, Angmar and Rhudaur are offended that they weren’t invited. They may decide to crash the party and not wait for the food to be delivered.

When will the tortoise-like Freeps start the race?

#13

For clues as to our strategy please watch until the end.

Hey Speedy- What kept ya? How about my ten bucks?

It’s a possibility!

#14

Love it!!! Thanks for posting.-- Jeremy

#15

Yes, the tide ebbs and flows, and the sandcastles of both DS and FP have been diminished / traded. In fact the trend continues this turn.

#16

Hey, that was OUR mithril!! Not fair! Dirty pool and all that! – Jeremy

Congratulations on finally taking 2414. We’re starting a pool on when we will re-take it. Are you in?

Alas and Alackaday, the aptly named Insania may experience a loss.

Jeremy

#17

Not that we’re keeping score or anything, but with this turn (turn 10) we will have taken 4 of the original Freep capitals. We’ve only lost one.
Where’s the “ebb and flow” we were expecting from the Freeps? We keep looking for a surprise from the Freeps but instead, it’s just us crushing them every turn.

These “hares” have almost finished the race. When will the tortoise begin?

More cartoons from Suraklin are expected…
:slight_smile:
Scott

#18

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#19

You luck bstrds at 3227, you wouldn’t have gotten it if the blue wizard hadn’t hit it first!

Grrrr

Jeremy

#20

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