Hello Everyone
AUTOMAGIC: When inputting orders, we've found that a few players put "," in
the movement. Please don't do this. It's not needed.
NEW FAX: We've got a new North American fax number :
1-503-296-2325.
If you fax there it will get emailed to us. Much better if you can use
this. Do check as with any new system we might experience some problems.
UK etc please use the old one of: 029 2062 5532
RULEBOOK We're looking to upgrade the rulebook. Is there anyone out there
that is interested in contributing to this project? It's quite a biggy.
We're hoping to help new players into the game with examples of orders, some
tactical advise and basic economy, army, character, Pop Centre management.
Feel free to get in touch if you feel you are able to help here or just want
to know more. We've got permission to use appropriate quotes from "the Lord
of the Rings" and "the Hobbit". Around 3 or 4 paragraphs in length, giving
a reference (book and chapter). Feel free to send in your favourite quotes
and we can add them into the rulebook. Note NOT the other books only LotR
and tH. We have a fair bit of work done for this now - anyone else want to
contribute?
BOFA 1st TURN we need a selection of 1st turns for this beginners scenario
just in case anyone misses their first turn.
The following new games are filling up. (Descriptions of the type of game
follow - please check this when contacting me with regards to playing in
that game).
Waiting List: When I get all 25 nations into the game I will allocate you
your choice of nation from the list of nations that you have sent me -
please send multiple nation choices. All nations are potentially available
until I set up the game.
Upto 2 nation game: You can play one or two Aligned nations, or one Neutral
nation.
2 nation game: You must play two nations.
Bofa 2wk [Game 112] Beginners game: 5 available.
1650 2wk [Game 69]: (25/3/02) 8 available. Waiting List game.
1650 3wk [Game 119]: (19/11/02) 25 available. Prisoners and many postal
players involved.
1650 2wk [Game 72]: (31/3/02) Gunboat 3 nations each. 3 players needed.
Waiting List game.
2950 2wk [Game 220]: (31/8/02) 18 nations available. Waiting List game.
1000 2wk [Game 42]: (4/11/02) 5 DS 1 FP, 1 N. Waiting List game.
Note please ask for variant games we can try to get you opposition for them
if you are interested - mostly Grudge teams though - if I get 10 players for
any single type of game then I will put it up for general availability below
and push it;
Grudge Games we need opposition for:
1000: David R 1650: Steven Johnston (12), David Foreman (6x2), Richard
Devereux (12 with some doubled)
I have drop-outs available - don't forget you get a free turn for taking
these up...
E [Early] = 0-10 turn, M (Midgame]= 11-20, L [Late game] = 21+ [A= Aligned
if a Neutral, N= not aligned if a Neutral, P = Postal and Email game, G=
Grudge, 1w = 1week game, 3w = 3week game]
Bofa: None
1000: Evil (L), Neutral (E)
2950: 1 nation (other dead) (E-gun)
1650: S Gon (L), 2 gunb (E), Dragon Lord (L), Blind Sorcere (L)
Player report 25/11 Khazad rul ok!
This is an unashamedly slanted report on game 228. I played Dwarves &
Northmen and later, Khand as well, so I write from their perspective.
Please forgive any gloating!
228 was a "War of the Ring" scenario, which is based on 2950, but with the
starting pop centres increased to 1650 levels (not necessarily distributed
the same), and some extra starting gold & troops for the DS. The Woodies
get a character and artifact boost to reflect more accurately the powers of
Beorn as Tolkien described him in "The Hobbit". A couple of the overrated
Witch-king characters lose a few points in command skill but are compensated
in emissary rank.
As 228 was a grudge game, the neutrals had to be pre-aligned. We offered
the DS first choice of nation, with FP choosing the next two, and DS
choosing one of the remaining two, the unwanted one being dropped. Happily
the DS fell right into this first trap we laid for them, predictably unable
to resist taking White Wizard as first choice. That enabled us FP to take
Duns (agents at 40, double scouting!) and, as a surprise, Khand (so we had a
nation which could be, literally, a PIA). The DS took Corsairs as their
final choice so Rhun was dropped. Might things have been different if
they'd chosen Rhun? Read on, then decide!
A key point of our strategy was to build as many camps as possible as fast
as possible so as to deny them to the DS and exert an economic stranglehold.
Four Dwarf armies went forth (pun unintentional!) posting camps before most
nations had got emis off the mark. Northmen were lucky enough to have both
their sole E40 and their A30 start at their capital so named a new E40, A30
and C30 straightaway. The conveyor belt of E40s was to prov decisive and
the Nor agents didn't do badly either!
The early game went without a hitch. We planted loads of camps, killed off
the Witch-king, and quite cleverly (IMHO) eliminated Dragon lord. Dol
Guldur fell to armies, a Nor cav army stormed Lug Gurzun, and Nor emis
daringly nicked his final backup whose loyalty had dropped drastically due
to the fall of his other MTs.
Even more daring, Kynoden, Nor A50, stole Din Ohtar's best agent artifact
and dropped it in the Sea of Rhun! Thanks to Marc Pinnsonault for this and
other ideas.
Having killed two DS nations, I thought, this will be a cakewalk now.
WRONG! To their great credit, the DS played much more effectively from that
point. It was understandable that they used Khand as a punchbag, but they
also inflicted such punishment on N Gondor that we launched a premature
attack on Morannon, by several nations, none with a backup commander, to
take the pressure off him. Needless to say, all but one of our army
commanders and their armies were wiped out by assassins! That was the
first - but not the last - major reverse we suffered.
Round about this point both teams lost players, ours, unfortunately, due to
a personality clash. We recruited a player whom we knew from previous
games, split the dropped nations between us, and carried on. This was where
I picked up Khand in addition to Dwa & Nor (we had previously agreed that
one of the DS could play 3 nations).
Khand had previously sent armies into Mordor and against QAv and Cor burning
pop centres but now came under heavy pressure from DS emis and agents. We
sent our own best company of agents to go toe-to-toe with the DS, but it was
only a partial success, as the local militia foiled half our agent actions!
Duh...
Anyway, Khand survived, maybe helped by a Nor cavalry army which charged
through Mordor's back door and burned the CL capital!
To be honest, I'm not too clear what was happening elsewhere, except to note
that there was heavy fighting everywhere in the Gondor/Rohan area. In the
Misty mts, QAv took over some of the WiK pops, presumably in an effort to
recruit dragons, but we destroyed such pops wherever we found them. A
farcical situation arose when I marched a Dwa army to one such enemy pop,
having calculated the food down to the last grain of wheat, only to find
that to move into a mountain hex required ONE MORE food unit than the exact
number needed to feed the army... AAARGH! I didn't take that pop until the
very last turn of the game!
Laurence Tilley put together a plan to co-ordinate our cursers, agents and
emis, and this was a major if not decisive factor in our eventual victory.
We now started to make a co-ordinated effort, regardless of nation, to knock
out DS capitals and other MTs. By brilliant planning (who said lucky?
Quiet at the back there) a Dwa army of 8000+ with war machines hit Morannon
at the same time as Nor & Khand cav armies charged thru Mordor's Back Door
burning anything that had been left standing by previous raids.
We were now knocking over 2-4 DS MTs per turn. Would this be enough? A
Khand MT fell to DS emis and a Rohan one to Gothmog. In a clash of the
curse squads, the DS got lucky and went first, killing Elrond amongst
others. The bloodshed increased as Ranger cavalry trampled Gothmog's army,
Balrog and all. On the very turn that Laurence suggested we pulled our
characters out of Mordor and sent them to help Rohan and Gondor, the DS
finally capitulated due to our agent/em/army pressure on Mordor.
Well done to all on my team, especially Laurence Tilley for the co-ordinated
plan, and I must also mention Marc Pinnsonault who gave us invaluable advice
before he dropped.
Thanks to all on the DS team for giving us such a good, hard-fought game.
If you are getting tired of same old 1650 or 2950, give WotR a go. It will
give you some different challenges at least!
Richard.
Thanks
Clint
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