This started as a 3-nation gunboat; I led the Quiet Avenger, Long Rider, and Corsairs nations.
The game started with disaster as the entire Corsairs starting navy, and half of the QA’s, were sunk in a massive naval battle @2434. The remaining QA navy was sunk the next turn. Uvatha was also captured in combat on Turn 3 (he began the game commanding the cavalry @3230). So needless to say, a bleak start.
Magically, Thergor was somehow able to rescue Uvatha on Turn 4 before he was executed. I decided to send Din Ohtar south to help stabilize the situation. A Harad invasion army into Corsairs land was repelled on Turn 6 as Din join with Uvatha and Thergor to begin a campaign of sabotaging Harad fortifications. By Turn 11, the entirety of South Harad was in my hands and an army had already landed in North Harad. The LR basically battled to a stalemate around Rhun, which was all I could expected in that theater.
The only major setback was Din’s death on Turn 10. An ill-conceived challenge of the mage Ejenna on my part led to his demise. Uvatha took his artifacts and became my new killer.
The conquest of North Harad went off without a hitch, although it was helped by a large scoop of luck when a “large” NG army landed @2630…where I just happened to have a capable agent stationed. Veantur was captured, and his army went POOF! I had a horde of capable QA emissaries jumping around, influencing towns to me. I actually influenced the Major Town @2730 away the turn before my (and the Harad) armies arrived. 2732 was the last holdout, and it was taken by a large combined QA/Cors force on Turn 20.
Around the Rhun, the Northmen had to have been distracted elsewhere, because I ended up rolling around the shore taking each settlement. Shrel-Kain fell to me on Turn 18, after overrunning a blocking army the previous turn.
As I moved beyond my frontiers, I found the Freep decimated. NG was dead, the Eoplex was a smoking ruin, so it appears my teammates were doing Sauron’s work well.
The Freep capitulated after Turn 22.
It was a great game, congrats to all involved! One fun episode was when Malezar went to 1309 to collect Elenruth, when suddenly a settlement popped and I realized that Elrond was in the same hex! How Malezar somehow got out alive AND with Elenruth is a mystery to me.
I would love to exchange turnsheets with anyone/everyone, to fill in the rest of the map. Please contact me if you are interested!