Thousands gather for hell at Barad Ungol.
The Banners of Gondor are there, both North and South for the Free Peoples.
And for the servants of Sauron we can see the banners of the Fire King, the Blind Sorcerer, and the Cloud Lord.
No one knows the outcome, but all do know that thousands will day soon, very soon.
NG69
Well, my friend, looks like it turned out well for you and yours. And I see you have a new pal, too!
Your friendly neighborhood Nazgul,
Murazor
We are fortunate to have taken Barad Ungol, noe thr questions is; Can we get out of there alive?
I know a few of your top agents are at the location, is it too soon for them to be effective? I think not, the Free will pay the price.
Oh, well…pitchforks and skins will follow the armor and swords to the end!
Northern Gondor 69
Krizzel I’ve been meaning to to ask you this question for a while…What is that a picture of??? a jelly fish???
BBB
Tarondor
it so nice to see you again. you didn’t have to come all the way to barad-dur and I cant belive that you brought so many friends but will they be enough??? oh and by the way tarondor I see you.
BBB
aka
Gothmog
Well Gothmog,
You know what they say, “the more the merrier!” I just thought that your troops couldn’t have all the fun at Mount Doom. Being late Febuary/ early March we thought we would join your weenie roast and stay warm.
Yes, I am here. How could you miss me, leading my boys to join the party. So we shall dance and we shall see.
Your unfriendly guest,
Tarondor
PS: I have enough!
Hello again Gothmog,
Can you pass my apologies to the Fire King. I did mean to take his capital but I accidently overran his armies at 3224 and 3324. I never meant to do it, but you know how hard it can be when the boys get their blood running hot.
Tarondor
Tarandor
You know I’m 2-0 against your armies so far let see if I can make it 3-0
Gothmog
Gothmog,
You can’t win them all. And I would say so far I’ve had the better of you. I can afford to lose several towns, can you?
Anyhow, I truly enjoy the fight. It brings me great pleasure to have fought the armies of Dark Lts., the Blind Sorcerer, the Cloud Lord, and the Fire King.
Now I wonder if you can continue to concentrate on your western front?
Tarondor, King of Gondor, Keeper of the Tree, the guy wearing the bulls eye armor.
Tarondor
Will you be hiding behind a refuse personal challange again???/
Gothmog
Morgoth the Dwarven king would like to seek guidance on what he should do with Khamuls head. It makes a nice helmet.
Oh and tell the Cloud Lord not to leave those towns undefended in future, my boys just like to tidy up a bit.
Morgoth, Bains understudy
Tenpin bowling ball might be good !!!
I think they might be turning my men into pins soon though
Well it seems that Mordor is now truly open for business, at least now that North Gondor and I have smashed down the gates of Barad-Dur 
How will the servants cope now I wonder - and where did I put those new recruits…
Celdrahil
Lord of South Gondor.
Or … “Things To Do In Fennas Drunin When You’re Dead”
Note: could we keep to using just the one thread for all discussions about #69 1650, please? Makes the board far less cluttered. Hence, this BUMP!age by way of a reply.
Eriador
This theatre is definitely the most volatile one in #69 - Mirkwood fell to the Freep v. early one, vanquishing the DL; Rhovanion, traditionally the most volatile theatre is relatively stable - every nation focused on either the capture/defence of Morannan (3221), where the DS have performed more admirably than in the defence of Barad Ungol (3224).
<shudder> I don’t want to even think about Turn 7. It has been banished from the collective DS memory.
The WK (Murazor) has been the bane of many an Arthedain commander, burning Arthedain population centres to the ground; dispersing whole populations, men, women and children. His finest moment, indeed the finest moment in the Eriador campaign, was razing Metriath (153) - Cardolan capital - to the ground! Embers still burning in the dusk, as the army marches across the plains, into the darkness accompanied by the sound of Dragon wings, beating the air.
Enough waxing lyrical, and onto local events in Rhudaur. Arfanhil has spent this turn composing a paean, a funeral dirge, a hymn to that most irritating and capable of foes, Tharudan:
Ner-ner-ner-ner! 
In all seriousness, I was quite surprised - pleasantly so, makes a change - that Tharudan and Mynistril were not only thwarted, but killed (!) in their insidious attempt to kidnap Briam. Was Briam elevated to the status of Nazgul without my knowledge? I do know that there were (failed) attempts to assassinate Murazor by Noldo spies (Elladan, comes to mind) but for Briam, a Rhudaur character, a mere insignificant cipher compared to the Gods that walk through Mordor and Angmar, to kill not one Sinda agent, but two! is simply incredible.
Either that or you received the mother of all bad rolls! I would like to claim superior insight and foreplanning, but my choices were v. limited under the circumstances. Therefore, I was merely a hostage to good fortune it would seem.
Still a damn precarious situation, especially with such Noldo illuminaries as Elrond and Gildor paying their respects to their fallen brethren in Fennas Drunin. The last couple of turns have definitely taught me more about the game than all the preceding ones. I have to doth my cap to the Dwarven player for putting me under such duress! If only I could have razed Imladris sooner than the eventuality - my newbieness cost me dear, wasting turns, resources and characters (Seammu, fell to the blades of an unknown Freep assassin).
As of yet, I’ve not received any of the DS PDF’s so cannot add additional commentary on how the war is going. All attention will be focused on the Corsairs in Harandor and the defence of Morannan in Mordor.
To the Easterlings: the lidless Eye has focused it’s attention on you.
Of course, not having seen the PDF’s for this turn, all this pomp and bluster could see me laughing on the other side of my preface, but this allows the Dunlending player a snapshot of #69 - aside from emailed correspondence.
On final point: what is it with you Freep? If enduring Winter wasn’t bad enough, the seasons change to clementine days - the joys of Spring - and you have to manipulate the market! The thaw of winter’s frost has yet to emerge.
Regards,
Christian
aka Rhudaur #69
Originally posted by christian
As of yet, I’ve not received any of the DS PDF’s …
Let me just append that comment so it should read, ‘As of yet, I’ve not received any of the DS PDF’s for Turn 11’. The former sounds as though I’ve never clapped eyes on a DS PDF aside from my own.
A good way for newbies to become more involved in the game, is to volunteer (sucker!) to update the mapping program each turn, as well as read MoS and News from the Bree. After a couple of turns, you should begin to pick up a feel for the various positions - especially those that are character based; hence, the naunces are not particularly obvious once the early game winds its way into the mid-game and beyond.
Regards,
Christian
aka Rhudaur #69