LOTR Campaign - Battle #1 First Clash.

The first battle of the LOTR Campaign and both sides try to find that edge or perfect combination to defeat their enemy.

Hundvar urged his men forward, tasked with scouting the border between the Dead Marshes and Emlyn Hills, a dreary place long ago given up by Gondor but now with the Orcs of Mordor on the march it would be a useful buffer against the threat from Mordor.

Hundvar had his orders. Patrol the valley and visit the 4 way points to win the game and control the territory. The only downside he had received word of the vanguard of the Orc forces were entering the valley and he was out numbered at least 2:1 

Clearing the woods Hundvar immediately found his path blocked by a horde of foul creatures who had entered the valley from the Southern edge, he formed his men up and readied them for the forthcoming fight. He needed to get his men to open terrain to stand any chance.

Wow there were a lot of them. He called forward his skirmishers good men from Rohan who lined the tree line, whilst they were expert marksmen they could not stand up to the massed pike of the Uruk-Hai

The archers took careful aim but the Orc's came on backed by a number of trolls who were being wound up by their handlers to charge any human in sight. All thought of reaching the way points was gone this would be fight for survival.

Hundvar knew that if he acted fast he might be able to blunt the orc attack and break their morale before they could bring their numbers to be bear, he urged his men forward switching into open order and at the last moment closing his ranks, but falling painfully short of the orcs who were working themselves up into a blood frenzy.

The Orcish crossbows where unable to fire without hitting their own troops. They watched on as the armoured Uruk-Hai trudged forwards their movement slowed by the harassing fire from the tree line.

The Orc's big break, falling short allowed the beserkers to spring their trap and rush forward from the mass ranks of warriors, but the shield wall held firm and the men of Gondor where able to blunt the attack, Hundvar putting himself in the front rank hacked away at the attackers but being struck by an Orcish blade wounding him.

Whilst the last of the berserkers were dispatched Hundvar looked to his left, valuable time had been wasted. The massed ranks of  Uruk-Hai Pike charged forward, he screamed to his men to form square but it was too late, his men already weakened from the melee to their front were unable to react to the fresh threat and whilst his men stood for a turn despite being attacked in the flank. The Orc's were behind his shield wall, Hundvar threw himself into the melee with the fresh foe but it was to no avail, he and his men were wiped out to a man. The remaining men of Gondor fled the field.

A game of missed opportunities, forgetting the Stepping Out rule meant the men of Gondor fell painfully short letting the beserkers in, which lost time, allowing the  Uruk-Hai to close before a square could be formed, the rules are unforgiving if you are caught in the flank. 

The Orc's to had plenty of learns. The trolls so deadly in the previous encounters were restricted to deploying behind the ranks of infantry as the low level ambush points meant they could only deploy with no fervour, good job the pike did there deadly work.

First blood to the forces of Sauron. But games are likely to be tougher here on in with both sides thinking different ways to counter the various troop types and their opponents tactics.

Campaign losses.

Human - 25 Points

Orc - 2 Points

On to the next encounter where the points are even.