Battle Companies - Campaign Update

Initial deployments getting set-up

Last week we managed to have a general get together with all the surviving players of the Battle Companies Campaign and staged the last random scenario and Campaign Scenario III play-offs.

Still in the game are Andy W's Mordor Orcs, Andy K's Easterling's, Kenny's Easterling's, Leigh's Hobbits, Kev's Warg Riders, Dave K's Rivendell Elves, and my Arnor Company. We also had Alan standing in with some more Easterling's so the pair-offs were equal and everyone could get the games played.

The initial match ups were games paired up with similar (or as close as possible) Battle Company ratings with the Orcs vs the Warg Riders, Hobbits vs Easterling's, Arnor vs Easterling's and Elves vs Easterling's.

Three different random scenario's were played along with the Campaign Scenario III 'Bridge across the Mitheithel' Scenario being played by myself and Andy K's Easterling's.

This play through of the Campaign Scenario was pretty one sided as I was (only just) the lower warband rating so was the defender and in the first round as Andy's Easterlings approached the bridge my shooting was for the first time excellent and effective and took out one cataphract and putting the other on his feet and taking out a Easterling Warrior thus reducing the warband by almost 30%. Shortly followed by his only (hero type) archer.

Andy managed to reach the bridge and lining up with his surviving hero's and pike types behind pushed onto the bridge and with all in combat stopped the hail of arrows momentarily. Alas Andy's dice were appalling and after a short stalemate in combat another couple of his warriors dropped including his Captain and his warband broke leaving Arnor Victorious.

Elsewhere, the Elves routed Alan's Easterlings, the Hobbits got a bit of a trouncing from Kenny's Easterlings and the Wargs (counting as the 'good' force) beat up the Mordor Orcs.

The second round involved everyone moving one place left and playing the Campaign Scenario III against there new opponent with myself and Alan playing a random scenario.

So Andy's Mordor Orc's were now facing the might of the Hobbit's (but Andy had to rescue his leader having been lost in the previous encounter and Leigh also having to do the same), Andy K's reduced Easterling's (Andy having lost his Captain to death) were up against Kenny's Easterlings in a bit of a Civil War encounter and Kev's Warg horde facing the Dave's Elves defending the bridge crossing.

Hobbits close to the kill on the surviving Orcs

My game against Alans Easterling's, a 'Show of Strength' scenario was fairly short as my shooting seemed to be reasonable successful again and managing to take out all but three of the Easterlings to the loss of only one Ranger so pretty successful night all told for Arnor for a change.

The Warg's (having the best chance of any of the band's of successfully crossing the river) charged pell mell for the river and after a viscous fight on the banks managed to gain the crossing and getting a victory but only just by avoiding break point by one. (all after spotting a minor flaw in the scenario due to game length, which rule was promptly dropped in the best spirit of making things up to suit at the time, all in the greatest tradition, of course).

Andy's Easterling's managed to make the crossing against Kenny's company again in a hard fought melee.

And with the Orc's trying to gain the bridge and regain their Hero from the far side (and the Hobbits managing to regain theirs from the opposite side) sheer numbers (the only thing in the Hobbit Companies favour really) they managed to cut the Mordor Orc horde down to size and hold the crossing and getting the Campaign victory.

Another great round and most enjoyable. The results provided a 5/3 result to the side of 'Good' and a much needed boost to the good to the overall results now standing at 22/25 in Evils favour, so looking like Evil will have the advantage for the final assault on Arnor with only the penultimate game Scenario IV 'The Eye of the Needle' to go before the big punch up.