Post by Gormonghast on Mar 9, 2006 16:42:55 GMT 1
War of the Ring: Battles in the North
This is my tentative suggestion for a second expansion for War of the Ring. It incorporates many characters and units I have suggested as an addition to the main game, as well as suggesting three possible scenarios for stand alone battle games.
The idea is to focus on the battles in the north of Middle Earth before, during and after the War of the Ring. Although these battles might lack the epic scale of the climactic battles in the south featured in the first expansion, I believe interesting games can be created around them.
The battles are:
1. The Battle of the Five Armies (from The Hobbit)
2. The Battle of Dale (mentioned in Return of the King)
3. The Battle of Bywater (described in The Scouring of the Shire)
This would require a two sided board featuring a map of the north-west centring on Dale and Erebor on one side, and a detailed map of The Shire on the other.
The Battle of the Five Armies
Incorporating many units from the previous games including Dwarf, Elf, and Northern (Dale) units and leaders, plus the suggested new Goblin armies. The Warg riders from WOTR might feature, or perhaps a new Warg monster unit which could also be incorporated into the other games. Bilbo Baggins might have a role (although he slept through most of the battle!)
The Battle of Dale
Using the same map, this features the attack on Dale by the Shadow forces at the end of the War of the Ring. While only vaguely described in the books, this was clearly an important battle, which went the way of the Shadow before the destruction of the Ring.
It also provides the opportunity to introduce my suggested Easterling regular and elite (chariots?) units, as well as reusing the Northern and Dwarf units from WOTR.
The Scouring of the Shire
I am not coming to the Shire. You must settle its affairs yourselves; that is what you have been trained for. Do you not yet understand? My time is over: it is no longer my task to set things to rights, nor to help folks to do so. And as for you, my dear friends, you will need no help. You are grown up now. Grown indeed very high; among the great you are, and I no longer have any fear at all for any of you. Gandalf
While this episode reads like a mere skirmish compared to the epic battles further south, it is the opinion of this reader that The Scouring is the most important chapter in the whole of Tolkien’s saga. This is the true fulfilment of the story, despite being criminally overlooked in the movie version.
Although the FP player starts off with only the four companions and no armies, this can still be considered as an interesting battle game. The task of the FP player is to raise the Shire for war and drive out the Shadow forces, or capture its leader Sharkey/Saruman.
The Shadow player would try to eliminate the companions before they can achieve the liberation of the Shire.
The old Hobbit militia figures can be revived, with Shirriffs as elite units, and produced in two colours to represent the two sides. Sharkey would also have Ruffians on his side; perhaps the new Dunlendings figures could be used for these. A Ruffian will have to be present to lead the Shadow hobbits; otherwise they will go over to the rebels.
“This is worse than Mordor!” said Sam. “Much worse in a way. It comes home to you, as they say, because it is home, and you remember it before it was all ruined”.
An alternative approach would be to expand the north-west map to include the Misty mountains and Mirkwood to create a single scenario covering all the campaigns in the north at the end of the War of the Ring, including the assaults on Lorien.
Angry Martian
This is my tentative suggestion for a second expansion for War of the Ring. It incorporates many characters and units I have suggested as an addition to the main game, as well as suggesting three possible scenarios for stand alone battle games.
The idea is to focus on the battles in the north of Middle Earth before, during and after the War of the Ring. Although these battles might lack the epic scale of the climactic battles in the south featured in the first expansion, I believe interesting games can be created around them.
The battles are:
1. The Battle of the Five Armies (from The Hobbit)
2. The Battle of Dale (mentioned in Return of the King)
3. The Battle of Bywater (described in The Scouring of the Shire)
This would require a two sided board featuring a map of the north-west centring on Dale and Erebor on one side, and a detailed map of The Shire on the other.
The Battle of the Five Armies
Incorporating many units from the previous games including Dwarf, Elf, and Northern (Dale) units and leaders, plus the suggested new Goblin armies. The Warg riders from WOTR might feature, or perhaps a new Warg monster unit which could also be incorporated into the other games. Bilbo Baggins might have a role (although he slept through most of the battle!)
The Battle of Dale
Using the same map, this features the attack on Dale by the Shadow forces at the end of the War of the Ring. While only vaguely described in the books, this was clearly an important battle, which went the way of the Shadow before the destruction of the Ring.
It also provides the opportunity to introduce my suggested Easterling regular and elite (chariots?) units, as well as reusing the Northern and Dwarf units from WOTR.
The Scouring of the Shire
I am not coming to the Shire. You must settle its affairs yourselves; that is what you have been trained for. Do you not yet understand? My time is over: it is no longer my task to set things to rights, nor to help folks to do so. And as for you, my dear friends, you will need no help. You are grown up now. Grown indeed very high; among the great you are, and I no longer have any fear at all for any of you. Gandalf
While this episode reads like a mere skirmish compared to the epic battles further south, it is the opinion of this reader that The Scouring is the most important chapter in the whole of Tolkien’s saga. This is the true fulfilment of the story, despite being criminally overlooked in the movie version.
Although the FP player starts off with only the four companions and no armies, this can still be considered as an interesting battle game. The task of the FP player is to raise the Shire for war and drive out the Shadow forces, or capture its leader Sharkey/Saruman.
The Shadow player would try to eliminate the companions before they can achieve the liberation of the Shire.
The old Hobbit militia figures can be revived, with Shirriffs as elite units, and produced in two colours to represent the two sides. Sharkey would also have Ruffians on his side; perhaps the new Dunlendings figures could be used for these. A Ruffian will have to be present to lead the Shadow hobbits; otherwise they will go over to the rebels.
“This is worse than Mordor!” said Sam. “Much worse in a way. It comes home to you, as they say, because it is home, and you remember it before it was all ruined”.
An alternative approach would be to expand the north-west map to include the Misty mountains and Mirkwood to create a single scenario covering all the campaigns in the north at the end of the War of the Ring, including the assaults on Lorien.
Angry Martian