Post by Glabro on Apr 2, 2005 23:13:04 GMT 1
(warning, very long)
All right, in the three games I´ve played against the same opponent, with me as Shadow, I am to my surprise finding myself constantly on the defensive, trying to react to his offensives, and trying to hang on by a thread against the attacks of the determined Free Peoples.
In these games, he´s basically neglected to even try to get the Fellowship to Mordor, instead separating most or all of the Companions and keeping the Fellowship put, instead using all those character dice to rapidly move great stacks of armies ten strong, with a great number of them as elites, assisted by the Companions.
I myself have tried boosting the Shadow defenses in Moria, Dol Guldur and Mount Gundabad, but being on the defensive allows him the initiative, and typically he´s able to threaten multiple strongholds, as well as Mordor itself (by moving a companion to activate Gondor).
I can´t afford to go on the offensive in this kind of situation, as unlike him, I cannot afford to lose my strongholds. On the other hand, he can´t afford to lose his troops... For example, in the last game, he activated the North, the Dwarves and the elves after repelling my attacks of 10-stacks of Easterlings and orcs on Lorien and the Dale by the use of very appropriate event cards (including the Help Uncalled for to break the siege of Dale with his Dwarves).
He mustered (some with event cards) a huge stack of elves and northmen in the northwest, and moved that army rapidly with character dice to threaten both Moria and Gundabad, while using the combined Northmen/Elves/Dwarves stack to threaten Gundabad, Dol Guldur and Moria.
My mistake here was probably not engaging them in open combat, as I was afraid of losing my garrisons holding all these forts, but on the other hand I didn´t have any more Sauron troops (especially no trolls) to Muster....I tried several times, but they retreated (sometimes with Scouts) to more advantageous positions still, while suffering only minor casualties.
Boromir flied to Minas Tirith with Gwaihir and activated it, then he made an attack on Mordor where I couldn´t muster that many troops (most importantly, trolls). With the aid of the esterling force I had built in North Rhun, I was able to kill that force just before the huge combined dwarf-elf-northman stack marched swiftly on Morannon, while simultaneously turning the elf-northman stack south to attack Isengard. I did what I could to muster Isengarders, but out of fear of Gandalf resurrecting (he was dead) I did not muster Saruman, which was admittedly a probably a mistake (I had a new power rising, but was forced to use its combat effect to retake Morannon just before the huge combined stack reached it)
Isengard fell swiftly in a string of 6s to the admittedly much too powerful elven / northman host, and I tried to hang on in Morannon, but the host there wiped the 5-strong Easterling garrison with one round of combat.
I tried marching the Southrons combined with some of Barad-Dur´s garrison to retake Morannon, but the Spirit of Mordor weakened me somewhat, and Strider sacrificing himself to eliminate 3 hits sealed the deal, even though I could grind for 3 rounds due to Mumakil.
In the last game, it was somewhat similar, except that in that game Gondor withstood the Mordor/ Southron attack on it, even though Minas Tirith was taken, and launched an assault on Mordor, blitzing and besieging Barad-Dur, even taking it. I was able to defeat this companion-led superhost of Gondor elites, only just, but the companions (including Aragorn, Gandalf the Grey sacrificed himself since I had taken the Witch-King) escaped with one regular remaining in their force.
However, this was not enough, as soon Rohan transferred its mighty army to Minas Tirith with a card, and a super-stack assaulted Mordor another time, and again broke to Barad-Dur. Somehow I survived, and saved four Nazgul and the Witch-King by a lucky event card draw(had no character dice to escape them with).
I destroyed that army eventually, only just, but again the Companions escaped...even this was not enough, the elves had used ships to move to Pelargir, and the remnants of Gondor combined with the elves assaulted Mordor again....again, with all the companions present.
They broke to Barad-Dur, again, but did not take it. The Northmen and the Elves also besieged Dol Guldur (with Many trolls), and also attacked the nearly-emptied Mount Gundabad with Northmen ( I had sent the Gundabad garrison to try and relieve Dol Guldur), but I hung on in Gundabad, just, while the Gundabad garrison returned to destroy the Northmen. Then, the stack of dwarves, elves and Northmen had no choice but to attack Dol Guldur, but due to good rolling on my part and bad on his ( and his cards had ran out) my garrison resisted the attacks of his army (which originally had 7 elites) and nearly destroyed his attacking force. He also tried taking Barad- Dur with his last character die, but failed just. At this point he was spent, and I´d won....by hanging on to a thread.
During these games, I haven´t had much chances to be aggressive with my Shadow armies. He plays the Free Peoples military blitz well...
Any hints you could give me, experienced players, besides being really agressive from turn 1 on, taking Saruman and mustering a huge Isengard force, and sometime before attacking mustering the Witch King?
Do I fear Gandalf the White too much? His ability to humiliate my ringwraiths makes defending my strongholds very nasty....
I´d like to see the tables turned, and make him defend his strongholds , hanging on by a thread, while trying to get the Fellowship onwards.
It just seems that the Free Peoples have much more redundancy when it comes to Strongholds.... They can well afford to try an all-out military blitz, emptying their lands...while I would want a battle of attrition.
Should I strike out at his armies at every opportunity, trying to destroy his military before trying to take the strongholds?
Is it all about being aggressive and taking the initiative and keeping it early on?
All right, in the three games I´ve played against the same opponent, with me as Shadow, I am to my surprise finding myself constantly on the defensive, trying to react to his offensives, and trying to hang on by a thread against the attacks of the determined Free Peoples.
In these games, he´s basically neglected to even try to get the Fellowship to Mordor, instead separating most or all of the Companions and keeping the Fellowship put, instead using all those character dice to rapidly move great stacks of armies ten strong, with a great number of them as elites, assisted by the Companions.
I myself have tried boosting the Shadow defenses in Moria, Dol Guldur and Mount Gundabad, but being on the defensive allows him the initiative, and typically he´s able to threaten multiple strongholds, as well as Mordor itself (by moving a companion to activate Gondor).
I can´t afford to go on the offensive in this kind of situation, as unlike him, I cannot afford to lose my strongholds. On the other hand, he can´t afford to lose his troops... For example, in the last game, he activated the North, the Dwarves and the elves after repelling my attacks of 10-stacks of Easterlings and orcs on Lorien and the Dale by the use of very appropriate event cards (including the Help Uncalled for to break the siege of Dale with his Dwarves).
He mustered (some with event cards) a huge stack of elves and northmen in the northwest, and moved that army rapidly with character dice to threaten both Moria and Gundabad, while using the combined Northmen/Elves/Dwarves stack to threaten Gundabad, Dol Guldur and Moria.
My mistake here was probably not engaging them in open combat, as I was afraid of losing my garrisons holding all these forts, but on the other hand I didn´t have any more Sauron troops (especially no trolls) to Muster....I tried several times, but they retreated (sometimes with Scouts) to more advantageous positions still, while suffering only minor casualties.
Boromir flied to Minas Tirith with Gwaihir and activated it, then he made an attack on Mordor where I couldn´t muster that many troops (most importantly, trolls). With the aid of the esterling force I had built in North Rhun, I was able to kill that force just before the huge combined dwarf-elf-northman stack marched swiftly on Morannon, while simultaneously turning the elf-northman stack south to attack Isengard. I did what I could to muster Isengarders, but out of fear of Gandalf resurrecting (he was dead) I did not muster Saruman, which was admittedly a probably a mistake (I had a new power rising, but was forced to use its combat effect to retake Morannon just before the huge combined stack reached it)
Isengard fell swiftly in a string of 6s to the admittedly much too powerful elven / northman host, and I tried to hang on in Morannon, but the host there wiped the 5-strong Easterling garrison with one round of combat.
I tried marching the Southrons combined with some of Barad-Dur´s garrison to retake Morannon, but the Spirit of Mordor weakened me somewhat, and Strider sacrificing himself to eliminate 3 hits sealed the deal, even though I could grind for 3 rounds due to Mumakil.
In the last game, it was somewhat similar, except that in that game Gondor withstood the Mordor/ Southron attack on it, even though Minas Tirith was taken, and launched an assault on Mordor, blitzing and besieging Barad-Dur, even taking it. I was able to defeat this companion-led superhost of Gondor elites, only just, but the companions (including Aragorn, Gandalf the Grey sacrificed himself since I had taken the Witch-King) escaped with one regular remaining in their force.
However, this was not enough, as soon Rohan transferred its mighty army to Minas Tirith with a card, and a super-stack assaulted Mordor another time, and again broke to Barad-Dur. Somehow I survived, and saved four Nazgul and the Witch-King by a lucky event card draw(had no character dice to escape them with).
I destroyed that army eventually, only just, but again the Companions escaped...even this was not enough, the elves had used ships to move to Pelargir, and the remnants of Gondor combined with the elves assaulted Mordor again....again, with all the companions present.
They broke to Barad-Dur, again, but did not take it. The Northmen and the Elves also besieged Dol Guldur (with Many trolls), and also attacked the nearly-emptied Mount Gundabad with Northmen ( I had sent the Gundabad garrison to try and relieve Dol Guldur), but I hung on in Gundabad, just, while the Gundabad garrison returned to destroy the Northmen. Then, the stack of dwarves, elves and Northmen had no choice but to attack Dol Guldur, but due to good rolling on my part and bad on his ( and his cards had ran out) my garrison resisted the attacks of his army (which originally had 7 elites) and nearly destroyed his attacking force. He also tried taking Barad- Dur with his last character die, but failed just. At this point he was spent, and I´d won....by hanging on to a thread.
During these games, I haven´t had much chances to be aggressive with my Shadow armies. He plays the Free Peoples military blitz well...
Any hints you could give me, experienced players, besides being really agressive from turn 1 on, taking Saruman and mustering a huge Isengard force, and sometime before attacking mustering the Witch King?
Do I fear Gandalf the White too much? His ability to humiliate my ringwraiths makes defending my strongholds very nasty....
I´d like to see the tables turned, and make him defend his strongholds , hanging on by a thread, while trying to get the Fellowship onwards.
It just seems that the Free Peoples have much more redundancy when it comes to Strongholds.... They can well afford to try an all-out military blitz, emptying their lands...while I would want a battle of attrition.
Should I strike out at his armies at every opportunity, trying to destroy his military before trying to take the strongholds?
Is it all about being aggressive and taking the initiative and keeping it early on?