SP tactics in Scenarios

[Lord Aragorn]

I bought Expansion before couple of months, but I found the rules and cards for scenario before 7 days. I have played 5 games so far (2 RS and 3 GS). FP won every game. So, can anyone give me some good tactic for SP?
I don't have good tactic for Isengard (it is hard to take Hornburg and there is little time, says my oponent - I like Rohan so I is hard for me to play against them).
Mordor has been 3 times defeat in row, but I think that my last tactic wasn't so bad and I played with Gondor first two times:
In first turn I decided to play aggresive so I put Witch-king on third circle - Might of Mordor (so i have 3 or more leadership tokens in first round and 3 Character dice. In "To East" I place Olog-Hai, so I have a great special power of him. Then I attack Cair Andros fast with East army (three Easterling Infantry and Olog-Hai), before FP army come to Cair Andros. I decided for this becase my oponent found that is hard to break even Cair Andros if FP have 5 units and Terrain Superiority. In my first game this worked, but it was a bit lucky victory. However, I didn't have luck fighting in Osgiliath because of my terrible rolls, but I defeat enemy at the end. In MT I had a bad luck again because my catapults didn't worked out - 5 of them first time fired 0 hits. so I needed one more turn until my sure victory, but fate broke me before that.
When I am on FP side it is a lot of easier for me so far.

[Lord Aragorn]

I have posted this before a week and no reply yet...
Does anyone play scenario or just don't want to speak about tactic?
Or there is no any special SP tactics in scenarios?

[Saxon]

Hello, I have just now seen your post.

I have played Gondor once and Rohan twice. Gondor was a FP victory, but both Rohan games were SP victories (one just barely in the nick of time, the other a real blitzkrieg).

In the Rohan scenario it seems to be easier to take all of Rohan except the Hornburg. That's what happened in my two games. Breaking a 3-point protection is not that difficult; also, the Snowbourne stream protects SP attackers from FP counterattacks; when the walls of Edoras are breached, then you can move up your SP armies to the Irensaga or Harrowdale to attack from clear terrain. The Ents have more or less the same way to go to Edoras as to the Hornburg, but if you go to Edoras, you can maneouvre to avoid or delay their impact, which is not possible in the Hornburg.

In the SP major victory, the SP chose "The Palantir Room" on turns 1 and 2, then "The Balcony" (turn 3), "The Pits" (turn 4) and "The Balcony" (turn 5). Rohan surrendered at the end of the 5th turn. Major factors in the SP victory were: luck with the Grima cards; slow Fate advancement in the first three turns; spending 1 character die to place 6 recruitment tokens; massing two large Mordor Orc armies in the North Marches, one of them reinforced by the "Ugluk's warband" Story card.

FOr the first moves, I think it is important to keep the SP forces advancing East and West of the Isen within striking distance; if one or the other marches up too fast, it may be hit by a 5-pt. Rohan army with 3 or 4 leadership and suffer a lot; unless the SP can counterattack in the very next action, the Rohan player can then play a Muster die and replace his casualties.

In the Saruman "blitzkrieg", the SP mustered so many 5-troop armies that it was just impossible for the Rohirrim to face them all. A major Rohan army retreated to the Hornburg, where it was bottled up by a 5-troop SP army, while the remaining SP troops overrun the Rohan Plains and the Foldes.

Regarding Story and Grima cards, there are a few very powerful ones out there for the Shadow. I am thinking about "Too Few Men to Guard your Walls" and "It is the Will of Theoden King".

Finally, I think it is very important to choose "The Palantir Room" or "The Balcony" in the first turns, so as not to advance the Fate track too much, because most FP characters become ready rather early in the Fate Track.

[Veldrin]

Here are a few pointers from me:

1) In Gondor the Shadow needs to move fast and capture Osgiliath and Cair Andros quickly. Pour out as fast as you can with at least four full armies (two towards Cair Andros and two against Osgiliath). Get as many Nazgûl as possible leading and make sure you use the Withc-King in the battle most important (depends on what you opponent has put there, i.e. if Gandalf is in Osgiliath so should the W-K).

Don't worry if your armies are left thin, use position three to drop units in to reinforce the battle weary armies.

If you manage to do this you will be able to raise enough armies to march on the White City.

2) In the Rohan Scenario speed is not as much of the essence as in Gondor, instead focus on breaking the few starting armies of Rohan and position your armies so Helm's Deep is dificult if not impossible for the FP player to reinforce. You don't need to take Helm's Deep early, only position yourself so that once you think the moment is right it will fall quickly (the Ents are the biggest threat to this so if the Entwood moves towards your besieging armies make sure to strike before the Ents can break the siege.

Slowly pushing from teh west towards the east seems to work well, but sometimes a surprise attack using the Mordor orcs from the north works well (especially with the right cards).

[glow=green,2,300]Veldrin[/glow]

[genghissean]

I agree with Veldrin on 2. Rohan. You dont even NEEEED to take Hornburg to win, so u can wait. I have played Rohan Scenario about 20 times (13 SP, 7 FP). I have lost 1 as the SP. I find it very balanced, so make sure you are playing it right (ie.the right amount of dice, different than WoTR)

Gondor Scenario is BROKEN. No discussion, mathematically impossible to beat a good Gondor Player. Exception, your 1st card is a "move an army with a leader 2 spaces and attack" and you have placed the Witch King, ie. Osgiliath falls round 1 without a battle aaaannd you have taken the north 2nd round and brought in Gothmog. Here are the best rules for Gondor scenario that we have found, they are tried and true. Implement according to how good the Gondor player is, 1 most important and downwards. If expert, then all.

1. Remove the FP 2+ fate tile. This one is really dumb and MUST go; allowing the FP to jump in one turn from 12 to 17, and then use one of the other cards to move the track to 18 mid turn. This is a stupid, boring way to finish a great game, also forcing the FP to win using a little more military strategy rather than total luck of a draw. This MUST be done.

2. Allow the SP to use all 6 trebuchets, instead of the 5 limit.

3. Remove 1 siege tower to allow 2 armies containing siege towers to attack over the walls. Siege towers are totally useless against a good FP. Thus, this rule makes it a tonne more fun and more thematic as the enemy pours over the walls. Highly recommended for fun purposes.

4. "Evil Counselor" Darkness card is removed from deck and the "0" fate tile is placed with the other tiles at the beginning of the game as if it had been played.

5. eye dice can be used as army dice for armies containing Mordor orcs ie. combined attacks, trebuchets if run by Mordor orcs, moving with the corsairs. This eliminates the bad luck of a sucky roll, and give the SP more strategy.

6. Legolas and Gimli. One or both are placed with an army for a battle and may be taken as a leader-casualty against a troll manuevour or combat card "remove a leader...remove 2 damage". Also, if Legolas is killed mid battle, Gimli counts as 3 leadership or combat till end of that battle using "Rage of Gimli" ability.

7. Gandalf has "Timely arrival" ability. If on the 1st round only, the FP rolls 4 Character dice, or 3 characters and an Orb. FP can use 1 dice to make a token a full Muster ie.flip two instead of 1. This represents Gandalf's arrival in Minas Tiriath and mustering the courage of the Minas Tiriath soldiers.

I find these changes "forces" a good, fun siege of Gondor, and makes for an exciting game, that doesn't end before all the fun begins (ie. see 1, the ring being thrown into the volcano before the siege really starts). It gives the SP more exciting options and a little more time to get his armies into Pelennor and force Arragon and Theoden to fight there way to the siege maschines, as it rightfully should be. Everybody I have played with love these rules.
PLEASE TRY SOME OR ALL AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE THEM!!! ;D