Thanks @GreatKhanArtist! To be fair, it is simply a foamboard structure with some matchsticks and clothes pegs for detailing, and copious amounts of black spray paint But it is massive (not ideal for storing ). The inspiration for the simple-yet-effective-at-a-distance detailing came from LOTR Scenery Builder, if you don't know of them I would highly advise checking out their website!



It is indeed, see the rest of this post for details!

Act 2 - The Ring Leaves the Shire

Scenario 4 - Flight of the Grey Wizard

This scenario is a homemade 'what if' situation, arising because Gandalf actually won the Wizard's Duel scenario (see previous posts for discussion surrounding this). Scenario details follow below.

This scenario represents Gandalf’s attempt to sneak away from Orthanc after defeating Saruman, while trying to avoid the orc patrols that are beginning to enter Isengard.

Participants

Good:

Gandalf the Grey

Evil:

24x Orc Warriors

Layout:

This scenario is played on a 4’ x 4’ board representing the ring of Isengard. The tower of Orthanc is placed within the centre of one of the board edges. A road runs from the opposite board edge to Orthanc, 6” wide. The rest of the board is covered with trees and rocky outcrops.



Starting Positions:

Gandalf begins the game in the centre of the board, 12” in from the edge in front of the tower of Orthanc.

The Evil player deploys six Orc Warriors on the road, 6” in from the opposite board edge. The rest of the Orc Warriors will enter play during the course of the game.

Objectives:

Gandalf is trying to escape from Isengard as quickly as he can to meet the Hobbits in Bree and warn them of the danger they are in. The orcs are currently unaware of the Grey Wizard’s presence, however should they detect Gandalf, they will do their utmost to capture him for their master Saruman.

Good wins the game if Gandalf manages to escape the board via the edge opposite Orthanc. Evil wins the game if they can manage to reduce Gandalf to zero wounds and capture him.

Special Rules:

Battle-weary - Due to the exhaustion from his intense confrontation with Saruman, Gandalf starts the game with no Might and one point of Fate. His will is as stated in his profile.

Stick to the road - The orcs are currently unaware of Gandalf’s presence. As such, the orcs that start on the road must move along the road towards Orthanc. They cannot deviate from the road until: they spot Gandalf, which they will do so if Gandalf is within 6” and line of sight of one of the orcs at the end of a turn; Gandalf targets any of them with a magical power; or if the alarm is raised by the other orc patrols (see Orc Patrols special rule). Note that the alarm will automatically be raised as soon as one of the Orcs that started on the road comes into contact with the base of Orthanc. Note also that Gandalf will count as being spotted if he moves onto the road at any point before the alarm is raised.

Orc Patrols - From turn three onwards, at the beginning of the Evil player’s Move phase, more Orc warriors may enter the board. The Evil player must first roll a D6 to determine the board edge the orcs enter from (see layout diagram above). After determining the board edge, the Evil player then rolls another D6 to determine the number of Orc warriors that enter play. Orc Warriors that enter play in this fashion must be deployed within 3” of each other and follow the rules for sentries. Note that once all 24 Orc Warriors have entered, no more may enter play.

Weary and bruised from his encounter with Saruman, Gandalf is slow to exit Orthanc, even though he knows that time is against him. He must reach the Hobbits in Bree as soon as is possible, however he is not yet clear of Saruman's treachery. As he makes his way laboriously down the steps of Orthanc, Gandalf spots an orc patrol in the distance, moving up the road towards the tower. Fearing that there are more patrols nearby, Gandalf knows that his best strategy of escape is to remain undetected and hopefully slip past unnoticed...



As the orcs advance up the road, Gandalf quietly slips amongst the trees, hoping to use them to provide cover for his escape.





Stealthily picking his way through the trees, Gandalf's fears of other orc patrols are realised; two orcs appear through the trees in the distance. Luckily for the Grey Wizard, they are as yet unawares of his presence, and so Gandalf moves onwards with haste.

Rolling for the reinforcements, the Evil player rolled a 2 for the board edge, which happened to be the edge Gandalf was moving along. Another 2 was rolled, thus two Orcs entered play. The orcs on the road, still unaware of Gandalf, move closer to the foot of Orthanc. Gandalf is running out of time!





With time against him, Gandalf hurries forward through the trees, careful to try keep himself concealed as best he can from the searching orcs approaching.

Gandalf continued to move towards the board edge and escape. However, more orcs start to appear through the trees, searching around for the Wizard. Starting to panic in his exhaustion, Gandalf is less than careful as he moves, breaking twigs underfoot with a loud snapping that attracts the orcs in his direction.







Meanwhile, the orcs patrolling up the road have almost reached Orthanc, and will soon raise the alarm!



As the orcs finally reach Orthanc and find Saruman defeated, the alarm is raised - every Orc within the ring of Isengard is now aware of Gandalf's presence!

With the alarm raised, Gandalf throws caution to the wind and rushes forward - only another two turns from the board edge! However, the orcs approach, rounding a large rock and seeing the Wizard in front of them.





Seeing the orcs approach, Gandalf hastens forward before they can react, calling upon his magical prowess to blast the orcs away from him, knocking one orc down and crushing another one's head against the rock.

Winning Priority, Gandalf moved forwards, stopping only to Sorcerous Blast the orcs away to prevent a charge - using two Will plus the free one, the Sorcerous Blast was effective, killing one orc and knocking another prone. Gandalf is now just three inches shy of escape!



Alas, tired and beaten, Gandalf cannot outpace the orcs forever. On the verge of escape, the Grey Wizard is finally caught and surrounded by Saruman's evil minions. Does Gandalf have the strength left to overcome the orcs?

Unfortunately (for the Good player anyway) the orcs won Priority in this turn and charged in on Gandalf before he could react, surrounding and trapping the Wizard. With only one Attack, Gandalf was easily overcome and suffered two Wounds. Not defeated and captured yet, but the Grey Wizard can see no way out from here.



On the verge of defeat, Gandalf's strength fails. The orcs press their advantage, once again surrounding the Wizard, determined to overcome him and capture him for their master.

Winning Priority again, the orcs once more surround Gandalf. With many more dice in the fight, the orcs win the Duel and easily overcome the Wizard, dealing too many Wounds for Fate to save.

Thus, Gandalf has been caught and captured before he can escape Isengard, and Evil win the scenario!



____________________________________________________

An Evil victory, and a pretty fun game! Could definitely do with some tweaking, considering this report was the first playtest Let me know what you guys think of the scenario and please do give your opinions to refine it!

I did actually give Gandalf one Might point in the original scenario rules, however I decided during the scenario to take that away - otherwise Gandalf would have been able to call a Heroic Move in the turn that he first got charged and he would have escaped off the board with no fighting. I made this adjustment for two reasons: Firstly, I was slightly rooting for Evil here because I really want to play the Escape from Orthanc scenario (I made Orthanc, Isengard scaffolding and painted an eagle for that scenario ). Secondly, Evil were quite lucky to roll for the majority of the reinforcements to come in from the side Gandalf had gone down, yet Gandalf still had a pretty easy time of it up until the last two turns. In another playthrough, if less Evil reinforcements came on from that side, I envisaged Gandalf easily avoiding them and moving off the table edge unhindered.

In any case, the result of this scenario means that the next scenario will be Escape from Bree with Aragorn and the four Hobbits, while Gandalf is now imprisoned atop Orthanc and will feature in the Escape from Orthanc scenario soon!

I hope you enjoyed this (quite long ) battle report! Thanks

_________________
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captainquark38/

An elegant response to a tricky question. Nice scenario tweaks and well done report. Poor Gandalf, can't catch a break.

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Amazing work! Sounds like a cool scenario and love that you integrate these kind of scenarios in your campaign.

Awesome work on the Tower of Orthanc, do you have any WIP pics or sketches with dimensions? I'd love to build a Tower of Orthanc as well one day.

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Full Lord of the Rings campaign: https://aiwendil.net/

I never would've guessed that the bottom was clothespins, but now I look at it, I can totally see them!

The whiteboard in the background is genius. We need one for our FLGS. I've been using poker chips, but that's so much better.

Um, put a lampshade on it and stick it in the corner?

Perhaps give the column of orcs on the road a captain on the next play through. If there are no orcs coming in on the side Gandalf is escaping from it gives them a chance to catch up with him. Try a few wild wargs? I don't remember if they get to charge, if they do, this is unfair; they'd just knock down poor Gandalf.

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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -Will Rogers

Thanks @Mapper!



Thanks for the praise @Voyager360 Unfortunately I do not, it was quite a 'make it up as you go along' build

I can tell you that the total height is 60cm to the base of the large spikes, and then another 20cm to the tips of those spikes, bringing the total structure height to 80cm. I made the main structure from foamboard in an X shape. The 'width' of the X from corner to corner at the base is about 21cm and then 14cm at the top, resulting in the taper as you move up the tower. I do have to mention that this build used a lot of trigonometry knowledge; just as well I'm a maths teacher



@GreatKhanArtist it is super helpful alright! I used to just write everything down on a notepad, but being able to simply wipe off and write again is much quicker! I cannot claim it as an original idea though, I actually saw the guys over at Failed Charge Games using one for their battle report videos on YouTube. Not sure if you know of them but I'd highly recommend checking them out, very funny guys

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Act 2 - The Ring Leaves the Shire

Scenario 5 - Escape from Bree

This scenario follows the rules for the Escape from Bree scenario from BGIME #61. No modifications have been made.

Objectives:

The Good player wins if Aragorn and all four of the Hobbits exit the board from any edge excluding the edge that the Ringwraiths enter from.

The Evil player wins if either Frodo or Aragorn are slain.

If Sam, Merry or Pippin is killed, if the Heroes move off the Ringwraiths' board edge, or if Frodo is wearing The Ring when he escapes, the game is a draw.

Following their narrow escape from the Black Riders at Bucklebury Ferry, Frodo and his companions finally arrive at the town of Bree. It is here, at the Prancing Pony inn, that they expect to meet Gandalf. However, there is no sign of the old Wizard who, unknown to the Hobbits, has been imprisoned atop Orthanc by the treacherous Saruman.

In the commotion of the bar at the Prancing Pony, Frodo accidentally puts on The Ring and is accosted by the mysterious stranger known to the locals as Strider. Yet the damage has been done; the Ringwraiths, aware that The Ring is close by, crash through the gates of Bree, seeking their quarry. The Hobbits now have no choice but to put their trust in Strider to help them escape the pursuit of the Nazgul.

You can see the starting positions and the layout of the board below. Aragorn and the four Hobbits start at the door of the Prancing Pony, while the Ringwraiths start 6" in from a board edge of the Evil player's choice. Note that the scenario is played on a 3' x 3' board, so I have marked the four corners with dice.









Similar to the Flight to the Ferry scenario, the Ringwraiths are searching for their quarry and so move at half speed, controlled by the Evil player for the first turn, but then by whichever player has Priority in the subsequent turns. If, at the end of any turn, a line can be drawn between a Ringwraith and a Good model, the Good Heroes have been spotted and the Ringwraiths move as normal.

Note that I decided to not allow Aragorn use Heroic March; firstly, even though I try to use the modern rules for this campaign, the scenario was not written with Heroic March in existence, and narratively, I reasoned that since it is the dead of night and visibility is limited and with Ringwraiths prowling the town, I figured Aragorn would be moving slowly and cautiously, making sure to check around corners before just charging about the place

Anyway, on with the report!

Aragorn knows that the best chance to successfully get the Hobbits to the safety of Rivendell is to lose the pursuing Ringwraiths in the wilderness, however he must first guide the Hobbits safely out of Bree.

Cautious in the dark, Aragorn leads the Hobbits out of the Prancing Pony and around the corner of the inn, sticking close to the walls to avoid detection.









In the first turn, the two central wraiths moved into the town, while the other two wraiths moved up the outskirts to attempt to prevent any escape from the sides. Aragorn urged the Hobbits around the side of the inn, using the building to stay hidden from the wraiths.

The winding lanes and side-streets of Bree hinder the Ringwraiths' search, confusing them into getting waylaid. Peering through the darkness to check that the coast is clear, Aragorn continues to guide the Hobbits around the edge of the inn.













With the Good side winning Priority, the Good player was allowed to control the wraiths, and so moved them around buildings or into thickets of trees, to separate them and create further blocking of line of sight.

The Hobbits and Strider continue to move towards escape, using the confusion of the wraiths to their advantage.











Winning Priority again, the Good player further mislead the Ringwraiths, enabling Strider and the Hobbits to break away from the safety of the inn.

Sensing that The Ring is close by, but unsure of its exact location, the Ringwraiths grow frustrated, yet they cannot afford to leave any area of the town unchecked.

Knowing that they are almost clear of their pursuers, Aragorn guides the frightened Hobbits through the darkness to the back of the town, towards the edge of the wild.



















With the Good player winning Priority again in the next couple of turns (Evil can't catch a break here!), the Heroes continued to edge closer to the edge of the board and escape, while the wraiths continued to search the town and the surrounding trees in vain.

The Black Riders continue to search the town for The Ring, checking every side street and alleyway, yet they can no longer sense The Ring's presence nearby, for Aragorn has successfully used his Ranger skills to guide the Hobbits through Bree undetected. Strider now leads the Hobbits away from their pursuers, out into the wilderness.











"How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf's?"

"I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer and feel fouler."

"He's foul enough!"

"We have no choice but to trust him."

"But where is he leading us?"

"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee. To the House of Elrond."

___________________________________________________

So another victory for Good this time! Aragorn and all four Hobbits successfully escaped Bree and continue on their journey towards Rivendell.

Although nothing majorly exciting happened in this game, I had great fun playing it again because, similar to Flight to the Ferry, it was quite a tense game, trying to keep the Heroes undetected, and it also felt very themey!

I apologise for the amount of pictures, but I really liked how the scenario was photographing due to the terrain setup

Post-Game Recovery:

As no Might, Will or Fate points were used and no Wounds were lost, no recovery rolls were needed.

I hope you enjoyed this report, and once again thank you for all the comments and encouragement, it is greatly appreciated

The next scenario will be Kill the Wizard

Thanks!

_________________
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captainquark38/

Thanks for those dimensions. The tower looks really good! Funny you're a math teacher, I'm a physics teacher so no stranger to trigonometry

Nice to read your playthrough of Escape from Bree was more exciting than mine. In my playthrough Good had Priority every turn, meaning the Ringwraiths had no chance to win.

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Full Lord of the Rings campaign: https://aiwendil.net/

I'm just a manure shoveller.

The printed buildings look great. The first time I'd ever seen anyone use them was at the amazing model train show in Calgary a few years ago.

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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -Will Rogers

I like it to read you battle reports and for me it's okay to make a lot of photo's.
One point of feedback would be to make a few, or one each turn, from above. I with this 'battle' the position is very important and I understand the good player will place the nazguls behind buidlings. But from some points, it's not clear who's where. So maybe that can help the public understand the positioning more.
But, as I said, I like the report, keep up the good work!

These keep getting better and better, keep up the good work.

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Visit my blog for Middle Earth goodness:
http://www.wintergategames.wordpress.com

Nice report. The paper/cardboard buildings looked great. It took me a few minutes to realize that they were cardboard!

My other subject is actually physics too!





Thanks guys, I too am very impressed with how they turned out, considering they were so easy to print and fold together! If I remember correctly they are from Dave Graffam, only a couple of quid for the ones I got, well worth it

@Mr Gimli, thanks for the praise, glad you're enjoying them!

@Dwarves4thewin! I appreciate the feedback and I understand what you're suggesting, I've tried to include a few overhead photos of the whole board in the next report here!

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Act 2 - The Ring Leaves the Shire

Scenario 6 - Escape from Orthanc

This scenario follows the rules for the Escape from Orthanc scenario in BGIME #54. No modifications have been made, except for using the current version of the rules and profiles, which means Gwaihir has 3 Might, Will and Fate, instead of the 1 point of each as stated in BGIME.

Objectives:

For the Good side to win, Gwaihir must carry Gandalf off the board within 6" of the corner from which he entered play, or Saruman must be slain.

If Gandalf is slain after leaving the top of Orthanc, then Evil wins.

Any other result is a draw.

Believing he can harness the power of the One Ring for his own twisted ends, Saruman turns against the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth, driven mad by his lust for power. When Gandalf rides to Orthanc to seek Saruman's advice, he discovers this betrayal, but is overpowered by Saruman and his orcs, and is imprisoned atop Orthanc.

There, he is offered a choice between joining Saruman or death. However, unknown to his captor, Gandalf has been able to summon help from Gwaihir, the Lord of the Eagles. Can Gwaihir rescue Gandalf and help him alert the Free Peoples to Saruman's treachery?

The below photos show the layout of the board at the start of the scenario. Gandalf and Saruman are atop the tower of Orthanc, while Orcs mill about on the scaffolding far below. Note that Gandalf does not have his staff or Glamdring in this scenario and is thus Unarmed (despite what the model depicts).











Infuriated by Gandalf's initial refusal to join him, Saruman offers his 'old friend' one last chance; "Embrace the power of The Ring, or embrace your own destruction!"

However, unknown to Saruman, Gwaihir, Lord of the Eagles has arrived, swooping low as he enters the Ring of Isengard so as to avoid detection by the White Wizard.







In the first turn, Gwaihir enters play from the corner opposite Orthanc. While flying low to avoid the detection of Saruman, the orcs notice the Eagle and begin to move to attempt to slow and disrupt Gwaihir's approach to the tower.

Knowing that Gandalf has very little time left, Gwaihir hastens towards Orthanc, dodging the arrows that fly from the orcs' bows.





Gwaihir continues to fly over the large fissures towards Orthanc, while the orc archers that take aim at him are let down by their poor accuracy. The orcs on the ground try to rush the Eagle, yet Gwaihir swoops over them, evading combat, for now.





Driven out of fear of their captains and overseers, the orcs attempt to close in on Gwaihir, yet the Lord of the Eagles uses his cunning and agility to outmaneuver the orcs.

Having lost Priority, Gwaihir called a Heroic Move to attempt to maneuver away from the orcs closing in on him and avoid combat this early. One of the orc captains countered with his own Heroic Move, yet Gwaihir won the roll off and thus managed to swoop away from the onrushing orcs, while also avoiding more bowfire from the inept archers.





Unfortunately for Good, in the next turn Evil won Priority again, yet with only a few orcs in charge range, and knowing that Might may be needed for some Heroic Moves later on when trying to escape, Gwaihir let Evil have Priority, yet was charged by one brave orc, who managed to pin the Eagle in place!





However, the orc was no match for Gwaihir, who promptly picked the orc up in his talons and tore him in half!

However, this did not deter the orcs, who once again managed to charge Gwaihir in the following turn.



Once again though, the Lord of the Eagles beat back the orc attack and killed one of them.

"Their is only one Lord of the Ring. Only one who can bend it to his will, and he does not share power!"

Finally calling and winning another Heroic Move roll-off, Gwaihir managed to move into contact with the tower of Orthanc and allow Gandalf to jump onto him. However, stumbling on his cloak while attempting to jump off Orthanc, Gandalf has to use a Might point to hold onto the Eagle and not fall to his death!



Quickly swooping away from the tower, with Gandalf on his back, Gwaihir once again finds his way barred by orcs, however that is the least of his and Gandalf's worries. Infuriated at Gandalf's second refusal, Saruman summons the dark powers and directs a great ball of fire from his staff down towards Gandalf and Gwaihir!







Using his free Will point and an additional two points of Will, Saruman unleashes a Channeled Flameburst, rolling a mighty 6 for the casting roll! Gandalf burns two Will and Gwaihir burns through all three of his Will points attempting, in vain, to resist. Thus, both Heroes are Set Ablaze, losing a Wound each in the initial flaming attack.

On fire and surrounded by orcs, things look dire for Gandalf and Gwaihir,
as they attempt to flee from Saruman's wrath.

Burning Gandalf's last Might point, Gwaihir uses the Wizard's Heroic Move to fly away from the onrushing orcs. Yet the Lord of the Eagles and the Grey Wizard cannot escape from Saruman, who sends a Sorcerous Blast their way, knocking Gandalf and Gwaihir flying and crashing into the dirt. Neither Hero suffers a Wound from the magical attack, yet Gandalf feels the flames engulfing him and suffers a Wound from still being Set Ablaze, and needs both his points of Fate and the re-roll given to him by the ring Narya to save him!





With both Heroes out of Might and Evil winning Priority, Saruman immobilses Gandalf, who, battered and exhausted, once again fails to resist. Meanwhile, Gwaihir remains prone and desperately rolls around in the dirt to suffocate the flames engulfing him.







However, unable to move, Gandalf cannot prevent the flames from further engulfing himself, and he finally succumbs to the fire, losing his last Wound to the Set Ablaze special rule. A victory for Evil and Saruman!





________________________________________________________

A victory for Evil this time, and a very important outcome from this scenario!

The only important post-game recovery rolls needed were regarding Gandalf; I needed to see if Gandalf managed to recover any Wounds or not. Thankfully, he did manage to recover two Wounds and so is not quite dead yet. However, he is now still imprisoned within Orthanc, and this will have big consequences for the campaign!

I still have to work out all the fine details, but the main impacts this will have are that Gandalf will of course not be present at the Council of Elrond. This means that he will not be the guide for the Fellowship that is formed there. BGIME have a guide for picking an alternative Fellowship, and I will use that in my own campaign.

Secondly, since Gandalf will not be at Rivendell to warn the Free Peoples of Saruman's betrayal, I see two ways to handle this:

1) Knowing that Gandalf went to see Saruman before he disappeared, the Free Peoples conclude that Saruman has turned Evil, and so send the Fellowship on the path they follow in canon, while also sending some form of mission or assault on Orthanc to rescue Gandalf (may be able to include Eomer and Rohan here?)

2) The Free Peoples do not yet suspect that Saruman is the cause of Gandalf's disappearance, and so believing that Saruman is still their ally, send the Fellowship towards the Gap of Rohan.

I'll be thinking about the different options over the next while, so any input from you guys that have been following along will definitely be taken into consideration!

Ragardless, I have to finish this current act, which now involves the scenarios Kill the Wizard (with Radagast), Attack at Weathertop and Flight to the Ford, and then I have all of Act Three to play, which involves a mini battle companies campaign spanning many skirmishes in Osgiliath and then the initial fall and retaking of Osgiliath, before I get to the Council of Elrond. So it will be a while

Once again, thanks for all comments!

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captainquark38/

Well, there were three other wizards, including Radagast. What are they off doing? Are the two blue wizards allied to Sauron at this time? Maybe Gwaihir and Radagast have a sort of relationship? Does Radagast have relations with the Ents? And there is always Galadriel and Gil-Galad, great seers both.

I always thought Gandalf was trying to keep the whole matter on the down low, and went off secretly to Orthanc. The affairs of wizards and such...

Poor Gwaihir. I was hoping he would rise like a phoenix and they could limp away. Thematically, it would be cool if Gwaihir plunged into the dam at Orthanc, maybe bursting it and flooding out the uruk-hai spawning pits.

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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -Will Rogers

Wow, seriously disappointing for the Good side! This looks to be one of those scenarios where Priority is seriously important, and it looks like the Priority dice had been loaded by the Evil player.

As to what next, maybe Gandalf doesn't show up until the Ents attack Isengard, and then he makes his escape? Or maybe he flings himself out the window off stage (as it were) and just shows up normally as Gandalf the White?

Fun battle report though. Your Saruman looks great.

Other eagles go to find out what happened to their lord?

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

To clarify, while Gandalf did not escape (being overcome by the flames and what not ), Gwaihir did manage to roll around in the last turn and extinguish the flames from himself, and manage to fly off. His path is now going to lead him to Radagast, which ties into the next scenario Kill the Wizard. This is where Saruman sends some uruks and warg riders to attempt to kill Radagast, but Radagast has help in the form of a couple of Ents and Gwaihir.

Assuming that Radagast survives this scenario, then he will show up at the Council of Elrond carrying the news of Gandalf's fate.

Thus, a fellowship will still be formed, most likely with Elrond, Celeborn or perhaps Glorfindel standing in for Gandalf as the guide. This fellowship will go the Moria route.

As for how or if Gandalf gets rescued, that is still up in the air Elrond and Galadriel could send an alliance of Rivendell Knights and Galadhrim to attempt a rescue from Isengard? Or, aware of Saruman's treachery, Eomer could take some Rohirrim and assault Isengard before Saruman's army gets too large? Or perhaps Gandalf is left there until the March of the Ents?

More thinking is needed I believe

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Would Radagast not be Gandalf’s natural replacement in the Fellowship?

Oh boy, let's hope for the regal version with the eagle on his arm, not the quirky film version. I fear Strider might do him in long before the end of their quest.

Would Radagast be able to open the gate to Moria? Would he even want to go that way? He might have an affinity for burrowing creatures. How would he react to the crebain in service to Saruman?

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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -Will Rogers

The films interpretation of him is ridiculous. Is it simply based on the fact that Saruman calls him a ‘fool’? He many not even make it to Rivendell of course.

I'm not sure how much knowledge Radagast would have of the lands from Rivendell to Mordor. Gandalf was supposed to be the main guide for the Fellowship after all, so perhaps Elrond or someone like that would be more suited than Radagast? We shall see anyway!

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Act 2 - The Ring Leaves the Shire

Scenario 7 - Kill the Wizard

This scenario follows the rules for the Kill the Wizard scenario from BGIME #79. I have made some slight modifications to fit the timeline a bit better than the original BGIME, mainly being that I swapped the uruk-hai warriors for uruk-hai scouts, as (according to the movies anyway) the fighting uruk-hai were not armed as such at this point in time. Additionally, Gwaihir carries over his stats from the post-game recovery from the last scenario.

Objectives:

For the Good side to win, they need to slay the two uruk captains and fourteen additional uruk-hai scouts.

For Evil to win they need to slay Radagast.

If neither objective is achieved after twenty turns, the game is considered a draw.

Residing in his home, Rhosgobel, in the forest of Mirkwood, Radagast the Brown is unaware of Saruman's treachery and the imprisonment of Gandalf. After Gandalf's refusal to join him, and knowing that the nature-loving Radagast will never willingly follow him in the service of Sauron, Saruman has decided to kill Radagast and take his Staff of Power.

To this end, Saruman has dispatched a party of Uruk-Hai and Warg riders to Mirkwood to hunt down the Brown Wizard and kill him. However, after barely escaping Orthanc and witnessing the fate of Gandalf, Gwaihir worries that a similar fate may befall Radagast, and thus the Windlord hastens to warn the Wizard. Will he arrive in time?

The below photos show the layout of the board at the beginning of the scenario. Radagast is positioned at the doorway to Rhosgobel, while two slumbering Ents are nearby. The uruk-hai and warg riders are seperated into four groups and positioned within 6" from each board edge. Gwaihir will (hopefully!) arrive later on.













A strange feeling has come over the forest of Mirkwood; Radagast can sense some ill will approaching through the trees. Cautiously peering out from his home of Rhosgobel, the Brown Wizard prepares for the Evil coming his way.

With Good winning Priority in the first turn, Radagast successfully cast Terrifying Aura on himself with his free point of Will, which will hopefully deter the uruks from charging the Wizard too much during the game. Note that I am using the rules and profile for Radagast from BGIME #79 as I do not have the Armies of the Hobbit book for the updated profile (he is literally the only Hobbit-era model I am using in the campaign).

The uruks simply advanced as quickly as they could through the dense forest.





Using his friendship with the woodland creatures to his advantage, Radagast is alerted to the presence of the enemy thanks to his bird and beast allies. Calling on his magical powers, Radagast uses his Will to awaken one of the Ents.

Seeing the uruks and wargs quickly approaching, Radagast called a Heroic Move to avoid being charged and trapped by the wargs, while also using his Will to help awaken one of the Ents. As per the scenario special rules, the Ents are slumbering until they are awoken. They can be awoken by the Good player rolling a die that is less than the current turn number, or if they are charged or shot at. Radagast, being so in tune with nature, can use his Will to lower the value rolled on the dice instead of using a magical power that turn.

With the Ent now awake, it wasted no time in charging the wargs and blocking their line to the Wizard. Unfortunately, the ent was then countercharged and trapped by two other courageous warg riders! Although the Ent was overwhelmed in the combat, the flailing orcs did not manage to land a Wound on it.











Upon seeing the snout of a warg sniffing around the corner of Rhosgobel, looking for him, Radagast summers his magic to strike terror into the beast and send it fleeing from the battle, while its rider tumbles to the ground!

Winning Priority, Radagast uses Panic Steed on the warg before it can charge him, sending the warg fleeing from the battle and throwing the orc rider to the ground. The orc is then immediately charged by the second Ent, who has finally woken up due to all the commotion around it; the uruks are closing in! Radagast makes a break for it, away from combat, closely pursued by an uruk captain.











Unfortunately, the first Ent once again loses the fight with the warg riders and suffers a Wound this time. The other Ent is much more successful, slaying both the orc and the other uruk it fought.

Even in the dense undergrowth of Mirkwood, the uruk-hai scouts are adept at covering ground quickly, and catch up to Radagast.

Charged by the uruk-hai captain and another uruk, Radagast must defend himself. Thankfully, his Terrifying Aura prevents a third uruk-hai joining the fight. The Wizard is overpowered in the hand-to-hand combat, but nimbly manages to duck and dive out of harms way and suffers no Wounds.

Glutton for punishment, the first Ent once again charges the warg riders, yet this time has much more success! Using the special Bludgeon Brutal Power Attack, the Ent picks an orc up off a warg and violently swings it around, smashing and crashing it into the other orcs and wargs, slaying them all!







Unable to catch a breath and escape his pursuers, Radagast must once again defend himself in combat. Luckily, help is at hand, for Gwaihir, Lord of the Eagles has arrived!

The Good player successfully passed the roll for Gwaihir to arrive, and not a moment too soon! Using his keen eyes, Gwaihir spotted the uruks from afar and charges straight into the fray, bowling two uruk-hai scouts over and slaying them.

Meanwhile, the first ent charges and slays the final warg rider, but unfortunately the second ent, surrounded and trapped, is hacked down by the uruk-hai scouts and their captain!

Radagast too is beaten back and takes a Wound! Things are looking tight.







The arrival of Gwaihir has bought Radagast an inch of space, and the Wizard does not waste it. Calling upon the trees of the forest, Radagast summons their roots up to attempt to strangle and crush the uruk-hai captain, who barely manages to fight them off.

A special magical power for this scenario, Radagast uses Constrict, which attempts to wrap a target in tree roots and crush it, inflicting a Strength 7 hit on it. The uruk captain had to use its Will point and remaining point of Might to resist. Radagast then, wisely, retreated behind a clump of trees and left the fighting to Gwaihir.

Charging the captain and another uruk, Gwaihir easily overpowered the uruks and ripped the uruk captain in two. One captain down!

The Ent was also very successful in its fight, slaying the uruk-hai scout and causing two Wounds to the captain, who failed his Fate roll! Both captains slain in the same turn. Is this a turning point for the forces of Good?









Although both uruk captains have been slain, the warriors still fight on, determined to complete their mission.

The Good player still needs to slay more uruk-hai scouts to win the scenario, and thus Gwaihir and the Ent fearlessly charge into battle once again. Radagast too plays his part, darting out from behind the trees to cast Constrict on an unsuspecting uruk, crushing it with the roots of the trees.





The strength of the Windlord and the Ent prove too much for the uruks, as more scouts are slain.

Sensing that the uruks are beginning to falter, the forces of Good press their advantage, knowing that if they can fell just a few more, the others will turn and flee.

Rinse and repeat tactics from the Good side here; Gwaihir and the Ent once more charge into combat, while Radagast successfully casts Constrict on another uruk. Going into the Fight phase, Good need to kill four more uruks to win, and there are five in combat. However, one sneaky scout has circled around the back of the fighting and is closing in on Radagast, who is unprotected.





The Ent fought first, winning the fight but only managing to slay one of the two uruk-hai. However, the power of Gwaihir, determined to make amends for having to leave Gandalf, cannot be rivaled; the Lord of the Eagles swipes his talons across the three uruks, slaying them all in one swift movement!

Witnessing the fall of their fellows, the remaining uruks are struck with fear and flee the battle! Radagast has survived.





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Whew, a Good victory, and Radagast survives! I must say, this was actually quite a fun scenario. The couple of special rules and the special magical powers for Radagast make it nice and themey. The Ent's Bludgeon attack is also very cool! And Gwaihir was in a mean mood for this game, he cut the uruks to pieces once he arrived.

Of course, for the campaign, this means that Radagast will be present at the Council of Elrond, and will carry the news of Saruman's treachery and Gandalf's imprisonment, as told to him by Gwaihir. I will go over the Fellowship selection process and may even ask you guys to help me choose (wonder can I get a couple of polls up and running ) once I get the next two scenarios finished, which will tie up this act. The next two are Attack at Weathertop and Flight to the Ford.

Hope you guys enjoyed this report, as always, I love to hear your comments!

Until the next one

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captainquark38/

Great write up of what seems like a very fun scenario.

I suspect the new stats and powers that you're using really help Good out on this one; I suspect Good had a much harder time of it using the old rules. The Ent bludgeon special rule is particularly cool -- it was great to see it in use.