A Tale of Four Lord of the Rings Gamers, Phase Four

At last we come to the end of the painting challenge that has been a "Tale of Four Lord of the Rings Gamers."  I'm updating my Rivendell Elves to their final 700 point total.  Here they are posing for a group photo.

There are a total of 50 models present, coming to 692pts.  I couldn't squeeze in those final eight!  The disordered mess you see above is not much different than what I've been building all along.  I just add more of the same guys each month.  In the list is Elrond, 17 swordsmen, 16 spearmen, 16 archers.  Viola!  If I dropped Elrond I could force in about 12-13 more Elves.  But at 700 pts I'd have practically nothing to deal with the big boys I'd face at that level.  Additionally I don't want to play 700pt slug-fests, so no point in tweaking the list.

We haven't been getting in many games with these armies.  As a result, the few games I've played have been not so good.  I'm last in the competition.  So my dreams of being treated to a gigantic sirloin at one of Phoenix's most exclusive steakhouses is all but destroyed.  Looks like I'll be buying someone sushi.  I'll just have a soda.

There you have it!  I'm glad to have a new army for LotR.  Elves are definitely challenging to play and run counter to how I've played any other army in any system before.  I'm a "horde army/life is cheap" player mostly.  So defensively minded Elves are a new twist on things for me.  I'll hopefully get more table time with these Elves over the rest of the year.

A Tale of Four Lord of the Rings Gamers, Phase Three

July is here and that means I've got to post up my 525pt list of Elves.  We're going all the way to 700pts at 175 increments.  So next month will be the final force.   This month comes with yet more change ups to the force.  I've dropped the Stormcaller and added in Elrond.  It make sense to bring him in at this time.  He costs 170 points on his own!  So to fill in some holes to get to the full 525 points I added in two each of Spears, Warriors, and Bows.  Here they are.

Not a lot of models here, as Elrond soaks up a huge chunk of the army's cost.  As I said, everyone else is going with a horde army.  So I have to keep up the numbers.  Otherwise, I'd have kept the Stormcaller in the list.  Elrond got a little extra attention.  Here he is.

I went with my own colors for him. This was also the first time I used Reaper paint triads.  It made the shadowing and highlighting on the hair and cape very straight forward.  The colors of the model are fairly accurate, while the background grass looks like it needs watering.  Don't know what happened there.

So I'm dead last in the challenge.  We were supposed to play games at each point level against one another.  But that's proving too hard to coordinate.  So I lost my one official game and that puts me in last place.  However, I've been getting in games with these Elves "unofficially."  I'm still not very accustomed to their style, but am getting better.

I clobbered a newcomer to the game last week.  I was rather hoping I'd enjoy my usual combination of poor strategy and bad dice rolling.  That would probably ensure the new guy had fun.  As it was I could roll nothing but sixes and wiped him away like a sandcastle on the beach.  Too bad I'll never see that again when I need it. And I likely soured a new player on the game.  Elves!  Can't win with them, can't throw a game with them!

A Tale of Four Lord of the Rings Gamers, Phase Two

So it's time again to post up the 350pt force for the second phase of the challenge.  I've made one change up to the list.  I've added a Stormcaller to lead the force.  Arwen was nice, but she was killed at least three times previously.  I think she's been pulped enough to pull her from the ranks.  The Stormcaller is the same points cost, and has one extra spell and a better defense than Arwen.  He has lower courage and fight value, but he's still an Elf.   The "wild channeling" rule could make him better than Arwen.  I don't think he's a "game changer" but I like the model and wanted to try him out.

As for rank and file, I've added in nine spearmen.  I also fit in six more bowmen and one more warrior.  So I've got 28 models in this force, which is still going to be massively outnumbered.  I was just shy of being able to take that tenth bow for volley fire.  It's probably not that important.

I'm learning that to play Elves correctly, you've got to play like the other Elf players who drive you crazy.  That is, just stand at the far end of the table and shoot.  Don't move even if the scenario requires it.  Stand on the hill and shoot.  Back up 3" and shoot.  By the time you're engaged, you might have killed one or two models and made it all worth your while!

Here are the boys.  (Capes by Armani.  Armor designs by Hugo Boss)

Battle Chronicler Review

I like battle reports.  I enjoy reading them and writing them.  I enjoy writing battle reports about my winning the game.  But that doesn't happen all that often.  So I was thrilled to learn about Battle Chronicler, which is free software that creates some really sharp looking battle reports.  I downloaded it right away and decided to try it out on a game of Lord of the Rings.  I had played a game recently with Rob as part of the Tale of Four Gamers challenge.  It was a downright disaster for the Elves and I didn't feel like writing it up.  But when I found this software, I thought I'd give it a try.

The game was straightforward.  I think I remembered the gist of it.  Besides, I wanted to try the software.  So what follows is my attempt to use the software to report the battle I played two weeks ago.  I found the software semi-intuitive.  I was able to import Army Builder lists with ease.  But I've no idea how to use the freakin' software to make my report.  It's not as easy as advertised.  Also, LotR is different than the "infantry block" style of games this software wants you to talk about.  Since each model is it's own unit, I'm thinking to truly represent a game I'd have to enter each model as a separate entity.  Yikes.

So read on.  It's only semi-pretty because it's all screwed up.  For one, the Elves show up as individual models but can only be moved like an infantry block in the software.  Weird.  All in all, I think it would be worthwhile to learn how to use this.  But no manual exists and the forum sucks.  So you're almost on your own with it. Well, it's free!

Scenario: The High Ground

Date played: Friday, June 03, 2011

Elf Warband 175pts

General: Jerry

• H Arwen Evenstar, Hero
  Expert Rider; Woodland Creature; Nature's Wrath; Elven Blade
  60 points
• EB 3 Elf Warrior, Warrior
  Woodland Creature; Hand Weapon; Elf Bow; Heavy Armour
  33 points
• EW 8 Warrior, Elf Warriors
  Woodland Creature; Hand Weapon; Heavy Armour
  80 points
• Total: 173 points

Wargear
Elf Bow: Range: 24"/56cm; Strength: 3; Move Penalty: Half
Elven Blade: May be used single handed or double handed (if not mounted) -1 Fight, +1 to roll on Wound chart.
Heavy Armour: +2 Defence.

Durin's Folk

General: Rob

• MH Dwarf Captain, Minor Hero
  Hand Weapon; Armour; Shield
  65 points
• DB 4 Dwarf Warrior, Warrior
  Hand Weapon; Dwarf Bow; Armour
  36 points
• W 8 Dwarf Warrior, Warrior
  Hand Weapon; Armour; Shield
  72 points
• Total: 173 points

Wargear
Armour: +1 Defence.
Dwarf Bow: Range: 18"/42cm; Strength: 3; Move Penalty: Half
Shield: +1 Defence

Turn One: Elves and Dwarfs line up on different sides and run to conquer the hill.

Turn Two: Not much happening yet.

 Turn Three: The Elf bows come up and shoot at the Dwarfs, killing one! The Elves hide behind the hill, not daring to pop up in front of the dwarf bows. Dwarfs return fire and kill one archer.

 Turn Four: Elves engage the Dwarfs on the high ground but lose their fights. Two are killed. The archers move up senselessly into Dwarf bow range and exchange shots. One of the Elf archers dies. Arwen tries to cast a spell but it is resisted.

 Turn Five: The Elves are pushed back and the Dwarfs gain the hill. They have a bad time of it and two more are killed. The lone archer runs for the hill. Arwen moves out of the fight and tries her last attempt at the use of a spell. The Dwarf Captain resists it. The last Elf archer gets on the hill. Arwen engages in combat. The Elf Warriors lose more fights, but manage to take out a Dwarf at last!

 Turn Six to End of Game: The Dwarf bowmen gain the hill and complete the surrounding of the Elves. After this, it is a slaughterfest and all the Elves are killed to the last one. Major victory for the Dwarfs.

So there it is.  Sort of mumble-jumbled as I learned the software.  It's really interesting but not as easy as it is made out to be.  I suppose if you were reporting on the infantry block style games or even 40K, it would be easier.  Also the actual battle had more stuff happening in it, like the special rule for wind knocking everyone down.  The kill counts aren't accurate either.  But you get the idea of the software by now.

The Foul Taste of Victory

So I got my first game in for the Tale of Four LotR Gamers challenge.  I took 175 points of High Elves against 175 points of Tim's Goblins.  You saw how pretty they looked in an earlier post.  Now see how well they played.

We played on a smaller board with lots of terrain.  For once I welcomed the forests.  I didn't use the forests to my advantage.  But I welcomed them, which is more than I usually do.  The scenario was rolled up, "Seize the Prize."  I had Arwen leading 8 swordsmen and three archers.  Let's do this!

So a blow by blow will probably bore you.  I just moved up to the prize and took some shots along the way.  Shooting was OK; I had three bows and killed about one goblin per turn.  As Tim later illustrated for me, I was picking the wrong targets.  I was knocking out normal goblins and not the Prowlers.  That would hurt later on.

Since Elves move faster, I got to the artifact first.  I thought I should probably screen the swordsman who was digging for it.  So I moved all my guys up into a line that ran between the ruins and the woods.  This meant I put all my guys in open ground, not in the forest, and obliged the goblins by moving into a convenient spot for them to overwhelm me.  I kept archers back to deal with the pesky harassment team coming around the far side of the ruins.  I continued to shoot at all the wrong things.  So many mistakes were made.  But, the Elves looked damn pretty throughout the whole fiasco.

The artifact was buried deep, and didn't come up on the first try.  What also didn't come up was a good round of combat for the Elves.  They won a lot of fights and killed nothing.  I mean nothing.  Zero.  This repeated a few more times, until the Elves started to become trapped and that Prowler backstabber rule started killing off the Elves.  (Who were beautiful even in death.)  Luckily, I got the artifact unearthed before the goblins could catch me.  Unfortunately Durburz broke my line in two and goblins were everywhere!  Elves continued to be ineffectual.  I wasn't using Elven blades, being too chickenshit to lose a fight.  I should have used them, since winning the fight and not hurting anything was driving me nuts.

So the artifact carrier was running away at a good clip.  All his buddies were surrounded and dying.  But Arwen finally got to cast Nature's Wrath without it being countered.  So at a very opportune moment, all the goblins were knocked down!  A lot just got up again, but they were slowed down and those I engaged remained down.  I even killed a few this way.  Here's a shot of them all on their backs.

But after this point, all the Elves died.  They all died.  All of them.  Dead. Except for the Elf with the artifact; he lived. My artifact carrier managed to keep up his courage and continue to run.  A goblin was trailing him, and thanks to winning priority a number of times, was able to catch up to the artifact carrier.  They fought for a couple of turns and the Elf won each time.  I got priority, passed my courage check, and exited the board.

Minor Victory for the Elves.

I call this battle report "the foul taste of victory" because I really disliked the game.  (Nothing on Tim, as he was a great player and host; in fact he had to put up with me pitching a fit. Sorry Tim!)  I wonder if Elves are really my thing.  They were even more frustrating than my "defense three" Corsairs were to play.  This is probably just me reacting to a total change in play style.  I'm not used to being outnumbered and having no margin for error.  Well, I've put time and money into these posers.  So I'm going to learn to like them!

Since the games go fast at this points level.  We played another 175 pt scenario, "To Kill a King".  But this time Tim took a Spider Queen and three giant spiders.  Spooky!

I'll make this short.  We ran at each other and a few Elves died before they killed all the spiders, including the Spider Queen.  Arwen stayed away and lived.  So major victory for the Elves.  I still played the scenario like a dufus.  For one, I refused to use Elven blades where they would've been useful.  Maybe I'll learn to play these Elves, but apparently that won't be any time soon!

A Tale of Four Lord of the Rings Gamers, Phase One

So the first month of the challenge is on, and I've completed my 175 points of Elves.  Meet the gang.

I have Arwen leading eight swordsmen and three archers, a merry little band on a romp through the forest.  It comes to 175pts on the nose.  Originally I was going with an Elven Captain to lead this group.  He's very "fighty" but I can pick up two extra models if I drop him and replace with Arwen.  Besides, I've never used magic before in all my LotR games.  So that's my motivation in selecting her.  Here's a more detailed shot.

So next up is another 175pts.  Since this is an Elf army, I'll basically be adding more warriors as I go.  Spearmen will make an appearance next time.  I also plan to replace Arwen with a Stormcaller.  I like that figure and would also like to check out how it works. Somewhere Elrond will show up.  At 170 points he'll fulfill a month's quota for the challenge.  I'll save him for when I need a break!

A Tale of Four Lord of the Rings Gamers

So I will be participating in the "Tale of Four Lord of the Rings Gamers."  You can read about it on the Cursed Treasures blog.  It sounds like a nice challenge and an interesting way to get an army together.  I remember the articles from 2008.  So it will be fun to do the same in my own corner of the gaming universe.

As Tim pointed out, I will be working on an Elf army.  I've already previewed it here and started test paints.  Since I did buy the army from Tim it was already primed.  I just had to assemble most of the spearmen and glue the other models to their bases.  So I'll slow down my pace to match the competition schedule.  I'll just finish what's in progress now and pick up again on May 1st.

Playing games in increments of 175 points will be an interesting challenge for Elves.  Of course, if I'm going to play Elves I better get used to being outnumbered.  At 175 pts I can take a Captain and nine warriors.  Yikes!  I think I'll test out the Isildur's Bane rules I mentioned last post using this points level.  Everyone else will be doing a horde army (yes, I will bet even Dwarfs).  So I expect a lot of trapped Elves meeting horrible deaths.

Painting in increments of 175 pts will be a lot easier for me.  But I'm still a massive slow poke with the paint brush.  When I get to Elrond, though, I'll just have to paint him and a warrior to make the cut!

Well, that's about all I have to say for now.  Check out the link at Cursed Treasures for more details.  My first 175 pts is due on June 1st.  Until then, back to the regularly scheduled program.