Norse Mythology Midgard, Chronicles Scenario 8, “Red Ford”

 This is a straight scrap across a ford, four Spear Throws wide, in the middle of the table. Loki’s army was attacking, so starts 3 Spear Throws from the ford. The forces of Aesir start 2 Spear Throws from the ford.

The line-up was straight out of the main rulebook army lists,

Forces of Aesir,

• Thor (Legendary Hero)
• Tyr (Minor Hero)
• Frigba (Minor Hero)
• Herewulf (Champion)
• 2 Units of Norse Huscarl
• 4 Units of Norse Warrior
• 3 Units of Norse Skirmisher Archers (Marksman)

Forces of Loki,

• Loki (Level 3 Non-Combatant Sorcerer)
• Angrboda (Female Giant, Minor Hero)
• Bergelmir (Snow Troll, Minor Hero)
• 2 Units of Frost Giants
• 5 Units of Snow Trolls

We ran this game twice, over two days. Day 1 saw Rob & Steve leading Loki’s army against Dave & Mal, leading the Aesir forces. Day 2 saw Tony playing Loki and Chris playing Thor.

Game 1

Loki’s army advanced toward the ford, covered by a ‘Wall of Mist’ spell. Clearly the mist wall wasn’t tall enough, as the right hand giant unit stumbled, one of their number falling to the accurate fire from the Norse archers (Marksman + Towering target!!). This also seemed to make Bergelmir and the snow trolls on the right flank a little reticent to adavance!!

Undeterred Loki plunged over the ford and straight into Thor’s Huscarls (gaining a nice total of 4 Reputation!).

Thor managed to hold Loki & his single unit of frost giants, but at a terrible cost. The second giant unit then eventually lumbered forward, on Loki’s right and clearly having been stung by the early Norse arrows, as they lashed out at the 2^nd unit of Norse huscarls, driving them back, before themselves falling to Tyr’s steadfast Norse Huscarls.

Meanwhile Loki’s giants had killed the last of Thor’s Huscarls, forcing Thor to take shelter in Tyr’s unit. Tyr’s Huscarls had slain their unit of giants, but now a wave of snow trolls was storming across the ford. Tyr’s battered Huscarls held the new troll threat before, before they too succumbed, leaving Tyr and Thor to fight on by themselves!

Bergelmir & her trolls then slew Thor and the Norse army faltered!

Loki  gathered up the reserve of snow trolls and surged forward, casting weakening spells on the poor shaken Norse warriors. The game ended with Loki holding 3 Reputation, to the Aesir -5!!

Game 2

Pretty much an identical line-up, ie, Loki’s giants in the centre, flanked left & right by trolls, facing the Norse Huscarls in the centre, flanked by the Norse Warriors, but this time Chris had his archers in front, as a skirmish screen.

Before the battle, the giantess Angrboda stepped forward to challenge Thor. Thor being too proud, stroud forward, into the ford to accept the giantess’s challenge. Their weapons clanged off each other, again and again, Thor even slipping once, but in the end, both drew back exhausted and wounded. Both armies were inspired!

Once again, Loki’s army advanced behind a ‘Wall of Mist’, but the giants still made a conspicuous target and Loki’s centre only stumbled slowly forward.

It was left to Bergelmir on Loki’s right, to storm the ford first.

However, Loki then spotted an opening. Thor’s central Huscarl unit was slightly separated from the rest of the army, so Loki surged into the ford with both units of giants, crashing into Thor’s single unit of Huscarls.

The giants hewed through the ranks of Thor’s huscarls, but the damage to both sides was immense, Loki himself falling to a mighty 3 Raven dice strike (him being distracted by casting Weakening spells!)!

Loki’s unit of giants stooped to morn their leader, but the other unit of giants surged on, driving Thor’s Huscarls back further.

On the Aesir right, Bergelmir’s Snow Trolls were doing well against Frigba’s weakened warriors, but then she rallied the warriors (“Today we fight to Win” with a 6!) and the trolls fell!

In the centre, Thor finally managed to halt the advance of the giants and on the Aesir left, Tyr had despatched Bergelmir’s snow trolls, leaving her savagely fighting Tyr and the Norse warriors alone!

The game ended this time, with Thor holding 4 Reputation verses Loki’s total of minus 6!?

Dragon Rampant 2: Lord of the Rings

The Sacred Bones of Smaug: A Dragon Rampant 2 Scenario, based on Scenario 3 from the rulebook.

A combined Dwarf & Rohan force had located a casket containing the sacred bones of the ancient dragon Smaug. This casket had been hidden in a mine, deep in Isengard territory. The Dwarf Lord’s forces successfully wrestled this casket out of the mine and their aim was to get the casket off the table in the SW corner of the table.

Two forces of Isengard were moving to intercept. An Uruk-Hai force, from the NW corner and an Orc force deploying from the SE corner.

The Dwarf/Rohan force (Mal) comprised;

• 1 x Dwarf Lord (Elite Foot), 8 pts
• 1x Dwarf Armoured Axe (Hvy Foot), 6 pts
• 1x Dwarf Unarmoured Axe (Lt Foot), 5 pts
• 1x Dwarf Archers (Lt Missiles), 7 pts
• 1x Rohan Spearmen (Hvy Foot), 4 pts
• 1x Rohan Archers (Light Missiles), 4 pts

The Uruk-Hai force (Rob) comprised;

• 1x Uruk-Hai Leader (Heavy Foot), 7 pts
• 1x  Uruk-Hai (Heavy Foot), 6 pts
• 1x Armoured Troll (Bellicose Foot), 6 pts

The Orc force (Steve) comprised;

• 1x Orc Warrior, Leader (Hvy Foot), 4 pts
• 1x Orc Warrior (Hvy Foot), 3 pts
• 2x Orc Scouts (Scouts), 2 ea = 4 pts
• 1x Warg Riders (Heavy Riders), 6 pts

After a slightly tentative start, the Dwarf axemen (along with the Rohan spear) pushed down the road, while the Rohan archers guarded the left flank and the Dwarven Archers guarded the right flank.

The Orcs pushed their skirmishers into the woods on the East of the table edge, but the main Orc Warrior force pushed forward much more slowly. Indeed, it looked like the Dwarven casket bearers were going to outstrip the Orc force, so the Orc commander threw his Warg riders forward, in a reckless charge, to try to slow the Dwarves down, only to have them badly repulsed.

Over on the North-West flank, the Troll had pushed into the woods to the North of the ruined temple, however, as the Troll pushed his way out of the woods, the Dwarven archers loosed their arrows. The Troll was shocked to find those Bodkins hurt! He skuttled back into the trees!

This all rather left the Uruk-Hai as the only blocking force, to stop the Dwarves from getting the casket off the table. The Uruk-Hai charged and their aggression was enough to drive the armoured dwarven axemen back and cede the casket to the Uruk-Hai.

At this point, the Rohan spearmen, having flanked around the Northern end of the temple and been savaged by the second Uruk-Hai unit, rallied and charged the Uruk-Hai and surprisingly grabbed the casket back!

At this point, the Troll lumbered in and flattened the Rohan spearmen, seizing the casket back again. However, as he was taking the casket back to his Uruk-Hai master, he caught sight of the Dwarven elite warriors and off he went in a Wild Charge! These Dwarven elite warriors were less of a push-over and the troll was soon sent reeling, only to be kept from routing by his brutal Uruk-Hai master’s whip!

This now left just the two badly depleted Uruk-Hai warrior groups and a badly wounded Troll, between the Dwarves and victory! These groups threw themselves wildly at the Dwarven elite warriors, only to be cut-down, one by one!

In one last desperate gamble the Uruk-Hai leader threw the remains of the Warg riders at the Dwarves and then finally himself, only to be cruelly cut-down by the wicked Dwarven axes! The Orcs quietly decided to give up the pursuit!

Midgard - Fords of Isen

This scenario comes from Mr Savage’s excellent article in the 2024 TFL Special, rescaled to match the figures I have. It follows Scenario 2, “None Shall Pass” from the main Midgard rulebook. The table layout is played longways rather than widthways across the table, to give space for the flanking forces to arrive. The game is 6 turns long and Rohan would win if they still held both crossings at the end. Isengard win if they hold both crossings. Alternatively, the game ends when either side has its Reputation reduced to 0 or less. Both sides start the game with the same number of Reputation Tokens as the Isengard forces (11 Tokens), despite the Rohan force being smaller.

Rohan Main Force:

• Eomer, Prince of Rohan (Army Commander), with 2 Units of Rohan Warriors (foot) & 1 Unit of Rohan Formed Archers
• Balin, Dwarf King, with 1 Unit of Armoured Dwarf Warriors, 2 Units of Unarmoured Dwarf Warriors & 1 Unit of Dwarf Formed Archers

Rohan Relief Force:

• Theoden, with 2 Units of Riders of Rohan

Forces of Isengrad, Main Force:

• Mauhur, Urjuk-Hai Captain (Army Commander), with 2 Units of Uruk-Hai Phalanx, 2 Units of Uruk-Hai and Warriors and 1 Unit of Uruk-Hau Crossbow
• Ugluk, Uruk-Hai Captain, with 1 Unit of Isengard Trolls & 2 Units of Orc Warriors
• Gorbag, Orc Captain with 2 Units of Orc Warriors

Forces of Isengrad, Flanking Force:

• Sharku, Warg Rider Chieftain, with 2 Units of Warg Riders
• Guritz, Orc Captain, with 2 Units of Ork Archer Skirmishers

Eomer & the Rohan foot took-up defensive positions behind the Southern ford and Balin and his Dwarves, behind the Northern ford.

The numerous hordes of Isengard split, with the Urk-Hai aiming for the Northern ford and the Orcs, supported by the trolls, headed for the Southern ford.

The disciplined Uruk-Hai advanced strongly toward the Northern ford, whereas the Orcs were rather more shambolic in their move toward the Southern ford!

Mauhur & the lead Uruk-Hai phalanx ploughed into the northern ford, rapidly rolling back the armoured dwarf defenders (Rob’s dice rolling on form again!).

The lead orc unit did manage to struggle across the Southern ford, only to be driven back by Eomer’s Rohan foot, slaying the orc captain, Ugluk in the process. Bloodied but undeterred, the Orcs surged again, but stalled once more. The trolls behind them were now getting very frustrated!!

Back at the Northern ford, Mauhur’s Uruk-Hai phalanx had crushed the armoured dwarf defenders and set about chasing the unarmoured dwarven warrior support. Part of the collapse of the Dwarven flank, was the arrival of the orc flanking force. The orc skirmish bowmen quickly worked their way into the woods and were assailing the dwarven right flank, forcing Balin to turn his attention (unsuccessfully!) to clearing the woods.

The flanking Warg riders were hoping to fall upon the beleaguered Dwarven rear, but Theoden and his Riders of Rohan intercepted them and rolling cavalry melee ensued, in the plains behind the fords.

After destroying the Warg riders, Theoden charged on, into the now damaged Uruk-Hai phalanx, finally removing that threat, only to find another fresh phalanx behind that! The Northern ford was lost!

Back at the Southern ford, the trolls finally tramped over the bodies of the orc vanguard, but while they hewed great rips in the Rohan ranks, they too fell to the Rohan spears. This left the orc third wave to carry the ford. They set about a mutually destructive assault on the ford, bringing down one unit of Rohan spear, before the second unit, once more drove the orcs back into the ford, slaying a second orc champion!

However, Eomer knew that he had to recapture the ford (turn 6!), so he rallied what few Rohan spear that remained and charged again, only to be driven back! The fords of Isen lay in Isengard hands!?

Back in the AWI

This was setup as a simple skirmish set in the American Rebellion with no set conditions other than to beat the snott out of the enemy. The British deployed from the northern table edge (top) with the Rebels deploying from the southern table edge (bottom).

The Continentals arrived in style with flags flying and drums a beating.

Next, the Rebel state troops and militia arrived in column, ready to deploy into line.  

 

 

For the British the Queens Rangers arrived 

 

 

 

along with their Hessian cousins

 

 

 

Some Rebel skirmishers deployed into the woods, thinking they were out of range of the Hessians, until they realised that the Hessians were rifle armed. Oops.

 

 

 

The state troops and militia continued their advance towards the fields.

 

 

 

 

 

The main British force of regulars arrived and marched forward hoping to deliver a devastating volley before the state troops and militia could deploy into line. 

 

 

 

 

The continentals continued their advance and with some help from some skirmishers they managed to drive off the Queens rangers. 

 

 

 

 

The British regulars at last managed to get off a controlled volley (which unfortunately was to be their last). The volley should have been quite devastating but was shared between four targets (some of which were at long range) so wasn't that great.

 

 

 

The firefight between the Rebels and the regulars wasn't going well for the British 

 

 

 

and soon the British were running. 

 

 

 

More regulars arrived to try and turn the left flank but were hit heavily by fire from the skirmishers in the woods and the rebel militia. 

Some Indians arrived and drove off the skirmishers in the woods.

Next they turned their attention to the militia and soon these were also running.

 

However, this success was all a little bit too late and with a dwindling force the British retired from the field.