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!