by Keith Finn
A battle won is a terrible thing, save for a battle lost.
The valley of Dale was covered with the slain, the hurt, and the lost. The living were in the minority. As the shadows darkened towards evening, the last of the orcs, goblins and wargs withdrew from the Lonely Mountain beaten, but not broken. The King of Eagles screamed from his perch on the body of Bolg, when he learned of the death of his brother. Dain and the dwarves of the Iron Hills slumped down where they were backed against the flanks of the Lonely Mountain, too tired and ill at heart to pursue the foe. Dead drawves lay in windrows from the Gate to the spur. The King of the Mirkwood Elves stood on the hilltop of Elf Hill, and watched as the tight ring of orcs that surrounded his valiant but beleagured elves just turned and marched away but with many a orcish oath to remind the elves that THIS WAS NOT OVER! As for the men, hardly any remained to lament their fate The Lakemen and Woodsrunners had sold their lives dearly trying to restrain the orcish onslaught the Woodsrunners died early in a furious change of the Mirkwood goblins. The Lakemens' ordeal was longer, but no less final, with Bard the Archer dying as the Lakemen prevented Bolg's bodyguard from assaulting the remaining dwarves from behind. Thorin looked out of the blocked main gate of the Lonely Mountain. Dwarves, hundreds of them, lay dead in from of the gate along with the goblin Hero, Gungak Dzin, and the Drawrven Hero, Alakazam. Gandalf and Bilbo stood at the top of Ravenhill, a few men and elf archers left on the hill with them. The foot of hill was covered with the bodies of men, goblins and wargs. A sullen group of wolf riders trotted slowly away in the gathering darkness.
This was victory!
Bard encourages the Lake Men
from atop a hillThat was the scene on the table after 12 turns of the Battle of Five Armies. It was played using 16 24 army point HOTT 25mm armies (8 per side), on a 12'x5' table, with the Big Battle HOTT rules. The entire battle took just under 4 hours, including whining and gnashing of teeth. Tom Graves worked up a 'army apperance and release sequence', and this worked pretty well. Seven Ally armies (3 men, 2 dwarf, 2 elf) setup on board, in the valley of Dale and between the spurs of Lonely Mountain. The timing is set to the warning Gandalf receives from the old Raven about the goblins and wargs heading this way.
Turn 1: Two human HoTT armies (Lakemen and Woodsrunners) defend Dale and the entrance to the Valley. Goal: prevent the Orcs from reaching the gates to Lonely Mountain before turn 12, but not to be broken before turn 8. Four Orc armies (#7,#8,#2,#5, see Order of Battle below) deploy between the spurs and attack. Goal: Capture the Gate of the Lonely Mountain (stronghold) by turn 9.
Turn 3: Elves are released to attack the Orcs. Goal: Break 2 of the 4 Orc armies by turn 9 and not be broken by turn 9.
Turn 4: Dwarves are released to attack the Orcs. Goal: Break 2 of the 4 Orc armies by turn 10 and not be broken by turn 10.
Turn: 5: Two Orc armies deploy, one each on the Southern and Eastern Spurs (#3,#6, see Order of Battle below) . Goal: Break 1 Elf/Dwarf army by Turn 11 and not be broken by turn 12.
Turn: 6: Bolg's and one other Orc army deploys at Dale (#1,#4, see Order of Battle below). Goal: Break 3 of the 6 allied armies on the field by turn 12.
Turn: 7: Thorin Oakenshield, Beorn and the adventurers can leave the Gate of the Lonely Mountain. Goal: Prevent Orcs from capturing the gate, break Bolg's army by turn 12.
Turn 8: Eagles deploy. Goal: Destroy the 2 Orc armies that deployed on the mountain spurs by turn 12.
If the alliance stronghold is lost the alliance loses. If Bolg's stand is destroyed the Orcs lose.
Tom & Allen's battle on the
right rages on!And it was a desperate action! Allen, Steve and Joel were the Goblins. Keith (Woodsrunners and 1 Dwarf army, and Gandalf's forlorn hope), Mike (2 Elf armies) and Pthomas (1 Dwarf army and the Lakemen) were the allies.
Steve made a running assault in the center, breaking the Woodsrunners on turn 3 after a ill-considered flank attack by the Woodsrunners went bad. I think the Behemoth general of the Mirkwood orcs had the highest kill count of any element in the game. The Lakemen were made of sterner stuff, and delayed the assault of the orcs for almost the entire game I think Bard the Archer was finally killed on turn 11. Joel's left flank assault column of riders and flyers got pip locked, then attacked in the flank by Elven rangers (shooters) and spear. His riders broke free for a dash to the gate, running over Radagast the Druid (modeled as a "Beast"). Joel and Steve also managed to kill two of the Ranger shooters guarding Gandalf's Hill, (leaving Gandalf to be guarded by the "Lone Ranger"!).
On the right flank, Allen's Wargs, Orcs and flyers (giant bats) got into a confused scrum with Pthom's Dwarves. Their combats started on turn 2 and they were still fighting on turn 12! The remaining dwarf army began to deploy to the center to cover the gate after the sudden destruction of the Woodsrunners.
Mikes 'Spear Elves' assaulted Joels fast column, and broke them by mid-game. Gandalf sent his ranger escort to help, but lost 3 out of 4 elements to the orc rider assault by Steve and Joel. This left Ravenhill guarded by Gandalf, Bilbo and one shooter. And that was pretty much the entire center command for the allies! Steve resumed his methodical advance and slaughter up the center of the vale toward the gate. Ptom's Lakemen were doing a magnificent job of delaying the gobins & orcs, but were being forced back away from the gate. When the time came for Thorin to sally from the Gate, he declined! Keith was deploying dwarves toward the Gate as fast as he could, but dwarf armies are not fast!
And about this time, two more Orc armies came onboard, swarming over the east and south spurs of the lonely mountain. Mike had an elven army well placed to combat Joel's new threat, but Ptom was fresh out of troops -- his promised backup had headed to the Gate!
Now here comes the really bloody part! Keith has gotten three dwarf blades deployed in an oblique line in front of the gate, and had a dwarf Hero on the way. Keith also had 2 dwarf shooters and a dwarf Artillery in range of orc/goblin heros, shooters and Behemoths (we had great hopes for the Artillery!). Alas, the Artillery was completely ineffective Steve was always able to roll 1 higher than the dwarves...sigh!
The Goblins close in on the Thorin's
Gate!And now, two more goblin armies entered the vale: Bolg and his bodyguard on the road thru Dale; Joel had the heavy "Great Goblins" march into vale and begin to attack the Spear Elves. The Spear Elves were backed up onto "Elf Hill" by the new orc army.
Then the Mirkwood Behemoth general and the goblin Hero, Gungak Dzin, attacked the dwarf blades and the dwarves died in heaps at the foot of the gate. Enraged, the Dwarf Hero (Alakazam) charged the goblin Hero (Gungak Dzin), and was stomped adding his corpse to the impressive pile of dead dwarves. The way to the Gate was clear! The goblin Hero, Gungak Dzin, attacked the Gate! Thorin and company, aghast at the slaughter of their kin, dropped a chest containing a couple of hundred pounds of gold right on top of Gungak Dzin saying something to the effect of "...if they want the gold that bad" (a 6-1 split one the Gate attack, with Thorin adding one to the roll for the Gate).
And now Beorn and friends (a Paladin and 2 beasts) deployed on the spur, and headed for the Gate. On the other spur, the Eagles arrived (and rolling a "1" for pips -- thus, just circling the spur and taking in the slaughter). With the arival of the Eagles, here was the situation:
Facing the Gate: The Gate is held by Thorin & Company (1 Blade). The entire center of the vale is empty of all allied elements. The only Goblin troops there are the unbroken but very dispersed elements of Steve's Mirkwood army. The Mirkwood General (a Behemoth) is in range to attack the Gate in 2 turns. Just to the right of the Gate, two Dwarf shooters and artillery have formed a line to try to discourage further assaults on the Gate (ha!).
In the left center: The Lakemen are hanging by a thread the remnants of the Lakeman army is being assaulted by the Desert Goblins and Bolgs bodyguard.
On the left at the foot of the spur: Ptom's dwarf army is almost surrounded by Alan's wargs and wolf riders and there is another goblin army deploying at the top of the spur.
In the right center: Gandalf and a shooter hold Ravenhill watched by the Steve's Mirkwood goblin wolf riders. Beorn charges for the Gate, but it looks like he will be too slow.
One the right: Joel has surrounded Mike's Spear Elves on Elf Hill Mike has another Elf army on the spur, but they are being pushed back slowly by the new arrivals, the Misty Mountain goblins.
Take a deep breath...the Eagles roll a 6 for pips! The Eagle King (Arial Hero) and four flyers charge over the spur to attack Bolg's bodyguard, and maybe save Bard the Archer in the process. Bard dies anyway and the Lakemen break! The Eagle Prince (Arial Hero) and two flyers attack Alan's Orc Hero and the Prince is easily swatted out of the air by the Orc! Joel tightens the goblin ring around Elf Hill, while his Misty Mountain goblins have unexpected success against the Elf shooters on the spur!
The Mirkwood Behemoth general eyes the gate, but also eyes Beorn coming in from the right, and the Artillery on the left. He pauses...
And Bolg, realizing just how dangerous the Eagle King is, breaks for
the ruins of Dale. (the Eagles need at least 4 pips to be able to mount
an attack on Bolg, he didn't quite make the bad going. In Dale, the Eagles
roll another 6 for pips!). So, on turn 12, the King of the Eagles catches
Bolg right outside Dale, and in a climatic 6-1 split, kills Bolg of the
North. The demoralized goblins flee the vale.
The Eagles win the game by killing
Goblin General Bolg!