Clash at Etholyn

Finally I managed to fight another Lord of The Rings skimish game against my mate. The two fighting factions were a coalilition of Uruk-Hai and Orcs against a Elf coalition of High Elves and Woodelves. Both factions would consist out of roughly 500 points which is a rather standard number of points for a small scale battle. The battle was fought on a 1,50 x 0,75 meter with in one side of the board a Rohan village called Etholyn and on the opposite side the slopes of a mountain range.

Evil forces (only 35 models):

• 5 Warg riders armed with shield and throwingspears
• 1 Sharku mounted on Warg
• 17 Orcs armed with either shield, spear, two-handed weapon or bow
• 9 Uruk-Hai armed with shield (some pikes were used as I don't have enough of them)
• 1 Orc banner
• 1 Gorbag with shield
• 1 Uruk Captain with shield

Good forces (31 models!)

• 8 High elves armed with elf swords
• 7 High elves armed with elf bows
• 1 High elf banner
• 1 Gil Galad with shield (a real killer at 145 points!)
• 1 Haldir armed with bow (may shoot twice)
• 8 Woodelves with elf swords and armor
• 4 Woodelves with spear and armor
• 1 Woodelf unarmed without armor (point filler)

The game:

Turn 1: the set up, We decided that the orcs were starting in the pillaged village of Etholyn and that the Elves would start on the other side as they would attempt to revenge the massacre of Rohan civilians.

I decided to set up a strong center, made up of a falanx of Uruk-Hai and the Uruk-hai Captain supported by several Orcs and a standard bearer. On my Right flank I deployed a less powerful falanx made up by the remaining Uruk-Hai and Orcs supported by Gorbag an Orc Hero. My left flank was made up out of Warg cavalry under command of the dreaded Sharku and three Orc Bowmen.

My mate decide to put his elves in to a massive falanx with in the center the standard bearer protected by all sides by the High Elf swordsmen and Woodelves. On his right flank he deployed his High Elf Archers together with Haldir, the master bowmen in an attempt to claim the advantage of the higher ground!

With both sides set up, both start to march towards each other.

Turn 2: Again the two factions advance toward each other, the Orcs are still not in range of the deadly Elf bowmen! The advance of the Wargriders is slightly delayed by a serie of Rohan fences.

Turn 3: The Elves stop their advance and form a defensive formation at the start of the cornfields under cover of the bowmen which took the higher ground increasing their range. Aware of the increased range, I decided to move my Warg riders a bad choice as Sharku immediately lost his mount crippling my cavalry.

Turn 4: Trying to evade the deadly hail of Elf arrows, Sharku takes one of his companions Warg and decide to continue his advance. But again Sharku lost his mount and now also suffered two wounds only saved by using his only fate point!

Turn 5: The main evil force is slowed down by the cornfield but is advancing toward the Elf meatgrinder! Again the Elf archers decide to shoot at the Warg riders now only killing one Warg rider.

Turn 6: Again the elves hoot at my precious warg cavalry causing the death of two Orcs and one Warg! The role of the Warg cavalry is now nothing more than causing distraction.

Turn 7: The first elements of the orc army clash with the Woodelves at the most left side of the Elf battleline only causing the death of one poorly armored Woodelf. In the shooting phase, the Elf archers under the command of Haldir kill Gorbag! (losing a full 3 might points!), a Uruk-Hai and two Orc warriors!

Turn 8: The fight continues as more Orcs and Uruk-Hai join fray, causing one dead High elf at a cost of three evil victims! (Poor dice throwing from my side)

Turn 9: Finally the Uruk-Hai's brute force causes the death of 4 High Elves! Again the evil faction loses 4 soldiers both Uruk-hai as Orc.

Turn 10: The battle continues and the Uruk-Hai slay another three High Elves by using the might of the freshly arrived Orc banner. In an attempt to break the Elves left flank Sharku charges accompagnied by a sole Warg rider, in the battle that follows Sharku is slain by Aiglos, Gil Galad's trusty battle spear! During the shooting phase the Orcs almost routinely lose another four warriors.

Turn 11: Half of the orc force is killed causing the necessity of a Moral test, luckily for me the Uruk-Hai captain succeeded causing everybody within a 14 cm radius to succeed! But the again the fight is in favor of the High Elves causing 4 casualties at the loss of only one Elf!

Turn 12: Gil Galad uses a Heroic Movement to attack my Uruk-Hai captain! In a fierce battle the Uruk-Hai Captain lost his life by serving Isengard!

Turn 13: And three and a half hours later, the last of the Uruk-Hai are surrounded and instanly killed by a deadly combination of might, superior fighting value, two-handed weapons and spears!

Aftermath: My army needs more men, more archers! But after all a fun game!

Greets,