Encounter on the Barrow Downs

Mark came over to have another try at my Middle Earth variant of Soldiers of God. Since our last game I'd played with the points a bit (effectively making the elves more expensive and the crap orc snaga units cheaper).

The scenario is a basic encounter battle. Forces of the Witch King were trying to outflank Arnor's army but were intercepted on the Barrow Downs by reinforcements of elves and dwarves marching north to aid the men.

We each went for the same battle plan, a right hook with our strongest units, with the centre advancing in support and the left flank just holding ground. In the event our centre battles never met, my dwarves were delayed in their advance because Mark used a strategy card to demoralise them and it took me ages to get them back into good order.

The elf general surveys his battle line, I think he's a bit grumpy because his job is to just hold back and thinks he's going to miss out on the fun. How wrong he is!

Both forces advanced slowly (infantry do not move fast in these rules) until the respective right wings made contact. Angmar's right battle could advance in a deployed line, but because of a wood, the dwarves had to advance obe unit behind the other, with the dwarf huscarls leading the way.

The orcs strung a cunning maneuvre and managed to pin the dwarves with a large snaga unit, whilst another worked its way in a position to charge into the huscarl's flank!

In the meantime a unit of uruks, supported by trolls, crashed into the elf line, which buckled, but managed to hold off the initial charge.

Ooooh! those trolls look big!

On the other side of the battle we saw the effect of elite troops with very shiny armour up against Angmar's finest crapist troops. The unit in front of the huscarls routs!
Then the dwarf general and bodyguard charges into the combat to support the huscarls and the second snaga unit routs!

Now the huscarls wheel (I had a very good hand of cards in this turn) and slam into the flank of the third big snaga unit, who were already in combat to their front, and they rout!

At this point we called it a day, neither army had broken but the orcs were in trouble. The fight with the elves had deteriorated into a slogging match, which the trolls would eventually win, but the dwarves were in a position to roll up Angmar's line.

It was good fun and better balanced than the previous game. I will try strengthening the snaga a little bit for the next game, but as Mark insisted on engaging my best troops with his worst it's not surprising that they all died, just perhaps a bit too quickly.