Waaaaarrrrrrrrrr

So as promised, today was a day to learn to play Middle earth sbg. My only experience of it previously being some 15 or so years ago and Carols experience being non existent. So it was a slow going process with lots of page flipping and head scratching.

We decided to give the first scenario in the Pellanor fields book a go a couple of times to try and get our heads around the rules.
24 Moranon orcs vs 12 riders of Rohan. Mission- get 7 riders or more off the table for victory, 6 for a draw and any less a defeat for the rohirrim.
I took the orcs and Carol took the Rohirrim.

Game 1 was played and victory went to the Orcs.

A battle report from Carols perspective can be found on her blog -  https://lairofthegamesmistress.wordpress.com/2018/09/28/charge-of-the-rohirrim/

So a brief respite for food drinks and round 2 was upon on us, Same game, same sides. Would the outcome be any different.

Carol rearranged the table a little. We lack much scenery so please excuse the lack of it and rather shady bits we did use.

Turn 1 saw the Rohirrim move forward to unleash volleys of arrows to no avail. The orcs had politely moved up into range to help. Guess they hadn't taken lessons from Legolas at this point.
The field looked like this.

Turn 2 saw the orcs advance further whilst the Rohirrim held their line and unleashed another volley or arrows and spears. But again there was no effect on the orc lines.

There was some appalling dice rolling but i reckon it was the orcs doing this that put the pretty little Rohirrim off their aim

Turn 3 saw more of the same. Orcs advancing under the withering hail or Rohan arrows. But the orcs were not 'cracking' and still no casualties were taken.

Turn 4 and the dancing came to an end. With a mighty roar the orcs stole the priority for the first time and charged headlong into the sons of Rohan. That was about all that was mighty though.

The clash of steel and wood, mixed with the screams of the dying and whinnying off horses as battle got personal. At the end of the fight orcs lay dying alongside a lone Rohan horseman.

The pile of shame.

 Turn 5 and some shuffling, some scrapping, a few spears and some poor souls trampled under hoof as the combat got bitter. More orcs died, but another Rohirrim was dragged from his saddle. But the orc lines were breaking and holes began to appear.

Turn 6 and the Rohirrim sensed their moment and started to make for Gondor or the table edge as we know it. With the orcs frantically chasing after them

Turn 7 saw the priority switch back to the orcs and they desperately tried to delay the Rohirrim escape....and mostly failed. Lives were lost clinging desperately to the speeding horses.

Turn 8 and with the casualties rising and Saurons eye scowling down on them, many orcs fled int0 the wilds. All bar 2 suicidal maniacs that is.

With priority on their side they charged the Rohirrim, desperate to stop too many escaping. Could they hold the line and allow the ill tempered kin to sack Gondor.

They could surely try. Slaying 2 more Rohirrim and taking the toll to 6. They fought like the feral beasts they were.
But then like the fickle hand of fate likes to show. The courage of the lone orc fighting the 3 Rohirrim failed and he fled leaving the lone orc to watch helplessly as the final few Rohirrim charged off the table.
The end result a draw. But it felt like a win.

A thoroughly enjoyable couple of games. We are looking forward to expanding the rules and taking on the challenge of learning more.

Oh and apparently. Our new table is now in the UK with parcel force. So close.

Tomorrow there is unlikely to be any update as we are going on an adventure!!!! To Warhammer World! 

The age of man is over.

So today....
Definitely not my most productive day to be honest.
Fur rocket walked.
Return of the king watched.
Red colour complete on all 36 moranon orcs. Not much more than that.

But it was a tad slow going trying to get back into the finer details of painting again. So it was also good progress.

Here's the supporting pic

Tomorrow will be the day we try and learn to play the game. From the ground up. Sadly it will be on an old ad-hoc table as they new one still seems to be stranded in Germany, at least it was last update.
Current state of mind on the delivery

Having sat down and watched the entire story hobbit through to Lord of the rings on extended edition. I have to say how much more enjoyable the films are. There was so much missing that it felt like watching them for the first time all over again.
If you haven't had the chance to do it, i highly suggest trying it out.

Until tomorrow....

The two colours

So today's update is here.

Only one film watched. The two towers. Yeah that really helps with the Elf or dwarf army decision...Not.

But alongside that and walking our fluff missile. I have also managed to base coat all the flesh, wood and red robes on the 36 Moranon orcs from the boxed set.

Meanwhile our new gaming table is winging its way to us, well it would be if it would leave Germany that is. Apparently it's having a bit of a layover and has been there since 3am.Lazy sod.
Or maybe its really like this.

Sods law almst guarantees it arriving Saturday whilst we are on our expectedly unexpected journey to warhammer world.

But all is good and we can make do and mend with an old board to learn to play on if needs be. It's just a bit cumbersome.

Of course all this talk of boards and mats, has raised the question of scenery. Currently i am thinking of populating the board with some plastics from http://www.amera.co.uk/ It's relatively cheap, very functional and with a little bit of hobby love, can look fantastic. But that will have to wait until after the forgeworld/whw visit.

Anyway. On with the pic. So here it is.

So there we go. Tomorrow will either be spent playing or watching Return of the King and painting.

Which i do not know yet.

Going on an adventure.

Well if you know me from twitter or can put 2 and 2 together. The nature of the next few entries will be fairly obvious.

But first. Welcome back. It's been a mighty long time since the last post on here. A little over 18 months to be exact. In the wargaming realms of my mind. Not much has happened in that time. In fact, in all honesty. Nothing of note.

But you know how these things go. One day your sat chilling on the sofa, minding your own business when suddenly you hear 'Oh they look cool'. It's the voice of your better half who has just spied a post on the FB GW army painters page. It is of a Riders of Rohan Lotr army. A conversation takes place, many mumblings about the game and the next thing you know your waiting on delivery of the newest version 'Battle of Pellanor fields' and wondering whats going on after avoiding the game for 15 years.

You see, i avoided all versions of the Lord of the rings and Hobbit wargames after i left Games Workshop way back in 2003. Building a 8ft helms deep from scratch out of citadel fortress kits, building and painting in excess of 200 uruk hai and countless rohan and elves, all too its toll. Then there were the demo games and of course that damned magazine that wh smiths sold with Lotr figures. The one that cursed us with 1000's of kids who all bought the metal treebeard and then came back into gw because.....little timmy couldn't build it. Nor could the staff, not with 10,000 pins could it be done, it is folly. (see what i did there).

But skip to the present. A distinct lack of hobby or gaming or anything and i figured. Give it a go, whats the worst that could happen.

Fool of a took.

This happened.

A day of clipping, sniping, scraping, gluing and maybe a few swear words and everything was assembled and based. Not bad going by my reckoning.

That was last week.A hobby resupply and a mad dash to Norwich yielded the army book, some brushes for Carol and all the missing paints. In that time another parcel arrived. All 6 extended editions of Lotr and the hobbit, because...well why not.

Sunday Carol pipes up about our lack of a proper gaming table since rearranging the house. A few ideas are batted about and then she discovers the folding table from Urbanmatz. A lot of pondering is done and by midnight Sunday, one is ordered along with a grass/snow double sided mat to lay on it.A review will of course be forthcoming once it has arrived.

Yesterday comes and the plan for a week off hobbying begins. The hobbit an unexpected journey is loaded and ready for viewing, paint stations are loaded and prepared and then the words you don't expect to hear. 'You got the wrong paint and i am missing one'. Agrax earth shade gloss instead of Nuln oil gloss and a missing Rhinox hide.
No adventure yet then. Back to Norwich, paints and more stuff bought, a burger king meal enjoyed and a rather shattered pair sag bag onto the sofa.

Models painted 0 but An unexpected journey taken and watched.

So that brings us neatly to today.
Desolation of smaug watched.
Battle of five armies watched. I want elves, no i want iron hill dwarves, no i want elves, no dwarves...arggh my mind.
Now playing. Fellowship of the ring.

Model progress.
36 Morannon orcs have been base coated with metals, inked and drybrushed. I want a fairly rough beaten look to their armour. Even though they wont be my chosen force, i still want then to look half decent when playing.

So that's got things up to date.
Tomorrows plan. Watch the two towers and Return of the king. Layer the browns and reds on the orcs.
Over the rest of the week i hope to progress along with the models, probably re-watch the films again, begin the process of learning to play the game and then there is Saturday.

A 15 year wait will be over and a life time wait for Carol with our own version of  'a slightly more expected journey' to Nottingham and the shrine that is Warhammer World. I fully intend to return with Dain of the Iron hill dwarves!. But you never know. It might be an elf by the time i part with my cash. It's just the way my mind works.

What of the Rohan i hear you cry. Well send riders to https://lairofthegamesmistress.wordpress.com/ where you can see Carols progress on the rohan. She is new to blogging and has also returned to Twitter @gamesmistress21

So that's it for now. Like a well known Ranger of north i have returned, but the only dead i bring are braincells.