Following on from last month's game with Rob (
HERE) we
continue Balin's expedition into Moria. Once
again Rob will be trying to keep his Dwarf casualties to a minimum as survivors
will be needed for the final mission, but right now the scenario is a good ol' fashioned
bust up! First army to drop to 25% of its starting number, loses.
This time we go full force as the reinforced Dwarf army,
lead by Balin go against the Goblin hordes of Durburz, the self proclaimed King
of Moria. A "chasm" runs
across the length of the board with only a single bridge to forge a crossing.
The chasm is jumpable, but that could slow down the charge or leave warriors
unsupported if too few made the crossing.
Battle For The
Dwarrowdelf
Rob took the initiative and held his army where it was. His
plan was to sit back and thin out the goblin ranks with archers before mopping
up the remaining interlopers. It was a reasonable tactic, but would it pay off?
The Goblins were going to be far less subtle in their
methods. Full frontal assault with added troll and foul language for good
measure. I knew the Dwarf archers were going to be a problem if left unchecked
and the drummers would be left vulnerable in the later stages of the battle
when the they would be needed the most. That said Durburz called the battle
cry, the shamans whipped the Goblin masses into a frenzy and the horde charged
forth!
Balin held the centre of the Dwarf line with Oin and Floi,
glaring at the advancing Goblin battleline. As soon as the troll crossed the
bridge, the archers took their aim and loosed. A few goblins were caught in the
way, but it was the troll that took the brunt of the Dwarf arrows. As the
battlelines closed, the Dwarfs grew uneasy. Backing up slightly in the face of
the wounded, but very much alive (and annoyed) troll.
With the Goblins at last upon them, the Dwarfs need to hold
the line more than ever against the brutal troll's attacks.
The cavern echoed to the roar of the troll as it hit the
Dwarf lines. Balin and his companions were too busy dealing with goblins to tackle
the troll and it cost them. A brutal backhand from the troll sent a Dwarf
warrior sailing across the Dwarf front line knocking Balin and several others
to the ground.
Whilst the troll began the work of pasting Dwarf warriors,
Durburz entered the fray himself. Surrounding the Dwarf flank and chopping down
several warriors personally, the Goblin King was proving to Dwarf and Gobin
alike why he was wearing the crown.
Balin quickly found his feet and rallied his forces. He
hoped to make a counter attack against the troll, but had to rebuild his
failing shieldwall first. Oin was less alert. Having been knocked to the floor
by a hurled Dwarf warrior, the aged Oin was set upon by Goblins looking for an
easy kill.
On the flank, the Dwarf archers were over-run. Lead by the
Goblin Captain who survived the encounter at Eastgate, the Dwarfs were fighting
a losing battle at every turn it seemed.
His line holding, but only just, Balin sought to strike a
heroic blow against the Goblin forces, he would slay the troll, thus robbing
the Goblins of their advantage in strength. The loyal warriors cleared the old
Dwarf a path to the beast and Balin charged. Swinging Durin's Axe with all he
had Balin struck the troll. There was the sound of shrieking metal and for a
brief moment the Dwarfs collectively held their breath to see the troll fall...
but it was not to be. The troll had blocked Balin's strike with it's spear, the
weapon now snapped in two by the axe. Balin stepped away from the brute as it
glared furiously at the determined "would-be" Dwarf King.
Oin, having regained his footing and beaten back the Goblins
who dared to strike him whilst prone, now looked to a new objective. The troll
was making a mess of the Dwarf lines and with Balin's efforts to kill the thing
gone unrewarded, Oin sought to kill the only reason the Goblin army stayed
together: Durburz. Oin fought his way through the Goblin chaf and then came
face to face with the Goblin King. A brutal exchange saw Oin wounded and
humbled. Once again Durburz was proving to all why he and no other ruled Moria.
Wounded and their courage failing, Oin and Balin looked at
each other across the battlefield. Dwarf warriors were being cut down as the
goblin numbers began to take over. The troll continued it's unstoppable assault
and Goblins swarmed Floi, the Dwarf Loremaster shredded to ribbons by a dozen
foes. Durburz, stood atop a pile of dead and ordered the final push. The sudden
surge of Goblin savagery caught Oin off guard and like Floi before him, he was
cut down by a swarm of Goblin blades.
Balin, weighed down by grief and fatigue, ordered the
retreat. As he held the rear guard, the troll once again made it's presence
felt, striking Balin with the broken tip of it's spear. The old Dwarf was made
of sterner stuff however and took the blow in his stride.
His remaining forces escaping in good order and the Goblins
massing about their King, readying for the final charge, Balin joined his folk.
This day, The King of Moria without question was Durburz.
"THEY HAVE TAKEN
THE SECOND HALL."
This game had a few potential turning points, there are
three that stand out for me. First the archers and the troll. If the plucky
Dwarf archers had been able to fell the troll before it got into combat then I
would say the Dwarfs would have walked away with the victory, but it hit home
with one wound left. After that it was an up-hill struggle for the Dwarfs.
Second, Balin's attempt to slay the troll had everything going his way...
except the dice. Bad luck left the old Dwarf vulnerable and the troll still
standing. Finally, Oin versus Durburz. A title fight like no other which could
have massively swung the game in Rob's favour. With the Goblin King out of the
way, his followers would soon start fleeing as their numbers started to
dwindle. The Shamans would hold the line for a while, but not to the same
degree that Durburz did. An honourable mention must go to the Goblin drummers as
well. The Drum's effect on combats throughout the game allowed me to win a LOT
more fights than I would have normally. Rob worked hard to get rid of it, but
it was too little too late.
Once again the Goblins have made the Dwarfs pay for their
trespassing and the next chapter will be written in just as much Dwarf blood as
the previous. Until next time....
