The Final Battle

 Here it is, the epic finale of the house hold Battle Companies campaign. With the bars and restaurants re-opening, the chances to reliably run a progressive campaign has become understandably difficult, so we agreed to end it in grand fashion. We decided to pair up and play a Good Vs Evil team game as it made things a bit more interesting and aloud the lower ranked warbands a chance to cause some damage against their rivals.

For this game we agreed to skip an imaginary game and spend any influence that we gained from the extended time. This meant that the Alliance and Cirith Ungol were able to get some extra recruits for the final game, the Orcs gaining a giant spider to make things interesting. The Dwarves were able to pick up some extra gear before diving into the fray, but it was the Goblins that had the biggest spend. Having weathered several games with limited troops, the savings have been spent and a Troll has been added to there ranks for the final game. So here are the four warbands as they enter the final battle.

The Game was Domination from the core rule book as the points on the board were at a level worthy of such a mission and it really added a sense threat to all involved as the warbands risked deploying so close to each other.

The Goblins and Orcs took priority in the first turn, advancing into the alley and the area under the bridge. The Troll lumbered around the flank, weary of the enemy archers and the Orc brute lead his warriors onto the bridge.

The Dwarves, undaunted by the goblin numbers, advanced into the alley. The Alliance survay the scene, their leader moves towards the bridge with his followers.

The Dwarves charge the Goblins.

But the Orcs spring from the shadows of the bridge...

The trap is sprung!

Meanwhile, on the bridge, the Numenorian leader forces the Orc brute and his minions back, but fails to slay them.

The Troll lumbers into view, taking shots from the elven archers.

The Dwarf leader, having achieved little through the course of the campaign, makes a break for glory against the wounded Troll. But true to form, the Dwarf Leader's story ends in disaster. As the Troll looms over the Dwarf, the Goblin prowler sneaks a blade in his back. The Dwarf Leader falls to the underhanded tactics of lesser opponents.

The battle in the alley descends into a complete brawl. neither side gaining any advantage.

The Trolls barrels into the alley and begins to tear into the goodies' lines.

The Orcs on the bridge continue to loose ground to the Numenorians, but it is a grueling fight. Finally, the Orc brute is able to batter down the Numenorian leader and soon the human defence on the bridge falls.

The forces of good finally crumble. The bridge is lost and the fight in the alley falls to a masacre. The Troll rips through every challenger and the last two Dwarves fight back to back as the Orcs and Goblins surround them.

And so ends the our little campaign. I'll post up the final profiles for the heroes of note from this campaign. Gotta say, it was a lot of fun and a great way to pass the time during lockdown. Now I'm back to work it'll be a slower process on painting for a bit.

Turnip28 Tower of Power

So back at the start of the month (Gosh, that feels like a long time ago.) I stuck my toe into the #Turnip28 project that sprang up on twitter. I had no idea what was happening and the man behind it, Max FitzGerald was kind enough to give me some guidance before I started down the grubby garden path. One month later and things have changed, the masses have grown and they crave turnips apparently. If you're curious about what's going on, I strongly recommend checking out the #turnip28 on twitter and Instagram as it'll provide way more than I can describe. That said, here's a rundown of what a month got me in this strange and interesting community.

With the exception of the heads, which are carved off Perry Foot Knights, I had everything I needed in house. The Napoleonic stuff was something I'd picked up free with magazines or model box (I can't remember) so the only pay out was for the Perry knights which are an absolute bargain.

Once I'd finished the first lot, I stumbled on the old Empire War Wagon in the bowels of a bits box. Missing it's crew and wheels, I deemed it worthy of life with the turnip people as the focus point for what was growing into an odd little army.

Lots of mud and roots were the order of the day. LOTS of mud.

Presenting the Gleebland Wandering Garrison. For what little background has been published regarding Turnip28 (and it is some wonderfully creepy stuff) I see these guys temple guards. Except their house of worship, The Keep roams the land with sinister purpose, going where it pleases and calling it's retainers to follow.

I've another ten riflemen to build and perhaps some "favoured " elite troops to finish off the group. What will these guys do in the end? Don't know. What rules will The Keep use? Pass. What more does Turnip28 have in store for the future? No clue, but I'm having fun discovering the joys of building dirty models in short time frames and loving how they end up!

Grab the Money and Run

Welcome back! Once more my friends and I are diving back into the screaming childish drama fest that is Battle Companies. No glorious heroism this week, oh no. We're here for a poor man's heist movie featuring handbag flailing and epic level cowardice. Once again, the Orcs of Cirith Ungol are on extended leave due to food poisoning or some such excuse, leaving the Alliance the Goblins and the Dwarves to take the field. Let's begin...

This weeks mission was a treasure hunt. Six objectives, 2 of which are valuable relics that score big rewards to the model that gets them off the board, the rest are just small potatoes. Simple. To add some extra spice, the Alliance of Men and Elves have their own personal mission as one of their top ranking heroes was lost in the wilderness after last weeks battle. This week will be their only chance to rescue him so let's see how they do.

The Goblins edge their way up along the river, ever careful of the Alliance's wounded comrade across the ford.

The Alliance waist no time in securing their missing officer, though it is a risky position to hold long.

Meanwhile, the Dwarves divide their forces, hoping to delay the Goblins from their treasure hunt long enough for the Alliance to get out of their way.

The Dwarf Leader scales the wall and stairs down the Goblin archers in the ruins. The rest of the Dwarves edge their way towards the rest of Goblin mob.

The Goblins find one of the relics in the shallows of the ford as the Numenorians stumble upon the other in the bushes close by.

The Goblins and the Alliance back away from each other. Niether side willing to provoke the other until they're ready. The Alliance still hoping to rescue their wounded comrade before committing to too much fighting.

The Dwarf Leader is rushed by the Goblins and thrown from the rafters. Once more the Dwarf "Leader" fails to live up to any expectations.

The second group of Dwarves arrive to harry the Alliance's flank as the Goblins withdraw to safety of the far side of the river with the relic.

The Dwarves dispatch the Goblin assassin amongst the ruins and engage the Numenorians by the river. The Elven sorcerer, still carrying his bow, shoots down the Dwarven ranger as a response to the aggression.

Goblins continue to sneak about the river unopposed.

At every engagement, the Dwarves are met with punishment. The Alliance out paces the Dwarves near the river and goes on to slay their surviving archer before carrying their wounded hero and their relic to safety.

Leaving the Dwarves in the ruins to fend for themselves, the Goblins begin to amass their numbers against the Alliance.

With the relic secure and the wounded hero safely off the board, the Alliance steals itself for combat, the Dwarves are the first to feel their fury.

With the Dwarves broken the Goblins charges the Alliance hoping to cause some casualties for past insults. The Goblins are overconfident however and several of the unwashed rabble are put down. The Alliance seeks to finish the Goblins, but the game ends as the Goblins across the river escape with the other relic. With the Goblins and the Alliance both claiming a relic, the Goblins win, scoring a final point for killing the Dwarf Leader in the early stages of the battle.

So there you have it. Another Goblin victory. It'll be another week before the Alliance get their man back on the field as they had to win the game to have him back next game, not that they're worried. the Alliance are already skilling up some nasty extras as another elf gets promoted to a hero. Not looking to be out done, two Goblins gain promotions to being heroes. Not sure how that'll play out, but it's making the Goblin mob pretty spike as a few other lads get the elite status of Prowler and Blackshields. The Dwarves have continued their slow decent as the Leader has been lost in the wilderness. Like the Numenorian and the Goblin archer before him, the Dwarves will have a chance to save their less than heroic leader next week.