Good- Evil-
Boromir, CotWT /w Shield Durburz, Goblin King of Moria
6x Guards of the Fountain Court /w Shield 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Shield
6x Warriors of Minas Tirith /w Shield 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Shield, Spear
Faramir, Captain of Gondor /w Bow 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Orc Bow
4x Rangers of Gondor /w Spear Groblog
2x Rangers of Gondor 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Shield
6x Warriors of Minas Tirith /w Shield 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Shield, Spear
Beregond 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Orc Bow
6x Warriors of Minas Tirith /w Shield Gartok (Moria Goblin Captain) /w Shield
4x Warriors of Minas Tirith /w Shield, Spear 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Shield
Denethor 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Shield, Spear
6x Citadel Guard /w Spear 4x Moria Goblin Warriors /w Orc Bow
4x Citadel Guard /w Longbow Ashrak (Moria Goblin Shaman)
2x Bat Swarm
1x Wild Warg
1x Giant Spider
The Watcher in the Water
Battlefield
Turn 1-
Good
With the Good army taking priority, Boromir leads his warband onto the field from the West, just south of a rocky hill.
Taking a slightly different path from his brother, Faramir's warband arrives on the north side of the same rocky hill.
Perhaps delayed by some matter of State, Denethor does not make an appearence this turn. Taking his stead, Beregond appears on the southern edge of the battlefield, just west of center.
Making the first move for Evil in this battle, Ashrak and his beasts arrive from the North, just East of center.
Following the Spider Kin, Durburz strides in from the North-East near a rocky outcrop.
Groblog and his goblins appear from the south, casting a baleful gaze at Beregond, a short distance to the West.
Gartok does not arrive this turn, perhaps taking a wrong turn after that last fork in the tunnel. With no further actions, the turn comes to a close.
Turn 2-
Good
This turn sees the Good army maintaining priority, and Denethor, Steward of Gondor arrives with his bodyguard of Citadel Guardsmen in the South-East, placing Groblog's warband between his own and Beregonds.
With Gartok apparently still dealing with compass issues, his warband remains absent. The rest of the turn is filled with movement, with the assorted warbands advancing on the objective though Beregond ordered several of his men to pivot to face Groblog. At the end of the turn, here is an overall picture of the battlefield.
Turn 3
Good
The Good army remains in control of priority, but an ominous tremor and some ripples in the water of the south reflecting pool cause the men of Gondor to glance around nervously. Perhaps due to this, Denethor actually fails his courage check and requires the expenditure of a Will point to avoid losing control. Boromir and Faramir continue their advance toward the objective, Faramir's men splitting their path around a large standing stone.
Beregond and Denethor's respective warbands move to pursue Groblog.
Perhaps not as difficult as herding cats, Gartok finally manages to arrive with his various beasts, appearing just East of Denethor's warband.
With a tremendous roar and spray of water, the Watcher erupts from the stagnant water of the Southern pool, filling Beregond and his warriors with dread.
Seeing an opportunity, Groblog uses Gartok and the Watcher's suddden entrance to continue pushing toward the objective, as rapidly as his spindly goblin legs would go.
Durburz and Ashrak their march to the center of the board, though Ashrak details his archers to start forming a line to face Faramir's oncoming rangers.
Here is an overall picture of the board following the end of the movement phase.
Dismayed at the upset of their planned pincer attack on Groblog, a Citadel Guard archer shoots one of the bat swarms, causing a wound. One of his comrades fires an arrow, but it strikes the corner of the building rather than the Watcher. The Watcher himself gets six tentacle shots and strikes Beregond and a Warrior of Minas Tirith. Failing to kill them outright, this is quickly rectified as both men are pulled in and torn to pieces.
At the close of turn three, here is the battlefield.
Turn 4
Evil
With the Evil army gaining priority for the first time, Gartok attempts to make up for lost time by throwing his warband into combat with Denethor's men.
The Watcher surges out of the water and bears down on a petrified Warrior of Minas Tirith while Groblog continues on his way, though the four archers of his warband begin clambering up the side of the building they past.
Durburz and Ashrak continue their own march, with Ashrak's warband skirting the North-Eastern corner of the objective building. Ashrak snarls as his attempt to cast Fury falls apart, the dark energy dissipating with no effect.
Faramir and Boromir stride Eastward, with some of the rangers trying to keep open lines of sight on the goblins near the objective.
Perhaps enraged by the loss of their leader, a surprising number of Beregond's former warband pass their courage checks and charge into battle with the Watcher, which flexes its tentacles hungrily.
Denethor, somewhat torn on how he should react, joins several of his men in combat with Gartok's beasts while a few of his guardsman continue to pursue Groblog.
In the Shoot phase, the Watcher snakes a tentacle over the heads of the first rank of Gondorian warriors and slays a spearman.
The ensuing combat actually goes against the Watcher, with the men of Gondor not only defeating it, but actually succeeding in causing a wound to the beast. To the East, the exchange is mixed, with two Citadel Guard archers falling to the beasts, but one of the Bat Swarms taking two wounds.
Here is the overall board situation at the end of turn 4.
Turn 5
Good
With Good again in command of priority, Gartok declares a Heroic Move and he and his pack of beasts rush to engage Denethor and his guards.
The Warriors of Minas Tirith hope to capitalize on their previous success and rush to engage the Watcher again. Unfortunately, a few of their number are unable to summon the courage to charge the creature and hang back. A few Citadel Guard and two other Warriors of Minas Tirith attempt to halt Groblogs advance, running to attack his goblins.
Boromir and Faramir continue their slog toward the objective, anxious that battle has been joined and they have as yet had no part.
Faramir and his men split their path around a ruined tower, several of the rangers trying to keep open lines of fire at Ashrak's goblins.
Ashrak himself and several of his fellows succeed in gaining entry to the building housing the objective, and begin making themselves at home.
Durburz and his warband spend another relatively uneventful turn, marching past the ruined facade of a building, continuing their advance on the objective.
Ashrak's archers take up positions outside the objective building, trying to take cover behind the buttresses and fingering their bows.
Groblog's archers finish their climb, perching themselves precariously atop the building and sighting in on the warriors below.
Groblog and his warriors break their formation, swarming around the pursuing Gondorians.
Shooting this turn is relatively ineffectual, though the Watcher manages to snag a spearman and drag him into close combat. Dashing the Gondorians hopes, the Watcher easily wins the fight and proceeds destroy four of them, cries of fear and agony cut off by rending tentacles.
Just to the East, one of Groblog's goblins and speared through the heart by a Warrior of Minas Tirith and a Citadel Guardsman falls to the hungry blades of other goblins. Groblog himself is defeated by the guardsman that opposed him, though the nimble goblin is able to dodge the spear.
With a skilled thrust, Denethor causes a wound to the giant spider, though he is unable to finish it off. One of his guards manages to overcome Gartok, though his spear glances off the captains armor. Another guard is confused by the wildly flapping swarm of bats, and falls dead, covered in guano and small bite marks.
Turn 6
Evil
The Good army groans as priority switches back to Evil this turn, and Durburz grins with sadistic glee. The Watcher charges the remaining two Warriors of Minas Tirith before it, the two men trying with all their might to keep their footing amidst the shredded and torn remains of their comrades. Near by, Groblog and his goblins re-engage with their pursuers.
Gartok and his beasts do the same, attempting to isolate Denethor and his remaining warriors.
Boromir's pulse quickens as his men draw nearer to the objective building, while Faramir leaps atop a footing of the ruined tower and gestures his men onward.
Inside the building, Ashrak and his goblins put aside their interior decorating notes and move to block the entryway from Boromir's advancing warriors.
Groblog and his warriors also near the building, heading for the Eastern door.
Faramir's rangers begin exchanging arrow fire with Ashrak's archers, but no wounds are caused.
Gartok howls with pain and anger as a spear pierces his armor, causing a wound. Behind him, a Citadel Guardsman falls to the ground, spider venom coursing through his veins. Denethor suffers a wound from a bat bite, and stumbles backward, attempting to shield his hair.
In a depressing (though expected) outcome, the Watcher eviscerates the last two warriors opposing him, blood and limbs flying in all directions.
Groblog sinks his blade into the body of a Citadel Guard, the man falling to the ground with a clatter. Near the fallen statue, a gobin's chittering is cut short by a sword thrust from a Warrior of Minas Tirith.
Following the end of turn 6, here is the state of the board.
Turn 7
Evil
With priority again in their favor, the goblins cackle with glee, and the Watcher rubs it tentacles together in satisfaction. Gartok's contingent again throw themselves against Denethor's warband with a cacophony of snarling, chattering and growls.
The goblins of Groblog's warband, sense the upper hand and leap to the attack.
The Watcher, not satisfied with the current level of violence, backs into two more Warriors of Minas Tirith.
Boromir and his warband arrive at the objective building only to find the door barred from the inside by Ashrak's goblins. Ashrak himself finally manages to cast his Fury spell, invigorating the surrounding goblins.
Boromir directs two of his men to the door with orders to batter it down.
Faramir urges how own men forward, advancing down the side of the building at the goblin archers.
Four of the rangers ready their bows, taking aim at the goblin archers across the northern pool,
Shooting this turn is opened by the Watcher, a single tentacle suddenly evening a fight between two Warriors of Minas Tirith and a goblin.
One of the rangers, with practiced ease, smoothly draws back and releases an arrow, the feathered shaft burying itself in the chest of a goblin archer.
The goblin archers atop the building rain down arrows, but none manage to find their targets. Close combat for the turn opens with the Watcher casually dispatching the two warriors. The goblin defeats the Warrior of Minas Tirith, but the mans armor saves him from harm. The Citadel Guard nearby is not so lucky, falling before the goblins.
Gartok himself is defeated, only Fate preventing him from receiving a wound at the hands of a guardsman. The Gondorian banner bearer, having no Fate, is not so lucky, falling to the fangs of the giant spider. Denethor takes revenge on one of the bat swarms, striking a wound.
The two warriors strike blows at the door, but their swords bounce off with no damage caused to the stout wood. With no further casualties caused, the board looks like this at the end of the turn.
Turn 8
Good
With the good army regaining priority, Gartok declares a Heroic Move, snarling "With Me!" to his minions, unwilling to allow Denethor to regroup. The lone remaining spearman near the Watcher and Groblog's warband retreats, seeking to join Denethor.
Boromir impatiently orders one of the warriors at the door to step aside and strides up to take his place. The Watcher ominously swims over to the west side of the pool.
Groblog and his warband continue their march to the objective building, while the goblin archers remain atop the nearby building.
Inside, Durburz's goblins take up positions guarding the eastern door.
Outside, Faramir's warriors advance along the building beneath the buttresses, attempting to close with the goblin archers.
Shooting this turn saw another goblin falling to a rangers arrow, though one of the goblins retaliated by shooting a Warrior of Minas Tirith.
The warrior that had made way for Boromir suddenly disappeared in a flurry of tentacles, pulled into combat with the Watcher.
Predictably, the man does not last long.
Denethor's warband manages to give slightly better than they get this turn, with Deenthor finally swatting down the last bat from one of the swarms, and the warg falling to a guardsman. However, another guard falls to the spider and Denethor knows they can ill afford the loss.
Even with Boromir's help, the door holds fast, and the turn comes to an end.
Turn 9
Evil
Evil snatches back priority this turn, and that is not the only thing as the Watcher pulls in two Guards of the Fountain Court. A warrior and two other guards rush to their aid, hoping to slow down the terrible creature.
A few other warriors remain near Boromir, hoping to exploit an opening should they manage to open the door.
The remaining bat swarm and the giant spider suddenly leave Gartok alone to face Denethor and two guards, the goblin vowing revenge.
A goblin spearman rushes as fast as his spindly legs will take him, a gondorian in pursuit.
The men of Gondor continue their advance upon the goblin archers, the rangers also moving closer to the pool.
A ranger again shoots down a goblin, leaving only one of the creatures to oppose Faramir and his warriors.
In a dismaying reversal, Gartok not only manages to win his fight, but is able to strike down the Steward of Gondor!
The unfortunate Guards of the Fountain Court prove no more effective in stopping the Watcher than the others, four of their number falling to the beast.
Finally seeing success, the door first splinters and then bursts open before the swords of Boromir and the warrior, chagrined goblins suddenly before them.
With the end of the turn, the good army is now Broken.
Turn 10
Good
A die is rolled, but the battle continues, and good takes priority. Three of the rangers, their spirits quailing, abandon the battle. The rest of the Gondorians remain committed (more or less) to the battle. Able to act first, the man of Gondor catches up to his quarry, bringing the goblin to battle.
Enraged at the loss of their leader, the two citadel guards re-engage Gartok, seeking vengeance for Denethor.
With the door no longer hindering him, Boromir advances into the portal to attack the goblins within while a lone warrior remains to challenge the Watcher.
Possibly realizing their error and attempting to get back into Gartok's good graces, the spider and bat swarm return to aid him against the guards.
The Warriors of Minas Tirith manage to catch up to the remaining goblin archer outside the building, though they cannot quite surround him.
Inside the building Groblog and Ashrak cozy up to the objective, feeling well insulated by their warriors. Durburz remains near the Eastern door.
In this turns shooting, the Watcher manages to kill a Guard of the Fountain Court, again leaving the warrior alone to face him.
Shooting through the windows, mannish and goblin arrows fly back and forth at near point blank ranges. Faramir manages to shoot a goblin, by the creature manages to pass his Fury save. Another goblin and a ranger are not so lucky, falling to the arrow fire.
Boromir overcomes his goblin opponents at the doorway and is able to strike down one of their number.
The pursuit at an end, the Warrior of Minas Tirith pins the goblin to the ground with his spear.
Elsewhere the combats are inconclusive, though the one surprise is that the Watcher is actually defeated by the Warrior of Minas Tirith, though no wounds are caused.
Turn 11
Good
The turn begins with another die roll and the battle continues for another round with Good in control of priority. Faramir is forced to expend a Will point to remain on the field, though there are no further losses due to morale. Boromir seeks to press forward into the building, while the Watcher skirts slightly around the Warrior of Minas Tirith, who is apparently stunned by the fact he is still alive and does nothing.
The Warrior of Minas Tirith moves forward to engage the goblins at the buildings South-East corner.
The guards again engage Gartok and his beasts, hoping to even their odds.
At the North-East corner, the men of Gondor manage to fully surround the goblin archer.
There are no casualties to shooting this turn, though the Guard of the Fountain Court supporting Boromir is pulled into contact with the Watcher. This time electing to Hurl the man, the Watcher flings him back the way he came, knocking down two other warriors though surprisingly there are no deaths.
Gartok succeeds in killing one of the guards, leaving only one.
Boromir manages to drive back the goblins, but Fury saves them from death.
The archer at the corner finally falls, minced into tiny bits by the surrounding warriors.
With that, the turn ends and a die roll mercifully brings the battle to a close.
We didn't total up the victory points, but suffice to say it was a Lot to a Little. This was probably the most one sided drubbing I've received and I must give credit where it is due to my opponent and I would say the Watcher definitely earned his points. While it was disheartening to watch it mow through my army like a brush hog, it was still a fun time :) Now one of these days I just need to get it painted... Hope you've enjoyed, and hoping to be able to get in some more regular battles in the future.
