Terrain Project: Hill Ruin part 2

Base coated the hill and rubble pile with a regular brown acrylic paint. Put some tape to mark where the ruin pieces are going.

Glued the ruin pieces to the hill top, and painted the rubble pile with the same paint scheme as the ruins (Adeptus Battlegrey, Codex Grey over brush and Space Wolves Grey dry brush). The turf on the hill is from an aborted attempt to cover the hill. I sprayed the hill with Scenic Cement, then shook the fine turf onto the hill. I let it dry for several hours, but except in the spots you can see, it didn't actually adhere to the hill. My Scenic Cement is fairly old, so maybe it is just going bad or perhaps I did it wrong somehow. My plan is to try and thin some white glue slightly, and just paint it onto the hill, and then reapply the turf.

Terrain Project: Hill Ruin part 1

Thought I would try making a piece of terrain using some 1" foam insulation board I got some time ago. Been thinking about it for a while, just finally decided to actually give it a shot. Over-all goal is to create a ruin on a small hill using one of my Ruins of Middle Earth sets. I cut out the general shape of the hill from the sheet using my hot wire cutter, and then ran it around again to bevel the top edge slightly. I laid out the ruins roughly how I wanted them to get an idea of the layout. I used a knife to cut out some steps leading from table top level up to the hill top. One set on each side for fairness. Using some of the scraps, I used the hot wire cutter to make some building stones and glued them in a pile to simulate a collapsed wall to fill in some open space between ruin sections.

I glued a Woodlands Scenics tree armature base to a spot on the hilltop (the armature isn't permanent, I just wanted to see roughly how it would fit) where there is more open space between where a wall section will go and the slope of the hill. One set of steps had a lot of pits and uneven spots, so I put on a small layer of filler to smooth it out somewhat. Not sure if I'll do it for the other set yet or not.

Ruins

I painted up a set of ruins for another project I'm trying. Pretty basic, Adeptus Battlegrey over the basecoat, and overbrush of Fortress Grey, and then a dry brush of Space Wolves Grey. The wood platform of the larger piece is Scorched Brown with Snakebite Leather highlights.

Battle Companies: Kill the Messenger - The Last Alliance vs Mirkwood Denizens

Third of the three games we played two weeks ago, finally getting around to getting it typed.

Still somewhere south of Imladris, the Heralds of the West and the Denizens of Mirkwood are now each attempting to get word of the others presence back to their respective masters. The Denizens ranks have been swelled by the arrival of another Fell Warg, and the Heralds have been bolstered by the arrival of Anarmegil, a Warrior of Numenor and the return of Isilmacar. The two companies face each other, ready for the next stage of the struggle. The Denizens deploy right up along the dividing line of the board, with the Heralds deploying slightly farther back. For the Heralds, Cumeren was designated as the messenger and Warg 3 for the Denizens.

Turn 1 - Good

The Heralds get priority first, and fall back to the shore of a small swampy pool attempting to shield their flanks. Durandir on the extreme left and Limthol on the far right.

The Denizens charge forward with no delay. Spider 1 engages Durandir, and Spider 2 attacks Isilmacar. Spider 1 fails his shot to web Durandir, but Spider 2 is successful and Isilmacar is forced to spend a point of Fate to avoid being entangled.

Wargs 3, 4 and 5 skirt a small wood, but come up short of being able to charge the Heralds right.

Here is the overall state following the Move phase.

Cumeren fires an arrow and hits Warg 2, but the arrow fails to penetrate its hide. Despite avoiding the webbing, Isilmacar falls to Spider 2, the creatures fangs crunching into his arm.

Turn 2 - Evil

Evil takes priority this turn, and continues to push their assault. Spider 1 engages Durandir, while Warg 2 attacks Anarmegil. With control zones removed, Spider 2 charges Cumeren.

On the right, Wargs 1, 5 and 4 engage Naethlang, Alaglang and Limthol respectively. Warg 3 hangs back slightly, out of melee range.

Following movement, here is an overall shot of the action.

Combat again goes poorly for the Heralds, Limthol falls to Warg 4, and Naethlang needing to spend a Fate point to avoid injury from Warg 1. Spider 1 spends one Might point to defeat Durandir, and the Lieutenant goes down. Alaglang defeats Warg 4, but is unable to mark the beast. Cumeren defeats Spider 2, but the creatures bloated body absorbs the wound with no lasting effects.

Turn 3 - Good

Priority returns to the Heralds this turn, and they resignedly throw themselves at the enemy. Cumeren easily passes his Courage check and charges Spider 1. Anarmegil does the same vs Spider 2. Naethlang charges Warg 2, and Alaglang attacks Warg 5.

In turn, Warg 4 skirts the shore of the swamp and engages Naethlang while Warg 3 remains in the back.

Combat this turn goes resoundingly in Evil's favor, with all of the Heralds but Naethlang falling, and he needing to expend a Fate point to survive. With this, the casualty threshold is reached, and the match comes to an end.

Now for post-battle rolls:

Injuries -
Durandir Full Recovery
Isilmacar Arm Wound
Cumeren Full Recovery
Alaglang Full Recovery
Limthol Full Recovery
Anarmegil Full Recovery

XP -
Durandir - 1                                 Spider 1 - 4
Isilmacar - 1                                Spider 2 - 4
Naethlang - 1                               Warg 1 - 3
Cumeren - 1                                Warg 2 - 2
Alaglang - 1                                Warg 3 - 2
Limthol - 1                                  Warg 4 - 4
WoN - 1                                      Warg 5 - 3

Influence -
Good - 4
Evil - 4

Advancements -
Warg 3 rolls A Hero in the Making
Warg 1 gains +1 Courage
Spider 2 gains +1 Might
Spider 1 gains Bloated Creature

Reinforcements -
Evil gains a Fell Warg
Good gains a High Elf Warrior /w Elf Bow

Post-battle Thoughts
The close of our first session of Battle Companies matches left me feeling slightly disheartened. In three games, my company had managed to only cause two non-Fate saved casualties, and both of those were actually due to archery. Conversely, almost my entire company was wiped out twice. Strength 4 and 5 is just brutal on the wargs and spiders. I'm sure I could have made some better tactical choices, but seeing my guys drop like flies while struggling to hit back was discouraging. I had been spending Influence to try and get more numbers, but maybe I need to start purchasing shields and better armor... I do like the system though, and I'm looking forward to the next match. I do like the rules for imbalances in company ratings, since I feel like it will help getting to parity much faster, even with losses. One thing that does hurt however, is the slower XP gain. After this last game, I finally have one character who can roll on the advancement chart. I do wish there were more advancement options for some of the troops in the companies.

Battle Companies: Hold the Line - The Last Alliance vs Mirkwood Denizens

Fresh from the battle on the hill, the Heralds have fallen back to the north. The Denizens, for their part, pursue them attempting to make their way to Imladris to espy the gathering army.

Again on the defensive, the Heralds, minus Isilmacar who is still convalescing, deploy across the North-South running road awaiting the coming of the beasts.

Turn 1 - Evil

The Denizens receive priority this turn, and they begin to appear from the south. Spider 1 and Spider 2 to the west of the road, and the wargs, now augmented by a new arrival, to the east of it.

Following Evil's half of the move phase, the board looks like this:

Cumeren remains in the center of the road, readying his bow. Durandir and Limthol move east to a withered copse of trees, while Naethlang and Alaglang move to the west, near a pair of small woods.

Turn 2 - Good

Taking priority this turn, Naethlang and Alaglang continue their westward march, now passing between the two stands of trees.

Cumeren holds his ground, and Durandir and Limthol pass through and around the withered copse.

Spider 1 and Spider 2 skirt a ruined building, and their many legs carry them north.

Wargs 1, 2, 3 and 4 make their snarling way through a small field of boulders and jutting stones.

Here is the overall board following the movement phase.

Cumeren calmly draws back his bowstring and looses an arrow, but it flies wide of its mark.

Turn 3 - Good

The Heralds maintain priority this turn, and rush to put themselves in the path of the oncoming horde. Naethlang and Alaglang face the approaching spiders near the smaller of the two woods.

Durandir and Limthol stand resolutely in the path of the ravening wargs.

The two spiders elect to go around the western edge of the trees, drawing close to Naethlang.

With fierce howls and yips, the four wargs throw themselves against Durandir and Limthol.

In the shoot phase, Cumeren shoots at a spider, but luck is with the creature as the arrow goes astray passing through the trees. The fight phase is inconclusive, with Durandir defeating his opponents, but Limthol losing to his. In either case, no wounds are scored by either side.

Turn 4 - Good

With the Heralds again with priority, Warg 1 declares a Heroic Move. Durandir spends a point of Might to contest it, but loses the roll-off. Warg 4 is unable to put enough distance however, and is brought to battle by Durandir.

Naethlang is charged by the pair of spiders, gritting his teeth at the site of their hungry fangs as Alaglang runs to try and catch up.

Cumeren takes a deep breath, trying to remember all of the fundamentals of marksmanship. The effort was not wasted, as his arrow burries itself deep in the hide of Warg 2, bringing the beast down.

Combat does not go the Heralds way this turn, with both Durandir and Naethlang losing their duels, and Durandir falling to the teeth of Warg 4.

Turn 5 - Good

Keeping their hold on Priority, the Heralds prepare their next moves. Not wishing to give them the chance, Spider 1 declares a Heroic Move. Naethland attempts to contest, but fails and the spider scuttles away north, while spider 2 engages both man and elf.

Limthol, charges Warg 4, attempting to avenge Durandir.

Cumeren takes another shot with his bow and strikes Warg 1, but this time the arrow does no harm. Limthol loses his fight with the warg, but avoids injury. Alaglang and Naethlang defeat Spider 2, but are unable to harm it. At the end of the turn, here is the board:

Turn 6 - Evil

Spider 1 and Spider 2 skitter away, leaving Naethlang and Alaglang far behind.

Limthol chases after Warg 4. Cumeren again hits the beast, but the arrow does no harm.

Turn 7 - Evil

Evil gains priority again, and all of the remaining Denizens exit the board.

Now for the after battle results:

Injuries -
Warg 2 Full Recovery
Durandir Full Recovery

XP -
Durandir - 1                                      Spider 1 - 3
Isilmacar - 0                                     Spider 2 - 3
Naethlang - 1                                    Warg 1 - 3
Cumeren - 2                                     Warg 2 - 1
Alaglang - 1                                     Warg 3 - 2
Limthol - 1                                      Warg 4 - 3

Influence -
Good - 2
Evil - 4

Advancements -
Spider 1 gains +1 Might
Spider 2 gains Bloated Creature special rule

Reinforcements -
Evil gains Fell Warg
Good gains Warrior of Numenor /w Shield