Battle Of Waterdoom Part 3 - The Battle Ends!

Here concludes the last part of the Battle of Waterdoom and its aftermath.

 In the Chamber of Hougoumont, the Cloud of Confusion permeates everything in a big swirly haze that predates the Rave culture.  She Elves gyrate with wild abandon, Pickles and his stunties wave imaginary glow-sticks as the bass music booms with earth shattering intensity...  everyone is moving, except poor Hodor, who is now getting motion sickness.  Poor lil fella...

Basically, no one is getting in or out of this Chamber. However, since the Elves are the closest to the VP, they still control this location.

Meanwhile outside, the remnants of Hodor's mercenaries flee the hellish memories of that place.

 Grom moves up the left flank as he watches Alric who has been backing away all this time, suddenly surprise the Dwarves with a charge at Gloin's unit! Grombrindal prepares to smash that Elf-witch ahead!

Porkins: We've caught a witch, may we burn her?
Sir Bedevere: How do you know she is a witch?
Porkins: She looks like one!
Sir Bedevere: Bring her forward...

 Gloin is suddenly at the center of swirling blades!  The Anti-Paladins are highly skilled with their deadly blades.  Suddenly the unthinkable happens!  Gloin falls as Lord Alric and his magic blade cuts him down.  2 other Dwarves also fall and 2 Dark Elves as well.  They fall back as the Dark Elves lap around their flanks!

 Gimli maneuvers up the center and still clings to hope that they can win this!  He hasnt yet seen his father Gloin fall in combat.

Gimli:  At my challenge, by the ancient laws of combat, we are met at this chosen ground, to settle for good and all who holds sway over the five points: us natives, born rightwise to this fine land, or the foreign hordes defiling it.

Nindalf uses a Heal spell to bring Baron Hawk back up to his max wounds.  Feeling invigorated, Baron Hawk and his Dwarves charge a surprised Ember!  He didnt think he could be charged, but there was no difficult terrain to slow them down.  The Baron brings the Dragon down to 2 wounds left!  Ember strikes back and causes 2 wounds in return to the Baron.  Whew!  If Nindalf hadnt healed him earlier, the Baron would have fallen!  Nice job, Nindalf!

 Captain Drogo and the last of his Dwarves advance only to fall to the ground as they succumb to the poison fumes of the Green Dragons!  Vermithrax hopes he did well in this battle and that his mistress is proud of him.  Custard nudges him, reminding him that the battle isnt over yet.  Noob!

 Up on Papelotte, Wallace finally charges the Dark Elves who countercharge back. One dwarf falls, but they kill 2 in return.

As Gloin's unit loses another combat and fall below half strength and subsequently rout, Alric decides not to pursue and instead backs up, knowing what the capabilities of his Countess are.  Alyssa walks right up to the VP and casts a game breaking spell...  have you guessed it?

She casts Skirriks Pentagram!  It creates a 2" bubble forcefield around her that no one can pass, not even missile fire, nor magic.  It remains in play as long as she remains stationary.

 Gimli who learns of his father's fate takes half of the Dwarf Lords and frustratingly looks at the Dark Elf Witch, who has a glum snide look on her face, as she blows raspberries at the scowling Dwarves.  Not only is she out of reach, but the VP is too!

 King Gorrin leads the other Dwarf Lords and charges the Swamp Pit.  Will they fare better than the Reaper Clan?

 Finally, up on the hill, Wallace and his last remaining companion fall beneath a storm of blades.

As they fall, Wallace yells out:  FREEDOM!!!

 Gimli looks towards Nindalf and they both realize the victory conditions may be out of reach.  They need 3 to win.  VP 1 is in a Cloud of Madness, VP 2 is under a forcefield.  Which means to win they must take the 2 in the center, which is still possible, but also take the hill of Papelotte.  As they look up at Papelotte, they hear the final deathcry of Wallace...  things look decidedly grim.

King Gorrin and the Dwarf Lords are holding their own against the Green Dragons.

 But with Wallace gone, the Shadowfire Cultists reform into line to maximize their 36" range of fire that will rain down on the Dwarven center.

 On top of which, horns and drums sound as the Orc roll is made.
Greenskins approach from the Southeast!

 Greenskins approach from the Northeast as well!
Its Muffling!  And as he promised, General Gragg has arrived with his army.

With no hope of victory, Gimli himself orders a general retreat!
The Old Guard has broken~!
The cry resounds throughout the battlefield.
Some valiant Dwarf units form square to help the others get away safely.

Gimli:  Its my fault.
All the Dwarves: No sir!  
Gimli:  Hear me please, friends.  It is entirely all my fault!
All the Dwarves: No sir!
Gimli:  I thought we were invincible. We must rest now and fight another day.
All the Dwarves:  Let us hit them again, sir! Let us reform and hit them again!  This time we can break them!
Gimli:  There will be another day.  Meanwhile, let us show good order.  Never let them see you run!

 As the Dwarf army falls back, Gimli is happy to see Pickles has survived.

Pickles: General Gimli, sir!  While we are now cutoff from going back to Easthold, I was thinking we are close to the secret passage that leads to... wherever it is, that Balin went.

Gimli:  So be it!  We will take our wounded and take the secret ways to Balin.  There we will rest and try to get back to King Kazador and Easthold later.  I hope they will be ok without us.
(he motions to Baron Hawk)

Baron Hawk: Yes sir?

Gimli:  I know you love your bird, but I must ask you to send him with an urgent message to Easthold.  Tell them what has happened here and that we are going to continue our search for Balin.  Hopefully, we can bring him and whatever forces he has to help our cause.  In the meantime, tell King Kazador I wish him the best of luck in defending Easthold.

Baron Hawk:  (looks at his bird companion wistfully)  Of course sir!  The message will be sent!

Meanwhile, two unlikely allies meet in the middle of the battlefield.  But for how long will they be allies?  After all, Gragg the Elf-Slayer isnt particularly fond of pointy eared folk...

Lord Commander Alric:  Ummm,  Hi!
Gragg:  ...
Ambassador Muffling:  The General says we are most happy to have helped crush the Dwarves, and hopes that the future of our two races will be one of cooperation and mutual admiration...
Gragg: ...
Countess Alyssa:  The Lord Commander feels that Starfleet's mission has always been one of peace.  Let us drink a toast. To the undiscovered country! (everyone looks at Alyssa)  Peace.
Everyone:  To peace!
Gragg:  ... 
Ambassador Muffling: I thought Klingon ale was illegal...

------------

OK, lets cut the scene there, before more wires get crossed!

Some final thoughts on Warhammer 1st edition...
The "to hit" chart is different.  Equal WS vs WS is 5+ to hit, instead of the 4+ Im used to.  But charging gives a +1 modifier.  Countercharging negates this modifier.  Also, if your unit is flanked, you get a -2 to hit modifier as well.  Since winning a combat allows you to flank 2 models this helps you win future combats.  But you must have models from a second rank to use as flankers.  As the loser, you may also pull models to face the flankers, thus avoiding the flank penalty.

Also, there are no rank bonuses!  Having that second rank helps in the above situation.  Its fiddly and I dont like it!  The later editions rank bonus do nearly the same job, but are more streamlined.

I do like the pushback 2" rule, I will keep that.  Keeps the battle lines look more battle-like, with units pushing each other all over the place.

Also, if a unit is pushed back "x" amount of times they become routed.  x = 4 for Elves, and 5 for Dwarves.  Interesting, but since I was using such small numbers for units, they didnt stick around that long anyway.

Morale checks only happen at falling under half strength, when the Army Leader is killed, or for an individual model on its own when it is wounded.

I personally like the random spell generation, it feels like D&D without having to play D&D. 

And some final thoughts on what is happening fluffwise...

I guess Balin is coming sooner than later.  Im trying to think what happens next...  either we continue our focus on Gimli and company OR focus on Easthold and whats happening to them pre-siege.  I will roll a die here...  It is done, the dice gods have spoken, the next post is about Easthold and King Kazador!  I think I see a scenario forming already!  Yup, something about "dungeon meats"!

Until next post,
Mar

Battle Of Waterdoom Part 2 - The Battle Begins

So the Dwarves tentatively move forward into Waterdoom Cavern... and then seemingly out of nowhere, the Drow appear!  
At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge. 

Hmm, those Drow are all in black and hooded, coincidence? I think not! 

In the Chamber of Hougoumont, Countess Alyssa and her She-Elves jump down and take VP1.
Slithers the Chaos Hydra is nearby to protect her mistress.

Countess Alyssa, Level 2 wizard:
14 constitution points
Level 1 Spells
- Detect Hidden Doors: useless here
- Curse:  cool, but also useless.  Target gets warts, green nose, baldness, silly walk, and an outrageous accent!
- Flight: 3 energy, fly up to 12".  Nice, could be useful.
- Far Sight: useless here
- Gift of Tongues:  useless in this battle, but extremely fluffy (She does talk Dragonese)
Level 2 Spells  (Now for the good stuff!!)
- Rooted To The Spot: 4 energy, lasts 7 turns, target cannot move or attack
- Thunderhand: 2 energy, x3 attacks @Str6, lasts until caster is wounded
- Skirriks Pentagram: 5 energy, creates a 2" radius around the caster that no one can enter including missiles or magic.  Lasts as long as wizard remains stationary.  Only a Balrog, greater Demon, or Liche may attempt to break it (d6 roll of 6 per turn).  Nice!  but it is pricey, energy-wise.

Immediately, Alyssa casts Thunderhand to increase her combat attacks!

Up above on the Western side Nimbus gets posted.  He is ready to sniper shot some unlucky Dwarf below with a Lightning Blast from his electrified maw.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Oona looks to flank the Dwarves.  Ive decided that Oona is too young a Basilisk to have her "Turn to Stone" ability just yet.  But she is fast, and has plenty of bite attacks!

Lord Commander Alric and his Anti-Paladins move forwards and take VP2.  The mossy ground of La Haye Sainte is difficult ground, but Dark Elves are adept and able to move full speed through it.  That speed advantage could come in handy in the future.

Ember, the Fire Dragon guards VP 3, and with a fire breath attack range of 24", he can still contribute some firepower in the field.

VP 4 is guarded by the two Green Dragons Vermithrax and Custard.  They are looked after by Grigori the Alchemist and Master of Poisons.  Should the Dragons get ouchies, he can toss a healing potion their way!  Ive made him a custom magic user with 4 healing and 1 bloodlust spell abilities.  Bloodlust gives the target Frenzy - double attacks but must move towards closest enemy.

Channard Cenobite: The doctor is in!

And finally, on the rise of Papelotte, Magister Ludi and his Shadowfire Cultists have a good view to rain arrows, magical bolts, ninja stars, and other pointy objects on the Dwarves.  To simplify things, Ive streamlined all their various missile ranged abilities and decided they count as a crossbow armed unit.

Overview.  The Drow look outnumbered.  But lets not count out the power of Dragons.

Hodor charges Alyssa and Slithers before overthinking the situation.  Pickles enters the room and wheels left to face Nimbus.

Hodor slays one elf, but Alyssa slaughters 2, and Slithers filets another tasty Dwarf.  The Dwarves are pushed back 2", The Drow follow up but cannot lap around due to the terrain.  Regardless, things are looking dire for Hodor's mercenaries.

Grombrindal thinks about entering the Chamber to help Hodor and Pickles, but Gimli gives orders to hold and be patient.

Gloin continues forward towards the Anti-paladins.  Nindalf supports Gloin's advance and casts 2 Fireballs, one of which burns one elf into toast. 

Baron Hawk and his main assault seem to be marching too slowly into the mouth of madness and probable death by Dragons's breath.  But duty calls!

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
    Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
"Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
    Rode the six hundred.

Its rough going for Wallace up that steep climb and at the top... death awaits them all with big pointy teeth!

Back in Hougoumont, the results are in... Hodor takes a wound, and 1 Elf falls as well. Which means a stalemate.

Oona the Basilisk slithers around the Dwarves and is ready to pounce on their backs!
To make things worse, Alyssa casts Rooted To The Spot on Hodor and the poor Dwarf is frozen solid.  The only thing he can move are his eyes.

Nimbus positions himself for more sniping and fries one of Pickles' tunnel fighters.

Meanwhile in La Haye Sainte, Lord Commander Alric backs up a bit, just out of charge range of Gloin.

Lord Commander Alric:  Let the Dragons do their work.  The army will fall back behind the reverse slope!

And boy do the dragons live up to their hype!

Ember has a 2" x 4" template that is Str6 and -3 to Save.  Which simply means auto death for normal rank and file troopers!  To be fair I judge that the short end of the template must face the Dragon.  Even so, he still manages to charbroil 4 Reaper Clan Dwarves. Red Dragons FTW, if he can keep that up every turn!

Custard and Vermithrax spit their poison clouds and 2 Dwarves in Captain Drogo's succumb to poison, and Drogo himself loses 1 wound out of the 2 that he has.  Poison is less spectacular being a simple Str 2 attack against everyone under its template 

On Papelotte, 2 of Wallace's Dwarves are perforated by Dark Elven missile fire.

Dragon's eye view from the Swamp Pit.  Those Dwarf lines are not as impressive as last turn.

Hodors unit finally falls below half strength and they rout!  All except poor Hodor, frozen in place, he looks about frantically in horror, surrounded by vicious Elves and a hungry Hydra.

Pickles had decided to help Hodor's Mercs, but finds his unit alone and outnumbered.  But still, he manages to kill 1 more Elf!
Now's not the time to be looking at maps, Pickles!

Nindalf has a hard decision to make.  He has just the spell to save Hodor and Pickles, but the main assault in the center is faltering from Dragons fire.  What to do?!  Gimli gives his permission to save the Dwarves in Hougoumont, because if they fall, Dragons and She Elves will be flanking the main assault anyway.

Nindalf agrees and casts Mystic Mist into the Chamber of Hougoumont!

Everyone in the room (except for the routing mercenary Dwarves) suddenly gets enveloped by a magical cloud, as thick as pea soup.  Which means, that units in the cloud are subject to only moving 1" randomly on their turn.

Gloin valiantly plods onwards unable to catch the nimble Elves.

Gloin:  Stand and fight you pointy eared blueberry muffins!

Baron Hawk and Captain Drogo lead the Reaper Clan forwards getting closer to VP4, but will they survive another round of close range Dragonfire? 

Wallace and his warriors are so close to getting those pesky cowardly Elves! 

Murderous Dragonfire once again blasts the ever decreasing Dwarven assault.  Baron Hawk himself is wounded and 3 more of his Dwarves are burnt to a crisp.  Drogo's unit loses 2 more as well.  Both the Reaper Clan units are under half strength and must take morale checks.  Thankfully, they pass their tests.  It helped that they still had heroes leading their units.

Wallace loses 2 more warriors!  He is now down to 3 and must take a morale test.  They pass, barely.  Wallace and his men know they will not survive, but they take comfort that at least they helped the main Dwarven assault in the center, even if only a little bit.

Wallace and his men:  ALBA GU BRÀTH! ALBA GU BRÀTH! ALBA GU BRÀTH!

Countess Alyssa gets tired of being in the stupid poofy cloud and casts a Flight spell, taking her right out of Hougoumont Chamber and right next to VP 2.   She quickly assesses the situation.

Countess Alyssa:  Ok, that Dwarf unit must be stopped from getting VP 2, and then...
(her eyes scanning the scene and stops on a certain Dwarven wizard)
Alyssa:  Ahhh... there you are!


Next post:  The Battle Ends!

Battle Of Waterdoom Part 1 - The Setup

 Since this blog's fluff is surely a blight on Tolkien purist's radars, and probably Warhammer purists as well, I will now offend another type of purist.  Perhaps, the most rarefied purist of them all - the Napoleonic wargamer, or as I call it... Nappy gaming!  (Yuck even I hate the term, but I am embracing it with all my newfound shockjock wargaming blog vitriol.)

I wanted to do this parody of the Battle of Waterloo a month ago for the bicentennial anniversary, but the progress of this blog's fluff and the status of painted figures were not at a sufficient level to do so.  But here it is at last!  As fashionably late as Marshal Grouchy to the sound of the guns.  Im guessing this is going to be a pic heavy affair, so I will chop it into parts.  No new painted figures, this is purely a fluff/AAR post (after action report).  I will be using Warhammer 1st Edition, so this is a proper Oldhammer battle!

When last we left you, Gimli and company had decided to put off the search for Balin (they found a map to his location though).  Scouts were reporting that orcs were massing for an attack against the fledgling Eastgate colony, Gimli gave orders for an immediate return to help in its defense.

But they were ambushed in tight tunnels and caverns by Dragons of various colors spitting fire and acid and lightning.  Also, black hooded Drow were hampering their advance.  Little did the dwarves know that they were being corralled towards a large cavernous expanse known as Waterdoom. It was roughly square in its shape with a chamber hewn from the living rock on one end and a rise of rock on the other. (the cave of Caerbannog, wherein, carved in mystic runes, upon the very living rock, the last words of Olfin Bedwere of Rheged ... )  In the center was a mossy vegetation and a small marshy pit.  This was ground of the Dark Elf general's choosing...  a plan long thought out.  Plans within plans.  (I will not fear, fear is the mind killer!)

So Victory Points, or VP is the object of this battle.  If at any point, Dwarves control 3 VPs they win a sudden death victory!  The game ends when this happens or if the Dwarves are all defeated.  Sound easy?  Not so fast!  Orcs will arrive on the Eastern edge at the start of Turn 6 on a d6 roll of 5+.  If they dont arrive then, roll at the start of each turn.  4+ on Turn 7, 3+ on Turn 8, 2+ on Turn 9, automatic arrival on Turn 10.

Also, the Dwarves setup first without knowing where or how many enemies they will be facing!  Ooo, scary... deploy smartly, lil stunties!

PS.  House rule:  No Hatred rules for my Dwarves.  I want control over them, no mindless moving towards enemy.

PS ps.  Remember, this isnt just a battle report, the outcome will affect the whole fluff of the blog!  Actually that isnt saying much, since Im making up all this stuff on the spot.  I take pics and hope my brain will weave it all into a somewhat cohesive storyline.  And now, there sure are alot of characters and storylines going on... I hope I can keep all of it straight.  Im optimistic but no promises of consistency!  (Oh God, how is evil Balin going to fit into this whole mess?  Or that darned new Lizard king fella?)  But at any rate, if the Dwarves win this battle, they make it back to Easthold long before it is sieged, which in game terms, means they help the entrenchment level of the fortress; more food stores, ammunition, higher defenses of the walls and gates, and also better scout information on the enemy advance.  However, if they lose, Gimli and company are cutoff from Easthold and must decide on going west, upwards towards Mazarbul and the higher levels, or downwards to the more difficult levels where even more enemies live.  Or perhaps that secret map that Pickles found in the last battle?

View from the Western edge of the table.  Nearest to the edge we see the Chamber of Hougoumont.

Pickles:  It sure looks like Balins Tomb! 
Hodor:  But its not. 
Pickles: How many chambers are there in Moria that have a tomb smack dab in its center and a blue light glowing down on it?  What are the odds?
Hodor:  Just go with the bit, dude! 

And the view from the Eastern edge of the table.  Closest to us is the rise of rock known as Papelotte.

Pickles:  I think thats the hill where Prince Uther and Helfast defended the Beer Cart from the Beholder!  But that cant be!  That hill is outside Moria miles away from here!  There's some inconsistencies in this fluff I object to! 
Hodor:  You know what, you got something there.  Sometimes I think we are all just pawns in some big cosmic game.

And here is the central "valley" of Waterdoom Cavern.  With the mossy vegetation known as La Haye Sainte. and slightly north east of it is the Sandpit,  errr I mean the Swamp Pit.  And to the north of both is the northern exit of the Cavern.

Pickles:  You know La Haye Sainte means Holy Hedge?  Or maybe even Holy Wood...  its Hollywood, man!  In the future, thats where the humans make movies about us!  They think we arent real, Hodor!  But they are the ones that dont even exist yet!
Hodor:  Dude, my mind is blown... 
(Disembodied voice of Jesse Ventura):  Miiiinnnnd  Controooolll.  HAARP, chemtrails, its all a conspiracy little Dwarf people!

Victory Point 1 is next to the well in the Chamber of Hougoumont.

VP 2 is in Holywood, err La Haye Sainte.

VP 3 is the north exit tunnel out of Waterdoom

VP 4 is in the Swamp Pit

And VP 5 is on top of Papelotte "hill"

4 Hours earlier...

Lord Commander Alric:  We still dont have enough forces to crush these Dwarves.  We underestimated their stubbornness.  We are not powerful enough to stand against Gimli and his Dwarf Lords.

Alyssa:  But our dark elf soldiers... They are the salt of the Blackroot Vale!

Lord Commander Alric: Scum! Nothing but beggars and scoundrels.  Mushroom Ale is the limit of their patriotism.

Alyssa:  Yet you expect them to die for you?

Lord Commander Alric: mm hmm

(enter Orc Ambassador Muffling)

Alyssa:  That Orc will spoil the dancing!

Lord Commander Alric:  Muffling!  Where is General Gragg and his army?

Orc Ambassador Muffling:  Gimli beat us at the Chamber of Mazarbul but he did not send any force to pursue us.

Lord Commander Alric:   If General Gragg will fight the Dwarves, I promise to hold them here in Waterdoom.  Tell him, I know Drow and Orcs have never been the best of friends, but together we can rid Moria of the Dwarven menace!

Orc Ambassador Muffling: On that promise, General Gragg would barbeque his favorite squig!

Lord Commander Alric:  I need you to tell Gragg, to march to us here in Waterdoom and outflank the Dwarves!

View of the Dwarven left flank.  Commanders Hodor, Pickles, and Grombrindal face the Chamber of Hougoumont.

Hodor leads a chant to boost the morale of his mercenaries.

Silver, Gold, Mithril... Trinkets!  Loot! Loot! Loot!

Pickles has been given a field promotion and now commands a small tunnel fighting outfit.

Grombrindal, the White Dwarf stands ready to battle!

Porkins:  I hope no Dragons show up this time!

Grombrindal:  Be a good fellow and settle down Mr Porkins... you will upset the lads.

The Dwarven main force in the center. Gimli and his advisors decide the main strategy is to break and control the center.  There are 3 VPs there, enough to win the game.  The side VPs are just a distraction.  (Hmm, the Dwarves line of thought seems oddly similar to a certain French fella's strategy as well.  Come to think of it, Mr Bonaparte might have been a stuntie due to his smallish stature)

Dwarven high command:  Nindalf the wizard, Gimli, and Baron Hawk.

Here are Nindalf's spells and info:
Constitution is generated thus: 2d4 x mastery level +4
Nindalf is a Level 2 wizard and ends up rolling a measly 4 on 2d4 (I dont think I ever rolled d4s in a miniature wargame before!)  So his constitution is 12.  Which means in the whole battle he can cast 12 points worth of spells. Each spell has energy cost, which is basically constitution cost.

Here are his randomly generated spells:
Level 1 Spells
- Cure Light Injury: 3 energy, cures 1 wound
- Far Sight: extends line of sight, pretty much useless in this game
- Fireball: 2 energy per fireball, can cast 2 per turn, 24" range str 2
- Bless: 4 energy, lasts d4+1 turns, gives target an additional 3+ save
Level 2 Spells
- Smash Door: useless here
- Turn to Frog: Sounds great! Then you realize it only targets the caster. Hmm... for escaping?
- Mystic Mist: 4 energy, 12 diameter cloud blocks line of sight, but also forces anyone in it to randomly move only 1" in their move phase.  This could be very useful!

King Gorrin and his Dwarf Lords are THE Old Guard!
Ive made each one of them a minor hero!

Gloin and his veterans.

Grumpy:  Harrumph...

The main unit of the Reaper Clan stands ready!

On the Dwarven right, facing Papelotte.

Captain Drogo, Baron Hawk's second in command, leads another unit of the Reaper Clan

Finally, we have Wallace and his Irregulars.   They are a motley assembly of miners, scouts and ne'er do wells.

Hamish: There's somebody coming. 

Campbell: MacGregors from the next clan. 

MacGregor: We heard about what was happenin' and don't want you "Amadans" thinkin' you can have your fun without us. 

Wallace: Go home. Some of us are in this; can't help that, now. But you can help yourselves. Go home. 

MacGregor: We'll have no homes left when the Orcs come through and burn us out. And they will!

[Wallace motions for the MacGregors to join them]

Hodor marches into the room!  Dwarves in oldhammer move a measly 3 and a half inches.
I must remember the Turn sequence, which is:

1 Movement
2 Shooting
3 Combat
4 Second Movement - as long as you didnt Combat, also no closer than 4" of enemy
5 Magic
6 Routing

So there is no running. You can charge in the first move phase though, but not the second.  Also, countercharges are available, which helps in the "To Hit" chart as a modifier.

Pickles is going to back up Hodor.

Grombrindal and Gimli decide to act as reserves and hold their ground.  When the Dark Elf positions are revealed they can then decide where best to lend a hand.

The center moves forwards with Gloin, Baron Hawk, and Captain Drogo.  Nindalf thinks about casting a Bless spell, but decides to wait, afterall energy points are so precious.  So precioussssss....

And finally, Wallace decides its probably best to go right up that hill instead of to the left and around.  Lucky for him, his troops are excellent at climbing the "high" ground.  Get it? Coz they are "high"landers?  Ba dum psh.....  (Crickets)

Next post:   The Battle Begins!