Whilst returning home after defeating Sauron at the battle of the Last Alliance, Isildur is ambushed by Orcs who are wanting to get the One Ring back. Isildur has to travel the length of the board and escape. The Orcs, coming from two directions, just want to kill him.
To find out how this exciting battle played out at a Croydon meeting of NWA, click on “read more” below.
The Gladden Fields
The battle of the Last Alliance was over. Sauron had been defeated at great cost to the alliance of Men and Elves. But the allies had parted in anger due to Isildur claiming the One Ring. Falling under its influence, Isildur refused to destroy the One Ring, which he had cut from Sauron’s finger. As he was making his way back to Arnor, Isildur and his men were ambushed by Orcs. Attracted by the foul ring, the Orcs and Wargs want to take it back to Mordor.
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The Men start the battle on the triangular section of land inside the river junction (see top of the picture at above left). Half the Evil army start at the opposite end of the board (see bottom of the picture at above left). The other half of the Evil army enters from the top edge of the board on turn 3. The objective is for Isildur to exit from the bottom edge with the One Ring for the Good side to win. The Evil side have to kill Isildur for them to win.
If Isildur puts on the One Ring, he becomes invisible. This allows him to move through the enemy. However, their is a chance each turn that he is wearing the One Ring that the Evil side will take control of him.
With the river banks able to act as a defended barrier, the Good side swam the river. Although unfortunately losing a few to drowning, the Good force split. Isildur and a group acting as bodyguards headed down the left side of the board (see picture at above left). The rest of the Good force guarded the top board edge and the river banks. This made an excellent defensive position, with the Evil side being forced to come on through the triangular section of land between the rivers.
The Evil side continued to try and pepper Isildur with arrows, but the Good side made sure that he always had at least 2 or 3 bodyguards in the way to reduce his risk of being hit. About half way down the board his horse was killed, but Isildur was not injured when he jumped clear of the horse. The Evil side was pleased as this slowed him down.
Click on the photos below to see a larger version.
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The horde of Orcs, some of them drowning, had a hard time crossing the river. The Numenoreans were slowly dwindling but stoutly defended the river bank. Eventually the Orcs broke through in a few places, allowing them to swing around and reduce the defensive advantage of the river bank.
By the time this occurred, Isildur was nearing the bottom edge of the board and safety. However, the mounting casualties finally broke the Good side. This forced them to take Courage tests. Some Numenoreans fled from the top half of the board, but Isildur kept the force with him in good order. With the Orcs closing in from all sides, Isildur put on the ring and slipped quickly over the board edge to safety.
This was a closely fought game between two good players; Jeremy and Travis.
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