After completing a big hill and some tree-basing I was in the mood for a game and this scenario from the new Fellowship of the Ring supplement (for Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game) fit the bill. This was another solo effort. I still haven't finished painting my hobbits, though!
(Click on any image to see an enlargement.)
Frodo, Sam, and Pippin begin at the hedge by the side of the road. (Sure, it looks like a fence, but it's a hedge.) Their job is to protect Frodo, exiting him off the hills at the east edge of the board. Gildor the elf (he looks like Legolas, but he's Gildor) begins on the east edge and will provide some welcome support.
Arrayed against them are three Ringwraiths, one each on the North, South, and West edges of the map. The Ringwraiths have but one objective: kill Frodo. There are no draws in this scenario. Unfortunately, the Ringwraiths begin here randomly lowered Will. In this case, the Western RW begins with 7 Will but the two others get only 5W -- a slightly below average result.
On the other hand, the hobbits begin lost in the woods and until discovered by the wraiths must make Courages tests to move. If they fail, Evil gets to move them instead! Also, the wraiths once per game may use their terrible cries to lower enemy courage by three.
Yet Evil is hampered also, in that the wraiths don't know where the hobbits are and so begin on sentry duty. Since sentries are often moved by the player with priority, those priority rolls are crucial.
Sam fails his very first courage test and heads towards the closest wraith. Fortunately for Good, the enemy is too distant for there to be any danger of awakening them. The other Good characters move to meet in the center of the board.
Evil gets priority but two wraiths roll a '1' on the Sentry table and stay asleep. Good is feeling pretty happy about that until it's Frodo's turn to move and he fails his Courage test. Evil moves him due west, towards the wraith there and away from Gildor. Good moves Pippin along as Frodo's bodyguard while Sam goes to meet Gildor.
Evil priority. The wraiths take a few baby steps forward and the hobbits race east. Same contacts Gildor.
Evil wins priority again and the ringwraiths all roll fives. At least they're moving, but Good passes all his courage rolls again, too.
Evil takes priority yet again. The southern ringwraith gets close enough to sight the hobbits, though I foolishly moved him last so that he's the only wraith that can cast a spell this turn. He tries to Compel Frodo, using two Will points. Frodo spends 2 Will to resist, but rolls low and puts the ring on! Unfortunately, since Evil moved first, Frodo then gets an opportunity to take it back off again and does so. Gildor charges the closest wraith but is wounded for his pains and his single Fate point avails him not.
Before the Priority roll, the Nazgul call with their piercing cry to prevent being rushed this turn. Good wins priority, and with lowered courage decides to make a run for it with Frodo protected on all sides by the others. But each wraith Compels Frodo, who manages to resist the first two but succumbs to the third, so he gets moved out from behind his friends and the wraithmoves to engage him. Fortunately for Good, the plucky hobbit wins and forces the nazgul back.
Good again wins priority. Frodo manages to take off the ring and runs east. Gildor tries to rush a nazgul but rolls a '3' fails his courage test and stands there as if petrified. Sam and Pippin do their best to protect Frodo, but one wraith penetrates their screen. All the wraiths will Frodo to put on the ring, but luck has deserted Evil and Frodo keeps it off and even manages to win his combat. The enemy wraith dissolves, having used his last Will point to engage Frodo.
Evil gets priority but Will points are running low. Trusting to luck, one wraith Compels Frodo, who succumbs. Both wraiths rush him, beat him, and wound him! It's now down to the Fate dierolls -- they fail, Evil has won! But this is Frodo we're talking about, and two Fate points leave him without a scratch.
Evil wins priority again. One wraith, low on Will, runs east to await developments while the remaining wraith charges Frodo. A question came up: Can Frodo attempt to take off the ring when charged? The rules are not entirely clear, but when I rolled for control of Frodo Evil won anyway, so the question was moot and Frodo kept the ring on. The remaining good characters charged to the aid of their companion, and Gildor delivered the coup de grace.
Good wins priority and, with little to fear from a single wraith with one Will point, ambles towards the east edge. The wraith spitefully charges Pippin, the only character that he might kill in one combat. However, doughty Pippin wins the fight and the ringwraith dissolves into the nothingness that is his fate.
This is a pretty interesting scenario, though as always much depends on the dierolls. I obviously still need to master ringwraith tactics. Compel seems like such a great spell because as Evil you really want Frodo wearing that ring, but it's probably better to Drain Courage a bit first so that once he puts on the ring he has trouble removing it.