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The Battle of the Plains

Description Wainriders from the East invade Rhonvanion. A historic scenario set in the Third Age.
Author Curunr Date Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:43 am Type Scenario

Category Gaming
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From the Chronicles of Gondor

It is written that in the year 1851 of the Third Age, a mighty host came from the east and waged war upon the Southern
Kingdom for nearly a century. Known as the Wainriders, for the chariots and wagons in which they rode to war, this
confederation of Easterners was swift and merciless in its attacks. Destruction and dispair followed the invaders like the crows
which shadow death.

The lands of Rhovanion had been devastated and the peoples of that land fled before the oncoming tide of the Wainriders. The
enemy flowed ever westward and it was only a matter of time before they would test the very borders of Gondor.

Five years passed before King Narmacil, second of that name and XXIXth King of Gondor, was able to raise a force to defend
the land against the Wainriders.

Desperate for reinforcements, Narmacil sought and secured as an ally Marhari, a lord of the Northmen who dwelt in the wide
plains of Rhovanion. Much suffering had Marharis people endured since the coming of the Wainriders, and already many of his
people had fled beyond the borders, west and north into the Vales of the River Anduin. Together with his son and heir,
Marhwini, the proud horse rider raised a force of hearty warriors and answered the call to battle.

Narmacil rode from the mighty walls of Minas Anor, over the fields of Pelennor and through the once proud city of Osgilliath.
Many years before, The Great Plague had swept through the city, robbing the life from many of its citizens. The decay of years
had already claimed numerous great buildings. Try as he may, Gondor's king was unable to rejuvenate the once great city and
it was with great sorrow that he now rode through empty streets.

Turning north at the Cross-roads of Ithilian, he urged his troops on in hopes of catching the enemy off guard. It was, however,
not to be. The news of the Gondorian advance was carried north by swift enemy scouts. Undaunted and secure in their
numbers, the Wainriders made preparations for the battle that was soon to come.

DEFENDERS OF GONDOR

Good Warriors

Narmacil II
King of Gondor (Man)

Wargear: Narmacil wears Heavy Armour and carries a sword and shield.
Special Rule: Untested in Battle. Narmacil has only reigned for 6 years and has limited experience in battle. To represent this,
Narmacil receives a -1 to his Courage roll, when using the Stand Fast Rule (pg. 35 in the Main Rulebook).

Marhari
Lord of the Northmen (Man)

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Wargear: Marhari wears Heavy Armour and carries a sword, throwing spear and a shield and is mounted.
Special Rule: Expert Rider (see Expert Rider Rule for Theoden, pg. 112 in the Main Rulebook)

Marhwini
Son and Heir of Marhari (Man)

Wargear: Marhwini wears Heavy Armour and carries a sword. He is mounted.

Special Rule: Expert Rider (see Expert Rider Rule for Theoden, pg. 112 in the Main Rulebook.

BATTLE OF THE PLAINS

PARTICIPANTS

GOOD EVIL
Narmacil II, King of Gondor Khandish King (with chariot)
Marhari of the Northmen (on horseback) Khandish Chieftain (on foot)
Marhwini, Son and Heir of Marhari (on horseback) Easterling Captain (on foot) w/shield or halberd
3 Citadel Guards w/spear 3 Khandish Chariots
3 Citadel Guards w/bow 5 Khandish Horsemen w/bow
8 Warriors of Minas Arnor w/shield 12 Khandish Warriors w/bow or axe
8 Warriors of Minas Arnor w/shield and spear 5 Easterling Kataphrakts
8 Warriors of Minas Arnor w/bow 8 Easterlings w/shield
4 Northmen Riders w/ shield 8 Easterlings w/shield and spear
4 Northmen Riders w/ throwing spear 8 Easterling w/bow
4 Northmen Riders w/ bow One Easterling Warrior and One Khandish warrior
One Warrior of Minas Arnor may be given a banner may be given a banner

POINTS MATCH ALTERNATIVE FORCES

GOOD (650 Points)

Must include two Heroes. Forces are to be divided between the heroess. The Lesser Hero takes the role of Marhari for
purposes of the scenario set up (Rearguard) No more than 33% may carry bows and no more than 50% may be mounted.

EVIL (750 Points)

Must include three Heroes of at least 2 wounds. No more than 50% may carry bows and no more than 33% may be mounted.

LAYOUT
The Scenario is played on a board 48"/112cm by 48"/112cm. The
board represents the wide, open plains of Rhovanion, south and east
of Mirkwood, It is devoid of trees. A few (no more than three) low,
gentle hills may be placed on the board to represent the natural rise
and fall of the land.

STARTING POSITIONS
The Evil player has been forewarned of the attack and deploys his/her
troops up to 12/28cm from his/her board edge. The Good player
may then deploy his/her troops (except Marahal, Marhwini and the
Northmen Riders) up to 6 from his/her board edge. Marahal and
Northmen Riders are kept to one side as the Rearguard (see below).

OBJECTIVES
This is a glorious battle to the death. No quarter will be asked for and none given. Whichever side destroys its opponent first
wins the game. Normal rules for courage apply.

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SPECIAL RULES
Rearguard Marhari, Marhwini and the Northmen make up the Rearguard. From the start of the fourth Good Move phase, the
Good player rolls a die. On a 4+ the Rearguard has arrived. In the fifth turn a 3+ is needed. In the sixth turn a 2+. The
Rearguard will automatically arrive in the seventh turn. The Rearguard may enter from any point on the Good players board
edge. Newly arrived models may not charge, but may otherwise act normally.

Prepared for Battle The Wainriders have had forewarning of the oncoming Good army and has had time to prepare for battle.
To represent this, the Evil player may place three small barriers, no longer than 6/12cm up to 12/28cm from his/her board
edge, i.e. within the Evil deployment area.

Tactical note: The barriers are optional and are particularly helpful when using a defensive strategy. An aggressive player may
wish to ignore using them.

Which Miniatures should I use?

It is my belief that scenarios should be fun as well as easily doable, to that end I have tried to make the troop list as attainable
as possible. The bulk of the troops consist of one Minas Tirith set and one Riders of Rohan set for the Good side and the new
(Spring, 2006) Shadow in the East figures (Easterlings and Khandish Warriors). You can easily use Heros already in your
collection or make a few simple conversions.

Heroes: There are many Hero figures available which can represent Narmacil, Marhari and Marhwini. I suggest you use those
model's that you like best and try to match the Wargear as best as possible or convert some of your own. Possible suggestions
are:

? Narmacil II; King of Men, Faramir in Heavy Armour.

? Marhari: A Captain of Rohan, Eorl the Young
? Marhwini: A Captain of Rohan, Eomer

Minas Arnor: For the Warriors of Minas Arnor I suggest using the Warriors of Minas Tirith. The invasion of the Wainriders
takes place before the time of the Ruling Stewards and the loss of Minas Ithil, roughly 1000 years before the War of the Ring.
It is possible that the Gondorian troops would be closer to the Warrior of Numenor profile instead of those of Minas Tirith. I
simply chose Minas Tirith since they are more readily available. If you do have Warriors of Numenor, I suggest you try them.

Northmen Riders: The Rohirim are the descendents of the Northmen and are best represented on the field by the Riders of
Rohan.

Historically Based Scenarios

At the time of the Battle of the Plains, Gondor was a diminishing kingdom, its days of glory fading. Ravaged by plague,
threatened by civil war and challenged on all sides by its enemies, the rulers of the Southern Kingdom had trouble maintaining
their full strength and defenses. The long twilight years of Gondor were just beginning.

The Battle of the Plains scenario is the first of a set of proposed historical scenarios set in the Third Age of Middle Earth. My
goal is to introduce a sense of historical scope into the game based upon the wealth of information gleaned from J.R.R.
Tolkeins writings as well as provide creative ideas for using the currently available rules and miniatures. This scenario focuses
on characters first introduced in the Shadow in the East supplement (2006).

Here is brief chronological sample to help illustrate the potential of using Tolkeins material in the development of historical
campaigns.

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Chronology of Events
(Sample Scenario Ideas are in bold highlight)

? III 1850 Death of Telumehtar Umbardacil. He is succeeded by his son, who becomes Narmacil II
? III 1851 First attacks of the Wainriders. Rhovanion is quickly overrun.
? III 1856 Death of Narmacil II in battle against the Wainriders at the Battle of the Plains. He is succeeded by his son
Calimehtar.
? III 1891 Death of Araval, King of Athedain. He is succeeded by his son Araphant.
? III 1899 Rhovanion revolts against the Easterlings. Calimehtetar defeats the Wainriders on the Plain of Dagorlad.
? III 1936 Death of Calimehtetar, King of Gondor. He is succeeded by his son Ondoher.
? III 1940 Arvedui, heir to the Kingdom of Arthedain is wedded to to Friel, daughter of King Ondoher of Gondor.
? III 1944 Gondor is simultaneously assaulted by the combined forces of the Wainriders (Easterlings and Khand) in the
North and the legions of Harad in the South. King Ondoher is slain with both his sons in battle against the Wainriders,
Defending North Ithilien, Gondor has no heir. Ernil, Captain of the Southern Army defeats the Haradrim invasion in
the Battle for South Ithilien. arnil marches north and defeats the Wainriders near the swamplands of the Dead
Marshes at the Battle of the Camp. Arevedui, King of Athedain lays claim to the throne of Gondor.
? III 1945 Ernil is crowned, Ernil II, King of Gondor.

As you can see there are many possible scenario ideas just within this short timeline. What of the initial attacks against
Rhovanion, or the harrowing events of Friel's travels to marry Arvedui? Historical timelines provide a wealth of ideas and
possibilities for gaming.

Since we, the hobbyist, are always several months behind the developers, it is hoped that this kind of scenario will help to
rekindle interest in "old" armies, models and forces as well as bring some form of continuity to the overall game structure.
Please enjoy!

Curunr
Michael H. Gartner
April 2006

Feedback

I was very fortunate to have plenty of feedback while working on the Battle of the Plains. My thanks go out to everyone for
their help and support. In particular I would like to especially thank Oldie, ringking, charley 1968, Kalamir, Nygyll of
Wyvernhole and menace for proofreading, playtesting and offering constructive feedback.

Some of the comments by ringking were particularly interesting in regards to game play. I've included some of his comments
here.

TEST RESULTS

Winner:good
Final surviving loser: Easterling spearman
Remaining Good models: Marhari 1 wound 0 might 0 Will 0 Fate; Narmacil II 1 wound 0 might 1 will 0 fate
1 Citadel guard with spear
4 Warriors of Arnor with spears
1 Warrior of Arnor with hand weapon
1 Rider of the North with hand weapon

FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Khandish horsemen where of very little use as the -1 prevented them fighting well*, there were plenty of bows on the
battlefield and i didn't use them for ranged combat, and for their price 3 additional chariots could be purchased. The
Easterlings could be changed so that some spears could be taken instead of hand weapons.

GAMEPLAY CHANGES:
The barricades were of no use as most of your force is mounted and meets the enemy far away from the barricades, the
enemy archers hangback and volley at your men so barricades are of little use and I found that they restricted the area I
deployed in and I couldn't exit my forces the way I wanted to.

*N.B.: ringking is referring to the fact that the Khandish horseman have no hand weapon listed in their profile. According to
the GW LOTR Forum FAQ, all troops have some kind of hand weapon, unless specifically stated in the stats that they are
unarmed. For more info visit the GW LOTR Forum FAQ.

Finis

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