Cabinette Wars

Can't see the Orcs for the Trees

Well, my revamped 'Breaking of the Fellowship' game got run out at the club and seemed to go down very well; I've already had a request to run it again.  The only thing that did go amiss was that I forgot to take my camera with me so had to scrounge some images from others and rely on my memory for what actually happened.  What follows probably gets much wrong but hopefully captures the gist of what happened.

Things started poorly for the men in the Fellowship with Aragorn, fleeing a Troll (random event) and Boromir wandering through the wood and blowing his horn but failing attract any attention, good or bad.  

Legolas and Gimli got off to a great start finding Frodo who should be safe with those two redoubtable fighters to protect him.  This is the situation in the photo below.  

Things then started to go downhill when a large (c.20) band of goblins hove into view and Frodo promptly slipped on The Ring and departed to safer parts leaving Legolas and Gimli to face the music.  However, it was the elf and dwarf who called the tune, ripping into the goblins with such effect that after just two rounds of combat the remaining goblins fled.

Now it was Aragorn's turn to stumble across Frodo and convince him that they should stick together.  Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin still searching at random for Frodo started calling out his name (random event) only to call down on themselves a large band of goblin (goblins and Uruk Hai throw for their strength on each new encounter with Fellowship figures).  Pippin struck down one goblin but was quickly subdued while Merry fought on surviving two rounds before being taken captive.    

Then, just like a Hollywood script, Legolas and Gimli arrived to save the Hobbits.  Hopes for another goblin cull were promptly quashed by the cards turning cruelly against the two heroes and compounded by the appearance of a Warg pack behind them (random event).  Gimli was torn apart by the Wargs and Legolas, badly wounded and near death, broke free and fled.  The goblins then made off with the captive Hobbits successfully exiting the map without further hold-ups.

While this was going on Aragorn and Frodo encountered the band of Uruk Hai and once again Frodo slipped on the ring and fled but this time at Aragorn's insistence while he fought to hold back the enemy.  While Aragorn indulged in some Uruk whittling Frodo came across the troll and kept ring on for longer than anticipated until clear of all threats.  As Frodo had now worn the ring for longer than one turn there was a small chance of a Nazgûl turning up.  So, with the advice to throw anything but a one, Boromir rolled a d6 and got... a one!

Boromir redeemed himself by arriving in time to finish of the Uruks freeing Aragorn to seek out and protect Frodo from the Nazgûl.  The first to encounter the Ringwraith was Sam who was unfortunately quickly slain before Aragorn arrived and slew the Ringwraith's steed.  Aragorn and Frodo then reached the boats and with the Nazgûl slowly limping towards them launched one and set out for Mordor to complete to destroy The Ring leaving the others to follow on later.  

This essentially wrapped up a fairly bad day for the Fellowship with Sam and Gimli slain and Merry and Pippin taken captive.  Can Aragorn get Frodo safely to Mount Doom?  And if so, with no-one to save Rohan and Gondor, what will be left to come home to?