The Fellowship in Flight

Scenario 5: Flight of the Fellowship
The Fellowship have left the mines, although Gandalf didn't make it. Aragorn takes up leadership of them, but many hills lie between them and the safety of Lothlorien. Some returning goblins plant an ambush for the Fellowship and soon after the trap is sprung more goblins emerge from the mines to avenge their brethren.

Objectives: Good must move four members of the fellowship off the Eastern board edge by the end phase of turn ten. Evil must prevent this.

Special rules: Tide of goblins - At the end phase of each turn, from turn 2 onwards, roll a D6, the evil player may place goblin(s) with shield, spear or bow at the Western board edge based on the result from the roll:

• 1-2 One goblin
• 3-4 Two goblins
• 5-6 Three goblins

Goblin forces: 20 Goblins (8x spears, 8x shields, 4x bows)

Playing area: 24''/61cm x 24''/61cm

Deployment, 2 goblin archers are deployed within 3''/8cm of either
corner. The fellowship within 3''/8cm of the centre of the western board
 edge. And seven goblins within 6''/14cm of the centre of the board

The archers shoot at the hobbits to little avail,
as they are in combat

Boromir and Legolas claim a kill each, while Aragorn takes a wound

The archers close in further as the sides melee again

Boromir slices and Legolas stabs another goblin each and Gimli joins
them squishing a goblin beneath his axe

One goblin draw by the sounds of battle

Aragorn urges the Fellowship forward while he holds a couple of
goblins back

Three more goblins rush onto the field

Aragorn gets more tied up and more members are engaged

But four goblins fall under the superior fighting skills of the Fellowship

Two more this turn

Aragorn seems to be soaking up most of the goblin's attention

Letting the four hobbits race, slowly, eastwards

Boromir and Gimli redeem Aragorn's lack of fighting skills

Three more arrive, much to Aragorn's annoyance

And eagerly charge straight into combat

The hobbits get closer to the board edge

Boromir downs another goblin, where Aragorn succumbs to the weight of goblins around him

Another three hastening to the battle cries

The Fellowship back away, and the hobbits inch closer to the
eastern board edge

An archer arrives

The Fellowship gain priority and the hobbits move over the board edge

Giving the Fellowship a victory and an overall victory 3-2!


This was quite a difficult scenario to make, as too many goblins in the centre would prevent any chance of members getting through and with too few the Fellowship would not be slowed down enough to allow the other goblins to catch up.
The main problem though is that the goblins had to get priority consistently, as they did in this battle, to have a chance at killing five members. 
This could either be solved by allowing the player with priority to choose the deployment edge or allow them to deployed at the Northern and Southern edges instead?
Moreover more terrain is needed to slow the progress of the Fellowship and so the goblins can use their cave dweller special rule.

Boromir was the only hero to kill an opponent in every combat he fought in, totalling five so gains the Performance of the battle. While Aragorn won a couple of combats but couldn't capitalise on them so gets the Flop of the battle.

Performer of the Campaign goes to Boromir, he managed to get 16 goblin kills in 4 scenarios. 
Aragorn did reasonably in the third and fourth battles, but slacked in the other three, despite this he managed 14 kills and two wounds on the troll from 5 scenarios.
Legolas managed 6 kills, one by bow, from 4 scenarios. 
Gimli managed 9 kills and the troll from 4 scenarios. 
The hobbits managed 7 kills from their 4 scenarios.
The Flop of the Campaign though, has to go to Gandalf, he managed a single kill in the 3 scenarios he played, not only that, he was a casualty in one, despite having three wounds and used blinding light to little effect.

This concludes my Easter jaunt, hope you enjoyed or learnt something from the battles, painting and my long tactical analyses which I have been 'trying' to keep to a minimum.
Hopefully when I'm back I shall cover some different ground, maybe in the Siege of Gondor booklet or a couple of The Two Towers scenarios, some more board work and finish of some painting...

Until then

Fish