Battle in the First Age of Middle Earth

James and Martin came around to the soldier shack for a big old game set in the First Age of middle earth. Based on a battle in the Silmarillion and adapted from a scenario in a recent edition of Miniature Wargames. I'm not Tolkien buff but I think Nogbad the Bad was chasing  Emilloesteves the Elf ("not another bloody elf" - C. S Lewis) Lord when Norbert and Pubert decided to step up and let the elves escape. Or something.

Anyway we were to use James excellent rules which we've previously tested for use in our mythic Celtic games.
James has been fettling a veritable horde of Oathmark Orcs, I have a fair few Orcs and Moria Goblines and Martin too has a number of the bad guys. For humans James' Saxon army took the field.
Although not part of the original story James had a cut off unit or two of Elf cavalry who were hoping to flee the field.

Martin and I took command of the forces of Evil (though as Martin pointed out labelling them as such doesn't help - perhaps Orcs are just misunderstood) whilst James had the humans and elves.

 The isolated elf cavalry

 The pursuing Wargs

 Orcs and Werewolf (there wolf, at the front)

 Venerable Chronicle Orc that once belonged to Joe Dever

 Sax...er human defenders of Middle Earth

The elf riders are conversions using Oathmark elves and Gripping Beast and Conquest  horses and legs

 Werewof! Right there wolf!

 The wargs soon trapped the elves

 And captured their leader to take back to Swindon or some other dark and terrible place

 Meanwhile the werewolf (he's right there wolf) drove the orcs onwards and over some archers

 Nogbad  Gothmog arrived with some trolls

 The Werewolf (in the river wolf) issued a challenge only to discover how terminal they can be

 The Men waded into the ford

 At the other ford Nogb...errr...Gothmog got involved

 Gothmog soon triumphed and forced his way over

 Another challenge swirled at the other ford

I the end it was all in vain the forces of evil smashed through and set off after the fleeing elves leaving the bodies of men to be washed away in the waters.

A good fun game. The rues seem to work very well and give a step up from Dragon Rampant sized games whilst still remaining quite fast play.

I might have to start painting some more Orcs...