[Battle Report] Is It Wednesday? We Fightin' Then! - Lothlórien & Survivors of Lake-Town VS Rivendell (750 Points)

While my weekend hobby failures continue to pile up (Holidays!) my mid-week respites from worldly duties continue to pay dividends. I hope to be back to gaming two days a week, consistently, after Christmas. Regardless, I'm trying to get as much practice as I can since LVO is about 6 weeks out and I'd like to have a respectable showing.

This week I got two games, but only did a Battle Report for one. I will go into the second game in a separate post along with a few other musings so if you're interested, check that out. For now I'm against Adam, one of the most reliable regulars in our group, and his Rivendell. Adam normally bounces between a few favored armies and has picked up Isengard recently but I was happy to see Elves on the table. For one I haven't played against pure Elves, at all, except my first demo game. There also happens to be a certain Mr. Glorfindel tagging along which is a big threat to my army, seeing if I can handle him should make for an exciting match. So let's get to it!

Lothlórien and Survivors of Lake-Town - Convenient Allies

Galadriel (Leader)

• 8x Guard of the Galadhrim Court
• 6x Wood Elf Warriors w/ Elf Bow, Wood Elf Spear
• 4x Wood Elf Warrior w/ Wood Elf Spear

Bard the Bowman w/ Horse

• 6x Lake-Town Militia w/ Axe
• 12x Lake-Town Militia w/ Axe, Bow
  

Lake-Town Militia Captain

• 9x Lake-Town Militia w/ Axe

Lake-Town Militia Captain

• 9x Lake-Town Militia w/ Axe

As always this is the list I'm really putting time into in preparation for an event, apologies if it's a bit boring to see over and over. I do plan to change it up soon!

Rivendell

Elrond, Master of Rivendell w/ Heavy Armor (Leader)

• 8x High Elf Warrior w/ Elf Bow
• 3x High Elf Warrior w/ Shield
• 1x High Elf Warrior w/ Spear, Shield
• 1x High Elf Warrior w/ Spear, Banner

Glorfindel, Lord of the West w/ Armor of Gondolin, Asfaloth

• 4x Rivendell Knight w/ Shield
  

Erestor

• 3x High Elf Warrior w/ Shield
• 3x High Elf Warrior w/ Spear, Shield

Interesting army, very heavy on shooting with only about six files to really fight with, besides Heroes of course. All three Heroes are great fighters so I really have to watch for those but otherwise I think I can bash through the proper army with ease. Also the Bows are turned off by Galadriel so that really helps, hopefully.

 

 

Scenario

We rolled up Seize the Prize, Contest of Champions, and Domination. I won the veto and of course removed Contest of Champions since Galadriel is my lady. Adam removed Domination, a good pick since I have way more bodies and a 24" Deployment benefits me rushing his small army. With that we have Seize the Prize.

I was extremely happy to play this Scenario again as the first two times I played it I got smashed and/or made horrible mistakes. That led to me formulating a plan for the Scenario (and all the rest...) so now I can test it out! My hope is to rush the center with a big Heroic March and fight it out OR if Adam stays back I'll pick a direction and push hard to get the Objective off the board with my whole army. I just need to keep Glorfindel away from whoever is my carrier and the rest hopefully goes fine.

Terrain & Deployment

I lost the roll for table-side and Adam swapped with me, I assume to get the elevated shooting position. Losing was fine with me because I can see what Adam is up to before I drop stuff, although I'm pretty committed to a specific Deployment plan. Elrond went down first, hiding behind the ruins to my right and dropping his archers on top and the right while the rest went on the left. Seeing that those bows would have a tough time coming down, needing Climb Checks and very possibly dying from failing, I feel like the left is more open.

 

To that end Bard and his Militia went in the center-left, hopefully not enough to provoke a massive reaction but enough to get me where I want to go. Glorfindel plopped on the extreme right, giving most of his models In The Way via the ruins. I put down Galadriel as normal with my bows in the center of the formation and the rest loosely centered to Support where needed. Finally Erestor went center-left, I was hoping for center-right but it's not the end of the world. Both my Captains drop, I put on in the front of my lines and the other on the left flank, to reinforce there.

 

We talked about Terrain as well with the area-terrain being Forests, the ruins being what they are but with Cavalry being able to go through most of the door-ways, some loose trees as scatter, a Fence in the center (but not Difficult Terrain) and two rocks that require Climb Checks or Flying. I can't use the Forests against Glorfindel but it works against the Rivendell Knights. Also the center fence is very defensible and favored towards me as even on a 2-5 Jump Check I can get a model onto the Relic.

 

Turn 1 Priority - Opponent

True to plan one of my Militia Captains calls a Heroic March, Adam calls nothing of his own. I considered a Heroic Channel to get Blinding Light up but I'm not sure what Adam's plan is yet so it feels premature. To my surprise Erestor and his coalition stay still, as does everything except the Rivendell Knights and Glorfindel, who rush up and come a bit more towards the center.

My guess is that without Heroic March, and the Knights being very vulnerable to my Bows, Adam is holding back to try and stop me from getting the Relic off the table and hopefully nab it for himself. Fine with me! I push up pretty hard, pivoting to the left a bit more and swinging my flank Captain around the Forest. If the Rivendell Knights come in I can move my Elves through the Forest and have great odds in the fights whereas if they go for my front I can wrap and Trap, hopefully. Galadriel casts a normal Blinding Light successfully.

Adam wisely goes for Bard as dismounting him will shut his Great Bow down and weaken my only fighty Hero, fortunately most shots fly wide and the rest fail to Wound. Switching gears he tries some Wood Elves but again misses. Bard returns fire at the High Elves on the ground level but misses.

Note: Several times this game both Adam and I make a rules mistake where Jump Tests lead to being Engaged. This is not an allowed move unless the model rolls a 6, apologies for the error.

Turn 2 Priority - Me

Adam again calls nothing, I do opt for a Heroic Channel this time as it seems those archers are firmly entrenched. First thing first I move a Militia and take a Jump Check, landing next to the Objective and unearthing it! This is a huge deal as I've now caught Adam off-guard with how fast I snagged it, I can also run a convoy to the table-edge thanks to my huge numbers bonus. The only thing that could have gone better is if I moved second.

While I feel fine about fighting my way out I want to apply pressure and make it happen fast. To that end I set a battle-line on my left and set some models on my right. Again, I want to see what happens. If one portion of the army comes in first then I want to crush it, otherwise I can do a fighting retreat on one side. Bard holds still to shoot and Galadriel runs up, casting Blinding Light and expending a point of Will.

Seeing the situation, Rivendell tries to get in gear and shoves the Cavalry up the flank while the rest moves to the right/center. Still, because the fence has a hole on the left-side I can escape while Adam might have to make Jump Checks over the wall, slowing him down. There is also now a big hole on the left, the rock in the center of the Elven Deployment Zone might aid me as well.

Shooting goes poorly for the Elves as they continue to fly wide or not Wound. Adam mostly shot at Militia outside of Blinding Light but wasn't able to punch through. On the flip-side my Bows did very well, killing a Rivendell Knight while Bard removed an archer on the ground. Killing a Knight is a huge deal as they can close the gap and catch up to me, I'd hoped to put more shots into them but Adam positioned well and had In The Way at best, completely hiding at worst.

Turn 3 Priority - Opponent

Neither of us have Heroic so we get right to action with Glorfindel Charging two Militia. My assumption here is Adam wants to do a Heroic Combat and surf into my main army, which I have no intentions of allowing. The two remaining Knights swing down, having to go around the Forest, and will play no part in the Turn.

The bulk of the army instead continues to go right and now the gap is huge, at this point I decide to go for it. Fortunately Adam is still addressing his lines and also hasn't moved the archers down, this was probably the last Turn to do so. Swapping to me I build a very solid wall on the left and build another wall to keep Glorfindel out no matter what. On my right I start pulling back, hoping to get Elrond and Co. to continue taking the bait. Feeling a bit cheeky I take a Charge into a Rivendell Knight with a Militia Captain and Militia. Finally, Galadriel moves up, casting Immobilize on the right-most Rivendell Knight to turn his Bow off, and she is passed the Relic.

Now, I could have passed it to Bard but my fear is his Horse would get shot out as Galadriel wouldn't be able to keep up and then he's a sitting duck. Instead I'm opting for the slower, safer option as Galadriel is very hard to kill, if you can even get there.

Bows continue to do little to me, I think I lost a single Militia and shot out the Horse from the right Rivendell Knight. In Combat Glorfindel does call the Heroic Combat, easily winning and slaying his two opponents, before Charging my Captain. Foolish mistake from me to leave him out, otherwise Glorfindel would have nothing of value to get into. My Captain is cut down as well but I win against the Knight, doing nothing to it as I go for the Horse.

Turn 4 Priority - Opponent

Go time! Elrond and most of his contingent Charge my Militia on the right while several High Elves hop the fence, although only just. Erestor hard pivots to the center while Glorfindel and the two Knights Trap a Militia, again likely going for a Heroic Combat. Glorfindel could have gotten around my line but I would throw a ton of stuff at him, forcing him to roll 6's or spend Might while building a net around him, so I think opting against that was wise.

 

For my side I'm sacrificing the right, having removed a ton of models from the game by fighting there. Supports go where I think I'll have an advantage, no reason to just let my guys die. Galadriel starts heading up the table, throwing a Command with a point of Will onto the Banner and moving it out of useful range. Bard Charges one of the fence-hoppers and I continue building my line, aiming for a two-sided front that Galadriel can stay "inside" to be safe.

Shooting is all but done for me as I'm moving a lot, Adam throws some shots but does nothing as there aren't re-rolls anymore and the dice aren't great. Combat goes better, Glorfindel calls nothing and my Militia is butchered, the rest of the Fights we split wins here and there. Elrond gets a kill as does Bard, my hope with Bard now is to deter anyone from that route and, if so, jump the fence to play interference.

Turn 5 Priority - Opponent

Heroics are skipped again but my anti-Glorfindel wall is still in effect. Each Rivendell Knight Charges a Militia while the man himself Charges two Militia. Elrond and the models on the right continue to skirmish there, being fairly out of the running now, and getting a Trap on one of my models. The rest continues to try and chase Galadriel but she has a heck of an angle. Some Jump Checks also get models into Bard, pinning him in place.

Possibly thinking creatively, even more models Charge into Glorfindel as I pass Terror Checks. This gets five models into him,more than he can kill and thus eliminating any Heroic Combat shenanigans. Just to be safe I also build a new wall around him although it's not perfect thanks to Fleetfoot. More models come into help Bard put some Elves down although I make a mistake and commit my remaining Captain who could have lended a Heroic March to my army.

Galadriel throws two Will on an Immobilize towards Erestor but he rolls two 6's, oof. Otherwise the rest of my bodies move to close off the gap between the two rocks and eventually from the table-edge as well, I'm not yet there though.

In Shooting I lose a Wood Elf and again have nothing of my own. Elrond calls a Heroic Combat but loses, having to spend another Might to get a 6 and win, this kills both Militia and allows him to move towards the action. Bard kills his opponent while I have to Might with my Captain to win her Fight but Adam counters with his Banner and wins in the end, netting no damage. Finally I lose four Militia to Knights and Glorfindel. There is a path to Galadriel now open but I couldn't have closed it off, just have to keep running.....

Turn 6 Priority - Opponent

If I could just get one of these Priority Rolls, ugh. Galadriel is still safe so I call nothing, same for Adam. One Knight and Glorfindel give chase to the Relic while the last Knight just Charges a Militia, he won't be able to catch up almost ever. Two High Elves tie up Bard and some other models while Erestor Charges but fails with his Throwing Weapon. Next Turn he might have a Heroic Combat onto Galadriel but it'll be close. Everyone else runs around and Elrond tries Wrath of Bruinen but fails to cast on two dice.

On my side the plan remains the same: Protect the Lady. With that in mind I give a Galadhrim Court Guard to Erestor's Fight, hoping to make him waste Might, and build a wall so that in case he does win he'll have to Charge a Wood Elf nearby (due to starting in its Control Zone). "Behind" Erestor there's a bunch of clashes that don't matter but it's fun to fight and if I can Break the Rivendell army it just makes things that much easier. I won't be able to wall out Glorfindel anymore after this Turn but he won't be in Charge range either. Lastly I throw a three dice Immobilize on Erestor and manage to get it off against one Will, very nice for me.

I believe I lost a few more Wood Elves to Bows but don't mind, winning and losing Fights is mostly irrelevant. Erestor wins but can't Strike and couldn't Heroic Combat so that threat is now neutralized, he's too slow to catch up. Most other Fights go my way with Bard again clearing out his area, I think I should have called a Heroic Combat with him as now he's too out of the action to help Galadriel.

Turn 7 Priority - Opponent

Glorfindel's friendly Knight makes a Charge to get out of the way, allowing him to skirt a bit tighter and go around my army. Fortunately my wall cost enough Movement that next Turn he won't be able to Charge Galadriel. The rest is mostly academic, Elrond tries Wrath again and fails while a Jump Check finally fails, keeping Bard free.

Galadriel moves away and tries a single dice Command on Glorfindel, getting a 6, but he Resists using his free dice and a Will. I build another pseudo-wall to cost some movement and otherwise Charge in for some combat fun. Bard Charges Elrond, Knights get Trapped, and in general I'm doing well.

I don't recall all the outcomes but I do lose a Heroic Strike-off to Elrond but he does only claims some Fate, a few Elves probably get dragged down as well. Looking over the board there is no possible way for Adam to get to Galadriel and we decide to call it there.

 

Final Score

10-0 for Lothlórien & Survivors of Lake-Town!

 

 

Post Game Thoughts

I'd like to say that I absolutely loved this game, it felt so unique to focus on an escort-type plan and worry less about fighting and so on. My army performed very well against Elves, having Fight 6 proved to be a real thorn in their side and my access to Strength 4 puts a clock on how long they can melee with me. I didn't feel threatened by anything except Glorfindel, Bard and Galadriel could team up on the other Heroes at almost any time. Glorfindel I still have no answer for, in a more normal game I think I'd have to feed him models as I did here and beat his army down. Not a horrible plan, also once his Might is gone he becomes much easier to plan for.

As for the game I think it's a tale of me exploiting some mistakes. Adam didn't come out to meet me as I touched on but also didn't move to prevent big gaps on his side of the table. Leaving the Bows on that ruin really hurt, Adam did mention he forgot I had Blinding Light but on Turn 2 they could have moved down and made a go of it. Moving the Cavalry on such an extreme flank and also being on the "bad side" of the fence Terrain were the nails in the coffin, even with Glorfindel's absurd speed he couldn't get back in position.

To be fair, if I hadn't pulled up the Relic right away the game can go a lot differently. I probably try to play a more normal game, moving to crush the right and then just walking off due to lack of bodies. Otherwise I think I could have gotten the double Quarter to end the game, Rivendell only had 26 models. I don't know that Adam had a strategic path to victory, my list really just worked well against what he had and it's tough to make up for that.

For my part I made mistakes as well. Throwing the Captain away on Turn 2 was a huge blunder, I opted for the Charge since I'd be on 3 Attacks against 1 and having Might, so I only lose a tie but just didn't see the Heroic Combat back from Glorfindel. In terms of positioning it probably helped me a bit but I didn't make the move with that in mind so I can't claim any benefit it afforded me. Similarly my other Captain should have stuck with Galadriel or even the army, one Turn of extra speed would have locked the game down hard. Besides that I'm okay with how I played, Bard could have been used better but he did work and provided a distraction.

My plan to convoy the Relic off-table is what I'm proud of from this game, not only the idea but the execution. Every Turn I'd stop some plan Adam was scheming up almost always through positioning and damn that feels good. Having a high model count is amazing for this type of Scenario because I can create a wide net to stop the Relic or do what I did on offense.

That's all for this game, I'd like to play Rivendell again with a higher model count and see how it goes but overall I don't fear the Faction. Outside of a lot of Woodland Creature abuse or a really bad Scenario I just have better tools than them to do what they want to do. Probably owed a nice beating from Easterlings by now.....