Cangames Battle Report #2 - Helms Deep - pic heavy

Howdy folks,

Well, it has been a few weeks since Cangames...and as I said in my previous post I had a very good time trying out some new games.  My second game of the con was Mike's Battle at Helms Deep inspired by the LOTR Twin Towers movie...and to be clear, although I have not read Tolkien I do realize, painfully, that there were no elves at Helms Deep.

Already having beat me to the punch, Mike and Serge have already posted their battle reports...if you'd like to see their perspectives, here you go:

Serge's Battle Report
Mike's Battle Report

I have to say upfront...Mike ran a very enjoyable, excellent game...and Serge's terrain was simply outstanding and downright epic!! Oh, and yes...it is all SCRATCHBUILT!!!

So, the setup is bad ugly orcs, good guy heroes in the fortress...try to breach the wall and the Deep...try to keep the bad guys out.  The post is pic heavy and I'll try to let them do most of the talking...

I hope you enjoy...

The Setup - right flank...the Deep with bad guys running a ram up the ramp...

 

The left flank with the wall...drainage grate in the middle section...BEAUTIFUL TERRAIN!!! Bad guys setup to be bad, ELVES...yup, elves and heroes setup to be heroic

 

Close up of the Deep...great looking figures to boot...

 

I was on the bad side...other guys on the good...we had a great blast, for the most part, very well behaved orcs and heroes.  The ballista is under my control...for most of the game, I used it to launch telephone poles at defenders who were lined on the wall...very effective.  I also used it to launch siege ladders at the wall and pin them in place...somewhat effective, less fun...

 

The remainder of the bad guys...multiple siege ladders...

 

Great view of Helms Deep...Serge outdid himself with this piece...

 

Panoramic of the Deep and the Wall...very epic

 

As expected, 3 main thrusts of bad guys...right group goes up the ramp to breach the door...this door was incredibly tough, it lasted most of the game and deflected numerous butts with the ram and telephone posts from the ballista...

 

Brave orc, launched the ladder with the orc riding it along the way...

 

The orcs on the left make for the wall and the grate...my group is comprised of mostly crossbowmen and ranged kit...so I set these troops in range and I had them snipe away at the defenders...this was fairly effective.

 

Defenders and heroes...

 

Bad-guy ram getting closer...

 

Excellent view of the defending line...they are doing a good job of repelling the raiders as well...there are numerous heroes on this end to bolster the line

 

The crew on the left do a good job of getting all their ladders up, as well as getting their suicide-bombing orcs to the weak section...my guys are pretty comfy sniping from afar...

 

I had a small detachment of raiders so I send them forward to the ladders...for the most part, the heroes make pretty short work...my Armoured Troll throws kaber sized spears for S's and G's...

 

The first bomber succeeds and breaches the wall...with this, both left and centre groups start to pour in...my cohort on the left is closer and gets there first...he brings his trolls to bear and I keep mine on the periphery...

 

The Deep continues to be sieged...the door continues to hold...defenders continue to be skewered by 30 foot poles...

 

With the breach occupied, I rush the rightmost ladder and try to make my way onto the wall...

 

The defenders do a great job at blunting my attacks...

 

I begin to bring up my crossbowmen, they have bayonet like objects at the end...plus the defenders get one level down from the parapet so I need more troops to force an entry...the breach is slow going for the trolls as well...

 

...and the door still holds...

 

Suddenly, just when the Deep looks nearly lost...the defenders are locked in struggle on the Wall...from the WEST, the riders or Rohan come charging...

 

 

A couple of small groups of orcs try to engage them, but do little damage...they have a lot of momentum and their trample/stampede is very effective

While the door to the Deep is still holding, the defenders are losing a war of attrition on their side...the Wall, while breached is doing a good job of chewing up orcs and slowing trolls...it is at this point that we diverge from the movie...

 

Instead of beating across the fields to link-up with the Deep, the riders instead head straight for the wall to engage 3 trolls that have left the breach to square off against this new threat...

The riders do not have an easy go...not only are they charging towards the trolls, they are also charging broadside to all of my crossbowman...I engage with pikemen but leave the bowman at range to fire into the mess...Now, to be fair, I did not capture the moment that the riders nearly had all 3 trolls knocked down and defeated...but I did capture the moments when the trolls stood up and got to HULK SMASH like the big balls of rage that they were...

 

The riders took a figurative and literal beating...their numbers were falling rapidly...

 

Coincidentally, it is around this time that the orcs finally breach the damned door to the Deep...

 

Although, in spite of setbacks around the field...the riders of Rohan did fight bravely...this fighter nearly won his 7 on 1 deathmatch...

 

Regardless of the outcome...it was a very well run game on an excellently crafted table...Thanks guys.