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 Post subject: The Last Alliance scenario - Needs balancing?
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 2:02 pm 
Kinsman
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I am planning on doing "The Last Alliance" scenario from the Free Peoples sourcebook in the near future.

Looking over the scenario rules and selecting my Mordor army, I can not help but feel like it is not very balanced..

This might be due to the fact that I am planning to field my Fell Beasts, as Nazgul/Ringwraiths are in fact not named characters, and was indeed present during the battle (though the Fell Beast part could be discussed..).

Anyways, this is the current 1200 point force I quickly wrote up:

Warband 1
Ringwraith (1) with Fell Beast; 2 Extra Might; 7 Extra Will; 2 Extra Fate;
1 Morannon Orc with Shield
5 Morgul Knight

Warband 2
Ringwraith (2) with Fell Beast; 2 Extra Might; 7 Extra Will; 2 Extra Fate;
1 Morannon Orc with Shield
5 Morgul Knight
1 Morgul Knight with War horn

Warband 3
Captain of the Black Guard
2 Morannon Orc with Shield
6 Morannon Orc with Spear
2 Black Númenórean
1 Black Númenórean with Banner
1 Mordor Troll

Warband 4
Morannon Orc Captain with Shield
3 Morannon Orc with Shield
6 Morannon Orc with Spear
3 Black Númenórean

Warband 5
Mordor Orc Taskmaster
3 Morannon Orc with Shield
6 Morannon Orc with Spear
3 Black Númenórean

Warband 6
Castellan of Dol Guldur

In addition you get Sauron, which comes with The One Ring...
This means Evil side would be a total of 56 units and a whopping 1650 points.

The Good side can only choose from the Eregion and Rivendell list (400 points + Gil-Galad and Elrond) and Numenor list (300 points + Elendil and Isildur). My friend has written up a list which has a total of 62 units and 1284 points with the heroes:

Warband 1
Elrond with Heavy armour
12 High Elf Warrior with Elven Blade

Warband 2
Gil-galad with Shield
8 High Elf Warrior with Elf Bow and Spear
1 High Elf Warrior with Banner
3 High Elf Warrior with Shield and Spear

Warband 3
High Elf Stormcaller
6 High Elf Warrior

Warband 4
Elendil, High King of Gondor and Arnor with Shield
3 Warrior of Númenor with Bow and Spear
6 Warrior of Númenor with Shield
3 Warrior of Númenor with Spear and Shield

Warband 5
Isildur with Shield
6 Warrior of Númenor with Shield
6 Warrior of Númenor with Spear and Shield

Warband 6
Captain of Númenor with Horse; Shield; Heavy armour; Lance
2 Warrior of Númenor with Spear and Shield

Comparing the two sides, this does not look like much of a contest..

I have thought about creating some special rules for when Sauron enters the fray, but even if he enters late in the battle, I am afraid the Good side will be too depleted.. I noticed that there is a "Slopes of Mount Doom" scenario in the Mordor Sourcebook, where Sauron only comes into play if a Good model is within 12'' of the Evil table edge, which could work, but as mentioned the Good side would perhaps be very much depleted and worn out..

One could perhaps combine the above mentioned rule about Sauron, with something like that if Isildur is able to wound Sauron and bring him down to 0 wounds, he will not be able to use his "The One Ring" special rule..

Any suggestions as to what to do?
Perhaps increase Good side numbers, or even allow the High-Elves to field 50 % bows?

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 Post subject: Re: The Last Alliance scenario - Needs balancing?
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 7:37 pm 
Elven Warrior
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probably they figured the Nazgul as named character. I mean, you can field all the captains you want, but only 8 of them, making them a "special" kind of named character (of course, this can be wrong).
Sauron and 2 Nazgul...there's little hope for the good guys.

Evil has lot of options: cavalry, spellcasters, monsters, shock infantry.
Maybe you can give more points to the good side and allow the use Durin's Folk (Durin the first was there, after all) to give more options to the good player.
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 Post subject: Re: The Last Alliance scenario - Needs balancing?
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 8:32 pm 
Kinsman
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Thanks for the input, Dikey.

Guess we will never know when it comes to the Nazgul, but for now, they are not looked upon as named, and they were present during the battle.

I do like the idea of Durin's Folk, as they were represented in the battle!
Problem is that my friend does not have any Dwarves, so he would have to borrow mine :D

Not sure how many, but perhaps in the range of about 200 points, seeing as the main army was comprised of Elves and Men.
Although the scenario does focus on the main part of the huge battle, were surely the Dwarves would be most needed...

I also thought about the option to include Glorfindel to the Good force.
He would be a good counter to the Nazgul, as well as being a great fighter.

It seems like he did return to Middle-Earth during the Second Age, in order to serve Gil-Galad and Elrond.
I think it is highly likely that he would be present at the Battle of Dagorlad.

There are some interesting notes on the subject, taken from The Peoples of Middle-Earth: The History of Middle-Earth, Vol. 12:
Quote:
...We may then best suppose that Glorfindel returned during the Second Age, before the ’shadow’ fell on Numenor, and while the Numenoreans were welcomed by the Eldar as powerful allies. His return must have been for the purpose of strengthening Gil-galad and Elrond, when the growing evil of the intentions of Sauron were at last perceived by them. It might, therefore, have been as early as Second Age 1200, when Sauron in person came to Lindon, and attempted to deceive Gil-galad, but was rejected and dismissed. But it may have been, perhaps more probably, as late as c.1600, the Year of Dread, when barad-Dur was completed and the One Ring forged, and Celebrimbor at last became aware of the trap into which he had fallen...

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 Post subject: Re: The Last Alliance scenario - Needs balancing?
PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:06 am 
Wayfarer
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That does seem a tad unbalanced though the good side having more models is unusual and may assist them significantly as normally elvish players have much less - anyone played the last alliance scenario from the original LOTR FOTR rulebook - 240 orcs i believe?
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