Cob Wargaming
The Champions League of LOTR
We recently held a knockout tournament with 64 of our LOTR heros and warriors. The rules were simple: 1 vs 1 duels with the winner moving onto the next round. Each round half the participants will be knocked out until we are left with only one. Duels will be decided by drawing names out of a hat. All heros and warriors will be given the best possible equipment that they are allowed. Friends and foes and family alike will duel to the death!
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1. Warg Rider vs Balin
The old Dwarf was forced to use all of his Might but after a couple of rounds he dispatched the Orc.
2. Wood Elf (with sword) vs Eomer
Eomer walked through in a one sided contest.
3. Cave Troll vs Gothmog
Surprisingly this turned out to be a very one sided affair, the Cave Troll just kept rolling sixes and pummelled Gothmog into pieces.
4. Eowyn vs Uruk-Hai Warrior
Eowyn suffered set backs in close combat but eventually put a throwing spear through the Uruks skull
5. GorBag vs Khazard Guard
Although Gorbag lost a point of Fate he eventually took down the Khazard Guard
6. Knight of Minas Tirith vs Captain of Minas Tirith
The Captain had a stroke of genius and used a point of Might to kill the horse, therefore eliminating both the bonus for the Lance and for the cavalry , once this was done it was an easy kill.
7. Elendil vs Harad Chieftain
The Harad chief thought that he too would be clever and tried to hide up on the ledge and shoot Elendil with poisoned arrows. He missed. Elendil chopped him up.
8. Warrior of Rohan vs Warrior of Numenor
The Warrior of Rohan ran up and skewered his opponent with his throwing spear before any combats had even happened.
9. Warrior of Minas Tirith vs Orc Captain
The Orc Captain uses a cruel point of Might to cut down the warrior before he could get a foot hold.
10. Sam vs Ranger of Gondor
Sam used fate to survive the first arrow, but the dice gods did not look kindly on poor Sam, as he rolled a 1 on the climb chart to desperatley find some cover, he was put out of his misery by an arrow up the arse!
11. Witch King vs Wood Elf with Bow
Faiing to kill the Elf with Black Dart the Witch King cast Transfix and killed the Elf in combat.
12. Ringwraith vs Gimli
Gimli resisted the Ringwraiths attempts to take him out with magic and after some close fighting Gimli vanquished the Wraith.
13. Gamling vs High Elf Spearman
Gamling using a well timed point of might to beat the Elf and take him out
14. Orc Warrior vs Troll Chieftain
The Troll took great delight in throwing stones at the Orc. although his aim was terrible. the Orc however could not summon up the courage to charge the Troll and eventually with a great booming laugh the Orc went Splat.
15. Rohan Royal Guard vs Pippin
After bullying Pippin for a few turns, the hobbit managed to win a combat but failed to capitalise on it so the Royal Guard takes him out.
16. Legolas vs Wildman of Dunland
In the very first turn Legolas decided to show off and make a statement, he fired a single accurate arrow and used a point of Might to kill the Wildman. "Next!" he shouted.
17. Haldir vs Wild Warg
Haldir tried to copy Legolas but embarrassed himself by missing the Warg with both shots, he took out his frustrations by killing it in combat.
18. Easterling vs Grishnakh
Both sides ran wildly into combat and Grishnakh swung his blade and cut the Easterling down in the first round of combat.
19. Shagrat vs Boromir
In a flailing clash of blades both warriors won some of the early rounds but Boromir used 4 Might points to slay the Orc leader
20. Easterling Captain vs Elrond
With neither side able to cause any damage in the early rounds of combat, Elrond was forced to look down his baggy elven sleeve for another trick. so he pulled out Natures Wrath and floored the Captain then he used a point of Might to put him out of his misery.
21. Theoden vs Goblin
Theoden uses his 'free pass' to his advantage and kills the Goblin in one round of combat
22. Harad Warrior vs High Elf Captain
The Elf Captain says any thing you can do I can do better and does! He also kills the Haradrim in the first round of combat
23. Dwarf Warrior vs Mouth of Sauron
Saurons minion failed to use any magic and was forced to use a point of might to kill the unfortunate Dwarf
24. Gandalf the Grey vs Citadel Guard
Gandalf pulls no punches and in the first turn gives the Citadel Guard a full on Sorcerous Blast to the face, launching him into the arena wall and killing him.
25. Aragorn vs Arwen
This was the duel that we were looking forward to the most when we made the draw. As it was Arwen could barely raise her blade against her lover and rolled a one in her first round of combat. Aragorn however cut her down!
26. Uruk-Hai Scout (with bow) vs Saruman
Taking inspiration from his fellow Istari, Saruman used Sorcerous Blast twice to dispatch his own creation.
27. Frodo vs Uruk-Hai Berserker
Frodo immediately puts the ring on in an attempt to baffle his enemy. However he loses control to the dark side, takes the ring off and gets charged by the Berserker. However Frodo uses his might to win the fight and cuts down the hulking monstrosity.
28. Uruk-Hai Scout (with sword) vs Gandalf the White
As is often the case in Tabletop games the most powerful wizard performs the worst! Gandalf tried to Sorcerous Blast the scout but only succeeded in knocking him back an inch! He then cast Immobilise on the scout but failed to do anything in combat. eventually he used his Might to win and slew Sarumans creation.
29. Grima Wormtongue vs Rider of Rohan
Cowardly Grima runs up and hides behind the cover, the rider takes a pot shot at the partially hidden Wormtongue. The rider rolls a 5 to hit, a 5 to make it over the cover and a 5 to wound. Winner!
30. Lurtz vs Gil Galad
A real well fought clash with both warriors looking strong early on but with his far superior Fight Value Gil Galad wore Lurtz down before taking him down permanently!
31. Merry vs Mordor Troll
The fight that everyone wanted to be an upset just wasn't! Brave Merry passed the courage test and charged the Troll. Splat.
32. Uruk-Hai Captain vs High Elf Warrior
The Uruk-Hai Captain cruelly beats down the High Elf with great delight.
ROUND ONE
The Arena for Round One
ROUND TWO
The glorious charge of Meriadoc Brandybuck
1. Boromir vs Troll Chieftain
In a David vs Goliath battle Boromir is forced to use all of his Might to kill the Troll.
2. High Elf Captain vs Uruk-Hai Captain
The High Elf Captain got his chance to revenge his fallen warrior comrade from the previous round. The Elf managed to kill the Uruk by using his superior Fight Value and all his Might points.
3. Witch King vs Orc Captain
The Orc Captain put up a mighty defence and nearly managed to wear the Witch King down to zero Will but eventually the Wraith managed to kill the Orc with Black Dart although the Witch king was left with no Might or Fate and only 3 will.
4. Eowyn vs Elendil
Eowyn went crazy and tried to kill the mighty king by throwing spears everywhere but Elendil was just too powerful and cut her down.
5. Grishnakh vs Mordor Troll
Grishnakh fails several Courage Tests and stands there wetting his pants while the Troll throws stones at him and reduces the Orc to one wound and one Fate point before trying to take him out in combat. However in a bout of crazy dice rolls and might points the Orc managed to kill the Troll. Big upset!
6. Ranger of Gondor vs Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf suffers a wound from an arrow but manages to kill the Ranger in close combat
7. Gandalf the White vs Balin
Gandalf cruelly Sorcerous Blasts the old Dwarf around the arena but only causing one wound. Balin manages to get the wizard into combat and keep winning the priority rolls. Both sides are whittled down but Balin manages to cut the Wizard down.
8. Elrond vs Legolas
Legolas avoided combat for as long as possible and managed cause a wound with his shooting, but although the combats started evenly, Elronds superior stats shone through and he won the day.
9. Rider of Rohan vs Gorbag
The Rider managed to score a wound and struggled on with the fight but Gorbags two attacks proved decisive and Gorbag qualified for the next round.
10. Captain of Minas Tirith vs Gamling
What we thought would be a close fight turned out not to be. Gamling ran face first into the captains sword. In the first combat Gamling rolled snake eyes then suffered two wounds and rolled a 1 for his Fate! The perils of only having two Might points!!
11. Warrior of Rohan vs Gimli
The warrior of Rohan tried to hide from the raging Dwarf but the axe wielding Son of Gloin managed to kill the warrior in one shot with a throwing axe!
12. Haldir vs Theoden
Haldir jumped up onto the ledge and tried to shoot Theoden but failed. Theoden tried to fight up the ledge and nearly kills the Elf but Haldir manages to kill the king of Rohan.
13. Rohan Royal Guard vs Mouth of Sauron
The Mouth of Sauron simply uses Transfix to freeze the Royal Guarrd and cut him down.
14. Saruman vs Eomer
In a titanic battle involving a lot of blasting and Immobilise magic from Saruman, both warriors swung and clashed their blades with fury but it did not seem to make much difference because they both rolled terribly. Either side were both eventually reduced to one wound before Eomer got the final swing.
15. Aragorn vs Cavetroll
Surprisingly this was the last Troll left in the competition, but the dream was not to be. Aragorn was reduced to zero Fate but a combination of free Might points and Andruil Flame of the West saw the creature perish.
16. Gil Galad vs Frodo
Somehow Frodo had managed to kill a Berserker in the first round, but things didn't get any easier for the little Hobbit. Gil-Galad quickly skewered him and sent him to see his friends in Hobbit Heaven.
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ROUND THREE
1. Elendil vs Gimli
Gimli throws an axe at Elendil but fails to wound him. Elendil wins the first combat with his superior Fight Value but fails to score any wounds. Gimli wins the second combat, causes a wound and the Fate roll is failed. In the third combat the Numenorian has to use a point of Might but can't get past the Dwarven Armour. In the 4th combat Gimli wins and uses a point of might to cause 2 wounds. the pendulum swings again for the 5th combat but Elendil still can't strike a wound. In the 6th combat Gimli uses another point of Might to defy the odds and win.
2. Eomer vs Aragorn
Aragorn fires his bow and uses a point of might to cause a wound and Eomer fails his fate roll. Eomer decides to do a heroic move to stop Aragorn shooting him again however Aragorn wins the combat and rolls two 6's and a 5. His free point of Might ensures Eomer is Slain.
3. Elrond vs Gandalf the Grey
Gandalf doesn't pause for thought and immediately summons up a powerful Sorcerous Blast that wounds Elrond. Turn 2 sees Gandalf fail to cast Command but Elrond cast Natures Wrath. In turn 3 Elrond charges Gandalf before he can get up off the ground and causes 3 wounds but Gandalf passes all 3 fate rolls after having to use his re-rolls granted by Narya and a point of Might. Gandalf uses a heroic move to get off the ground but he failed to cast Immobilise however that doesn't mean he can't win the combat like a bad boy Wizard but alas he can't strike any wounds! In turn 5 Elrond failed to cast Natures Wrath but uses his two handed weapon to slay the old Wizard.
4. Boromir vs Balin
Boromir uses 1 of his many points of Might to win the combat and another to wound Balin twice. The dice gods decided that the old Dwarf has spent enough time on middle earth and he rolls a 1 for his Fate roll and has to use all of his might to survive. In the second combat Balin causes a wound to Boromir but in the third combat Boromir strikes one back and kills him.
5. Haldir vs The Witch King
First up the Witch King uses Black Dart but rolls a 1 to wound! Then Haldir hits the Nazgul leader twice with his bow and causes a wound, the Witch King can't catch a break and has to use all his fate to save the wound and himself. In turn 2 the Witch King uses Compel which Haldir can't resist but the Lord of Angmar fails too cause any damage. In turn 3 the Witch King goes all out, he successfully casts Transfix and decides to use the Morgul Blade, but it still takes him 2 points of Might just to win the combat which means he cannot manage to kill the Elf. Turn 4 and Haldir charges the Nazgul and kills it.
6. Mouth of Sauron vs High Elf Captain
In the first round the High Elf Captain wins the combat and uses a point of Might to cause two wounds and the Mouth of Sauron fails his Fate roll. Easy.
7. Grishnakh vs Captain of Minas Tirith
This was an epic and incredibly close struggle between the Troll slayer and the Captain. Turn 1 the combat is drawn but the Captain wins and uses Might to cause a wound but the Fate roll is passed. Turn 2 was identical except the Orc had no Fate left and was reduced to a single wound. Turn 3 and Grishnakh wins by using 2 points of Might. Turn 4 Grishnakh wins and uses his last Might to wound the Man but the Fate roll is passed leaving both fighters without any Might or Fate. Turn 5, the combat was drawn again, Grishnakh wins but does nothing. Turn 6 is identical. Turn 7 the combat is drawn yet again but the Captain of Minas Tirith gets the roll and fails to capitalise. Turn 8, the Captain wins but rolls snake eyes to wound. Turn 9, he wins again for nothing but finally in turn 10 he wins and gets that last wound!
8. Gorbag vs Gil Galad
From the get go Gil Galad uses a Might point and superior Fight Value to force Gorbag into using 2 points but failing to wound. Gorbag wins in the next turn but rolls snake eyes to wound. Turn 3 Gorbag wins again but can't do any damage. In turn 4 Gil Galad wakes up and uses a Might point to cause a wound which the Orc Captain fails to save. Turn 5 and Gorbag lashes out and causes a wound to the Elf. In turn 6 Gil Galad pierces the Orc through the heart. This Completed a clean sweep for the Good heroes going into the quarter finals.
Round Four Quarter Finals
1. High Elf Captain vs Boromir
First turn and the High Elf Captain wins the fight and uses a point of Might to wound Boromir. In the second turn Boromir uses 2 points to draw the combat but still loses and suffers another wound. In the third turn Boromir wins and uses 2 points of Might to cause 2 wounds and try to end this duel but the Elf passed the Fate roll. In turn 4 both the High Elf and Boromir use Might but Boromir wins the draw for nothing. In turn 5 Boromir wins and kills the Elf captain.
2. Aragorn vs Gimli
Aragorn fires a shot but fails to wound, Turn 2 Gimli wins but fails to wound. Turn 3 Aragorn uses a free point of Might to draw and then win the combat which leads to him causing a wound. In Turn 4 Gimli wins the combat and strikes a blow to Aragorn who is forced to use his free point of Might to pass the Fate roll. In turn 5 Gimli wins again and uses another point of Might to cause a further 2 wounds to the king of Gondor who only passed 1 Fate roll. In Turn 6 Aragorn summons up all of his strength to win the fight and kill the last Dwarf left in the competition.
3. Captain of Minas Tirith vs Gil Galad
In the first turn the mighty Elf lord beats back the last un-named hero but cannot harm him. In the second turn Gil Galad goes one better and wounds the Captain of Minas Tirith who uses his Fate. In the third turn Gil Galad goes one better again and causes 2 wounds to kill the Captain.
4. Haldir vs Elrond
Turn one, Haldir fires 2 successful shots at Elrond but fails to do any damage. In Turn 2 Elrond Casts Natures Wrath and Haldir makes a pitiful attempt to resist it. With Haldir lying on the ground Elrond fought with a two handed weapon and caused a mighty 5 wounds! Overkill!
Round Five Semi Finals
1. Aragorn vs Elrond
A mighty clash of blades between the Lord of Elves and the King of Gondor started with Aragorn firing a shot but missing. In the first combat Elrond won and used a point of Might to cause the first wound. In the second combat the result was a draw which Aragorn won and managed to cause 2 wounds of which only one was saved despite Elronds Elven ring . The third round of combat Aragorn wins but cannot strike a wound even with Andruil in his hands. In turn 4 Aragorn used a Heroic Move in order to keep priority and stop any potential Natures Wrath. Aragorn also won the combat and caused 2 wounds but Elrond passed his Fate roll and clung onto life by the skin of his teeth. In turn 5 both hero's called Heroic Moves but Aragorn wins the roll. Both heroes also use Might to draw the combat but once again Aragorn won the 50/50 roll and slew Elrond.
2. Boromir vs Gil Galad
Neither side having much in the way of Fate points both heroes knew this fight needed to be won quickly. Boromir won the first fight, caused one wound and used 3 points of Might to cause a second although Gil Galad did pass his only Fate roll. The second turn also went Boromirs way and he used the rest of his Might to slay Gil Galad. and complete an all Gondor final.
Round Two lay out
One of several shock results of the tournament.
Round 3 offered no hiding places
The quarter finalists take a breather to pose for a celebratory selfie
The Quarter finals arena featured two major scenery obstacles
The arena for the semi finals was set up for duels
Bronze Medal Fight
1. Elrond vs Gil Galad
The two mighty Elven lords went toe to toe for third place. Turn 1, Elrond got off to a fantastic start and used 2 points of Might to cause 2 wounds. Gil Galad passed the Fate roll. Turn 2 Gil Galad won the combat but did no damage. Turn 3 Elrond won the combat but Gil Galad saw that he had to seize the initiative and used 2 points of Might to win and causing 1 wound which Elrond had to use 2 Fate points to save. Turn 4 saw the first Natures Wrath cast by Elrond which the attempt to resist was failed although Gil Galad did win the combat and jumped back to his feet. Turn 5 and Elrond cast the spell again but he still could not win the combat. Turn 6 Gil Galad wins and causes a wound but the Fate roll was passed. Turn 7 saw Elrond use the last of his Might to win the combat but could not capitalise on his expenditure. Turn 8, Gil Galad wins the combat and uses a point of Might to wound Elrond. This left both warriors evenly matched, both only on 2 wounds and without any Might, Will or Fate. Turn 9 of this epic duel and Elrond wins and causes a wound. Turn 10 Elrond wins again but cannot finish the task. Turn 11 saw the tables turn again with Gil Galad winning and wounding leaving both warriors bloody and battered with only 1 wound left. The 12th and final turn and everyone in the room stopped to watch as Gil Galad summoned up the strength to score the final wound on Elrond and win the duel.
The Grand Final
Boromir vs Aragorn
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The two mightiest of all hero's strut their into the arena.
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Boromir having killed Shagrat, Mordor Troll Chieftain, Balin, a High Elf Captain and Gil Galad and definitely earned his place in the final. If he could cause some early damage then 6 points of Might could surely help him upset the odds.
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Aragorn had been no slouch either and had without a doubt had the most heart breaking route to the final having killed Arwen, a Cave Troll, Eomer, Gimli and Elrond to get to the final., Friends, foes, rivals lovers and in-laws! The free point of Might every turn would be useful but it would be Andruil the flame of the west (letting him wound anything on a 4+) that would be his greatest trick up his sleeve.
The fight itself was over in one turn. Boromir and Aragorn used Might to get to the holy 6 and having the same Fight Value meant that it was a draw. Aragorn won the roll off and slew Boromir with the power of Andruil causing 3 wounds which Boromir was helpless to resist.
The final wasn't our first all Gondor duel of the tournament
Post Tournament Analysis.
For his prize, we might treat Aragorn to a fresh paint job!
So Aragorn, arguably the main hero of Lord of the Rings, is the superior hero in The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game! Which can come as no surprise, with a free point of might each turn and the ability to wound anyone regardless of their Defence on a 4+ he was always going to be a favourite to win the competition.
As a wrap up to this very enjoyable competition we are going to discuss some of the findings that came out of this little tournament!
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Might.
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The importance of Might in the LOTR has defintely been stressed during this Champions League game! Might not only has the ability to save your life and win fights, but it can also allow you to gain the upper hand and initiative against your opponent. A heroic move can stop you being Immobilised, allow you to defend a barrier of stop a cavlry charge. With this in mind, when building your armies, look for some cheap sources of Might. Captains are usually only 40-50 points and their two might points can prove valuable! Or, if you're feeling sneaky, for a measly 60 points you can take Frodo, with a hefty bounty of three Might points! Place him with the bulk of your army and a heroic move, heroic combat or heroic shoot could change the tide of the battle for you. Better yet, make him wear the ring, and once he has finished barking orders he can stand and observe in relative safety! (supposing the evil player doesn't take control of him and let him wander away!)
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​Magic
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Magic in LOTR is a great hero undoer! An Immobilise or Command will allow your warriors to overwhelm usually powerful heroes and easily cut them down. However, what has been revealed is the vulnerability of your magic casters! The Mouth of Sauron and the Ringwraiths were very easily overwhelmed in one on one combats, both were defeated against humble captains, and although Gandalf and Saruman were more combat ready they were both crushed by more powerful heroes. Your Wizards will work well in tandem with a small band of even cheap base warriors to protect them, this way you can neutralize expensive and powerful heroes cheaply with a well placed magic caster. For example, a well placed Ringwraith with an entourage of say twelve goblins could cause serious damaged to a powerful hero, even our Champions League winner Aragorn would struggle to best such a horde whilst immobilised! With luck on your side you could effectively defeat a 260 point model for less than 100 points. Leaving you more points for bigger and better things (like trolls).
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Defense
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Look for models with naturally high defenses, or those with the options to purchase Shields and Heavy Armour. These extra points are well worth the cost. Not only does this mean your heroes will last longer at the head of your armies (where they are best utilized) as they are harder to wound, but this means they can stand up to models with higher Fight Values. This was seen in the fight between Elendil and Gimili. Elendil with the higher Fight Value won the majority of the combats but struggled to roll high enough to wound due to Gimil's rock hard stat of Defense 8. This meant that Gimli could wear Elendil down and eventually slay him even though he had less attacks and a poorer Fight Value. Let's not forget, Elendil is a hefty 165 points whereas you can pick Gimili up for only 90! Against normal warriors with a Strength of 3 Gimili can only be wounded on a 6/4+! (A roll of a six followed by a roll of 4 or more) High Defences on the cheap will be good for slowing enemy advances, choking and holding bottle necks, and grinding down those High Fight Value and expensive heroes.​
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We used the rules from this rulebook for this tournament.
We enjoyed this tournament so much that we have been inspired to create another. Six 500 point teams will face off in a 5 round league system. Check it out here!