First Game of Middle Earth SBG

And a first Game with Erebor reclaimed 

& Laketown survivors -army

I'm preparing an army for a coming ME SBG tournament and wanted to try out the new edition before it... so I speed painted my force for the game with Kalle...

Read further for more pics on the minis and how they are converted... and of course to learn how the battle unfolded!

The models

Just on principle I'm boycotting those awesome minis from WF. They are truly beautiful, but the pricing is simply a rip off. Hence I went creative...

Goat / Ram riders are a combination of Citadel's plastic sets: bodies are from Grim Hammers and spears from Warriors of Erebor. Them beasts are a ram pack from Unreleased miniatures, Dain Ironfoot is from there as well.

Infantry is a mix of the above mentioned plastic sets and 

shields from Unreleased miniatures

Crossbows are Citadel plastics with arms and crossbows from

FireForge's Medieval plastic minis.  

Close up

My Army

Erebor Reclaimed Roster

1 Warband, 312 pts
   1 Dáin Ironfoot, Lord of the Iron Hills. (Army Leader; There and Back Again, p85; Two-handed hammer; Heavy Dwarf Armour; Burly; Fearless!; Lord of the Iron Hills; Fiery Temper; Fearsome Charge; Head-butt)
      1 War Boar (There and Back Again, p85)
   6 Iron Hills Dwarf (There and Back Again, p99; Sword; Crossbow; Heavy Armour; Shieldwall)
   4 Iron Hills Goat Rider (There and Back Again, p99; Sword; War spear; Heavy Armour)
      4 War Goat (There and Back Again, p99; Mountain Dweller; Devastating Charge)

1 Warband, 250 pts
   1 Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain (There and Back Again, p78; Orcrist; Heavy Dwarf Armour; A Score to Settle; Ancestral Fury)
   8 Iron Hills Dwarf (There and Back Again, p99; Sword; Heavy Armour; Shield; Shieldwall)
   1 Iron Hills Dwarf (There and Back Again, p99; Sword; Spear; Heavy Armour; Shield; Banner; Shieldwall)

1 Warband [sl], 213 pts
   1 Bard the Bowman [sl] (There and Back Again, p90; Sword; Great Bow; Rapid Fire; The Black Arrow; Saviour of Lake-town)
   7 Laketown Militia [sl] (There and Back Again, p104; Sword; Spear; Armour; Shield; Onwards, Men of Esgaroth)
   4 Laketown Militia [sl] (There and Back Again, p104; Sword; Bow; Armour; Onwards, Men of Esgaroth)

1 Warband [sl], 25 pts
   1 Alfrid the Councillor [sl] (There and Back Again, p92; Unarmed; Dubious Counsel)
   1 Laketown Militia [sl] (There and Back Again, p104; Sword; Armour; Onwards, Men of Esgaroth)

Scenario

We played Seize the Prize from MESBG rulebook. There one has to crab an objective (dig it up!) from the centre of the field and gain VP from having it in the end of the battle and even more, if you can exit with it via your opponent's table half. The One Ring played this role.

Deployment and Kalle's force

Iron Hills formed a steelwall with their shields and softer survivors of LT took cover behind them on the left. IH Crossbows had a good view on the enemy and Dain and his Goat Riders took the right flank. Both armies were naturally centrally deployed...

Kalle had an Isengard force (yes wrong minis mostly) and 3 Trolls in it! On his left there were crossbow uruks and then more Uruk infantry with Lurtz leading from behind...

Start of the battle

First two rounds I gave initiative to Kalle and kept peppering the enemy from my positions. Dain and Goat riders made an outflanking move, which was countered with one of the trolls. Two others headed straight t my lines... 


Incoming!


Take aim lads!


Great carnage was about to start and winning initiative next would be vital

Troll Slaying

Uruks won the initiative. So I had to call a few heroic moves, which were countered too.
One of the trolls charge Dain and was then surrounded by goat riders counter charging.

Two trolls charged my lines with a warband of Uruks supporting them... but the Uruks got too tight and as my counter charges went in, these trolls too found themself trapped! I started the combat phase by calling Thorin's free heroic combat. He then finished off the first troll (it had been wounded by an arrow) and then led another charge (which actually finally trapped the third troll).

I slayed all three trolls in just one round of combat (yes, few might points were spent)!!!

Devastation

With them trolls taken out my forces moved on with initiative to mob the rest of the enemy, Goat riders were leading the charge. Crossbows took out 4 Uruks! Thorin himself heroic combatted again and proceeded to slay the Uruk that had made the grave mistake to touch the heirloom of Durin's Line!


Last of the Uruks scattering in panic before Thorin!

DU BEKAR!

Great victory for Durin's line!