Orcs of the Misty Mountains
The
Orcs of the Misty Mountains are, much
like other orcs, a multitudinous but brittle force. Dwelling in the Misty
Mountains and the hills and forests nearby, they are a serious threat to all
who live around the mountains or those who attempt to pass from Eriador to the
West to Dorwinion in the East. They are the most numerous and most poorly
equipped of all of the servants of Sauron, but they are also the least
organized. Divided in rule, they are much different than the unified forces in
other orc realms. This does not mean that they are not a threat. What they lack
in larger and better-equipped orcs, they make up for in both numbers and the
availability of Cave Trolls. Those who pass through the Misty Mountains must
take their threat seriously.
The
Orcs of the Misty Mountains player takes
the role of an Orc Captain, commanding a band of raiders, in service to his
chieftain and Sauron. He seeks to slaughter all those who dwell nearby or
whoever dares pass through the mountains and in doing so, advance his position
using both loot and the favor he gains through success. While not directly in
the view of the Great Eye, his successes and failures do not go unnoticed.
There
are several troop types unique to the Orcs
of Mordor, as follows:
SNAGA
Snaga are the smallest and weakest of the
orcs serving the Dark Lord and as such, are used as slaves by those higher in
the orcish pecking order. Unskilled and under-equipped, they are mere fodder in
the armies of the orcs. Their only hope for victory is to massively overwhelm
their enemies with their numbers. To reflect this, a Group of Snaga will be
twelve (12) figures, fighting in three (3) ranks of four (4) with only the
first two (2) ranks fighting and will fight as one level below Levy in combat in regards to troop
quality, but die on a 4, 5, or 6 and Shock on a 1, 2, or 3. They may not form
shieldwall or Spear Hedge without
being in formation with Uruks. When
shot at by Missiles or attacked by Skirmishers they are treated as Levy as well as for Morale Changes.
 |
| Games Workshop |
SOLDIER ORCS
Soldier Orcs form the vast majority of the
armies of Sauron. Small and stooped in stature, they are no match for the
average human warrior in a one on one fight, but what they lack in skill, they
make up in numbers. To reflect this, a Group
of Soldier Orcs will be nine (9)
figures fighting in three (3) ranks of three (3) with only the first two (2)
ranks fighting and will fight as Levy in
combat, but die on a 5 or 6 and Shock on a 2, 3, or 4. They may not form
shieldwall or Spear Hedge without
being in formation with Uruks. When
shot at by Missiles or attacked by Skirmishers they are treated as Levy as well as for Morale Changes.
URUKS
Uruks are the vilest and most fierce of
orcs, fighting with ferocity and skills that nearly match their average human
foes and well equipped by orc forges. However, they are still orcs and are
prone to flight like the rest of their brethren. To reflect this, a Group of Uruks will be six (6) figures and will fight as Warriors in combat, but die on a 6 and
Shock on a 3, 4, or 5. They may not form shieldwall, but may form a Spear Hedge defensive formation along
with any other Uruks and Soldier Orcs in Formation with them. When shot at by Missiles or attacked by Skirmishers
they are treated as Warriors as well
as for Morale Changes.
TROLLS
Trolls are the strongest and most powerful
infantry available to the armies of the Dark Lord. Great, hulking beasts from
the deepest caves and equipped by orc forges, trolls are a terrifying presence
on the battlefield and instill doubt in even the greatest of men. To reflect
this, a Troll is one (1) figure and
will fight as Elites in combat, but
are wounded on a 6 and Shock on a 5. They may not form shieldwall or Spear Hedge. When shot at by Missiles or attacked by Skirmishers they are treated as Elites. They fight with six (6) dice in
combat and have six (6) wounds, but for every wound they reduce their attack
dice by one. Unless commanded by a noble attached to the Troll, the Troll will
always move directly towards the nearest enemy Group and attack as soon as possible. They are treated as Elites for Morale Changes.
 |
| Property of The Stuff of Legends |
Force Rules
Out of Command: Orcs that are not in command range
of a Noble’s Command Radius are
considered Out of Command. Any orc Group or Formation that are Out of
Command will not advance and will accrue one point of Shock per Group every
turn that they are Out of Command.
Any Group or Formation that is Out of
Command and has a number of Shock
equal to or greater than the number of miniatures in the unit, the will be
treated as Misplacing their Amphora.
They can no longer be rallied and will leave the field of battle as quickly as
possible. Each time the turn ends they will move 3D6 inches towards their
friendly table edge.
Follow Up: All Orcs of the Misty Mountains Groups
and Formations must follow up after
winning a combat unless the Noble makes his follow up test.
Weak Willed: Any orc Group or Formation that
is passed through by withdrawing units will suffer the full effects of their
routing allies. Any friendly Groups
withdrawn through will suffer one point of Shock
for each point of Shock on the
retiring Group. If there is a
difference in troop quality, they will add or subtract Shock depending on their level.
For
example: A group of six Snaga have
eight points of Shock and are obliged
to withdraw eight inches (4 inches for each excess point of Shock). They must withdraw through a Group of Uruks to do so. The Snaga
have eight points of Shock, so the Uruks should suffer eight points of Shock when interpenetrated. However,
this number is reduced by two as the Uruks
are two levels of quality greater than the Snaga,
leaving the Uruks to take six Shock. Had the roles been reversed, the Snaga would have taken eight points of Shock, plus another two points as the Uruks are two quality levels higher, for
a total of ten points.
Ambushers: The forces of the Orcs of the Misty Mountains are skilled
ambushers. To reflect this they may elect to use either the Surprise or Flank Miracle from the main rules before every game. They do not
inform their opponent of their decision to use this ability or which option
they select.
Missiles: All orc Groups carry bows and may elect to function as Missile Troops during the turn. If they choose to do so, they’re
unit size does not change, but they will function as a Group of four (4) Missiles
until their next activation. If they are attacked, they may attempt to Evade like Missile Troops, but may only evade 2D6 inches. If they are
contacted, they will receive double Shock
for the first two (2) rounds of combat, and will fight as one (1) level
lower in troop quality. For example: If a Group
of Uruks is contacted while
acting as Missiles they will fight as
Levy and receive double Shock and if a Group of Soldier Orcs is
contacted while acting as Missiles
they will fight as one level below Levy in
regards to troop quality and receive double Shock.
Any Group of Snaga that is unable to evade will be dispersed, like standard Missiles. As long as all Groups in a Formation are within two inches on each other, they remain in Formation. However, if any Group is further than this distance,
they are no longer in the Formation and
must be reattached.The Evade may be
stopped if the attacker uses a Carpe Diem
card, the same as in the standard rules. If acting as Missile Troops during the turn, the Fleet of Foot card may be used
on the Group.
(Author’s Note: The reason that the
penalties are so great for being unable to evade are to both reflect the poor
quality and morale of orcs as well as to prevent this ability to be used for
too many shenanigans. This has the effect of allowing all orcs to use bows,
which Tolkien described nearly all of them carrying, as well as being
relatively accurate to what would actually occur if orcs were forced to drop
their bows and fight unprepared.)
Starting Forces
The
starting forces for the Orcs of the Misty
Mountains are as follows: One Captain (Status III Lord), two Lieutenants
(One Status II Noble and One Status I Noble), and a Champion.
Led
by these Nobles, you will have six Groups
of Snaga, three Groups of Soldier Orcs,
and one Groups of Uruks. They will also two Groups of Skirmishers under the command of the Status I Noble.
Reinforcements for the Orcs of
the Misty Mountains are gained the same
way as the Saxons in the main game.
Reinforcements which arrive using the reinforcements table will
be as below.
Reinforcements arrive in the order shown, from 1 to 5. The first
time a force receives
reinforcements it will gain the Group indicated in row 1, the second time the Group
shown in row 2, and so on up to row 5 after which no further
reinforcements are
available. However, at any time a player may choose to take the Group from the row
numbered higher, but this will mean that will never receive the Group he passes over.
Order
|
Orcs of the Misty Mountains
|
1
|
Two
Groups of twelve Snaga
|
2
|
One
Troll
|
3
|
Nine
Soldier Orcs
|
4
|
Nine
Soldier Orcs with a Status I Noble
|
5
|
One
Troll and a Status I Noble
|
Orcs of the Misty Mountains Cards
The
Orcs of the Misty Mountains begin the
game with one Bounding Move card and one Darting Blow card. The balance of
their hands are dealt at random from the Fate Deck. The remainder of their
cards added to the Fate Deck are as follows:
Carpe
Diem x 3
Bounding
Move x 1
Darting
Blow x 1
Goad
x 1
Spear
Hedge x 1
The Eye is Watching x 2
The Eye is Watching: This card must be used on a Group or Formation within the command radius of the Orc Lord. When played,
the Lord uses the threat of Sauron’s displeasure to rally his troops. For the
first two rounds of combat for these units this turn, they will receive no Shock. This is a Pursuit Card in Post-Game Phase. (Use unused Saxon or Raider cards
to Represent this card, or make your own!)
No comments:
Post a Comment