Friday, January 4, 2019

Dux Arda: Lard of the Rings- The Remnants of Angmar Force Information

(Just a preface, none of these pictures are my own)


The Remnants of Angmar are, much like their brethren in Mordor, a multitudinous but brittle force. While they were formerly led by the Witch King himself, they are no longer a primary threat to the West in the same way they once were. However, the forges of Angmar still burn and there are multitudes of orcs and evil men willing to fight the forces of good. Residing in the Northwest of the Misty Mountains as well as the Hills and Forests of Rhudar, these servants of Sauron are less well equipped than their cousins in Mordor. However, they have adapted well to their circumstances, utilizing more skirmish tactics and playing into their skills at ambushing. They also utilize the evil Hillmen of Rhudar to bolster their ranks and provide strength and stability to their forces.

The Remnants of Angmar player takes the role of an Orc or Human Captain, commanding a band of raiders, in service to the Remnants of Angmar. He seeks to slaughter the good people of Eriador wherever he finds them, 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.

Property of Hannanibal

The troop types of the Remnants of Angmar are the same as troops presented for the Picts in The Raiders supplement with several troop types unique to the Remnants of Angmar, 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 Angmar. 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 the forges of Angmar. 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.

WILD WARGS
Wild Wargs are savage war beasts, somewhat tamed by the orcs and men of Angmar. While they are a fearsome threat, they are by no means as dangerous as the tamed beasts that bear orc riders. Starved and savagely treated they think of little more than eating. To reflect this, a Group of Wild Wargs will be three (3) Wild Warg figures and one (1) Warg Master and will act as Shock Cavalry, doubling any Shock they inflict in the first round of combat. However, they may never evade like standard cavalry and function the same as stationary cavalry if charged. If they are victorious in combat, they must spend the next activation devouring their fallen foes. The Warg Master must roll 1D6 to attempt to regain control of his Wargs, succeeding on a 4, 5, or 6. If any enemies are within twelve (12) inches of victorious Wild Wargs, they must roll 1D6 and take that number of Shock to represent the horror of their friends being eaten before their eyes.  If they are defeated in combat by two or more kills, they will automatically disperse. This will not affect Force Morale.

Property of Clarence Harrison of Quindia Studios

WARG RIDERS
Warg Riders function the same as Raider Cavalry in The Raiders supplement, but will double any shock inflicted when they are the attacker.

TROLLS
Trolls are the strongest and most powerful infantry available to the armies of Angmar. Great, hulking beasts from the deepest caves and equipped by the forges of the Angmar, 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.

Games Workshop

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 Remnants of Angmar 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 Remnants of Angmar 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 Remnants of Angmar 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 three Groups of Snaga, three Groups of Soldier Orcs, one Groups of Uruks, and two groups of Raiders. They will also have one Group of Wild Wargs with a Warg Master.

Games Workshop

Reinforcements for the Remnants of Angmar 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
Remnants of Angmar
1
Nine Soldier Orcs
2
Six Raiders and twelve Snaga
3
Three Wild Wargs and Warg Master
4
Four Warg Riders with a Status I Noble
5
One Troll and a Status I Noble

Remnants of Angmar Cards

The Remnants of Angmar begin the game with one Aggressive Charge 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
Darting Blow x 1
Spear Hedge x 1
Aggressive Charge x 2
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!)

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