Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Dux Arda: Lard of the Rings- Orcs of Isengard Force Information

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




The Orcs of Isengard are, like all orcs a numerous and well equipped, but brittle force. They serve a rising power in the West, the corrupted wizard Saruman. Sarumon, once the greatest of the Istari, the stewards of Middle Earth, fell into league with Sauron due to the dark lord’s influence through the Palantir of Isengard. While he was once a great and noble protector of Middle Earth, he is now one of the greatest threats to the good people of Middle Earth. The greatest weapon he possesses is his newly created Uruk Hai. While their origins remain a mystery, they stand the same height as a man, possessing the same strength and a greater stamina as any human warrior. When equipped with well-crafted armor and cruel weapons by the forges of Isengard, these orcs pose one of the greatest individual threats to the warriors of Rohan. His orcs, evil men, and Uruk Hai now march forth to bring death and ruination to all who oppose Sauron.

The Isengard player takes the role of an Uruk Hai Captain, commanding a band of raiders, in service to the armies of Saruman. He seeks to slaughter the good people of the Rohan wherever he finds them, and in doing so, advance his position using both loot and the favor he gains through success. Saruman is a new power in the West, and the rewards from his rise will be passed along to those who serve.

There are several troop types unique to the Orcs of Isengard, 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 Gundabad. 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.

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 Gundabad. 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.

URUK HAI
Uruk Hai are terrible creation of Saruman’s experiments. There are many rumors about their origins, but no one truly knows. Straight-legged and as large as a man, they are truly a match for their average human foes and well equipped by the forges of Isengard. However, they are still orcs and are prone to flight like the rest of their brethren. To reflect this, a Group of Uruk Hai will be six (6) figures and will fight as Elites in combat, but die on a 6 and Shock on a 3, 4, or 5. They may form shieldwall with and other Uruk Hai. and may also form a Spear Hedge defensive formation along with any other Uruk Hai, Uruks, and Soldier Orcs in Formation with them. When shot at by Missiles or attacked by Skirmishers they are treated as Elites as well as for Morale Changes.

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URUK HAI BERSERKERS
Uruk Hai Berserkers are the fiercest of orc warriors that fight for Isengard. Lightly armored, but armed with cruel weapons, greater size, and no fear, they are a serious threat to even the best warriors. To reflect this, a Group of Uruk Hai Berserkers will be six (6) figures and will fight as Elites in combat, but die on a 5 or 6 and do not Shock. Unless commanded by a noble attached to the Uruk Hai Berserkers, the Uruk Hai Berserkers will always move directly towards the nearest enemy Group and attack as soon as possible. They may not form shieldwall or Spear Hedge. When shot at by Missiles or attacked by Skirmishers they are treated as Levy. They are treated as Elites for Morale Changes.

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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.

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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. This does not apply to Uruk Hai or Uruk Hai Berserkers.

Follow Up: All Orcs of Isengard 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.

Missiles: All orc Groups, except Berserkers, 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 Isengard 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 two Groups of Snaga, two Groups of Soldier Orcs, two Groups of Uruks, and two Groups of Uruk Hai.

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Property of Unfinished Armies

Reinforcements for the Orcs of Isengard 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 Isengard
1
Nine Soldier Orcs and twelve Snaga
2
Six Uruk Hai
3
Six Uruk Hai Berserkers
4
Four Warg Riders
5
Four Warg Riders and a Status I Noble

Orcs of Isengard Cards

The Orcs of Isengard begin the game with one Fighting Uruk Hai card and one Bounding Move 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
Spear Hedge x 1
Bounding Move x 1
Aggressive Charge x 2
Fighting Uruk Hai x 2

The Fighting Uruk Hai: This card can be played on any Uruk Hai Group or Formation within  the command radius of the Orc Lord. When played, the Isengard player may choose to either add 2D6 to the first round of combat per Group or move 2D6 inches of free movement (This does not count as an activation of the unit!). This reflects the increased stamina and fighting prowess of the Uruk Hai bred by Saruman. This is a Pursuit or Retreat Card in Post-Game Phase. (Use unused Saxon or Raider cards to Represent this card, or make your own!)
 

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