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THW -> New Scenario- The War of the Last Alliance (Tolkein) (8/25/2009 10:27:46 AM)
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G'day everyone,
This is just to let you know that I've uploaded 'The War of the Last Alliance' in the Talonsoft scenarios part of the Downloads section over at GameSquad Forums; you can find it here.
It's based on the work of J.R.R. Tolkein, who wrote about this war in his book The Silmarillion. It takes place in Middle Earth, at the end of the Second Age of the Sun, some 3,000 years before the events in the Lord of the Rings. It pits the Last Alliance of Elves and Men against the Dark Lord Sauron, who in the best traditions of Dark Lords everywhere, is making a bid for the total domination of the world.
This scenario is not like most TOAW scenarios. You won't find long lines of troops dug in across continents. Instead the action is much more fluid, as I've attempted to capture some of the flavour of pre-industrial warfare. Game turns are very short, normally 5-10 minutes each, so a game can move along at a very rapid rate.
I hope you log on and give it a go. In my humble opinion it's a cracker of a scenario. I hope you try it and agree with me.
Cheers,
Tane Woodley (aka Felix)
Wellington
New Zealand
THE WAR OF THE LAST ALLIANCE
Sides: Sauron vs The Last Alliance of Elves and Men
Units: Brigades/Battalions
Hex: Map drawn at 15km/hex, but set at 25km/hex to reflect the logistics of this era.
Turns: 1 week
Duration: 140 turns
BACKGROUND
Note: This scenario takes place at the end of the Second Age of the Sun, about 3,000 years before the events depicted in ‘The Lord of The Rings’, which took place in the Third Age.
Following the destruction of Numenor in 3319, Elendil and his sons, Anarion and Isildur, took a remnant of the Numenorean people to Middle Earth, those who had kept faith with the Valar. There they established the kingdoms of Arnor in the north, and Gondor in the south. Elendil took Arnor for his own, while Anarion and Isildur settled in Gondor. The Numenoreans were aided in their efforts by the Elves, their ancient friends and allies, under the leadership of the Noldor High King, Gil-Gilad. For a while, peace reigned as Elves and Men thought themselves free of Sauron’s evil, and turned to the task of nation-building.
But unbeknown to the Elves or Numenoreans, Sauron had not been destroyed in the downfall of Numenor. His physical body was shattered, and never again could he appear in a fair guise. But his spirit of malice and hate was intact, and it fled back to his ancient lair of Mordor. There, over the decades that the Numenorean survivors built the realms of Arnor and Gondor, Sauron regained his strength and his power, breeding orcs and trolls, dominating the Southrons and Easterlings anew, and regrowing his physical body. In his endeavours he was aided by the Nazgul, the Nine Black Riders. Sauron watched and waited, consumed by his hatred and jealousy of the Elves and Numenoreans, and bided his time.
It is now the year 3429, and after decades of waiting, Sauron is now ready to strike at the Free Peoples in his bid to gain mastery and dominion over Middle Earth. He has bred multitudes of Orcs and Trolls in the dark land of Mordor, re-establishing the legions crushed by the Numenoreans before their fall. The Nazgul have travelled far across the lands of Middle Earth, using fear, terror and bribery to gain willing and unwilling allies. The Haradrim, Easterlings and men of Khand are ready to fight for the Unblinking Eye. Some of Numenorean blood are ready to march for Sauron, from their stronghold at Umbar. The Orcs of the Misty and Northern Mountains are also ready to join in the looting and slaughter. Even some few Dwarves are prepared to do Sauron’s bidding, and a force of these has gathered to the north.
The people of Gondor are the first to feel his wrath, but they are not alone. To the west are their kin in Arnor, as well as the High King of the Elves, Gil-Gilad, their friend and ally of old. The Elves of Imladris, Lothlorien, the Greenwood and Edhellond are ready to fight against the great evil of Mordor. The Dwarves of Moria are prepared to lend some portion of their strength, compelling their kin in the Grey Mountains to honour their oaths to the House of Durin. And across the West and North of Middle Earth, lesser Men are ready to aid Gondor in its hour of need. What may be the last great conflict of Middle Earth is beginning…….
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This scenario would not have been possible without the assistance of several people. I’d like to thank;
- Rhinobones, for kindly letting me use the excellent map he created for his ‘War of the Ring’ scenario. Thank you very much for removing at least half the work from this scenario.
- MERP.com, for some excellent background material.
- Jason Raven, aka Raver, for playtesting
- Bill Lott, for playtesting
- Olorin, for playtesting
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