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Reading article 'General House Rules'
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SouthDunedain
Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:52 am
General House Rules
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| General House Rules |
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A few years ago, I was on a long train journey, and decided to use the time profitably. Although this article was originally intended for www.thewhitecouncil.net, and then www.the-white-city.co.uk, both have since disappeared, and it is yet to appear elsewhere – whether or not, with this history, FoME will want it, I don't know - but you've been saddled with it anyway!
For purposes of convenience, these rules are under four headings:
RULES CONCERNING CHARACTERS/RACES.
RULES CONCERNING IMPLEMENTS/BELONGINGS.
GENERAL RULES.
RULES CONCERNING MAGIC.
Pretty self explanatory headings, I feel! Some of these rules are very simple, whilst others are quite complex, so be warned. Here they all are…
| | RULES CONCERNING CHARACTERS/RACES. |
Aragorn. After Amon Hen, when he takes Boromir’s gauntlets, Aragorn receives +1 Courage during fights against Saruman’s Uruk-hai.
Justification: The gauntlets remind Aragorn that it was Uruks who slew Boromir, so he is especially determined to stand and avenge his friend.
Wood Elves. Wood Elves suffer no penalty when moving over snow-covered battlefields. Additionally, they can safely move across iced water features. This benefit does not apply if they wear any armour.
Justification: It is illustrated in many scenes in both the books and the films that elves are extremely light footed, including the instance in both where Legolas walks on the snow when the Fellowship are buried trying to pass over Caradhras.
Legolas. Legolas can shoot after moving his full distance. (Philip Clarke, www.unfinishedtales.net (unfortunately no longer available)).
Justification: Need I start??? Just watch any battle and you’ll see Legolas loosing off millions of deadly accurate arrows whilst running at full tilt. I wish it were that easy in real life…*sigh*
Lurtz. Lurtz can throw his shield. Simply use the throwing spear rules. Once thrown, replace Lurtz with the alternative bow carrying model if possible. If the target is killed (note killed, not just wounded), Lurtz can reclaim his shield simply by moving to it (useful tip: it helps to make a shield out of Green stuff or similar to remind you where the shield has landed). Once he has reached it, he can move no further that turn. Alternatively, if the target is standing within 2” of a tree or wooden structure, the evil player can try to pin him against it. If thrown successfully, roll a single dice. On a roll of 1-2 the shield hits the victim – roll to wound; on a 3-4 the shield fails to bite into the wood – total failure, no further action is taken; a roll of 5-6 is a perfect shot – the victim is pinned to the wood. When pinned, the victim is helpless, so any enemy model moving into contact with him automatically wins the fight and rolls to wound. At the beginning of every turn, the good player rolls a dice – if a model with a strength of 3 has been pinned, a roll of 5+ frees him, with a model with strength 4 only needing 4+ to wrench the shield free. If the victim is killed or struggles free, Lurtz can recover his shield in the manner previously detailed. Needless to say, horses and large creatures such as ents and eagles cannot be targeted in this way.
Justification: If you don’t know what inspired me to think up this one, you really need to watch the Fellowship of the Ring again. OK, so this isn’t a very practical rule, but it does add fun to the game.
| | RULES CONCERNING IMPLEMENTS/BELONGINGS. |
Elven Rope. No evil models can use elven rope in any way. Sam comes with it a standard if you are playing a scenario set after the Fellowship’s visit to Lothlorien. Otherwise he, and any wood elves can be equipped with it for 5 points. If the warrior carrying the rope comes to the top of a cliff, he can choose to tie it to the top, allowing himself, or any other friendly model, to abseil down it at normal move speed. The warrior can then choose to pull it down after him, or leave it hanging where it is, for other good models to use. A warrior can also choose to climb up it, moving at half his normal speed. If he ends his move on the rope, the good player must roll a dice at the beginning of the next turn – on a roll of 1, the warrior falls off and takes damage as usual.
Please note: this rule is only really useful if you are using a board with a lot of scenery.
Justification: Just watch the beginning of the Two Towers, or read the chapter ‘The Taming of Smeagol’.
The Red Book of Westmarch. If using a model of Bilbo that shows him carrying The Red Book (Yes, I know there’s only one at the moment, but I’m hoping PJ will get around to making The Hobbit and GW the figures) he receives +1 Courage.
Justification: The Red Book of Westmarch, otherwise known as The Hobbit, would remind Bilbo of his previous adventures, and how he came through them (more or less) unscathed.
Whips. Evil captains/heroes carrying whips can urge their troops on to greater efforts. Every turn that the whip holder spends out of combat he can choose to crack his whip, meaning that all evil warriors within 3” pass their courage tests. The warriors MUST charge directly towards or into combat with the enemy. Note that the whips do not have any effect on captains, heroes, or large creatures, and cannot be used to force troops to charge terrifying creatures – in these cases courage tests must be taken as normal. Whips cost 5 points, and can be equipped to normal sized evil heroes or warriors that have one depicted (Ugluk and some of Sharkey’s Ruffians being the only examples I can think of) or normal Mordor Orc Captains.
Justification: The cruelty of orcs is well known, and the scene in both the film and book where Frodo and Sam get caught up in an orc column is ample evidence that captains and drivers do not hesitate to use whips on their minions to get them moving quickly.
| | GENERAL RULES. |
Archery. If a target is moving towards or away from an archer, the roll needed by the archer to hit is reduced by 1 once the target is within 8”. However, if the target is moving horizontally to the archer, this bonus does not apply. Note you will have to agree with your opponent at what angle the target is deemed to be moving towards or away from the archer. This rule applies to all races of Middle-Earth, without exception.
Justification: Just try taking up archery, and you’ll find out very quickly that the target is a lot easier to hit when it’s only 20 yards distant as opposed to 100 yards away.
Fire. Prepare for a lot of quite complex rules here………..
Materials. Flint and steel cost 1 point, as does a faggot of wood. Any normal sized model can be equipped with these, except those who would obviously not carry such implements, such as Denethor, and those races afraid of fire/light (Ringwraiths and anything belonging to a Moria army). There is no limit to the number of models you can equip with these materials, and one model can carry flint and tinder and/or 1 faggot of wood. Note that if you are playing on a battlefield where you are able to reach trees, there is no need for faggots of wood – it is assumed you would send men to pick dead wood off the ground. This only applies if you are playing in good weather – if it is raining, snowing, etc. you must use a faggot, as the wood would be too wet to burn.
Lighting the fire, and its effects. You are not allowed to light a fire if you are fighting in the middle of a forest, wood or copse: the fire MUST be lit on open ground – no race, in my opinion, would take the risk of lighting a fire amongst trees (besides, I can’t be bothered thinking up more rules to take into account the risk of the trees catching fire). To light the fire, a model carrying flint, tinder and wood must not move, shoot, or fight during the turns it attempts to light a fire. At the beginning of each turn, roll a single dice; in normal weather a 3+ successfully lights the fire, in rain 4+, in heavy rain 5+, and in snow a 6 is needed. Once the fire is burning it will continue to burn for 5 turns. Any model carrying a faggot can throw it onto the fire, when it will burn for a further 5 turns, starting on the turn when the faggot was thrown on. Note that it may be a good idea to make some kind of marker to remind you which models are carrying faggots.
If fighting at night, any models within 12” of a fire can see as normal, and as such do not suffer any penalty when moving or shooting. Additionally, races afraid of the dark (detailed previously) need to pass courage tests to charge enemy models within the light cast by the fire.
Wizards can light fires using a spell – see ‘Flaming Brand’ in the spells section.
Shooting fire arrows, and their effects. A quiver of fire arrows costs 2 points, and any archer can be equipped with them, as well as normal arrows. An archer equipped with these arrows standing within 1” of a fire or someone carrying a fire brand (see ‘Fighting with Fire’) can choose to shoot fire arrows instead of normal arrows. Note that the archer cannot shoot if he has moved that turn, and archers armed with crossbows cannot use fire arrows (or bolts).
Roll to shoot as usual, but the archer will always need 1 more to hit than he usually does, because of the difficulty of aiming and firing fire arrows. For instance, an archer of Minas Tirith will need 5 to hit instead of his normal 4. This applies to all races that can use fire arrows. When volleying with fire arrows, a 6 is needed, as usual. If the arrow hits its intended target warrior, the target simply takes a hit twice the strength of the bow (i.e. a warrior hit by an arrow from an orc bow would take a strength 4 hit).
You can choose to try to burn down wooden or thatched structures. Agree beforehand how many batter points the structure has. If the arrow hits, a dice is rolled to see whether the structure catches fire. A roll of 4+ is enough in normal weather, whilst in rain you need a 5+, and in heavy rain or snow a 6. Every turn the fire is left unchecked after the first turn, 1 batter point is taken off the structure until turn 6, when 2 points are taken off each turn. Any warrior outside the structure can put the fire out in the first 2 turns after it has caught simply by passing a courage test and moving into contact with the structure. If successful it is assumed that the warrior has beaten the fire out. If the warrior does not succeed in doing this in the first 2 turns, not only does it have to pass a courage test, but also a dice must be rolled, and the score must be equal to or greater than the number of turns since the arrow was fired. This means, of course, that after 6 turns it is impossible to put the fire out. Any warrior still inside the structure after the 6th turn has a wound taken off every turn it remains inside – fate cannot recover these wounds. If the structure collapses, all those still inside are counted as dead. If the structure has more than one floor, trapped warriors on the upper floors can try to jump off it before it collapses – take a jump test as normal. This, however, should not happen often, as you will have several turns to escape before the fire catches. Doors and gates can be taken down in the same way, except a 6 is needed for the fire to catch in any weather. (Thanks for inspiration from Volestrangler, www.thepalantir.org)
Fighting with fire, and its effects. Any warrior can take a brand from the fire, simply by moving to within 1” of it. Once holding the brand, which burns for 3 turns, the warrior counts as terrifying to creatures afraid of fire. There is no limit to the number of brands that can be taken from a fire, simply because keeping count could become too complicated. The warrior moves as normal when holding a brand, and can pass it to another friendly model (although, to be honest, it burns for too short a time to make this a really feasible proposition).
A warrior can throw his brand at an enemy. Simply use the spear throwing rules, with one exception: if the brand hits, the target takes a strength 5 hit.
If he still has a lighted brand, a warrior can choose to fight with it, rather than his sword. If fighting with a brand, subtract 1 from your total when rolling to see who wins the fight. When striking, assume that the target warrior will take a strength 6 hit.
Justification as a whole: well, I thought it was time someone came up with a (hopefully) comprehensive and complete list of rules for fire!
Heat. In hot conditions, for example a desert, warriors in heavy armour subtract 2” from their normal move, whilst warriors wearing armour subtract 1”. There is no penalty for warriors wearing no armour.
Justification: This is very similar to the official rule, but thinking it over I decided if warriors wearing heavy armour would get very hot and sluggish, warriors wearing armour, whether metal or leather, would also get hotter than someone wearing no armour at all.
| | MAGIC SPELLS |
Flaming Brand. Any wizard with a Staff of Power (so that’ll be Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast officially) can light a fire by moving into contact with a faggot of wood, spending a point of Will, and rolling a 2+. This applies regardless of weather conditions.
Justification: In the book Gandalf lights a fire on Caradhras, using the wood the Fellowship have been carrying. I don’t think this ‘wood’ be the most complex spell the Istari know, hence the easiness to use.
The Palantir. If you are volley firing, and at least one of your archers is standing within 3” of Saruman with the Palantir, you do not need to have a warrior in visual contact with the enemy to fire.
Justification: Saruman can see what his enemies are doing in the Palantir, so would be able to tell his archers where they need to fire, in the same way a spotter normally would.
Gandalf’s Sphere of Light. On a roll of 6, all evil models within 12” of Gandalf take a courage test. If they fail, they must flee 6” away from Gandalf, regardless of how far they have already moved that turn. This spell lasts for one turn.
Justification: My brother, Faramir_of_Ithilien, thought this one up, and says it’s to reflect the spell Gandalf casts as he rides to aid Faramir’s retreat.
What more can I say? Well, good gaming, and don't let Sauron's minions bite!
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Elves
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The Shire
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Mordor
Corrupted Men
Moria