|
Overview of the Variant
Rules Expanded Game Links |
Overview of the Variant
Making combat more detailed and giving character ratings similar to
War of the Ring
and fantasy role-playing games seemed to be one way
of increasing the "fantasy flavor" of the game. Now wounds are more
realistic, and what's more, the ability to rally is separate from
the ability to combat. Also, the more varied CRT should enliven
character combat. No longer is Sauron hopeless in attacking
Elendil or Gil-Galad at -2, or is the Ringwraith certain to harm
Baldrim with impunity at +1.
A leader losing all his associated combat units occurs quite often
with poor Baldrim (who doesn't appear in any of the novels). It
leads to an "ahistorical" strategy of having him run as far from
Mordor as possible. These rules simulate what such a force-less
leader would likely do – jump right in and fight with his allies.
The extended Rally Table permits Elendil and Gil-Galad to each reach
a rally rating of 12 using magic weapons, while Isildur can reach
10. Sauron, at 13 at night, gets an Automatic rally ability.
Finally there is definition of all those mysterious rough hexes. This rule
may allow an army to head to the hills and hide or recoup, perhaps
introducing novel strategies.
New rules reflect the loss of Westernesse leaders.
Cirdan was Lord of the Grey Havens and probably possessed Narya, one
of the Three Rings, at this time. Anarion was King of Gondor and
defender of Osgiliath. The deaths of these leaders would tend
to demoralize their forces.
Added rules give Sauron the ability to close the Mordor gates.
Since Sauron often has too few magic points to give it everything
(cost: 48 MP), the Beast often ends up far from Mordor, flightless,
and unable to attack, in short, easy prey for Gil-Galad or Elendil.
New rules give the Beast a chance. He is, after all, worth 15 DP's.
New rules try to add realism to the situation of archers being charged
by fanatical orcs. In such a situation, it seems likely that the archers
would fire at the orcs unless friendly units divert the attackers.
I wrote these rules a very long time ago, so let me know what you think.
Maybe you can suggest further improvements.
In issue 17 of The Space Gamer magazine
David Ritchie described the game as
"adequate, but nothing more". This is an attempt to provide something
more, as well as to answer some puzzling questions about this game.
| Terrain Type | MP cost to enter or cross | Effect on Combat |
| Rough | +2 | +2 to defender's Armored Protection Rating |
7.175 (change) Combat units with missile capability that are adjacent to enemy units in the Friendly Combat Phase must attack one of the adjacent enemy units with missile fire, unless friendly units will attack all enemy units adjacent to the unit in question in the Melee Combat Segment. These latter attacks can come via the melee capability of the same unit if it possesses both missile and melee strength, for example, an "Ee--" unit.
7.22 (change) Delete the entire paragraph and substitute: Each leader possesses the following ratings: Combat, Morale, Endurance, and Ring Rating.
| Ratings | SAURON | RINGWRAITH | GORGOL | GIL-GALAD | |
| Combat | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | |
| Morale | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | |
| Endurance | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | |
| Ring Rating | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ratings | ELENDIL | ISILDUR | ANARION | CIRDAN | BALDRIM |
| Combat | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Morale | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Endurance | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Ring Rating | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
7.221 (addition) To engage in Leader Combat, each leader totals his Combat and Morale ratings minus any wounds to his endurance. The defending leader subtracts his total from that of the attacker (phasing leader) to obtain a Combat Differential. The phasing player rolls one die and cross-references the roll with the Combat Differential on the Leader Combat Results Table.
7.222 (addition) The result of Leader Combat is applied immediately in the form of lost Endurance points. If the number of lost points ever equals the leader's Endurance, he is considered dead and removed from the board.
7.241 (addition) In the case of Mortal Combat (22.0), leaders may attack any number of times in a given phase.
7.25 (change) Delete the existing table and replace it with
| Die Roll | -4 | -3 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 1 | k/- | k/- | k/- | -/- | -/- | -/- | -/- | -/k | -/k | -/k |
| 2 | k/- | k/- | 1w/- | 1w/- | 1w/- | -/1w | 1w/k | -/k | -/k | -/k |
| 3 | k/- | 2w/- | 1w/- | -/1w | -/2w | 1w/- | -/k | -/k | -/k | -/k |
| 4 | 3w/- | 3w/- | k/1w | 1w/1w | 1w/1w | 2w/- | -/k | -/k | -/k | -/k |
| 5 | 2w/- | 2w/- | 2w/1w | 1w/2w | 1w/2w | 1w/2w | 1w/1w | -/k | -/k | -/k |
| 6 | 1w/- | -/1w | 2w/- | 2w/- | 2w/- | 1w/- | 1w/2w | -/k | -/k | -/k |
7.251 (addition) Anytime a leader achieves a k result, or a 1w or 2w result when the die roll is 5-6, the leader takes any items the opposing leader had. If one of these items is the ring, the leader who takes it puts it on.
8.1 (change) Delete all up to "Magic Leaders..."
8.11 (addition) Leaders may only stack with units of their own nationality (exception: 8.25). Leaders may not stack or pass over enemy combat units at any time. There is no effect, good or bad, if a leader is alone in a hex.
8.25 (addition) Should all the combat units of a leader's nationality die, the leader may stack with any allied combat unit. (Exception: Elves may not stack with dwarves.) However, such a leader may not form special formations or rally.
8.331 (change) Determine the Rally Rating by adding a leader's Combat and Morale Ratings. If the leader has wounds to his endurance and these wounds exceed the leader's Combat rating, subtract the difference from the Rally Rating.
8.3311 (addition) Example: Normally, Baldrim has a Rally Rating of 6 (3+3). However, he has 5 wounds to his Endurance. These wounds exceed his Combat Rating with the difference being 2. Thus, his Rally Rating becomes 4 (6-2).
8.37 (addition) Continuation of the Leader Rally Table:
| Leader Rating | Dice Roll Needed to Rally |
| 9 | 3-11 |
| 10 | 3-12 |
| 11 | 3-12 |
| 12 | 3-12 |
| 13 | Automatic |
14.3 (addition) There are six other Westernesse units in the countermix. You can use them to alter the strength of the Westernesse side and bring them on, in any amount the players agree to, on or after game-turn 3. Their rules for entrance are identical to those found in 14.2. The units are
16.6-16.64 (change) Delete and replace with below:
16.6 (change) THE RING OF POWER
The One Ring that Sauron forged and wore during the battle was the
receptacle of much of his power. With it, he hoped to control the
elves, dwarves, and men who held the three, seven, and nine rings.
Although this plan met with mixed results, the One Ring was still
very formidable in its own right.
Sauron begins the game wearing the ring and will never take it off
voluntarily, so there is no need to indicate its location. If he does
lose it, place the ring counter on the leader who has it, below the
leader counter if carrying, but not wearing it, but atop the leader
if wearing it.
its
16.61 (change) If Sauron loses the ring, (see 22.0):
16.641 (addition) Sauron's Ring Rating is 0. He may not take off the ring, but there is no reason for him to do so. If the Ringwraith or Gorgol recover it, he returns it to Sauron as quickly as possible by moving both counters into the same hex. Or, if Sauron is dead (dissipated), the highest ranking Sauron leader wears it with an increase of 2 in Morale.
16.642 (addition) Westernesse leaders can attempt to remove the ring by rolling a die during the Joint Rally Phase. If the result is less than or equal to the leader's Ring Rating, the attempt is successful.
16.643 (addition) If after three attempts a Westernesse leader has failed to remove the rin
17.11 (addition) The Beast, when not in possession of Horn Attack or Death Breath has an Attack Rating of C for melee combat and a Combat Rating of 9 for leader/individual combat.
18.1 (addition) If Sauron is inside Mordor, before the Sauron Movement phase or after the Sauron Combat phase, he can close the Gates of Morannon, preventing movement and melee combat taking place through them. When closed, missile combat can occur only from the units inside Mordor. Sauron can also re-open the gates before his movement phase or after hs combat phase, but once opened or closed during a turn they must remain in the same position for the rest of the game-turn.
19.211 (addition) When Narsil is destroyed by missile or melee combat or by Death Breath, the shards remain for use by any Numenorean leader (Elendil, Isildur or Anarion).
19.212 (addition) There are no longer any benefits from carrying the shards of Narsil, except add 1 to the Combat Rating of a Numenorean leader bearing the shards during leader/individual combat only.
20.2 (change) Amend the last sentence beginning "If Elendil, Isildur ...": If any Westernesse leader dies, add his original number of Rally Points to the current Demoralization total.
20.21 (change) Supersedes the second sentence of 20.2 in the case of Narsil only: If Narsil turns to shards, add 10 points to the Westernesse Demoralization Level. If the shards disintegrate per 19.21, add 10 more points to this total.
22.0 (addition) MORTAL COMBAT
During any Combat Phase in which a phasing leader is within 4
hexes of an opposing leader, the phasing leader may challenge
his opponent to Mortal Combat.
22.1 (addition) If the opposing leader accepts, he moves to his front lines or as near to the challenging leader as possible during his next movement phase. If the leader can occupy the same hex as the challenging leader, Mortal Combat ensues during the Leader Combat Segment of that turn. If the leader is unable to occupy the same hex as the challenging leader, then during his movement phase, the challenging leader moves into the same hex and Mortal Combat occurs. In any case, both leaders attempt to move into the other's hex until one is successful.
22.2 (addition) Handle combat just as specified in 7.2 except that both leaders attack simultaneously, applying wounds to endurance only at the end of each round of combat. Also, combat continues until one (or both) are dead. Leaders cannot stop combat until at least one has been removed from the board.
22.3 (addition) Leaders need not accept challenges, but the penalty for avoiding a challenge is to have his side's current Demoralization Level increased by his current number of Rally Points. Also, he may not rally in that turn.
22.4 (addition) A leader can only issue a challenge to a Leader whose summed Combat and Morale Ratings differ by 3 or less from the challenging leader. For example, as they begin the game, Isildur could conceivably challenge Gorgol, but Elendil could not.