Cob Wargaming
Mesbg Champions Tournament
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This page is fresh and up to date as of 2024 so please enjoy responsibly. Anyway...
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128 will enter, only one will emerge victorious!
We taken have 128 different heroes and warriors from our collection of MESBG Miniatures, Shoved all of their names into a hat, each name will be drawn into a 1 vs 1 duel to the death. Lose and they are out of the tournament, win and they go into the next round with all the other winners where they will be randomly drawn again! Each round the number of competitors will be halved until eventually in round 7 we will be left with only 2 who will face off in the Grand Final.
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There will be no entry for the Balrog, Sauron, Treebeard, a Mumakil or the Mordor Troll Chieftain as we think that they are too powerful for this tournament. Also the Trolls will not be allowed to use their special strikes rule. Please note that we do not have every miniature in the range to choose from but we have added quite a few specifically for this event.
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We previously held a similar tournament with 64 competitors under the old rule set (see Lotr champions league). Since then we have given every nearly miniature a much improved paint job and now we are adding an extra round to spice things up for the current edition. The beauty of this style of tournament is that it leads to totally bizarre match ups which you are very unlikely to see in a normal game. When these characters do face off in a game or scenario we like to think there is a little added rivalry.
Round 3 - Duel in the Gatehouse
A gatehouse over both entrances will provide a useful ledge to keep those with ranged weapons happy and a double stairway in the middle to mix things up. The intensity of duels really heated up in this round as the remaining 32 were halved again to only 16.
1 Shagrat vs Haldir - Only a short rest for Haldir but he still nimbly leapt up onto the gatehouse and began to take shots at Shagrat. The Mordor Uruk-hai used the cover as best as he could and his high defence meant he had only used a Fate point by the time he made it to the ledge. Haldir charged to avoid the brutal Shield of Cirith Ungol. It didn’t work, with a couple of Might points Shagrat took 3 wounds off the Elf. Shagrat added a new shiny shirt to his collection.
3 Ugluk vs Gil Galad - In the first round Gil Galad needed his re-roll to win the duel and with the help of 2 Might points, caused 3 wounds to the Uruk-hai who perished. Isengard now had only Lurtz left in the tournament, who was surprisingly drawn next!
4 Dwalin vs Lurtz - Lurtz shot and wounded Dwalin straight away, the Dwarf failing his Fate roll. Lurtz then retreated slightly and fired another arrow, a hit and 2 Might points caused another Wound. Poor Dwalin rolled a 1 for his Fate and slumped to the floor, never even getting the chance to swing at the Uruk-Hai.
2 Gandalf the Grey vs Isildur - As Isildur moved across the ruins Gandalf tried Collapse Rocks, this didn’t quite work but before Isildur got through he was hit by a Sorcerous Blast. Lying prone like an upturned turtle Isildur was charged by the angry wizard. Gandalf used Glamdring as a two-handed weapon and did two wounds. Isildur only passed 1 of his Fate rolls. Both sides then called Heroic Moves which Isldur got the advantage, stood up and charged into combat, he caused 2 wounds of his own which Gandalf saved with 2 Fate and a Might point. In the next turn they both used Heroic Moves again but this time Gandalf won the advantage and cast Sorcerous Blast on a 6, Isildur needed all his Will points and remaining Might to resist. Gandalf then lured Isildur back into the ruins hoping just to survive the combat. Surprisingly the wizard won this duel and did another wound. Isildur with only his last Wound and no Might, Will or Fate remaining won priority and charged madly at Gandalf. The Grey wizard won this duel as well and killed the Numenorean. An Epic match up!
5 Legolas vs Azog - Legolas, taking inspiration from Lurtz, leapt up onto the ledge with a 6 and fired at Azog, a point of Might saw a Wound off the Orc. Legolas fired again in the next turn and did a massive 2 Wounds to Azog who passed his Fate! Were we going to see another upset? In turn 3 Azog rather desperately used a Heroic March, the extra distance being just enough to get directly underneath Legolas and out of sight. Turn 4 Azog jumped up with a lucky roll of a 6 and charged, the Orc easily won the combat and caused 2 wounds to the Elf Prince. Legolas used 3 Fate points to make sure he saved both wounds. In turn 5 Legolas used Heroic Strike so Azog did the same and rolled higher. He won the combat and caused a massive 5 wounds. Close but no upset here!
6 Eowyn vs Radagast - Radagast had slain the Witch King in the previous round Eowyn was jealous! Eowyn started badly; she missed with her Throwing Spears, barely passed her courage test (Radagast had used terrifying aura) and flunked the combat. Radagast capitalised, in the next turn he used a channelled Immobilise, with another point of Might, he got a wound but Eowyn passed her Fate roll. Radagast then failed his next attempt at Immobilise, Eowyn charged in and took 2 wounds off the wizard who also failed 2 Fate rolls. Radagast tried to cast Renew which he predictably failed. Eowyn charged back at him and her throwing spear caused another wound, the Fate roll was only passed with Radagasts last point of Might. Eowyn won the next combat and killed the old wizard. She headed into the last 16.
8 Aragorn vs Celeborn - Would Aragorn fight his Grandfather in law? Yes! he had a tournament to win! They got straight into combat and Celeborn won the first duel, using a point of Might to cause a wound. Then Aragorn used his free Might point to make a Heroic Move preventing any magic. Combat was drawn but Aragorn won the roll off and inflicted 2 wounds. In the next turn they both used Heroic Strike and both got to Fight Value 10, another drawn combat and this time Celeborn won the roll off, causing another wound, Aragorn saved with a Might and Fate point. Next up Celeborn finally got a chance to use his magic, casting Immobilise on a 6. Aragorn used all his Will points to successfully resist, he won the fight and used all his remaining Might to kill Celeborn.
7 Gollum vs Elrond - Gollum had already killed the king of Rohan, could he take out an Elven Lord? No! They charged straight into combat and Elrond struck him down in 1 round. The dream was over!
9 Golden King of Abrakhan vs King of the Dead - Another royal rumble! The Golden King won the first duel and caused 2 wounds. The Dead King was forced to use both Fate points and only just survived, passing 1 roll. In the next round the Dead King won the duel thanks to his higher Fight Value and got a wound on the Golden King who used both Fate points to save (Drain Soul special rule). In the third round the King of the Dead won thanks to a Might point and knocked the Golden King off his chair.
10 Arwen vs Kili - Could Arwen take another Dwarf out of the tournament? Kili opened with some hopeless shooting. Surprisingly Arwen managed to win the first duel but caused no damage. Kili pulled it together (no unwarranted love stories here!) and won the second duel, with a point of Might he scored 2 wounds but Arwen passed her Fate roll. The Elf won duel 3 and took a wound off the Dwarf. Turn 4 and Wrath of Bruinen was cast, no damage done but Kili was now prone. Arwen failed to capitalise and lost the duel, Kili jumped up and killed her on the next turn.
11 Halbarad vs Gamling - Both known for carrying banners but Gamling had left his at home. Having a spare hand really worked for him! Despite losing a wound to Halbarad’s shooting, Gamling rolled really well, passing his Fate roll and winning two consecutive fights, killing Halbarad in only 2 turns.
12 Hasharin vs Ringwraith - The wraith started as it meant to go on, immediately using 3 Will points to cast Black Dart, this caused a wound and the assassin failed his Fate roll. This happened again in turn 2 but the Fate roll was passed. The Hasharin called a Heroic move, scraped through his courage test only to lose the fight. The Ringwraith won priority, cast another Black Dart but failed to wound, it was now down to only 4 Will points. Then the Hasharin won priority but failed his Courage test. The Wraith cast yet another Black Dart and got the kill, with only 2 Will points remaining.
13 Glorfindel vs Boromir, Captain of the White Tower - This could have easily been the tournament final and it did turn into an epic! They both rushed into combat, Glorfindel won the first duel, caused no wounds. Turn 2, Boromir used Heroic Strike for the extra Fight Value, he won but also did no damage. Turn 3 Boromir went all out to make the most of his Might points, another Heroic Strike and 2 Might points just to win the fight. One more Might point to score the first wound of the duel, Glorfindel failed his Fate roll. Turn 4, Glorfindel won and used a Might point to wound, Boromir failed his Fate roll leaving the stats dead even. Turn 5, they both used Might in the duel roll but Glorfindel’s higher Fight value won it, he did another wound but this time the Fate was passed. Turn 6, Boromir successfully shielded to avoid being trapped. Turn 7, Glorfindel won but did no damage. Turn 8, Boromir won and caused a wound, Glorfindel failed his Fate. Turn 9, It swung around again, Glorfindel won the duel and scored 2 wounds, Boromir passed his last Fate. Turn 10, Boromir won to avoid being trapped he did a wound but Glorfindel passed his fate roll, putting back to even. Turn 11, Glorfindel won, no damage. Turn 12, an exhausted Boromir won and got the kill. Phew!
15 Elendil vs Mardin - Elendil won the first fight and with the help of two might points caused 2 wounds. Mardin won the next fight with Heroic Strike and used his last Might point to get a wound. Elendil however passed his fate roll and killed the dwarf in the next turn.
14 Elrohir vs Mordor Troll - With his twin Elladan being slain by the King of The Dead in the last round, Elrohir went crazy (passes all courage tests, Strength up to 5, Defence down to 5. Could this be a benefit?). The Troll won the first fight and took 2 wounds from the Elf despite Fate and Might being used. In the next 2 rounds Elrohir used Heroic Strike, each time winning the combat but only scoring a single wound either time, he was now out of Might points. Elrohir won for the third time in a row but could not roll high enough to take off the final wound. The Mordor Troll then won the fifth duel and only just managed to finish off Elrohir. This was close.
16 Gimli vs Imrahil - Gimli’s Throwing Axe predictably missed and Imrahil got straight down to business, causing 2 wounds with help of a Might point. Gimli passed both his Fate rolls. Gimli then elected to use Heroic Strike but Imrahil was willing to use the Might and did the same. Imrahil got to the critical 10 Fight Value whereas Gimli only a 9. They both then used their last Might points in the duel which Imrahil won and caused another wound, Gimli was clinging on. The Dwarf clawed back some honour by winning and wounding in the next turn. The final two turns were drawn combats, Imrahil winning both roll off’s and eventually taking the last wound from Gimli, leaving Kili as the only Dwarf left in the tournament
Round 3 winners - a few surprises still in the mix
Round 3 losers - more big names leave the Tournament
Round 2 - Duel in the Ruins
This round took place in ruins. Players started under opposite archways, some cover provided by statues and some high ground to take. A smaller area meant players would have to be careful where they positioned themselves. Could we get a warrior into round 3? or Gollum? 64 remain but only 32 can go through to round 3
1 Ori vs Ugluk -
Ugluk entered the arena holding the head of his previous victim, the Moranon Orc! This time Ori’s Slingshot was utterly useless! He could only roll 1’s. In the first duel Ori won and used all his Might to wound Ugluk, who failed his Fate roll. In the second duel Ugluk used Might to win but could not do any damage. In the third duel, Ugluk took a new head!
2 Fili vs Mardin -
Fili missed with his throwing axes and started the duelling with a Heroic Strike, it worked, Fili won but could not hurt Mardin. Fili tried Heroic Strike again, but rolled snake eyes to wound. Mardin then slowly ground down Fili turn by turn and eventually won.
3 Goblin King (Hobbit) vs Celeborn - Elven made weapons and resistant to magic coming into play here. Celeborn started by retreating and casting channelled Immobilise on the Goblin king, who resisted some but failed the Courage tests needed to charge the Elf lord. When the Goblin king was immobilised Celeborn could not win the fight! In the end Celeborn was defending a doorway but the Goblin King won and used rend to do a lot of damage, nearly taking the win. Then in one lucky turn Celeborn took down the beast, very close!
4 Hasharin vs Dunedain - The Hasharin has the perfect special rules for this duel. The first few turns saw the Hasharin sneaking around and the Dunedain only managing to get one shot off which missed. When the assassin did get into combat he killed the Dunedain with his re-roll
5 Mordor Troll vs Saruman - The white wizard tried Immobilise with the aid of Might but failed to wound the Troll. The Troll then got charges on Saruman but could not do any damage twice! Saruman then got priority and a Sorcerous Blast wounded the Troll, Saruman charged in but lost the fight, this also happened twice! The next Blast however failed, Saruman fled, unfortunately he lost the next priority, got charged lost 3 wounds and failed his Fate Roll, that Troll got very lucky!
6 Eowyn vs Rider of Rohan -
Its civil war! The Riders throwing weapon took a wound but Eowyn passed her Fate roll. The Rider charged but lost the combat and Eowyn killed him.
7 Radagast vs Witch-King - Radagast started the magic fest with a Terrifying Aura, the Witch-King cast Staff is Broken. We then had 5 or 6 pretty intense turns of Radagast using Natures Wrath and Renew vs the Witch-King using multiple Will points on Black Dart. The fighting was uneventful but the Witch-King was running out of Will points. Then the Witch-King used the Morgul Blade and caused two wounds on Radagast who used all his Fate to survive. In the Final combat with Radagast at near death he won and wounded the Nazgul which failed 2 Fate Rolls. I am no man, I am an Istari! Another close encounter and arguably an upset!
8 Lurtz vs Uruk Captain -
More civil war! Lurtz had two chances with the bow, hitting twice but not getting past the captains Defence of 7. In the first combat Lurtz won while the captain saved his Might. Lurtz followed this up with triple 6’s to wound, nothing could save that captain now!
9 Uruk-Hai Berserker vs Elrohir -
Both charged straight at each other, in a whirl of blades the Uruk lay dead in a single turn.
10 Glorfindel vs Balin (Lotr) -
Glorfindel won his first fight, using two Might points to cause a wound which Balin saved with his only Fate Roll. Glorfindel followed this by winning the next 3 fights but only achieving one wound. Balin changed things up with a Heroic Strike and another point of Might to win the fight, taking a wound from the Elf. Balin tried the same again but rolled badly in the Duel. Glorfindel then struck him down.
11 Kili vs Grishnakh - Kili managed to take a wound off the Orc with his bow before the fighting started. Grishnakh caused a wound, then received a wound and luckily passing his Fate Roll. Grishnakh then used a Heroic Strike but then needed both remaining Might points to win, and consequently only caused 1 wound which was saved by Fate. Kili used his Might advantage to win the next fight and finish off Grishnakh.
12 Angbor the Fearless vs Gandalf the Grey - Gandalf really worked the magic advantage, sending Sorcerous Blasts at Angbor over and over, sapping Might, Will and a wound from him. Angbor did eventually get close enough to charge, resisted immobilise and hacked into the old Istari! Gandalf suffered two wounds and his re-rolled Fate only saved one. Gandalf retaliated with a Sorcerers Blast which caused a saved wound, then he executed Angbor while he lay on the floor.
13 Galadhrim Warrior vs Elrond - Elrond used Wrath of Bruinen because he was insecure, it did no damage but the warrior was left prone. Elrond charged in and still needed a Might point to kill. Another easy round for Elrond
14 Arwen vs Dwarf Warrior - Arwen also used Wrath of Bruinen like her father and charged the prone Dwarf Warrior, this time however the Warrior won! He stood up but Arwen did it... again, Arwen lost the combat... again! The Dwarf stood up and won priority and angrily charged the Elf. The combat was a draw but Arwens higher Fight value won it, the use of a might point helped her kill the valiant dwarf.
15 Gollum vs Guard of the Fountain Court - The Gondorian won the first fight and got a wound on Gollum. A couple of turns of back and forth led to nothing until Gollum used Might to strangle his way to another victory!
17 Haradrim Chieftain vs Aragorn - Aragorn missed with his bow, his aim had been pretty terrible at that this tournament! But he wasn’t terrible in combat and, with the help of a free Might point cut down the chieftain in one combat
16 King of the Dead vs Elladan - The king won the first duel but did no damage, the Elf won the second and caused a wound. The King won again but could not get past the high Courage of Elladan. The Elf won and this time caused two wounds. The King passed one Fate roll. Then the king took his turn to win but still could not get a wound! Elladan sensed victory and used his last point of Might to win but failed the wound roll. On the seventh turn The King of the Dead won and used Might to cause a wound, Elladan then failed his Fate Roll with a 3, he had no Might left and the King had won! Talk about luck!
20 Gandalf the White vs Boromir, Captain of the White Tower - Gandalf had 4 attempts at Sorcerous Blast but achieved nothing before Boromir got up close. Gandalf decided to change things up and used a Heroic move to cast a Channelled Immobilise, the wizard charged in and using his last Might point took a wound from Boromir. Then Boromir got priority again, used 2 Might to win the fight and caused 2 wounds, Gandalf only saving 1 with re-rollable Fate. Boromir won the next duel and the same thing happened again, Gandalf was hanging on! Boromir won a third priority and subsequent duel in a row, used the last of his 6 Might points to win
18 Ghan Buri Ghan vs The Golden King of Abrakhan - That’s a mouthful! Ghan used his blowpipe trying to get a quick kill after the first round, it was not to be. The first combat was a draw and the second was won by Ghan but he could not do any damage. The Golden King won the third combat and killed straight away. So many attacks!
19 Dori vs Ringwraith - Dori waddled forward as fast as he could, but the Wraith used black dart 3 times to get the kill. As easy as that!
21 Faramir vs Gimli - Gimli immediately set the pace by launching a throwing axe into Faramir and with the help of Might scored a wound which was only saved by Faramir using one of his own Might points. In the first duel Gimli used a second Might point to win and did another wound, Faramir passed with his last Fate point. Faramir knew he needed to win the second duel, both of them having spent all of their remaining Might points but it was the Dwarf that won and rolled Double 6’s to win.
22 Warrior of Rohan vs Gil Galad - Of course the unfortunate warrior didn't last long, by flinging two throwing spears he just made the Elf Lord mad! When combat was joined Gil Galad easily butchered the last ‘regular’ Warrior in the competition.
23 Cirion vs Dwalin - Dwalin won the first round of combat but Cirion wasnt too worried. The Dwarf then caused 3 wounds with the help of a Might point and Cirion fell in only 1 turn! This dwarf means business!
24 Tauriel vs Shagrat - Tauriel tried to make the most of her expert Elf shooting skills but failed to break through Shagrat’s high defence. Shagrat charged and Tauriel desperately used 2 Might points to win the combat and avoid that nasty shield rule. However she failed to cause any wounds. Shagrat won the next combat after they both expended Might and inflicted 2 wounds, Tauriel only passed 1 Fate roll. Next duel Shagrat charged and butchered Tauriel.
25 Forlong the Fat vs Azog - In the First duel Azog absolutely mashed Forlong. The dazed looking man had to use all his Fate and Might just to cling onto 1 wound. In the second combat Azog refused to give Forlong a chance by using 2 orc-ish Might points just to win the duel, then killed him easily.
26 Gamling vs Old Bilbo - Gamling is much older in the books so this was an elderly fight! Bilbo threw a stone which seemed to scare Gamling because in the next fight he needed to use 2 Might points to win and Bilbo saved the only wound with Fate. Gamling pulled himself together and did win the next fight causing another single wound which Bilbo failed with 2 Fate points. With that the last hobbit in the competition died
27 High Elf Captain vs Legolas - Legolas shuffled forward into the entrance way and readied his bow. He fired 6 shots which only caused 1 wound although the captain had to use Fate and a Might point to prevent. The duelling started and the captain used another Might point to get a draw only for Legolas to win the roll-off. A Might point by Legolas caused a wound. The Elven Captain won the second duel but did no damage. Legolas used a Might point to win the next combat and his final one to finish off the Captain
28 Damrod vs Elendil - Damrod did manage to hit twice with his bow but Elendil’s armour held firm. Elendil used a Might point to win the first combat and then 2 more to kill poor Damrod.
29 Dalamyr vs Isildur - The favourite child up next! This match up took 6 turns of clever use of Dalamyr’s unique smoke bombs and Heroic Moves on both sides to either use or avoid them (the victim is Transfixed). Early on Isildur caused a wound which Dalamyr failed the save roll. The smoke bombs were certainly taking effect on Isildur but his high defence was holding out. Eventually a Heroic Move got Isildur into an even combat and he killed the pirate.
30 Cave Troll vs Prince Imrahil - The Troll predictably missed with its chain, won its first fight but rolled badly to wound. Imrahil tried Heroic Strike but did nothing, the Troll won again but could not do any damage. On its third attempt the Troll did cause a single wound, which could not be saved, Imrahil rolling 4 consecutive 1’s. At last the Prince did win a duel and 2 wounds followed, he was back in the game. Using Might points, Imrahil kept the momentum and brought down the beast!
31 Hama vs Haldir - Hama made good use of cover as Haldir peppered the wall, the Man of Rohan only losing a point of Fate. Hama won the first couple of combats and Haldir was down to his last Wound and 0 Fate points. Suddenly the tables turned and Haldir won a duel and using all of his saved up Might took Hama down. As close as it gets!
32 Suladan vs Halbarad - This was another very close encounter, both sides rolling well in the duels, in the end they had 6 drawn combats! By the final round of combat Suladan and Halbarad were both down to their last Wound and had 0 Fate, Halbarad’s only advantage was that he had a single point of Might. Another drawn combat and Halbarad used his last Might to win, he caused the wound and breathed a sigh of relief.
Round 2 Winners. Only a quarter of what we started out with
Round 2 Losers. Ready to join the others on the scrap heap
Round 4 - The Last 16
These duels would take place amongst the ruined walls, providing cover from any bow fire and a possible height advantage to anyone willing to risk the jump and being trapped. Only 16 remain, there is going to be some big match ups coming out of the hat!
1 Elrond vs Eowyn - Eowyn had 3 chances with her Throwing Spears as she played a clever retreating game, but couldn’t get a single hit! Elrond failed to cast Wrath of Bruinen but finally got a charge. Eowyn used Heroic Strike, won the duel and took a wound off Elrond who failed his Fate roll. Eowyn tried retreating again but this time the Elf lord cast Wrath of Bruinen, knocking Eowyn down. He killed her with the double hits.
2 Mordor Troll vs Gamling - Gamling, surprised to find himself in round 4, charged into the enormous Troll and used Heroic Defence which meant the Troll only caused a single wound. In turn 2 Gamling only passed his courage test with the help of a point of Will but this didn’t slow him down, he won the duel and using the rest of his Might he took two wounds from the Troll. Could the under performing Mordor Troll finally be slain? No. It won the next combat and crushed Gamling. But once again the mighty Mordor Troll had scraped through with only 1 wound remaining.
4 Azog vs Lurtz - In each of the first two turns, Lurtz fired an arrow, used a Might point and scored a wound on Azog who failed with Fate each time and started getting flashbacks to his round 3 duel with Legolas. A third shot nearly ended it before combat could commence. When it did they both used Heroic Strike but Azog won and caused an impressive 3 wounds on Lurtz who passed his Fate roll. Lurtz then jumped up onto a ledge with a 6 but missed his shot and chance to advance as Azog soon caught and killed him.
6 King of the Dead vs Ringwraith - In each of the first 3 turns the Ringwraith cast Black Dart using multiple Will points and on one occasion a Heroic Move, during this the Dead King did lose a wound and fail a Fate roll but Will points were running low all round. When they did get into combat they both used all their Might points to make it a draw, the King won the roll off but couldn’t cause any damage. In turn 4, another Black Dart got a Wound on the King who took no risks and used both Fate points to save it. The King charged, sapping another Will point from the Ringwraith but again no damage was done in the combat. In turn 5 the Ringwraith took a huge gamble and used its final 2 Will points to cast Black Dart. The dice rolled... and a wound was caused! The Ringwraith advanced!
3 Shagrat vs Gil Galad - Shagrat opened with a Heroic Strike but only rolled a 1! Gil Galad won the combat and caused 2 wounds, 2 Fate points and 1 Might point later Shagrat had only saved one of them! Gil Galad charged in to the hulking Orc which prevented the Shield of Cirith Ungol rule, this time they both used Heroic Strike and both got to Fight Value 10, the combat was a draw and Shagrat won the Roll -off. He caused 2 wounds on Gil Galad who passed his single Fate Roll. Gil got priority again and charged in, he won the duel and did another wound onto the Orc. Shagrat then finally got priority and charged in with his shield (although he needed to use 2 Will points to pass his courage test). Gil Galad had a handy re-roll which let him win the duel and get the kill. A very close encounter.
5 Elendil vs Gandalf the Grey - Elendil seeks revenge for his son. The Unbending Resolve special would be really useful here for Elendil. It helped him resist the first turns Sorcerous Blast and get into combat, he easily won and did 2 wounds on Gandalf who passed both Fate Rolls. Gandalf then called a Heroic Move but failed to cast Sorcerous Blast and Elendil jumped at the chance to charge. Rather unexpectantly Gandalf with a Heroic Strike won the duel and caused a wound but big E passed his Fate. Turn 3 saw another failed Sorcerous Blast and also a failed Heroic Strike from Gandalf who suffered a further 2 wounds and a failed Fate Roll. Gandalf then tried and failed to cast Immobilise, Elendil won the fight and used his remaining Might to take down the valiant Wizard.
7 Imrahil vs Aragorn - They both dived straight into combat and each called a Heroic Strike, Aragorn used a Might point to get a draw and then won the roll-off, he caused two wounds, of which Imrahil saved one with Fate. They both called Heroic Strike, Imrahil got the highest Fight Value but Aragorn used 2 more Might points to win the combat, he then caused another 2 wounds. Imrahil made his only Fate roll but was left with only a single wound and no more Fate. In the third turn Aragorn won a drawn combat and killed the prince. A solid performance, Aragorn meant business.
8 Kili vs Boromir - Kili dropped back, firing arrows but failing to get through Boromir’s defence. Combat was joined and Boromir used Heroic Strength which took him to 7, he won the duel and crushed the dwarf by using all of his remaining Might points, it looks like Boromir was the one who meant business!
Only eight remain to head into the quarter finals
With these lot gone that makes 120 fatalities so far
Round 5- Quarter Finals
Only 8 competitors remain, we’ve had some upsets and some big names crash out all ready. Who will make it through to the semi finals? This time the arena was small and filled with statues and broken walls, plenty of room for manoeuvres and trying to trap your opponent
1 Elendil vs Boromir - Boromir tried to use his Might advantage and opened with Heroic Strike which Elendil had to copy. They both got to Fight value 10 and the combat was a draw, Elendil’s Elven Blade did not help as Boromir won the roll off but failed to do any damage. Turn 2, both tried Heroic strike, Boromir had the higher Fight Value and won but again could not cause any wounds. Turn 3, Boromir did another Heroic Strike but only got to equal Fight Value with Elendil, Elendil risked his last Might point to make the combat a draw, Boromir won the roll and for the third time in a row failed to damage Elendil. Turn 4, another Heroic Strike from Boromir, he used another Might point to win the duel, this time he caused a single wound and Elendil failed his Fate roll. Turn 5, a last Heroic Strike from Boromir, another win but again he could not cause any wounds, making it 5 wins in a row and only 1 wound for his efforts, he was now out of Might. Turn 6, Elendil actually won a combat! he also managed to do 2 wounds on Boromir but he passed both his Fate rolls. Turn 7, Elendil won again but failed to hurt. Turn 8, a third win for Elendil and a wound to Boromir who failed with his last point of Fate. Turn 9, big E won again but no damage. Turn 10, a fifth win for Elendil and another wound chipped off Boromir (now on his last). Turn 11, Elendil claims victory. Wow talk about riding out a storm, what a turn around!
2 Ringwraith vs Gil Galad - The familiar Ringwraith tactic had worked so far so it tried it again. In the first turn the wraith got a wound on Gil Galad but in the second turn, despite boosting the casting value with a Might point, the Black Dart was resisted. In turn 3, the Ringwraith used a Heroic Move to cast Black Dart and get out of range of Gil Galads charge, however the Dart was a failure. Turn 4 saw another Black Dart fail to wound and the Ringwraith was now down to only 3 Will points. Gil Galad finally managed to get into combat and did 2 wounds although they were saved by Fate. Turn 5 and Gil got another charge, he needed Might to win the combat but he comfortably killed the Ringwraith who’s luck had ran out.
3 Aragorn vs Elrond - In the previous tournament this match up had been the semi final. They both started by using Heroic Strike, both on Fight Value 10 but Elrond won the combat, with the help of a Might point he caused 2 wounds, Aragorn with 2 Fate and a Might point only saved one of them. Elrond then failed to cast Wrath of Bruinen, again they both used Heroic Strike but this time Aragorn won the duel, he burned another 2 Might points to make it 3 wounds on the Elf Lord. Elrond however passed all 3 Fate Rolls. In Turn 3 it was only Aragorn who used Heroic Strike but he rolled terribly and lost the duel, Elrond punished him with another wound and Aragorn failed his final Fate roll. Turn 4, Aragorn resisted a Wrath of Bruinen and the combat was another draw. Elrond won the roll off and killed Aragorn. Elrond had taken his revenge!
The winners ready to gain glory in the Semi's
4 Azog vs Mordor Troll - The worst possible draw for Azog, his wound on a 3+ rule only works on Heroes! A cagey start saw the Troll avoid getting in amongst the scenery and instead throw stones at Azog, missing twice before Azog scraped through his courage test to get a charge. Azog utilised a Heroic Strike to win the combat and another Might point to wound the Troll twice. In the second duel, Azog used his last Might point on another Heroic Strike but then lost the duel by 1! The Troll caused 2 wounds and Azog failed his Fate roll. The Troll won the next fight and killed Azog to squeeze into the Semi Finals at the expense of a major favourite!
The quarter final losers, tantalisingly close to triumph
Round 6 - Semi Finals
So we have 3 out of 4 competitors coming from the Last Alliance and then a massive Troll! Its surprising to see no Aragorn, Azog, Boromir or Glorfindel, so who will make the final? This time the duels would take place inside a circle of statues without much room for any tricks, this would be proper duelling.
1 Elendil vs Gil Galad - An opening Heroic Strike from Elendil was wasted with a bad roll, Gil Galad won the combat but failed to get anything past that high Defence. Turn 2 and this time they both declared a Heroic Strike, Elendil failed to make his Fight Value up to 10, Gil Galad capitalised on this and struck 2 wounds, Elendil failed both of his Fate rolls. Turn 3, a final attempt at Heroic Strike from Elendil and he rolled a 1 again! The dice gods rubbed salt into Elendil’s wounds as the duel rolls were even on 5’s, he should have saved his last Might! Gil Galad scored the wound he needed to win. This was just pure bad luck for Elendil!
2 Mordor Troll vs Elrond - A strange stand off occurred as the Troll missed with a stone and Elrond failed to cast Wrath of Bruinen. They both gave it another go, this time the Troll actually managed to get a hit and a wound! Elrond then cast successfully cast Wrath of Bruinen and charged into the prone Troll. Elrond needed a point of Might to win and then only took 1 wound off the Troll despite double hits. The Troll got a crucial priority roll, got up and charged Elrond. Elrond then used a Heroic Strike but lost the fight anyway! The Mordor Troll successfully did 2 wounds, Elrond used two Fate points but rolled a snake eyes, he used his re-roll and still failed both! Elrond failed another Wrath of Bruinen, the Trolls higher Fight Value let it win the combat and slay the Elven lord. Once again bad luck playing a huge part in deciding the outcome.
Round 7 - Bronze match and Grand Final
This time the arena was made up of all the previous contestants packed into some make shift stands. It was quite the spectacle and made us appreciate the scale of the tournament.
First up we had the Battle for Bronze...
Road to Bronze:
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Elrond- 1, Warrior of the dead 2, Galadhrim Warrior 3, Gollum 4, Eowyn 5, Aragorn 6, Mordor Troll -Lost
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Elendil- 1, Orc Captain 2, Damrod 3, Mardin 4, Gandalf the Grey 5, Boromir 6, Gil Galad - Lost
Elrond vs Elendil-
Elendil having the higher Fight Value put the pressure on Elrond to call the Heroic Strikes. Turn 1, Elrond called Heroic Strike but only rolled a 1 which left the Fight Values even. Elrond won the draw but did not cause any wounds. Turn 2, another Heroic Strike from Elrond and another roll of a 1! This time Elendil won a drawn combat and caused a wound but a re-rolled Fate point from Elrond saved it. Turn 3, Elrond got priority and cast Wrath of Bruinen but it was resisted, Elendil won the fight, and this time got 2 wounds but again they were both saved by Fate. Turn 4, Elrond failed to cast Wrath of Bruinen, Elendil won the fight again and did 2 wounds, Elrond had ran out of Fate points and was now clinging onto a single wound. Turn 5, Elendil charged in, keen to keep up the advantage and prevent the Elven spell being cast. He won the fight and scored another 2 wounds on Elrond to win and claim a well earned Bronze
Grand Final
Road to the Final
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Gil Galad- 1, Duinhir 2, Warrior of Rohan 3, Ugluk 4, Shagrat 5, Ringwraith 6, Elendil
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Mordor Troll- 1, Moria Goblin 2, Saruman 3, Elrohir 4, Gamling 5, Azog 6, Elrond
Gil Galad vs Mordor Troll-
Well after all that we did technically have a Warrior in the final, the worlds luckiest Troll! With the Mordor Troll having a lower fight value and no Might points there was no Heroic Strikes to be called or really any other clever creative tactics, just plain old fashioned dice rolling! And it went like this..
Turn 1, Gil Galad charged, won the combat with a 6 and caused 2 wounds on the Troll and used all of his Might points to cause a third!
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A one turn win! Feeling unsatisfied we decided on best of three, it’s the final, why not?
Turn 1, Gil Galad charges into the Mordor Troll, comfortably wins the duel and scores a wound, using Might he makes it 2 wounds. Turn 2, the Troll wins the next combat and chips a single wound off the Elf lord. Turn 3, Gil Galad charges, wins the fight and removes the trolls last wound. Another easy win.
The Mordor Troll simply does not have an answer to the fighting skill of our tournament champion. Gil Galad!
Highlights
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Glorfindel had 3 epic duels against tough opponents, narrowly beating Eomer and Balin before just losing out to Boromir.
Boromir himself took some big names, Gothmog, Gandalf the White, Glorfindel, Kili.
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Gollum beating Theoden in the first round and making into round 3 (the top 32)
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An elderly Bilbo killing a savage Wildman of Dunland, then being taken out by Gamling the Hobbit killer!
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Gandalf the Grey duelling amongst the rocks with Isildur was pretty epic.
The Mordor Troll went from struggling with a Moria Goblin to 2nd place! Getting very lucky against Saruman and Elrohir and even Gamling could have taken it down.
Radagast had a very tactical duel against the Witchking which stretched our grey matter! but then his staff produced nothing but sparks against Eowyn.
Balin (hobbit version) wanting to save his might points and ending up dead to an Uruk Berserker!
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