Cob Wargaming
Mesbg Champions Tournament
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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 1 - Duel on the mountain
Contestants start on opposite sides of the mountain top. Many skills will be tested, there is some climbing involved, shooting specialists can work in opportunities to do damage from a distance, and crucially plenty of room to duel! The first round of this kind of tournament is a fun way of eliminating the weak early on with some random and rarely seen pairings. There was a couple of surprises and at least 1 huge upset in this round. Will any warriors make it through to round 2?
3 Dead Marsh Spectre vs Haradrim Chieftain -
The chieftain used his poisoned arrows and both might points to win from a distance.
1 Merry vs Gamling -
Gamling killed Merry in a single round of combat. I guess he resented how the hobbit so easily took up a place at king Theodens side!
2 Haldir vs Minas Tirith Warrior - Utilising the high ground, Haldir shot the warrior in the first turn!
4 Frodo vs King of the Dead - Frodo had some terrible dice rolls and quickly fell to Blades of the Dead and Drain Soul, maybe with those special rules the King of the Dead can go far in this tournament?
5 Fili vs Uruk-Hai Warrior -
Fili threw a throwing axe, missed but killed the Uruk in one Combat
6 Warrior of Rohan vs Ruffian -
This turned into quite the battle! neither side could strike a wound, whips and throwing weapons achieving nothing until eventually after 5 or 6 turns, the Warrior of Rohan took the win.
7 Wild Warg vs High Elf Captain -
The elf got a lucky priority which let him avoid the cavalry charge and kill the beast. *rules check- no cavalry charge for unridden wargs- thanks Dave!
8 Elladan vs Thorin -
The first big clash! Elladan worked himself into an early advantage, having Thorin cornered, despite shielding for a couple of turns the Dwarf lost the first wounds. They ground each other down and it got close until the extra attack from Twin Elven Blades got Elladan the win. The first big name had fallen.
9 Isildur vs Nori -
Nori caused some early wounds but quickly used his Might up, Isildur eventually picked off the Dwarf using his Might reserves
10 Duinhir vs Gil Galad -
Duinhir used his bow advantage and took a wound off the elf lord, but Gil Galad used all his might to kill Duinhir in one combat.
11 Azog vs Gorbag -
Some Orc on Orc action! Azog made short work of Gorbag, wounding other heroes on a 3+ could easily bring him tournament glory.
12 Balin (hobbit version) vs Uruk-Hai Berserker -
Balin got pummelled early on and soon lost 2 wounds, thankfully passing both Fate rolls. The Dwarf lost the next few duels, refusing to use his might points so wastefully, this turned out to be a bad idea and the Berserker beat him down repeatedly!
13 Celeborn vs Farmer Maggot -
Celeborn butchered 2 dogs in the first round of combat, the last dog kept rolling 6’s (good boy!) but couldn’t get a wound. Celeborn ended up having to use immobilise to take out the dog but then he made short work of the hobbit!
14 Balin (Lotr version) vs Merry, Knight of the Mark -
Merry threw a stone, used a might point to get the 6 to wound but failed the next part, so close! Balin kept losing the fights but eventually did win and killed in one roll
16 Tauriel vs Oin -
Bad shooting from the elf lured the dwarf into combat where she trapped and killed him
18 Uruk-Hai Shaman vs Dalamyr - The Fleetmaster’s throwing knife caused a wound which the Uruk failed to save with Fate. Dalamyr resisted a Transfix spell and took off the other wound in one fight
15 Grishnakh vs Ranger of the North -
The ranger did manage to cause 2 wounds by shooting but Grishnakh trapped and killed the ranger in only a single round of combat
17 Barrow Wight vs Gandalf the White -
Gandalf’s courage is higher than his defence so that was an unexpected bonus. Gandalf cast Banishment which was successfully resisted but used up a valuable point of Will for the Wight, who used the rest of its Will to cast paralyse, this was also resisted! The evil spirit charged and was instantly cut down by Gandalf
19 Elendil vs Orc Captain -
Some unfortunate movement saw the Orc slip as he climbed down the cliff, fearing double hits, the Orc used a heroic move just to stand up, it then charged Elendil. Elendil won the fight, took off 2 wounds, the Orc Captain failed its Fate roll, one more Might point would have saved him!
20 Uruk-Hai Captain vs Sharkey -
Sharkey managed to cast Immobilise only once, rolling alot of 1’s! The Captain caused a wound with a point of might. Sharkey hung on for 4 more turns before the Uruk butchered his former master
21 Bifur vs Hasharin -
In only one fight, with the help of the Bane of Kings special rule the assassin killed the Dwarf
22 Arwen vs Orc Shaman -
The Orc cast Transfix and charged Arwen but lost the fight! She then failed to cast Wrath of Bruinen and lost a wound in the next duel. Second time and Arwen was more successful even wounding the Orc. The Elf charged the prone Orc and used her Might to get the kill.
23 Legolas vs Gloin -
Legolas was a bit rubbish with the bow, never getting more than one hit with all 3 arrows and failing to do any damage. Gloin however had more luck at range and wounded the Elf with a throwing axe. This seemed to wake Legolas up and he shot a wound off Gloin who needed Might and Fate to prevent it. He did more damage in the next turn. A weakened Gloin finally got to combat only to lose twice and perish the second time while trapped against the cliff edge! We won’t mention this to Gimli!
24 Cave Troll vs Abrakhan Merchant Guard -
Both have burly but that’s the only similarity! The Cave Troll squished the guard with one hit
25 Elrohir vs Rohan Royal Guard -
The Royal guard went straight for Elrohir, missing with his throwing weapon but getting killed straight away!
26 Forlong the Fat vs Goblin Shaman - The Goblin Shaman channelled a Transfix, then failed to cast it! 1 fight and 2 might later and the Goblin was dead, a bad round for all the Shamen!
27 Warrior of the Dead vs Elrond - The Elf lord cast Wrath of Bruinen just for bad! Then he charged the lying down spirit and triple killed it!
28 Shagrat vs Sam - Gimme that shiny shirt! Sam threw a stone and actually wounded the Mordor Uruk! Sam did however fail a climb roll (see last tournament) and got steam rolled as he lay there helpless!
29 Rider of Rohan vs Uruk-Hai Scout -
The rider charged in to his natural enemy, and killed the Uruk with a Throwing weapon!
30 Pippin Guard of the Citadel vs Hama - Gamling had already killed Merry, could Pippin get revenge? ... No! in one turn of combat, Hama used all of his might, Pippin failed his fate rolls and died!
31 Grima Wormtongue vs Ori -
Ori chose to stand still letting Grima scrabble up towards him, he fired his Slingshot, and got a 6 to hit, an automatic wound and Grima dropped dead
32 Captain of Minas Tirith vs Mardin -
Mardin won the first fight and with 2 points of Might he caused 2 wounds, but the captain passed his fate roll. Mardin won the second duel and with another point of Might got the win.
34 Denethor vs Dunedain - The Dunedain shot and wounded Denethor on the first turn and stubbornly refused to leave his starting point firing arrow after arrow but getting nowhere. Eventually Denethor got into combat only to lose!
35 Mordor Uruk-Hai vs Dwarf Warrior -
The plucky Dwarf won 3 duels and slew the oversized Orc on the third, more good stuff from the Khazad Dwarves!
36 Harad Warrior vs Cirion -
Cirion rolled badly but still managed to take out the Harad warrior due to his low defence.
33 Gollum vs Theoden -
The king of Rohan won the first fight and used all his Might to cause 2 wounds, Gollum passed his Fate roll. Surprisingly Gollum won the next fight but could not wound Theoden. Then a bigger surprise as Gollum won the fight after that and caused 2 wounds! Theoden failed his Fate roll. A huge upset!
37 The Golden King of Abrakhan vs Durburz - Two more kings duelling in the first round! Durburz used all his Might to win but the Golden king used a point to make it a draw. The Golden King won the draw roll and with another point of Might made it 3 Wounds. Durburz failed both of his Fate rolls.
38 Suladan vs Bofur -
A bad roll saw Suladan take 2 wounds after Bofur used a Might point. Then the exact same thing happened again but in Suladans favour. Suladan won the next duel and in a fit of rage did 3 wounds, killing poor Bofur
39 Aragorn vs Watcher of Karna -
This became a shoot off! The watcher caused a wound on Aragorn who realised this may be a bad idea! Aragorn ran across the mountain, taking a second wound in the process. He charged the Watcher of Karna and Andruil came in handy. That could have been embarrassing.
40 Dori vs Clansman of Lamedon - Lamedon proved to be lame! Dori made it look easy, something clawed back for Thorins company at least.
41 Orc Warrior vs Prince Imrahil -
Imrahil lost the first duel, but took no damage. Surely not?! The Orc warrior rolled well and Imrahil needed to use might to win the second duel, but he needed no such help with wounding.
42 Gimli vs Osgilliath Veteran -
Gimli missed with a throwing axe but removed the veterans head easily enough
44 Khazad Guard vs Kili - The first Dwarf vs Dwarf fight. First turn, Kili fired his bow and killed the Khazad Guard, so much for dwarven armour and a high defence!
43 Goblin King (hobbit) vs Mouth of Sauron -
The big mouth used a Heroic move followed by a channelled Transfix but the Goblin Kings resist bonus worked. The Mouth of Sauron then ran away and was chased by the Goblin King. The bloated goblin caused 2 wounds but the Fate roll was passed. Despite 2 more Transfixes and failed courage tests the Goblin King eventually brought down the Mouth of Sauron.
45 Eowyn vs High Elf Warrior - Eowyn with a point to prove killed the Elf in the first round of combat
46 Ghan Buri Ghan vs Worm - Where he sneaks special rule provided Worm with a useful boost! Worm won the first 3 duels and had Ghan cornered, The leader of the Woses needed 2 might to get himself untrapped and luckily for him, he got the wound on Worm
47 Ringwraith vs Warrior of Numenor - The poor Numenorean hid as best he could as he closed in on the Wraith, but a Black Dart took him down.
48 Galadriel vs Gandalf the Grey - No unnecessary love story here! This duel took ages! lots of magic was cast, nearly all resisted. Galadriel had the better of the Duel rolls but being unarmed took its toll on her. Gandalf finally got a Sorcerous Blast to work which wounded Galadriel but crucially left her lying down. He trapped her and reluctantly killed her.
49 Knight of Minas Tirith vs Faramir -
Faramir hilariously rolled a 1 when climbing down, the Knight galloped into make the most of this. Faramir opted for a Heroic Defense but didn’t need it because he won the duel! Then the Knight did however get a charge in and got 2 wounds but the Fate was passed. Faramir pulled it out of the bag in the next duel and used his preserved Might point to slay.
50 Lurtz vs Beregond - Beregond caused a wound through shooting but soon found himself in combat with the Uruk leader who had him trapped, only a single wound was inflicted which was saved by Fate. Beregond ran away to try and shoot again but Lurtz sniped him first.
51 Boromir, Captain of the White Tower vs Gothmog - A first round clash of the titans! Gothmog used Heroic strike but rolled badly in the duel and took a wound for his troubles, Gothmog tried Heroic strike again and again but could not get anywhere. Boromir just had too much might and killed the Orc leader
52 Bilbo (hobbit) vs Damrod - Damrod tried to shoot like a big old chicken! He wounded the poor hobbit who eventually got him into combat. They both used might in the duel which Damrod won, and caused another wound. Bilbo was saved by Fate. Damrod continued to bully Bilbo and eventually took him out
53 Angbor the Fearless vs Easterling Captain - The Easterling struck first after Angbor rolled a snake eyes, but Angbor pulled it back with good use of might points and got decent win.
54 Saruman vs Pippin - Saruman cruelly tried to set the hobbit ablaze with Flameburst, but Pippins magic resistance saved him twice. Saruman then wounded Pippin in combat but the hobbit was saved by a Fate roll. Saruman then cast a very powerful Sorcerous Blast which launched Pippin into a cliff and killed him. He has no love for hobbits!
55 Dwalin vs Bombur - Civil war within Thorin’s Company! Bomburs Heroic Defense saved him from early wounds, which spurred him on to wound Dwalin twice with the help of a might point. Dwalin rolled double 3 on his Fate rolls so needed 2 Might just to save himself. Dwalin retaliated by causing 2 wounds on Bombur who passed his Fate, this was close! Dwalin rolled badly in the next duel roll but Bombur rolled worse and was defeated.
56 Guard of the Fountain Court vs Orc Tracker - The Orc stood still and fired at the Guard but kept missing! The Fountain Guard then rolled 6 for both his climb tests and got straight into combat. It took two duels but he took out the Orc
57 Radagast vs Goblin Warrior (Hobbit) -
A few attempts at Natures Wrath failed followed by the Goblin winning the first duel but doing no harm. Radagast won the second duel and also did nothing! Radagast then used Natures Wrath again, this time with a might point to kill the lowly Goblin. Slightly embarrassing for the wizard
58 Easterling vs Halbarad -
Halbarad shot the Easterling and killed him on the second turn. Easy Peasy
59 Eomer vs Glorfindel -
We decided that because Theoden had died, Eomers Prince of Grief rule would be in place (+1 to wound, must charge). Another heavy weight duel for round 1. Eomer launched a trusty throwing spear at Glorfindel which caused a wound and the Fate roll was failed! Glorfindel won the duel roll but did not score any wounds. In the second duel Eomer used a Heroic Strike but Glorfindel rolled triple 1’s, wasted! Eomer then rolled triple 5’s for the wound roll (needing 6’s) so he used two Might to get two wounds. Glorfindel rolled badly for the Fate roll and was left with only 1 Might point and 1 Wound. Glorfindel won the next duel and caused two wounds to Eomer choosing not to use his last Might point. Eomer then failed both his Fate rolls. In the next duel Glorfindel had Eomer trapped, despite rolling Triple 5’s again Eomer lost, Glorfindel put him to the sword.
60 Moria Goblin vs Mordor Troll -
The hobbit Goblin had done well, how would the Moria version do? We can assure you its all true! for the first 3 turns, the Moria Goblin passed his courage test, charged the Troll, won the combat, but only rolled 5’s to wound. So close! For the next 3 turns however the Goblin failed his courage tests and the Troll tried and failed to kill it by throwing stones. Bored with the angry shouty little creature the Troll charged in and mashed up the Goblin.
62 Axeman of Lossarnach vs The Witchking of Angmar -
As soon as the Axeman got within range, the Witchking cast Black Dart and killed him
63 Old Bilbo vs Wildman of Dunland - The last chance for a hobbit to get through round one. One Hundred and Eleven years of experience and Bilbo slew a Wildman of Dunland on the charge in one turn! Nyaaaargh!!
61 Ugluk vs Morannon Orc - In one duel Ugluk used might to win and then kill the Orc
64 Warg Rider vs Galadhrim Warrior -
The warg riders throwing spears and charge bonus turned out to be useless. The Elven Warriors higher Fight Value proved to be invaluable and eventually the Galadhrim Warrior got the kill.
Round One Winners ready for more bloodshed
Round One Losers, some surprising faces in this group!
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 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 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