USH'S LOTR RP Game part 2- The Fortress of Baranar

Started by Ushgarak211 pages

Palidan, it is clear that the Orc commander's objective is to smash the defences by direct assault. He is not trying to attrite you, nor trying to deceive. He has no 'elite' forces you can see, so his only good quality forces are the ones with swords and shileds rather than spears- a better equipment combination overall, especially for this kind of work. He has thrown them straight into the main assault and he is willing to let them die to carry the fight- that must be the main thrust.

Clearly the orc commander is a man with some battle sense, however, as he is keeping reserves and sending them out accordingly. His attacks on the west and east walls have been teasing- small forces advancing under heavy opposition. They are designed to distract you; to pull forces away from the main assault to give that a greater chance of success. The Orcs that have successfully mounted the Western Wall are not trying to penetrate further- they are moving to attack the defenders of the main assault.

The Orc commander does not know who and where you are- he is blind as to what goes on inside. But, he knows your forces on the Eastern wall, whatever they are, have been strong enough to resist him. The extra ten orcs he has sent that way are not meant to take the wall; he is trying to keep those forces stuck there to make sure they don't move elesewhere. He's sent those people to die. Meanwhile on the west he is reinforcing more heavily as he seeks to exploit the breakthrough.

However, he is not allowing this to distract him from his main assault, which is where the baulk of his reinforcements are going. If he was a bold and daring leader, he may have tried to let that assault burn out and instead shift his main attack to the west and take the fortress by escalade. He has not; you think there are several factors here. First, your opponent is not stupid but he shows no signs of genius either; his attack is very conventional- which makes it no less dangerous, but at least you are not worrying about sudden strokes of genius. He'll stick with his main plan; as said, the breakthrough in the west wall will be used to support his main thrust, not to take the fortress. Second, he probably doesn't know just quite how open the fortress actually is to the west right now.

Thirdly, and more tellingly, the Dunlendings- the way that group of ten just opportunistically wandered into the western wall fight; it seems they are not being well commanded- you think that the Orc commander has a relatively poor grasp over his Hillmen allies and they are not being focussed. He doesn't have enough control over his forces for a sharp change in strategy- that is good to know.

Baranar, meanwhile, has set up most of his forces to blunt the main assaults- they are ready in the courtyard below. He has left a skeleton staff manning the walls- he is gambling on holding off the Orc attacks there long enough to be able to destroy the main assaults then they come. You can see him now moving to prepare to repel the western attack- however, he is drawing off men from his main force to do that.

Baranar's plan is solid- if he can keep his forces ready to destroy the Orc's main assaults, then they have no other plan left. If they loose too many people in those assaults they won't be able to hold against the approaching army from Arthedain- they will withdraw.

The problem is, if the walls come under too much pressure and Baranar has to keep moving men to plug gaps, then he may not have enough force to repel the assaults- and the Fortress will fall.

That has to be your job, Palidan. You have to make Baranar's gamble hold- keep the walls secure and stop him having to deplete his main force. If you can keep him intact you will win.

Two other things you should note. First, the Orc commander is not committing all at once- you think he has a second assault ready to go after this one. And second... even that in mind, not enough is going on. You're missing something, Palidan- not everything about this fight is getting through to you.

Corlindel shouts to Baranar's men on eastern wall "Push this ladder!! It is the last one!! Push!! Push!!"

And says to Darvan: "Master Darvan! Go and take a look at the southern wall and outside it, and come again as fast as you can, maybe our help is needing there"

Corlindel prepares to do a fast attack on the next orc who tries to climb..cutting his head 😈

OK,
WE plug gaps so Baranar doesn't have to, so that when the ORcs break throught the gate, Baranar's main force can take them.
Therfore, We Have to plug up that West wall.

But those 3 orcs on the south wall have to do something.
OK he's what I think.
Those Orc's are going to do something to draw the forces away fromt he main gate, then the main force will try and surge throught the front, leaving Us at the south and un prepared.

Dammit, This is where I needed my people on the SW tower!
They could have told me what the Orcs there were up to.

OK as a plan, I think were are going to pull away from the gate a bit, and definitly plug up that gap.

OK Gatehouse people, Lets deal wiht those ORcs there NOW.
Vardalain, concentrate your arrows inward. Then If you can start shooting over at the west wall from where you are, do it, if you cant, move to a place where you can. As a best case senario, get to the NW tower. But concentrate on the gatehouse ORcs ATM
Argentis, We gotta move to the west wall and help out more.

Vardalain tries shoot an undamaged weak orc on the western wall

already on it.

I know,
I was just making sure everyone knows the big plan thingy.

Darvan, realising Corlindel is yelling at him, will do as asked, and run to the South wall. He'll look over it, and around it, then, taking stock of the battle, run to which wall is faring most badly.

Andromir, you clash with another foe. He rolls 47 as he stabs at you; your shields fends it off; a fifty in return scores a hit, a 10A with a good critical roll- nothing special but 25 stamina loss in total from a nasty slash; the Orc snarls at you.

A 92 comes your way, Argentis. The Orc stabs solidly into you for a 19C!

'Strike to side of chest. Stunned one round. 1 hit per round'

We'll use up that stunned immediately with no return strike.

Corlindel, a 23 means you don't quite get the killer blow on that Orc, as he drops down to avoid your blow... things are close, the Orcs are trying to replace the second laddr and you cannot help everyone at once!

Darvan, you run south.

Oh heck...

There is a hugebattle being fought here. The Dunlending- signalled by that flaming arrow that was fired over the battlements- moved in a while ago- a horde of 300 of them. They have no ladders; instead they are hammering metal pitons into the castle wall. Slow, and vulnerable, but that method of climbing cannot be removed once it is in. The Dunlendings are halfway up the wall already.

Baranar has fifteen men on this wall now- including five of his valuable archers, who are taking down as many as they can, but the Horde is closing in. The three Orcs who came this way have been dealt with, but they killed two defenders.

Vardalain, getting to a firing position on the west wall involves moving west from the NE tower, of course. You run into the gatehouse- obliging, as it was you the Orcs are TRYING to get to... and now the new one entering the gatehouse does just that.

Meanwhile, Baranar's men kill another Orc to the North, though those reinforcements will arrive next turn. The Orc and solider in the gatehouse clash... the Orc rolls 91, causing a total of 23 damage from a nasty stab; the solider rolls a mere 16 in return.

-----

CURRENT SITUATION

North, South and East walls secure.

West Wall is uncontested!

-

Northern Wall: 65 strong Orc force attacking gate house.

50 strong Orc force (including ten archers) incoming.

Argentis -10/67/25/56 (Rigid leather, longsword+shield)
At Gatehouse (Bleeding 1 per round)

Palidan 15/22/10/25 (Unarmoured, shortbow)
At gatehouse

Vardalain 40/25/25/50 (Unarmoured, longbow)
At gatehouse

Weak Orc: 15/35/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At gatehouse

Weak Orc: 15/35/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At gatehouse

Weak Orc: 15/35/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At gatehouse

Baranar solider: 10/7/25/30 (Rigid lerather, sword and shield)

-

Western wall:

10 strong Dunlending force climbing

20 strong Orc force at wall

Andromir 10/38/40/43 (Rigid Leather, longsword and shield)
At NW tower

Palanfirith 20/55/30/19 (Soft leather, knives)
At NW tower

Weak Orc: 15/2/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At NW Tower

Weak Orc: 15/10/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At NW Tower

Weak Orc: 15/35/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At NW Tower

Weak Orc: 15/35/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At NW Tower

Dunlending Savage: 15/30/5/30 (Axe)
At Wall

Dunlending Savage: 15/30/5/30 (Axe)
At Wall

Dunlending Savage: 15/30/5/30 (Axe)
At Wall

-

Eastern Wall: 7 strong Orc force with ladders, climbing

10 strong Orc force incoming.

Corlindel: 15/45/50/28 (Rigid leather, Longsword and shield)
At wall

-

Southern Wall: 273 strong Dunlending force performing slow escalade

Darvan: 0/19/15/32 (Soft Leather, Elven longsword) (weapon arm broken) At SE tower

Weak Orc: 15/35/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At SW Tower

Weak Orc: 15/35/0/40 (Unarmoured, Spear)
At SW Tower

-

Keep: Clear

Aiwendil

-

Evil casualties: 90

Allied casualties: 17

-----

(300 dunleendings south!!!!! 🤨 )

Corlindel blocks the same orc with shield and attcks again.

"To Death and Glory ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR"

crap..i fire an arrow at him. i assume i need less score to kill, with no range penalty and all.

OH my god.

That wall is completly undefended due to loss of players
We're screwed

Err, no! Those ones outside were well within range.

This is a melee now, Vardalain, and to load in time with a longbow puts you at -35. You roll 72 for a 10B, for a total of 12 damage, and then the Orc crashes in against you. He rolls 52, which goes to 72 as you have no melee weapon. That is a 16C

"Thigh Strike, +3 hits. If no leg armour, 3 hits a round."

boxed2

christ..i knew i should've gotten down from there.

Can I take a shot at that Orc?

A bow shot into a melee? Yes, but not without risk.

meh never mind,
I'll draw my Short sword

Consider it done.

is there anyway i could kill the Orc attacking Vardalain with either no roll or an easy roll, such as skewering him from behind or something?

hmm if I can I'd like to attack that orc that got me (while screaming what I posted above)