The Battle of Pelennor Fields

   Recently, we played an epic Lord of the Rings SBG scenario, recreating the legendary Battle of Pelennor Fields. Note: this is the fourth and last battle we played of a series we started, "the battles of Minas Tirith", so if you wish you can check the previous battles. The text of all these four posts are written by the younger player of our team. His name is Panos and I believe he speaks English better than the rest of us! As his godfather, I am very proud of him!

Forces of Good

The Riders of Rohan and their allies charged to Minas Tirith’s aid:

Heroes and Leaders

King Théoden of Rohan

Éomer, Knight of the Pelennor

Grimbold of Grimslade

Gamling, Banner Captain of Rohan

Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan

Meriadoc, Knight of the Mark

2 Rohan Captains

Troops

36 Riders of Rohan

2 Riders of Rohan (banner)

4 Rohan Royal Guards

The Army of the Dead (arrived later)

Aragorn (wielding Andúril)

Legolas and Gimli

King of the Dead

15 Warriors of the Dead

4 Riders of the Dead

Halbarad (banner)

4 Rangers of the North

Forces of Evil

The armies of Mordor and Harad sought to crush Gondor completely:

Mordor Forces

Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul (mounted on a warg)

25 Orc Warriors (two-handed weapons)

30 Orc Warriors (shield)

25 Orc Warriors (spear)

16 Orc Warriors (bow)

Haradrim Reinforcements (arrived later)

Witch-king of Angmar (on Fell Beast)

1 War Mumak (with 16 Haradrim archers)

3 Haradrim Chiefs

King of Harad (mounted)

15 Haradrim Warriors (spear)

15 Haradrim Warriors (bow)

8 Serpent Guards

4 Watchers of Karna

8 Haradrim Raiders + 1 Banner

Deployment
   The battle began with the forces of Rohan emerging from the north, near the walls of Minas Tirith. Théoden stood in the center with Gamling, protected by four Royal Guards, while Éowyn and Meriadoc moved among the riders to stay close to the king. Éomer led the left flank with a captain and banner, supported by twelve riders. Grimbold commanded the right with a captain and banner, again with twelve riders behind him.

   The Orcs formed a solid shieldwall: Orcs with shields in the center, spearmen supporting them from behind, two-handed orcs on the flanks. Archers positioned behind the lines. Gothmog lurked behind the shieldwall, ready to strike.

   Haradrim reinforcements would later arrive from the southwest, with their mumak at the center of their formation, shieldwalls on the flanks, and elite warriors protecting the archers.

   The Army of the Dead appeared later, sweeping in from the southeast without formation, led by Aragorn and Halbarad.

The Battle

Rounds 1–3: The Riders Charge

   The battle opened with a thunderous Rohan charge. The Riders tore into the Orc flanks, killing over thirty enemies while losing only two of their own. The momentum was entirely with Rohan as the Orcs struggled to form a cohesive defense.

Round 4: Breaking the Orcs

   By mid-round, Rohan’s flanking maneuvers overwhelmed the Orcs, leaving only seven Orcs alive under Gothmog’s command. Though Gothmog personally slew three Rohan riders, he was forced to retreat. Victory for Rohan seemed near, but a darker shadow approached from Minas Tirith’s walls: the Witch-king of Angmar.

Round 5–6: Haradrim Arrive

   From the southwest, the Haradrim entered the field. King Théoden rallied his troops, but Rohan now faced a terrifying dual threat: the Mumak and its archers, alongside the Witch-king moving toward Théoden. The Army of the Dead arrived from the southeast, charging immediately.

   Éomer’s forces crushed the Haradrim cavalry on the left, though Haradrim archers felled three riders. Grimbold’s forces struggled against elite Haradrim shieldwalls on the right, again losing three riders.

   In the center, Théoden advanced toward the Mumak but could not reach it, while Haradrim archers on the beast killed five riders.

  The Witch-king approached Théoden, heralding a confrontation that would decide the battle.

Rounds 7–9: Heroes Rise

   The tide turned as the heroes of Rohan and Gondor intervened:

   On the left, Éomer killed the King of Harad, rallied his few remaining riders, and shattered the elite shieldwall. Only two riders were lost in the action.

   On the right, the Army of the Dead split: half aided Grimbold, while half charged the Mumak.

   In the center, Théoden, Eowyn, Meriadoc, and the Royal Guards engaged the Witch-king. After a brutal clash, Théoden, though wounded, slayed the Witch-king. Legolas and the Rangers silenced the Mumak’s archers, killing eight of the sixteen on top.

Rounds 10–12: The Tide Turns

   The left flank struggled under relentless pressure, but Éomer’s survivors countered, killing Gothmog in a final desperate duel.

   On the right, Grimbold’s forces, bolstered by the Dead, destroyed the shieldwall and advanced toward remaining archers.

   In the center, Théoden, Aragorn, Gimli, and their allies wounded the Mumak repeatedly. The beast began to falter, while Haradrim archers were largely neutralized by Legolas and the Rangers.

Round 13: The Mumak Rampage

   The Mumak, finally spooked and wounded, stampeded into the elite shieldwall, annihilating the Haradrim defenders. The remnants of Harad realized the battle was lost and fled across the Pelennor fields, leaving the plains strewn with fallen Orcs, Haradrim, and Riders alike.

Aftermath
   The Pelennor Fields lay silent but scarred. Rohan and Gondor had suffered grievous losses: Éomer’s left flank was nearly destroyed, and Grimbold was severely wounded. Théoden survived, as did key heroes including Éowyn, Meriadoc, Aragorn, and the King of the Dead.

   For the defenders of Gondor and their allies, victory had come at a steep cost, but it was a victory worthy of song.

Mercenary Element for Spectre Operations 3rd edition

    A very good friend of mine plays Spectre Operation 3rd edition, which is a nice system of rules for wargames set in the modern era.

   Each player has a force that consists of elements. One category of these elements is the Mercenaries. When my friend gave me two sprues of Wargames Atlantic (WA) Operators, I decided to build a seven-man element of a sargent and six mercenaries.

The Mercenary Element

   I wanted the mercenaries to have a look that would distinguish them from the original  Operators. So I kept only three of the Operators' heads, the ones with berets, and for the rest four mercenaries I used three spare Perry Miniature (PM) Sudanese tribesmen heads and a Gripping Beasts (GB) Arab Heavy Cavalry head. Also I gave them a chin curtain beard of Green Stuff like the one that Abraham Lincoln had, to unify them.

Mercenaries WIP

The Sargent

Chin curtain beards of Green Stuff

PM head

WA head

PM head

GB head

   I trimmed this mercenary's hair behind his ears and gave him a long hair of Green Stuff to cover the gap at his neck.

   I didn't want them to have a full uniform, so I painted their trousers black.

The sargent

   Sargent's binoculars are from a Warlord Games Germans WW2 sprue.

   All the bases have an urban style. The asphalt is pieces of black sandpaper, the rest are little rocks, sand and parts from various sprues.

   That's it for today! Stay tuned for more!

The Battle of Pelargir

   Recently, I played a Lord of the Rings SBG scenario recreating the desperate struggle at Pelargir, where the fate of Gondor’s southern fiefs would be decided upon the decks of the Black Ships. What unfolded was a fast, brutal, and wonderfully thematic battle. Note: this is the third battle we played, of a series we started, "the battles of Minas Tirith", so you should check the previous battle, and wait for upcoming content!

Forces of Good

The defenders of Gondor were led by the heir of Isildur himself, reinforced by the Army of the Dead and the Fellowship’s finest warriors:

Aragorn, Strider (with Andúril), Legolas, Gimli, The King of the Dead and Halbarad (Banner of Arwen), 2 Rangers of the North, 2 Riders of the Dead and 16 Warriors of the Dead.

Forces of Evil

The Corsairs of Umbar arrived aboard two warships, confident in their numbers and firepower, unaware of what awaited them at the docks.

Ship One: Dalamyr, Bo’sun, 6 Corsair Arbalesters and 7 Corsair Warriors

Ship Two: Corsair Captain, 5 Corsair Arbalesters and 7 Corsair Warriors

Reinforcements from Mordor were expected once the ships docked: Morannon Orc Captain and 22 Morannon Orc Warriors.

Deployment
The Forces of Good split their strength to meet both ships simultaneously:
Aragorn, Halbarad, the Rangers of the North, Riders of the Dead, and 7 Warriors of the Dead waited at the docks, poised to assault Ship One and confront Dalamyr.

The King of the Dead, Legolas, Gimli, and 9 Warriors of the Dead prepared to strike Ship Two.

The Corsairs remained aboard their ships, arbalests loaded, ready to cut down anything that dared approach.

In Round 7, once the ships reached the docks, a force of Morannon Orcs would arrive, forming a shieldwall near the ships to secure the landing.

The Battle

Round 1: The Charge at the Docks

As the battle began, Aragorn led the charge against the first ship, while the King of the Dead advanced on the second. Crossbow bolts flew as the Corsair arbalesters opened fire, cutting down several Warriors of the Dead — though far fewer than expected.

The Rangers of the North returned fire but failed to find their mark. Then Legolas loosed his bow, killing two Corsair warriors with effortless precision, announcing the beginning of the end for the Black Ships.

Rounds 2–5: Blood on the Decks

The fighting quickly descended into vicious, close-quarters combat.

On Ship One, Aragorn was unstoppable, cutting down Corsair after Corsair as Andúril flashed through the press. Halbarad remained at his side, banner held high, ensuring the King of Gondor was never left unsupported.

Despite their supernatural terror, the Warriors of the Dead were slowly overwhelmed by the Corsairs’ numbers. In a surprising turn, nearly half of the Dead aboard Ship One were destroyed, dragged down by sheer weight of blades and crossbow bolts.

On Ship Two, the battle was more evenly matched — until the heroes intervened. Gimli stormed aboard from the left, hacking down two arbalesters in moments. Legolas leapt into the fray, drawing his elven knives and killing the Corsair Captain outright in a blur of steel.

Throughout the fighting, the Rangers of the North exchanged fire with the arbalesters, eventually killing two of them and easing the pressure on the Dead.

Round 6: The Fall of Dalamyr

At last, Dalamyr charged Aragorn, seeking to turn the tide himself. Halbarad and the Rangers moved to support their king — but **Aragorn needed no aid. With a single, decisive strike, Andúril cleaved through Dalamyr’s head, killing him instantly.

With their captain dead, the Corsairs’ resistance crumbled. Heavy losses were suffered on both ships, and on Ship Two, Legolas, Gimli, and the King of the Dead finished off the last remaining Corsairs.

Rounds 7–9: The Coming of Mordor

As the ships finally docked at Pelargir, a shieldwall of Morannon Orcs awaited them. But from the Black Ships did not emerge Corsairs. Instead came a Man, a Dwarf, and an Elf — followed by the Army of the Dead. The clash was short and utterly one-sided.

The Warriors of the Dead proved unstoppable, cutting through the Morannon ranks with terrifying ease. Gimli charged the Morannon Orc Captain, killing him almost instantly. Aragorn and Halbarad carved through multiple orcs, while Legolas and the Rangers of the North fired relentlessly from behind, thinning the back ranks and cutting down any who tried to support the shieldwall. Within moments, the Morannon force was completely annihilated.

Aftermath
When the battle ended, Pelargir belonged to Gondor.

The Corsairs of Umbar were utterly destroyed, their Black Ships taken and their crews slain. The Morannon reinforcements from Mordor were wiped out almost to a man, never standing a chance against the Dead of Dunharrow.

Despite fierce fighting aboard the ships, the Forces of Good suffered relatively light losses — roughly a quarter of the army — a small price for such a decisive victory.

A fast, brutal, and incredibly thematic battle — and without question one of the most cinematic games I’ve played.

The Battle of Minas Tirith - The Gate Held

   Recently, we played a large Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game scenario recreating the desperate fighting at the Gate of Minas Tirith. What followed was a brutal, cinematic siege that very much felt like it had been torn straight from the pages of Tolkien. Note: this is the second battle we played, of a series we started, "the battles of Minas Tirith", so you should check the previous battle, and wait for upcoming content!

Forces of Good

   The defenders of Minas Tirith were a proud host drawn from Gondor and its fiefs: Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth, Angbor the Fearless of Lamedon, Forlong the Fat of Lossarnach and Duinhir, Lord of the Blackroot Vale

Gondor Bolt Thrower, 8 Clansmen of Lamedon, 8 Axemen of Lossarnach

6 Knights of Dol Amroth, 14 Men-at-Arms of Dol Amroth

8 Warriors of Minas Tirith (shield), 8 Warriors of Minas Tirith (shield and spear), 8 Warriors of Minas Tirith (bow)

4 Citadel Guard (bow), 6 Citadel Guard (spear), 1 Warrior of Minas Tirith (banner) and 10 Blackroot Vale Archers

Forces of Evil

   The hosts of Mordor came in overwhelming numbers, determined to smash the gate and drown the city in blood:

1 Battering Ram, 2 Mordor Trolls 1 Mordor Troll Chieftain, 4 Morannon Orc Captains, 2 Orc Captains

8 Wild Wargs, 8 Warg Riders, 30 Orc Warriors with shield, 30 Orc Warriors with spear, 30 Orc Warriors with two-handed weapons, 14 Orc Warriors with bow

12 Morannon Orc Warriors and 12 Morannon Orc Warriors with spear

Deployment

   The defenders formed a layered, disciplined defense around the gate. Prince Imrahil, supported by his Knights of Dol Amroth and Men-at-Arms, formed a solid shieldwall directly in front of the gate. To the left, the,Clansmen of Lamedon under Angbor and the Axemen of Lossarnach under Forlong held the flank. To the right, Warriors of Minas Tirith formed another shieldwall.

   On the walls near the gate, Minas Tirith archers and the Blackroot Vale Archers under Duinhir took position. The Bolt Thrower stood atop the gate itself, overlooking the killing ground. Behind the main line, the Citadel Guard waited in reserve, ready to reinforce where needed.

   The forces of Mordor deployed with terrifying intent: The battering ram was already in contact with the gate. Trolls and wargs gathered at the front, eager to be the first through the breach. Morannon Orcs waited behind them, with the mass of regular orcs forming the final wave.

The Battle

Rounds 1–3: The Gate Under Siege

   The battle began with the thunder of iron against stone as the battering ram and trolls worked relentlessly at the gate. From above, the defenders responded with everything they had. The Bolt Thrower and Blackroot Vale Archers focused their fire on the trolls, managing to wound all three but failing to bring them down. Meanwhile, the archers of Minas Tirith fired upon the orcs manning the ram, but without success. Mordor’s archers returned fire, targeting the Blackroot Vale. Their accuracy proved deadly, three to four Blackroot archers fell in the opening exchanges.

Round 4: The Gate Falls

   At last, the gate shattered. The trolls surged forward, charging directly into Imrahil’s shieldwall. What followed was a moment of heroism worthy of song — surrounded by knights and men-at-arms, the trolls were overwhelmed, and two were slain outright. The Troll Chieftain turned toward Angbor the Fearless, but his warriors threw themselves into the fight. Against all odds, the troll was brought down, dying beneath a storm of blades.

   On the flanks, wild wargs charged in, killing four to six defenders, but they were swiftly hunted down and destroyed. The warg riders followed, only to be weakened by fire from the Citadel Guard archers and soon wiped out as well.

   Above the battlefield, the Blackroot Vale Archers continued to thin the orc ranks, but Mordor’s archers concentrated their fire on them. By the end of the round, almost the entire Blackroot Vale contingent had been killed, with only a few survivors remaining. The Bolt Thrower continued to reap a grim toll among the advancing orcs.

Rounds 5–6: The Morannon Assault

   The Morannon Orcs now charged. Most slammed into Imrahil’s shieldwall, where the fighting was fierce and evenly matched. Knights fell, but Morannon Orcs died alongside them. This was the most balanced and brutal fighting of the battle. Elsewhere, Morannon Orcs overwhelmed the flanks. The Clansmen of Lamedon were almost wiped out, and the Axemen of Lossarnach suffered heavy losses.

   In a sudden and shocking moment, a Morannon Orc struck down Angbor the Fearless, killing him with a single blow while he was already wounded. On the walls, the remaining Blackroot Vale Archers fought hand-to-hand with Orc archers, while the Bolt Thrower continued to tear through the massed Mordor ranks.

Rounds 7–9: The Breaking of Mordor

   By now, both sides were badly depleted. Slowly but surely, the defenders managed to destroy the last of the Morannon Orcs. The remaining regular orcs charged in desperation, killing a few more defenders before being overwhelmed. With more than half of the Mordor army dead, the courage of the attackers finally broke. Most fled the field; those who remained launched one final, hopeless charge and were cut down.

   Even in the final moments, the Bolt Thrower continued firing into the retreating horde, ensuring Mordor paid dearly for every step it had taken.

Aftermath

   When the dust settled, Minas Tirith still stood. The defenders had suffered grievous losses roughly a third of the army was dead but the gate was held, and the city endured. Prince Imrahil and the surviving warriors of Gondor lived to fight another day, while the forces of Mordor lay shattered before the walls.

   A brutal, cinematic siege and one of the most memorable games we’ve played.

   That's it for today! Stay tuned for more!