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!

An easy and cheap way to make minefields for Bolt Action

    A minefield section in Bolt Action is a 6" x 6" square area. Larger minefields can be made by placing two or more of these sections next to each other.

   I made four 6" by 6" square minefields. I used mdf, putty, little stones, sand, an old sprue, green stuff and twenty eight buttons!

   First, I cut twenty eight slices from an old sprue.

   Then I used green stuff to stick the sprue slices on the buttons.

   Like that, my mines were ready!

   I cut four mdf squares, scored their surfaces and glued some little stones on them. 

   Then I covered them with putty and placed randomly the mines-buttons. I also added sand.

   Since we will use them for our Western Desert campaign, I painted the ground Desert Yellow, the stones German Cam. Pale Brown, the mines Gumetal and highlighted everything with Iraqi Sand. 

The four minefields

   For the signs I used pieces of the old sprue and 25mm square bases. I cut three of the bases in half.

   I found in internet some minefield warnings of the WW2 in three languages English, German and Italian. I printed, laminated and stuck them on the bases and the signs were ready!

The signs

in German,

Italian

and English

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

Battle at the walls of Minas Tirith

   Happy new year!

   The first post of the year is a Lord of the Ring battle. The battle was fought at the walls of Minas Tirith, recreating one of the most iconic moments of the War of the Ring using the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game by Games Workshop. Three more battles will follow. All four of them are parts of the siege of Minas Tirith.

  

   Though heavily outnumbered, the Forces of Good stood resolute beneath the White City’s towering walls, determined to hold back the endless tide of Mordor.

The Armies

Forces of Good

Gandalf the White

Pippin

Around 10 Rangers of Ithilien

Around 20 Warriors of Minas Tirith

2 Bolt Throwers

Forces of Evil

The Witch-king of Angmar

Around 80 Orc Warriors

Around 20 Morannon Orc Warriors

1 Orc Captain

1 Morannon Orc Captain

2 Catapults

   The battle began with several tense rounds of long-range combat. Arrows filled the air as both sides tested one another’s resolve. The defenders of Minas Tirith made full use of their elevated position: Rangers of Ithilien and Warriors of Minas Tirith loosed disciplined volleys from the walls, while the bolt throwers thundered relentlessly into the advancing ranks.

   Although the catapults of Mordor found their marks throughout the game and inflicted significant damage, the sheer accuracy and volume of fire from the city proved devastating. By the time the Orcs finally reached the walls, nearly half of Mordor’s force lay dead or broken across the battlefield.

   As ladders were raised and the siege tower rolled forward, the battle shifted into brutal close-quarters fighting. The defenders struggled desperately to push ladders away while Orcs clawed and fought their way upward. Each round became a test of endurance, with Minas Tirith holding firm despite constant pressure and incoming catapult fire.

  

   

   Around the fifth round, the Witch-king himself entered the fray, charging directly at Gandalf atop his Fell Beast. In a dramatic turn of events, the bolt throwers were brought to bear on the Dark Lord of the Nazgûl, and through remarkable accuracy, the Fell Beast was slain before it could fully engage. Left vulnerable, the Witch-king faced Gandalf’s power, and—playing under an older edition of the rules—his staff was shattered by Gandalf’s magic, robbing him of much of his dark strength.

   With the Witch-king grounded and weakened, the defenders concentrated their efforts on the siege tower carrying the Morannon Orcs. Sustained fire and determined resistance began to take their toll. After several hard-fought rounds, the Forces of Mordor finally reached their breaking point. With casualties mounting and morale collapsing, most of the Orcs fled the battlefield.

   Only the Witch-king remained, locked in a final duel with Gandalf the White. Steel and sorcery clashed beneath the walls of Minas Tirith, but in the end, Gandalf emerged victorious, slaying the Lord of the Nazgûl and securing the city’s defense.

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

   

Farmyard Animals and Nativities

    Some sheep and chickens to use as Objectives for our wargames such as Pillage.

   Recently, here in Chania Cultural Center we had the amazing Festival of Nativities 2025, with Nativity artwork from around the world. Some of them are so tiny!

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