The Host of Tor Elithis - Campaigning in the Border Princes

[Anduil of Elithis]

Welcome, fellow Asur!

My Elithesii and I have just joined a TOW campaign in the Border Princes, based on the old ruleset from the Warhammer Compendium. Since this does not directly fit my painting log, I thought that starting a blog here to write about this seems the best place

For starters, here is the old campaign map:

[Anduil of Elithis]

Damp morning mist stretched impenetrably through the trees behind him like the Gell of an Elithian Bar'ong as Elthrain let his gaze wander over the plain before him.

Two days ago, he and his troops had disembarked at Hochhall to act as an advance guard for the Elithesii following them northwards. The expeditionary fleet of Tor Elithis anchored on the coast had heard rumours in the human fortress of a hidden elven house that was said to be based here in the border counties. For Sea Lord Isindail, after several weeks of gathering information, this was the most tangible clue for the Elithesian troops to intervene, as there were numerous troops roaming around the supposed home of the mysterious elven house, whose intentions were certainly not friendly.

The task of preparing the way had fallen to Elthrain, who had quickly set off with a small force.
On the way, his scouts had recognised troops of Khemrian princes in the south-east, which he would have to keep an eye on. What he found more surprising, however, was an army of Asur that seemed to be marching to the north, disappearing into a magical mist whenever they approached. What might their purpose be? Or was this the elven house he was looking for? He would surely find out soon enough.

[Anduil of Elithis]

Round 1

From a hill, Elthrain looked out over the Old Silk Road, which stretched from east to west. To the north, he could see the Lord of the Mountain Lions of Chrace, who would be resting there for the night.
The two armies had met that day and the leaders had retired for consultation. It might have been centuries or more since an Elithesii had last met a Chracian and the customs were somewhat unfamiliar to Elthrain. Nevertheless, he recognised a capable commander in his counterpart. Babarius, nicknamed the Hunter to match the lion pelt over his shoulder, was a straightforward character who saw the Elithesii more as potential supporters of his own intentions than rivals to be eyed with suspicion - despite the ages of isolation that had long separated Elithis and Ulthuan. So he and Elthrain were both willing to reveal their intentions for the search of the hidden elven house and agree to support each other.
Shortly afterwards, however, scouts reported that the Khemrian troops had reached the banks of the Blood River and had begun preparations to cross.

Elthrain turned his gaze northwards one last time. The Chracians were already marching on. And he too would have to set his army in motion to be prepared for the crossing of the undead troops.

[TyrrenAzureblade]

This is great, can't wait to see your progress of conquest as the Silver Host brings the enemies of Ulthuan under heel.

[Prince of Spires]

This looks like a load of fun! I'd love to have a regular group to play campaigns like this with. (and the time to play them...).

Keep us updated on the progress!

[Anduil of Elithis]

Thanks for the interest, both of you. It's a new gaming group I have joined last year, so we'll have to see how the flow of the campaign shakes out.
Right now I am waiting for the only round 2 battle (TK in the south againsteach other), before I can update again

[Anduil of Elithis]

Round 2

With the TK battle finished, round 2 of the campaign is concluded. The Bronze Legion of Ka-Sabar took control of the bridge for Aldizem and left the Blades of Ptra in disarray. The latter will probably have to try and cross the river now, if they want to avoid further conflicts with their rivals. Nevertheless, this has brought me one more expansion round without conflict, which puts me at a slight economic advantage (e.g. my realm reaching 3-region size one round earlier than yellow, which gives me a second army before him).

[Anduil of Elithis]

Round 3

The sun stood hot and merciless over the wide plain to the east of the forests that hid the encampment of Tor Elithis' troops. In its blazing light shone the Ithilmar armour of Elthrain's forces, who couldn't help but think how fitting this was for the armies of light, as the forces of Asur and Elithesii were often called.

Elthrain's forces were on a hurried march south, trying to reach advantageous territory before Khemri's troops could cross the Blood River in large numbers. To the west of them, the units from Anthael's glistening host were doing the same. If they could secure the north bank of the river in time, the defence would be much easier to organise.

As they came within sight of the shore, the debris of hastily constructed landing craft could already be seen in its waters. Apparently, the undead troops had already attempted to cross the water and had failed due to its treacherous rapids. But on the other bank, new constructions already appeared to be being erected, prompting Elthrain to urge his troops on with even more haste. There was no time to lose.

A calm round for my forces without any battle to fight. With the TK to the advancing northwards and those in the south looking to cross the river, round 4 will likely bring battle, however.

[Anduil of Elithis]

Round 4-1:

Uh-oh, the undead troops of the Blades of Ptra have crossed the river and will meet my army in battle. Let us see how they like our Ithilmar blades!

[Turion Rilyaloce]

Put them in the grave for good!

[Anduil of Elithis]

Put them in the grave for good!

Thanks will do my best, the match is tomorrow. If have some list building ideas, let me know here: viewtopic.php?t=102618
I appreciate some feedback

[Anduil of Elithis]

As Finthor dismounted his horse, he realised for the first time in the last few hours that his body was tired. His troops had marched with great speed to the north bank of the Blood River to repel the landing forces of Khemri's undead legions and prevent them from establishing a bridgehead. Finthor's task in this battle had been to support the units led by Anthael with his magical abilities and to contain the necromantic energies of the enemy.

Had he been successful? The lifeless carcasses of the undead troops suggested so. As did the slow, methodical retreat of the remaining units across the rickety gangplanks as elven arrows rained down on them. And yet the certainty that today he had not lived up to the standards set for him by his masters gnawed at Finthor. A moment out of perfect control of the winds of magic had cost the lives of many riders. Nefarious spirits had withered their souls while he himself tried to channel the energies. Too late, he succeeded.

He looked at the corpses gloomily as an armoured hand placed itself on his shoulder. When Finthor turned round, startled, there stood Anthael. The older prince and swordmaster led the Shining Army and seemed to be able to guess the younger mage's thoughts. "You fought well today, Finthor. Do not mourn the sons and daughters of Elithis who gave their lives to dispel the darkness." - "Thank you, noble Anthael. But I could have prevented it, I should have!" - "Perhaps. Perhaps it was a whim of the gods who want to challenge you. It is not for me to judge. But either way, it happened and it was not in vain. So do not follow the path of grief, but continue on the path of magic. Only then will you find the strength to dispel your doubts."

With these words, Anthael left him and turned back to the troops. The last of the undead were now out of reach on the other bank of the river and darkness was beginning to fall. "Light guard fires and fortify the bank! By Addaioth, I don't want to see any more bone warriors on this riverbank!"

Result: 765:495 win for the forces of Tor Elithis

[TyrrenAzureblade]

Congratulations on the win! I'm curious to know how that chariot on chariot battle played out!

Edit: Nevermind, I saw your Silver Helms and thought they were chariots.

[Anduil of Elithis]

Thank you! It was a really entertaining game.

Yes, it was Silverhelms versus chariots. I got the charge and after kills and crumbling one chariot was left with one wound remaining, which he lost in his combat phase.

Other points of note:
- Unquiet Spirits going through my magical defenses once and promptly killing eight Reavers. That was brutal. In the same shooting phase my general's unit of SM took one wound from his catapult and promptly failed their panic check. That double dip pushed back my plans a bit.
- I had his Tomb Guard and king surrounded for a decisive T6 charge with 2 SM units, general, BSB and Silverhelms. However I forgot about My Will be Done, which promptly added 3" to the TG's movement and he also rolled a 6 for his charge, meaning he was able to make a 12" charge through difficult terrain, wgich was just what I had considered safe when preparing the setup. 1" further away and this couldn't have happened. Lesson learned!

Generally though, his list was too slow and thus outdeployed and outmaneuvered. So things never really were too much in doubt, I felt.

Below is my side of the map at the end of round 4:

[JohnMavrick]

Nicely done! I'm glad the battle went your way. It's inevitable we forget rules and such when playing but if you'd been back any further it would have made charges for you more difficult anyways.

[Anduil of Elithis]

Nicely done! I'm glad the battle went your way. It's inevitable we forget rules and such when playing but if you'd been back any further it would have made charges for you more difficult anyways.

That is certainly true. I wonder, however, if I maybe should have fled with the Silverhelms instead of leaving him with the possibility of rolling one 6 on his charge roll.
I would have lost the Silverhelms either way, but likely could have brought two units of Swordmasters to bear on the Tombguard after them not reaching their target. What is your thought on this?

[Anduil of Elithis]

Round 6

Nothing spectacular this round. However the yellow TK move two banners to my borders, so I have to think about how to counter this with my next moves.

[JohnMavrick]

Nicely done! I'm glad the battle went your way. It's inevitable we forget rules and such when playing but if you'd been back any further it would have made charges for you more difficult anyways.

That is certainly true. I wonder, however, if I maybe should have fled with the Silverhelms instead of leaving him with the possibility of rolling one 6 on his charge roll.
I would have lost the Silverhelms either way, but likely could have brought two units of Swordmasters to bear on the Tombguard after them not reaching their target. What is your thought on this?

It's easy to see these things in hindsight, did you see this possibility during the game?

Fleeing would have o ut you in a better position with your sword masters but would also have left the chariots open a turn early.

[Turion Rilyaloce]

Welcome, fellow Asur!

My Elithesii and I have just joined a TOW campaign in the Border Princes, based on the old ruleset from the Warhammer Compendium. Since this does not directly fit my painting log, I thought that starting a blog here to write about this seems the best place

For starters, here is the old campaign map:

How does the map work in between games?

[Anduil of Elithis]

It's easy to see these things in hindsight, did you see this possibility during the game?

I actually did, but decided that I would risk it since he had to roll a six on his charge roll. In hindsight, that was a rather large risk that I did not need to take.

How does the map work in between games?

Basically, it is the canvas to move your banners around and grow your influence on. You get one banner plus one for every three territories you control. With these you can take over unoccupied territories and initiate battle, if they meet an enemy banner in the same territory. Banners in adjacent regions can offer support to battles to increase your army size. And then there are some regions with additional rules as well. But in general, it is elegantly simple.

[Turion Rilyaloce]

It's easy to see these things in hindsight, did you see this possibility during the game?

I actually did, but decided that I would risk it since he had to roll a six on his charge roll. In hindsight, that was a rather large risk that I did not need to take.

How does the map work in between games?

Basically, it is the canvas to move your banners around and grow your influence on. You get one banner plus one for every three territories you control. With these you can take over unoccupied territories and initiate battle, if they meet an enemy banner in the same territory. Banners in adjacent regions can offer support to battles to increase your army size. And then there are some regions with additional rules as well. But in general, it is elegantly simple.

Very cool!! Did you say it came from a generals compendium?

[Anduil of Elithis]

It does indeed. I will DM you.

[Anduil of Elithis]

Round 6:

The yellow TK have - expectedly - started to attack my territory. I have moved my banners north to be in a position to cut them off with three charges in round 7. Fingers crossed that this works out.

[Prince of Spires]

Interesting development.

Question, does the terrain shown on the map actually impact the games or not?

[Anduil of Elithis]

Interesting development.

Question, does the terrain shown on the map actually impact the games or not?

Except for forests (place more woods than usual) and some special areas, it doesn't. Most terrain only impacts stuff on the campaign map, not the games themselves.

[Prince of Spires]

makes sense I guess it's hard to get the campaign map stuff to matter. And any general worth his salt would find a normal battlefield to fight his battle on.

[TyrrenAzureblade]

This seems like a heap of fun, I wish I had enough regular opponents with consistent schedules to plan a campaign like this. May you continue your conquest of the Old World in the name of Ulthuan!

[Anduil of Elithis]

This seems like a heap of fun, I wish I had enough regular opponents with consistent schedules to plan a campaign like this. May you continue your conquest of the Old World in the name of Ulthuan!

Thank you! I also did not have a regular playing group for a few years after all university opponents either moved or stopped playing. But with moving into a new part of town myself recently, there fortunately is an active gaming Club nearby now, which helps.

makes sense I guess it's hard to get the campaign map stuff to matter. And any general worth his salt would find a normal battlefield to fight his battle on.

That is probably true and it also helps to keep the campaign mechanics simple enough, which is always a plus if you want to get people that don't know each other a lot to join.

---

Round 7:

The moment is done and my plan mostly worked. I was able to move into both of the areas the TK took from me last round (making sure I take theseif they had movedoutand preventingthem from fortifying if they stayed), while at the same time taking the street unopposed. This means two battles this round.

However, if I win my battles, the campaign special rule of the TK will kick in, meaning they can retreat into my territory if there is no own territory to retreat to. This is annoying, but was something I factored in when taking over the road, as every territory is worth 1/3 of an army, basically. So taking territories reduces the number of armies a player can field on the campaign map.

So in this situation, there are several possible outcomes:
1. If the orange TK keep control of the bridge, I cannot gain anything meaningful by winning my battles, as the yellow banners would likely retreat even deeper into my territory.
2. If the bridge falls to the yellow TK, it will become an adjacent region for the lower of the two battles I have with the TK to retreat into.
2a. So winning that lower battle would allow me to push the lower TK onto the bridge and out of my territories.
2b. Winning the upper battle and losing the lower one would result in chain pushing both TK armies southwards. Also an option, but hinges on even more factors and I think it is more beneficial to isolate that one northern TK army where it has difficulties to aid their defense.

With that said, I would aim at winning the lower battle and treating the upper one as a faked charge that I lose to keep that army in place. Ideally this nets me two won areas and open access to his less defended regions in the east. And if I did not miscalculate, he will have to disband one army afterwards due to the regions lost.

What do my fellow Asur suggest?

[Axiem]

This is a great idea! I played this once a long long time ago, and it was great fun! Like the digital version you've come up with! Do you have a high-res or digital version of that Map? I might try to get my gaming group to do something similar!

Following.

Kind regards,

Axiem

[Anduil of Elithis]

Like the digital version you've come up with! Do you have a high-res or digital version of that Map? I might try to get my gaming group to do something similar!

Thanks, it certainly is a lot of fun! You can find the old original map file on the Web archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20071224055 ... ignMap.pdf

We have simply uploaded it into a Miro board and manage the campaign map from there. This works really well. Let me know if you also need the original rules.

Cheers!