This is another scenario of Games Workshop's Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game from the Scouring of the Shire sourcebook, in this case Brockenborings.
Fatty Bolger and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins have organized a meeting to discuss how to handle the unwanted men Sharkey has brought into the Shire. Somehow the Ruffians have got wind of the meeting, and are determined to teach those troublemaking hobbits a lesson. So Evil wins by chaining the two ringleaders up and dragging them off the board to the Lockholes; Good wins if Fatty and Lobelia escape without being captured. A draw is possible if one escapes and the other is captured.
This is a reworking of the Brockenborings scenario from the earlier Scouring of the Shire supplement, which I tried here. While still recognizably the same scenario, the changes are significant:
(Click on any image to see an enlargement.)
Good musters Fatty Bolger, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, and eight Hobbit Militia. Against them are arrayed Bill Ferny and the same twelve Ruffians we've seen in previous scenarios. It's worth noting that though the Good side has two leaders against Evil's one, neither Fatty nor Lobelia have any Might; Bill Ferny has the only Might point in this scenario.
The 4'x4' board has a meeting house in the middle, with the hobbits starting in base contact with it. The previous iteration of this scenario encouraged the hobbits to scatter to make it harder for the Evil forces to catch them all. But here, with only Fatty and Lobelia mattering, it makes sense for the whole force to stick together. But they don't want to telegraph which board edge they will try to exit, so Fatty goes on the north edge of the house (not visible here), Lobelia goes on the south edge, and the other hobbits are divided evenly on the east and west edges.
The Ruffians set up at least 15" away from the Good forces, and they also spread out evenly so that they can reach the hobbits no matter which way they try to run. Bill Ferny is in the Southwest; you can see him eyeing Lobelia in the second image.
Good starts with Priority. The hobbits decide to try for the eastern edge, so all the hobbits head in that direction. The Ruffian move to intercept, except the two archers that happen to be in that direction. They take their shots, but only one hits and it fails to Wound.
Good Priority, 4-2.
Again a turn of manuever. The hobbits continue to flee. The Ruffian nearest the hobbits last turn (second Turn 1 image, middle) fears getting mobbed next turn and actually backs away. The Ruffian archers stay put to shoot, and everyone else runs towards the hobbits.
Both Ruffian shots miss.
Good Priority, 2-1.
The hobbits continue to run, though their 4" moves are doing them no favors in trying to escape from the 6"-moving men. A few Ruffians are in Charge range and do so, one cracking his whip as he does so, but to no effect.
There's no Shooting this turn. Combat sees first blood going to Good as a Ruffian falls, but Evil kills two hobbits in return.
Evil Priority, 2-2.
With Good having no Might, there's no need to agonize over whether to call a Heroic Move or not. The Ruffians swarm the hobbits, in sufficient numbers to negate control zones and Charge Lobelia and Fatty.
Again, there is no Shooting. In Combat, the doughty hobbits take out two Ruffians, but both Fatty and Lobelia are Put in Chains (denoted by the white markers)! Chains can't hold the Bolger, though, and he immediately escapes, no doubt making noises like Curly Howard.
Good Priority, 6-4.
There's no reason to let Fatty enjoy his new-found freedom, so Bill Ferny calls a Heroic Move (no more Might points in this game) and Fatty is mobbed. Most of the other hobbits are Charged as well.
Evil wins most of the Combats but only manages a single Wound. The hobbits don't win many fights, but when they win they make it count and two Ruffians go down!
Outnumbered, Fatty is recaptured.
Good Priority, 6-5.
Most of the Ruffians are engaged, though Bill Ferny and a henchmen are free when Evil's move phase arrives and they drag Fatty Bolger toward the south edge (to the left in the image).
Combat this turn is bloodless as not a single Wound is scored! Fatty escapes yet again! Nyuk, nyuk!
Good Priority, 4-2.
Fatty runs toward the east edge (image bottom) and the rest of the Militia try to tie up Ruffians. Unfortunately there aren't enough of them, and Bill Ferny is free to Charge Fatty.
Good has some luck; although two hobbits are killed, so is the Ruffian guarding Lobelia and, aided by the brave Militiaman, Lobelia is freed! And though Bill Ferny gets two dice to Fatty's one, the latter wins his Combat, though he can't manage to inflict any Wounds.
Good Priority, 5-2.
Fatty and Lobelia are lucky enough to both be free and they run for the board edge. They are maybe three turns away from victory.
At this point there are too few hobbits to establish an effective screen, and a Ruffian manages to reach Lobelia and recapture her. Two other hobbits are slain, Lobelia fails to escape, and it's looking bleak for the Good guys.
Evil Priority, 3-3.
The Ruffians begin carting Lobelia off the board. The last Militia is dispatched. Though outnumbered, Fatty manages to win his combat again, though again he can't seem to roll above a '1' for his Wound rolls.
Good Priority, 1-1.
Fatty is swarmed and recaptured. Lobelia is dragged to the board edge, which she stages a dramatic escape!
Had Good retained Priority on Turn 11, Lobelia could have escaped and run off-board for the draw! Alas, Evil gets the Priority, Lobelia is recaptured again and both hobbits are dragged off the board without further trouble.
Evil Victory!
The forces in a lot of narrative scenarios are asymmetrical. Quantity vs quality is the classic example. But for the scenario to work, the differences have to counterbalance one another. Here we've got a chase scenario where Evil has numbers, better leaders, better troops, and faster movement. How are the hobbits supposed to win?
The previous incarnation of this scenario felt reasonably balanced so I'm not sure why Evil got such a boost and Good was hamstrung. Sure, it's possible to get a Good win (or, as nearly happened, at least a draw) by having captured leaders escape their chains just before exiting the board and then, assuming favorable Priority, having them exit before Evil can react. That even makes for good drama -- but it doesn't make an interesting game.
If the perception was that the old scenario was too imbalanced in favor of Good, I think GW overcorrected.