With Games Workshop finally releasing most of the new hobbit characters, I'm now able to go back through some of the Scouring of the Shire (2019) scenarios for the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game that I skipped over earlier. So now here we have the second scenario in the book, The Ruffians Arrive.
Here the hobbit Shirriffs are defending the Brandywine Bridge, trying to keep the Ruffians out of the Shire. Evil wins if they can capture the hobbit leaders and drag them off the western edge within twelve turns. Good wins by preventing that.
(Click on any image to see an enlargement.)
The Good forces are led by Holfoot Bracegirdle, Robin Smallfoot, 8 Militia, and 4 Shirriffs. A very minor nitpick that I have with the "Shirriffs of the Shire" pack which contains the two heroes is that it doesn't indicate which hero is which! I'm guessing that the leader on the left is Robin and Holfoot is on the right.
Facing them are the usual gang of Ruffians gathered by the odious Lotho Sackville-Baggins and led by Bill Ferny.
Robin and Holfoot must set up on the Shire side of the bridge. The rest of the hobbits then spread out to block the Ruffians wherever they might try to cross. Most of the Shirriffs stay near Holfoot to take advantage of his Head Shirriff rule, which allows nearby Shirriffs to use their clubs two-handed without the usual two-handed penalty.
The Evil heroes line up on the bridge. The whipmen keep them company, hoping the whips will help clear the way.
Attempting to avoid a bottleneck, a number of Ruffians prepare to swim to the other side to get to the bridge from the rear. The bowmen line up in position to feather some hobbits. Given the lack of hobbit archers and the hobbits' inability to swim (because of scenario special rule), Evil is in the rare position of having Shooting superiority. So let's use it.
I had to build the bridge for this scenario. I'm happy with how it came out (pats self on back) but when constructing the span I made the edges too steep, and the figures have a hard time not sliding off. I ended up using some shims (visible in some of the pictures), which worked out more or less okay, but when you make your bridge, learn from my mistake.
Another mistake I made was not to take a picture for Turn 1. Fortunately, given the nature of the situation, it's not too hard to interpolate between the Setup and this Turn 2 picture.
The hobbit heros need a little help, so they move to the edge of the bridge away from the Ruffians and let the other Shirriffs form a cordon to protect them. The rogues rush across the bridge and start fording the river; one unlucky fellow drowns. The bowmen Shoot, with two of the four hitting, but neither Wounds.
Good gets Priority on Turn 2, 6-3.
The hobbits on the bridge charge the Ruffians, precluding the latter from using their whips. Holfoot moves back up to get the Shirriffs within 3" range of his special rule. Everyone else stoops for stones.
The only Ruffians that move are those in the river, which all safely make it to the other side.
Shooting sees the hobbits land a number of hits but no Wounds. The archers continue to get lucky, with an unlikely three of four hitting, but only one causes a Wound.
Combat goes Evil's way, with the Ruffians winning two combats and killing their adversaries.
Casualties: Good 3, Evil 1
Good Priority, 4-1.
The Shirriffs continue to tie up the bridge, while the hobbits near the riverbank charge the Ruffians on their side of the river.
Evil doesn't have a lot of possibilities for movement. But it seems time to get the archers across the river. The four of them step into the water ... and three of them drown! Evil has now lost 4 models, none of them due to enemy action.
There's no Shooting this turn. On the bridge, each side takes out an enemy.
Casualties: Good 5, Evil 5
Evil Priority, 6-4.
Holfoot is in danger of being rushed, so he calls a Heroic Move. Lotho uses his single Might point to counter, and the roll-off goes to Good. The hobbits on the bridge create a logjam again, while the ones near the river bank, seeing the river itself being much more effective than they are, pull back.
There's no Shooting this turn. Combat goes all Evil's way again, although only a single hobbit goes down. Robin and Holfoot are looking pretty vulnerable.
Casualties: Good 6, Evil 5
Evil Priority, 4-3.
The general scrum continues. Evil charges and Good countercharges. The turn is a disaster for Good; though Bill Ferny finally fails to Wound, two hobbits go down at no loss to the Ruffians; worse still, Robin loses his Combat and is put in chains! Fortunately he's a wily bloke, and he immediately escapes.
Casualties: Good 8, Evil 5
Good Priority, 2-2.
Evil seems to have a leg up here and wants to press his advantage. So Bill Ferny calls a Heroic Move, and the Ruffians Charge. On their way in, a whipman takes out a hobbit.
Two more hobbits are slain at the cost of one Ruffian. Robin is again recaptured ... and again escapes!
Casualties: Good 10, Evil 6
Evil Priority, 6-1.
Robin still has a Might point, but there's not much point to a Heroic Move. He's never going to outrun his attackers. So Evil continues his attempt to grind down the hobbits.
Good's disastrous luck continues, as the last two hobbits go down and both Shire heroes are clapped in chains. Evil looks to win in a walk-off. But then, unbelievably, Robin again escapes!
Good Priority, 4-1.
Robin runs. It's a shame that the scenario rules say the hobbits are not allowed to cross the river.
Bill Ferny and another Ruffian escort Holfoot towards the western edge. Robin is recaptured. Then he escapes again. Good kisses his dice.
Evil Priority, 4-2.
Bill Ferny escorts Holfoot off the map. Evil is halfway to victory.
But Robin's insane luck continues. Outnumbered 4-1, he actually wins his Combat (though he fails to Wound).
On Turn 10, Robin is again attacked at 4-1, getting a '3' vs '4','3','3','1'. He uses his Might point to force the tie, and the rolloff goes to Good! With only two turns left, Evil doesn't have enough time to subdue Robin and get him off the western edge of the board. So: the unlikeliest Good Victory ever?
I rather enjoyed this one. If you're wondering, no: I didn't cook any of the dierolls.
The luck was so skewed here that it feels difficult to draw any conclusions. A couple turns in it looked like the Brandywine was going to do the hobbits's work for them. But once Combat was joined in earnest, it seemed the Ruffians won more than their share, and this kind of scenario is a numbers game. Then again once the hobbits were sufficiently thinned, the small board made it so the heroes had no place to run.
Which of course doesn't matter if you're going to have the kind of luck that Robin did.