Narrative Play

The Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game is ideally suited to Narrative Play, allowing you to recreate all your favourite battles and scenes from the films using your collection of Citadel and Forge World miniatures. Many publications will have a number of Narrative Scenarios in them, detailing how to play those events and which miniatures you will need to faithfully recreate the scenes from the films. There are no points values in Narrative Play, and sometimes a Scenario may seem unbalanced in regards to the forces being used. However, each Scenario will also have a number of special rules which will impact the course of the battle, helping to balance the game and capture the essence of that particular scene. Narrative Play Scenarios are also great to play as part of a campaign, where you can re-enact a chain of events, such as following the journeys of the Fellowship from the Hobbits leaving the safety of the Shire all the way up to the destruction of the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Some Scenarios may provide a short, fast-paced game with only a handful of models that can be played in a short period of time. Others, such as the Siege of Helm's Deep or the Battle of Pelennor Fields, can take a whole day and use a vast collection of miniatures. Many supplements will explore Narrative Play and provide you with a number of Scenarios, and even linked campaigns, for you to play with and re-tell the stories of with your friends.

PARTICIPANTS

The forces of the greatest battles of Middle-earth are woven into the fabric of history, and the great deeds done by heroes and warriors alike are forged into legend. The participants of these battles are very much set in stone - we all know that the likes of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were present at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, but the likes of Smaug or the Dark Lord Sauron most definitely were not. Every Narrative Play Scenario will have a list of participants, detailing exactly which models the forces of Good and Evil will need to recreate that specific battle. These are not necessarily designed to be balanced forces in their own right, but to faithfully capture the feel of the armies presented at that point in time and in that scene or battle. When we present the participants for a specific Scenario, bear in mind that these will be the exact same forces that we have used when designing, balancing and playing them. However, should you wish to experiment by altering aspects of the Scenario, such as changing victory conditions, participants or even special rules, in your own games, then you are more than welcome to do so. Perhaps you want to see how a battle would unfold if different heroes had been present, or what would have happened if a completely different army had turned up instead. You can also use Narrative Play as a basis for creating your own 'What If?' style Scenarios. What would have happened if Saruman had led his forces at the siege of Helm's Deep? What if Haldir had taken the Galadhrim to Minas Tirith instead of coming to the aid of the Rohirrim? What if Smaug had unleashed his fury upon the Battle of Five Armies? What if Sauron had discovered that the One Ring was hidden within the Shire, and launched an all-out assault upon it? That's all part of the fun of the game!

SPECIAL RULES

The real flavour of Narrative Play Scenarios comes from the special rules that they are presented with. These help to give a much better feel of the scenes from the films and may represent anything from endless hordes of Orcs at the War of the Last Alliance, to Gandalf destroying the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, or Thorin's Company navigating the rickety walkways of Goblin-town. It is these special rules that balance Narrative Play Scenarios, and provide players with a truly unique gaming experience that allows them to relive their favourite scenes from both the books and the films. It is worth noting that not all Scenarios will be balanced - some may be purposefully more difficult for one side than the other, if the event calls for it.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of Narrative Play Scenarios are vastly different to those presented in Matched Play. Often, in Narrative Play, the Good side will be fighting to achieve a certain goal, whilst the Evil side may be trying to accomplish something completely different. For example, when recreating Amon Hen, the Evil player is trying to capture the Hobbits, escape the board with them and slay as many of the Fellowship as they can; whereas the Good player is trying to prevent this from happening and have Frodo escape the board to continue his journey. This allows players to fight for the same reasons as the characters they are controlling.

NARRATIVE PLAY NOTES

In Narrative Play, the Good side is always considered to have Priority on the first turn; there is no need to roll. Additionally, unlike in Matched Play games, neither Army is subject to the rules for a Broken Army in a Narrative Play game. There is no fleeing in these situations - it's do or die! Perhaps the most important thing to consider when playing Narrative Scenarios, is that they are often the most fun when you try to play as the characters in the films. Thinking things like 'what would Aragorn do in this situation?' rather than trying to make the most tactical choice will often lead to the most satisfying and engaging games for both players, and give a more faithful recreation of the scenes you are playing.