Aliens - Board game by Leading Edge

Aliens - This Time It's War.
So, this week Craig wanted to play an old game of his that he had managed to locate at the bottom of his wardrobe - he has wanted to play it for a while, Aliens - This Time It's War by Leading Edge.

Craig and Adrian bought the game, the expansion and most of the figures years ago and wanted to have another crack at it.  The game itself allows players to recreate three key battle scenarios from the 1986 science fiction/horror film and I have always loved the films.

The scenarios include:
1. The Reactor Room  (nine marines vs. the aliens in their lair)
2. Operations and Air Ducts (the surviving marines face an alien assault and pursuit)
3. Ripley vs. The Queen (Ripley uses a powerloader in her final battle with the Alien Queen)

Aliens - Leading Edge

Aliens - Board game 

he game comes with a 17" x 34" game map, character cards, and counters to represent both the Colonial Marines and the Aliens. Craig also had the expansion set.

It was clear from our first game that Colonial Marines have very short life span, as you will see below!

 Especially if they don't work together, as with mine - racing for the exit and "Each man for himself" = lots of dead marines!

After the first game it was clear that play is fast and can leave you thinking about were to move and where the Aliens will sporn, the sense of urgency akin to the movie of trying to escape was good fun.

Aliens - Board game

The main map (pictured ont he right) shows how the Marines have to negotiate across the board, while trying not to get captured by Aliens.

As stated earlier, my first game I just ran to the exit and only managed to save 3 of my Colonial Marines and despite the Aliens taking heavy casualties, I just couldn't hold them of long enough to get Hicks and Hudson out of the exit.

On my second game, I changed tactics and knew what I needed to do.  My marine stuck to one side and huddled together in a circle, placing flamer units around the group to maximise fire power against any alien that tried to get near me.  It worked a treat and I smashed anything that even tried to get near.  I only lost 2 marines and that was because they entered the board next to my squad and were able to quickly grab them (although I even killed two Aliens fightign hand-to-hand).

All in all it was a fun and exciting game that made me remanis about the old movies.

We welcome anyone interested in playing Lotr SBG, WotR or any warhammer/40K battle - why not let us know so that we can arrange some starter battles, like the one above, or if you/your club want to challenge us. We have all the LOTR SBG figures and LOTR scenery from the Mines of Moria to the siege of Helms Deep ready and waiting. 
Feel free to email us to come along or arrange a game.

East Grinstead War Gaming club
Sussex

LOTR - The Tree Horse of Rohan

Amazing! Whilst out with the family at Knole, Kent at the weekend and we came across this tree... I immediately thought of Lord of the Rings and Rohan horse gods. Although with me it is not hard as I am always thinking about Lord of the Rings!

It is easy to see how the idea of creatures such as Tree beard being thought about and created as a feature in Middle Earth -  this certainly looks like a horse version of an Ent.

LotR: Rohan Banner

Although looking at the picture on the right, taken from futher away it looks like an Ent Giraffe!

Enough of my rambling, hopefully I will be able to post our Alien board game battle this weekend.



We welcome anyone interested in playing Lotr SBG, WotR or any warhammer/40K battle, in fact we are up for playing ANY type of table top wargaming! Why not let us know so that we can arrange some starter battles, like the one above, or if you/your club want to challenge us.

We have all the LOTR SBG figures and LOTR scenery from the Mines of Moria to the siege of Helms Deep ready and waiting. 

Feel free to email us to come along or arrange a game.

East Grinstead War Gaming club
Sussex

LOTR: Battle Report - SBG Ambush in Rhudaur (Arnor)

"...the folk of Arnor dwindled, their foes devoured them...

...and their lordship passed."          

                                                    - Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring         

 

Lord of the Rings battle report -  SBG Arnor vs Angmar 

So, this is the latest SBG battle report from East Grinstead Wargamers, which sees Arnor with the elven twins Elladan and Elrohir, with Halbarad with an army of Dunedain and rangers (750 points), face the might of Gulavhar, Buhrdur, shade, troll and a mass of orcs (1000 points).

The battle was similar to both Surrounded (LoME) and Ambush in Rhudaur (The Ruin of Arnor).  The idea was that the elven twins and Halbarad had been hunting elves and had stopped over night to rest at the ruins at Rhudaur. Unbeknownst to them, Gulavhar and Buhrdur had both gathered a small force to launch a counter attack at dusk to rid the Rhudaur of the Dunedaun once and for all.

We had planned for Dan (a new player) to have Buhrdur's 500 point warbands and I would have Gulavhar - Craig would defend with 750 worth of Arnor, but Dan couldn't come so I fielded the 1000 point army!  The aim was simple,  Angmar HAD to drive the good force out of the ruins or kill the vast majority, while the good had to keep the evil army from taking the ruins.

LotR SBG: The Ruin of Arnor - Rhudaur

LotR SBG: The Ruin of Arnor - Rhudaur

LotR SBG: Buhrdur's Angmar warband 500 points

LotR SBG: Buhrdur and Cave Troll

LotR SBG: Wild Warg Chieftain Warband & wild warg

LotR SBG: Buhrdur's Angmar warband 500 point

LotR SBG: Gulavhar's Angmar warband 500 point

LotR SBG: Angmar Shade

LotR SBG: Gulavhar

LotR SBG: Angmar Orc warband - Command

LotR SBG: Idea's for scenario

LotR SBG: Angmar and Arnor Deploy

LotR SBG: Elladan and Elrohir, Rangers of Arnor

LotR SBG: Arnor Rangers and Dunedain deployment

LotR SBG: Buhrdur's view of the Ruins

LotR SBG: Rangers of Arnor in the Ruins

LotR SBG: Shade and Orc warband advance

LotR SBG: Orc warband view of Ruins

LotR SBG: Gulavhar's warband view

LotR SBG: Angmar horde advance on the Rhudaur ruins

LotR SBG: Angmar Orc Archers on Ruins

LotR SBG: Warg Chieftain leads the attacking Wild Warg

LotR SBG: Ranger of Arnor eyes Gulavhar

LotR SBG: Ruins of Arnor surrounded by Angmar Orcs

LotR SBG: Orc war band advance

LotR SBG: Gulavhar's warband reach ruins

LotR SBG: Angmar Orc warband reach ruins

LotR SBG: Wild Warg Chieftain attacks
Dunedain and Ranger of Arnor from the rear

LotR SBG: Wild Warg warband attack Elladan and Elrohir

LotR SBG: The Elven twins surrounded

LotR SBG: The Dunedain climb the walls of the Arnor Ruin

LotR SBG: Angmar Horde reach Rhudaur the Ruins of Arnor

LotR SBG: Elladan and Elrohir kill the Wild Warg with ease

LotR SBG: Gulavhar reaches the walls of the Ruins
and attacks the Rangers and Dunedain

LotR SBG: More Wild Warg attack the Sons of Elrond

LotR SBG: Buhrdur hides from Rangers in the corner room
while the orc warband storm the ruins - having reached it unharmed,
the rangers kept missing the Cave Troll!

LotR SBG: Angmar Orc warband view of the assault on Rhudaur ruins 

LotR SBG: Orc warband overwhelm the flank as the Rangers
are caught in the end room 

LotR SBG: Buhrdur kept at bay by a Dunedain and Rangers of Arnor

LotR SBG: Angmar Orcs swamp the Ruins and surround the rangers,
who are trapped and unable to move having lost priority

LotR SBG: Wild Warg Chieftain and Orcs try to Kill Elladan and Elrohir

LotR SBG: Arnor desperately fighting to keep Angmar at bay

LotR SBG: Buhrdur finally moves forward and ignores the bow fire

LotR SBG: Halbared, Dunedain and Rangers fight the orc horde

LotR SBG: Gulavhar kills more Dunedain in his lust for blood 

LotR SBG: Elladan and Elrohir surrounded again

LotR SBG: The Battle for the Arnor Ruins of Rhudaur continues 

LotR SBG: Angmar Orcs surge forward, The Shade is trapped by the door! 

LotR SBG: Buhrdur enters the fight and the rangers take heavy losses 

LotR SBG: Buhrdur, orcs and Cave Troll surround and kill Halbarad

LotR SBG: Halbarad and The Arnor Army is lost, the Twins Survive, but with no might the fight is lost, Craig concedes the ruins and the Game.

Final Thoughts

Craig was unfortunate as he lost the priority roll at a crucial point, he had planned to pull everyone back into the centre and then hold the ruins while the rangers and Dunedain on the walls rained arrows on the orcs. Without that priority roll, he was swamped with Angmar orcs and was trapped - the rest was what was expected.  The sides were in Angmars favour from the start with the extra points, but Arnor simply had no chance.

I was worried about the bow fire in LotR SBG as in WotR, I could easily lose Gulavhar or Buhrdur... this meant that I held back.  Craigs bow fire was poor (and that is putting it mildly) and during my advance one flank concentrated everything on the Cave Troll, he should have been a walking pin cushion, but only sustained one wound counter!


This was the first time we had used the ruins and I agreed that if the base couldn't fit through the arch then the figure couldn't come through... 
...this meant that only my orcs could go through, the Shade, Warg, Troll and everything with a 40+mm base  had to get in through the two broken walls.


It was a good fast game and drew a lot of attention at the club, wait until we do the siege of Helms Deep!

Man of the Match

Elladan and Elrohir - The Elven Twin
Sons of Elrond

We both agreed this had to be shared between Elrohir and Elladan the Sons of Elrond as the held the entire flank and killed everything that tried to get passed.  Yeah, they used all their might, but nothing got passed... 

I still have to get to grips with the rules so it will be interesting to pit a decent Evil hero against him and see how he likes it! And learn the rules for magic as my shaman last time literally did nothing!

To see my fully Painted Armies please visit this blog:

LotR / WotR Dwarf Army 

http://eastgrinsteadwargamers.blogspot.com/2011/10/wotr-dwarven-army.html

LotR / WotR - Moria / Misty Mountains army please visit this blog:

lhttp://eastgrinsteadwargamers.blogspot.com/2011/10/wotr-misty-mountains-moria-army.html

LoTR/ WotR Angmar Army

http://www.eastgrinsteadwargamers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/wotr-angmar-army.html

LoTR / WotR Huge Mordor Army

http://www.eastgrinsteadwargamers.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/6000-point-mordor-army.html

LoTR / WotR Isengard Army

http://www.eastgrinsteadwargamers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/wotr-warg-riders-of-isengard.html

  

We are about to start playing LOTR SBG - both skirmish battles and walk through the books/films each Monday night and WotR on club nights.

We welcome anyone interested in playing Lotr SBG, WotR or any warhammer/40K battle - why not let us know so that we can arrange some starter battles, like the one above, or if you/your club want to challenge us. We have all the LOTR SBG figures and LOTR scenery from the Mines of Moria to the siege of Helms Deep ready and waiting.  

Feel free to email us to come along or arrange a game.

East Grinstead War Gaming club 

Sussex