Seeing how The Lord of the Rings is not exactly like any other book and may
indeed be seen by many as the most comprehensive, extraordinary and
brilliant work of fantasy in history some further infomation may be
appreciated. First of all, the guy who did the game concept (he's just one
of the names in the credits but it seems that's just well- mannered
modesty) is Mike Singleton and he's seen by many as the Numero Uno in
wargame simulation; he was doing stuff like that back in '64. C-64, that
is. He's the kind of guy who makes you wonder how it's possible to get
hundreds of different pictures onto a few disks and still leave enough room
for such side effects as a program.
From the first versions of War in Middle Earth on the 8 bit computers came
complaints concerning errors in spelling. As you may or may not be aware,
professor Tolkien's consistency in the development of Middle Earth resulted
in immense background "research"; not only bloodlines of every important
character in the book but also a coherent set of Elven runes and indeed
large parts of fantasy languages were developed and subsequently integrated
into his work. I can thus imagine how it would irritate the Tolkien admirer
if through sheer neglect a good deal of this Middle Earth lore were
misspelled. I am happy to say that on the ST version mistakes seem to have
been minimised; the only error I've found yet (but I'm not a fanatic in
searching for them) was Forland spelled Forlond. No big deal even if I do
feel that these things should be done with care.
A word about the sort of game we're looking at. War in Middle Earth is not
an adventure; the whole thing is icon-driven and thus mouse operated. It is
also not exactly a wargame: characters are required to interact with other
characters and depending on the outcome enemy units (Saruman and Sauron and
their allies) may take certain decisions. War in Middle Earth, I dare say,
is more than most adventures, role-playing games or wargames; if I were to
give it a description I would say it's a fairly uncomplicated but extensive
multi-feature fantasy simulation with great detail and equal success in
each aspect. (Attentive readers may correctly perceive a circumlocution of
the more direct phrase "Good stuff - go and buy").
Let's take a look at the forces moving in Middle Earth. In East Emnet Eomer
and a hundred and twenty cavalry make their way to the north of Dol Goldur,
the Sorcerer's Tower of old. In North Ithilien, Faramir and two hundred
rangers trace their steps across the fields and northern border of the
lands of Gondor and head west. Frodo, with Sam and Pippin following him,
makes for Tuckborough, then goes on to Woodhall, and meets Merry in
Buckland. Keeping in mind Gandalf's warning about the feared Nazgul, the
riders in black, Frodo leads his friends through the old forest and
suddenly finds himself at the house of Tom Bombadil. Tom gives some advice
to the party and, carefully entering the dangerous Barrow Downs, Frodo and
companions head for Bree. In the rest of Middle Earth, forces large enough
to take or lose a city, a region or a whole country slumber; some gathered
in fortresses, others spread out over the countryside.
On the side of the good forces, Dain and his thousand Dwarves, Thranduil
and his Sylvan Elves, Denethor in the mighty city of Minas Tirith, Theoden,
Theodred, Bard and many others not yet aware of the imminent danger keep
their watch, semper paratus. And on the side of the forces of evil, fifteen
hundred Orcs are spread over the vast range of the Misty Mountains, a
thousand Orcs guard Dol Goldur, Saruman's Hand Orcs, Uruk-hai and
Dunlendings reside in once-beautiful Isengard, while only the slightest tip
of Sauron's potential forces - already around thirty thousand Orcs and
hundreds of deadly Trolls - are visible in Morannon, Minas Morgul and also
near Mount Doom and Barad Dur. Invisible the many small but deadly dark
forces that roam the land - Orcs, Trolls, wargs, bandits, spiders, and,
feared beyond all, the ancient Balrogs. And all the time the nine dreaded
Nazgul search the shire for a token of the ringbearer.
Tired, dirty, and, what's much more for a hobbit, hungry up to the point of
starving, Frodo and his friends collapsed on the blanket of late autumn
leaves spread out over the withered grass. "We made it!" Too much out of
breath to answer Pippin's exclamation, Sam sat down on the field, legs
crossed. After a few minutes, he looked at Frodo and said, "Well, maybe all
this running around in dead people's places is all right for the three of
you, but I've had enough of adventures already. There's nothing I fancy
more than a good hot meal and a seat in front of a fire." Frodo looked at
his friend with sympathy. "Well, Sam Gamgee, only the day before yesterday
we escaped those fearful black riders, and now we have actually killed a
wight in the Barrow Downs, and what's more we've met Tom Bombadil himself,
and all you do is complain." Sam's face slowly showed a pained, guilty
expression, though his love for food and fire were still apparent. "And
what's more," said Pippin in a surprisingly enthusiastic voice, "we've
heard magnificent stories. And we've found a lot of nice things; right now
we each have our own Elven blade. Not to forget the wonderful magic potions
we're carrying." "And a fine staff, even if we don't know what it's good
for," concluded Merry. "Well that's all very well but I'd easily trade both
staff and potions for a strong draught of ale and a full plate of hot food,
thank you very much." "Maybe tonight," sighed Frodo, "when we reach Bree."
That night in Bree the ranger Aragorn met the party and, knowing it was far
from safe to stay in any one place for a longer period of time, the five of
them immediately left for Midgewater Marsh. All the time gathering
information on the whereabouts, movement and destinations of the nine dark
riders, Aragorn tried to keep away as much as he could from the road that
connected Bree to The Last Bridge and, beyond that, to Ford of Bruinen and
finally to fabled Rivendell - their initial destination. The party slept
near Weathertop but once they found out that the Nazgul frequented the
place on their search they decided to leave it alone and travel through the
open land. When they came near the last bridge, observation taught them
that all black riders moved toward the Ford of Bruinen - so they waited
until the last of the black riders, the mighty Nazgul Lord himself, had
left in that direction and then they immediately followed.
Near the last bridge they came in a fight with five wargs but Aragorn's
ancient sword cut right through the first four vicious wolves while Pippin
killed the last one with his Elven blade. Only Sam was slightly wounded in
the fight. Then, on the road through the forest, the company met Glorfindel
and under his elven guidance they evaded both wolves and Trolls on the
forest road when finally, emerging from the treeline and almost in sight of
Rivendell, the company passed the great river near Ford of Bruinen and was
suddenly attacked by all the nine Nazgul at once. If it hadn't been for the
help of Elrond, things would have been for the worst. But as it was, one
mighty attack after another, initiated time and again by valiant charges
from Elrond and Aragorn, felled each foul Nazgul in turn until none of the
wretched creatures were left.
And the party reached Rivendell to rest and recuperate from their wounds
and to hold council in the presence of Elrond and Gandalf. In the meantime,
Eomer had quietly crossed the plains of the Brown Lands, the small bands of
marauding bandits evading the larger force of his horsemen, and had picked
up the long lost ring of Thrain north of Dol Goldur, the former Sorcerer's
Tower on the edge of Mirkwood. He was now in possession of the ring but,
before returning it to their rightful owners, decided to make a double
bargain when he learned that in a ruin near Mount Gundabad a treasure could
be found that belonged to Thranduil's Sylvan elves. Eomer and his cavalry
rode north. Faramir, having crossed Cair Andros and passing through Edoras,
Hornburg and Isen Ford, headed further west in search of more recent
treasure.
In Rivendell, the party met Bilbo, the initial ringbearer, and listened to
the old Hobbit's advice. It was a sentimental meeting amongst the hobbits
and even the most mischievous Elf seemed to sense that theirs was a grave
and sad parting. For Frodo, there was mithril mail as a present from Bilbo
and long farewells from all others as the Fellowship prepared to move on.
Frodo had been appointed ringbearer and it was now his duty to try and
destroy the cursed One Ring by bringing it to age-old Mount Doom in the
middle of bare and sinister Mordor itself and there unmake it in the only
possible way. He was to be assisted by Sam, Pippin, Merry and Aragorn as
before, but now Legolas, Gimli and Boromir had joined the party, and they
would all travel under the capable guidance of Gandalf the Grey. And
Gandalf knew, like he had known for a long time, that now was the time for
his final work in the greatest confrontation between good and evil in the
worlds of Middle Earth.
Having learned of important treasures throughout the land and realising
full well that the temporary incapacitation of the Nazgul offered a certain
degree of safety, Gandalf decided it practical to split the company in two
and gather some of the items that would increase the chance of success of
their newborn quest. Aragorn and Legolas would, with all possible speed,
search for various valuable items in or near Belegost, Forland, Grey Havens
and White Towers while Gandalf and the others obtained tokens of power near
Mount Gram and Annuminas. Then they would meet each other in Ost-in-Edhil
and continue their journey.
And so it happened, and while Eomer brought the heirlooms of the Elves and
Dwarves to their respective owners and thus gained their assistance in the
final battles, Faramir and his rangers searched for healing in a small town
near the mouths of the rivers Greyflood and Isen and continued on to
rendez-vous with Gandalf, Aragorn and the others near Ost-in-Edhil where -
so they had learned from Cirdan - an ancient blade had been washed ashore.
"Gandalf?" "Yes, Aragorn, I know. We must decide on which way to pass the
mountains." "Why not south?" asked the seasoned ranger. Gandalf slowly
shook his head. "Because of Saruman. He has been perverted by Sauron and
wants the ring for himself. We cannot risk it. We must cross these
mountains." Aragorn did not argue. "Where? The passes are probably snowed
in." "I know. We shall try to enter Moria through Hollin Gate."
Once more Aragorn said nothing, but his mien clearly reflected his worry.
No sane man could hope to enter Moria and leave the place unscathed. But
then Gandalf was no ordinary man. When they had travelled across the fields
for several days (not completely alone as Gandalf had picked up signs of
Gollum following the party) they arrived at Hollin Gate. Gandalf spoke the
ancient elven words and opened the passage through the mountains, but
immediately the party was challenged by a fierce creature that seemed to
consist mainly of flames. An ancient Balrog attacked them, and Gandalf
instructed his friends to leave him and continue their quest. In the
ensuing fight, the Balrog was hurt badly, and Gandalf was struck a mortal
wound.
The individual members of the company tried to get together and enter Moria
as fast as possible, but Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn were separated from the
others by the presence of the burning creature following them. Although
Sauron's servant was badly hurt, they were still no match for the ancient
evil - at least, that is what Aragorn judged. After two hours of pursuit,
Gimli suddenly turned around, charged across a small glade and attacked the
Balrog with his hammer. By the time Aragorn and Legolas were aware of the
assault, the fight was over.
Gimli sat, totally unhurt, with before his feet nothing but a black, burnt
patch of grass where the Balrog had been dealt the mortal blow. Half
stunned, all Gimli could say was "And that's for Gandalf." Aragorn just
stood there, too tired and too awed to speak. Legolas seemed unmoved, but
the inflection in his voice betrayed both the sadness for Gandalf's defeat
as well as admiration for Gimli's heroic revenge. "My dwarven friend, you
have great valor. If we could all match you the dark lord would never stand
a chance." Legolas paused. "But now we must leave; there is no more time."
"And we must go south," whispered Aragorn, "for now I must bring the Red
Arrow to Edoras as fast as I can. And we must hope that our friends will
survive Moria."
Faramir and his rangers were the last to enter the tunnel, just before the
age-old doors swung shut again. By the light of torches, the company -
Boromir leading the hobbits and rangers - slowly moved through the stone
dungeons. Much further north, Dain (who had found the old dwarven hammer
north of Erebor) and a thousand Dwarves were on their way to Mt. Gundabad
to destroy the Orcs there. More to the south, Eomer, Thranduil and many
Elves were going to Goblin town to do the same. With the consent of his
allies, Eomer meant to deal out a death blow to all the enemies inhabiting
the Misty Mountains, thus ridding this part of Middle Earth of Sauron's
troops. And after the Misty Mountains, he intended to seek out the enemy in
old Dol Goldur.
Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas passed through the gap of Rohan south of
Isengard and continued on toward Edoras where they hoped to meet Theoden.
Boromir, the hobbits and Faramir with his rangers were totally outnumbered
by the five hundred Orcs at Dol Amroth, but with a great charge they
managed to decimate their opponents before the final attacks started.
Faramir was slightly wounded, several dozen rangers lay dead on the rocks,
Boromir was severely hurt, but all the orcs were killed. The party
continued on, left Moria and started toward Lothlorien. Dain's company
reached Mt. Gundabad and ran the Orcs over in a single charge, not one
Dwarf was killed. Eomer and Thranduil's company attacked the Goblin town
but the enemy was dug in and had to be searched out; several dozen Elves
and nine cavalry died in the progress of annihilating the last of Sauron's
servants in the Misty Mountain range. Both Dain and Eomer started their
journey towards Lorien.
The first to reach Lorien was none other than Gandalf'; not killed by his
opponent's foul blow but rather transformed into a more pure and strong
form. Now, Gandalf the Grey had become Gandalf' the White. And after
speaking to the lady Galadriel, Gandalf' left for Edoras. Boromir's company
reached Lorien and was also welcomed by the beautiful Elf queen, and Frodo
received gifts from the lady of light. Faramir and his rangers decided to
stay in Lorien and help defend the fabled city should the need arise.
Boromir, Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Meriadoc left for Minas Tirith. Aragorn and
company had reached Edoras, and when the Red Arrow was presented to Theoden
King the latter gave orders to rally all cavalry in his lands and promised
Aragorn that Saruman would soon pay for his betrayal.
And Aragorn went to Minas Tirith to offer the Sceptre, token of the power
of the King of Numenor, to Denethor in order to mobilise as soon as
possible the complete strength of Gondor. The battle for Isengard was
short; forewarned as Theoden was his thousands of cavalry took the
initiative and attacked, rather than awaiting a certain siege and offensive
in Hornburg. Theoden King led the troops that simply ran over Saruman's
Hand Orcs, Uruk-Hai and Dunlendings. Although Saruman had more forces than
the initial few thousand, they were dealt with easily.
Soon Orthanc was empty, save for some royal infantry left behind to guard
the white tower. And Theoden and the hordes of Rohan moved off toward Minas
Tirith to assist Aragorn, Gandalf and all the others in the decisive
battles. Crossing the lands where small bands of Orcs, Goblins and bandits
were searching for the ring-bearer, Boromir led the hobbits (and Gollem who
had persuaded Frodo to be allowed to join the company) south. But soon, in
a desperate fight and chase, Pippin and Merry were cut off from the others.
Boromir, Frodo, Sam and Gollum killed all twenty Orcs but Boromir was again
wounded.
They did not find Merry or Pippin again and had no choice but to continue
south, towards Minas Tirith. Already, Frodo could feel the increasing
weight of the ring bearing down upon him. Pippin and Merry got lost in the
ancient woods of Fangorn and there they met one of the oldest inhabitants
of Middle Earth, Treebeard. They looked at him in awe and listened
carefully to his slow dark voice giving them advise on their journey. The
next day, they travelled further south and met the entire company of
Theoden. And Dain, Thranduil, Faramir and Eomer greeted each other in
Lothlorien and readied themselves to overthrow the Orcs in Dol Goldur.
Already, troops were gathering in Minas Tirith. Aragorn had offered the
Sceptre to Denethor and what Gandalf had not been able to achieve the old
token of war now did for him; they received the reluctant help of the
stewart. Now all troops gathered under the leadership of Gandalf the White
behind the time-worn but still mighty battlements of the walls of Minas
Tirith. Denethor was there, with his infantry, his light infantry and the
elite tower guards. Imrahil was coming forth from Dol Amroth with his
company of valiant knights. Hirluin, Dervorin and other leaders travelled
the lands of Gondor to assist in the final battles.
Pippin and Merry accompanied Theoden, Theodred, Erkenbrand, Dernhelm,
Elfhelm and some seven thousand cavalry on their way to venerable Minas
Tirith. Boromir had been left by Frodo, Sam and Gollum because Frodo knew
that not the fabled city but threatening Mount Doom was his ultimate
destination. Boromir now went back to his father, Denethor steward of
Gondor. Helped by Celeborn himself, Eomer, Faramir, Thranduil, Dain and all
their cavalry, rangers, Elves and Dwarves crushed the orcs in Dol Goldur
and travelled southeast to reach Minas Tirith in time. And then, as an
expected but not less feared, sudden and awesome sign, as if their leader
had smelled the impending danger on a whiff of the western winds, Sauron's
troops began to move at last. And all over Mordor rose immense clouds of
dust that hid yet betrayed the presence of thousands and thousands of Orcs,
Goblins, Trolls and Half-Trolls, wainriders, Balchoth, corsairs, Westrons,
Easterlings, the Harad and the Umbar, Morgoth and Shelob. And Sauron. "And
I say no hobbit in his right wits would even think of crossing those
mountains.
Look at that colour; it's just not natural," Sam complained when he
established that Frodo was actually going to travel on into murderous
Mordor itself. "Well, you can see why they're called the ash mountains,
Sam. And I still say we have to go. I can't hold on much longer, it's
becoming too heavy now." "I...I could try to..." Sam stammered as he saw
Frodo's cold eyes guessing his intent, seeing things much darker than Sam
Gamgee could possibly ever even grasp. "NO! No one takes the ring from me!"
"Smeagol take ring? Smeagol take precious to safety, yes, not to nasty hot
mountain or evil land of Mordor. Smeagol take ring now?" "I say no! If I
have to take it, I take it myself."
Slowly, with the pleading but cunning glances from Gollum and the worried
eyes of Sam studying him, Frodo relaxed. "I'm sorry, Sam. It's just..." "I
know." He took up his pack and tried to sound cheerful. "Well, if we're
going to pass through, we might as well do it before some patrol finds us."
And the three of them went through the old, old tracks near Cirith Ungol
and tried to evade the countless Orcs literally pouring from the mountains.
The siege of Minas Tirith was a fact. But rather than follow Denethor's
suggestion of staying safely behind the wall, knowing that each attack
would cause unnecessary losses, Gandalf and Aragorn planned a more
offensive strategy.
Within the walls of nearby Osgiliath, all the cavalry held its base for
sudden charges. Apart from them, large troups of Elves and Dwarves took
short trips into the surrounding land to find and take by surprise the many
isolated troups of Orcs and other evil allies that had not yet reached
Minas Tirith. In the magnificent city itself, Gandalf resisted one assault
after another, killing Orcs and Trolls until the fields were black with
their blood, leading Imrahil and his knights into charge after frantic
charge, assisted by the infantry and the tower guards. Among the forces of
good, many died, and even more were wounded. But while the greatest
strength of Mordor relentlessly pushed through the plains and gathered
outside Minas Tirith, the Dwarves and Elves returned, both strongly
reinforced by their comrades coming down from Dol Goldur and from further
up north, and finally Erkenbrand and all cavalry returned to Minas Tirith
to take the last stand.
And when all the remaining cavalry and infantry had barricaded themselves
within the strength of the fortress, even the full power of Sauron could
not break them and all attempts to breach the walls were futile. Then, when
all the fields in front of Minas Tirith were littered with the rotting
bodies of their precious friends and their foul opponents, Gandalf, bitter
for so much bloodshed but determined to finish the war forever, ordered all
troops on a forced march to Mordor. While Gollum, Sam and Frodo made slow
and tedious progress through the wastes of Mordor, already in sight of
Mount Doom, the Dark Lord turned his attention to his last hope - the One
Ring.
But just as he started to feel that he might have been tricked within his
very own land, his mind was absorbed by the turning tide at the gates of
Morannon. There, his good counterpart led a large force of all his ancient
enemies - Dwarves, Elves, rangers and uncorrupted humans - against his
personal guard. And the forces of good passed into the burned wastes of
Mordor. When Gandalf and Sauron came eye to eye in the dark tower of Barad
Dur, all those below, both the forces of good as well as the servants of
evil, heard a thundering crack, and as the maker of the One Ring realised
that his utter defeat was guaranteed by Frodo's fullfillment of the quest,
he led out a great howl of anguish. Now, the defeat of Sauron was a fact.
SO ENDS THE WAR IN MIDDLE EARTH.
Well then, for some more straightforward advice. What's coming next are
rules that seem to work - for me. Perhaps you prefer to take other tactics;
certainly my approach can be improved. Nonetheless, you may profit from
some of these guidelines.
Items: Never give anyone an item that person already possesses - they're
lost forever. So if you send Faramir to pick up a blue potion (healing)
north of White Towers, he can no longer take the one in Grey Havens. It
takes a bit of careful planning to get all the right items in the shortest
amount of time. Also, give the right item to the right man and keep in mind
that gaining allies should be given top priority. It's no use fooling
around with healing potions or nice weapons if Dain, Thranduil and other
leaders are immobile because they haven't received their "tokens of war".
The sooner you can mobilise your troops the better your chances will be
once Saruman and Sauron start moving out of their own little backyards
(actually, you can beat them to it).
Battles: Overkill works. If you attack 2000 Orcs with 2000 cavalry (cavalry
is very effective) you'll probably beat all the Orcs and lose less than two
hundred cavalry. If you attack those same Orcs with five hundred cavalry
chances are you'll lose the battle (and thus all your cavalry) and never
inflict serious losses on your opponent. One thing: there's a fine balance
between the exact right battleline and needles losses. If you make a stand
(say, defending Minas Tirith) with lots of leaders and a whole range of
different troops - rangers, infantry, light infantry, knights, tower guards
and cavalry - then 250 trolls will inflict losses in all these categories,
thus causing you to lose several hundred troops each round of combat. If
you attack those same 250 trolls with nothing but (for instance) cavalry
there's a good chance you'll come out with no more than fifty dead, perhaps
even none. The two most valid rules seem to be overkill, and concentration
of troop types.
When defending Minas Tirith, you'll find that sending all cavalry (or all
Elves, or knights, but not the three combined) to nearby Osgiliath will
work quite nicely. Oh and by the way, I never did find out (not yet, that
is) what the gnarled staff and the coil of rope are all about!!
