The Grumpy Gnome‘s Fantasy Projects Blog (latest update on page 61)

[AKULA]

What a great thread!

I’m scratching my head how I haven’t come across it before...I guess it’s the good thing about LAF that you can get engrossed in something....just read from start to finish, love the scale of your ambition

 

[Grumpy Gnome]

Thanks again folks.

Especially with the lockdown it is nice to know some folks enjoy the project.

I do not not mind the extra work if people get something out of it. I get a lot out of reading other blogs and threads on this forum. There is so much I have learned from others and sometimes a good post can raise my own motivation.

A lot of folks told me they would follow a blog if I created one when I told my friends I was leaving Facebook. That has not proven to be the case sadly. I suppose I miss the sense of validation that comes from likes, shares and comments that come so easily on Facebook.

Our project is indeed ambitious. Inam fortune to have a wife that shares my vision.

[CookAndrewB]

I, for one, get a lot of enjoyment out of reading this thread. I do, at times, venture out to your blog to read but largely to look at some pictures not posted here. I rarely post in blogs and use places like LAF as a jumping off point and place to communicate with like minded folks.

[Grumpy Gnome]

I appreciate that mate.

[Sunjester]

Some great stuff here and I agree you are very lucky with your wife.

My own is very supportive of my hobby but, alas, not interested in playing games!

[Grumpy Gnome]

I am indeed quite lucky but we noticed that perhaps more co-operative play than adversarial play may be in order for maximum enjoyment. She is much more interested in immersive narrative play than large tactical exercises. So many innuendos, so little time.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Another battle report.... this time my Taken of Minas Morgul fight my wife’s Lothlorien Elves. I suspect you can imagine how that went....

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/10/a-chance-encounter/

[Golgotha]

Like Anduniel. Maybe try solo type rules for the opposition so that you can both play on the same side.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Thanks mate. Yeah, there is a lot of development in Solo rules now given the international health crisis so maybe we can adapt something for co-operative in the future. For now though we are going to keep going with the adversarial gameplay.

[Launets]

Boy that was a complete loss for the poor Takens.
I really like them, but as you wrote evil must lose in Middle-Earth so they're doing a great job at that. Would love to see them triumph some battles though

I've read everything in the blog but I'm commenting only here, I think that mixing up the rules is a great idea and makes for interesting and unique things so always give it a try!

[Grumpy Gnome]

We went with the newer night rules, these merely reduce missile fire range. Using random time and weather we fought our third match. Hold the Gate!

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/16/hold-the-gate/

More info on the blog of course.... but basically we had fun. The Taken had some good luck overall despite the Elves fairly consistently rolling 6’s at certain points, leading to among other things a basic Wood Elf warrior  repeatedly outfighting Black Numenorean heroes.

But we also had a basic Orc archer jabbing Elves with the arrow in his right hand....

[scatterbrains]

Strange things do happen in the heat of battle!

[Grumpy Gnome]

Blog entry updated with the post battle phase... that lucky Wood Elf ended up becoming a hero! Quite a fitting result from the narrative generated by the fight. My wife quite enjoyed the post battle. I felt a bit underwhelmed, I guess I did not realize just how slow the progression is. However that is actually good considering how long I foresee our Battle Companies gaming to continue when we eventually combine it with SBG.

My current idea is to use the hero injury chart for any named character heroes we later use as well as eventually running the Fellowship scenarios with different characters that my wife selects.

[Launets]

Finally! Good Job Takens.
Glad for the win, it was well deserved. Arnakhor is definitely my favourite char, I wish he lasts long
As always super cool pictures terrain and minis

[Grumpy Gnome]

Well, we will see what you think of Arnakhor and the Taken after the 4th battle report. Thank you for the kind words though! Both my wife and I appreciate it.

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/2020/05/18/rescue-battle-report/

Things did not go as expected but it was a dramatic and exciting game. Emotions ran a bit high on this one, on both sides. The Post-battle end results being particularly important because the next scenario is the narrative “Ruins of Annuminas”.